Page 36 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

"Right."

"Should we whistle as we go?" Jessie asked.

I grinned. "Maybe something catchy?"

Robbie was smiling, but he shook his head. "You two better not. If I get some annoying song stuck in my head, I’m coming for both of you."

Jessie and I exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Okay,Robbie was right. I’m safe. I’m with my friends. We can face anything, as long as we’re together.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" He asked, playfully, then squinted into the distance. "Let's get going… and keep our eyes peeled," he said, his blue eyes scanning the horizon. He stepped forward, taking the lead without hesitation.

Jessie patted my shoulder. "We've got this," she said, her warm brown eyes speaking volumes about her confidence in us.

We moved cautiously, Robbie stepping carefully on the uneven ground that felt like walking on a giant relief map. The rocks didn't give way beneath our feet, but they didn't exactly provide stable footing either. It was a strange feeling. It’d take a miracle if none of us twisted our ankles on this thing.

"Watch your step," Jessie said as a rock shifted under her.

"Thanks," I adjusted my balance.

We walked as the sun rose higher in the sky. Despite Robbie’s protests, Jessie and I began singing. It was my mom’s least favorite song from when I was a kid. It Was The Song That Never Ends. As time passed,I think Robbie was sure we’d get sick of the song. But we didn’t. If anything, it got funnier the longer we sang, until, finally, Robbie joined us. Belting out the song in his much deeper voice.

Suddenly, the mist parted slightly ahead of us, revealing a bridge in the distance that hung over a vast chasm that ran in both directions as far as the eye could see. The bridge made from twisted vines and ropes complete with patches that seemed to be held together by sheer willpower, or maybe chewing gum and hope.

"Is that our way across?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Robbie pulled out the map, its edges frayed, reminding me of torn construction paper. "Yep," he pointed to a shaky line that crossed a chasm. "That's our crossing. Our only crossing."

"Looks sturdy enough," Jessie said, though I caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sure, if you weigh as much as a doodlebug," I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"What do we do?" Jessie asked. "That can’t possibly be safe."

"Is there a spell we could use?" I asked, hopefully.

She thought for a minute, then shook her head. "There are spells we can use if the bridge breaks to keep us alive and safe, but not to actually help us cross this distance. Even if we had everything for a potion to make us jump like frogs, for example, I don’t think we could jump that far."

"Darn," I said, eyeing the rickety bridge. "So, I guess we have to cross it, but I’m keeping my wand at the ready."

"We all should," Jessie said. "Along with keeping a specific protection spell in your mind."

All three of us held out our wands and nodded, glancing back at the deathtrap we had to cross. If it broke, or we fell off it, it’d be seriously frightening, but our spells should keep us alive.

"Come on," Robbie stepped onto the bridge. It swayed under his weight, and my heart did a little tap dance in my chest.

"Easy does it," he said to us.

I took a deep breath, following him onto the bridge. Every creak and groan fromthe planks had me picturing us plummeting into the abyss. My hands gripped the rope sides the best I could while holding my wand, my knuckles turning white.

"Look at you, agile as a cat," Robbie said from a few steps ahead.

"More like a cat on a hot tin roof," I focused on putting one foot in front of the other without looking down.

"Remember, it's all about balance," Jessie said behind me, her tone steady and calm. "Balance and taking our time."

"Right, balance," I said.

Halfway across, the bridge bucked like a bronco, and I froze. But we couldn't stop; stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant realizing how crazy this was. So, I keep going, clinging to the bridge as it moved as if it had a life of its own… a life that wanted nothing more than to send us flying off it.