Darby

        The children were waiting for their uncle in the Kitchen,while he ent down into the basement.
"Uncle Edwick has sure been down there long,should we check on him?" Warren asked his sisters

 "I think we should." Takota said leaping off the table and heading over to the door with her sister and brother behind her.

  "Open it!" Warren whispered anxiously to Takota,

 "No way! You! Your the one who had the idea!" Takota. whispered anxiously back to Warren.

 "fine." Warren whispered back in an anxious tone. Warren went to slowly turn the door knob but couldnt he was so full of fear that he couldnt all he knew was that he had no idea what was down there and if their uncle was alright.

 "Forget it! Move!" Takota whispered irratably. She turned the door knob and pushed it open hard.

 there standing at the foot of the stairs was a small little elf who looked up and said to the kids in a calm voice "Hello there."

 

"AHHHH!" All the kids screamed in fear and ran back in.

They all crashed into the counter and were covered in flour.

 "ok,I have no idea what that thing was!" Takota said while trying to catch her breath.

 "No!" Warren said shaking his head.

 Cassidy got up she ran so fast that she ducked down and crashed between Takota and Warren. She just looked at the door while her eyes stood big in wonder. Takota and Warren were too busy arguing about the door that they had no idea Cassidy was near them let alone crashed. Cassidy got up at looked to the right at Takota and to the left at Warren and said "Hey." while brushing off some spilled flour on her arms and shirt. Takota and Warren looked down at her and then looked up at the door.

  Takota was covered in flour but to preoccupied with what was in that basement. She grabed a broom near the door,and Warren grabed a iron skillet. They both walked over to the door Cassidy ran up and walked behind Takota holding on to her. Takota grabed the door handle,twisted it and flung it open. Like the swat teams they saw on TV last month while living in a hotel room they grouped together and were ready.

    They saw Uncle Edwick and the elf like creature walking up the steps with horse shoes.Edwick looked up at the kids, and said "Ah! I see you were trying to bake?" chuckling.

 Takota lowered the broom and replied "no,we had no idea what happened!"

 Edwick said "Here,lets go to the kitchen."

 Takota,Warren and Cassidy ran into the kitchen and stood by the table.

 Edwick and the elf like creature both walked up to the table and set down two stacks of horse shoes.

 Edwick said to the kids "Takota,Warren,Cassidy. I want you to meet a dear and close friend of mine and the families. This is Darby,the house elf."

 "Hello!" Darby said enthusiasticly shaking their hands. "Im sorry about all the noise,I was carrying all the horse shoes and I slipped on..." Darby reached in to his pocket and pulled out an aqua colored glass marble. "I slipped over this,ha! It sure is a beauty,here why dont you have it!" Darby said to Cassidy with a smile.

Cassidy smiled at Darby and said "thank you,its beautiful. I promise to take good care of it"

Darby smiled and said "I knew you would."

Cassidy gazed into it for a second,she thought she saw somthing but slid it into her pocket for safe keeping.

 "what are the horse shoes for?" asked Takota

 "they were being specially made,I was making them for Edwick to give to some of the others in your family as Yule gifts. One is for my family too."

 "Yule?" Warren asked

 "Yes! Yule,its like the witches and wizards chistmas,we give gifts,celebrate the sun returning and the winter season." Edwick explained.

 "christmas is just for getting presents. We sometimes got presents depending on who we were with." Warren said.

 "Yeah,uncle frank and aunt sophie on our dads side got us alot one year." Takota said

 Cassidy then said "Moms friend Mira got us stuff last year when we spent the month with Chloe and Davy."

 "That was because mom was in jail Cassidy." Takota said

 "Cashlin in....? Never mind,that doesnt surprise me." Edwick said sarcasticly.

 "Whats a house elf?" Cassidy asked Darby.

 "A house elf,is a dear friend of the family he or she chooses to live with. I help with house hold duties and the family as well. If house elves are treated poorly they leave the families. This family has treated me greatly I must say." Darby replied.

 "Do you live here?" Cassidy asked

 "Cassidy, If he didnt live here he wouldnt be a house elf." Takota said to Cassidy

 "Oh contrear,I do help the family but I do have a family of my own, we live in a small home near the creek. I can leave when ever I want,I sometimes stay days with my family.We elves have to care for our own too." Darby explained while picking a goblet of honey milk that Edwick poured.

 

 Knock,Knock

 

There was a knock at the back door,the kids all turned their heads in fear,Darby just sipped at his goblet. Edwick walked over to the door. 

 "Hey!" Shouted Edwick

 "Hey!" Shouted a tall man in all black.He gave a Edwick a huge hug.

 "Who's that?" Warren whispered to Takota

 "I have no idea" Takota whispered back

Edwick walked over to the table with the man and enthusiasticly said "Children! Id like you to meet Cousin Nikolai!"  

 "Hello!" Nikolai said waving.

 Nikolai had back pants,a black t-shirt like greasers would wear in the 1950's and had on silver rings on both hands, a large siver paw print madalion on a large silver chain around his neck and a studed silver belt. His hair was brown and to his eye brows. Eyes blue as a night sky. Looking at him standing next to Edwick they both looked closely identicle.

 "This is Takota." Edwick said to Nikolai

 "Hello,Takota." Nikolai said shaking her hand

 "This is Warren." Edwick said

 "hello,Warren." said Nikolai shaking Warrens hand.

"and this,this is Cassidy." Edwick said with a smile

 "Hello,sweetie." Nikolai said with a smile shaking Cassidy's little hand.

  "Hello" Cassidy said with a smile to Nikolai.

 "She is a doll isnt she?" Edwick said to Nikolai about Cassidy.

 "She is." Nikolai agreed

 "Oh! I have the ya know.." Nikolai said to Edwick

 "Oh,right,right! Lets go over here" Edwick said leading Nikolai over to the counter. They opened up a map and were talking amoungst themselves.

 

  Darby had no problem entertaining the children. He showed them elves could to magick too. The kids were laughing at some of the magick he did,Darby was fond of light magick. He would make a ball of light of any color appear and make it into anything and everything. He pulled out a brown paper bag out of his pocket. It was full of small disk shaped cadies that were different colors.

"Try these,their nickle-poppers !" Darby said to the children. He passed the brown bag down to the children,the each took one. Each of the kids popped in their nickle-poppers in their mouth. Cassidy looked up at Takota and started laughing,Warren and Takota were laughing at Cassidy.

 "Look at your face's!" Cassidy said laughing at Takota and Warren.

 "Ours! Look at yours!"Takota said laughing at Cassidy.

Warrens face was green with blue dimonds,Takota's face was blue with white stripes,and Cassidy's face was yellow with green poka dots all over. They all looked over at Darby and he was laughing.

   Edwick and Nikolai turned around and busted up laughing at the kids. "Do you remember when we used to eat those?" Nikolai asked Edwick

 "I do! I remember all of us would gather in the basement with flashlights and eat those to see who got the craziest looking face!" Edwick said laughing.

 "Do you remeber when Ruby had that face with the neon colors?" Nikolai asked Edwick

 "Oh yeah! It looked like a 3D movie!" Edwick said to Nikolai.

"Hmm I wonder?" Edwick said picking up a nickle-popper,

"Couldnt hurt!" Nikolai said shrugging as he picked one up.

They both popped one in their mouths.Edwicks face turned lime green with black stipes going across his face. Nikolai's face was hot pink with white poka dots. They were both laughing at eachother,the kids and Darby were all laughing at them.

     "Those sure bring back the past!" chuckled Nicolai.
 "They sure do,I forgot all about those,then again not like I can be eating them around town." said Edwick
 "especialally with that nosey Mrs.Brown watching your every move." Nicolai said rolling his eyes. "Has she bothered you lately?"
 "Last tuesday she was,I was in town at my friend Delihla's shop Pandora's Box and she went into the store telling Delihla that she needs to move her store because it gives the town a bad name and I stepped in saying that the shop is not harming anyone. Of course she rolled her eyes and said that she wasnt surprsed Id stand up for the freaks since grandma was one." Edwick told Nicolai.
 "Whoa! She called our grandma a freak! Who is Delihla?" Nicolai said nudging Edwicks shoulder.
  "dont worry she tripped on her way storming out of the store,I think she got her a*s-bite. Delihla is a young woman who works are a shop called Pandora's Box. Its actually for us witches,Delihla was one of our old class mates. She happens to be married to our local butcher Hans.
"im not too sure if he knows she's a witch?" said Uncle Edwick to Nicolai.
 "Oh no,she keeps pretty hush-hush but at the sametime she leaves clues but Hans is too (duhh..) to catch on,ya know." Nicolai explained.
"Ahh I got it,yeah I noticed a few off things about him but just never fully understood him." Uncle Edwick said to Nicolai.

"Uncle Edwick,can you and cousin Nicolai teach us some tea leaf readings? I found this book about it on the shelf." asked Cassidy.

Uncle Ewick looked at Nicolai,Nicolai nodded his head and then Uncle Edwick said "Of course!"

They all gathered around the table with tea cups and read into the night.