Why on earth did I pack so much into this suitcase? When the bus pulled into the station, I could barely drag my luggage out and looked around for a taxi. What a foolish idea! In a tiny town like this, there probably wasn’t a single cab to be found. People likely just asked a neighbor with a car for a ride or hopped on a bicycle! I pulled out the envelope with Grandma’s letter and checked the address. At least that was a small comfort—Maiden Lane started right across the street, where a weathered sign reading “Post Office” hung. No need to even ask for directions.
Soon, I was winding my way down a narrow street lined with single-story houses, trying to picture what my new home might look like. My old suitcase creaked along the uneven path until disaster struck—one of the wheels popped off and rolled straight into a fence painted a blinding neon green. The color was so garish it practically hurt my eyes! I stopped to search for the wheel, hoping I wouldn’t have to dig through a patch of nettles, and couldn’t help but think that only a lunatic would choose to live in a place like this. Grandma hadn’t said much about her neighbors, but Mom quietly despised them. Maybe there was a reason for that?
“What’s the trouble, dear?” a creaky voice rasped behind me, making me jump.
Just a moment ago, there hadn’t been a soul around, and the gate was still shut tight. I turned slowly and saw an old woman standing there, eyeing me with keen curiosity. I couldn’t help but stare back. She was definitely one of those solitary old ladies who seemed a bit unhinged. Her long gray hair, tucked under a scarf, peeked out in thin dreadlocks adorned with coins and beads. Her clothes matched the vibe—straight out of a 1970s hippie commune—and in her hands, I could hardly believe it, was a spindle!
“Just a little mishap!” I said, holding my breath, expecting the sharp scent of mothballs. Instead, a strong whiff of herbs hit me. “I’ll fix my suitcase in a jiffy and be out of your way!”
“And who are you here to see, love? I don’t recall ever meeting you before… Though, you don’t need to say—I can see it plain as day. You’re the spitting image of Salome!”
She muttered something under her breath and let out a cackle. I finally spotted the wheel and crouched down to reattach it, but the old woman didn’t budge. She stood there, studying me intently.
“It’s good you’ve come,” she said, hobbling closer. “Your grandmother was a dear friend of mine, and I’ll tell you something else—I owe her a debt! At my age, it’s time to settle accounts. You never know when your number’s up. What’s your name?”
“Gemma!” I replied, hoping she’d offer hers in return. Instead, she mumbled something again, then extended a wrinkled hand toward me.
“Give me your hand, child! Look at me. Tell me, is there something you’ve always dreamed of? A heartfelt wish?”
What girl doesn’t have one? When you’re just past twenty, that’s a given. My mind flashed to a white wedding dress and Aunt Lima’s sour face, predicting I’d end up an old maid. It’d also be nice to have a bit of money, since after the fight with Mom, she wouldn’t be helping out. And then there was… well, I hadn’t seen Grandma’s shop yet, but I still remembered my childhood dream. As Denis put it, I wanted to be the Candy Queen!
Now, you might think, how boring! I could’ve wished for an elixir of immortality, a lifetime of travel to the world’s most beautiful places, or winning the lottery! And I would have, if I’d known what was coming. While I daydreamed, the old woman, with a nimbleness surprising for her age, grabbed her spindle and unwound a red thread. She looped it around my wrist and tied three knots.
“There we are! At last, I’m free of my promise,” she said, her eyes glinting with mischief as the beads on her chest jangled. “Consider it done—your wish will come true, but on one condition! Never take off this red thread, and don’t cut the knots! Do you hear me? Don’t cut them!”
Stunned, I looked down at the strange bracelet. When I glanced up again, she was gone! I even rubbed my eyes. Was there some hidden passage around here? I scanned the area but found nothing—just bushes of elderberry, raspberry, and towering weeds. Well, I couldn’t just stand there with my mouth agape! I waited a bit longer to see if my “Goldfish” would return, touched the red thread to confirm it wasn’t a hallucination, and shrugged.
For some reason, I immediately thought of gypsy magic. Could my new acquaintance be a Romani woman? Mom always warned me not to mess with such things, so I figured I’d keep the wish thread on for now. I’d sort it out later. Right now, I needed to hurry—dark clouds were gathering overhead.
I rattled along with my suitcase for two more turns until, at last, I reached Grandma’s house. It was ordinary! Nothing remarkable about it, but it looked as if someone still lived there—everything was tidy, not a stray blade of grass in sight! I pushed open the low gate, guarded by wrought-iron boars, and felt an odd flutter of excitement. This was a piece of my childhood I’d always thought of as magical, and now I hoped to uncover the secret Salome had kept hidden for so long!
The key was exactly where Grandma said it would be in her letter—on the ledge above the door. But before I could even bring it to the lock, I felt a presence behind me. My first thought was that the old woman had followed to make sure I found the house, but I was in for another surprise. When I glanced over my shoulder, I spotted a short, scrawny figure in the bushes, trying to stay out of sight. It definitely wasn’t the gypsy granny.
“Come out!” I commanded, ready to scold some neighborhood kids. “I can see you! I promise I won’t bite!”
The bush rustled, releasing its captive, and for the second time that day, my jaw dropped. The boy was incredibly awkward. He barely reached my shoulder, with long, skinny arms and a freckle-covered face. His coal-black eyes glinted, half-hidden under thick brows. He took a few steps toward me and waited silently for me to speak again.
“Who are you, anyway?” It didn’t sound very polite, but honestly, I’d never encountered so many odd neighbors in one day.
“Breezy,” he mumbled through his nose, scuffing the dirt with his shoe. Something was clearly hidden under his shirt, making him look even more comical.
“And what are you doing here, Breezy? Stealing apples?”
His face turned beet red, as if I’d splashed him with boiling water, and he bristled with indignation.
“I’m in service here! I keep an eye on things until the new owner shows up!”
“In service, you say? You worked for Salome?” Only now did I notice the yard was spotless, the windows clean, and even the flowers had been watered. Here I was, jumping down this poor kid’s throat for no reason! “I’m her granddaughter, Gemma!”
Honestly, I felt ashamed for being so unwelcoming, and I extended my hand in greeting. In response, the boy’s eyes widened even more, and he hid his hands behind his back.
“Come on, I’m not going to eat you. Let’s go inside and talk!”
I fumbled with the lock, which had either rusted over time or I’d grabbed the wrong key. Just then, the sky seemed to burst open with a thunderclap, and rain poured down in buckets.
Breezy pulled a hood over his head, but his enormous ears still stuck out comically. Lightning sliced through the sky again, and the poor kid was shaking like a leaf by the time I finally got the lock to turn. Breezy grabbed my suitcase and slipped through the door behind me, leaving wet footprints on the floor. His shoe size must’ve been at least a men’s eleven—poor thing must’ve been growing up fast in someone’s nearby household!
Inside the house, though, he perked up right away. He grabbed a rag and started wiping up the mud we’d tracked in, then lit a lamp and drew the curtains.
“So, you don’t just take care of the yard, but the house too?”
“Of course!” he said, straightening up and dumping a pile of apples from under his shirt into a bowl. “I’m Breezy… the house spirit!”
Well, I’ll be! Was this some kind of joke? Thanks a lot, Grandma, for the dowry. Now, what am I supposed to do with this snub-nosed oddball?