ILLYRIAN
Druish Pervonian Wizard
THE FARMHOUSE IN ASHEN WITHERED FOREST Part 1
Gavin had rented the farmhouse in the Ashen Withered Forest, during the time that is long past Gavin wrote three books in the years before he met then began to date Rosie. After a few years they got married, that was before they were given the daughter of his missing sister to raise as their own, Amy lived with Gavin and Rosie into and through her teenage years.
Each of them regarded her to be like their daughter, Amy soon grew to love living in a house built of rock, yet she felt a presence within the stones yet she tried to ignore the danger that was crawling amongst the rock of the house. Both Gavin and Rosie became aware of the dangers that faced Amy, so they began to look for somewhere else to live and to raise her.
All was well for many years until both his wife and the adopted Amy grew to comfortable with living near the coast. Gavin became somewhat distraught because he had lost the ability to write another book. It was when the publisher of his previous three books contacted him and gave him the figures that those books had begun to sell in.
Selling in such large numbers Gavin suggested to Rosie they should look for a suitable house to buy. As the next few years passed by and the girl they knew as their daughter (Amy) was now nineteen, Gavin and Rosie finally agreed that they should buy a house and land. Rosie learnt of the news their old solicitor had details of their old farmhouse and the land around it being for sale,
she wondered if the farmhouse was too isolated even though it was only two miles from the village of Bilston. Rosie contacted the solicitor’s office to get the details of where the houses were that they were selling. The reply stated the property they were selling was the Farmhouse in Ashen Withered Forest. It was a letter from the publisher that told Rosie that each of Gavin’s books were selling in sufficient numbers,
that being so the Farmhouse house they had once rented they could now afford to buy. Gavin was impressed and started to offer to buy the farmhouse. The solicitor quickly sent details of the sale and requested that Rosie and Gavin supply them with more details about their family. Being unsure why they would need details of his family his questions became insignificant when Gavin read that there was five hundred and fifty acres of Ashen Withered Forest in the sale,
the solicitor stated that the other four hundred and fifty acres was for a church and its meeting house, a chapel and a lake with the adjoining graveyard. Neither Rosie nor Gavin were put off the sale by the graveyard so the plans to buy the property went ahead. When the transfer of papers was almost completed Gavin made plans for them to move to the new address.
As he was driving out of the city and away from the beach Gavin began to feel at ease, his sense of being at ease increased, he even began to recognize landmarks. Going up a hill Gavin remembered where the drive way to the house was situated: making him feel increasingly happier. As soon as he began to drive on the gravel drive, he told Rosie where they should soon see the heavy wooden gate,
when he did Gavin stopped the family car a few meters from it. He asked Rosie if she would open the wooden gate for him, but she declined.
“How about you Amy?” asked Gavin.
“I will do as I ought to, considering the kindness you have given me,” she replied
Amy eventually opened her passenger door to get out of the car before her father had the chance to ask her again. When she was almost at the gate she heard a rustling in the undergrowth alongside the driveway. Amy looked to see what was causing the noise, noticing a few pairs of green eyes seemingly staring at her.
After Amy had opened the gate
she waited until Gavin had driven the family car passed her, she closed the gate and got back into the car. Gavin continued to drive the car until he stopped in the parking area beside the farmhouse. As soon as he was there Gavin asked Rosie if she would take Amy to the front door.
“I will go around the back of the house while you do,” said Gavin.
Rosie opened the garden gate then led Amy along the path beside the front of the house, Amy saw then rang the brass cows bell that was affixed to the wall near the door, after Rosie had pressed the electronic doorbell. Rosie looked at Amy then shook her head,
“I’m having my doubts about you, you ring the cows bell after I have rung the doorbell,
you do know we were moving into this house don't you, so the chances are that we are the only ones here. Who else could answer the door?” asked Rosie.
As soon as she had asked who could answer the door Gavin opened the door from the inside. He looked straight at Rosie as shocked she stepped back from the door with that kind of expression. Gavin noticed Rosie’s reaction, he seemed to know why Rosie had stepped back and stated.
“I found the spare key that had been left by the back door, that I had asked the solicitor to put there,” said Gavin as he smiled at his family.
“Come on in and have a look around,” said Gavin.
Amy stepped into the house and pushed the front door against the wall.
Amy wandered into the hall then looked at what was written on the rocks above the inside of the door. ‘Blessed Be to all who liver here.’
“What do you think that means?” asked Amy.
Gavin looked at what she had indicated.
“That takes me back to the days when I wrote the books, at the subject matter of the books. It is a welcome from the first owner of the house to the women who have followed in to the house, it is a welcome that a witch would greet another witch with,” said Gavin.
Gavin curiously faced each member of the family.
“Yet I have no idea who the message is intended for,” he said.
Rosie saw a business envelope on the floor and picked it up, she handed it to Gavin.
“It says here that the first owner of the house was a woman by the name Victoriana Gorry.
The message is that a representative of the Solicitors office will visit this morning. It also states that Katie will be here at roughly the same time,” said Gavin.
“I find it intriguing to know who the first owner of this house was?” asked Amy.
Rosie grinned then pointed at Gavin.
“Ask your father, if that is a witch she is his sort of woman. Personally I was scared by all that talk of witchcraft even so I do not really believe in witches,” said Rosie.
“Add to that, that Victoriana was rumoured to be the in charge of the coven in this area, it is said that in every family who live in the farmhouse there is one who is a witch,” said Gavin.”
Gavin and Rosie faced Amy, they shrugged their shoulders.
“I hope it is me who is a witch, I have studied a lot about witchcraft although I would not say that I am yet to be a witch,” said Amy.
Rosie faced her.
“Until the man from the solicitor’s office gets here you should have a wander around the house and decide where you want your bedroom to be,” said Rosie.
So Amy ran to the bottom of the stairs, looking up she quickly went to the top landing, looking at the highly polished wooden floor, she hoped that it would continue into the bedroom. She opened the door and saw that the floor under where the beds would be was highly polished, the rest wasn’t.
“It seems I have my new bedroom,” said Amy.
Wandering amongst the crates and boxes she moved one of the boxes aside and found two bed frames and a bookshelf. Picking up the bookshelf she carried it to then positioned it under the window. She then returned to the boxes where the bookshelf was from.
“Oh, good there are a lot of books in this box, the books at the top of the box seem to be supernatural in flavour,” said Amy.
She carried the box to the window, then she began to put the books on the bookshelves.
“There are three books at the bottom of the box that have got dads name on them, are these the ones he wrote about some witches?” asked Amy.
Amy read the authors notes about each book on the back of them. After a couple of minutes reading the back of each book Amy smiled to herself.
“Each book says it is about the coven of witches who are said to be local to here, I didn’t know that any of them were still alive though,” said Amy.
“I like all this witchy stuff, but how can I explain how the dead witches local to here are or will soon be alive again?” asked Amy.
She looked at the first of those books again.
“Maybe dad can explain that to me.”
To Be Continued
Gavin had rented the farmhouse in the Ashen Withered Forest, during the time that is long past Gavin wrote three books in the years before he met then began to date Rosie. After a few years they got married, that was before they were given the daughter of his missing sister to raise as their own, Amy lived with Gavin and Rosie into and through her teenage years.
Each of them regarded her to be like their daughter, Amy soon grew to love living in a house built of rock, yet she felt a presence within the stones yet she tried to ignore the danger that was crawling amongst the rock of the house. Both Gavin and Rosie became aware of the dangers that faced Amy, so they began to look for somewhere else to live and to raise her.
All was well for many years until both his wife and the adopted Amy grew to comfortable with living near the coast. Gavin became somewhat distraught because he had lost the ability to write another book. It was when the publisher of his previous three books contacted him and gave him the figures that those books had begun to sell in.
Selling in such large numbers Gavin suggested to Rosie they should look for a suitable house to buy. As the next few years passed by and the girl they knew as their daughter (Amy) was now nineteen, Gavin and Rosie finally agreed that they should buy a house and land. Rosie learnt of the news their old solicitor had details of their old farmhouse and the land around it being for sale,
she wondered if the farmhouse was too isolated even though it was only two miles from the village of Bilston. Rosie contacted the solicitor’s office to get the details of where the houses were that they were selling. The reply stated the property they were selling was the Farmhouse in Ashen Withered Forest. It was a letter from the publisher that told Rosie that each of Gavin’s books were selling in sufficient numbers,
that being so the Farmhouse house they had once rented they could now afford to buy. Gavin was impressed and started to offer to buy the farmhouse. The solicitor quickly sent details of the sale and requested that Rosie and Gavin supply them with more details about their family. Being unsure why they would need details of his family his questions became insignificant when Gavin read that there was five hundred and fifty acres of Ashen Withered Forest in the sale,
the solicitor stated that the other four hundred and fifty acres was for a church and its meeting house, a chapel and a lake with the adjoining graveyard. Neither Rosie nor Gavin were put off the sale by the graveyard so the plans to buy the property went ahead. When the transfer of papers was almost completed Gavin made plans for them to move to the new address.
As he was driving out of the city and away from the beach Gavin began to feel at ease, his sense of being at ease increased, he even began to recognize landmarks. Going up a hill Gavin remembered where the drive way to the house was situated: making him feel increasingly happier. As soon as he began to drive on the gravel drive, he told Rosie where they should soon see the heavy wooden gate,
when he did Gavin stopped the family car a few meters from it. He asked Rosie if she would open the wooden gate for him, but she declined.
“How about you Amy?” asked Gavin.
“I will do as I ought to, considering the kindness you have given me,” she replied
Amy eventually opened her passenger door to get out of the car before her father had the chance to ask her again. When she was almost at the gate she heard a rustling in the undergrowth alongside the driveway. Amy looked to see what was causing the noise, noticing a few pairs of green eyes seemingly staring at her.
After Amy had opened the gate
she waited until Gavin had driven the family car passed her, she closed the gate and got back into the car. Gavin continued to drive the car until he stopped in the parking area beside the farmhouse. As soon as he was there Gavin asked Rosie if she would take Amy to the front door.
“I will go around the back of the house while you do,” said Gavin.
Rosie opened the garden gate then led Amy along the path beside the front of the house, Amy saw then rang the brass cows bell that was affixed to the wall near the door, after Rosie had pressed the electronic doorbell. Rosie looked at Amy then shook her head,
“I’m having my doubts about you, you ring the cows bell after I have rung the doorbell,
you do know we were moving into this house don't you, so the chances are that we are the only ones here. Who else could answer the door?” asked Rosie.
As soon as she had asked who could answer the door Gavin opened the door from the inside. He looked straight at Rosie as shocked she stepped back from the door with that kind of expression. Gavin noticed Rosie’s reaction, he seemed to know why Rosie had stepped back and stated.
“I found the spare key that had been left by the back door, that I had asked the solicitor to put there,” said Gavin as he smiled at his family.
“Come on in and have a look around,” said Gavin.
Amy stepped into the house and pushed the front door against the wall.
Amy wandered into the hall then looked at what was written on the rocks above the inside of the door. ‘Blessed Be to all who liver here.’
“What do you think that means?” asked Amy.
Gavin looked at what she had indicated.
“That takes me back to the days when I wrote the books, at the subject matter of the books. It is a welcome from the first owner of the house to the women who have followed in to the house, it is a welcome that a witch would greet another witch with,” said Gavin.
Gavin curiously faced each member of the family.
“Yet I have no idea who the message is intended for,” he said.
Rosie saw a business envelope on the floor and picked it up, she handed it to Gavin.
“It says here that the first owner of the house was a woman by the name Victoriana Gorry.
The message is that a representative of the Solicitors office will visit this morning. It also states that Katie will be here at roughly the same time,” said Gavin.
“I find it intriguing to know who the first owner of this house was?” asked Amy.
Rosie grinned then pointed at Gavin.
“Ask your father, if that is a witch she is his sort of woman. Personally I was scared by all that talk of witchcraft even so I do not really believe in witches,” said Rosie.
“Add to that, that Victoriana was rumoured to be the in charge of the coven in this area, it is said that in every family who live in the farmhouse there is one who is a witch,” said Gavin.”
Gavin and Rosie faced Amy, they shrugged their shoulders.
“I hope it is me who is a witch, I have studied a lot about witchcraft although I would not say that I am yet to be a witch,” said Amy.
Rosie faced her.
“Until the man from the solicitor’s office gets here you should have a wander around the house and decide where you want your bedroom to be,” said Rosie.
So Amy ran to the bottom of the stairs, looking up she quickly went to the top landing, looking at the highly polished wooden floor, she hoped that it would continue into the bedroom. She opened the door and saw that the floor under where the beds would be was highly polished, the rest wasn’t.
“It seems I have my new bedroom,” said Amy.
Wandering amongst the crates and boxes she moved one of the boxes aside and found two bed frames and a bookshelf. Picking up the bookshelf she carried it to then positioned it under the window. She then returned to the boxes where the bookshelf was from.
“Oh, good there are a lot of books in this box, the books at the top of the box seem to be supernatural in flavour,” said Amy.
She carried the box to the window, then she began to put the books on the bookshelves.
“There are three books at the bottom of the box that have got dads name on them, are these the ones he wrote about some witches?” asked Amy.
Amy read the authors notes about each book on the back of them. After a couple of minutes reading the back of each book Amy smiled to herself.
“Each book says it is about the coven of witches who are said to be local to here, I didn’t know that any of them were still alive though,” said Amy.
“I like all this witchy stuff, but how can I explain how the dead witches local to here are or will soon be alive again?” asked Amy.
She looked at the first of those books again.
“Maybe dad can explain that to me.”
To Be Continued