Enchanted in Time (Enchanted After Thirty #1)

Chapter 17

17

A s Hannah came out to join Prince Maximilian, she breathed a sigh of relief. She could finally escape the narrow confines of the hut and Mirabelle’s resentment, which she could sense hanging in the air.

The bear prince was scratching his back with his hind paw. It was the first time he hadn’t been able to fight back the urge. He let out a deep growl that showed his sharp canines peeking out of his mouth.

Hannah was stricken with fear. How far had the transformation progressed? Was the prince still there inside him? Was he stronger than the beast?

Maximilian stopped immediately on noticing her.

Was his snout turning red? Could bears even blush?

He lay down flat on the ground and looked at her with his sea-green eyes. “Climb on my back. That way, we can be on our way more quickly.”

Didn’t it even bother him anymore that she rode on him? Was that because they were closer now, or had a part of him already turned animal?

Hannah climbed onto his broad back and clung to his shaggy fur.

“Which way are we headed?” he growled.

Did that growl already sound more animal-like? More bearlike? She peered into the dense evergreen forest that Frieda had warned her about so emphatically and where they would now have to go to gather the herbs. She could already feel the goosebumps beginning to cover her bare arms. Was there a wolf lurking behind the fir tree? Was that a dark shadow over there?

Maximilian growled softly. “I’ll get you back to the hut safe and sound—I promise!”

Hannah smiled. The prince was still there.

“Where do these plants that we’re looking for grow?” he growled.

“I don’t know my way around this forest, and, to be honest, I never go into the wild to gather herbs. But I’ve seen these plants before at our nursery.”

“Are you a gardener?” he asked as he trotted off. Out of the corner of his eye, he was careful to glance to all sides to keep the enchanted forest in view.

Hannah laughed halfheartedly. “First and foremost, I’m a mother. But my children need food and clothing as well, so from morning till noon, while they’re still at school and kindergarten, I work at a friend’s flower shop.”

“You have to work to take care of them.”

It was a statement rather than a question. Maximilian was silent and seemed to be pondering it as Hannah looked to both sides and searched for the plants. The bear prince trotted slowly through the woods. Like Hannah, he kept glancing to the side to make sure that Frieda’s path was still in sight.

Hannah’s elderly neighbor had advised them to stay away from the shadows. What had she meant by that? The firs and spruces grew so close together that nearly the entire forest was in a state of semi-darkness. But time and again, a single ray of sunlight would break through the dense twigs and branches and keep the darkest shadows away. Sometimes, the thought even crossed Hannah’s mind that the brick pathway shone with a certain light—something good and bright. On looking back and seeing it, she would feel reassured, and that chased away the chill she would get when she peered into the forest. It would be best if they stayed here only as long as they needed to.

Where could they find the plants? She knew from her boss Ines that goutweed and elecampane did not need direct sunlight or moist soil. And wintergreen? She couldn’t remember. She could only remember what it looked like, with its bell-shaped, white flowers. She knew she would recognize it. Still, they wouldn’t be able to find it without a bit of luck.

Wait—wasn’t that wintergreen up ahead? In the undergrowth by the spruce? This couldn’t be true! She sent a quick prayer to heaven.

“Let me down!” She was already sliding down off Maximilian’s back and onto the ground. Her landing was softened by all the needles that lay strewn about on the forest floor. She bounded towards the carpet of plants and bent over them. “Look!” she cried, then laughed out loud. “We’ve already got the first plant we need. That’s wintergreen!” She pointed to the deep-green, thick leaves and the obvious red berries.

“That fast?”

“But that’s great!” she exclaimed excitedly. “We’re that much closer to saving you and getting me back to my kids!”

She gathered two handfuls of the white blossoms quickly and carefully, holding them in the hollow of her hand. “What could we keep them in?” With her free hand, she rummaged through one of the bags of supplies that was slung over her shoulder until she found a small cloth pouch with walnuts. “We’ll just throw the nuts into the larger bag.”

No sooner said than done. She cautiously slipped the blossoms into the smaller bag. Then she looked up and beamed at the bear prince. He returned her gaze, and it looked like he was smiling.

“I’ve never seen a bear grin like that!” she said, laughing.

His smile widened, and his bear face looked so funny that she had to laugh even harder and wipe the tears from her eyes. His pointy canine teeth were peeking out, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. His eyes were flashing the same sea-green that had shone from them back when he had been a human.

Hannah’s heart beat a little faster. There was no doubt that he looked like a wild bear, but beneath the brown fur and broad back, the handsome prince she had danced with was still alive. She blinked a couple times to hide her nervousness, when it suddenly dawned on her that she was wearing a stupid grin on her face.

“We need to keep moving,” Maximilian growled, though he seemed to be having a hard time keeping his eyes off her.

Such a strange and tingly sensation to feel those bear eyes on her.

“If we can find the other two ingredients just as quickly, we should be done by this afternoon!” she exclaimed.

The bear lay down on the forest floor so she could climb back on more easily. But Hannah shook her head. “If I don’t walk a bit, my legs will fall asleep.” As long as he was walking beside her, she wasn’t afraid of the forest. The bear prince was big and strong, and he would protect her.

Maximilian growled and got back up on his paws. Slowly, he trotted along beside her. She made her way across the pine needles, always remaining close to him. It did her good to have him so near. True, he was an enormous brown bear, but he kept her safe. She felt such a sense of relief that her steps became lighter and lighter. She didn’t even realize that, every now and again, she was reaching out and stroking his furry shoulder. The prince registered this in amazement, but he was wise enough not to comment.

“MAMAAAAAA!” The cry broke the soothing silence.

Hannah’s heart was pounding wildly, and she was about to launch into a sprint. “Marco?”

But by then, the bear was holding his enormous paw in front of her. “It has to be a boggart! Remember—where is your son right now?”

Hannah’s heart was beating faster. Panicked, she peered through the thicket, but all she could see was fir and spruce and gnarled bushes. Where was her son? She threw her weight against the paw to push it aside. “Marco!”

“Hannah! Where is Marco?”

His question sank in slowly. She clenched her teeth, and as if she were up against a thousand pounds, she tore her eyes from the forest depths and looked into Maximilian’s sea-green eyes. “He’s with Frieda.”

“Right! Your son is not in the forest!”

Hannah forced herself to breathe deeply. Her heartbeat grew slower. The cry rang out once more, but this time she stood still. While her mother’s heart was screaming to run toward the source of the cry, she forced herself to stay calm. Her children were not in this world! Nobody whom she knew was in this world. She finally came to her senses, and the cry faded away.

“Why do I fall for this every time?”

“Because you’re guided by your heart.”

She didn’t answer. Slowly, she marched alongside Maximilian while glancing back at the brick path. She didn’t dare look deeper into the forest for fear of being led astray again. There were two more plants they needed to find. Then she could come back from this strange adventure, return to her daily routine—and leave the bear prince behind. She felt an unexpected pang in her heart at the thought.

“I want to help you,” the bear prince said, interrupting her brooding.

“Then look for a plant with a yellow flower that grows in the?—”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Once I’ve changed back to myself, once this whole thing is over... then I want to help you.”

“But how?”

“You’re here helping me with no benefit to yourself. Only because my godmother compelled you to come are you here by my side!”

“Well, strictly speaking, she led me to you under false pretenses,” Hannah replied, then gave him a halfhearted wink.

“You have to care for your children all by yourself, and I want to take some of the burden off your shoulders.”

Hannah stopped and looked at him, astonished. “You don’t have to?—”

“I know. But I want to. When I’m human again, I shall give you a box. In case you return before I come back to the castle, I shall bury the box in the place where the brick pathway leads to our castle wall, at the base of the hill. I don’t know how you pay for things in your time, what you use for currency, but I think gold and gems still hold their value. Am I right?”

“R-right,” she stammered.

“You won’t need to worry anymore.”

“But how will I ever?—”

“You help me, and I help you.”

Hannah was at a loss for words. He wanted to give her a coffer full of gold and gems? As thanks for her help? Her heart was pounding so hard that she felt it would burst right out of her chest. She and the children could move out of that bad neighborhood. Marco and Emi could go to a better school, and Leon could spend less time at the kindergarten. Maybe they could even take a vacation!

She wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. She would have a reserve and could help Ines just for fun—or even start something of her own. Her bookstore café...

Tears welled up in her eyes. She was trembling inside—it was just too good to be true! Calm down, Hannah, she admonished herself. Who knows what will happen next? Don’t get your hopes up too high.

But a longing seized her heart, and she felt as if it would break beneath the enormous weight, now that an end to all the stress was in sight. As she raised her head and looked into the bear prince’s eyes, she saw a glimmer of something that seized her heart once more. Was it yearning? Hope? Trust? Certainty? Before she could hold them back, the tears began to flow. “Thank you.”

The bear smiled a big smile, and the sight of it made her laugh again. A brown bear smiling at her—it was just like a fairy tale after all. Hannah smiled back and wiped away the tears. When had she gotten so emotional? Not a tear all these years, and now suddenly she had turned into a gushing faucet.

“So,” she said, “let’s find those last two ingredients so we can brew you that potion!”

Maximilian nodded, and together they continued to walk through the forest. High above them in the pines, three ravens sat and watched them. But neither of them noticed at all.

There was rustling beneath their feet with every step, and numerous small twigs were breaking under the bear’s heavy paws. They both observed large swaths of mist in the distance. It was moving through the forest at such a high speed that it seemed like a giant was blowing it from behind. The mist was so thick that Hannah and the bear prince could not see through it.

“Let’s go deeper into the forest,” Maximilian growled. “The plants don’t seem to grow near the brick path, and we’d better not walk through the mist. We could lose our way in it.”

Hannah nodded and walked close to Maximilian as they headed deeper into the woods. The forest grew darker and darker, the air became damp and musty, and the light was breaking through the branches less and less frequently.

“Frieda told us to beware of the shadows,” Hannah said.

Maximilian could clearly detect the fear in her voice. “You don’t need to be afraid. Climb up on my back again, and I’ll carry you.”

Hannah smiled to herself. How good it felt to have someone by her side. Thank goodness she didn’t have to trek through this forest alone! She quickly climbed up on his back.

All of a sudden, as he was trotting along, a loud howl rang out from afar.

Hannah huddled down close to him. “Was that another wolf?” she asked.

The bear prince tramped slowly onward. “We have to assume so,” he said.

“Are they going to attack us?”

The bear prince let out a growl that sounded like laughter. “You’re with a bear, remember? They’ll stay away from us!”

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. She snuggled down close against his back. It felt so good to have someone who would protect her. She feared it would be hard to not have a man by her side again once she was back in her world. Even if the same threats didn’t exist in the forests there, it did her good to know that someone was by her side and looking out for her.

She’d had to do without that for such a long time! How strong she’d had to be all these years! A lone fighter on the front lines—whether in the classroom, on the playground, when dealing with the landlord, or caring for and comforting her children. Hannah had also had to take on the role of the father at home. All this time, she’d had to provide a sense of safety for her children. She looked out for them and protected them from all the things they were frightened by. She took care of them and was the only one to provide them with a safety net.

Oh, how good it felt to be protected for once! As important as it was to be strong, it also felt good to lean on someone else for a change. Hannah gratefully stroked the bear prince’s fur.

Right at that moment, the forest floor gave way, and Maximilian’s back paw fell into a hole. He tugged and tugged, but he couldn’t free his paw.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m stuck.”

“Wait!” Hannah slid off his back, took two steps back, and examined the ground and his paw. “You’re stuck in a hole in the ground! Try pulling hard again!”

Maximilian kept tugging, but his paw was hopelessly stuck. He couldn’t move it forward or backwards. “What kind of hole is this? Why can’t I get out of it?”

Hannah crouched down beside his paw and tried to dig it free, but it didn’t work. Maximilian had slid so deep into the hole that his paw was entangled in a dense network of roots.

“How will we manage to get you free from this?” she asked.

“Shhhh,” Maximilian whispered. Hannah quickly moved closer, and grabbing his fur with one hand, she peered past the tall trunks of the firs.

All of a sudden, the air was filled with muttering and whispering. High voices, squeaky voices. Hannah bent down. Was that something behind the thorn bushes? Or behind her? She turned around, but she couldn’t detect a thing.

“Caught him! Got him at last!” she heard from behind. She immediately turned around. There was no one in sight. Where were the voices coming from? “Who’s there?” she cried.

No answer.

“Did you hear that just now? Those voices?” Hannah leaned her head back and looked up at the firs, but she couldn’t see anyone there. “What is that?”

“Oh, no...”

“Oh, no? Why ‘oh, no’? What is it? Or who?”

Something was pressing down on the soft ground beside her as if someone were walking, but there was no one in view.

“Who’s there?” she cried.

“Forest gnomes!”

“Forest gnomes? Where are they, then?”

“Show yourselves! I command you!” Maximilian shouted.

“Yells and sounds like a human,” one of them squealed from beside Hannah. Once again, something pressed down on the needles that lay on the ground, this time deeper into the earth and leaving a tiny footprint.

Hannah leapt to the side and leaned on the bear, who again shouted loudly, “I am Prince Maximilian von Lichtenberg! I command you: show yourselves!”

“The prince, he said. But ‘tis a bear!”

“Sorcery is at play here, sorcery,” chirped another high-pitched voice.

The space sparkled and glittered, and the area right before Hannah was blurred as if someone were stirring the air with a spoon and mixing the colors of the forest, when several hazy little figures began to appear. A moment later, three little men were standing in front of them. They were no taller than the length of a forearm and appeared to consist almost entirely of long, bushy beards, oversized boots, and tall caps.

“Forest gnomes?” Hannah whispered in disbelief.

Their eyes gleamed with aggression. They propped their fists on their hips and grumbled. “What’s he doing in our forest? Even if he is the prince, all I see is a bear!”

“I am the prince! Otherwise, my command would not have worked!” shouted Maximilian, raising his paw. But he looked all the less menacing because his hind paw still remained stuck in the ground, making it hard for him to move around unhampered.

“Stuck in the roots! Got him trapped! ‘Tis all the same who it is. Bears are our enemies. We won’t need to starve this winter!”

Hannah was horrified. Were they planning to eat Maximilian? She squatted down beside the gnomes. “Dear forest gnomes,” she began, “listen to me. This is not a bear but the prince of the castle. There’s a curse upon him, but soon he’ll be freed, and then he’ll be human again.”

“Who is she?” they squeaked. “Why is she with him? A human woman and a bear? Ha, that’s funny! We’ll catch her, too!”

Suddenly, they whipped out ropes from beneath their bushy beards and raced so fast around Hannah and Maximilian that neither was able to follow the gnomes’ movements with their eyes. Hannah jumped up in a flash and wriggled her way out of the rope, which was already scraping against her ankle. She grabbed a thick branch and raised it threateningly. “Leave us alone! Get out of here!”

“Why is she doing that? Why is she threatening us?”

“You’re the ones who are threatening us—I’m only defending myself! I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t stop this instant, I will strike!”

The three forest gnomes giggled as if Hannah were the small one. Then, having raced around Hannah and Maximilian with astounding speed, they disappeared. Hannah felt a rope around her ankles again. She quickly leapt to the side, raised her hand to strike, and dealt a vigorous blow to the ground with the thick branch.

“Ow!” one of them squealed. “Why is she doing that? Evil woman!”

Hannah raised her arm once more and struck the forest floor in front of her. This time there was no wailing, so she immediately raised her arm again and slammed the branch down to the side. Maximilian was already tied up. He couldn’t undo the thick cords, and his hind paw was still stuck in the trap. But one of his front paws was free. He lifted it up and bashed the ground in front of him.

“Ow! Why is he doing that? Why is he hitting us? The prince is attacking us! We have to tell the others!”

There was rustling and crackling, and once again the air was swirling and mixing the colors of the forest into a blurry mess. Tiny glittery, sparkly lights whooshed around them, and the forest gnomes vanished from sight.

Hannah looked around on all sides. “Are they gone?”

“Yes, but they’ll soon be back with reinforcements. Quick, release me from these ropes.”

Hannah tugged at the ropes, which were tightly wound around the bear. “Where do these little gnomes get their strength?”

“It’s magic.”

“Magic?” She shook her head in bewilderment.

“Quick, set me free. We need to be gone before they come back!”

It took Hannah a moment, but she finally managed to undo the first knot, which the forest gnomes had tied with lightning speed. “How are we going to free your foot?”

Just a moment before, Hannah had felt so happy that she could snuggle up to someone and feel safe and secure, but now, once again, she was the one who was rescuing someone else.

She unwound the remaining rope from the bear prince’s body. Then she examined it, pulled on it, and weighed it in her hands. “What a strong rope. Ha! The little squirts inadvertently gave us just the tool we need.”

She squatted down next to the paw that was stuck, wound the rope twice around Maximilian’s leg, and fastened it with a firm knot. Then she ran to the nearest fir and wrapped it around the trunk. “All right, at the count of three, try to pull out your paw with all your might!”

“You mean my foot!”

“On three!” she said, ignoring his remark. “One... two... three!”

She pulled on the rope with every ounce of strength she had as the prince simultaneously tugged on his paw. The two of them pulled on the rope as hard as they could.

“It’s getting looser!” Maximilian cried, panting. “Keep pulling!”

Hannah tugged and tugged and tugged on the rope.

“Keep pulling—we’re almost there!” the prince shouted.

He wiggled his paw and yanked and tugged and then wiggled his paw again. Slowly, the hard earth loosened, and the roots released him. The earth broke up and crumbled. He pulled hard one more time and finally freed his paw from the hole. The momentum caused him to tumble forward onto the forest floor, and Hannah landed on her bottom next to the trunk of the fir.

“I’m free! Look!” Maximilian happily wiggled his hind paw. “Now let’s get out of here before the forest gnomes return! Quick, scramble up on my back.”

Panting, Hannah tossed the rope on the ground and wiped the sweat from her forehead. He didn’t have to ask twice. She was so exhausted that she didn’t have more than a few steps in her. And besides, she wanted to get out of this accursed place as fast as possible. She climbed up onto his back, and the bear prince took off, running deeper into the thicket.

Worried, Hannah looked around at the forest, which was getting darker and darker. “Maximilian, we’re veering too far from Frieda’s brick path!”

“Damn! But we still have to get away from the spot where the forest gnomes found us—as fast as we can!”

“Try to make an arc so we can find our way back to the path. Let’s not get lost!”

“Hold on tight!” Maximilian charged off as Hannah clung to his fur and ducked to avoid the twigs and low-hanging branches he was tearing past. He made a large semicircle. Hopefully the way he went would lead them back to Frieda’s path.

“Wait!” Hannah pointed at a half-shaded spot at the base of a pine tree. “That’s goutweed growing there!”

Maximilian slowed down and tramped over to the pine tree. Then he bent down a bit so she could slide off his back.

Hannah hurried over to the evergreen and stooped down toward the herb. “Look, it’s goutweed!” she cried, laughing. “Now we’ve already got two ingredients!” She carefully plucked a handful of leaves and placed them in the little bag along with the wintergreen blossoms. “Now all we need is elecampane. The only plant we haven’t found yet is the most conspicuous of all.”

“Tell me what it looks like. Four eyes are better than two!”

“Elecampane reminds me a bit of sunflowers, but the center is orange instead of brown. And the petals are bright yellow like a sunflower’s, but rather than being large and oval, they look more like strands of hair or stripes or thread. It’s also called the tears of Helen of Troy.”

“Where does that name come from?”

“They say that when Paris abducted the beautiful Helen of Mycenae and took her to Troy, she was holding elecampane blossoms in her hands. The plant is big. You can’t miss it. It prefers shady places.”

They heard whooshing and rustling noises behind them.

“Quick, get on my back!”

All of a sudden, a wind blew in. Were the forest gnomes back? Hannah jumped on the bear prince’s back, and off he ran, charging straight back to the brick pathway.

Something was roaring through the air behind them as they heard the faint sound of bickering, whispering voices. The bear ran even faster.

Hannah turned around on his back to see the air swirling around the same way it had a short while ago before the forest gnomes appeared. “They’re behind us!” she cried.

Every muscle in Maximilian’s body tensed up, and he went faster and faster as if he had waited until this moment to draw on the reserves he had as a bear. He growled and panted as he raced through the forest.

“There’s the brick path!” Hannah cried. “We’re almost there!”

“Have to grab ‘em! Have to grab ‘em! Have attacked us!”

Hannah could hear them squealing behind them. How fast were these darn gnomes anyway? “Hurry!”

The bear prince tore through the forest as Hannah clung to his fur. She was practically lying on his back as she huddled close against him to keep from falling. And as if it would get him closer faster, she narrowed her eyes to slits when she caught sight of the brick path.

The squeaky voices pursued them through the forest: “Have to stop ‘em. Mustn’t escape!”

At last, the bear leapt onto the brick path. The roaring and din that had followed them suddenly stopped as if they had only imagined it. Maximilian was panting and trotting slowly along the brick path. With each step, his breathing became calmer, and his steps continued to slow.

Hannah looked back at the dark evergreen forest. She could hear neither the high-pitched voices nor the menacing words. The air was still, and the forest lay before them, silent and deserted. “Are they gone?” she asked.

“I think it’s more likely that Godmother Friederike’s magic is keeping them away.”

“She must be incredibly powerful to be able to conjure such a safe pathway through this forest and to still have it work even though she’s nowhere near here.” Hannah scanned the evergreens and bushes to her left, but she neither saw nor heard anything or anyone. “Do you think they’re walking beside us? Can they still see us?” she asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m sure Godmother Friederike has cast a spell upon this path so that no forest creature can enter or cross it or see who is walking on it. Otherwise, anything would be able to stalk us and follow us without our noticing. To grab us, all that creature would need to do is to wait for us to step off the path.”

“I hope you’re right.” Hannah shook her head. What an adventure. Had Frieda known it would be like this? Had she realized that Hannah could get hurt? What would happen to her children if she didn’t return, if something terrible happened to her in this forest?

Hannah’s heart was still pounding so hard she could hardly calm down. Maximilian seemed to sense it. He suddenly turned around and trotted in the opposite direction along the brick path.

“Where are you going? That’s the wrong way. We’re still missing one ingredient!”

“I cannot allow your children to become orphans on my account. You’ve described the plant to me, so I’m sure I can find it. I’m taking you back to Mirabelle’s house. We’ll speak to my godmother through the cauldron and ask her how to conjure you back. You helped me find Mirabelle, and she accepted the apology. I can do the rest on my own.”

“But I... that’s not how I... I mean?—”

“No arguing!”

Hannah wanted to object, but she didn’t have the strength. He was right. Why did he still need her? She couldn’t brew the potion anyway, and she had helped him to find Mirabelle and apologize to her. They already had two of the ingredients, and he’d find the third on his own or with Mirabelle’s help. The old woman would then brew the potion that would change him back. So why should she stay any longer? She didn’t belong here. The prince would remain in his time period, and she would have to go back to hers to be with her children. Oh, how she missed the three of them! She had never been away from them for such a long time, had never spent a night without them. With a smile on her face, she let Maximilian carry her to Mirabelle’s hut as she imagined her return and how she would hold her sweet peas in her arms.

Lost in thought, Hannah stroked the bear prince’s thick coat and snuggled up close to him. He felt so warm and comfortable, so familiar and safe. Still smiling, she ran her fingers through his fur. She nestled against him, enjoying the final few yards she would spend with him. He carried her and protected her. How long it had been...

After a while, the ramshackle hut came into view. The air was filled with thick, swirling smoke. Hannah sat up. As she craned her neck to see, she noticed a large cauldron hanging over a firepit outdoors. Mirabelle was standing before it and stirring the contents with a large wooden spoon. She took some leaves that were lying on a tree stump beside her and crumbled them into the cauldron as she stirred without pause.

On hearing Maximilian’s heavy bear steps, she looked up. She smiled, and as she did so, she looked so hideous that it sent a chill down Hannah’s spine.

“I’ve already begun,” Mirabelle croaked. “I threw in wild angelica, valerian root, and fireweed, and I also found elecampane in the forest. I hope you found wintergreen and goutweed flowers.”

Hannah laughed with relief. Such luck! Now she wouldn’t have to leave, after all, before Maximilian changed back. “We found goutweed and wintergreen, but we were still missing elecampane.”

“Then there’s nothing standing in the way of brewing the potion.” Mirabelle said, continuing to stir the contents of the cauldron. “Hand me the ingredients.”

Hannah slid down off Maximilian’s back, set the bag of provisions on the forest floor, and retrieved the small pouch. She cautiously took out the flowers and leaves and handed them to Mirabelle, who immediately tossed them into the steaming cauldron. It fizzed and bubbled, and the potion turned a reddish color.

“Is it ready yet?” Hannah sniffed. It did not smell good at all. Instead, it smelled acrid and—she sniffed again—strange. She wasn’t familiar with that smell. Wait—there was something familiar in those fumes. What was it, though?

“I need to stir it three more times, and then it will be ready.” Mirabelle continued to move the wooden spoon around in the seething brew, and after the third time, she stopped. She took the spoon out of the kettle and shuffled into her hut.

Hannah was beaming with joy as she looked at Maximilian. “Soon you’ll be free. We did it!”

The bear grinned, and Hannah had to laugh at the sight.

“Go ahead and laugh!” he growled, but there was a tenderness in his growl that tugged at Hannah’s heart. “As soon as the potion is ready, we’ll call Frieda. She can tell us how to get you back to your time. And remember what I told you earlier. You don’t have to worry anymore.” He winked at her, and Hannah smiled once more. A comforting warmth flowed through her innermost being, and she breathed a grateful sigh of relief. Yes, her money worries were over.

Still, it no longer felt so easy to walk away now. Something still tugged at her heart. Was she yearning for him? He was a bear, after all. But maybe that was the very thing that had made it easier for her to lean on him, to get involved with him, to open her heart to him. Because it was simply impossible. “Thank you!” she said.

They looked deep into each other’s eyes, and what Hannah saw was so much more than the dark eyes of a wild animal. She was seeing him—his inner being, his goodness, and his humanity. Something tugged at her heart again, and she felt a flutter in her stomach. She stepped toward him and stroked his furry head. He raised his enormous paw and laid it very gently against her cheek. Hannah trembled. Then she placed her hand on his paw and smiled.

Perhaps in another time, in another place... She felt a sense of wistfulness.

Mirabelle came out of her hut, ladle in hand, and interrupted their moment. She approached the kettle, dipped the ladle into the reddish potion, and scooped out some of the brew. Then she held it under the bear’s black nose. He sniffed it and made a disgusted face.

“Medicine rarely tastes good,” she croaked.

He licked up every last drop of the potion. Nothing happened.

“Why isn’t he changing?” Hannah asked.

“It takes a moment,” Mirabelle muttered, her eyes fixed upon him intently. “It’s about to happen—it’s almost there!”

“Do you feel anything yet?” Hannah asked Maximilian.

“Yes,” he said, “I’m feeling warm. In my belly and my chest. There’s a tingling and fizzing sensation.”

He was surrounded by a shimmering, flickering reddish light. Hannah watched him carefully. Soon he would be the prince again. Maybe they could walk to the castle and spend the afternoon together before she returned. Just for today.

The light grew stronger and engulfed him completely.

“It’s almost there,” Mirabelle mumbled.

The bear prince let out an earsplitting cry. He roared so loudly that the birds in the trees around them flew off, and there was rustling in the undergrowth, as if all the animals and magical creatures were fleeing. He let out another roar that was even more piercing, more animal-like. He lashed out, turned, spun around, fell to the ground, and reared up. Again, he roared, and it sounded even louder and more dangerous.

“Does this mean the animal in him is disappearing?” Hannah asked. As she watched him, the sight gripped her heart. She could see that he was in pain. Hopefully, it would be over soon. She wanted to ask Mirabelle some more questions when she noticed her conniving look. The old woman’s malicious grin spoke volumes.

“What have you done? What kind of potion is this?” Hannah cried.

The old woman gave a hideous laugh. She rose up to her full height and raised her gnarled hands in the air with a menacing gesture. A storm arose and swirled around her, blowing aside the cloth she had been wearing on her head. Long, gray hair covered with dust was whipping around her gaunt and haggard face.

“It’s finished!” she cried. “The transformation is complete!”

“Transformation?” Hannah cried. “But he’s still a bear! He was supposed to turn human again!”

Once again, Mirabelle laughed maliciously. “I should help him turn human again? When he took everything from me?”

The bear let out a loud roar and bared his teeth. He looked at Hannah. Where was the sea-green color of his eyes? Where was the human being in him? Hannah saw only the animal. His eyes looked dark and dangerous. He growled and showed his sharp canine teeth. Then he reared up again and stood on his hind legs. He was so huge that Hannah backed away.

“Now he’s a bear through and through!” Mirabelle shrieked. “The potion has made the change go quicker!”

“Friiiiiiiiiedaaaaaa!” Hannah screamed as loud as she could. “Friiiiiiiiiiedaaaaaaaa!”

The potion in the cauldron shimmered, and soon her neighbor’s pointy, mouselike face appeared. “Hannah, my dear, what’s wrong?”

“Mommy, is that you?” It was Emi’s voice.

“Watch out behind you, Mom!” yelled Marco.

The bear lunged at Hannah and tried to strike her with his paw. Hannah leapt to the side, and the paw missed. The bear roared once more. Quick as a flash, Mirabelle pulled out one of the burning branches from the fire beneath the cauldron and swung the flaming branch at the wild beast. The bear raised his paws, growled, and fell down on all fours. Then off he ran, into the dark forest depths.

“Mirabelle! What have you done?” cried Frieda. There was a threatening sound in her voice that Hannah had never heard before.

But the old woman merely sneered. “What will you do? You’re not even here!” She raised her hands and pointed them at Hannah. Was she a sorceress after all?

“Mirabelle, wait, you don’t know—” Frieda cried.

But her words were lost on the aged one. “Darkness and shadows, come and?—”

“Run, Hannah, run!” Frieda screamed. “Run far away from there!”

Hannah turned as white as a sheet. She took a few steps back and stumbled over some scattered branches but didn’t fall. One last look at Mirabelle’s hysterical, smoldering eyes and raised hands was more than enough. She turned and ran as fast as she could—into the dark and menacing woods.