Chapter 57 Shelved

  Emilyan awoke with a terrible feeling in his gut and looked around anxiously. He had forgotten he was safe inside the kitchen instead of his own bed. He liked it. The coals cast a warm glow and the room had been newly bordered and neatly stocked. It smelled of spices and baked bread even when no one cooked in it. Emilyan imagined “Elena’s spirit probably still roamed in this place humming her little tunes.” He thought pleasantly on her memory.

  He tugged the large soft coat tighter around himself and looked down pleased with its stitching and big round buttons. When he looked up Rose’s Grandmother was face to face with him. He leaped up standing upon the shelf above her.

  “Why my dear boy why rest you here? Let me take you home to your Mother.” She entreated softly.

  “Go away!” Emilyan’s head ducked down into the coat like a turtle so that it wasn’t long before his voice was muffled.

  “I mean you no harm boy, It is I who watches over you while you nap during the day.”

  “That is because you do your evil at night.” Emilyan dropped the coat down when he felt her grasping his leg and kicked her hand off. “I have seen your face demon! I know what you are!”

  “And who did you tell little wanton? Who did you speak this too?” The softness of her voice did not change which made it all the more strange and compelling. Emilyan could not help but to answer.

  “I told Rose about a witch. I could not tell her it was you. It would have hurt her and she would not have believed me.” Emilyan continued to fiddle with his buttons, eyes wide as he spoke waiting for her to attack. Yet Baba Yaga for as much as she wanted to rip out the boy’s tongue felt some strange blessing upon him which had made her skin crawl when she had first touched him. Indeed he blinked a couple of times and shook off her words. The young lad gathered up courage, thinking that perhaps Rose would be in danger as well.

  “I am not afraid wrinkled crone!” He pulled a loose brick from the wall. He had spotted it earlier and he wielded it above his head defensively. Baba Yaga was feeling the bindings of the white magic and though normally one such as she would be able to break the mild workings of such a novice covering she had already been gutted earlier that evening and preferred to use the bulk of her powers to continue healing.

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  Under these circumstances undoing the protection spell would be time consuming. And even then the boy was ready to put up a struggle, feeble as it would be for his life. Since the whole village was in an uproar it would not be long before his Mother came searching or Rose came to fetch him. If only she could just cut out his tongue! Or perhaps just deny him good use of it. She may not be able to physically abuse him yet surely her powers were not so feeble. She strengthened the power of her voice.

  “Emilyan is a simpleton! Foolish, Foolish Emilyan! I come to set you free from brick yet there stay you stupid twit! And here you’ll stay upon this shelf as dull as the board where you put yourself!” She spat her curse and rushed away out the back and soon Rose entered in with Emilyan’s mother.

  “There he is I told you he was safe.” Rose exclaimed proudly coming in through the dining hall doors.

  “Oh my boy, my jewel, my life come down to me!” Entreated his relieved Mother as other Mother’s entered with their children held near they watched the spectacle.

  Emilyan blew his tongue at her and began to squawk gibberish. A more flowing articulate gibberish Rose had never heard before, as if he was trying to say something important despite the words he was using.

  “What is wrong dear one? You need not be frightened anymore. We shall all protect you.” His mother tried again.

  Emilyan drooled and gnashed his teeth and slapped the board he was kneeling on with such vehemence that his Mother rushed up to keep him from hurting himself.

  “Oh he has been scared witless! Witless!” she cried, “Come home, come home with me at once!” She tried to pull him off the shelf and soon was joined by several more women. It was to no avail. Though the boy held on to nothing he stuck fast.

  “He is cursed.” Rose whispered to herself. And she saw it all clearly though the others did not yet comprehend. “She has gotten to him!” she said louder and all faces turned to her and one child began to cry. “She must have come before we did. She must have cast a spell. Emilyan said he knew the witch was a woman we know. She came to silence him!”

  “No! My boy cannot be a simple oaf; he was made for better things!” The poor Tanner’s wife went down upon her knees, weeping as the other woman surrounded her in a hug. Rose approached Emilyan even as he giggled and jabbered.

  “I don’t know if you can understand me. I think that you can but cannot show it. I am sorry I have failed you.” She looked around quickly to make sure no one could tell she slipped the hook into his pocket. “You deserve a prize grander than this for your fate. Guard it carefully and maybe it's luck I will someday help to break this curse.” Rose held a brave face before him inside she was shrinking.