1 The Cottage In The Woods

"I don't want to wake up... ugh..." The little girl in a pair of creamy white pajamas stirred from her bed, only to fall back on it with a disgruntled expression .

No Sierra, you have to wake up.... It's not that hard...

"woof!"

"Go away mica, I want to sleep-"

Sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the small and cozy room in which the girl was sleeping. The bed was neither large nor tiny, leaving enough space for the large wooden cabin beside the bedside table. The whole room seemed to be draped in red, from its curtains to the blankets and even the large red cloak hanging from the coat hanger. It was an old fashioned room, with each piece of red fabric having ornate golden embroidery stitched to its sides and the centre. The bed sheets were a pale gold but obviously top notch fabric. A lonely crocus was gently waving in the wind, threatening to fall from it's stalk in the tiny glass vase. A strange looking calendar with odd letters was hanging from the wall, and the colorful dream catcher fluttered in the wind.

A large thud was heard, and the fruit basket placed at the edge of the closet fell to the ground, on top of the blankets.

"Ow!!I swear this day could've started much more better-"

"woof!woof!"

Moving the blankets out of the way, the little girl got up from the ground and stretched. "Time for productivity Sierra!"

She yawned, her baby blue eyes going wide and her messy white hair falling from her shoulders. Her eyes were puffy and red in contrast to her rosy cheeks, as she had gone to bed later than usual last night.

"Woof!"

She turned her head expecting to see a white furball bouncing around the room.

"My, - where are you mica....? Oh, I'm so sorry, time to get your breakfast!"

Sierra kneeled down beside the bed and picked up the wolf pup with her small hands and kicked the blankets to the corner of the room.

"I'll make the bed later! Oh, look at you mica, you must be starving after all morning for me to wake up, I'll make something for you to eat!"

She cuddled the wolf pup, who's fur were the same color as her hair. Feeling more energetic than usual, she walked to towards the door, with mica in her hands.

" I'm not sure sure if I have time to make the bed... " stopping midway, she turned around, as her eyes gleamed mischievously.

" Auntie May warned me not to be lazy and rely on it too much, but it won't hurt to try!! "

"Let the wind carry itself, and the flowers bloom without help, like the wild ones that feed on it's own. Heed my call and let the wind carry itself,

...

.....

Let the bed be made by itself."

Clapping her hands thrice, Sierra moved towards the broom in the corner of the room.

" You heard me, get to work. "

Placing her hands on her hips, the little girl pouted, wondering what had gone wrong with the spell.

" Maybe it was-"

A shuffling noise was heard and Sierra stole a glance at the bed. The bedsheet and the blankets threw itself of the bed, knocking down the pillows which were in the way. Then the bed sheet after dusting itself, spread itself neatly across the bed. The blankets were folded in neat piles on top of the bed, and only the pillows were left, trying dust themselves by constantly bumping into each other.

"Is this what they call a pillow fight?"

She couldn't stop giggling, for it was a very funny sight to watch.

Then one of the blankets decided to knock the pillows on to the bed and went back to its position. The bed was made, and Mica was left at the door, confused at the sudden movements and the laughing girl.

Sierra managed to straighten herself, and picked up mica on her way out of the room. The trip was interrupted by a grumbling noise.

"Looks like I'm hungry as well. We better get ready quickly after breakfast, I don't want to be late for my first day."

"It's too late to make something... and I have to make a trip to the market today. Nanny  will be back in two weeks, but I need more supplies since I'll be picking up Delia on my way..."

The little girl muttered to herself while thrusting a few apples and crackers in a basket. The broom had hopped all the way to the living room, sweeping across the floor.

Sierra picked the letter which was hanged from the wall on a piece of red thread, and skimmed through the contents nervously.

"It's important to make a good first impression, and nanny isn't here to help me this time. Well that'll be all, I need to get going."

She looked at the mirror, and reached out for the hairbrush. The room was littered with patches of light reflected from rows of glass jars-placed precariously on top of the wooden shelf - and a handful of crystals placed here and there. The air in the cottage seemed to be shimmering with magic. With a flick of her wrist, the blue fire in the fireplace went out, leaving behind a small tin box positioned below an iron mesh instead of a pile of half burnt wooden blocks in it's place.

Old fashioned olive-green carpets with golden designs were laid on the wooden floorboard, adding to the eerie yet elegant atmosphere of the cottage.Two to three incense sticks were burning in a small glass jug filled with herbs on top of the mantlepiece. A single glass jar in a vessel full of crystals was placed on the windowsill. If you looked hard enough, you could make out a paper tag sticking out of the neck of the jar, which read "Moon water." Not a speck of dust was seen -everything was kept neat and tidy. The air was diffused with the scent of jasmine. A handful of camelia in a porcelain flower vase, which looked like it was freshly picked this morning stood on the wooden stool, complementing the aura of the elegant chamber.