The Gift of Magic Pt. 01

When the meal had concluded, Mr Nees brought out two packages, and handed one to Lucy and one to her mother. "I heard you got in late last night and worried your mother," he began.

"Oh that's quite all right, Mr Nees," said Lucy. "I was helping one of my classmates who was being picked on. Mr Neilson came round to support mum, so she was not too scared."

"That will do, Lucy," said Sophie sharply. "No need to be rude. What were you going to say, Hans?"

"Only that I have a present for both of you that should prevent you being worried again. Have a look inside."

Lucy and her mother both opened the packages. Lucy gasped when she saw what was inside. It was the exact same device that she and Nils had been playing with the previous evening.

"It's the latest Smartphone!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself.

"That's right Lucy," smiled Mr Nees. "I see you're familiar with the technology. Perhaps you could teach your mother."

Lucy glared at Mr Nees. Sophie was already gushing. "That's a very nice present Hans," she said. "But I've never really liked technology. It seems to get in the way of my artistic expression."

"I just thought it would be useful in case Lucy was ever held up again. You can use the phones to call each other. We all like to think that this village is safe, but there are some strange people around, as you saw with those older boys picking on Lucy's friend. We're not that far from the council estate."

"Well that's very thoughtful of you. I'm sure Lucy can show me how to operate the phone. Say thank you to Mr Nees, Lucy."

"Thank you Mr. Nees," said Lucy mechanically. He had certainly got one over Mr Neilson on this occasion, she thought. Mr Nees needed watching more closely. On the other hand... a Smartphone.

Lucy found herself drawn toward the shiny liquid crystal screen. She turned it on, admiring the smooth melodious trill of the start up tune. Then she tested a few of the sites Nils had shown her the previous evening. To her delight they were operational. The sensitive Wi Fi had found a satellite. Lucy started surfing, and very soon Mr Nees, her mother and her mother's love life were forgotten.

#

Mobile phones were forbidden at school. The children had to hand them into their class teacher before school started, and the teacher gave them back after the final bell so they could walk home with them. The next morning, Lucy handed in her phone to Mr Neilson, causing the teacher to comment that it was the first time Lucy had been seen with a mobile device.

"Mr Nees gave it to me," she said. "He said that it's for safety, so that mum and I can contact each other if necessary." Lucy stared at her teacher.

"I wonder why Mr. Nees thought you needed it," said Peter. "I always thought that out of all the children, you were the best able to look after yourself. I told your mother that when I saw her the other day. By the way, I told the principal at the senior school about those boys, and he's going to make enquiries and contact their parents if he can find out who they are."

Lucy thought that her teacher seemed a bit low, though he was hiding it well. "Are you coming to visit again?" she said. "I think you should. Mum likes you, you know." Lucy thought of blurting out that she wanted her mother to choose Mr Neilson for a boyfriend and not Mr Nees, but then decided it was not yet the time to be so direct. After all, Mr Neilson had what grown-ups call their 'pride' and would not like her interfering. She went and sat down at her desk, and Mr Neilson started the lesson.

#

Hans Nees visited Sophie most evenings for the next two weeks. He was pleased to note that Lucy's influence over her mother seemed to be waning. Lucy often appeared distracted by her new device and quite distant. Several times Sophie had to tell Lucy off for peering at her Mindbook or Mutter accounts during meal times. Lucy had been sufficiently distracted for Hans to sneak several drops of the derfen's potion into her drink each time he visited. Sophie was definitely taking more interest in him as a result, and, what was more gratifying, she had even told Mr Neilson she was busy when he had turned up one evening. Lucy was texting and did not even seem to have noticed that her favourite had been spurned.

Hans decided the time had come to move up to the next level with his courtship, so while Lucy was out of the room, ostensibly to use the toilet, but Hans suspected to continue her browsing, Hans reached over to Sophie and tried to kiss her. Hans was surprised and disconcerted when Sophie pushed him away. Not violently, but nevertheless forcibly.

"Not now, Hans," she said. "I'm too worried about Lucy." Hans felt his anger coming back. That interfering kid was still getting in the way.

"What's the matter with her?" he asked.

"I'm worried at the amount of time she's spending with that electronic gadget you gave her. It's far more than simply a phone, which is what you gave it to us for, and she's becoming too obsessed with it. Her school work is falling behind, and what's even worse to my mind, it's affecting her social life."

"What do you mean?" asked Hans, with some apprehension. Could the deformed dwarf have miscalculated?

"She used to walk home with her friend Merrin, and they would chat about things. Crazy things, fun things, things Merrin's older brother and sister told her. And then she would visit the old people at their home and play chess, or she would see Klaus the security guard at the old house, or play football in the park. Now she does none of those things. The only person she sees outside the house is that weird kid Nils, and all they do together is play with their phones. I'm telling you, it's not healthy."

"But Lucy has lots of social media friends," said Hans. "She's always saying so."

"It's not the same thing though is it, Hans. They're not real people she can play and interact with. She chats to Merrin on line, but hasn't seen the real Merrin outside school, and not very much inside school either if Mr. Neilson is to be believed, since she was given that starkphone."

"Smartphone," muttered Hans.

"Whatever - it's not making Lucy very smart. I know she exasperates me sometimes, but I preferred her old lively self to this zombie she's becoming. What do you think I could do about this?"

Hans felt his pulse quicken when Sophie appealed to him in this way. He had an opportunity here but needed to tread carefully to make sure that Sophie did not turn away from him. The last thing he wanted was for the phone to be taken away from Lucy. It was proving a valuable distraction. The problem was it was distracting Sophie as well. He thought of something the dentist had said to him.

"What Lucy needs is older brothers and sisters. She's often been saying how she envies her friend Merrin with her large family. Why don't you send her to summer camp once school is finished? She can learn to interact with kids of all ages, and I understand they don't allow mobile phones or computers except during certain times of the day when the kids have alone time."

"Worth considering I suppose," said Sophie. "Though I must admit I would miss having Lucy around. Wouldn't it simply be better to confiscate the phone? At least until she's a bit older?"

Hans pretended to give this idea some consideration. "Nooo... I don't think so," he said finally. "I think Lucy just needs to get it out of her system. Remember you've not had any computing devices in the home, so it's all new to her. If you take it off her, she will just get resentful. But if you let this craze run its course the novelty should soon wear off, and Lucy will mostly use the phone to call or text you when she's late, which is what I bought it for. The camp will be very useful for taking her mind off it over the summer."

Hans was staring at Sophie, and she found herself wavering. "I think you're right. Do you know of any good camps that a gregarious child like Lucy would enjoy?"

"I can have a look on line, there are a few around here with a good reputation. I'll come back tomorrow and let you know what I've found shall I?"

"That will be wonderful. Thanks for taking the trouble."

"Oh no trouble, please don't mention it."

As Hans drove back to his farm he smiled at the thought of having Sophie to himself over the whole of the summer. Perhaps the derfen did know a thing or two after all.

Chapter 4: The old woman

The next day, Lucy walked home from school by herself. She preferred being by herself. That way she could download her favourite music and listen to it on her head phones. Merrin had given up walking with her when it had become apparent to her that Lucy preferred the company of her music to that of her friend. Lucy was generally oblivious to her surroundings when she was listening to her head phones, holding the screen in front of her so she could also see the video accompanying the music.

But even Lucy noticed the cold air swirling round her legs as the wind changed, and the warm spring breeze transformed itself into an icy blast, a gust of hail stinging Lucy's face. The weather had been stable and warm for so long that neither Lucy nor her mother had remembered to pack a jacket for the walk to and from school. Nevertheless, even as her hands turned blue, Lucy's first thought was for her precious electronic device, not her own comfort. She quickly slipped it into her backpack with her school books, hoping this would provide some protection from the rain, which was now sheeting diagonally across in icy torrents.

Lucy looked around. She was in the country lane between the main village where the school was located and the hamlet where she lived. She could not see any of her school mates or anyone else on the road. There was no shelter on the open ground apart from the wooded surrounds of the old house. Lucy remembered the security guard Klaus. Klaus would let her into the warm guard house where she could call her mother and then wait for the rain to stop. Lucy was shivering badly now, as she ran as fast as she could in her sodden clothes.

The guard house outside the gate was deserted. The gate was swinging open, leading Lucy to guess that Klaus and the other guards must be inside the house, probably checking that it was secure against the rain. Lucy ran up to the house and knocked on the door. She heard quiet footsteps getting closer, too quiet for the firm tread of Klaus and his mates. Then, just as Lucy remembered that it had been over a week since she had last visited the place, the door opened.

Lucy felt a blast of comforting warm air curl around her, and then she noticed the woman standing in the doorway. She was dark-skinned, slightly smaller than a normal grown-up woman, and she looked very old and wrinkled with long grey hair. She was wearing an orange dress that caught the light and shimmered as she moved, with a bright red robe, secured with a brooch shaped like a star. Lucy recognised the clothes from those she had rummaged through.

Lucy looked into her eyes and froze with fear. They had the same deep gaze as the picture she had seen in the house when she had visited it with Klaus. Lucy realised that this was the same woman, only a lot older. Pictures of gingerbread houses flashed through her mind and she whirled round ready to run back the way she had come.

"Turn around and look at me," the woman spoke quietly, but in a commanding voice that Lucy could not even think of disobeying. Lucy turned around again. The woman had a wry smile on her face. "I don't eat children," she said. "Anyway I'm not hungry, I've just had dinner." Lucy, not normally tongue tired in front of strangers, found she could not say anything. How did this woman know exactly what she was thinking?

"First things first," the woman said. "Come into the kitchen and take off those wet things." Lucy found herself walking into the kitchen. The wood range was roaring furiously, filling the whole house with delicious warmth. A copper of boiling water was bubbling on top of it.

"Wait here," said the woman. Lucy huddled up to the range while the woman left the room. She looked around the kitchen as she roasted herself by the fire and her wet clothes started to steam. Since she had been there last, the place had been appointed with pots, pans and griddles, plates and dishes, cutlery, crockery and mixing bowls, though Lucy noticed there was no microwave or refrigerator. In fact there was nothing electrical at all. The power points in the kitchen had been covered with childproof plug bars.

The woman came back, wheeling an enamel bath on a trolley with some clothes inside it. "My clothes will be too big for you," she said. "I have nothing for child humans, but these belonged to some of my helmindir henchmen. They are old but have been well preserved. They should fit you. She laid out a woollen shirt, breeches, jerkin and cloak on a nearby chair, together with a thick towel and a cake of soap. "Not very feminine I'm afraid, but warm and dry."

"What are the helmindir?" asked Lucy, no longer afraid now she knew she was in no immediate danger of being eaten. "Extinct race," said the woman. "Smaller than humans. Also known as hobytla or halflings. You must have heard legends of these." Lucy nodded. She knew her Middle Earth stories.

"Some of their traits survive in the southern river people, the lardir," said the woman. "Their lower legs are quite hairy and they are slightly shorter than the average human."

"We learned about the lardir at school," said Lucy. "And also about the derfen. Mr Neilson told us they are minority races and they have been hard done by for a long time, so they now get special treatment from the government."

"Good to see you still learn some useful things in school." The old woman had emptied the copper into the bath, and she then adjusted it with cold water from a barrel. "Now get those wet clothes off, get in the bath, and get changed. Call me when you've finished then we can talk some more." The woman left the kitchen and closed the door before Lucy could ask what name she should call.

Lucy pulled off her wet clothes and got slowly into the hot bath, feeling the curling warmth ooze through her body. Later she would call her mother and let her know she was safe. Lucy realised she was far too interested in her surrounds to want to use her phone; in fact in her warm relaxed state, she wondered why she had found the phone so gripping. She wished Merrin was with her so they could talk about this novel adventure. The old woman had said she wanted to talk to Lucy, and Lucy looked forward to finding out all about her, and the fascinating old house she lived in.

Lucy started to day dream, to be roused by the woman calling from the other room. "Hurry up. I have some supper for you." Lucy hurriedly washed herself then towelled herself dry in front of the wood burner, before putting on the halfling's clothes. They fitted well enough but were rather more itchy than she was used to.

The old woman came into the kitchen carrying a tray with loaf of home-made crusty bread, a cheese, some apples and a jug of lemonade with two glasses. "I'm not sure what children like to eat now," she said. "But this would have been a feast when I was a child. I don't have any sweets, I'm afraid." Lucy realised she was ravenous and she tore at the bread and cut a huge hunk of cheese. "Who are you?" she asked, her mouth full of bread and cheese.

"My name is Jade. I am descended from the grey elves. Have you heard of us?"

"I've heard of elves," said Lucy. "They live a long time." Her eyes widened. This looked like an old woman, which meant... "You must be very old," she blurted.

"I am over one thousand years old. Which is old for a half-elf. I am to my knowledge the last surviving member of my kind."

Lucy nodded, totally dazed. A thousand year old half elf was of course unbelievable, but somehow after seeing the look in Jade's eye and comparing it to the younger version in the picture, it never occurred to her that the woman was telling anything but the truth. "What's your last name?" she asked. "Mum told me it's rude to call grown-ups by their first name unless they invite me to."

"You can call me Jade. It's the only name I've ever had. Slaves and base born do not get given House names. We're lucky to even have a first name. Most of us answer to 'hey you' - and that's when our owners are in a good mood. I said I was the descendent of the grey elves. Unfortunately all too readily this race would slip into the pattern of the dark elves, and such was the fate of my ancestors."

"You are drow?" Lucy's eyes widened again. She had heard of the dark elves, also known as the drow, in fairy stories. Some of her fear came back. She remembered the spider figure in the painting, and how in the legends the drow worshipped a deity in the shape of a spider.

"Half drow," Jade corrected her. "I prefer to call myself a grey elf. It is, how do you call it, the more 'politically correct' term. I was a slave of the drow. The dark elves didn't like half castes much, and after my mother died and could no longer protect me I was enslaved because my father was human. When I was a young woman I escaped from the conditioning of my upbringing and lived among humans."

"I thought elves were immortal. How come you're the last one?" Lucy asked.

"Elves are immortal if they choose to be. Often they eventually get tired of living, and decide to leave this Earth for another home. And I may as well admit it; the dark elves are a quarrelsome bunch and usually die in battles or brawls. Those of us who don't die through external violence become corrupted by our society and eventually succumb to the crab growths - cancer you call it now. It's a form of internal violence as the body tears itself apart. I was young enough when I left my community for the growths not to claim me. Others were not so lucky.

"I have not had a kindred elf to talk to for the last five hundred years. I'm only a half elf so I'm not immortal, though I am long living. Soon I must also decide the time has come to leave this life for a better one. But I have a few things to complete first."

"What kind of things?" asked Lucy.

"You'll know all in good time. But you're very inquisitive for a little girl. Aren't you frightened of me any more? Especially now you know I am from what you call the drow."

"I was frightened at first. I thought you were going to eat me. But you seem like a nice old woman. Some of the old people where I play chess are nearly a hundred years old. But you're so much older than them. You must have a lot more stories to tell."

"I do, and I'll tell you them when the time is right. I want you to stay the night here. I have a spare bed in the other room."

"What about my mum?" Lucy gave a guilty start. She had forgotten all about calling her mother. Her expensive phone was still in her bag where she had dumped it in the hall. She got out of her chair and ran towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Jade sharply.

"I need to ring my mother," said Lucy.

"You're not using that electronic thing in this house. It interferes with my magic. I've already contacted your mother. She knows you're staying here and she is quite happy for you to do so."

"Do you have a phone here? I never saw one."

"No phone. I use my mind. I connected with your mother, and she thinks it was by phone. Mind magic is my speciality. As a young woman I was an enchantress. Nowadays you would call me a witch. But I don't ride a broomstick any more than I eat children."

"Wow." Lucy's eyes turned as wide as frisbees. "I've never met a witch before."

"How would you know?" said Jade. "We don't exactly advertise our profession now. When magic was not so uncommon, witches and warlocks were respected. I used to be a city leader. Then we became hated and feared. People made up ridiculous stories about us, saying we sold our souls to the devil. Some of us did, but no more than any other profession. Certainly no more than bankers or corporate executives, and nobody burns them at the stake. Those purveyors of fairy tales have a lot to answer for.