To read part 1 of this story, click here!
Cordelia walked into the kitchen as Emryn placed her toast onto the table. Cordelia seated herself and started to eat.
“So whap needs to gep done?” Cordelia asked with her mouth full of food. Emryn gave her a hard stare, and Cordelia swallowed her food with a grin. “Sorry. What are we doing today?”
Emryn rolled her eyes, exasperation dripping from her.
“I’ll show you. For now, eat the rest of your breakfast and then come outside. I’ll be feeding the chickens.” With that, she turned and walked out the back door. Cordelia chuckled to herself. She enjoyed getting on Emryn’s nerves, but that was just her way of showing her love.
Cordelia shoveled the rest of her toast into her mouth, and then got up from her seat, and washed her plate. She set it down to dry, and then headed outside. The air was crisp and the sky was clear. A beautiful day. Cordelia would have to think really hard to remember a day when it wasn’t beautiful in Brookhollow. Everything in this quaint hidden village was just perfect. She smiled brightly as the sound of children laughing filled the air. The rush of the river just down the hill from her cottage. Yes, Cordelia had to admit that she wouldn’t complain if she was forced to live here for the rest of her life, however, she always had an aching for adventure, to see what lay beyond the Stonebed Mountains.
Cordelia began to strut down the small slope from the cottage, to the chicken coop. When she arrived, Emryn held a metal pail of chicken feed in her hands, spreading it evenly across the fenced-in area where the chickens were. The awkward creatures clucked and pecked at the ground, ruffling their feathers with each peck. Emryn spread the last of the contents in the pail onto the ground, and opened the fence door. She scooted through the gap, then closed the door, locking it as well. Brushing off the feathers stuck to her skirt, her eyes darted up and down Cordelia’s body.
“You’re wearing that?” She asked, nodding to the forest green polyester dress. Cordelia nodded, rolling up the long sleeves of the dress. “And you aren’t going to put your hair up?”
Cordelia wrapped a strand of her golden hair around her finger. “Nope,” she replied, releasing the strand.
Emryn scowled. Cordelia grinned and placed her hands on her hips.
“So what are we doing?” Emryn pointed a finger to something behind Cordelia. She turned around and let out a groan. A basket filled to the rim with blueberry muffins sat on top of the wooden bench in front of the barn. Cordelia knew exactly what she was going to be doing.
“Why can’t you go?” she whined, turning back to Emryn.
“Because I have other things to do, and I need those muffins delivered to Mrs. Feldrow before she comes storming up to our front door, complaining that we are taking too long to get them to her,” she said, Cordelia frowned.
“You know she hates me,” she grumbled.
“She hates everyone,” Emryn replied coolly. Cordelia shook her head.
“She hates me,” She said, emphasizing the last word. Emryn rolled her eyes.
“Maybe she wouldn’t hate you as much if you hadn’t insulted her.”
“I did not insult her. I just asked her if she was eating all of those muffins by herself! I never see any company at her house, and I was curious if she was just using that as a cover up.”
“You insinuated that she ate all four dozen muffins by herself. A woman of her…” she wrinkled her nose as she tried to think of a nice word to describe the wretched woman. “…magnitude… can find what you said to be quite offensive. She probably is very sensitive about her size.”
“Maybe she wouldn’t be so sensitive if she stopped eating all those muffins…” Cordelia muttered under her breath. Emryn narrowed her eyes on her apprentice. She then shook her head in exasperation.
“Just go.”
“But-”Cordelia began.
“Not another word,” Emryn snapped. “Deliver these muffins, and I want a report from Mrs. Feldrow that you behaved yourself.”
Cordelia opened her mouth to retort, but knew better. She never won any arguments with Emryn. So instead she grabbed the basket, and trudged down the dirt path toward the witch’s house.
