Page 33 of The Wonder of You

Mortal Land

Bath, England

1923

Henry doesn’t even knock as he rushes into the cabin, disturbing my coffee time with Phoenix.

“I’m sorry,” he wheezes. There is a glimmer of panic on his features, which is rare for him. It instantly makes me anxious. Phoenix stands.

“The witches are back and they’re causing chaos,” Henry says frantically.

“How? We’re in the mortal world. It can’t be possible!” Phoenix says with wild eyes. My heart drops. The witches seem to find us wherever we go. A part of me feels guilty even after everything they’ve done. I wonder if things would have been different if we had just accepted them in. But there’s no use looking to the past. We have to wonder how we’re going to get out of this mess.

“I don’t know how it’s possible, but it is! We have to fix this!” Henry shouts before running out the door again. Phoenix rolls up his sleeves, anger flashing in his eyes. I grab his arm.

“Phoenix, what are you going to do? I don’t want anyone getting hurt. ”

“Everything is going to be okay, I promise,” he murmurs, but his soft voice doesn’t reassure me. He looks too nervous.

“Say it back to me,” he adds as his hands place themselves on my cheeks. He gently lifts my face so I’m looking at him. His thumbs feel so soft and reassuring as he rubs them on my jawline.

“Everything is going to be okay.” My voice is weak and I don’t believe my own words. We don’t even know what they’re capable of. What if the witches hurt someone? What if they set the circus on fire? I don’t trust them, none of us do. Phoenix didn’t seem so concerned the first time, or even the second, but it’s gone on for too long now, and it keeps getting worse; they won’t stop coming back and it’s putting everyone on edge. Seeing Henry even shred a hint of panic is enough to send me over into freak out mode.

Phoenix quickly kisses my forehead and rushes out the cabin to join his crew.

I stay in the cabin for a few minutes, waiting anxiously, but when it becomes too much, I rush out to see what’s happening.

I catch sight of the witches. This time there are far more of them than the usual one or three who have visited before. They are a group of older women wearing large brown coats and odd pointed hats shouting all sorts of words and insults. I can barely understand what it is they are saying this time, although every now and then I overhear them mention clowns. Something they seem greatly offended by. I catch sight of Phoenix in the thick of it all, facing off with a witch I haven’t seen before. Alam bells start ringing in my head. This woman looks different. She’s taller. Her back isn’t as hunched over as the others who seem to linger behind her as if she is their leader. Her long hair is full and black and she seems younger than the rest.

“You threaten my coven with dogs?” she hisses. Her face so close to Phoenix who immediately steps back. There is a much larger audience around us this time. Toni and her acrobat girls are here. One of them closest to me gasps.

“Claudia, that’s Claudia. I’ve only heard about her in stories. She’s a Grand High Witch. I thought she was a myth.” I can’t tell if her voice is filled with fear or admiration. A flicker of fear crosses Toni’s face. I’ve heard about Grand High witches and their powers, but I’ve never heard that name be spoken before. What don’t I know?

I have no time to think any more on it.

“I’ve told you; we have nothing here. I am sure there is something else for you.” Phoenix’s voice is soft, but stern. He’s lost his patience. One of the women hits out, but Phoenix moves back quickly. I see Lukas run over and Maudie attempt to follow. I want to see if Phoenix is okay, but I know he has this under control, so I run to grab Maudie, pulling her back towards my chest.

“Daddy!” she cries out, probably fearing she will soon lose him too. She still doesn’t understand that her mum has left for good, constantly asking when she’ll be back to tuck her into bed. Her requests for her mother have only heightened since the scary event she witnessed with the witches. She can’t understand why her mum isn’t here to check she is okay, to want to protect her. It’s heartbreaking and unfair.

“It’s okay,” I say, feeling bad for lying because I know things are far from okay. I feel like this time, something big is going to happen. I don’t know what, but there is something about the atmosphere that feels off. I wrap my arms tighter around Maudie to stop her running forward. I know she’s afraid of the witches, but she wants to make sure Lukas is okay too. She’s only a child; I need to keep her safe.

“I wish you were my mum,” Maudie cries. I hold her close, feeling like I’m shielding her from an uncontrollable fire.

“I am sorry for everything, Maudie, things will get better.”

As a witch from behind Claudia suddenly steps forward and punches Henry square in the face, I am not so confident about my words. Maudie and I gasp.

“Leave! I won’t ask again! You have come back repeatedly and attacked my staff, why would you believe for even a moment that we’d allow you here?” Phoenix shouts as Lukas helps Henry stand. He doesn’t look hurt, more just shocked by the unexpected hit. Luckily, he chooses not to respond or make things worse.

Claudia swings her long hair behind her back and smirks.

“We are better than using physical violence.” She straightens herself as she continues to talk in a loud voice full of authority, she does this without looking at the coven of witches behind her. They instantly step back and bow their heads, in some kind of agreement or apology for going against their leaders wishes. I watch in terror. Would Claudia even want her witches working for the circus? She seems to hold so much respect for herself, and that respect is clearly given by how the other women respond to her. They seem so disgusted by elements of the circus. It makes me wonder; was all this a test? Did they want to create a problem with us to have an opportunity to prove themselves as powerful?

“You’ll be punished for this! Look at the state of all of you,” Claudia lifts out her arms, her voice hoarse, she points at Phoenix. “ You don’t deserve happiness!”

She looks over at me and Maudie and sniggers.

“Get inside!” Phoenix shouts at me, panic spreads across his face, but everything happens too fast.

“Start now!” Claudia says as a wicked smile takes her features. The witches start cursing words I do not understand, their arms begin lifting in the air in union. I look around at everyone in panic, they all seem as confused as me. But then Claudia utters a spell that somehow manages to shock my body as if I’ve been electrocuted.

Pain ripples through me.

“Kill the woman!” she hisses, “She will live again, but she’ll forget this hell and find a new one, while he remembers everything! That this is his fault! Then kill the child! No child should live as a clown!”

The witches begin to chant and cackle, their focus turning to Maudie and I. It’s as if time goes into slow motion when the ground opens beneath me. I hear Phoenix and Lukas scream. A noise that will haunt my dreams if I ever make it out of this alive .

My feet slip, dragging me into the large hole that looks like an entrance to a fire pit. I push Maudie violently away from me. She almost goes flying and I know I will have bruised her; I hope she forgives me, but I have to save her. I’m certain I will fall to my death.

But Phoenix grabs my hand before I fall and my bladder feels like it might release itself as it really hits me what is going on; I am dangling into a fire pit that has opened itself in the middle of the circus.

“Welcome to the final show!” Claudia shrieks.

I hear Maudie scream out my name but my eyes revert to Phoenix. His pupils are dilated and they dart around me in panic, searching for a way to rescue me.

“Don’t let go,” he begs, tears running down his cheeks.

“Phoenix, I don’t think I can hold on,” I cry out. He tries to pull me up, but it’s not working. A stronger force than either one of us is dragging me down toward hell. Lukas rushes to hold onto Phoenix as extra weight to attempt to pull me up.

It’s not working.

Am I going to die?

I look down as my legs wobble around. This hole looks like it goes on forever but I can see the orange flames below, like hands dancing upwards with a desperate desire to grab my feet and take me with them.

This is the end.

I look back at Phoenix.

“Don’t forget me,” I cry. Tears are falling from my eyes as I see the fear on Phoenix’s face. He grits his teeth in desperation .

“You’re not going anywhere, just hold on.” He strains himself to pull me up again, but he isn’t strong enough. He’s not strong enough even with Lukas trying to help, even with Toni who can lift a fully grown man above her head trying to help too. I think it’s part of the spell the witches set upon us.

I can’t be saved.

My hand starts slipping. I so desperately want to hold onto Phoenix. To feel his skin on mine. No, no, no, this can’t be the end.

We were sat drinking coffee this morning, assuming we had forever together and now… now I am dangling into a fire pit facing certain death, all because some witches didn’t get their own way.

I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping this is a bad dream and anytime soon, I’ll wake in Phoenix’s arms as he reassures me everything is okay. He’ll tell me to repeat his words like he always does, knowing it settles me down to say it out loud.

But everything is far from okay and I can’t bear to hear him screaming,

“Help!” he begs to everyone. His voice breaks my heart, it sounds so weak and childlike. But they are helping, everyone is trying to save me. Everyone I love is here.

“I love you, Phoenix,” I whimper.

I remember the glow in his eyes when I first met him.

I use my other hand to grab onto Phoenix’s arm, trying to pull myself up him like a rope .

We ran away together; from everything I knew. From darkness into glowing lights.

I scream as I try with all my might to lift myself. Phoenix’s face is bright red with the strain he is putting into trying to pull me up. Other hands try to reach me, but I can only focus on Phoenix.

My soulmate. My everything.

A burning sensation tickles at my feet as a mixture of different screams fill my ears.

The first time I met Henry, Lukas, held Maudie.

I’m too weak, my hand slips of Phoenix’s arm and my other starts to drop finger by finger.

“No,” Phoenix moans.

I felt so alive here. I belonged. This was home.

“Renée, hold on.” Phoenix tries pulling me up again and it’s heartbreaking to witness as I know he’s only set up for failure. I’m going to die and he’s going to have to live with it.

I hope he remembers me forever, even if he does move on and find a second chance of happiness with someone else. The circus and his life should not be ruined or put on hold because of me. He should not blame himself.

But my God, I wish he was just mine forevermore.

I wish I could stay.

I look at his face. I want it to be the last thing I see.

My fingers start slipping almost like an invisible hand is breaking us apart.

Phoenix howls.

I fall into darkness.