One fine morning, Michaela knocked on her curious benefactor’s private study room and entered to see him already awake, in a groggy state of mind, sitting hunched over his bookstand on his wide desk. His shoulders looked painfully hunched, and the back of his head reminded her of a scare crow’s nest. In his quivering left hand was his feather pen, which he mumbled the following words as he dipped it in a marble ink pot.
“The fresher my pen, the more dissipated I be.”
“I have a letter for you.”
Gale swerved from his chair, his bi spectacled eyes blinking owlishly at her. The corner of his eyes were tinged with a subtle pink hue, and his dark circles made his usually fresh looking features look a little gaunt. His upper lip and chin were also slightly stubbled. He looked down at her small, fine hand that held an envelope with a red seal. Murmuring his thanks, he accepted the letter with his right hand, almost negligently stuffing his pen in the pot with the other. He opened the envelope and looked at the contents while drinking some tea that keeps him awake enough to work on his essay he was going to submit to the Princeton board of science.
His brown eyes skimmed the header part from left to right ,but soon he almost sprayed yerba mate all over the lightly perfumed letter. Undoubtedly, the pen was wielded by a pretty and overconfident hand.
The letter said the following.
“My dear brother,
Despite myself being in excellent society in London, I find the city life stifling to my true nature. You always told me that Virginia was warmer and more pleasant than our home in Sweden. Hence, I spoke about estate matters with a proprietor who specializes in homestead in your area. The deal was made. I paid my belongings’ passage to my new home around Rotun hill, and now all my palace needs is her mistress. I look forward to meeting your unusual apprentice and her son. Since her spirit is that of a female rabbit, I believe that she to be free, free like Aphrodite’s nymph? I jest. You are to greet me in New York in July 3rd.
Preparing to shower you with affection,
Octavia”
Gale snorted after reading this letter. He was doubtful that his sister, a huldra upstart who in various guises charmed her away into the esteemed circle in London, could have really purchased a mansion in a middle of nowhere like Fullgreens. Probably a two story cottage that might be only slightly bigger than the usual farmers’ huts but nothing extravagant. Also he would need to borrow an able horse at a place in the mid section between the Fullgreens to the port so he can go running in the form of a fox amid the dense, unpaven mountains. He thought, the travel, without counting the way back home, would take a full two and a half days as Fullgreens is roughly in the northern border of Virginia. He didn’t mind the travel itself and he had time to complete his essay, but he was a bit worried about his two tenants and the business during his absence. Well, he has about a fortnight to prepare his departure, so it shouldn’t be such a problem. Also he did miss his sister.
Soon Gale spent his time before meeting Octavia, teaching Michaela how to run the apothecary, compiling his research material in what resembles an academic manuscript, and sending letters about booking tavern and horse reservations. The due date was approaching and after a light breakfast of oatmeal gruel with his tenants, Gale was upstairs in his master bedroom, preparing his departure to New York port.
After Gale briefly left his bedroom to retrieve his small “first-aid travel kit” parcel, Theodore snuck in the sock compartment of his brief case only to have his tail give away his plot. Being too tired to be his usual cheery self, Gale mumbled “not now, Theodore” and tossed the ball of fur which niftily landed on its feet. After finally shutting his brief case, he tied and double knotted the handle with a customized band that had a mouthpiece for his snout when he turns into a red fox.
Michaela decided to see him off just from the apothecary door, seeing his vanishing form in the direction to Rotun Hill.
During his three days of absence, she developed several questions. Why does the miller always coming for his irritable bowel tonic always ask her if she’s new to the town, even though it has been a month now with her working in the Hulders apothecary? Why do the people, no matter how many times she told them Gale was gone, demand her to explain her being in charge with their taut mouths, an uneasy grin that do not reach their doubtful eyes? They were polite, yes, very polite. But some of them can be too friendly especially when they ask her where she was from and again, if she just came. When she explained that she’s been in Fullgreens for a month, they would gasp and exclaim, “But, I swear I’ve never seen you!” Why do some of them just decide to turn away when they saw her in the window? When Suzanna ran her father’s inn in place of his injury off a horse, nobody questioned her. They seemed to rather enjoy the change, having a cheery girl replace her grim, scowling father, so why were some of them so averse to this substitution? Did they not like the fact that she never smiled? Well, that can’t be helped really. Did they notice that she was something she was just pretending to be, a rabbit? No, from her experience observing the town folks, she cannot give them credit for being that intuitive. They always seemed to notice things on the surface level, never venturing into what lies skin deep.
Whenever these thoughts came to her, an unexplainable void seemed to form in her chest. A dull ache came to life in her chest, announcing its tenancy in her chest with resonating thuds that she alone can feel. This vague feeling of discomfort felt like small droplets of rain falling in regular intervals on the crown of her head, not destructive but enough to drive her almost crazy after three days of putting up with this bonnet clad, genteel nonsense. The only people who gave her comfort were the Saucers. Even Ivory, with her usual smug attitude, brought some respite from this unsettling environment she found herself in, because Ivory never changed her attitude whether Gale was present or not. But without the Saucers, she was on her own, which she didn’t necessarily mind as she raised her son by herself before becoming human anyways. It was just she was feeling mild annoyance at the same repetitive questioning glances and silly, insipid interrogations that start with “who, why, and when.” She felt as if they were petting her without her consent. She didn’t like it one bit.
But finally Gale was to come with or without his mysterious older sister who goes by the name, Octavia in London. Just knowing that made her feel a lot better when she opened her eyes as she woke up on her bead earlier than usual that morning. Her feet felt lighter and the touch of the cool polished wood underneath made her feel almost a little giddy in excitement, a subtle expression only Theodore can tell. Gale was finally going to be back and take his original position in the Hulder Apothecary, and everything will go back to normal.
Finally Gale was back by noon, and things did fell back into place. The townfolks, after a brief acknowledgement of their feelings of missing Gale, quickly readjusted themselves to the pattern before she took on his role. And the exactitude to which their behavior overlapped with that before Gale’s absence felt eerie. As if Gale never disappeared and he was always in charge of this apothecary. They repeated their Michaela-specific amnesia, a loss of memory exclusive to the dark, subtly creased eyes, low-ridged nose, and olive skin, but not to large honey amber eyes that radiate different colors depending on the light, sharp, prominent nose, and ivory skin becomingly tanned in style. And they failed to even mention her name despite their long, shoulder-patting, guffawing, drawling chatter with Gale who would entertain them with smiles, nods, before excusing himself. When Michaela went to the window, their vacant eyes not in tune with their idly chattering mouths as if they were possessed by an ill fate of eating the wrong mushroom, and she would look back to notice that they have literally seen through her as if she was some glass plane or fog and look at Gale, talking to Gale.
Than she had enough of it.
Poof~
“Oh, mercy!”
To the gentleman who for some mysterious reason was unable to give his polite greetings or even acknowledge her presence, although SHE was the one giving him his talcum powder for his collection of wigs, she gave him the powder. By dropping the parcel whose contents unluckily exploded by this unlucky exertion of gravity and wind and powdering his nose, as if his ruddy complexion was shot with a ball of flour.
The man looked at her in a stare of shock at this ignominy which actually caused her to shirk back in panic and recognition of what she has just done. He trembled, and when Gale showed up, he shook and
laughed.
His whole body trembling in laughter caused the formerly frozen wig merchant to finally break into peals of laughter himself. Wiping his face with his handkerchief and getting a new parcel of talcum powder, the wig merchant left.
Mortified at her own shameless action, Michaela ran to the darker corner of the apothecary that is not visible to customers in the window. She wrapped her flushed face with her hands and bowed her head, wishing that she could turn back into a rabbit and just hide in some burrow.
“Michaela.”
She raised her face from her hands, seeing her shadow overlapping with Gale’s tall one before looking up to see his eyes.
“Here.”
In his shapely hand was a similar handkerchief that the wig merchant used to wipe off his face. Looking down at the handkerchief in his hand for a moment, she just shook her head and raised the lower hem of her apron to bury her face into it. She heard a soft little laugh as his hand now held her right hand that jolted as if stung by a thistle at the unexpected gentle touch. And he rubbed her hand with the handkerchief and the touch of cotton on her skin almost reminded her of the fuzzy touch of a fellow rabbit.
After wiping her hand, he dusted off the powder by lightly shaking the handkerchief and chastised her playfully.
“You had talcum powder all over your hands. They are not harmful, but we still don’t want them on our other goods.”
He said as he wiped her hand. She just bit her lip. Raising her eyes to her and after waiting a bit for a response, he finally asked carefully.
“You look…sombre.”
She just lowered her head as if she was cornered but too stubborn to say anything. She hated it more than anyone when she was being like this, so she hoped that he will just be his usual flippant self and just attend his business. Gale’s large brown eyes just stared at her a little in wonder, and his voice became a notch lower.
“Michaela, what’s wrong?”
“I…it was my fault.”
“No, I meant…this is the most dour you’ve been, and I just checked on Theodore. He’s healthy. I’m…”
At the mention of Theodore, she abruptly raised her head and her eyes were a little moist by the overwhelming arrest of emotions.
“No, I am always grateful. You just don’t know. I never meant to imply such thing.”
“Woah, woah, woah…”
He patted her shoulder, gently murmuring “It’s okay” before laying his left hand on her shoulder, looking pensive as if he was contemplating what to say next. He didn’t feel this lost over his interactions with people in a very long time, so he had to think as if he was playing cards or chess with a worthy opponent. This little display of confused emotions was the biggest outburst she has ever demonstrated in a month as a human, and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel interrogated.
“Gale…there is something you need to know.”
He raised his eyebrows, his hands still on her shoulders without him realizing it.
“Yes, please. Did anyone bother you while I was gone? Difficult customers? Was Theodore…”
“No, it was the opposite. Nobody saw me. Nobody could hear me.”
“Oh.”
“I…I try to be different, Gale, I don’t know how it sounds, but I try speaking, “keeping the pleasant talk.” It’s not easy acting like an equal to those who used to hunt you as ‘game.’ But…they still ask me and look at me as if I never lived here. I feel…out of place, out of touch.”
At the mention of the word “touch,” his hands quickly left her shoulders.
“It…it was most inappropriate of me. I don’t know what came over me.”
She raised both of her hands to her head, smoothing over her locks in frustration, still refusing to look at him in the eye.
“You mean…”
As his measured words carefully reached her ears, she felt her throat constricting a little bit. She hasn’t felt more terrified since a month ago when she bit his arm, thinking his administering treatment onto Theodore was an endeavor to harm him.
“I knew a lot of them could be a little dense, but this went a little too far. No wonder you were upset.”
“I…I thought that once you came back, I will feel better. But…I still felt terrible. They are so warm to you and their treatment is just…so different.”
“Ahh, Michaela…”
“No, please don’t. That doesn’t excuse anything. I was being childish. Even Theodore wouldn’t do that.”
He laid his right hand on the side of his waist, which is swayed to the other side, as he tapped on his chin.
“Well, next time, don’t use talcum powder.”
She raised her head a little bit, finally looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
“Talcum powder is used for different purposes, so it is quite valuable. We can’t waste that.”
“Ahh, I’m sorry.”
“But I do admire how much of a statement you made.”
“Statement?”
“You made him look ghostly white. It complements his hybrid illness being color-blind and ignorant.”
She covered her mouth in shock at his rather brazen mockery of his own customer. But she couldn’t fully hide that she was rather amused.
“Next time, give him something more potent but discardable. Like rye powder passed its expiration date.”
“You know I won’t do that! I would never make someone else’s child sick.”
“Fine, just give me the signal, so I will see past him the same way he did.”
“He’ll think you’ve gone crazy!”
“An opportunity for self-reflection will benefit his soul…Also, I don’t care.”
She finally laughed a little, letting go of the apron she grabbed on till her knuckles went white. The apron fell softly on her green calico dress that covered her legs to her ankles.
Gale looked at her a little and asked.
“Do you feel better now?”
“Yes…thank you.”
Satisfied that he has accomplished his mission to be a fair and square supervisor, he turned but not without saying the one last thing he had on his mind.
“Even I don’t know where you’re from. What right do those pesky customers think they have to know where you’re from.”
She smiled and nodded, and he walked over to the window, resuming his window work.
Hulder Tales 