Part 32 In which others share Marlot’s interests

It took less than half the time on the broomstick than it had taken them to walk to the village. She usually tried not to travel so quickly, flying did require quite a bit of magic, especially when the witch was already under a great deal of stress and the faster one flew the more magic it took, not to mention Marlot wasn’t the only one on the broomstick.

As the village came into view Marlot heard someone scream, when she got closer some of them actually started throwing things at her. She increased her altitude until she was out of their range but didn’t slow down until she got to the general store where her and Jack had gone on their first visit. Jack jumped off the broom as soon as they were close to the ground while Marlot all but flew it through the store’s front door.

Samuel stood behind the counter wearing an expression that said, witches flew through his front door every day and that he was not going to be bothered by it. In front of him was a small pile of oddly colored beans. He smiled at the little witch and said, “Greetings Miss Marlot, welcome back. And Master Jack, how good to see you again so soon.”

“Please,” Marlot gasped, bending over almost double and leaned on the broomstick like a cane for support, “you haven’t sold any of that stuff Jack sold you yesterday have you?”

“As a matter of fact I haven’t. I was just examining these beans he brought to determine exactly what they are. Are you quite alright my dear?” concern was etched on his face under his smile.

“They are magic beans sir.” She gasped feeling faint. The flight and her nerves had taken a bigger toll than she had expected.

Jack wrapped an arm around her waist to support her then looked at Samuel, “You know, from the story of Jack and the bean stock.” Marlot glanced up at her golem, who looked as fresh as he had when they left the cabin, with the exception of his spiky green hair sticking up a bit more than usual.

Samuel brought a stool over from behind the counter and Jack steered her to it. “Please sit Miss Marlot, you look a little worse for wear, I might have just the thing to help with your hair, I take it you left in quite a hurry and forgot your hat.” He winked at her and made his way to the back of the shop.

Marlot now faced the door where a crowd of people had gathered watching her and looking frightened. One familiar face separated from the group and pushed her way into the general store. “Miss Marlot, Master Jack, what are you doing back here so soon, and where is your new dress.” The little seamstress broke away from the gathered mob and smiled at her friends.

“It’s in the bag Rosalie, but I’m afraid we might not be able to keep it.”

“Why ever not?” she asked looking put out.

Samuel came back at that moment pushing a cup of water into Marlot’s hand and a comb into the other. “Yours I believe.” He said with a smile.

Marlot squeaked and dropped both the cup and the comb which clattered to the shop floor, the contents of the cup soaking her robes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make a mess, but that comb is poisonous.”

She looked up when she heard angry muttering coming from the mob still gathered around the doorway.

“I knew she was up to no good.”

“That which was always out to get us.”

“You think she poisoned it herself and sent her apprentice to deceive us?”

“She seems harmless.”

“Enough!” Samuel yelled over the voices, “I believe Miss Marlot had her reasons for coming here, and a reasonable explanation why her young friend sold me a poisoned comb. If you don’t mind I would like to hear her side of things instead of your gossiping.”

“I never meant any harm you know.” Marlot muttered to her lap, “I like fairy tales. I have actually seen some of them happen, or known people who have. So I started collecting the books, reading the different versions that people tell, and fantasizing about my own happy ever after.” She blushed, “Then I started to collect the objects from those stories, in this case, the wine cup from The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sweetheart Roland’s seven-league boots and apron, an invisibility cloak and inexhaustible wine bottle from The Raven, the magic beans Jack used to grow a bean stalk, and finally the lace and comb used against Snow White by the evil Queen. All of these objects, and many more, have been hidden safely away in my cabin for many years, never used against anyone or at all since I have had them. Jack didn’t know what it was he had, please don’t blame him, it’s my fault they were in his room, and my fault he didn’t know what they were.” The store was silent as everyone strained to hear her, voice weak from exhaustion.

Samuel laid a hand on her shoulder but spoke to the crowd. “You see, she is harmless, and as I suspect, only trying to protect us. Master Jack did not know what it was he had, it was Miss Marlot, who it seems, risked herself to come here and warn us of the dangers we now face. It appears that most of these objects are quite useful if you know what they are and use them properly, if it is quite alright with you Miss Marlot, I shall like to keep them here in the shop, you never know when you may need to travel seven-leagues in a hurry and I’m sure our tavern could use an inexhaustible bottle of wine.”

“Did you say you had Snow White’s lace?”

Marlot looked up at Rosalie in wonder. “Y-yes.”

“It isn’t harmful is it?”

“Not on its own, it was the Queen’s attempt to make them too tight that made them dangerous, not the lace itself.”

“Wonderful! May I see it Master Samuel, I believe I have the perfect dress to use it with.”

Marlot watched as the villagers not only accepted her story, but actually seemed excited about the objects from the fairy stories they had grown up hearing about. They even asked Marlot about other objects, such as Cinderella’s slippers, the golden ball that had once belonged to a princess who had to kiss a frog, and the silver, gold, and diamond twigs from The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Other witches were interesting in the objects for their magical properties but they could care less about mundane objects the villagers were now asking about. It wasn’t long until Rosalie drug them away from the villagers and back to her little shop where she described what she was going to do with her new lace and insisted on helping Marlot put on her birthday present.

Part 31 In which fairy tales can come true

Marlot woke up to the sun shining in her window, Jinx sleeping on her chest, and Jack bursting through her door.

“Happy Birthday Marlot!”

She pushed Jinx off then rolled over smiling at the golem standing in her doorway. Jack had a big grin on his face and a brown paper package in his arms.

“Whaaaat’s that?” she asked, failing to stifle a yawn as she stretched.

“It’s your birthday present Marlot, the one I went to the village to get.” He sat down next to her on the bed and handed over the parcel. Marlot quickly untied the cords and pulled back the paper to reveal a dress the color of Jack’s leaf green hair. The fabric was thick and warm to protect from the cold but soft enough to move comfortably in.

“Jack, it’s beautiful, thank you.”

“I sold some of the less interesting stuff from my room to pay for it,” he said proudly.

Marlot paused as she smoothed the dress out on her bed, admiring the workmanship. “Like what?” she asked, suddenly anxious.

“I figured since they were in storage you wouldn’t miss them.”

“Jack what did you sell?” Marlot watched him closely as he shifted nervously under her gaze.

“An old beat up pair of boots, a glass jar half full of beans, a handful of ribbons, a pretty comb, an apron, a cloak ,a very fancy wine cup, and a bottle of wine. What was wine doing in my room anyway?”

Marlot looked at him in disbelief, “Jack! Haven’t you been reading those fairy tales, or were you just admiring the craftsmanship of the book!”

“Of course I have been reading them.” He sounded hurt but she needed him to understand just how serious this was.

“Do you remember reading anything about magic beans, 7 league boots, invisibility cloaks, or maybe something about a pretty little princess whose stepmother kept trying to kill her so she would be the fairest in the land?”

“Yes…” he twitched under her intense glare.

“Well that is exactly what you just sold to the villagers, not to mention that the comb, Snow White’s comb no less, is actually dangerous.”

“The one the Queen tried to kill her with?”

“The very same, if one of the villagers tried to use that they would be poisoned on the spot.”

“Oh.” Jack bit his lip and looked down at his lap. “I’m sorry Marlot, will you forgive me? I didn’t mean to sell anything important; I just wanted some money to buy you a present.”

Marlot jumped off of the bed and after looking longingly at her new dress she quickly changed into one of her black robes and folded her present into a sack. As she threw the sack over her shoulder and ran out of the room Jack called after her, “Marlot, where are you going?”

She snatched her broomstick out of the corner where she had left it the night before and threw open the front door. “To warn the villagers,” she called over her shoulder. Jack ran after her and jumped on the broom behind her out in the yard, holding on tightly as they sped over the forest below.

Part 30 In which everyone makes mistakes

She wasn’t sure how long she flew, or where she would go. Having left without thinking, all she had to keep her warm was her robe, and the air was chilly so high up and so late in the year. Jinx was warm and used to flying but even he was fidgety.

Around midnight Marlot touched ground outside the cabin once more, where she could see a cheery fire burning inside. She opened the door cautiously and saw the golem asleep in the window seat, his forehead against the cool glass. There was also a bowl of stew on the table. It was cold now but he had obviously put it there in hopes of her return. She smiled at Jack then quietly went into his room and pulled the blanket off his bed.

She watched him sleep for a moment then gently tucked the blanket around her beloved golem. He twitched then turned to face her. Marlot dropped to her knees next to him. “I’m so…”

He didn’t even let her finish her apology before dropping to the ground next to her hugging her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry Marlot, I really didn’t believe anything they said, honest. I love you Marlot you know that right? Why would I ever leave?”

“I’m sorry too,” she said into his boney shoulder, she really should feed him more.

“Your freezing.”

“I was flying. It’s really cold.”

Jack took the blanket that had fallen off of him when he woke and wrapped it around them both. They sat on the floor, their backs to the window seat, in silence for a long time while Jack ran his fingers through her tangled curls and Marlot breathed in the smell of him.

It was so nice to just sit there and Marlot was starting to drift off to sleep when Jack’s fingers moved from her hair to her face. He traced her soft cheeks and slightly turned up nose, the lines around her eyes, and finally her lips. She shivered under his gentle touch and lightly kissed his finger when it paused on her mouth.

“Marlot?” he asked quietly.

“um hum.” She said under his finger.

“What is kissing exactly? It seems so important in the fairy tales, waking princesses and all of that. But…” He blushed and pulled his hand away.

She bit her lip for a moment, “Well its...” she hesitated and for the first time realized that the strange feelings she had when she saw the way Lilly looked at Jack wasn’t being protective, she was jealous of the pretty young woman. “It’s like this Jack.” She gently placed the tip of her fingers under his chin until he turned to face her. His cheeks were still red and she could feel her own face heating up. She leaned into him until their lips touched. It was as though every happy feeling she had ever felt flooded into her at that moment. His mouth was so soft, his hands now buried in her hair were warm, and she knew every point where they touched, their knees and legs on the floor where they sat, her arms on his chest. It only lasted a moment but it felt like a lifetime. They pulled apart, both blushing like silly children and sat back against the window seat.

“Oh.” Jack said, sounding a little breathless. “That was nice.”

“Well now you know.” Marlot muttered to her lap, too shy to look at him.

“Yes, I supposed your right.” His hand found her’s and their fingers folded around each other. “And here I thought only the person with the birthday got a present.

Marlot giggled and squeezed his hand.

Part 29 In which an argument takes place

“How did you know that it was almost my birthday?” she asked truly confused.

“Your spell book, you said your mother gave it to you on your sixteenth birthday. Did you know she had written the date on the back of the cover?”

“I had actually forgotten about that,” she answered amazed. “How do you know about birthdays?”

“Some stories are about them.” He said in an offhand way. He turned from her and went into his room, removing a pack from his back as he went.

She watched him baffled for a moment then trotted after him, “Where did you go?”

“The village.”

She froze, “but they said for us to never go back. Are you alright?”

He was bent over the bed, pulling stuff out of the bag. He was silent for a moment. “About that…Marlot…”

“What is it Jack, did they try to hurt you?” She spun him to face her.

“They don’t hate me, it’s just you they don’t like.” He was blushing and scuffed his shoe on the floor.

“But I made you, you’re an abomination.”

“That isn’t fair, I don’t know what it means, but it doesn’t sound nice and everyone in town was very helpful, as long as I didn’t tell them the stuff I was buying was for you.”

“Then why did they threaten you last time?”

“To hurt you Marlot, they are afraid that you will hurt them and their children and that you are holding me captive. Most of them don’t believe that you made me, they think I am some child you kidnapped and use to test your experiments.” He face was burning still but there was anger in his eyes.

“So the fact that your hair is green doesn’t bother them?” she snapped.

“Unfortunate side effect.”

“Of what, living with me?”

“Maybe, or being your slave. I do all of the cooking and cleaning around here and you spend all your time looking up spells.”

Do you actually believe them Jack, do you really think I am keeping you here against your will? Because if you want to leave then by all means go! I’m sure they will take you in with open arms!” When had she started crying again? She turned and stomped out of his room, it had been a mistake to create the golem. She was going to get into trouble with the council for that she was certain, but it would all be worth it if she knew that he cared about her like she did him. But like everyone else in her life that she had ever let herself get close to he would just turn on her as well. She picked up Jinx as she walked past him and out into the garden.

“I am not an abomination!” he yelled after her before the door slammed shut behind her.

She turned to look at the door, no part of her believed that he was anything short of perfect, her greatest achievement and now failure. Did he really feel that she would ever force him to do anything? Her broomstick was up against the wall near the door where she had left it after flying Jack and Lilly around the garden. Holding Jinx against her chest with one arm she grabbed the broom with the other and took off into the night sky.

Part 28 In which Jack is independent

Marlot woke up to an unseasonably cold morning, bundled up in her blankets she sleepily shuffled into the kitchen, relit the fire, and hung the tea pot over it. “Jack! Are you hungry?” there was no answer. Marlot listened for any sounds of movement coming from behind his closed door but she heard nothing. Knocking she said “Come on Jack, it’s time to get up. Are you warm enough, we might need to find you another blanket if the nights are going to be like this,” But there was no answer. “Jack?” she asked as she pushed open the door. The room was full of odds and ends left over from its days as a storage space. Most of it had been moved out after Jack was made but there was still quite a bit they needed to go through, although it looked like Jack had been hard at work without her, setting up his new home. A witch can collect a lot in nearly two hundred years. Jack’s bed was crammed into the back corner nicely made up with no golem in sight. Marlot chewed her bottom lip, where could he be, she wondered.

The witch sat down in the window seat so she could get a good look at the garden, but he wasn’t there either. “Jack!” she yelled out the door, hoping for, but not expecting, and answer. “Jack! Where are you?!” Jinx rubbed up against Marlot’s leg and meowed.

“I’ll feed you in a minute, I need to find Jack.”

It had been almost a month since the trip to the village and every couple of days Marlot had noticed some of the village men walking along the edge of the wood and looking toward the cabin. She wasn’t worried, her garden wall had at least a century’s worth of spells on it to ward of any unwanted visitors, or any visitors at all, unless they were specifically given permission to cross.

Her real worry was the golem’s fondness for being outside. He had been trading off between fairy tales and Marlot’s spell book for weeks, usually reading them under his apple tree where she could see him. Had he wondered beyond the wall, or had those men found a way in?

The witch tried to spend the rest of the day pretending she wasn’t worried about Jack. She pulled a book off the shelf and curled up in the window seat, but Jack and the beanstalk lay closed in her lap as she stared blankly out the window. Jinx eventually crawled into her lap on top of the book and nuzzled her until she scratched his head.

“Maybe he went somewhere with Lilly,” she said to the cat, “that would explain why she hasn’t come by yet today. Or it could just be because she was here yesterday.” Jinx started to purr oblivious to anything she was saying.

Near noon she saw something move in the trees but it turned out to be nothing more than a deer, she tried to busy herself around the cabin but Jack was so good at keeping it clean that there was precious little for her to do and she always found herself back at the window.

Marlot started dinner as the sun began to set behind the trees, she was so lonely without the golem around and she realized for the hundredth time that day how much she depended on him now. She was stirring the stew when the door opened behind her. Jack’s lopsided smile was lit by the flames of the fire. Marlot froze for a moment before running across the small space between them, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Marlot, why are you crying?”

She didn’t realize she was, “I was that worried about you my silly scarecrow.” Was her answer as she dried her face on a sleeve, “where have you been all day?”

“You were worried?”

“Of course I was.”

“But I only went to the village.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to tell me?”

Jack pulled away from her looking puzzled, “But I thought I wasn’t your servant.”

“You’re not, what does that have to do with anything?”

He has stopped smiling, a defensive look glinting in his eyes, “I didn’t realize I needed to ask permission to go to the village.”

They both stopped and stared at each other for a moment, then Marlot took a deep breath and held his hands in hers, remember that he doesn’t know everything, he is only a few months old, go easy on him, her sensible self said. “Jack, you don’t need to ask permission to go places, but it is polite to tell people where you are going so they don’t worry about you, or at least know where to look if something does go wrong. Do you understand?”

He thought it over for a moment and then looked her in the eye, “I’m sorry Marlot, I didn’t mean to worry you, but I wanted to get you a present.”

Will he ever cease to surprise me, she thought “Really? For what?”

“Your birthday.”

Part 27 In which the sky is the limit

Telling Lilly and Jack her story had actually strengthened the trios friendship.

“So you actually have a broom stick that flies and everything?” The young woman took a careful sip of that hot tea Marlot had just given her.

Jack was across the table from Lilly flipping through the pages of Marlot’s beloved spell book, “I’ve never seen it.”

“Of course you have Jack,” Marlot placed a cup in front of him after putting almost as much sugar in it as there was tea, “you use it to sweep the cabin.”

“You actually use it to sweep.” Lilly said appalled.

“Of course, it is a broom after all.”

Lilly muttered to herself, “Of course what a strange concept, using a flying broom to sweep the floors.” She eyed the ordinary looking broom stick and then turned to Marlot, “Can I try it?”

“Afraid not, the rider must be able to use magic.”

“Then can you take me for a ride, I would love to fly?”

“I don’t know if it can carry two people.”

Jack was busy trying to stop Jinx from drinking his tea, with one hand holding back the cat and the other holding the cup in the air he said, “It can’t hurt to test it, we will probably need it to get to the solstice meeting anyway right?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it actually, but yes, you are right.”


Marlot had almost forgotten just how much she loved to fly, although it was odd to have a passenger, especially one who held on so tight Marlot feared that she would be squeezed to death. “Lilly, you don’t need to hold on so very tight, I won’t let you fall.”

“But I’ve never flown before, it’s scary being up this high.”

“Not many humans have, it’s thrilling isn’t it?”

“Terrifying actually, can we land now?”

“If you wish.” Marlot dropped in a gentle dive and came in for a near perfect landing walking with the broom for the last few steps. Lilly on the other hand toppled off the back the moment her feet got near the ground and fell over onto her back staring up at the sky.

“Was it fun?” Jack smiled down at his terrified friend.

“No, I don’t know how she can stand it.”

Marlot was still on the broom hovering a few inches off the ground in a circle around her friends. “Stand it? I love it, I really should fly more often, you want to give it a try Jack, we will have a long way to go next month and I don’t want to test your nerve at the last minute.”

The golem jumped at the chance to fly and with his arms wrapped tightly around Marlot’s waist they took off much higher than she had gone with Lilly. Jack, much to her delight seemed thrilled and whooped, he let go with one arm and held out his hand so he could feel the wind blow through his fingers. “Marlot this is amazing.”

She felt a shy smile on her face and laced her fingers through the hand that was still around her waist.

Part 26 In which Marlot tells her story (part 3)

At the festival Marlot snuggled up to a slightly drunk Peter, it was all too easy for her to pour the contents of her potion bottle into his tankard of mead. The effect was immediate. One swig of the spiked drink and it was Peter trying to impress Marlot.


She was seated on his lap, he had been playing cards but a single whisper from Marlot made him turn his full attention to her. “I love you little witch.”She quivered with joy as she repeated the sentiment. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed in her ear then kissed her with so much passion it made even the trees blush.


Marlot continued to feed him the potion once a day for the next couple of months but eventually it seemed that the spell didn’t hold up as it had. She would bring him his lunch complete with a apple soaked in love potion and he would sneer at her and call her names, eventually he would have to eat the entire apple before he would even warm up to her. After a few more months she had to increase the dosage to twice a day, once with lunch, the other with dinner. Eventually it increased further to breakfast lunch and dinner. Marlot started to grow nervous, what was she going to do next, feed it to him every hour.

One day Marlot had to hurry home and left her love’s lunch with him rather than eating with him like she usually did.


Now witches always have an escape route and that afternoon when the angry mob was at her door Marlot grabbed her spell book and broom stick then flew as fast as she could out the window.

“What happened?” Lilly asked leaning closer.

“I was able to piece together later that Peter had grown tired of eating apples all the time and when his friend said he was hungry Peter happily handed over the juicy red fruit. Needless to say Peter’s spell wore off about the same moment his friend declared his undying love for me. It didn’t take any of them long to realize what was going on and after tying up their love struck friend they came after me. I finally realized that Peter had never loved me, nor was he ever likely to.”

“I love you Marlot.”

“I love you too Jack. But you see Lilly, magic can’t solve all of your problems, it usually just causes them.”

Lilly sat back, appearing to absorb all that she had learned. “Did you ever go back and try to explain things?”

“Once, but it didn’t work, all I got was that part of the story I wasn’t around for.”

“Maybe you should try again, apologize, and explain to them like you did us.”

“Too late, I’m sure they are all dead by now.”

Lilly sat up in alarm while Jack looked vaguely curious. Lilly stumbled over her words in alarm, “Wh-what did you do to them?”

“I didn’t’ do anything,” Marlot said defensively, “time did, that all happened a long time ago.”

“How long?”

“Let me think, about a hundred and sixty years.” Marlot winked at Jack.

“What!” Lilly actually fell off the window seat in shock. “How old are you?”

“I’ll be one hundred eighty-seven in a few weeks.”

‘One hundred eighty-seven’ Lilly mouthed the number from the floor, “that is unbelievable.”

“I’m immortal.”

“But you look so young.”

Marlot rolled her eyes and scratched the top of Jinx’s head until he started to purr. Jack rolled his eyes too and helped Lilly to her feet, “weren’t you listening, she stopped aging when she was really young, why would you expect her to look any older?”