Sunlight (11 page)

Her belly felt hot, and Hope scratched at it absently.

She smelled the scent of burning wool at about the same time as the hot wax dripped on her fingers, blistering the skin.

Hope hissed, jerking at the smoldering clothing against her stomach. The candle dropped to the ground, the flame flickering in the grass.

She stared at it with wide eyes even as Callum moved to stomp on the candle. “It lit up. Did you see that?”

“See it?” He stomped on the candle again. The flame refused to go out. “I can’t get rid of it.” The candle would only light in the presence of the one who cursed her? Hope pressed her ear to the door, frowning. Was that…was that a radio playing show tunes?

She shoved at the door, spilling inside. Immediately, the door slammed behind her.

Callum pounded on it from the other side. “Hope! Hope! Are ye all right?” She tugged at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “I’m okay, but I’m trapped in here.” She turned and stared at her surroundings, her mouth dry with fear.

The hut itself looked like the inspiration of every wicked witch in a fairy tale. Dried frogs and other gross things hung from the ceiling, and the fireplace was smoky and dim.

The walls were little more than dirt with chalk symbols drawn on them, and in the center of the fireplace, there was an enormous cauldron bubbling with something green.

In one corner of the room sat a small doll with a long brown braid of hair. A voodoo doll? She approached it, curious, and noticed that a candle was lit behind it, the flame singeing the ends of the doll’s long hair.

Her curse!

Hope gasped and jerked the doll away from the candle, then turned, studying the room.

At the far end of the small hut, there was a long shelf full of canning jars near an open door. A familiar white-haired woman emerged from the other room, humming and shoving something that looked like eyeballs into a jar.

“Muffin!” Hope yelled. “I can’t believe you’re the damn witch!” Muffin gave a shriek of surprise, dropping the jar of eyeballs and whirling around. Her clothes settled back to a plain black dress and when she turned, she pulled ear-buds out of her ears, setting the blasting iPod on the counter.

“What is this?” Hope asked, shaking the little voodoo doll at Muffin.

The fairy godmother stared at it, then at Hope. “Well, this is awkward.” She pasted a bright smile to her face. “I always did say you were my favorite, though. What are you doing here tonight, sweetie?”

“Don’t sweetie me! I came back to get a new candle, because I thought the last one didn’t work.

Only it worked all right. It only lit up near you, because you’re the one that cursed me!”

“Well…maybe.” Muffin shrugged and then made air quotes with her fingers. “Technically ’the witch’

cursed you. That’s how the fairy tale goes too, I think.” She dug out her little book and began to flip through the pages. “Let me see. Rapunzel, Rapunzel…”

“But you’re the witch,” Hope pointed out. “You didn’t tell me that part?”

“Oh, all this?” She shrugged. “All part of the act, dearie.”

“I don’t understand. I thought I was supposed to break the curse so I could win a new chance at life?” Hope felt surprisingly hurt by the fairy godmother’s actions. “I thought you were helping me. Is this all a game to you?”

“Oh, honey,” Muffin said consolingly, moving towards Hope and taking the voodoo doll from her hands.

She clasped them in her own and patted them absently. “Of course it’s all a game.” Hope gasped, trying to jerk her hand free of the fairy godmother’s iron grip.

“Well, no, I shouldn’t say that.” Muffin pointed at the ceiling meaningfully. “Just that the man upstairs loves a good game or two. He loves a happy ending even more.” At Hope’s dubious stare, she sighed.

“Look. I’m under a lot of deadlines right now, Hope. We’re short-staffed. A few corners have to be cut here and there, and I like you so I gave you an easy out. Would you rather have a big elaborate mystery, or would you rather have that strapping Scotsman in your bed for the rest of your life?”

Hope stared at her, taken aback. “I…I want Callum.”

“Of course you do,” Muffin said soothingly. “Like I said, I’m under deadline. I’ve got a few too many cases right now, and certain ones have to be given preference. I might have taken a shortcut or two on yours, but all’s well that ends well, right? Do you want to stay here? In this healthy body?” Hope clutched her free hand to her chest, pressing against her heart. It beat steadily in her chest, not a hint of pain. “You know I do.”

“And you love that young man?”

Hope nodded.

“Then you’re free of the curse, my love. Rapunzel is no more.” She plucked the doll from Hope’s fingers and dropped it to the ground, stepping on it. It disappeared in a puff of glitter that splattered the floor.

“See? No more curse.”

Hope’s scalp tingled for a moment, and she felt her long hair shiver, and then go still. She picked up a small mirror on Muffin’s nearby table and examined her hair. It was no longer to her back and insanely long and thick. Now it hung just over her shoulders, smooth and pretty but not magical.

“It’s…normal.”

“It’s normal,” Muffin said. “Just like your heart. Now go rejoin your man and live out the rest of your life.

Go with my blessing.” She leaned in and kissed Hope’s cheek. “And name your firstborn after me.”

And with that, the fairy godmother disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The door to the cabin opened and Callum stared at her in shock. “Are ye all right?” She touched a hand to her hair. “It’s gone. The curse.”

Callum put a hand around her waist. “I heard talking but I couldna open the door.” She turned to him. “Did you hear me talking to Muffin? And what she said?”

“Aye, I did.”

Her smile became brilliant. “I’m free. I’m really free.”

“Free to be with me. To come and be my wife.”

She nodded and moved into his arms, linking her hands behind his neck and pulling him down for a long, sweet kiss. “We’ll have to name our firstborn after Muffin if that’s okay with you. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Too many angry fairies in the fairy tales.” Callum frowned. “Well then, for the child’s sake, I hope it’s not a boy.” And she laughed and tilted her face up for another kiss, because everything was going to be perfectly all right.

***

The firstborn child to the laird of Clan Kincaide was actually a daughter, and she was indeed named Muffin. The clan thought their laird’s new bride was a bit eccentric, what with the name of her child and the fact that she spent every day basking in the sun and doing hard work alongside them, but they loved her anyhow. How could they not love someone who was simply content to be alive and well?

And Hope and Callum lived happily ever after. They weren’t rich, but they were happy and their days full of sunshine and joy and health. And love.

Which was all that one could ask for, really.

***The End***

Thank you for purchasing this book! If you enjoyed Muffin and the Once Upon A Fairy Tale novellas, check out THE MERMAID’S KNIGHT, which is a full length time travel. It’s the story of the Little Mermaid, with a modern (and a Muffin) twist.

Jill Myles writes under three pen names: Jill Myles, Jessica Sims, and Jessica Clare. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and has a day job in finance. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing.

For more about Jill Myles or upcoming releases, check out http://www.jillmyles.com.