“Don’t take a tone with me.” The pirate grimaced as he struggled ashore. “I’m merely trying to improve a less than pleasurable situation with pleasant conversation. One would think that a bit of levity might be beneficial for such an occasion.” Seemingly tired, he dumped the spear and shield ground and plopped down next to the other two. “What I wouldn’t give for a glass of wine, a buxom barmaid and a thrilling game of chance. That’s all one really needs, by the way.”

  “One would think that an exit to this watery maze would come first.” Said Atticus.

  “Yes, I can see how that might be the first inclination.” The pirate nodded. “But can you picture it, Atticus? Right here where I’m sitting there could be a solid table with cards, a dozen cups of the sweetest wine and a darling young lady full of kisses and giggles with a headful of curls. That sounds like a fine deal to me.”

  “It sounds like you’re full of delusion.” Atticus rolled his eyes.

  “What about you, Morell?” asked Loxo “What would you have to make this dreary place better?” The boy thought for a moment.

  “I’d have Siouxsie here to sing one of her songs.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What more am I supposed to ask for?”

  “Why you could ask for just about anything! That’s what fanciful extrapolation is for, my boy! Anything at all! Gold! Mountains of gold and rivers of wine to float your soul across while song and dance cover every foot of your surroundings!”

  “I think that’s only what you wish for.” Atticus said, picking mud off his boots. “If the boy wants a song from a witch girl, let him wish for that.”

  “Not just any witch girl.” Said Morell with a small smile. “But Siouxsie, right here to laugh and sing her songs to me. I could listen all day if I had the time.”

  “Ha!” said Loxo, jumping to his feet. “Did you hear that, Atticus? I believe the boy is both smitten and bewitched!” Morell’s eyes shot wide and his face betrayed him by flushing his cheeks a bright rosy red. “See those cheeks? My assumption was true!”

  “Leave the boy alone.” Attic sighed. “She’s a lovely girl and any young boy his age would be smitten just the same.”

  “Ah! But you want to win the girl’s heart don’t you Morell?” Loxo said with a quick poke to the boys’ shoulder. “Would very much like for her to walk arm in arm with you as she gazes lovingly up at you with starry eyes and rosy cheeks all the same? Take windy walks amongst fields of blossoming flowers while wooing her with fancy words of poetry? Picnics of breads and cheeses by a babbling brook and gazing longingly into one another’s eyes until rapturous sweet kissing lips seek out yours for warm intermingling, yes?” The man’s words became hypnotic as Morell could envision everything he described. Such things seemed tangible and an illusion of all the words reshaped themselves in his mind until he could imagine Siouxsie kissing him and what her lips would taste like. The fantasy struck him dumb on the spot as the vivid culmination of such rapture froze him to the spot.

  “Morell?” asked Loxo as he looked into the dumbfounded boy’s face. “Morell?” Atticus looked over to find the boy as motionless as a statue.

  “Pirate, what have you done? You’ve mesmerized the boy into a fit with your ramblings. Morell wake up!” He snapped his fingers in front of the boy’s nose and he in turn came out of his state like he’d been splashed with cold water.

  “What? What?” he looked at the two men staring at him. “What was it?” what? You said something about Siouxsie?”

  “Good gravy.” Said Loxo with his hands on his hips. “You have been bewitched. Worst case of heartstrings I’ve witnessed in quite a few years. Never you mind the girl for now, Morell. What you need to be doing is making yourself into the kind of young man sweet Siouxsie wants to be with. You have to have something special about you to make the girls clamor and swoon!”

  “Leave the boy out of it.” Said Atticus. “Don’t listen to him, Morell. “Loxo has got a head full of horse apples and only chases tavern maids with a no head for wine. Be a good boy and treat Siouxsie right and the witch girl will pursue you on her own. Go about chasing easy skirts and you’ll catch only that. Can you play music, boy?”

  “No, I can’t.” he replied

  “What about a bit of poetry, then?” asked Loxo. “Know any smooth golden words to make her imagination take flight? You carry that big tome with you, why not think of some honest compliments and make them rhyme?”

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  “I’ve never written poetry before either.”

  “Well, what do you do?” the two men asked together.

  “I study spores, molds and fungus.” He said with a big grin which in turn made both men give a deflated look.

  “This could prove difficult.” Said Loxo as he scratched his chin. “You’re not an ugly child, so you have that going for you. Always a bit dirty though.”

  “Thank you?” said Morell with some confusion.

  “Stop antagonizing the boy.” Said Atticus. “The boy has thoughts in his head. He’ll figure something out. In the meantime, I suggest you keep an eye out for wild flowers. Pick a bunch of different ones and offer them to her? You can do that, can’t you?”

  “Yes.” He agreed. I’ll collect as many as I can find!”

  “That’s a start!” Loxo agreed. “Flowers at first, and then you have time to think about what flowery words to say until you have them all in hand to woo a witch girl!”

  “I do know how to sew fairly well.” he offered.

  “There you have it!” exclaimed Loxo as he clapped his hands together. “If you can sew, you could make her a fancy set of handkerchiefs! I can’t imagine one maiden who wouldn’t be delighted by such a gesture!”

  “Perhaps I will.” Pondered the boy aloud.

  “If we have the strength to talk about such things in detail then we should have the strength enough to carry on.” Said Atticus. “Morell can’t make the girl a gift while he’s still trapped in this sunless bog.”

  “Couldn’t stop for just a small while to recuperate?” asked Loxo while stomping a foot upon the ground. “This is the first dry land we’ve seen since we were unceremoniously pitched into it. It might just be the perfect time for us to take out some food from our packs and reflect while having a munch. What do you say?”

  “Do we have any food left?” asked Atticus. “I thought we pooled and ate the last of our stores the last time we stopped to make camp.”

  “I have some edible mushrooms in my pack.” Offered Morell.

  “You see?” Loxo tried to convince the soldier. “Morell has mushrooms and so far, this has been the best location to enjoy them.”

  “Uunnggh. Fine.” Atticus huffed. “A quick bite and then we’re off.” Morell set to placing the sizeable pack upon his lap and opened it. The two men looked surprised as he yanked out his large tome before pulling small jar after small jar from within. There were brown ones and white ones and small ones and large ones and even some in one container that had bright blue tips on the caps. When he’d pulled the last of them out, dozens of jars adorned the area around him.

  “Good gracious, Morell.” Said Loxo. Where did you get all of these?”

  “Some were in my collection from home and some I’ve picked up along the way.”

  “And you’re sure these are edible?” asked Atticus. “I’ve known people who’d grown deathly ill from eating the wrong kind that have poison within them.”

  “Quite certain” the boy smiled. “I’ve discovered many kinds with many different uses. I’ve even found some I don’t think anyone has ever seen before. Although, I have to admit I haven’t met many people who know as much about mushrooms as I do.”

  “There are bound to be some.” Said Atticus. “These lands are vast. You just need to find them.” Morell pulled some mushrooms out of a jar and divided the quantity evenly, offering a portion to each man who gratefully accepted it. “Thank you, my boy.”

  “Yes, thank you indeed!” said Loxo. “Generous Morell, always ready to offer a feast to a travelling band!” he munched his down. “And what will we be having for our second and third course?”

  “There’s not much left.” Said Morell. “We must ration what we have if it’s going to take us a long time to get out like Atticus says. If we eat them all now, we’ll be hungry later.”

  “How about some more water then?” asked the pirate as he finished the last drops from his canteen. “Is there any fresh water nearby, perhaps?”

  “I don’t have any left. And as thirsty as I am, I wouldn’t drink a drop from this place.” Said Atticus “I don’t believe anything is safe here.”

  “I believe there is a way.” Said Morell. “What if we filtered the water by a way of using something to take the impure water and make it pure?’

  “I’m not quite following what you’re saying but if there’s good water to be had then I fully endorse whatever it is.” Said Loxo.