The Red Winged Angels
https://i.imgur.com/3eQeK08.png *EDIT: This story has it's own blog now.... The Red Winged Angels Table of Contents (in spoiler): [ Spoiler ]
Forum Discussion
Chapter 4.3 - The Potion
https://i.imgur.com/XctQgvz.png
Lacuna Coil - Spellbound.
Burning here, in the room
Feeling that the walls are moving closer
Silent scene the dark takes me
Leads me to the ending of another day
I'm haunted
Tell me who you are. I am spellbound
You cannot have this control on me
Everywhere I go I am spellbound
I will break the spell you put on me
Velvet drapes, glowing candles
Silent whispers of
inside
(words inside) of my head
The night that comes, it waits for me
Lift me to the ending of another day
I'm haunted....
~~~~
https://i.imgur.com/b1eBew0.jpg
The next morning Natalies mind was full of thoughts about the strangeness of the past days. The now fake letter from the Philosophical Centre, the search for gemstones to make Billy "alive", and there actually being a witch.. sorry, magician, in the forest, and the warning she gave about Natalie being in some great danger.
What was all this about, and what would happen once they used the potion she had made? Maybe using that potion wouldn't be such a good idea... what if this potion didn't make Billy "come alive", but instead would turn him into this evil that she warned about? But then why would she then make the potion and warn about it at the same time? Natalie was confused and felt she needed to consult someone else that might be able to make some sense out of all this...
https://i.imgur.com/X0Qdp9U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iPeDdZf.jpg
Maybe the nuns could give her some insight. After all, they were scholars in many mysterious things and if they didn't immediately know it, she was sure they had some old books or documents in their library that could, perhaps, cast a little bit of light on what all this was about..
https://i.imgur.com/7iL2qxp.jpg
Teresa Mater: Good day, sister. Welcome to our little nunnery. Come on inside and tell me, what can I do for you?
https://i.imgur.com/rncRQ8E.jpg
Natalie: Well, there have been some strange things going on.. to keep it short, we got a letter from the Philosphical Centre about some gemstones we needed to find, to make this... to make Billy, one of..uh, a plush toy that lives with me and that has become the best friend of my son, Aaron, to come alive..
https://i.imgur.com/w8VJchp.jpg
Natalie: I went looking for these gemstones, but found none. Instead, I found an old magician living in the forest.. and she told me, she would make a potion to make Billy alive.. but she also said something that worries me... that I am in great danger because something is after me.. I am really confused about all this.. what is this that could be after me, and what should I do?
https://i.imgur.com/1WXsM99.jpg
Teresa: Hmm.. well, first things first, you do not need to worry much about making Billy alive. He is already alive... The potion works in a way as both an "age-up" potion that will end his plush toy state permanently. There is some controversy regarding this, because the plush toy state can only be observed by those closest to the kid, but it is a real thing. Plush toy children are usually the result of an extra-marital affair...
"Extra-marital affair?" Natalie thought. "But I have never been married...". That bit left Natalie confused. She didn't understand that it wasn't her that was having the extra-marital affair. It was Bård, her former boss in the political career, because back then he was married to Josefine... but atleast this explained for Natalie why Billy sometimes didn't have the appearance of a real kid..
Teresa: Anyway, these plush toy children may on occasion have some limited magical ability, and they are usually quite protective about who they see as their best friend.... but as long as everything is alright at home, they are usually pretty harmless...
https://i.imgur.com/EkUblfD.jpg
Teresa:This does remind me, though, about a case I read about in one of our books, from many years ago. A man lost his house in a fire after an incident where he claimed a teddy bear had followed him around and summoned a ghost that set his house on fire... It later came out that this man had been negligent, if not downright abusive, towards his own children. Tell me, Natalie, you haven't seen any ghosts lately?
https://i.imgur.com/AkrsUBM.jpg
Natalie: N-n-no, m'am.. I have not seen any ghosts..
https://i.imgur.com/YVbHWnv.jpg
Teresa: Hmm, ok.. I'll believe you.
https://i.imgur.com/1e6aVWv.jpg
Teresa: Secondly, I suppose the magician you are talking about is Elisa. We are very familiar with Elisa, she has lived in that forest for hundreds of years. She knows what she is talking about. When she warns you, I'm afraid to say, something serious is going on.
https://i.imgur.com/G3D9WHV.jpg
Natalie: That is excactly what worries me..
https://i.imgur.com/VZwbNA6.jpg
Teresa: I see.. I must ask you some questions. Not counting ghosts, have you seen, heard, felt, smelled or otherwise sensed something out of the ordinary lately?
https://i.imgur.com/Z93Bpk4.jpg
Natalie: Hmm, not so much, really. Not until the same afternoon I went looking for the gemstones, anyway. Then I felt like someone was following me, and I was being watched. And it was just as if someone was sitting next to me in the taxi ride on the way to the forest.. yet, there was nobody there. Atleast not that I could see.
https://i.imgur.com/XDVkWLr.jpg
Natalie: And as I left the magician's house to go back home, it was a smell outside, just as if something had been burning recently. Even though it was raining and I hadn't seen any fire nor smoke.
https://i.imgur.com/ZYp95e7.jpg
Teresa: Oh, I see. Well, a burning smell can be very serious. If it wasn't caused by an actual fire by natural means, that is usually a strong indication that a demon is nearby. If that is the case, then you truely are in danger, my friend!
https://i.imgur.com/vgHpNk2.jpg
Teresa: A demon and it's fire can only be contained by the Gods Themselves or by the most powerful and purest of Angels, but never put out as long as the demon is present. Me and my sisters will surely pray for you and your family in tonights mass, and wish you the best of luck. I am really sorry to say this, Natalie, but I think you are going to need all the help, prayers and luck you can get your hands on.
https://i.imgur.com/8HZBZIH.jpg
Teresa: Now, follow me to the library.. you're going to need something special...
https://i.imgur.com/KZEMxCR.jpg
Teresa: On the tables behind me are some Holy Items that should help keep your home safe and the demons away.
https://i.imgur.com/fuMw5uQ.jpg
Teresa: The bible you must keep on your night stand, and read a verse every night. The cross, I would recommend to keep near the entrance of your home. And once a day, preferrably around noon, I highly recommend to fill the chalice with holy oils from the box next to it, and keep it at a central point in your home. If you run out of holy oils, please come back here, and I will supply you with more.
https://i.imgur.com/Pfo68E4.jpg
Teresa: Unfortunately, there is no guarantuee that this will work. It depends on the strength and the purity of the demon. One can only hope that it is a lesser, hybrid demon you are dealing with as then you may just be able to keep it at bay.
https://i.imgur.com/cikIoe8.jpg
Teresa:Now, take these items that I give to you, and do as I said. We will pray for you tonight, and I will also send a letter to our brothers at the monastery and have them do the same. Best of luck, Natalie, and take care.
https://i.imgur.com/YpbODwg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QoCbNrO.jpg
So, Natalie left the nunnery and went home with the new information and the items in her inventory... just in time for her to go to work at the Zombie Restaurant, so doing what Teresa told her to do, would have to wait..
https://i.imgur.com/F1X7LL0.jpg
Let's just hope she remembers, and that it works..
https://i.imgur.com/xXfVHLg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lSjkr4w.jpg
And at the same time as mom Natalie starts her shift at work, Aaron exits school with the best grades possible! What a brilliant kid! Of course, Aaron does not yet know about his mothers visit to Elisa or the nunnery, as they yet haven't had a chance to talk.
https://i.imgur.com/nMPsioL.jpg
And boy how time flies, Natalie just had her 6th anniversary working at the Zombie Restaurant! Now she better get home and do what Teresa said..
https://i.imgur.com/JH9WZYf.jpg
Natalie (thinking): Now what was it that Teresa told me.. keep the cross on the bedstand..? No, by the door, of course!
https://i.imgur.com/e4R70G1.jpg
Then the bible on the bedside..
https://i.imgur.com/jCpTlIt.jpg
and that chalice somewhere in the centre of the house, and fill it with oils daily.. I am not convinced this is going to work, but I am willing to try.. I don't want anything bad to happen to me..
https://i.imgur.com/Y6P3TOJ.jpg
Natalie: Next I should probably buy a bedstand to put the bible on.. and a small table for the cross by the door...
https://i.imgur.com/ZvKl63m.jpg
Isaac notices the cross and thinks it's a strange item to put by the door.
https://i.imgur.com/zMKSKcg.jpg
Then the year went on, and three days before it was about to end, it was time for Natalie to take another trip up into the forest...
https://i.imgur.com/ixCcIKe.jpg
She ordered a taxi to go there, and a limo showed up! "Surely, this can't be right", she thought, asking the driver over the intercom what was going on.. but the driver only replied that she came from the taxi company, and this was the car that was ordered to this address...
https://i.imgur.com/wBUjBEV.jpg
Natalie thought this was very strange.. and just like last time, she got a feeling she wasn't alone, but there was someone else there.. in addition to herself and the taxi driver.
Natalie:And I am your only passenger, right?
https://i.imgur.com/gIlOl5L.jpg
Taxi driver: What do you mean?
Natalie: I mean.. you didn't pick up anyone else before driving to my address?
Taxi driver: No, ma'am, you are the only passenger.
https://i.imgur.com/HGHvvCF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aA5K6zt.jpg
Natalie: Hi, Elisa. Here I am, just like we agreed upon.
https://i.imgur.com/DgZzYxy.jpg
Elisa: Good to see you again, Natalie. Come on in. The potion is ready and waiting for you.
https://i.imgur.com/tsw8fl9.jpg
Elisa: It wasn't easy to make, but I have it right here. It sits there on the table to my left. Let me get it for you.
https://i.imgur.com/4HMIe7g.jpg
Natalie: Oh thank you, you are most kind. Now I just hope this plush toy won't turn out to be anything scary like a demon or something...
https://i.imgur.com/yFbzXUY.jpg
Elisa: Ah, no.. Billy is not a demon, far from it.. but just like last time, Natalie, something has followed you here.. and it may very well be a demon..
https://i.imgur.com/2pejpMI.jpg
Elisa: And for that reason, it is crucial you do what the nun told you to keep them at bay if you want to visit me again... I don't want demons to be lurking around my house.. ..oh, and please say hi to my great grandsons for me...
https://i.imgur.com/qCEmWIQ.jpg
Natalie: How do you know what the nun s..?
Elisa: Anyway, here is the potion. I wrapped it in this box for you. It should work, but just to make sure.. use it carefully!
https://i.imgur.com/f4qD2nz.jpg
Natalie: Thank you, Elisa.. but, how did you know about my visit to the nuns and what did you say about your great grandsons??
https://i.imgur.com/11pub9t.jpg
Elisa: I think you should go now, Natalie. Goodbye, Natalie.
https://i.imgur.com/f201LxP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x8diqEq.jpg
And on the way back.. what came and picked her up again was just a normal taxi.. where's the logic? Natalie really couldn't figure this part out... so she asked the taxi driver again..
Natalie: How come you sent me a taxi this time, when I got a limo on the way up?
https://i.imgur.com/DGae09Y.jpg
Taxi driver: What are you talking about, lady? This is a taxi company.. we don't have any limos!
Natalie: But... I rode a limo on the way up here!
Taxi driver: No.. I'm pretty sure you didn't.. I drove you up here, you and your sunburnt friend.. in a taxi..
Natalie: My.. sunburnt friend? But I came here alone..! Didn't I?
Taxi driver: I'll drop you off at your home address, ma'am...
https://i.imgur.com/b48m9wn.jpg
After this, Natalie had to go for another shift at work.. meanwhile, she pondered once more about the strangeness of it all.. Sunburnt friend!? What in the heavenly clouds was that supposed to mean? Was it really a demon the taxi driver saw riding with her!? And how come she had the experience of riding there in a limo!? Granted, she did have the feeling that someone was there with her in the limo.. even though she couldn't see anyone there.. Maybe she was starting to lose her mind completely this time.. these things just didn't add up..
https://i.imgur.com/dy5xUnT.jpg
And the kids? Oh, no worries, Isaac, Aaron and Billy were safely at home with their teenage babysitter..
The next morning Natalie wanted to talk to Aaron about what had happened the last few days.
https://i.imgur.com/9Y5iYrk.jpg
Natalie: You know all those old stories about there being a witch in the forest?
Aaron: Uh huh..
Natalie: Well, they are true! I went there some days ago, looking for those gemstones.. and it brought me up to the old cottage, and that's where she lived.
https://i.imgur.com/c1gn3yh.jpg
Natalie: She told me all about how we have been tricked, and that the gemstones do not exist. But she also said she could help out with making a potion to make Billy come alive.
https://i.imgur.com/79ksKid.jpg
Natalie: And I have the potion right here. Do you want to make Billy alive, Aaron?
https://i.imgur.com/x9NIKMn.jpg
Aaron: I don't know mom, he says he is alive already..
https://i.imgur.com/4ibgUrt.jpg
Natalie: Hmm, yeah.. but I think it will be better for him to take it anyway, to get out of his plush toy form, so that he can go to school and make other friends, too.
https://i.imgur.com/Z21FQZ6.jpg
Aaron: Will you promise that nothing bad will happen to him if we try this?
https://i.imgur.com/hJXqEnF.jpg
Natalie: I promise, nothing bad will happen!
https://i.imgur.com/bHtl0q2.jpg
Aaron: Ok.. so how do we do it?
https://i.imgur.com/3bVCqgP.jpg
Natalie: I am not quite sure.. but I think you must give him the potion.... The witch gave me the potion wrapped in this box.. I will give it to you, so you can give it to him and see what happens.
https://i.imgur.com/8OsRGG6.jpg
Aaron accepts the box and opens it to reveal a bottle of a light amber colored liquid. Aaron and Billy walks downstairs, before Aaron hesitantly hands the bottle over to Billy, who drinks from the bottle..
https://i.imgur.com/mX5n81X.jpg
Aaron: Here is the bottle with the potion that will make you alive. Mommy got it from the forest witch.. just be careful now, Billy...
https://i.imgur.com/sSoGeVo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/srFArZB.jpg
Billy: Oooh, I think it works, Aaron! I can see bubbles!
https://i.imgur.com/FLB7FiE.jpg
Aaron: Are you alive now Billy? How does it feel?
Billy: I don't know, it feels just the same..
https://i.imgur.com/6WVe2CN.jpg
Billy so far didn't feel any different, and sat down to play with the toys..
https://i.imgur.com/n2SU4yk.jpg
Natalie had to rush of to her shift at the restaurant and didn't have much time to interact with Billy, now that he had "become real". Aaron was hoping she would bring some good left over food home for supper. Natalie couldn't promise anything, it all depended on how busy the restaurant was.
For Billy the difference eventually becomes clear. It is as if he has just been let out of a cage that used to trap him, and he feels a lot more free now. Almost like a curse has been lifted from him...
https://i.imgur.com/SrNk4jO.jpg
Billy decides to ask Isaac for a water balloon fight, and Isaac is happy that Billy has began to act more like a normal kid and finally wants to play with him.
https://i.imgur.com/E7Ha5c6.jpg
Isaac: Sure, Billy! Lets go out and play!
https://i.imgur.com/fvQmfmo.jpg
Eventually Aaron joined them outside to do his homework...
https://i.imgur.com/68EODji.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XctQgvz.png
Lacuna Coil - Spellbound.
Burning here, in the room
Feeling that the walls are moving closer
Silent scene the dark takes me
Leads me to the ending of another day
I'm haunted
Tell me who you are. I am spellbound
You cannot have this control on me
Everywhere I go I am spellbound
I will break the spell you put on me
Velvet drapes, glowing candles
Silent whispers of
......words..........
(words inside) of my head
The night that comes, it waits for me
Lift me to the ending of another day
I'm haunted....
~~~~
https://i.imgur.com/b1eBew0.jpg
The next morning Natalies mind was full of thoughts about the strangeness of the past days. The now fake letter from the Philosophical Centre, the search for gemstones to make Billy "alive", and there actually being a witch.. sorry, magician, in the forest, and the warning she gave about Natalie being in some great danger.
What was all this about, and what would happen once they used the potion she had made? Maybe using that potion wouldn't be such a good idea... what if this potion didn't make Billy "come alive", but instead would turn him into this evil that she warned about? But then why would she then make the potion and warn about it at the same time? Natalie was confused and felt she needed to consult someone else that might be able to make some sense out of all this...
https://i.imgur.com/X0Qdp9U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iPeDdZf.jpg
Maybe the nuns could give her some insight. After all, they were scholars in many mysterious things and if they didn't immediately know it, she was sure they had some old books or documents in their library that could, perhaps, cast a little bit of light on what all this was about..
https://i.imgur.com/7iL2qxp.jpg
Teresa Mater: Good day, sister. Welcome to our little nunnery. Come on inside and tell me, what can I do for you?
https://i.imgur.com/rncRQ8E.jpg
Natalie: Well, there have been some strange things going on.. to keep it short, we got a letter from the Philosphical Centre about some gemstones we needed to find, to make this... to make Billy, one of..uh, a plush toy that lives with me and that has become the best friend of my son, Aaron, to come alive..
https://i.imgur.com/w8VJchp.jpg
Natalie: I went looking for these gemstones, but found none. Instead, I found an old magician living in the forest.. and she told me, she would make a potion to make Billy alive.. but she also said something that worries me... that I am in great danger because something is after me.. I am really confused about all this.. what is this that could be after me, and what should I do?
https://i.imgur.com/1WXsM99.jpg
Teresa: Hmm.. well, first things first, you do not need to worry much about making Billy alive. He is already alive... The potion works in a way as both an "age-up" potion that will end his plush toy state permanently. There is some controversy regarding this, because the plush toy state can only be observed by those closest to the kid, but it is a real thing. Plush toy children are usually the result of an extra-marital affair...
"Extra-marital affair?" Natalie thought. "But I have never been married...". That bit left Natalie confused. She didn't understand that it wasn't her that was having the extra-marital affair. It was Bård, her former boss in the political career, because back then he was married to Josefine... but atleast this explained for Natalie why Billy sometimes didn't have the appearance of a real kid..
Teresa: Anyway, these plush toy children may on occasion have some limited magical ability, and they are usually quite protective about who they see as their best friend.... but as long as everything is alright at home, they are usually pretty harmless...
https://i.imgur.com/EkUblfD.jpg
Teresa:This does remind me, though, about a case I read about in one of our books, from many years ago. A man lost his house in a fire after an incident where he claimed a teddy bear had followed him around and summoned a ghost that set his house on fire... It later came out that this man had been negligent, if not downright abusive, towards his own children. Tell me, Natalie, you haven't seen any ghosts lately?
https://i.imgur.com/AkrsUBM.jpg
Natalie: N-n-no, m'am.. I have not seen any ghosts..
https://i.imgur.com/YVbHWnv.jpg
Teresa: Hmm, ok.. I'll believe you.
https://i.imgur.com/1e6aVWv.jpg
Teresa: Secondly, I suppose the magician you are talking about is Elisa. We are very familiar with Elisa, she has lived in that forest for hundreds of years. She knows what she is talking about. When she warns you, I'm afraid to say, something serious is going on.
https://i.imgur.com/G3D9WHV.jpg
Natalie: That is excactly what worries me..
https://i.imgur.com/VZwbNA6.jpg
Teresa: I see.. I must ask you some questions. Not counting ghosts, have you seen, heard, felt, smelled or otherwise sensed something out of the ordinary lately?
https://i.imgur.com/Z93Bpk4.jpg
Natalie: Hmm, not so much, really. Not until the same afternoon I went looking for the gemstones, anyway. Then I felt like someone was following me, and I was being watched. And it was just as if someone was sitting next to me in the taxi ride on the way to the forest.. yet, there was nobody there. Atleast not that I could see.
https://i.imgur.com/XDVkWLr.jpg
Natalie: And as I left the magician's house to go back home, it was a smell outside, just as if something had been burning recently. Even though it was raining and I hadn't seen any fire nor smoke.
https://i.imgur.com/ZYp95e7.jpg
Teresa: Oh, I see. Well, a burning smell can be very serious. If it wasn't caused by an actual fire by natural means, that is usually a strong indication that a demon is nearby. If that is the case, then you truely are in danger, my friend!
https://i.imgur.com/vgHpNk2.jpg
Teresa: A demon and it's fire can only be contained by the Gods Themselves or by the most powerful and purest of Angels, but never put out as long as the demon is present. Me and my sisters will surely pray for you and your family in tonights mass, and wish you the best of luck. I am really sorry to say this, Natalie, but I think you are going to need all the help, prayers and luck you can get your hands on.
Spoiler
Though Natalie is an angel, she is not a pure angel, as her red wing colour depicts. Her mother, Bianka, is a pure angel, atleast by genetics, but her father, Torkil, is a regular human. Thus, Natalies angelic powers will not be strong enough to battle a demon and keep it at bay. And given the poor relationship with her mother, likely, there would be no help to gather there..
Though Natalie is an angel, she is not a pure angel, as her red wing colour depicts. Her mother, Bianka, is a pure angel, atleast by genetics, but her father, Torkil, is a regular human. Thus, Natalies angelic powers will not be strong enough to battle a demon and keep it at bay. And given the poor relationship with her mother, likely, there would be no help to gather there..
https://i.imgur.com/8HZBZIH.jpg
Teresa: Now, follow me to the library.. you're going to need something special...
https://i.imgur.com/KZEMxCR.jpg
Teresa: On the tables behind me are some Holy Items that should help keep your home safe and the demons away.
https://i.imgur.com/fuMw5uQ.jpg
Teresa: The bible you must keep on your night stand, and read a verse every night. The cross, I would recommend to keep near the entrance of your home. And once a day, preferrably around noon, I highly recommend to fill the chalice with holy oils from the box next to it, and keep it at a central point in your home. If you run out of holy oils, please come back here, and I will supply you with more.
https://i.imgur.com/Pfo68E4.jpg
Teresa: Unfortunately, there is no guarantuee that this will work. It depends on the strength and the purity of the demon. One can only hope that it is a lesser, hybrid demon you are dealing with as then you may just be able to keep it at bay.
https://i.imgur.com/cikIoe8.jpg
Teresa:Now, take these items that I give to you, and do as I said. We will pray for you tonight, and I will also send a letter to our brothers at the monastery and have them do the same. Best of luck, Natalie, and take care.
https://i.imgur.com/YpbODwg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QoCbNrO.jpg
So, Natalie left the nunnery and went home with the new information and the items in her inventory... just in time for her to go to work at the Zombie Restaurant, so doing what Teresa told her to do, would have to wait..
https://i.imgur.com/F1X7LL0.jpg
Let's just hope she remembers, and that it works..
https://i.imgur.com/xXfVHLg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lSjkr4w.jpg
And at the same time as mom Natalie starts her shift at work, Aaron exits school with the best grades possible! What a brilliant kid! Of course, Aaron does not yet know about his mothers visit to Elisa or the nunnery, as they yet haven't had a chance to talk.
https://i.imgur.com/nMPsioL.jpg
And boy how time flies, Natalie just had her 6th anniversary working at the Zombie Restaurant! Now she better get home and do what Teresa said..
https://i.imgur.com/JH9WZYf.jpg
Natalie (thinking): Now what was it that Teresa told me.. keep the cross on the bedstand..? No, by the door, of course!
https://i.imgur.com/e4R70G1.jpg
Then the bible on the bedside..
https://i.imgur.com/jCpTlIt.jpg
and that chalice somewhere in the centre of the house, and fill it with oils daily.. I am not convinced this is going to work, but I am willing to try.. I don't want anything bad to happen to me..
https://i.imgur.com/Y6P3TOJ.jpg
Natalie: Next I should probably buy a bedstand to put the bible on.. and a small table for the cross by the door...
https://i.imgur.com/ZvKl63m.jpg
Isaac notices the cross and thinks it's a strange item to put by the door.
https://i.imgur.com/zMKSKcg.jpg
Then the year went on, and three days before it was about to end, it was time for Natalie to take another trip up into the forest...
https://i.imgur.com/ixCcIKe.jpg
She ordered a taxi to go there, and a limo showed up! "Surely, this can't be right", she thought, asking the driver over the intercom what was going on.. but the driver only replied that she came from the taxi company, and this was the car that was ordered to this address...
https://i.imgur.com/wBUjBEV.jpg
Natalie thought this was very strange.. and just like last time, she got a feeling she wasn't alone, but there was someone else there.. in addition to herself and the taxi driver.
Natalie:And I am your only passenger, right?
https://i.imgur.com/gIlOl5L.jpg
Taxi driver: What do you mean?
Natalie: I mean.. you didn't pick up anyone else before driving to my address?
Taxi driver: No, ma'am, you are the only passenger.
https://i.imgur.com/HGHvvCF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aA5K6zt.jpg
Natalie: Hi, Elisa. Here I am, just like we agreed upon.
https://i.imgur.com/DgZzYxy.jpg
Elisa: Good to see you again, Natalie. Come on in. The potion is ready and waiting for you.
https://i.imgur.com/tsw8fl9.jpg
Elisa: It wasn't easy to make, but I have it right here. It sits there on the table to my left. Let me get it for you.
https://i.imgur.com/4HMIe7g.jpg
Natalie: Oh thank you, you are most kind. Now I just hope this plush toy won't turn out to be anything scary like a demon or something...
https://i.imgur.com/yFbzXUY.jpg
Elisa: Ah, no.. Billy is not a demon, far from it.. but just like last time, Natalie, something has followed you here.. and it may very well be a demon..
https://i.imgur.com/2pejpMI.jpg
Elisa: And for that reason, it is crucial you do what the nun told you to keep them at bay if you want to visit me again... I don't want demons to be lurking around my house.. ..oh, and please say hi to my great grandsons for me...
https://i.imgur.com/qCEmWIQ.jpg
Natalie: How do you know what the nun s..?
Elisa: Anyway, here is the potion. I wrapped it in this box for you. It should work, but just to make sure.. use it carefully!
https://i.imgur.com/f4qD2nz.jpg
Natalie: Thank you, Elisa.. but, how did you know about my visit to the nuns and what did you say about your great grandsons??
https://i.imgur.com/11pub9t.jpg
Elisa: I think you should go now, Natalie. Goodbye, Natalie.
https://i.imgur.com/f201LxP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x8diqEq.jpg
And on the way back.. what came and picked her up again was just a normal taxi.. where's the logic? Natalie really couldn't figure this part out... so she asked the taxi driver again..
Natalie: How come you sent me a taxi this time, when I got a limo on the way up?
https://i.imgur.com/DGae09Y.jpg
Taxi driver: What are you talking about, lady? This is a taxi company.. we don't have any limos!
Natalie: But... I rode a limo on the way up here!
Taxi driver: No.. I'm pretty sure you didn't.. I drove you up here, you and your sunburnt friend.. in a taxi..
Natalie: My.. sunburnt friend? But I came here alone..! Didn't I?
Taxi driver: I'll drop you off at your home address, ma'am...
https://i.imgur.com/b48m9wn.jpg
After this, Natalie had to go for another shift at work.. meanwhile, she pondered once more about the strangeness of it all.. Sunburnt friend!? What in the heavenly clouds was that supposed to mean? Was it really a demon the taxi driver saw riding with her!? And how come she had the experience of riding there in a limo!? Granted, she did have the feeling that someone was there with her in the limo.. even though she couldn't see anyone there.. Maybe she was starting to lose her mind completely this time.. these things just didn't add up..
https://i.imgur.com/dy5xUnT.jpg
And the kids? Oh, no worries, Isaac, Aaron and Billy were safely at home with their teenage babysitter..
The next morning Natalie wanted to talk to Aaron about what had happened the last few days.
https://i.imgur.com/9Y5iYrk.jpg
Natalie: You know all those old stories about there being a witch in the forest?
Aaron: Uh huh..
Natalie: Well, they are true! I went there some days ago, looking for those gemstones.. and it brought me up to the old cottage, and that's where she lived.
https://i.imgur.com/c1gn3yh.jpg
Natalie: She told me all about how we have been tricked, and that the gemstones do not exist. But she also said she could help out with making a potion to make Billy come alive.
https://i.imgur.com/79ksKid.jpg
Natalie: And I have the potion right here. Do you want to make Billy alive, Aaron?
https://i.imgur.com/x9NIKMn.jpg
Aaron: I don't know mom, he says he is alive already..
https://i.imgur.com/4ibgUrt.jpg
Natalie: Hmm, yeah.. but I think it will be better for him to take it anyway, to get out of his plush toy form, so that he can go to school and make other friends, too.
https://i.imgur.com/Z21FQZ6.jpg
Aaron: Will you promise that nothing bad will happen to him if we try this?
https://i.imgur.com/hJXqEnF.jpg
Natalie: I promise, nothing bad will happen!
https://i.imgur.com/bHtl0q2.jpg
Aaron: Ok.. so how do we do it?
https://i.imgur.com/3bVCqgP.jpg
Natalie: I am not quite sure.. but I think you must give him the potion.... The witch gave me the potion wrapped in this box.. I will give it to you, so you can give it to him and see what happens.
https://i.imgur.com/8OsRGG6.jpg
Aaron accepts the box and opens it to reveal a bottle of a light amber colored liquid. Aaron and Billy walks downstairs, before Aaron hesitantly hands the bottle over to Billy, who drinks from the bottle..
https://i.imgur.com/mX5n81X.jpg
Aaron: Here is the bottle with the potion that will make you alive. Mommy got it from the forest witch.. just be careful now, Billy...
https://i.imgur.com/sSoGeVo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/srFArZB.jpg
Billy: Oooh, I think it works, Aaron! I can see bubbles!
https://i.imgur.com/FLB7FiE.jpg
Aaron: Are you alive now Billy? How does it feel?
Billy: I don't know, it feels just the same..
https://i.imgur.com/6WVe2CN.jpg
Billy so far didn't feel any different, and sat down to play with the toys..
https://i.imgur.com/n2SU4yk.jpg
Natalie had to rush of to her shift at the restaurant and didn't have much time to interact with Billy, now that he had "become real". Aaron was hoping she would bring some good left over food home for supper. Natalie couldn't promise anything, it all depended on how busy the restaurant was.
For Billy the difference eventually becomes clear. It is as if he has just been let out of a cage that used to trap him, and he feels a lot more free now. Almost like a curse has been lifted from him...
https://i.imgur.com/SrNk4jO.jpg
Billy decides to ask Isaac for a water balloon fight, and Isaac is happy that Billy has began to act more like a normal kid and finally wants to play with him.
https://i.imgur.com/E7Ha5c6.jpg
Isaac: Sure, Billy! Lets go out and play!
https://i.imgur.com/fvQmfmo.jpg
Eventually Aaron joined them outside to do his homework...
https://i.imgur.com/68EODji.jpg
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