I put my purchases under the tarp and then used the hand cart to load up the boat with crates and crates of empty vials. It took me three trips to empty the shed out back and I had my poor little boat piled up really high with crates. It looked like it would tip over and everything would slide off if the wind picked up. I wasn't worried about that, because I had an easy fix for it.

I looked at Diane. “Do you know of anyone that builds houses?”

“Lots of people around here can do that.” Diane said. “None of them would ever go into the marsh to do it, for either you or the Hag.”

I didn't sigh at her speaking the truth. “How do I learn it?” I asked. “I can only fix up the hut so many times. It's getting to be in the same shape as this boat.”

Diane didn't even try to think about it. “It's much too late in the season for anyone to teach you how to build a house. Even the lumberjack is done for the season.”

“Who is it?” I asked.

“He's Michelle's brother.” Diane said. “She's the boat builder.”

“Her brother gets her the lumber for the boats?” I asked and she nodded. “Does he know how to build houses?”

“Like no other.” Diane said with a smile. “If you take a walk about ten minutes out of town past the Addams farm, you'll find a huge log house. John is probably sitting at home and missing being out in the forest.”

_______________

You have a minor choice to make.

A) Go for the walk. B) Talk to Diane. C) Leave. D) Ask something else. E) Ask her to go with you.

I can't risk leaving my things here unguarded. More people are up and starting to move around, so I better go home. I'll choose C.

_______________

I looked down at my boat full of crates and my purchases from the blacksmith and sighed.

“I'm sorry that I can't offer to watch it for you. I need to get back to the store.” Diane said.

I nodded. “I better go.” I said and untied the ropes from the dock.

“Please stay alive.” Diane said and by the look on her face, she really meant it. She gave me a wave and walked away from me and down the dock.

I watched her go up the road and enter the store before I took out a number ten potion and poured a few drops on the corners of the crates and put them back together. When I was done, instead of having all those loose crates that would move and shift whenever the boat moved, I now had one solid crate. I eased the boat out of the area and into the waterway that would eventually lead back to the hut.

I activated the enchantments and the boat rose up out of the water about halfway and the speed picked up. I poled along as well, just to keep the speed up to a reasonable level. I was sure if I poured more magic into it I would go faster; but, I didn't want to exhaust myself that way. I thought about using a strength potion to help with that, then decided against it. I was sure that I was going to need it later when I started doing what I wanted. The problem I had was that I had no clue how to do it.

The only building I really knew how to build was a hut and that wouldn't do. Not at all. Which meant that I needed something a lot better than a hut if I was going to keep living there. So far, the only one I have a lead on is Michelle's brother, John.

I wonder if he knows how to build with stone, too? I asked myself as I poled along. That would be good to know. I can make lots of stone and stone is a lot stronger than wood.

I went over things in my head and kept my eyes peeled for anything that might jump out at me. I didn't have to worry, though. I had made a massacre on the way to town in the dark and now it was bright daylight. I didn't even see any more vines try to capture the boat.

I made it home several hours later and tried to pull the boat onto the shore. I couldn't, so I had to use my knife to start cutting apart the crates where I had melded them together. I slid each one onto the dry land and transferred them all out of the boat. It was now light enough to pull onto the shore and I took out the large burlap sack with my purchases.

I brought the bag inside the hut, that was still secured with the new door, and I cleared out the spot where the marsh panther had been sleeping. I quickly put all the crates there, stacks and stacks of them, and when I had them all inside, I realized how much there was. It was from the floor to almost the ceiling and Diane said that we had bought them all years ago.

I held back on getting angry about Mack ripping us off for years and then charging us over and over again for our own property. That was mean, especially since he hadn't been paying us a fair amount for the potions in the first place. I squinted my eyes and activated the Hag's vigilant technique to look them all over. I had been too busy retrieving them to look and see if any were broken. Mack sure was lucky that he hadn't smashed any of them, because I would have to get back at him if he did.

I turned around to take the stew off the heat, since it would have been going long enough now to be cooked, and my eyes saw something that they hadn't seen before. Scratches from large claws were all along the bottom of the counter that the Hag used to work at. They were down low, next to the floor, and if I hadn't been using the vigilant technique, I never would have seen them.

I walked over to the counter and knelt to run my hand along the bottom edge of the counter. I couldn't feel anything, so I laid down to put my ear near it. I didn't hear anything, so there wasn't a critter or something burrowing into the wood. I turned my face to it and pressed my nose against it and took in a quick sniff. That's when I smelled a very small trace of a very important substance. Fungus powder. That must have been what the marsh panther was after.

I took my knife out of the sheath and very carefully made a horizontal cut into it about an inch deep, then moved it over about a foot. Another two quick vertical cuts and a piece of wood dropped down. The smell of fungus powder was strong and my magic reacted to it. I took in a long and slow breath and felt it charge me up a little and I felt more powerful.

I put my head down and looked under the counter and saw vials and vials of it. I was glad that I was already on the floor, because I would have collapsed to the floor if I wasn't. I took several more long breaths and let the feeling fill me. I could tell that I needed to cut six inches from the floor and it was for the entire length of the counter.

I made the proper cuts to open up the entire hidden space. I nearly fainted when I realized that I had found the Hag's real hidden stash of fungus powder that I thought she had taken with her. She had used the number ten potion to hide the vials behind solid wood. That wasn't the shocking part, though.

It was the books.

There were six books inside the hidden space and I didn't bother pulling them out. I couldn't read, so there was no point in looking closer. The thing was, I could feel magic from them. It was only a faint feeling; but, it was there. I might not have noticed if I hadn't just inhaled a huge dose of fungus power.

_______________

You have a decision to make. Will you make the right one?

A) Stay and survive the winter. B) Leave. C) Go to the Village. D) Use the fungus powder.

Dammit. I could have used combined options this time. I thought. Well, there's only one logical choice, I think. I'll choose C.

_______________

I needed to go back to the village right away. I could visit the lumberjack and see about making a house and then I might be able to convince Diane to teach me how to read. Or find me a book to read.

I wasn't sure how that would work, though. If I couldn't read, how would I read a book about reading?

I shrugged and used a number ten potion to put the wood pieces back into place and it smoothed out as if I hadn't just cut it up. I quickly moved around and took in deep breaths to suck up all of the faint fungus powder that had been released into the air. The last thing I wanted was another marsh panther to show up and... my thoughts stopped and then I smiled.

“I just discovered marsh panther bait!” I said with a laugh. I stood up, the smile still on my face, and opened the secret panel I had made and drank the strength potion. I stood there and let the energy fill me. It took half the time, now that I had sucked in so much fungus powder, and I closed the panel and then closed my door. I used a bit of magic and some number ten potion to seal the door, then I ran over to the boat.

I slid it back into the water, hopped in, and picked up the pole. I poled the boat to get it to start in the right direction, then activated both enchantments. The boat raised almost completely out of the water and the boat shot forward twice as fast as before. I let out a chuckle and then stood there as I held the pole ready to keep the boat in the middle of the waterway.

I didn't have to, to my surprise. I had so much magical energy that the movement enchantment was doing whatever I wanted it to and not just propelling the boat forward. If I wanted to steer right, it went right. If I wanted to veer a little left, it did. It was great! The only problem was that I hadn't brought any of the fungus powder with me. I had also forgotten the stew on the fire.

Dammit! I thought and the boat came to a stop. I was in too much of a rush.

I poled the boat around and used the enchantments to take me back. I went into the hut and took the stew off the fire, then decided to sit and eat. I hadn't eaten since yesterday and half-filled a bowl for myself. I ate it and went to put it back, then I laughed and filled the bowl again. I ate it all, felt very full, and the sprinkle of fungus powder I had cooked into the stew had restored the strong magic feeling inside of me.

I filled a water skin with the stew, in case it took me a while to come back, and picked up the small partially filled vial of powder that I had recently refined. It really didn't last long, even using it sparingly. When I left the first time, I had forgotten to bring along the hand sewn bandoleer with my backup potions in it. I shook my head at my stupidity and tucked the fungus powder into one of the pockets and hung the bandoleer over my shoulder and across my chest.

I need something to cover and protect it. I thought. I should ask Diane what she wears when its cold.

I picked up the sewn together near-deer hides that I wore like a poncho and slipped it on over my head. It settled down and left my arms free, so I left again after putting the same magic and number ten potion measures in place on the door.

I had lots of magic to waste, so I sat in the boat and didn't even bother with the pushing pole, now that I knew I didn't really need it until I reached the village. I sped along in the very light flat bottomed boat at a speed that neither I nor the Hag had ever seen the little boat go. I managed to keep my laughing to a low chuckle as I travelled towards the village for the second time that morning.

_______________

You have a choice to make. Depending on what you choose, it could change the story.

A) Visit the lumberjack first. B) Visit Diane first. C) Go to the next village.

I could definitely make a several day trip easily now. I thought, then shook my head. No, I can't read, so I know I'll be at a disadvantage. I also can't see Diane first, because she'll assume something happened to the crates of empty vials if she sees me again so soon. That just leaves one option, so I'll chose A.

_______________

I decided to go and talk to the lumberjack first. I needed to know how to make a better place to live and that was my highest priority for this winter. I slowed the boat down and stood up to start poling it along. I bypassed the dock when I reached the village, because Diane had said I needed to go ten minutes outside the village and past the Addams farm. So, I moved around the edge of the harbour and entered another waterway to keep going along the settlement.