Unquiet Slumber Read Free

continued her journey back to the empty home she shared with her wizard master. As always, no one was there waiting to greet her. Her shoulders drooped and she went back to sorting the remaining herbs.
     
    That night, she dreamed about her desire for a husband and family. Her dream faded and was replaced by the familiar image of Garrett as a young boy. In her dream, both he and Tianna were at the age where boys stopped pulling on girl’s braids and they gazed at each other with different interests in their eyes.
     
    Although most boys were afraid to approach Tianna, Garrett had decided to be brave. He stopped at Zarin’s home and asked for permission to take her on a picnic. Tianna was so excited that she begged her wizard master to let her go. After much whining on Tianna’s part, he agreed.
     
    Garrett took her for a walk in the woods and stopped under one of Tianna’s favorite trees along the river. They laid out a blanket, talked and ate, and were having a great time. Once they had finished their mid-day meal, Garrett nervously placed his hand over Tianna’s. A funny feeling started in her stomach as she intertwined her fingers with his. Garrett gazed into Tianna’s bright blue eyes and asked if he could kiss her.
     
    She swallowed hard and, in a voice no louder than a whisper, said, “Yes.”
     
    Slowly his lips touched hers. At first she wasn’t sure how to respond but she tried to mirror his movements and kiss him back. She thought it was very nice. Soon Tianna relaxed and she ran her fingers through his curly black hair. In an instant everything changed. Their kissing had triggered feelings that she wasn’t prepared for.
     
    Her hands began to glow and, before she knew it, the blue flames appeared. She couldn’t yet control her power and the flames caused his hair to appear like it was on fire. Once she realized this, she quickly removed her hands, but the blue fire remained. Garrett jumped up and tried to beat the flames out with his hands. They weren’t actually burning his skin, but he was scared.
     
    Tianna wasn’t thinking straight and tried to do a quick spell. She thought the magic would remove the flames, which it did, but it also removed his hair. All those lovely curls vanished and he was left completely bald. When she started to try another spell, he screamed in horror and ran back to the village. Desperate to fix what she had done, she chased after him.
     
    His family heard him coming and came outside to see what all the yelling was about. When they saw their bald son, Garrett’s mother shrieked and gave Tianna an evil glare. She yelled, “You did this to my son!”
     
    “It was an accident. Please let me try to make it right,” Tianna begged with tears welling in her eyes.
     
    “Get away from my house and my son, you witch. I should never have allowed him to spend time with you.” She spoke with a look of pure hatred. She took Garrett into their house and slammed the door.
     
    Tianna ran up to the door and pleaded to come in so she could try to correct her mistake, but there was no response. In the end, she left to find Zarin.
     
    She found Zarin with his head in his books. With tears in her eyes, she explained what had happened. He decided to go see Garrett and see if he could make it right. Tianna begged him to let her come, but he said that it would be better if she stayed home. Tianna collapsed where she was and cried.
     
    About an hour later Zarin returned, telling Tianna that he was able to give Garrett hair, although he was unable to return it to its original glory. His hair was now totally white and straight, all of his lovely dark curls were gone. He said it was best that she stay away from Garrett as much as possible.
     
    The story of what happened traveled quickly through the town, changing as it spread. One version involved Tianna laughing as she deliberately set his hair on fire.
     
    Over the next few weeks, she tried to convince people of the truth. Villagers