{"id":17733,"date":"2018-08-01T01:10:55","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T06:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=18771"},"modified":"2018-07-31T22:03:51","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T03:03:51","slug":"story-series-hedge-wizard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/08\/01\/story-series-hedge-wizard\/","title":{"rendered":"Story Series: Hedge Wizard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 1<\/span><\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(<\/span>Photo by Tj Holowaychuk<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/span><\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. A Visit to the H\u00e6gtessa<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I remember when little Dawn had a fever and had trouble sleeping, I went with Mother across the harvested fields to visit the H\u00e6gtessa. The green wall of the Hedge, tiny in the distance, grew and threw open its arms as we approached. On all sides it stretched, shutting out the Forest, except where the river ran by, downhill on the right, where the fishing lodge straddled the bank. I knew that far to the left, the hunters\u2019 tunnel passed under the hedge. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the Hedge I could see the tops of many trees, outliers of the Forest. The Forest went on and on, they said, forever. No one went very far into it except the hunters. The H\u00e6gtessa, whose name meant \u2018hedge-rider,\u2019 went a little way in at times to gather herbs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As we approached her house, Mother cautioned me to remain quiet unless spoken to. The H\u00e6gtessa, it was said, lived a very quiet life and disliked noise.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her house ran right through the Hedge to the other side, and thus had two fronts, each barely extending beyond the Hedge itself. Her magic accommodated the Hedge to her house, neatly fitting it without impinging on it in the least.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I had never been in her house. I had been up to the Hedge, and down to the fishing-lodge by the river, and seen the gabled front of her house from a distance, but never herself. But now she came out.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But when the H\u00e6gtessa emerged, she was a kindly-looking middle-aged woman, getting a little stout. She was dressed in a simple farm smock and apron.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working in the garden\u201d she said to me, answering my thought. The morning sun peeped over the roof of the forest, and I squinted. She looked at me curiously, then turned to my mother. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Mopsy,\u201d she said, using my mother\u2019s little girl name.\u201dWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Dawn, here,\u201d said Mother. \u201cShe is hot and can\u2019t sleep. I think her head hurts.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The H\u00e6gtessa took Dawn in her arms. \u201cShe needs feverfew and a few other herbs,\u201d she said. \u201cStep in.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We went up three steps and were inside her house, which seemed carved rather than built. A wide room stretched on both sides. Ahead were more steps, leading past cabinets of herbs and instruments up through the middle of the house. There were no windows to right or left. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer magic keeps the hedge from bothering the house,\u201d I thought. \u201cBut why the hump in the middle?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Once again she answered my thought. \u201cThe roots of the hedge pass under the middle of my house. Else there would be two hedges.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

*<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The H\u00e6gtessa ascended the inner steps and took several herbs from the shelves. She took dried leaves of feverfew and mixed them with fresh leaves. Then she prepared two or three other herbs. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When she brought the tea down, I saw a circular stairway at the back of her herb-closet. Past it steps probably started down to the forest side of her house.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to wait and see how she takes the herbs,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease make yourselves comfortable. I will brew another tea.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We sat on her cushioned carved benches and waited, while Mother applied a cool rag to Dawn\u2019s head from time to time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Haegtessa kept us company. She talked about her need for an apprentice, \u201cI\u2019m not as young now as I once was.\u201d She was running out of some herbs and needed help locating new gardens in the forest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Somewhat later she felt Dawn\u2019s head and said she felt a little cooler, but she needed to stay there for a night or two until her head was back to normal. She fixed up a bed for Mother in the room with Dawn, then turned to me.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps you\u2019d like to sleep in the loft?\u201d she asked, pointing to the circular stairs. \u201cCome and see.\u201d I followed her up the stairs. At the top, the gabled room was on the right. On the left a door opened into a circular chamber, roofed with crystal. I had heard of the dream chamber, but thought it was just a story. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the center of the room was a wide, comfortable looking bed. Some treetops could be seen at the rim of the dome, but otherwise it was all sky.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think you\u2019d like to sleep here?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes,\u201d I said. \u201cYes, thanks.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is well, Bird-brow; I give you that name in place of your boyhood name Hops. For outside, when you squinted, I saw a bird\u2019s head, perhaps a robin\u2019s, in the wrinkles between your brows. So I know you will profit from a night spent up here.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first night the dream chamber was filled with a blue light, whitened a while by the moon. I lay entranced by the starry sky and don\u2019t know when I dropped off. Just before I woke I seemed to see a bluish figure flying around the room. It was a boy, a little smaller than I am, but I awoke before I could see more or speak to him.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At breakfast the H\u00e6gtessa was jovial. Dawn was much improved, and Mother had finally gotten some much-needed sleep. We had milk and meat and some fruit I had never seen before, juicy with a red pith. \u201cOne more night and Dawn will be well,\u201d she said. \u201cDid you sleep well in the chamber, Bird-brow?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you call him that?\u201d asked Mother. \u201cHis name is Hops.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is growing fast, and has grown much overnight. See, already he is nearly eight years in stature. And I name him Bird-brow.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mother said nothing, but shifted a little uneasily in her chair. We knew that a hedge-witch has the right to assign a name to someone, and that name is not without meaning.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

During the morning the H\u00e6gtessa took me out over the stair-hill and through the forest side of her house to the herb garden just outside the forest-door. Just beyond it was the blasted heath where the advancing trees of the forest had been cut down and the grass and seeds underneath them burnt brown. We picked herbs that day and she showed me how to store them in jars and prepare tinctures and other medicines.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At sunset a hunter came by with a brace of conies. \u201cHave you heard that the great boar hunt is being prepared?\u201d he asked me. \u201cYour father is organizing it. Will you be with him?\u201d I said certainly. He skinned them and stayed to supper with us, then went off again into the forest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That night I dropped off to sleep swiftly, and before long the light of a star shone brighter, and the blue child flew or slid down the trail of light, landing at the foot of my bed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome, Bird-brow,\u201d the blue child said. \u201cYou are asleep, so you can fly,\u201d and we both flew through the crystal and out into the night of the forest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/span>To Be Continued…<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 1 (Photo by Tj Holowaychuk on Unsplash) Chapter 1 1. A Visit to the H\u00e6gtessa I remember when little Dawn had a fever and had trouble sleeping, I went with Mother across the harvested fields to visit the H\u00e6gtessa. The green wall of the Hedge, tiny in the distance, grew and threw open its arms as we approached. On all sides it stretched, shutting out the Forest, except where the river ran by, downhill on the right, where the fishing lodge straddled the bank. I knew that far to the left, the hunters\u2019 tunnel passed under the hedge. Beyond the Hedge I could see the tops of many trees, outliers of the Forest. The Forest went on and on, they said, forever. No one went very far into it except the hunters. The H\u00e6gtessa, whose name meant \u2018hedge-rider,\u2019 went a little way in at times to gather herbs. As we approached her house, Mother cautioned me to remain quiet unless spoken to. The H\u00e6gtessa, it was said, lived a very quiet life and disliked noise. Her house ran right through the Hedge to the other side, and thus had two fronts, each barely extending beyond the Hedge itself. Her magic accommodated the Hedge to her house, neatly fitting it without impinging on it in the least. I had never been in her house. I had been up to the Hedge, and down to the fishing-lodge by the river, and seen the gabled front of her house from a distance, but never herself. But now she came out. But when the H\u00e6gtessa emerged, she was a kindly-looking middle-aged woman, getting a little stout. She was dressed in a simple farm smock and apron. \u201cI\u2019ve been working in the garden\u201d she said to me, answering my thought. The morning sun peeped over the roof of the forest, and I squinted. She looked at me curiously, then turned to my mother. \u201cHello, Mopsy,\u201d she said, using my mother\u2019s little girl name.\u201dWhat can I do for you?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Dawn, here,\u201d said Mother. \u201cShe is hot and can\u2019t sleep. I think her head hurts.\u201d The H\u00e6gtessa took Dawn in her arms. \u201cShe needs feverfew and a few other herbs,\u201d she said. \u201cStep in.\u201d We went up three steps and were inside her house, which seemed carved rather than built. A wide room stretched on both sides. Ahead were more steps, leading past cabinets of herbs and instruments up through the middle of the house. There were no windows to right or left. \u201cHer magic keeps the hedge from bothering the house,\u201d I thought. \u201cBut why the hump in the middle?\u201d Once again she answered my thought. \u201cThe roots of the hedge pass under the middle of my house. Else there would be two hedges.\u201d * The H\u00e6gtessa ascended the inner steps and took several herbs from the shelves. She took dried leaves of feverfew and mixed them with fresh leaves. Then she prepared two or three other herbs. When she brought the tea down, I saw a circular stairway at the back of her herb-closet. Past it steps probably started down to the forest side of her house. \u201cWe have to wait and see how she takes the herbs,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease make yourselves comfortable. I will brew another tea.\u201d We sat on her cushioned carved benches and waited, while Mother applied a cool rag to Dawn\u2019s head from time to time. The Haegtessa kept us company. She talked about her need for an apprentice, \u201cI\u2019m not as young now as I once was.\u201d She was running out of some herbs and needed help locating new gardens in the forest. Somewhat later she felt Dawn\u2019s head and said she felt a little cooler, but she needed to stay there for a night or two until her head was back to normal. She fixed up a bed for Mother in the room with Dawn, then turned to me. \u201cPerhaps you\u2019d like to sleep in the loft?\u201d she asked, pointing to the circular stairs. \u201cCome and see.\u201d I followed her up the stairs. At the top, the gabled room was on the right. On the left a door opened into a circular chamber, roofed with crystal. I had heard of the dream chamber, but thought it was just a story. In the center of the room was a wide, comfortable looking bed. Some treetops could be seen at the rim of the dome, but otherwise it was all sky. \u201cDo you think you\u2019d like to sleep here?\u201d she asked. \u201cOh, yes,\u201d I said. \u201cYes, thanks.\u201d \u201cThat is well, Bird-brow; I give you that name in place of your boyhood name Hops. For outside, when you squinted, I saw a bird\u2019s head, perhaps a robin\u2019s, in the wrinkles between your brows. So I know you will profit from a night spent up here.\u201d The first night the dream chamber was filled with a blue light, whitened a while by the moon. I lay entranced by the starry sky and don\u2019t know when I dropped off. Just before I woke I seemed to see a bluish figure flying around the room. It was a boy, a little smaller than I am, but I awoke before I could see more or speak to him. At breakfast the H\u00e6gtessa was jovial. Dawn was much improved, and Mother had finally gotten some much-needed sleep. We had milk and meat and some fruit I had never seen before, juicy with a red pith. \u201cOne more night and Dawn will be well,\u201d she said. \u201cDid you sleep well in the chamber, Bird-brow?\u201d \u201cWhy do you call him that?\u201d asked Mother. \u201cHis name is Hops.\u201d \u201cHe is growing fast, and has grown much overnight. See, already he is nearly eight years in stature. And I name him Bird-brow.\u201d Mother said nothing, but shifted a little uneasily in her chair. We knew that a hedge-witch has the right to assign a name to someone, and that name is not without meaning. During the morning the H\u00e6gtessa took me out over the stair-hill and through the forest side of her house to the herb garden just outside the forest-door. Just beyond it was the blasted heath where the advancing trees of the forest had been cut down and the grass and seeds underneath them burnt brown. We picked herbs that day and she showed me how to store them in jars and prepare tinctures and other medicines. At sunset a hunter came by with a brace of conies. \u201cHave you heard that the great boar hunt is being prepared?\u201d he asked me. \u201cYour father is organizing it. Will you be with him?\u201d I said certainly. He skinned them and stayed to supper with us, then went off again into the forest. That night I dropped off to sleep swiftly, and before long the light of a star shone brighter, and the blue child flew or slid down the trail of light, landing at the foot of my bed. \u201cCome, Bird-brow,\u201d the blue child said. \u201cYou are asleep, so you can fly,\u201d and we both flew through the crystal and out into the night of the forest. …To Be Continued…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17733\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}