Welcome, you’ve stumbled into part 9 of The Tori Story Series. If this is your first visit to this realm you might want to catch up.

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“I heard she’s made of slime.” It was Smith who broke the silence, desperate to gain the older two’s attention. But he had been silent for so long the words barely came out as a whisper.

For the first couple miles, the boys had made their way quick enough. But the last little bit of the journey, they covered no ground and often found themselves right back in the exact spot the royal carriage stopped. It seemed the very same invisible barrier that stopped the guards from entering the Witch’s lair was still in tact.

Mostly, this was Hunter’s doing. He just couldn’t muster up the courage to face his fears. After all, he was the leader and so when he charged forward, abruptly turned right, walked a ways and then doubled back again, the other two simply followed.

Each attempt brought mumbled comments from Hunter like “I can’t get through” “It’s so powerful” and “There has to be another way.”

Meanwhile, John was completely lost in his head. Thoughts of what he’d do if he were in charge, shot through his mind-halls rapid fire. He was quite the thinker, and clever to boot. He certainly wouldn’t walk circles.

This is insanity. John thought. Staring darts in the back of Hunters head.

Little Smith was growing quite bored of the the entire mission and although he did love to walk in circles, by now, he’d had enough.

Smith stopped short and yanked on John’s arm. “She’s made of slime!” He yelled it this time, just to be sure the older two would hear.

“Shut up.” John hissed shoving him to the side. “She’ll hear you!”

Too late. A faint echo carried back to them ‘Ha! slime.’ The boys froze in their tracks and stood at attention staring off into the distance from where the echo came.

How long did they stand there? Hours or days? Maybe even a year. But it was forever… at least that’s what it felt like. How were they to know? According to Hunter, time stands still in a Witch’s lair.

Nevertheless, they stood there long enough for their legs to tire and slowly, one by one, they melted like wax and settled onto the damp earth while the sun began to make it’s slow descent down the mid day sky.

At long last, John faced Hunter. He too had been silent, whittling away at a small stick with the knife he held in his hand. Inside his thoughts roared like a raging waterfall. He had held his tongue long enough. Now, he wanted answers.

“What are we going to do?” John asked, antsy. He hadn’t expected to take this trip today or any day for that matter. If he had ever wanted to face a Witch, which he certainly didn’t, he would have gone about it much more prepared. He was practical like that.

Hunter on the other hand, never thought anything through, and John was always finding himself in a pickle when it came to Hunter. Most of the time, the pickle was not too sour, easily stomached, enjoyable even? I mean what’s the harm in snooping around the water hole when all the young village girls go out for a bath? So what if they throw rocks and you suffer a few bruises. Not much harm in that.

But today? John realized things were really out of hand.

In the beginning, John had enough foresight to swipe a pitchfork on the way out. It had been leaning against a horse stall at the town’s West Gate. But Hunter immediately grabbed it for himself and offered John a knife instead.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” John scoffed. Furious.

“Use it.” Hunter barked back.

And there wasn’t much to be said or done after that. Hunter outweighed John by 30 pound and stood a full four inches taller. To tell the truth, John didn’t like Hunter all that much. He was just smart, and knew full well to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. John? He didn’t make friends. And Hunter was everybody’s enemy. Did it matter that Hunter thought they were the best of friends?

“What are we going to do?” John repeated. Scowling. Once again, he glanced sideways at his pitchfork in Hunter’s hand.

“We? We ain’t doin nothin – You are.” Hunter answered grinning and punching John in the arm. “You’re gonna make The Witch reverse her spell, just like you said”

And just like that, for the first time ever, John found himself in charge.

It was exhilarating, and with his newfound control he charged straight through the once impenetrable invisible barrier.

~

Tori was expecting the boys, had been for several days now, she just wasn’t really expecting them today and had begun to think that perhaps Hannah was just being dramatic and that the talk was just talk as it usually turns out to be.

At any rate, the trap was set. Had been set.

Waiting.

She heard the boys before she saw them. How could they possibly know that the air carried the faintest of whispers across the clearing and practically deposited them on her doorstep?

“Ha! Slime!” She cackled and smiled, floating on her back and enjoying the still chilly mountain water that provided much-needed reprieve from the intense mid summer heat.

She forgot the air carried sound both ways.

~

“There she is.’

Now that John was in charge, he had led the boys all the way to the edge of the woods. Right to the waterhole. It was John’s idea to abandon the path and go through the forest. After all, they didn’t want The Witch to see them coming.

And now Hunter and John Smith crouched behind a small boulder and watched as Tori climbed up the bank and out of the water hole. She turned around and stood before them. Naked.

Such beauty had never before been seen. The two older boys were finding it difficult to concentrate. Sure, they’d seen bare breasts before, mostly from nursing mothers, but theirs sagged and drooped. And there were the village girls and their baths but those girls would scramble out of the water, covering themselves with their arms. Especially now, since the boys had been caught snooping around.

But these?! Who knew a Witch could be so beautiful?

“You said she was ugly.” John hissed, dumbfounded. “You said she was hunchbacked, with a long pointy nose and warts. That there’s no witch, Hunter.”

“Sure it is, it’s just another of her stupid ‘ole spells. She disguises herself. She’s really ugly.” Hunter whispered back and then added a very weak. “I swear.” Just to sound convincing.

Only neither boy was convinced.

The two boys were too busy staring at Tori to notice Smith.

“She’s pretty.” Smith uttered, entranced. He was too young to know any better and before the older two could stop him, he took off down the path in full view to greet her.

“What’s he doin’?” Hunter hissed.

And from there everything fell apart.

John made to take off after Smith, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off Tori. He tripped and fell. By the time he scrambled up to his feet, Little Smith was in an all out run, screaming “Lady! Lady!” arms open wide, desperate for a hug from such a thing of beauty.

Smith was quick and covered much ground but John had the advantage of size and age and soon caught up. They two were one again, and in the moment – it happened,

Yes, right in that very moment – John Smith stepped in the trap. Both boys, in an instant found themselves tangled up in a net, suspended six feet off the ground.

~