Bumba Queen Weave

By Electra Nanou

A short dark tale about memory, destiny, and love. A child and its toy dragon live in the woods with a witch. One day, an eerie urge to find something they lost drives the duo deeper through the trees, defying the dreaded Bumba Queen and her minions who hounds them. And the intricate truth about their strange story unravels...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Electra Nanou
• Release date: Mar 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393271031

Book preview

Bumba Queen Weave

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? You must do. You are magic... or something. The ancient kind. I believed in the fairy tale kind. Before all this happened, I’d spend ages in the garden making houses for pixies and frog-princes. I cut the nets of evil fishermen. I collected animal bones—coyotes and foxes ate livestock and only left bits. They were like chunks of chalk when I found them. I’d pile them up with flowers and leaves and seashells. I thought it would make the dead animals happier... after being eaten and all. Now, I don’t know. What happened is clearer, but... How? Why? I don’t understand anything. And you won’t tell me. You know what? You need to relax. And you know what relaxes me? Stories. Let me tell you everything that led me here—to you!

Once upon a time—well, two days ago—the witch had a customer. His cheeks were droopy, and he had this hat, brown and floppy. He looked like a dog. And his nose was long and bony—broken, I think.

Look, Luca, I said.

Luca was my dragon. I let him look through the keyhole and his eye clacked against the metal. His mouth looked funny too, squished against the door.

My turn!

I yanked him from the keyhole and crouched to look. Lady Shriv was pointing to a little bag—a pouch!—on the table. Then she walked out of sight. The man took her place, grabbing the pouch. His eyes were wide at first, but then they went small and suspicious.

Does it work? he asked.

Shriv’s snort came from somewhere on the right. It’s a potent luck charm. What do you want, a magical reference?

The dogman squeezed his lips. Is it worth the price?

Ah, said the witch, what a question. As if coin could measure its worth. Will it help in your endeavours? Yes. Will your pitiful existence improve? Yes, for a while. But be wary of luck. She’s fickle, especially when summoned against her will.

What does that mean? His nose wrinkled.

I heard Shriv inhale deeply and could imagine her glare—bushy eyebrows low, wrinkled skin coming together around her grey eyes. Grey, like... like... snow, dirty but shiny in cloudy sunlight! Her voice was special too. It rumbled when she wanted it to.

Paul, prepare to be amazed, she told the customer, all gravel and mystery.

Dogman rolled his eyes, but Luca and me giggled. That made the man turn to look at our door, frowning.

You have a kid? he asked Shriv without taking his eyes away.

A slow second passed and the witch growled. I left the radio on. Off with you, now.

Dogman was pushed out of the house. As soon