Dougal is in a new time and a new place. He has been sent there to find a remedy for Samantha.

He embarks on his search and is enabled by those he meets. Although he was warned by Nathan not to use his magic, he finds himself casting spells to prevent crime and to help others and himself.

The warning of allegiances also seems to have fallen on deaf ears as he grows closer and closer to Anastasia.

Here is a sample from the novella ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Search’.

 

7. SEARCH

PART I

The pain in his head gradually subsided and the darkness was replaced by light. The light was dim at first but then became brighter and brighter as Dougal stepped forward. He raised his arm up to prevent being blinded by the intensity of the light after being in a dark cave for so long. It seemed as though he had only taken several steps before he was at the entrance of the cave.

Dougal realised that he had to take stock of where he was so that he would know where to return to as soon as he had the remedy which would cure Samantha. He turned immediately round and saw that he had in fact been in a cave although very much smaller than the one he had entered. In the future he would have to be careful not to step inside it unless he had the cure with him. He faced forward again and took in everything around him. From first impressions, he appeared to be in a park of some sort. He stepped forward a few more paces onto a wide pathway, wider than the paths and roads which he had seen in Port Town. He looked to the side of him and could make out a small lake or a pond. There in the water were many ducks, swans and geese swimming and enjoying the bright sunlight which was radiating down. He could see adults beside the pond looking after children who were throwing bread from bags and baskets into the water to feed the birds.

Looking round he could see that the park was very green and had been well tended. The grass was short, the plants were well looked after the trees and bushes looked as if they were well cared for. On the other side he could make out children playing on steel contraptions as their parents looked on. He had never seen anything like it back in the coven or Port Town, but by the screams of delight and laughter he could tell that the children were having fun.

A boy on roller blades was winding his way down the path, picking up as much speed as he could as he overtook those who were walking on foot. As he skated he listened to music on his headphones which was attached to a personal stereo. Dougal didn’t know what to make of it as the skater came closer and closer to him on footwear that he had never seen in his life and listening to a noise he had never heard before. It looked as if the skater was about to collide with him but at the last moment he veered to Dougal’s side narrowly brushing past him.

“Hey, watch out buddy,” shouted the skater turning his head for a second before looking forward with an intent to break his own speed record.

Dougal couldn’t help noticing the differences from the place he had come from and the time to the place and time he was in now. It seemed that everyone was dressed differently from him and were a lot cleaner too. On leaving Nathan in the cave, he had been dressed in a cloak which was tied at the waist with a long belt. He wore sandals on his feet.

Those who passed by him and were at the pond and the playpark were all dressed to enjoy the pleasures of a warm sunny day. Most of the children were dressed in shorts and t-shirts and had trainers on their feet. Some wore sunglasses to stop themselves squinting. The adults were also dressed down, some wore track suits, and some wore light jeans.

Dougal couldn’t help feeling that he was the odd person out and was bewildered by the vast array of clothing, most of which he had never seen before. Initially the passers-by took no notice of him but then some of them began pointing at him. He became embarrassed by what they were saying.

“Mum look at that boy there. Why is he dressed like that?” asked a young boy.

“I don’t know son. Maybe he just felt like dressing differently today,” replied his mum.

He also heard others speaking.

“Gee look at that guy there. Are those clothes old or what? He smells as if he could do with a good bath or shower as well,” said another passer-by.

On hearing that Dougal noticed that a few people had actually been keeping their distance from him. Maybe he did smell slightly offensive. He thought that he had smelled no different from everyone else in his coven. As he walked forward he heard a rumbling noise coming from his stomach. It had been a few hours since he had eaten and with all the drama that had happened recently he hadn’t noticed how hungry he was. He knew he could go a long time without having food and normally never ate that much anyway. Nevertheless the loud rumbling continued to come from his stomach so that it was audible to those that were nearby. A young man came up to him with a sandwich.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being rude, but it sounds like you could do with something to eat. I’m not as hungry as I thought I was and thought maybe you could have this. It’s a tuna and cucumber sandwich,” said the man holding the sandwich in the plastic container up to Dougal.

The young man opened the plastic cover allowing Dougal to smell the aroma coming from the sandwich.

“Well I am a bit hungry. Thank you, you are very kind,” said Dougal.

“No problem. You have a nice day now,” said the young man going on his way.

Dougal nodded before ravenously taking a bite from the sandwich. It tasted so good and slid down his throat so easily. He hungrily ate through the first sandwich which was hastily followed by the second until it was all gone.

He had noticed that even though some people had made unkind comments there were in fact some good people in the park looking out for him. Up ahead he saw a large receptacle that people were throwing leftovers into. He walked up to it and dropped the plastic sandwich cover inside.

The park became busier and busier as Dougal walked along the path. Some people stared at him and his unusual attire. Some kind people smiled, but most of them ignored him as they strolled through the park with their partners, friends or families. Feeling tired he sat down on a bench which was not occupied. He could feel the strain in his legs and the feeling of some pain in his feet. He leaned over and rubbed them slightly while grimacing. At that moment he had no idea what his next move would be. He knew what he had to do in the long term, but sitting there on the bench in this strange location and surrounded by theses strange people, he had no idea how to do it. He asked himself, why out of all the great witches and wizards in the coven why he had been sent on this most important mission. Surely Nathan had made a mistake and sent the wrong wizard.

As he thought he shook his head at the impossibility of what he had to achieve. A passer-by took notice of the young boy, who was unclean and seemed to be dressed in rags. He stopped and brought out his wallet from his pocket.

“Here son, you look as if you are down on your luck,” said the man taking some notes and some coins out of his wallet. “Use this to get some food and maybe a place to stay for the night. There are plenty of places that will take in the young and homeless.”

Dougal held out his hand and took the unusual notes and the coins.

“Thank you for your kindness,” said Dougal.

“Don’t mention it. Now take care and remember to get some shelter for the night. It’s warm now but it can get cold later on,” said the man smiling before moving on.

Dougal looked at the notes which were again strange to him. He had never been in the position to see any paper money back in his time. He had seen plenty of gold, silver and bronze coins but this money was different. The notes were all green and the coins appeared to be silver and in various sizes.

He wished that Nathan had spent longer telling him about what to do and where to go and how to look after himself when he got there. He never understood the strong magic that Nathan had used to get this accomplished. He knew that Nathan had been pressed by circumstances and time was of the essence to get everything done. Perhaps the kindness of the people here was part of the magic that Nathan had used. But then again, back home he was a wizard and apart from the kindness of those in his coven he had not received any support from anyone else.

The hours wore on and he remained in the park, as close to the cave as he could, while he planned his next step. Slowly the number of people in the park became fewer. Mums and dads took the hands of their children and led them from the side of the pond and the playpark. The sun begun to set and as the passer-by had predicted it began to get colder. Dougal didn’t know exactly where he was, or when he was, or where he could go even for the night. He didn’t feel sorry for himself as he knew that those he had left behind, the members of his coven were in more of a plight than he was. He also knew that the entire coven depended on him.

 

He heard the shouting and loud voices before he saw who it was coming from.

“Save the grass. Donate money now to save the grass,” yelled one of the young men.

Another man stood beside him holding a collection box and a bunch of leaflets. He rattled the box to make some noise and demonstrate that others had already donated to the cause. Both had tags around their necks with credentials saying they were working for the local environmentalists.

“Excuse me, do you have time to hear about our party’s new campaign?” asked one of the men.

“It seems that I have plenty of time,” replied Dougal.

“We work for the local green party and we campaign and raise funds for environmental issues. We are mainly interested in conservation and sustainability issues. We help to conserve the natural goodness that is around us,” said the man.

“Well, that sounds good,” said Dougal.

“There is a special type of grass and the supply of it is being greatly depleted. We are raising money to help to produce more of the grass seed and spread it around so we do not lose it entirely. In the past few years we have noticed that this grass is disappearing and no one is doing anything to replace it. It is imperative to do something about it now. If we do not and if we lose this opportunity then the grass will be forever lost to us,” said the young man enthusiastically.

“Would you like to help us by donating to this worthy cause? Anything you can give us will help to save this grass. There is no donation that is too little,” said the other man raising the collection box to Dougal.

“Well, er, saving the grass sounds like a good idea. I have some money,” said Dougal opening his hand and looking at the notes and coins which he had received earlier. “You can have some of it.”

Dougal took a few of the coins and a note and placed it in the collection box.

 

This novella is available in both eBook and paperback formats on Amazon.

Kind Regards.

Alan

alanrove@hotmail.com