CH12: What's Done is Undone
Story by PapaDelta on SoFurry
CH 12: ~1800 Words
“So that’s all you have to do? Just perform the ritual that summoned me but in reverse?”
Edmund stands next to Gothetta in a corner of the cabin, Urmine running around gathering the ingredients for his desummonation. Gothetta brings the piece of parchment closer to her face.
“Yep, that’s all we have to do! Pretty obvious when you think about it.”
Edmund breathes out and looks around the sister’s humble home one last time. The rows of bookshelves holding jars of misshapen objects, the skulls hanging from the ceiling, the dusty books scattered on every flat surface, their mother’s pointed hat resting above the fireplace. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that he’ll miss this place, but he has at least gotten used to it.
Urmine finishes placing the last of the offerings on a black sandy pentagram and stands back, observing her handiwork. Satisfied with the straightness of the lines and the placement of the offerings she turns to Gothetta and Edmund, beckoning them over.
“Alright you two, everything is set. Now all that’s left is for Edmund to stand in the center of the pentagram, Gothetta to awaken the frog, then for me to say the reversed lines.”
“Awaken the frog?” Asks Edmund.
Urmine reaches over to a nearby table and retrieves a bottle containing a bright red liquid, just like a healing potion. Yet as the liquid moves around he sees the body of a limp frog floating within it. Urmine holds it up in front of them.
“One soul leaves this mortal plane and another is awakened to replace it, simple as that.”
Edmund cranes his neck forward in disbelief.
“Is…is that the same frog that was in my soup a couple days ago? It’s been soaking in a healing potion all day?”
Urmine shakes her head.
“That’s correct, a bottle of healing potion may only be able to heal the non-fatal wounds of a being of similar size to you and me, but to a creature as small as a frog? It can practically bring a dead one back to life! With a little help from us that is.” She opens the bottle and pours it into an empty cauldron, catching the frog in her paw as it falls. She then places it on a table, belly side up. “Gothetta, when I give the order push on its belly to bring fresh air into its lungs. After it jumps back to life the ritual can continue.”
Gothetta shakes her head and stands next to the table, a finger placed on its belly. Urmine grabs the book of summons from a table and turns to the page containing instructions on how to summon a human. She looks up to Edmund.
“Ready?”
He takes his pan and twirls it in the air.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He stands in the center of the pentagram and waits.
“Urmine! Hold on! We’re forgetting his glowing tablet!” Shouts Gothetta.
“Oh, right.” The bear mumbles, opening a leather pouch on her dress and retrieving Edmund’s phone. She tosses it over to him and he looks it over.
“Hey, it looks better.” Edmund says, noticing the lack of a cracked screen or burnt plastic casing. He presses the power button and the screen lights up with a jingle. He looks up to the sisters with a smile. “How did you-oh, let me guess, magic?”
Gothetta chuckles shyly.
“Something like that. We have ways of mending things.”
He puts the phone in his pocket.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I wasn’t lying when I said this thing was expensive.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Says Urmine with a wave of her paw. “and I suppose since you’ll be out of our grasp soon there’s no point keeping pet names around, Henry.”
She puts a hand behind her back and snaps her fingers.
Henry shakes his head in agreement.
“Good to hear my real name again, I don’t think Edmund really fits me.”
Urmine looks to her sister.
“Anything you want to say to Henry before he leaves?”
The doe looks to the ground for a few moments before bobbing her head up.
“It was nice meeting you Henry. I wish you could have stayed for longer, but I understand how badly you need to go back to your ball. Now go home and drink lots of that lemonade stuff for me, okay? And if you see any four legged deer back at home be sure to rub their ears a lot, I’m sure they’d like it just as much as when you did it to me!”
“I don’t exactly live near any deer, but I’ll keep that in mind. Goodbye Gothetta. You fearsome doe, you.”
The doe bears her fangs in a wide smile. He smiles back then shifts his gaze to Urmine. She crosses her arms and clears her face of emotion, words spoken sternly.
“Well Henry, the book of summons was certainly right about a few things, one of which being that humans are excellent troublemakers. Nothing but furless, magicless, toothless, flat faced troublemakers.” The edge of her lips curl into a subtle smile. “However, despite all the trouble you’ve caused us, I am thankful for a few choice actions from you. Assisting us in defeating Malvina, that decrepit drooling moose. Giving us the motivation to dig up poor old mother and in the process bring light to the circumstances regarding me and Gothetta’s births. And of course, having the stones to satisfy the more lustful urges of a certain couple of witches.”
“And thanks for not kink shaming me Henry, I know my preferences are a little odd for a doe of my breed.” Says Gothetta, her eyes quickly glancing to the floor in embarrassment.
“Trust me, there are people into things a lot stranger than you are.” Replies Henry.
Urmine continues.
“So, I guess this is goodbye. You need to go back to your family, simple as that.”
He shakes his head.
“That I do. The last few days have certainly been interesting though, I’ll have quite a few stories to tell after this, not that anyone will believe them. Though I could have done without the whole ‘being trapped in a cage’ part.” He says, lowering his head and giving Urmine a look of disapproval.
Urmine shrugs.
“Not like that cage stopped you from running free, you mischievous little man.”
“True, but let’s not forget after escaping your clutches I ended up almost imprisoned again. And I have a feeling Malvina would have been a far crueler jailer than you two were.”
“All the more reason to send you back then. A captured human is worth a kingly sum, same as any other mythical creature. If you stay here you’ll be forced to live in the outskirts, away from civilization and other people, just like us.”
“In that case I suppose it’s time to get this thing over with. I wish you both the best of luck. You’re the finest witches I’ve ever known.”
They smile back at him, then Urmine nudges Gothetta with an elbow. The doe places a finger on the frog’s belly and Urmine brings the book of summons up to her muzzle.
“Alright Gothetta, awaken the frog.” Orders Urmine.
Gothetta begins gently pushing on the frog’s belly, spurts of healing potion escaping its mouth as its lungs are refilled with air. After several seconds the frog suddenly flails its limbs and ribbits, jumping right side up. It attempts to jump off the table but Gothetta manages to catch the slippery amphibian. Seeing that the frog’s resurrection Urmine looks down at the tome with an outstretched hand, saying the incantations in an unnatural cadence, every reversed syllable sounding incredibly strange.
”gnieb otni tsaeb lanrac siht htrib dna hsiw ym llifluf ,gnillif ti dnif llahs uoy dna gnireffo ym tpeccA!“
”daerps ydnas ym nopu mih ecalp dna deb ysor sih morf mih lluP!“
”referp lliw eh sgnaf dna sreltna ,ruf rof stsul ohw erutaerc elibun A!“
”rovalf tnednelpser dna eugnot deppit yenoh htiW !erutan eliriv dna niks fo tsaeb A!“
”eeht ot tsaeb lacihtym a tnarg dna aelp elbmuh ym ot netsil ,evoba snevaeh dna woleb serif!“
With the final word spoken lighting shoots from the pentagram and into Urmine’s fingertips, then a purple smoke appears at Henry’s feet and slowly drifts upward, tendrils snaking in and out of the purple mass as white cinders appear out of thin air before being sucked into the smoke.
The smoke soon covers his knees, then his waist. He looks to the sisters and waves as it continues to drift upwards. The sisters wave back until he could be seen no longer. When it covers him completely the smoke shifts and turns, suddenly closing onto a single point of space with a bright light. The sisters shield their eyes with their hands, then when they reopen their eyes the smoke is gone.
“It’s done, he’s back home.” Says Gothetta, her voice tinged with melancholy.
Urmine sniffles and wipes her eye.
“Yes, he’s back home.” She says with another sniffle.
“Are you crying?”
“No!” The bear fires back. “I just got something in my eye. Must have been some of that desummoning smoke.” Her eyes drift down to the frog still squirming in Gothetta’s hands. “Why do you have the frog? Throw the slimy thing outside.”
The doe looks down at the wart covered frog in her grasp.
“This frog’s been a big help to us lately, don’t you think? It would be a shame to simply set it free.” Gothetta walks to a shelf and retrieves an empty jar and a lid. She lowers the frog into the jar then secures the lid, holding it up to her sister. “Could you poke some holes in it please?”
The bear takes a claw and pokes a few air holes through the thin metal.
“You’re keeping the frog as a pet?”
She shakes her head.
“Yes, I’ll be sure to feed him lots of flies and mosquitos. He can be our croaky little companion, until we need another sacrifice anyway.”
“If you’re keeping him you might as well name him.”
Gothetta looks at the frog, then back to her sister.
“I’ll call him Edmund, or Eddy for short. One Edmund lost, another one gained.”
The bear smiles and pats her sister on the shoulder.
“A fine name. Now what would you like for dinner? The events of today have left me famished.”
“I would like something warm, and comforting. To make my mind off of our companion’s exit.”
Urmine nods in approval.
“I know just the thing to raise your spirits, deer sister. Fetch me some elf stocking and tiger weed and the tusk of a boar. I’ll get a dash of sweet lemon and the sweat of a whore."
Note: You made it to the end, congratulations! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't say this about many of my stories, but you can expect a sequel to this one sometime in the future, the journey of Henry, Urmine, and Gothetta isn't done just quite yet.