Olina and the Bog Witches Brew E-Book

Maria Meng Smedemark

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Olina Books
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 124

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Something is brewing in Whispers Forest this autumn. During an exciting treasure hunt for Bombil's special elf beer, Birk suddenly dissappears. Will Olina find Birk in time? And who is the mysterious Bog Witch?

Leseprobe

The fourth book in the Olina-series

By the same author:

Olina and the Mystery of the Lost Hare

Olina and the Magical Christmas Cairn

Olina and the Sea Fairies’ Treasure

Foreword

In Denmark we have a saying; The Bog Witch is brewing. This is when a dense, misty fog covers the land. When you barely can see a hand in front of you, then you know the Bog Witch is brewing. In this story I have portrayed the Bog Witch as I see her. An ancient creature whose magic is tied to nature itself – Sejd Magic. This is the magic of the old gods. In the Norse Mythology it is known that Sejd magic was only reserved for the women. It was considered “unmanly” for men to use this kind of magic. Nature’s magic, however, is for everyone. The same life force that runs through nature, runs through us all, animals and people of all and every kind.

A huge thank you to friends and family for contributing to this book. You are the reason the Olina books came to be. I’m forever grateful.

This book is dedicated to the life force that runs through all life.

Olina and the Bog Witches Brew

The Elven Folk’s Song

In the Woods with Grandma

Elf Beer

Leaf Parachutes

Bombil’s List

The Melancholy Song of the Starlings

Like Dew Before the Sun

A Flash from the Lantern Man

The Bog Witches Cave

The Dream

The Bog Witches Tale

Birk’s Compass

The Misty Bog

At Bombil’s

Cornelius the Crow

Mum and Dad

Four Friends

A recipe and a Task

Unexpected Company

The Blatherhatters

Spring Forest

The Bog Witches Brew

The Full Moon Party

The Elven Folk’s Song

The moon stood high in the sky and shone on Olina's sleeping face. In the distance an owl was hooting, and the curtains fluttered lightly in the wind from the half-open window. Olina woke up with a jolt. She sat up in bed and looked at the clock that lit up the bedside table. It was 3am, and she was suddenly wide awake. What had woken her? She got up and went to the open window and enjoyed the fresh autumn air that gently waved the curtains. The big, beautiful full moon shone against her face, and she got up to sit in the wide windowsill with the duvet around her. Out there in the darkness of the night, the owl was hooting relentlessly on. Olina smiled to herself. It was probably Elfrid who was out hunting. Last year at wintertime, Olina flew on Elfrid’s back with her best friend Birk. It had been wonderful to whiz through the night on the big owl.

They had rescued Birk's little sister Gro, who had been kidnapped by a large troll that smelt like rotten apples. What an adventure it had been. She thought of the magic mushrooms that the elves had given her so she could experience their world at eye level. It had been very special, and tomorrow she was going out to gather mushrooms with Grandma. The normal kind.

Olina would always look forward to going to the woods with Grandma who knew so many things about animals, nature, and the forest. But that was not all. Grandma knew about the elves, the trolls and all the other magical creatures that existed in nature. Ever since Olina had found out that Mum, Grandma and Grammy all three were initiated into the secrets of the magical creatures, she felt a whole new sense of togetherness with them.

Olina was pulled from her thoughts by an incredibly beautiful song. It sounded sad and was utterly immersive.

Olina leaned forward to listen out the window. There in the distance something shone between the trees.

The beautiful song grew louder and Olina could not help but open the window wide and kneel on the windowsill. She couldn’t understand the words of the song, but it sounded so beautiful. Rocking to the melody, she leaned further and further out the window, as if to take it all in. Every single note. When she was only a few moments from falling, there was an ear piercing loud, ringing in her left ear. She looked around confused. There on the windowsill balanced Bombil, ringing a little bell up to Olina's face wildly. She shook her head in confusion, and Bombil gently pushed her back to safety on the windowsill again. He had a worried look in his eyes, and Olina felt bewildered.

“What, what happened? Bombil what are you doing here?”

"Saving you, it seems." Said the nice old elf, who now looked calmer as he took two large cotton balls out of his ears "You were about to fall for the enchantment of the Elven Folk. They are particularly active this autumn, and in the glow of the full moon, they are almost irresistible…Even for us elves.” He added with a crooked smile.

Olina, who was slowly regaining awareness, looked at the dear elf in amazement.

“But Bombil you are an elf!”

“Yes, nature expresses itself in more ways than we have words. I am a farm elf and Birk is a wood elf. We are similar; however, these Elven Folk are as different from us as foxes are to owls.”

“Thank you Bombil. I've never heard of the Elven Folk. Who are they? They can’t be very nice! I almost fell out of the window!” She suddenly understood the seriousness of the situation.

"The Elven Folk are as they are, they are neither good nor bad, you just have to know how to handle them.

But come now, down from the windowsill, and have yourself a nice drink of elf beer. It will do you good. It is completely freshly brewed and was ready yesterday.”

Wise Bombil pulled out a small brown bottle and handed it to Olina. She sat down on the bed, and carefully removed the cork. Immediately the contents bubbled sweetly and beautifully out of the bottle, and she hurried to take a good sip before handing it back to Bombil.

"No Olina, take everything you need."

This time she enjoyed the delicious taste of autumn red apples, sweet forest floor and elderberries. A wonderful heat spread throughout her body. Like sitting in front of a wood stove after a cold day in the woods.

Slowly she came to and looked questioningly at Bombil. He just smiled at her and nodded again at the bottle for her to drink the last of the elf beer. She did, and this time it felt like a warm hug you didn't know you needed until you got it. Bombil finally said that he should share more about the Elven Folk, but right now she had to go back to bed and try to sleep a bit more. Olina did not protest to snuggling under the duvet again and closed the window after him before returning to bed where it felt safe and comforting. But whenever she closed her eyes, she thought she could hear the enchanting song again. She looked over at the window. The curtains were drawn, and the window closed.

She resisted the temptation to get up again, and instead closed her eyes and felt the wonderful feeling of the elf beer rushing through her body. Soon she was asleep again.

In the Woods with Grandma

To Olina's surprise it was not Bombil who taught her more about the Elven Folk. She had slept well and safely after the events of the night and woke well rested. In the morning, Grandma came and shared breakfast with them. Olina could hardly wait to tell her about the events of the night on their mushroom hunt after breakfast.

Grandma knew Whispers Forest inside out and they were looking for both chanterelles and the large Karl Johan mushrooms. After spending some time in silence listening to the sounds of the forest, Olina began to tell Grandma what had happened the night before. When she was done, Grandma spoke.

"It's good that you have Bombil to watch out for you Olina. Now that you are more open to the magic of nature and all her creatures, you will also experience more things like this.”

"Her?" Olina asked curiously.

"When I say her, I mean Mother Earth, nature."

Grandma smiled gently. She was very patient with Olina and was always willing to explain when Olina had questions.

"Oh yeah. It makes sense somehow. That the earth is a mother to us. She takes care of the change of seasons to make sure everything grows, and we eat well.”

Grandma looked lovingly on Olina.

“You have always had such a good feel for nature Olina. It does not matter what we call it, it is about the feeling and sensation of the living. You have it. Along with love, respect, and openness. You have that too.” She said, pointing at Olina's chest playfully. "But now let me learn more about the Elven Folk, what do you know of them?"

"Only that they sing enchantments and that I almost fell out the window from the first-floor last night. It was honestly a little scary.” Olina shuddered.

"Yes. Very understandable. But come now, look here.”

They walked towards a clearing in the woods, where a large, perfect circle of white mushrooms grew.

"This is a witches ring. It's called that when mushrooms grow this way.”

It was an impressive sight. Grandma continued.

“Even though it is called a witches ring, it is actually the Elven Folk who are the cause of these rings. They dance in a circle and the grass dies and makes space for the mushrooms to grow. Here, look at this mushroom- the giant dust ball, have you tasted it before?”

"No…I did not know you could eat them. And I have never seen them grow this way, even though I have seen giant dust balls before.”

"They taste really good in mushroom stews." Said Grandma, licking her lips.

They laughed at each other, and Grandma took a small knife from her mushroom basket.

"Here. Take this knife and harvest a few handfuls. Stand outside the circle and cut them free. Be extremely careful not to break the circle. You take one or two and move on and pick the next ones. The Elven Folk like to share, but not if you are greedy.”

Olina took great care not to pick too many mushrooms from one place.

"I can understand that." Olina said thoughtfully. “There must be something to share for the birds and others who also need some of the forest goodness."

“Exactly Olina. You understand.” Grandma nodded and smiled appreciatively. "Now, I think that’s enough here. Come, let’s head over to the other part of the forest where the pine trees grow, let us find some delicious chanterelles.”

On the way through the forest and with the mushroom basket half full, Grandma told Olina what little she knew about the Elven Folk.

"You see Olina, the Elven Folk can be terrible enemies if you do not know how to deal with them."

"Bombil said something similar about that last night, but I do not remember if there was more?" Said Olina, who had now really pricked up her ears.

“There are things we can do to exist peacefully alongside them. For example, they especially love to dance in the mists of the Bog Witch and under the full moon. So, at those times, we pay special attention. If we are awake during the full moon, we take care to stick cotton wool in our ears. That way we will not be lured by their song. In fact, we like to put cotton wool in our ears before we sleep… just in case... But do not look like that Olina!” Exclaimed Grandma when she saw the expression on Olina's face. “The Elven Folk are great protectors of the earth. Like the trolls, they have a role to play in protecting Mother Earth. I'm telling you these things, so you know what to do if you run into Elven Folk, as you almost did last night. If you come across them again unprepared just stick your fingers in your ears.”

“Okay Grandma. But what about the Bog Witch? What kind of creature is she?”

"It's funny you ask Olina because I hardly know. Only that when she brews her potion brew, a thick, misty fog seeps across the land and bog, which the Elven Folk love to dance in. So, I don’t have an answer for you on this.” Grandma concluded with a little shrug.

Now they had moved over to the part of the forest where the other mushrooms were growing. Olina had already spotted a whole blanket of beautiful chanterelles.

Elf Beer

Olina had been invited to visit with Bombil the day after mushroom gathering with Grandma. She had been invited to try more of his freshly brewed, magical elf beer. If she was lucky, she thought to herself, then Bombil might tell her about why his brew always tasted so different and delicious every time.

His autumn beer had just finished brewing and she had already tasted it last night after being enchanted- but she could barely remember it. Now the Christmas brew was bubbling merrily, so it would be ready for the first of December. The smell bubbled deliciously in the air all the way to the hayloft.

Olina climbed up the ladder. She felt a pang of sadness. There was no Mons on the hayloft. Mons was Olina's old cat who had died a few months earlier while she was away on summer vacation. He was such a good cat. She had always been able to count on Mons if she was upset or just wanted to sit still with a warm and soft cat on her lap, he was there in a jiffy and jumped up and purred as if his life depended on it.

However, the thought of new friends she had made during the summer holidays brightened her somewhat. There were all the sea fairies. They had given Birk and her the finest gifts. Birk had been given a beautiful Compass and she had been given the Book of Tides. It was a small notebook she could write in with her finger. When she did, the Sea Fairies would get the message. As soon as the words disappeared in the book, Olina knew they had received her message. In this way they could always stay in touch with each other and as such Olina always had The Book of Tides on her. Her thoughts wandered. There was also Dufa… the most enchanting creature. Olina had also met her this summer. A mermaid!

"Well, there you are, Olina!"