How To Call Upon A Titch

“The grass is too green here I can’t stand it.” These were the last words Erin had from her parents which were written on a piece of paper. She found the note on the floor of their bedroom and held it dear ever since. The paper helped Erin remember they were real and even more so, that they’d come back for her. Her grandmother was now her caregiver never mentioning what happened to Erin’s parents. Grandma Ruthie was not the type to bring up or speak of unpleasant things. She was white haired, sharp tongued and extremely loving. She worked in a small library in the middle of town and thoughtfully brought home a book for her granddaughter to read every week. She noticed with every book that Erin read, her happiness returned setting the tradition in stone.

“I’m home.” Her grandmother called from downstairs. Erin’s fingers ran over the piece of paper one more time before she placed it underneath her pillow. She then ran downstairs to uncover the latest book her grandmother had brought. Her favorite genre was fantasy and lately, it’s all she wanted to read. She wrapped her arms around her grandmother feeling her pockets for the shape of a book. “Hold on.” She chuckled. “I have a special one for you today but finish your homework and then I’ll show you.” She said kissing Erin’s forehead. Her grandmother hobbled into the kitchen and placed a kettle on the stove as Erin finished her final assignment. She started to call out to her grandmother who was already standing beside her holding a hard cover book with a picture of a beautiful kingdom and a man on horseback holding a sword. Her eyes ran over the cover, “The Adventures of Mythris and the Haunted Kingdom”. The 300-page tale would be read in a few nights as she eagerly read through stories that allowed her to escape.

Later that evening she tucked her grandmother in and made sure all the windows were closed and locked. A storm was moving in on the coast and would linger until morning. Erin ran to her bedroom and eagerly began reading the book. It started off with the valiant prince fighting off goblins and trolls at the edge of the forest. He was trying to save his princess who had been taken by the evil Queen Sheeva who lived deep within the Haunted Kingdom. She read along with great speed until she got to the middle of the story where the handsome prince received a solemn letter from his sister. While the prince was away fighting valiantly for his princess his parents were taken without a trace. It grew later in the evening, but Erin forced herself to stay awake to finish the story. The prince had to find his parents she thought repeatedly. Before she realized it, the book was out of pages. The prince had found the princess, returned to his kingdom but never found his parents. The words “Happily Ever After” mocked her senses as her heart began to ache.

Enraged, she ran across the hall to her grandmother’s room. The house shook from the storm as rain splattered against the windows. “Wake up! Wake up!” The girl shouted standing over her grandmother who was fast asleep. Grandma Ruthie slowly opened her eyes to see her distraught granddaughter holding the book by the last page. “Erin what’s wrong? Be careful you’ll rip the book!” She exclaimed. “Why would you give me this? Why would you do this to me?” Erin yelled while sobbing. The storm beat harder against the old house forcing cabinets in the kitchen to fly open. “His parents never came back, the prince never found them. How could he be happy if he never found them?” Grandmother Ruthie’s eyes sank low as she knew it was now time to speak of the unpleasant things she avoided.

Grandma Ruthie passed Erin a cup of warm milk as they sat together at the edge of her bed. The storm had calmed but still beat against the old cottage. The book rested on her bedside table with the last page scrunched and stained with Erin’s tears. “When your mother was younger, she was curious and a lot like you. Her mind was always eager for adventure and when she grew older, she went off to school and met a boy, your father. He too was like her, but much wilder. They soon fell in love moved back here and had you. The trouble was your father came from a long line of treasure hunters that lived at sea and spent their days scavenging. He missed the life so he saved enough money to buy a boat and he and your mother would go out to sea for hours as he taught her the ways. I helped raise you, so I saw her as she began to slip away. Hours away turned into days at sea until one day, they didn’t come back. They never wrote or called. I’m so sorry Erin.” She began to sob. “It’s okay,” Erin said. “Can I go with you to the library tomorrow?” She asked hiding her sadness. Grandma Ruthie shook her head yes watched as Erin climbed into her bed without further word and closed her eyes. Ruthie turned off her lamp silently relieved that the dreaded talk had finally passed.

The next morning they walked into town stepping over tree branches and debris that blew in from the storm. The library was old and filled with books that had been passed down and traded since the founding of the town hundreds of years ago. Erin helped her grandmother out of her coat as she settled behind her desk. “I’m going to go unlock the doors you can start with putting those books back where they belong.” She said pointing to a cart that was stacked full. Erin groaned wondering how all those books had gotten there since the library was seldom visited by anyone.

As she placed the titles back on the shelves, she realized the pile of books were the ones she’d read! She marveled at herself impressed by how many titles she’d gone through. Many extremely advanced for her age. As she turned the cart down an isle one of the front wheels popped off sending the books crashing to the floor along with the cart. Erin checked for her grandmother and ran after the wheel that continued to roll down the isle. It turned a corner and finally fell flat on top of the dark blue carpet. Erin reached for the wheel and noticed a book underneath a bottom shelf. It was covered in dust as though it had been sitting there for years. Erin blew the dust from the cover revealing a young boy in overalls standing on the sands of an ocean looking out at a ship on the horizon. “How To Call Upon A Titch”. She read the title out loud. “I haven’t seen that book in a while.” Her grandmother said appearing behind her. “Hand me that wheel, I’ll get Jimmy down here to fix this old cart again.” “What’s the book about?” Erin asked handing her grandmother the wheel. “Oh, it takes on a different meaning to everyone, mainly it’s about an urban legend local to this island. Creatures called Titch's, fabled to show up and grant a pure wish of the good hearted.” She chuckled. “Really! Can I take it home?” Erin begged. “I guess I owe you a story to make up for the other one so go ahead.” Erin jumped into her grandmother’s arms. The book was less than 100 pages and would take Erin a short afternoon to finish it which she planned to do after leaving the library. She ran as fast as she could to get back to their little cottage near the sea. She unlocked the door opened the windows to dry out the rain that had gotten inside during last night’s storm and immediately sat down with the book. Its pages smelled like warmed socks and dried linen. She loved the scent of old books.

The story began detailing the origins of a family of Titch's and how they’d settled down in the town. They were immortal and granted only the purest of wishes. They also kept everything about their abilities a secret and once they granted the wish, the person would no longer be able to remember or see them. It was a sad existence for the Titch's but one that was deeply fulfilling. For every good deed done, the family continued to prosper wielding the gift of immortality and wealth.

As she quickly finished the story the end of the book had an all-black page with the outline of a hand. Erin hesitantly placed her hand in the outline and felt the warmth of the page. Her hand lingered there as she halfway expected something to happen. After a moment of silence, she removed her hand and flipped to the next page which was entirely handwritten and titled “How To Call Upon A Titch”. She was all too excited to learn how to summon the whimsical good willed creatures that mythically lived in her town no matter how improbable it sounded.

“Step 1: read this book in its entirety, Step 2: place your hand on the outlined hand, Step 3: place a drop of water from a storm that has just passed on this page, Step 4: make your wish

It seemed almost too perfect that the house was still damp with rainwater from the storm that had just subsided. Erin knew precisely what her wish would be but what if it didn’t come true? With her doubts behind her she reached through her window ran her finger against the outside pane and smudged it on the page. She then sat on the floor closed her eyes and silently made her wish. She closed the book and placed it on her lap and began to stare out into the horizon through her open window. Her gaze fixed on the waves that flowed like a lush blanket with one thousand corners against the sand. Her eyes felt heavy as she waited for something to happen, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

A gentle hand tugged on her shoulder waking her. She eagerly turned around to find her Grandmother Ruthie standing behind her smiling. “It’s time for supper.” She said softly. Erin grew teary eyed as she looked down at the book. “What’s the matter Erin?” her grandmother asked with concern. “I’m just sad the story is over.” “Everything has a beginning and an end, what matters most are the moments that happened in between.” Ruthie said reassuringly.

Erin suddenly noticed the cover of the book had slightly changed; the boy was standing on shore however the boat appeared closer on the horizon. The boy was also now pointing in its direction. Her eyes shot back to her window where she saw the silhouette of a boat in the distance. Without hesitation, she ran barefoot out of her house and towards the sea. As she approached the sandy shore, she saw a boy much like the one on the cover of the book smiling at her. “Are you the…?” She said breathing heavily. The boy’s smile widened, and he lifted his arm and pointed out to the horizon. Grandma Ruthie soon found herself on the sands beside her granddaughter. “Why did you run out like that!” Erin turned to her grandmother and pointed at the boat in the distance. “It’s them isn’t it?” She screamed. Unable to answer, Grandma Ruthie shook her head and dropped to her knees in disbelief.

Erin knew the beginning of her story no longer mattered for it was the moments in the middle that forged the end. As the memory of the Titch faded from her memory a doorway of happiness opened once again.