14. Splashes and books

They came up again, gasping for air, spluttering, splashing and laughing. Hilda's shriek still echoed in William's ears.

The water was not deep, they could sit up and have head and shoulders over the water.

"That was not fair!", Hilda grinned, trying to brush her long wet hair from her face. Despite William's serious attempts to help, it did not really work. "I wanted to throw you!"

"No problem," he said and got up, offering her a hand. This time she smiled and let him pull her to her feet. Then they waded through the water and climbed onto the grass again.

William watched the water in the lake. There was not a wave in it, it lay as still as if nothing had happened, as if no one had splashed round in.

"Eerie, isn't it?", Hilda said who also looked over the water.

"It is, in a way."

Hilda leaned against him, her back against his chest. She hoped he would put his arms around her. Her hopes were answered, and she felt good. She didn't exactly know why, but this just felt good.

William smiled as he felt Hilda relax in his arms.

Hilda however was a wicked witch. Even when she slowly turned in William's arms and looked at him. She knew that he knew she was going to make them land in the water again, but this time it was the witch's prerogative to decide how it was going to happen. And she had set her mind to making it spectacular, even if that meant a draining exercise.

William watched Hilda's face and noticed the blue sparkles. "Your eyes have blue sparkles."

"Yes."

Then she made the two of them lift off into the air, only half a yard. Slowly they drifted over the water, as if a bit of wind was blowing them there. Hilda held on to William's blue, silver and wet robe as she was not sure how long she could hold this without her wand. Then, at the last moment, she made them swing around and they crashed into the water, William going in first, with Hilda on top of him.

He had known it was going to happen, and still she had taken him by surprise.

Again they came up, sputtering and laughing.

"You witch!", William laughed, splashing water to Hilda.

"Ah, you noticed," the subject grinned, sitting in the water as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She got up. "I'm getting onto the grass and dry my clothes. If you want your stuff dried, you'd better follow me."

William followed her. He was curious to find out how she was going to do that.

Hilda wiped her hands on the grass. As William had a look of wonder on his face, she explained: "The wand hardly ever appears with wet hands."

"Oh, I see. Is that a general thing or just something for you?"

"No, everyone I know has a problem with that. Ah, there you are." The silver wand glistened in her hand. "Now let me see..." She pointed the wand at William. "Arefacio."

William still was wet. "Are you sure that thing is waterproof?"

"Oh, shut up and suck an elf, will you?" Hilda did not like it when someone questioned her professional abilities. "Arefactum. Hah, see? I can do this. I just hate Latin." She used the spell on herself also and then they both were dry.

Hilda however was not satisfied yet, and did a "Comptum cincinnatus" on herself, so her hair was in order again. "Sorry about that," she mumbled to William, and then she made their brooms come up to them. "I think we'd best get to the mountains now, to get your precious things."

Before she could get on her broom, William put a hand on her arm. "Thank you. For this great moment. It was really great to laugh with you."

"Hmm, yeah, I guess." Hilda had overpowered the little voice in her head and was back to her own distancing self again. "Come, hop on, we have a fast flight ahead of us."

William noticed the change in her and did not comment on it. So they got on their brooms and took off, Hilda setting their course to the spot where he had arrived in this interesting and fascinating world.

They landed almost on top of the truck. Hilda was feeling quite tired, as she had not slept well that night. The looping and the lifting-stunt at the lake had taken some out of her also, and now the fast flight to the mountains. That had made for a not too fabulous landing. She was secretly glad that William had not noticed it. She sat and relaxed on a big chunk of rock as William was going through his stuff in the truck. She hoped his pile would not be extremely large, they still had to fly back.

All that duo-flying of the last days was quite a bigger strain on her than she cared to admit, and she'd be damned before she was going to make a mention about it to him.

William took his time to select the books he wanted to take back. Of course there was the special book in the silk scarf. He had not forgotten it when Hilda had offered to take him along, but clothes and a safe place had seemed more important then. He decided on eight books. From the back of his truck he watched Hilda sitting on the rock. What a special creature, he thought, and such an amazing woman. He sat on his truck for a while, so he could sort out his head a bit.

It suited Hilda fine, it gave her time for the same.

"Well, looks like I am done," he said when he walked up to Hilda, a modest stack of books under his arm.

The wicked witch was secretly relieved to find he only had the eight books with him. "Are you sure that is all you want to take with you?"

"Yes, that will be all. Those are my most precious ones."

"Okay then. Best to put them down before I make them portable," Hilda grinned. "I might forget myself and include you."

Grinning, William put down the books and stood at what he hoped was a safe distance. "I would be curious what it is like to ride along in your pocket, Hilda."

She frowned at him for a moment, then grinned and shrunk the books.

William picked up the dice that remained of them. "Amazing, simply amazing." He slipped the books in the secure pocket, next to the crystal ball. As Hilda did not make any signs towards leaving, he sat down next to her and looked at the barren rocky landscape, with the large boulders, the cracked mountain walls.

"Do you miss your world?", Hilda suddenly asked.

William needed a while to consider her question. Life here, and arriving at this place, had been so overwhelming and filled with surprises that he had not had the time to wonder about that. He then reached a decision. "No. Not really."

Hilda nodded. "I think I understand. But can you explain it to me anyway?"

"I will try. Is it okay if I hold your hand while I talk?" William held out his hand and felt good when she put her hand in it. "My world is not bad. Work, fun, friends and things like that. But it is a solo trip nonetheless. I'm always on my own, since the people I meet are not the people I can connect to . Don't get me wrong, they are nice and friendly and helpful, but they are never what I could call my close friends. Except perhaps Bert, but he is an oddball if ever there lived one. Well, you met him." William grinned. He also felt Hilda's fingers closing just a bit tighter around his hand for a moment. "And now I am here, in this crazy world of yours-"

"It's not crazy!", Hilda threw at him. "Well, not to me. To me, your world's crazy."

"In this crazy world of yours," William repeated, "where everything is new, fascinating. And where you are." This time it was his turn to lightly squeeze his fingers a bit more for a second, and Hilda looked at him. "I can't say that I miss my world. The coffee perhaps. The murky monasteries where I snoop around for books. But if I had to choose, I would gladly trade that for you. Your world, I mean."

Hilda kept her eyes on the man next to her, his words making her heart beat faster again, the feeling of his hand in hers sending a rush into her blood. She noticed all that and still was distrusting herself. "When I hear you talk, I'd almost get the impression that you like it here. Even with me around."

Without any hurry, William raised his other hand and gently knocked the top of Hilda's head.

"Hey, go suck an elf, will you? Why are you doing that?"

"Just testing how thick your skull is. You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Hilda wanted to throw up all her defenses, but she couldn't. The way he looked at her, the calmness she felt while he was sitting there holding her hand, all that made it impossible to get totally angry and turn witchy bitchy on him. The tone of her voice apparently made that clear to William, as he did not react immediately.

The wicked witch lifted his hand up and folded her other hand around it. She then rested her hands, holding his between them, on her knee. "I do get it," she said as she kept her eyes locked on her hands. "I really do, William, because I have... I have missed you."

The book salesman looked at her, but her face was hidden from his view by the hair hanging down. He waited for her to go on.

"Damn," the witch muttered, "why is it so hard to say this? Why is it so hard to tell you that I am glad you are here, that I feel happy about it, that I am happy you are living in my house. I'm not good at saying things like that, William, because I am scared." She turned her head, so she could look at him. "Do you understand that?"

He gently squeezed her hand. "I'd be lying if I said I understand you completely, but I can understand that you are scared. You don't have to explain now if you can't, or are afraid to do so."

Hilda held William's hand even tighter as he spoke.

"See, I am scared too. Perhaps for some of the same reasons that you are. I really like you a lot, Hilda, and I am deliberatly avoiding stronger words now. The way things are now, it looks as if I am going to be around for a while, and I am glad that I can be around with you near. Near... and also close. I don't have the faintest idea what I am getting myself into, what more things this world of yours has in store for me. Or, dare I say, for us? But if I have to take on this world, you are the best person for me to do it with."

"Uhuh," nodded Hilda. "Some of that goes for me as well." A shiver ran down her spine, while there was no wind. In fact, a nice bit of sunshine was warming them. Suddenly suffering a shyness she had no experience with, she let his hand slip away. "Maybe, uhm, we should go home again now. I mean, you have your books, and we have talked and all that, right?"

The wicked witch did not wait for his answer. She hopped off the rock and made the brooms lift and wait for their riders.

William nodded. They had talked enough for now. He mounted his broom and looked at Hilda who smiled at him for a split second.

"Ready?" As he nodded, she made them fly up and with a wide circle got their bristles pointing towards her house.