15I wasted no time in packing what little I had into a sack and preparing to leave. Jorinda was waiting, and now that I finally knew how to save her, I planned to hurry.
I would have to think of some way to repay Mary's family for their kindness. I had trespassed on their hospitality for far too long, and I would have to take Joseph's clothes with me. I wished I had money with me, but I supposed my sincerest thanks would have to do, though that meant I would have to wait until they returned. Despite my eagerness to go, I owed them that much.
I didn't have to wait long. I had barely finished my meager packing when I heard their cart outside. When they came through the door, they found me waiting with my sack at my side.
"Jorindel! We wondered where you had gone! Glad to see you made it back all right," Katherine said when she saw me. Then she noticed my attire. "Are you leaving us, Jorindel?"
I nodded. "I have to return home," I said, a carefully constructed lie on my tongue. "My mother will be wondering what happened to me...she'll be so worried. I've stayed here for far too long, and I hope to make it back before winter sets in…"
"Well, of course you do, dear!" Katherine exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me. "I can only imagine how I would feel if one of my sons simply vanished!"
Over her shoulder I caught Mary's glance. She looked at once stricken and understanding. I couldn't leave her without explaining, especially after what had happened the night before.
"I wish there was a way I could repay you," I said, pulling away from Katherine's embrace. "You've done so much for me—"
"None of that, now," she said. "I only hope someone would do the same if it were one of my sons."
I bid the rest of the family farewell, expressing over and over to them my gratitude for everything. Despite his exhaustion, Noah embraced me more fiercely than anyone else, and when he pulled away I saw tears in his eyes. I only wished I could have left them more easily.
As I left the house I walked slowly towards the woods, knowing it was only a matter of time before Mary came after me. Sure enough, I soon heard her running to catch up with me.
"You can't leave like this," she told me. "Jorindel, what's going on? Please tell me."
I sighed and motioned for her to follow me. She listened quietly while I told her my story, every last detail, even down to the dream I had had only hours before. Never once did she express disbelief, nor did she press me for more information. By the time I had finished we were nearly to the forest's edge.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Mary asked me quietly.
I hesitated. Now that I had told her and she had taken it so well, it seemed silly to have kept it secret before. I could have gotten help from her, from her family. Maybe Jorinda would be safe by now…
"How could I endanger your family? You've been so kind to me, and then for me to ask for such a thing...I couldn't. I still can't," I answered.
"I'm coming with you," Mary said. "I can't let you do it alone."
"You can't! What if the witch gets you, too? I might not be able to save you."
"Maybe I don't need saving. Why won't you just accept my help?"
"Go home, Mary. This isn't your battle, and I won't drag you into it. Go back to your family. Tell them what I told you, or don't. Just don't come with me."
I turned to look at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "Goodbye, Jorindel," she said finally. "May you have good luck on your quest."
"Thank you for understanding," I said, pulling her into an embrace. "I'll find a way to let you know if I succeed, I promise."
She pushed me away and looked directly into my eyes. "If you don't, I'm coming after you," she warned. I couldn't help but smile.
I left her there, on the edge of the woods, and began my search for the red flower.
My time in the forest was much the same as it had been before. I followed every track I could, waiting for something that looked familiar. I had no guide like I had in my dream, and many of the tracks looked alike. It wasn't long before I was as hopelessly lost, hungry, and tired as I had been before.
So it went for eight days. Every path was a dead end, and I soon found myself in an unfamiliar portion of the woods, far from both my home and Mary's. I wandered long into the eighth night, until finally I collapsed to the ground and stayed there, too exhausted to move.
When I woke the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky. Before me lay a path— a path that was undeniably familiar. Forgetting my hunger and despair, I all but ran along it, following its twists and turns as though I had known them all my life. I couldn't move fast enough. An eternity passed before I reached the clearing.
There it was. In the center of the clearing, exactly as I had dreamt it, sat the red flower. Its blood red petals glowed in the sunlight, and the flash of its white center nearly blinded me.
I fell to my knees as the impossibility hit me. My dream had been true! The flower existed, and with it I could save the girl I loved.
At long last I reached forward and picked the flower. Now all that I needed to do was find the witch's cottage.
The flower had a power of its own, one that both pulled me toward the witch's cottage and sped my steps. The shadows had only begun to lengthen when I found myself on the edge of the clearing.
I hesitated only a moment before stepping forward. I took a second step and was only halfway surprised that I could. That proven, I ran directly to the cottage door and flung it open. The hallway I stepped into was windowless, but I could see light pouring out of a doorway down the hall. The kitchen.
The witch froze when I appeared on the threshold. "How did you get in here?" she screeched. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jorinda's cage. She fluttered against the bars as though she would break out. Don't worry, my love, I thought, I'm here to save you.
I waved the flower at the witch in answer to her question, which only provoked her. She sprang at my, surprisingly spry, and made to snatch the flower out of my hand. But the instant she touched it, her skin began to crack, and with a sudden shriek she dissolved into ash. Her power was ended.
Jorinda chirped frantically in her cage, and I went to her. As soon as I opened the small door, she flew out and perched on my shoulder. I remembered what I had seen in my dream and touched the flower to her. In a sudden whoosh of air the bird vanished and Jorinda was at my side, throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace.
I dropped the flower to run my fingers through her red-gold hair and pull her face up to mine for a kiss. It wasn't until her lips met mine that I fully realized how much I'd missed her over the past months.
"I was so scared," she whispered into my ear when at last she pulled away. "I thought you'd never come."
I kissed her forehead, not wanting to tell her how close I'd come to abandoning her.
"Let's go home," I said.
This update comes to you from the road. Obviously I didn't get it done at the time I wanted to, but what better way to pass time on a car trip than writing, right? So anyway, this is the end. Thanks for reading, if you reviewed thanks for reviewing, and maybe I'll post something else in the near future.
~~Mazzie~~