extradimensional space

[thaumobabble]

Here is a house.

It is pretty and trim and green-and-cream and really ought not to be able to hold itself up like that, and yet here it is, somehow defying the laws of architecture. It is surrounded by a neatly bordered garden of ornamental and useful plants of all sorts: here vegetables, there herbs, there spell components, there rows of flowers.

There is a sign out front. It says only: Magic. Not, Beware, Magic or Magic Emporium or anything like that. Just: Magic.

Sitting on top of this sign is a cream cat with smoke-dark points of color on each paw, his ears, and his face and tail.

All in all, you could be forgiven for thinking that a witch lives here.

Comments

[calendarofcrime]

"The forest," she says. "Trees and air and light and water and moss and dirt and rock. All together, they know things, and they have no secrets from me."

[thaumobabble]

"But - but it's a secret," burbles Calemar. "Daddy said it's not safe."

[calendarofcrime]

"It is much less safe for you to be out here on your own," Sherlock points out reasonably.

[thaumobabble]

"I have to find home by myself so it can be secret," Calemar says.

[calendarofcrime]

"You cannot find home by yourself," she says, "and it is not secret."

[thaumobabble]

"Daddy will be mad."

[calendarofcrime]

She shrugs.

[thaumobabble]

"He'll think I told!"

[calendarofcrime]

"You did not tell," says Sherlock. "The forest did."

[thaumobabble]

"He won't believe me if I say the forest told you where we live."

[calendarofcrime]

"Will he believe me?"

[thaumobabble]

"I don't know," says Calemar.

"He ought to," says Bella.

"But I don't know if he will!"

[calendarofcrime]

"I believe that I can convince him," says Sherlock.

[thaumobabble]

"But who're you? Why should he believe you?"

"This is Princess Sherlock," explains Bella.

Calemar stares, then bursts into tears.

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock sighs.

[thaumobabble]

"Aw, Calemar, she's not sca- she won't hurt you," corrects Bella.

"I don't wanna meeeeeeeeelt," wails Calemar, "it looks like it hurrrrrrrts!"

Oh.

Bella sits back a bit.

"Melting doesn't hurt," she offers. "It's just inconvenient."

"I don't belieeeeeeeve youuuuuuuu!" Calemar wails.

[calendarofcrime]

"I am not going to melt anyone today," says Sherlock.

[thaumobabble]

"Daddy said you would if anybody found us but the trees told you and we're all gonna be melted except Mommy and I don't wanna meeeeelt!"

Bella pats Calemar on the head awkwardly. It doesn't seem to help.

[calendarofcrime]

"Your father was wrong," says Sherlock. "Observe: I am not melting you."

[thaumobabble]

Calemar looks himself over, sniffing, and stops wailing on observing that he is not melted.

"What are you going to do with a family of wizards in the Enchanted Forest, Sherlock?" asks Bella quietly.

[calendarofcrime]

"Good question," says Sherlock. "Perhaps if I bring back their lost child, none of them will try to kill me."

[thaumobabble]

"Yeah, but - longer term."

[calendarofcrime]

"If they do not try to kill me or anyone else, or destroy parts of my forest, I don't see why I should do anything with them in particular."

[thaumobabble]

"Fair enough. Detour?"

"You're gonna take me home?" asks Calemar suspiciously. "By tree directions?"

[calendarofcrime]

"Yes," says Sherlock.