Miss Enchanter - Ophelia's Story (2 page)

“
You must
really like walking on all fours, Thelma. So, they did not know
that it was really you? Where did they think you were that you
couldn’t manage your own business or live in your own house? Come
to think of it, why would you give them your house to live
in?”

“
They have not
actually met me as Thelma. Catherine and Cody had no money at all.
This shop gave her a purpose and a means of supporting them. Her
son attends the school on the next corner, and my house gave them a
roof over their heads.” Thelma said.

“
Hum, what are
you not telling me here?” Ophelia said. “This looks like a pretty
big place, why couldn’t they get their own place to
live?”

“Because the third
reason they are in Enchanted was so Catherine could meet Sabastian
and fall in love. Catherine needed a husband and her son Cody very
much needed a father.” Luna explained.

“So you two are like
matchmakers? Who do you have picked out for me?” Ophelia asked.

Luna, Thelma and Hugo
looked at each other.

“
Oh come on
now, are you saying that you brought me here, but that I am not
supposed to ever get married or have a boyfriend? That does not
sound so enchanting to me!” Ophelia
said.

“All in good time,
dear. You see, everyone here has a purpose that they must fulfill
and that is their true reason for being here. Only then can they
find true happiness.”

“
Then what? Are
they allowed to leave but first you wipe their minds and memories
clean so that they don’t remember this place, or what?” Ophelia
asked as she finished her chocolate coffee.

“Actually, Sarah, Jim
and Mrs. Johnson will not remember you or Thelma being there at
all. However, the little girl, Suzanne, and Cooper her puppy, will
carry you with them in a special place in their hearts. One day
Suzanne will join us, but I am getting ahead of myself.” Luna
said.

“All this is making
my head spin and by all this I am not just talking about all this
great chocolate and chocolate coffee I am consuming!”

“
We know that
it is a lot to take in, but I promise you, things will work out
just as they were meant to be.” Hugo said.

“Thelma said
something like that to me when we were stuck in that suitcase just
last night. So, what do I tell people here? Who do I say I am?”

“
You are our
cousin, Ophelia of course. Now, a great many people had been told
that Thelma was traveling overseas. That led the way for a reason
why her house was empty and why the cat, we called her Twinkle,
needed someone to watch her. You will be staying with Thelma in her
house and we will just say that you returned from England with your
cousin Thelma, that is, if anyone asks, which I doubt they
will.”

“What about that
woman and her kid, are they going to be living with us?”

“Oh no, Catherine and
Cody are happy and living with Sebastian. They were married about a
year ago. Sebastian’s sister Isabel has married a fellow she met
here as well and they have been married for about four months now.
So you see, everything works out the way it is supposed to and you
should be quite comfortable in the house with Thelma.”

Ophelia wasn’t so
sure. She had just gotten out of living with an old lady and
although she liked her cousin Thelma, she was yet another old
lady.

“I know you must have
a lot of questions, dear.” Luna said, watching Ophelia very
closely. “But just take your time and don’t try to figure out
everything all tonight. You have all the time in the world for
that. Now, what do you say we go over the hill and get some
sleep?”

Thelma quickly
cleaned up the Chocolate Shop of their dirty cups and plates and
they walked outside where in a puff of green their four legged
hoofed transportation was back. The deer slowly walked down the
main street and then started the climb to the top of a hill.

Right before
the top, Ophelia noticed a tall pole
which had a silver rope attached to it. Thelma pulled
it and Ophelia heard bells again, only not as many or as long as
when they had arrived into the Village.

“Is this what I heard
before when we first got here?” She asked no one in particular.

“
Bells, yes,
the same ones, no. Those were bells welcoming us back to
Enchanted.”

As they walked
down the other side of the hill, Ophelia’s breathe caught in her
throat. Everything she had seen thus far had been very inviting and
beautiful, but what was before her eyes now was truly phenomenal.
She did not have the words in her vocabulary to accurately express
the beauty that she saw before her.

She could still see
the lake, but there were also woods and a wooden bridge over a
creek with deer drinking from the cold water. In the distance she
saw a very large house with a wraparound porch and a thatched roof.
At the bottom of the hill was a miniature pony with a beautiful
long cream colored mane of hair. It was hooked up to a large wagon
which had bales of hay in the back of it.

The women
climbed down off of Hugo’s back and walked over to the wagon. “Oh
Caramel, I have missed you so much!” Thelma cried, giving the
miniature horse a big hug.

Hugo did not
return to human form, but he walked next to the wagon and it looked
to Ophelia as if
he and the
horse were carrying on a conversation. When they arrived at the
house, which looked twice as big up close as it had from the hill,
Thelma got off the wagon and said “We will see you and Hugo
tomorrow then.”

“Ophelia,” Luna said.
“Would you mind very much if Hugo and I take Gertie’s urn to our
place? Just for now, until we can have a proper ceremony.”

Ophelia,
asked what kind of a ceremony did she
mean, then she paused to think for a moment. “Mom told Donald that
she wanted her ashes to be spread out on that expressway where we
entered here, where the rocks parted to let us pass. According to
her ward, that Donald I told you about, according to him, it was my
mother’s last wish to be there and she was very clear about that.
Is that what you mean, by having a ceremony? Will we be going back
there?”

“All that will be
settled soon, dear, just go in and have a good rest and get to know
your new home. It is O.K. then, if Hugo and I take Aunt Gertie’s
urn with us?” Luna asked again.

U
p until this point,
Ophelia had been operating on pure adrenaline, but now the events
of the last couple of days over took her. She handed Luna her
mother’s ashes and then she and Thelma waved goodnight to Hugo and
Luna as they went inside of Thelma’s house to finally get some
sleep in a real bed. Ophelia did not think of the bright red ruby
ring which, with the help of the sun, had parted the rocks in the
mountain and allowed her and Thelma access to Enchanted. Nor did
she notice when Thelma gave it to Luna.

Ophelia woke
with a start. It took her a moment or two to realize where she was,
which was in a giant sized four poster bed with ivory colored goose
down pillows and covers. She sat up and looked at her surroundings.
Last night she and Thelma had been so exhausted from their travels
and adventures of the last several days, that they had barely taken
the time to say good night to each other before Thelma showed
Ophelia to her room.

The room was
painted a hunter green and had two big bay windows that at the
moment was letting in a brilliant warmth from the bright sun. The
room had a large fireplace, a writing desk with what looked like a
Tiffany lamp on it, two old fashioned, but pretty brocade chairs,
and a carpet over the dark hard wood floors which the couch in
front of the fireplace sat on.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Ophelia had never seen such opulence
before.

Ophelia went
into the bathroom, which was adjoin
ed to her bedroom. There was a bright red clawed foot tub.
Other than the tub, the bathroom looked very modern. Double sink
counter, large mirror, modern lighting. Ophelia took a shower,
which was next to the tub. She wanted to wait until she could savor
the joy of soaking in a hot sudsy tub later.

Walking back
into the bedroom, Ophelia noticed a big cherry wood
armoire. Opening it she found clothes
that were all in her size. She got dressed and then walked into the
kitchen where she smelled fresh coffee.

“Good morning,
Thelma.” Ophelia said, walking over to pour herself a mug of the
chocolate coffee that had her sniffing and smiling.

“Good afternoon to
you too. I didn’t want to wake you, I trust that you slept
well.”

“I slept wonderfully!
I don’t think I had any dreams, but just being here is a dream come
true. What is for breakfast?”

“
We have a full
refrigerator and pantry, feel free to make whatever you wish for
your breakfast.” Thelma said. “I myself had some delicious French
toast and bacon, but there is sausage and pancake mix, eggs,
whatever you need, we should have the ingredients for.
For lunch I had a hamburger and
fries. I see you found the clothes.”

Ophelia was a
bit taken back that she was expected to make her own breakfast.
“Yes, are the clothes for me? There is a good selection in the
cabinet.”

“I’m glad you
approve, dear.” Thelma said, picking up her coffee mug and walking
out of the kitchen.

Ophelia made
herself some toast and drank another cup of the chocolate coffee.
She then walked into the living room, and then into a room she
supposed was a den.
No television?

She walked out
onto the wraparound porch and again marveled at the beauty before
her.
She walked around to the
back of the house where she found a path that led to another house.
This one was smaller, but no less grand. Ophelia walked up to the
door and knocked.

A very nice looking
young man came to the door, carrying a box. “Oh, hello, I thought I
heard someone knock.” He said.

Ophelia looked
at the tall man with the green eyes and muscular build and she
almost forgot herself and purred.

“
I’ll be out of
your way in just a moment. This is the last of the stuff that I
left here. I’ve been so busy that this is the first chance I have
had to come back and get it. My name is Sebastian, by the
way.
” The young man said,
holding out his hand while balancing the box on his hip. Ophelia
thought that she had heard that name since coming to Enchanted, but
at the moment, couldn’t place it.

“I am Ophelia.
Thelma’s cousin.” She said, shaking his hand.

“
Yes, I figured
that. So, you and Thelma have just returned from Europe? I
met her this morning. I trust you had
a nice trip.” Sebastian said, moving out of the way so that Ophelia
could enter the house.

Ophelia did remember
what her cousins had told her regarding their return. “Yes, we did.
Sebastian, your name sounds familiar, I am trying to remember what
Thelma must have told me about you. Do you live near here?” She
asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

“Used to live right
here, in this house, with my sister Isabel. My wife, Catherine,
used to stay in the big house and watch over Twinkle. It was nice
of Thelma to send word through Luna that we could keep Twinkle when
we moved. Our son Cody had gotten very attached to her.” Sebastian
said.

“I remember now,
Thelma did say that you and Catherine and Cody all met here and got
married. That wasn’t that long ago I take it?”

“About a year I
guess. I used to be caretaker of this entire estate and my sister
made the chocolates for Thelma’s Chocolate Shop which Catherine
manages. Now Catherine and I have our own place over the other side
of the hill, a few miles from the center of town, and Isabel has
also moved on. What are you going to be doing in Enchanted?”

“What do you
mean?”

“Where will you be
working? Or are you here just visiting?” Sebastian asked, smiling
with his perfect white teeth that Ophelia had a hard time not being
distracted by.

“I don’t work.” She
stated, wondering why he would ask her such a question, especially
since they had just met.

“Well, it was nice
meeting you, Ophelia, enjoy your stay. This is the last of our
stuff, so the place is all yours. You will be staying here in this
house, won’t you?”

Ophelia looked
around at the massive kitchen and although the house looked clean
and attractive, nothing would make her give up her beautiful bed
and bedroom in the main house. “No, I plan to live in the other
house, it was nice meeting you too, Sebastian,
and maybe I will see you again and meet your
wife Connie one day.”

“
Catherine.
Take care.” Sebastian said, picking up the box and leaving through
the kitchen door.

Whatever.
Ophelia decided
to check out the rest of the house. The furnishings looked much
more modern here than in the main house
. Still no television thought, what’s up
with that?
Ophelia walked
through the house to the backyard where she saw posts and sections
of land were portioned off, probably for gardens. She wondered how
many employees Thelma had to help run the estate, it seemed very
large to her. Beyond the gardens was a large stretch of land and
then the woods. She could see parts of the lake to her
right.

Ophelia was bored.
She had gotten her hopes up when she saw Sebastian, but since that
wasn’t to be, she didn’t see anyone or anything else that might be
able to hold her interest. She walked to the main house and noticed
that Thelma was in the living room sitting near the fire in the
fireplace reading.