Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

lady was breathing downSonny’s neck, cursing her sorcery upon him. With herarms flailing wildly in the air, she chanted loudly intohis ears. Trying to cup his ears with his hands wasimpossible.

She’s trying to put her spell on me! His mindscreamed. The sleep spell! The same one the pumpkinscarry—the one the orphans have!

*******

The top stairwell door flew open. With a newspirit of energy and determination, Kelsey snatched thefirefly jar from where she had hidden it and rusheddown the hall.

Rounding the corner, she could see the livingquarters ahead and light glowing from its doorway.Bounding towards the room, she startled as she heardthe witch-lady’s howling rants coming from anotherarea of the east-hall floor.

With no time to waste, she hurled her way intothe witch-lady’s room, knowing she had to find thecrystal shard—and fast! She frantically searched aboutthe room, finally remembering Will having said it wason the mantle near the door.

“There it is!” she whispered aloud. She snatchedthe crystal off of the mantle and raced to a nearbywindow. Opening the window, she placed the firefly jaron the windowsill…and then she took a deep breath.

*******

“There!” Will shouted excitedly, looking at aflickering light coming from an open window of themansion’s top floor. “There it is—the firefly signal!You guys did it! Now—time to awaken the children!”

He raced down to the robot. Tapping a fewbuttons in its side panel, Will prompted the robot outinto the night. He followed behind it, smiling proudly;his very own creation hovered forward with greatspeed, into the fog-drenched vines and the pumpkinorchards.

*******

Sonny began to fall into a deep slumber, his mindfading fast. Now all he could hear were the muffledsounds of the witch-lady; and he saw only her blurredshape moving in front of him. Then all went silent,save for an echo inside his head; it was that of thelady’s awful voice.

“Rise up, youngling!” she cried at the motionlessbody of Sonny. “Rise and go to your task. You will bethe first to deliver one of the pumpkins and my spellinto one of the lands—the Land of Iron and Anvil! Bymy magic and by my rule, I will soon have the realm inmy grasp!”

Sonny rose to his feet. His eyes were now twoblackened orbs, and his skin had become ghostly pale.She smiled and motioned him to the doorway.

Just then, as a loud crash shattered through thehallway, Sonny’s body fell limp and dropped to thefloor. The witch-lady shrieked.

“Rise!” she screeched at Sonny. He remained onthe floor, showing only the slightest of movement.Kicking at his body, she screamed again: “Rise! Do asI tell of you!” He just grunted and moaned, his blackened eyes staring out into nothing.

Frustrated and bewildered, she swept quicklyover Sonny’s body and hurried down to her quarters.

*******

Kelsey spotted the red eye-lights of Will’s robotdroid. They were on the move. Now it was time for herto get to Sonny and flee the wicked mansion—fast!

Hopping off the nightstand, near the windowsillwhere she had placed the firefly jar, Kelsey was slammed backwards off her feet. She landed with a thud onthe floor. The lady reached down with her long-nailedfingers and grabbed Kelsey by the neck, lifting her intothe air.

“What have you done?” the witch-lady screamedwith vengeance. “You wretched little girl! You willpay for this!”

As she started shoving Kelsey towards the openwindow, a loud groan sounded behind her. She twistedher head around and saw Sonny standing in the doorway; his body and eyes still lifeless. He dangled acandle before him, its light wavering across the room.

“Ha!” the lady screeched. “Little orphan—I shallcast you into darkness if you think to threaten me withfire!”

Kelsey quickly grabbed the firefly jar; withoutwarning, she smashed it over the witch-lady’s head.The lady fell to the floor, releasing her grasp onKelsey’s throat. Kelsey dropped to her feet.

“Thanks, kid!” Kelsey shouted. “Let’s get outtahere!”

She quickly froze in her steps, noticing hisfeatures. “Oh no!” A look of pain sank into her ownfeatures; but it was instantly replaced by one ofdetermination and bravery.

“No way, kid—don’t you give in to her spellnow!” she said, slipping one of his arms over hershoulder. “We’re getting you out of here!”

They moved down the hallway; Kelsey partlydragging Sonny, whose legs seemed to flop more thanwalk. Directed by her memory of the mansion, Kelseytook Sonny down a stairwell that led to the front porch.

As they reached the bottom steps of the porch,Kelsey whirled around and looked back up the steps tothe doorway. Her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped openin shock, as she saw a flicker of flames blossoming inthe dark entryway.

Sonny dropped the candle he had been holding!she thought with a panic.

She turned to Sonny. “I’ve got to go back in!There is an orphan trapped below that won’t make it outof there if I don’t help him!”

Moving Sonny to a safe distance away, sheturned back to the front and ran as quickly as her feetwould go. “I’ll be right back, Sonny!” she yelled overher shoulder as she flew up the steps.

*******

From the base of the hills where a small bonfireburned, Will and Ranger watched the robot as it movedinto action. It spun with fast-moving speed, slicing itsway through the vines with its metallic-limbs, towardsthe center of the orchards—and one very largepumpkin.

“I sure hope they are making it out of there!”

Will said to Ranger. The dog whined in response.“Oh, don’t you worry, pal…I’m sure they did just

fine getting out in time and all.” He patted the dog and

draped an arm over its neck as they looked on.Then Will quietly whispered a prayer.

*******

The cellar door shattered inward with a cracking,loud bang. Recovering her balance from a swift andhard kick to the door, Kelsey moved inside and foundthe orphan boy huddled near the back.

Hopping over the scattered junk on the floor, shecame up to him and grabbed him by the arms. “It’sokay! I know you can’t really understand anythingright now, but just you wait—pretty soon you’ll be gladI showed up!”

Hoisting him to his feet, she moved him to thearea she originally had entered in the mansion. Usingall the strength she could muster, she managed to getthe both of