I could only hear the slow breathing of my chest. My eyes opened. I stared around. I was in my room with Ma, and Dr.Gellis, our town doctor. "M-M-Ma?" My voice was shaky. Ma gently stroked my cheek. "What happened?" I asked quietly.

"You threw up on the way home from the meeting. You also passed out." Said Ma.

"Why?" I said. Dr. Gellis stepped forward.

"You ate something bad." He told me. "I'm not sure what, but your vomit looked like some kind of a blue tomato." I gasped. I'd eaten that this morning! "Did you eat anything, weird?" Dr. Gellis asked.

"I-I ate a tomato with a patch of blue in it this morning." I mumbled.

"Hm. It could be food posioning." I tried not to make contact with him. My heart was pounding hard now.

"Will I be okay?" I asked.

"You'll be fine. Just get some rest and drink this brew." Dr. Gellis gave me a bottle of black goo, then headed out of the shack. I stared at the black goo. It was slimy, and bubbles popped inside it. No matter what, I

was not going to drink it. I set the bottle on my nightstand, then looked back at Ma. "Well?" Said Ma. "Are you going to drink it?" I shook my head. "Just get it over with Ainsley." I gulped.

Ma handed me a wooden spoon. I took the bottle off of my nightstand, my hands shaking. I carefully unscrewed the top, then dipped the spoon in. The black goo floated over the spoon. I scooped it

up, then held it to my face. It was still bubbling, as if it were alive.My hand quivered as I shoved the goo in my mouth. Once the goo touched my tongue, I almost passed out again. It tasted like a cross between wet dog poop(not that I've ever tasted it before) and sap. I just managed to swallow. I gagged as the goo went down my throat. I almost threw up again.

"Ok," Said Ma. "I will prepare dinner, and you will be served in bed." I groaned. Ma laughed. "Looks like you're back to your old self, eh?" I just blinked. She walked briskly out of the room. I frowned. It sucked to be sick. I tried to get out of bed, but my stomach wouldn't allow it. I looked out the window. A little cardinal sat on the branch of one of the birch trees.

My head snapped back to the door as Ma came in. She was carrying a bowl of chicken-noodle soup. She set it down on my nightstand, and I took a few slurps. It was warm on my dry tongue. Once I was finished with the soup, I lay back on my pillow and fell asleep.

A few hours later, I woke up in my bed. Stars hung brightly in the sky outside my window. Ma had gone to bed. It felt like I was the only one awake in the whole wide world. I shifted in my bed, unable to fall asleep. I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a shadow, flitting around in my room. It stopped next to me. "Be careful what you wish for." It whispered. I gasped. The room started spinning. Everything went black. My eyes opened. The rooster clucked and called. The bright sun cut over the horizon. A dream? The girl had entered my dreams! That was silly. My mind just had a funny way of describing the girl.

I carefully got out of bed, and went out of my room. Ma was sitting at the table, drinking her tea. I slid into the chair next to her. We quietly talked. We talked about the meeting. We talked about my sickness. I got some pumpkin bread from the cupboard and started munching it quietly. Ma finished her tea, then washed out her mug. I finished the pumpkin

bread, wiping my mouth with a clean cloth. I washed out my plate and mug. "Ma, I'm going to go see Peter." I told her.

"Don't be long. I don't want you catching a cold." I nodded, then went out of my shack. It was very sunny out, but the air was cold and crisp. I walked down the rows of shacks, looking for my cousin's. I found it, a large russet-brown shack. The front stairs creaked as I bundled my way up them. I put my cold hand on the door and knocked. Aunt Emelia opened the door. She had on a dirty green dress with a white apron. She was holding a cooking spoon.

"Ainsley? What brings you here on such a cold day?" I looked at my feet.

"I want to see Peter." I mumbled.

"He's inside doing his homework. I'm sure he'll love some company." Aunt Emelia replied, her golden curls swinging back and forth. I entered the beautiful shack. The Patterson's are like Ma and I. We are both lucky.

Aunt Emelia followed me in. I looked around the shack. The sitting area had a beautiful red velvet rug on the floor. There were three polished wooden rocking chairs set next to a small table. Fritz was sitting in one of the chairs, staring into space. The lamp on the small table was an expensive oil lamp. The kitchen smelled of baked cheese bread and soup. Aunt Emelia went back to the kitchen and started chopping fresh basil. I went to Peter and Fritz's room. I knocked on the door. Peter opened it, a smile on his face.

"Ainsley! I need to show you something!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the small room. He went to his and Fritz's desk and took something small off of it.

"Ainsley, look what I bought with the dime you gave me!" he said, holding something up. It was a small box with a little handle on the side. He opened it. A music box. It was a small girl with brown hair, and she was smiling. "It reminds me of you." Peter said. I almost broke into

tears. It was so sweet. Peter was so generous, even if he was only eight.

"Peter, do you need some help with homework?" I asked him. He nodded. He sat down in his chair, and I stood beside him. I looked at his work. He had a small piece of parchment, with small print.

"The directions say to find the product to the following questions." I told him. He pointed at one.

"I can't figure it out." Peter said. I looked at the problem. 7x3. "Are you sure you can't figure it out?" He shook his head. "Do you know what 5x3 is?" I asked him.

"It is 15."

"Okay. Then just add two more groups of three." He set up the problem, then did the math.

"It's 21. 7x3 is 21! Thanks Ainsley." I smiled. He did the rest of the problems without my help.

A couple minutes later, Fritz walked into the room. He sat on his and Peter's bunk bed. "Hello Ainsley." He said.

"Hey." He laid down on the bed, and stretched out his long legs so they touched the end, his frizzy red hair bouncing. Fritz murmured something to himself, so quiet I couldn't hear him.

"No,no. Please don't take him away." He whispered. Fritz sunk into the quilt on the bed, mumbling to himself. Weird. Well then I thought, Fritz is always weird.

When Peter had finished his homework, I followed him out into the kitchen. Aunt Emelia was still making soup. He plopped down in one of the rocking chairs, and I sat next to him. Peter talked to me. He talked about school. He talked about his friends. Then, he jumped out of his chair and ran to the big bookcase. He pulled out an old book, then came back to sit in his chair. "Ainsley, can you read me a book?"

"Sure." I said. Peter had gotten, "The mysterious bird of pembo." I took a look at the back of the book. It was about a girl who finds a

mysterious bird in the forest next to a campground(whatever that is.) I started reading softly to Peter, who turned the page when it was time.

It was a pleasant but surprising story. We did not yet finish. "It's almost time for market day Peter." I told him. "I should be getting home now."

"Bye Ainsley." Said Peter. I walked out of the cheese bread and soup smelling shack, and out into the fresh air. The air was very cold now. I wrapped my handmade scarf tight around my neck. What bad weather for market day. The cold and blistering winds battered my face. My nose felt numb, so I started running to my shack. The pale outdoor light on my shack was faint as I stumbled along the path. The stream had frozen over completely. There was some pretty unpredictable weather here. I tottered up the stairs to my shack and pushed open the door. Ma was in her rocking chair, embroidering.

"Ma, is it really a good idea to go to market day? The winds make it very chilly outside." I said as I took off my scarf and coat. The coat rack was looking dusty.

"Ainsley, they never cancel market day because of bad weather." Said Ma from her chair. I sighed.

Half an hour later, Ma and I got on our warm-wear and headed out. It was still very windy and cold outside. I made sure to wear my hat. Ma and I both held baskets with money inside. We would put things in these baskets at market day. People were coming out of their shacks along the path. I saw my old friend Greta, from the local school. I ran ahead of Ma to say hi to her. Me and Greta caught up a bit before we went off to buy things at market day. I learned she has a crush on this really popular guy named Zeke. I didn't like Zeke. Zeke had bullied me. Anyways, I went back to find Ma before I lost her in the endless sea of people. We walked together and looked at interesting shops.

I stopped at an art shop, where an old lady was painting. I looked at some of the paintings. They were beautiful. The artist had made an

amazing blend of nature, and civilization today. I chose a watercolor

painting. It was of a big valley that stretched very wide. Mountains towered over the valley. The sun was going down, and the artist had

blended different shades of red, yellow, orange, purple, and blue to create a masterpiece. The parchment that was used for this painting smelled of dry earth, like the dirt encrusting the banks of the stream. I ran my hand along the smooth edges of the frame. The old lady said the painting was five dollars. I gasped. That was expensive! But I loved the picture too much. I gave her the five dollars, leaving me only with fifteen more.

I explored a touch more around the market. Aunt Emelia was there, selling baked cheese bread that she had made earlier. I bought one. I bought some other interesting foods like asparagus and sausage wrapped in meatloaf. I bought a new quilt, some gloves, a bead bracelet, a few old books, old candlesticks, small hand-drums, a cookbook, other foods, a lantern, a wood knife, and Charlotte's Web, the book I've been wanting since I was five. I went over to a corner of the clearing, sitting down on an old stump. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Greta talking to Zeke. I tried not to make eye-contact with him.

It was too late. Zeke had spotted me, and was walking over. "Ainsley, whatcha' got there?" He said. He took my basket and shook it. Out tumbled all of my stuff. The painting, the lantern, and even Charlotte's Web. "Charlotte's dumb Web!" He chanted.

"Please don't." I whispered.

"Meh-meh." Zeke mimicked me. He grabbed Charlotte's Web, and threw it in the small fire at the meeting place. I watched it melt into a million pieces. Tiny pieces of ash floated up into the sky.

"Zeke!" I yelled. "That was mine!" My voice turned to a sob. Zeke turned and ran away. Greta was staring at me, startled. She carefully walked towards me.

"I'm sorry Ainsley. I know how much you've been wanting that book.

I'll make sure he doesn't do it again." Said Greta. I looked away. I did

not want to hear from the person who likes Zeke. When I turned back to Greta, she was gone.

I quickly collected my things, setting them carefully in the basket. The painting was fine, thank goodness. The shops were starting to close. Market Day was coming to an end. I walked past the meeting area and found Peter and Fritz helping pack up aunt Emelia's shop.

"Hi Ainsley." Said Fritz. Peter looked up. He smiled.

"Ainsley, do you wanna help?"

"Sure Peter." I replied.

I started dusting off the wooden shop, being careful not to get splinters. Peter helped me, sweeping dust off with his rag. Aunt Emelia took her baked cheese bread and placed it inside her basket. I got caught up in the moment, and didn't see Fritz walk up behind me. I sat down on the dusty ground, and he sat next to me.

"Fritz, do you ever wonder about this world?" I said quietly.

"Every day Ainsley." He looked at me and smiled. I looked in his basket. Fritz had collected many things. He even had a shell. But something caught my eye. It was a polished copy of Charlotte's Web. Fritz looked at me. "I saw what Zeke did to your book. You can have mine." He mumbled. I picked up the beautiful book, cradling it in my arms.

"Thank you." I said. I gave him a small hug, then stood up. When I looked around for Peter and aunt Emilia and the shop, nothing was there. I looked back at Fritz, but in his place stood The Girl. Her clothes were ripped and her hair was tangled. She was staring at me with dark, deep brown eyes. The sky turned black.

"Hello, Ainsley." She whispered. My mind whirled. My stomach did flip flops. "I know where you live. I watch you every day. You have great responsibility upon your shoulders. Dark times are ahead. The message

is clear;the darkness shall consume all, but one light remains.. You must

do everything in your power to stop it." She put her dry hand on my shoulder. "I have faith in you Ainsley."

"What is your name?" I choked out.

"Belladonna. Now, you must go. Destroy the darkness!" Her voice echoed around the clearing. Then, she was gone. The sky was bright again. I stumbled along the path home with my basket, astonished by Belladonna. She was trying to help me! And Belladonna, what a weird name. But then, I thought about the message. "The darkness shall consume all, but one light remains." "One light remains?" What was the light? I shook out my thoughts. But one more crept into my head. What happened to Fritz, Peter,aunt Emelia, and the shop! They couldn't have just disappeared out of nowhere, could they? No. They are probably still there. Belladonna just pushed them out of my vision. But who was Belladonna? I shivered. Belladonna made me shiver.I walked on the path beside the stream to my shack. A strong blast of wind blew past me as I walked in. I hang my coat and my scarf up on the creaky hooks.

Ma was sitting in the rocking chair embroidering a quilt."Ma, can I talk to you?"I asked quietly. She put her hand on the floor next to the rocking chair. I sat next to her, looking at my feet.

"What is it Ainsley?" Ma asked sheepishly."Well, I was at Market Day and I was talking to Fritz, Peter and Aunt Emelia,but then a girl named Belladonna showed up and they disappeared." Ma gasped. "What is it Ma?" She bit her lip.

"Nothing Ainsley. it doesn't matter." Something was up with Ma. I decided to go into Ma's room. Ma has a big bookcase, but not as big as mine. I selected a book off of the shelf. It was a thick book. The cover said, "Elle's life." That was my Ma's name.I flipped to a random page. It showed a picture of her and my Pa, on their wedding day. Ma had on a lacy long-cut white dress, touching her white flats. Her hair was tied up into a white lace and brown bun, with pearls dotting the outside.Pa had on a shiny black suit. There was a little pink flower sewed to the suit.

Ma and Pa were smiling, their eyes shining with glory and Ma's pearls bursting with light. I read the caption below. It's said: "Austin and Elle

forever." I read the full page and on to the next one of Ma and Pa's wedding.

After I read that, I turned to another random page.It was me with Ma, when I was about two years old. I wore a small patterned dress. It was right before we went to church. I touched the wrinkling picture with my hand. It was a very old picture. Ma was wearing a pink bow. She was wearing a calico dress. Then, something caught my eye. It was a scraggly-looking woman. She looked familiar. And I sat there like that, looking at the picture of Ma and her bow, the calico dress and the patterned dress and the woman. It was all a very meaningful moment. I closed the book, and put it back on Ma's bookshelf. I slipped out of the room, careful not to be seen by Ma.

I shuffled into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. There were two bags of raisins in the cupboard. Two bags of raisins. I took them off the shelf and sat down at the table. I pulled one raisin at a time out of the bag. The raisins squeaked between my teeth. I sat and ate both bags of raisins. Both. Then, I looked at the kitchen. Ma's oven mitts had patterns of birch trees and wildflowers. Why was it patterned with birch trees and wildflowers when Birch Creek was far, far away? I shook my head. Some things were just like that. I thought about the raisins and birch tree and wildflower patterned oven mitts, and Belladonna and Peter's music box and Ma's book.

Ma was not at her rocking chair. She was out in the courtyard. I went out to the courtyard, and to our well to get water for supper. I took the pail and lowered it in.When it came out, the bucket was filled to the brim with fresh water. I carefully brought the pail into the kitchen, placing it on our small counter. The counter was polished marble.I took out Ma's large crockpot, and put it on the woodstove.I then poured the well water out of the pail and into the crockpot. It made

a beautiful waterfall. I set the heat to high, so the water would boil. I went to the icebox and selected some carrots, beets and chicken. I

neatly chopped up the carrots and beets, and set them aside. I took the chicken and cut it into rectangles, then smaller rectangles, then squares.

The chicken was placed on a china plate. When the water in the crockpot was bubbling, I poured in the carrots and beets. I stirred with Ma's wooden spoon, then dumped in the chicken. When the soup was finished, I served it in two small bowls. Ma had come in now, slamming the courtyard door. I came to the table with the soup, and she sat next to me. We quietly said our prayers, then began to eat.

I slurped up my soup quickly. When I was finished, I began to think. That day had been a crazy day. A day full of mixed up emotions and actions, some I did not understand. But one thing still echoed in my head. "The darkness shall consume all, but one light will remain."