Egdirbmu

Egdirbmu

She held out her wand and aimed well, hitting her target with a stunning spell. A moment later, she stood over her target. She produced a devious smile, pointed her wand at her victim lying on the ground and repeated another stunning charm, just for the fun of it.

Egdirbmu took great pleasure in hurting people. She had been hurt so many times in her life and now she was going to get revenge. There was a time when she thought she had found some meaning in life. She held a somewhat powerful position at the Ministry of Magic, but now that was gone. She looked over her victim, crouched down and grabbed her by her hair. Her victim gave a light moan. Egdirbmu, told her not to die yet, because she wanted to continue their fun with a heavy dose of the Cruciatus Curse. She let her victim's head fall back with a thud. "We will have many hours of you screaming and me enjoying every minute of it. Yes my dear you will sup full of horrors. Let's be off." Mobilicorpus.

As time passed, Egdirbmu brought her helpless charge a good measure into the Forbidden Forest. Egdirbmu, through her experiences, knew parts of the forest fairly well. They arrived at a cave. They entered past a well hidden entrance. Egdirbmu countered the Mobilicorpus spell and the young girl fell hard on the earthen floor. Egdirbmu bent down over the girl and slapped her face to jolt her into some kind of movement. The young lady moved her head back and forth and whispered something.

The wind was rising out of the north, gusting sharply, pushing the clouds across the sky. The small hearth was radiant with a blazing fire. Egdirbmu, stirred the simmering contents of a cauldron with a wooden spoon. The aroma of the contents in the cauldron was pungent in the cave. She would intermittently cast a glance toward the wrapped bundle sleeping on pine boughs covered with animal skins. She smiled and thought how useful those filthy beasts, were. Sometimes her victim would moan. Her rest made her look dead.

There was mild delirium but she would recover and gain strength for the "fun" she would have to face. After she fed the little darling, she would eat herself. She would then close her eyes on this most wonderful day. A peculiar reverie danced across her mind. She now had time to think and thought maybe there was an alternative to the Cruciatto Curse or a possible companion to it.

The idea that announced itself to her was even more delightful. Poison would be perfect. Yes poison will do. Egdirbmu would put on a good act at being her friend, earn her trust and build her up physically and then, a low giggle, Egdirbmu would slowly poison her. Watching her young charge's life, slowly ebb away. She then made a face and thought if she got too bored with the plan, she could always resort to the Cruciatus Curse straight away. In any circumstance she would enjoy watching the young lady suffer. Egdirbmu began to rest with a smile on her toad- like face.

The night passed. The young lady awoke and slowly compassed her surroundings. Although it was light outside, the cave was still dark inside. She then saw Egdirbmu sitting in front of small hearth. Egdirbmu's appearance startled her, but she gathered her courage and said hello. Egdirbmu was humming a song while stirring something in a pot. Whatever it was it smelled delicious to an empty stomach. Egdirbmu slowly turned and looked at the young lady and asked her if she would like something to eat. She nodded her head rather weakly and answered yes. The older woman arose and walked toward the young girl. She stretched out her hand to help her sit up and slowly walked her back to partake of the food in the pot. The young lady slowly sat down on a spot indicated by Egdirbmu. The older woman ladled some broth and some small chunks of meat into a bowl and handed it to her victim with a very large smile on her face. The young lady asked Egdirbmu if she was going to eat and she smiled and lied that she had already had her fill. The girl brought the broth to her lips and ate. It tasted good as it slowly flowed down her throat. As she was eating, both women looked at each other. There was something in both of their memories trying to come forth but neither could call the thought to its full revelation. There appeared to be something familiar about each other. Like their paths had crossed before. Both released the troublesome intruder for now.

While the "little bit of fluff" slept again Egdirbmu sat back on a comfortable stool and began to draw back the curtains of her mind. As a little girl she didn't want help or companionship, she liked to be alone. She never had close friends and indeed wanted it that way. She wanted to be separate and did not want to be tied to other people. She had contempt for others and wanted to be self-sufficient. This determined way of life made her feelings solid as driftwood polished by the sand. Her sweet smiles were sheer lies and made her like a dead branch floating down the river. She had instincts of cruelty, secrecy, and domination. Even while she worked at the Ministry of Magic she would absolutely deny that anyone but herself was pulling her wagon. It never seemed to come to her mind that she plowed a wicked way and was reaping a crop of evil. She emerged out of her self-analysis and again focused on this nymph, this little witch, this weak vessel. It brought her great satisfaction to view her pawn begin her hand to hand journey with poison. As Egdirbmu's malicious life progressed in degree, so would the strength of the poison grow in degree.

As time moved on, the young lady arose. She felt weak. This mildly puzzled her, because she thought the food she ate would give her strength. However, she was so tired that her train of logic had the range of a teaspoon. She scanned her surroundings and found them to be rather barbaric. However, the cave and its owner did provide her an atmosphere of fascination. There was a hint of fear and caution in her being. Nevertheless, she was happy for the warmth and shelter.

She tried to put her thoughts in some proper sequence. Her first problem to be solved was what had knocked her out. She believed she was hit by some kind of curse, but she wasn't sure. She did not want to move on until she solved the present problem, but perhaps further investigation would provide the answer to this question. Her natural approach to situations was to learn as much about them as she could before casting a proper assessment. Normally she could become intensely cross at this situation, but her weakness helped her to keep that emotion in check.

As she continued to eat the meals the older woman provided her, the young lady did not feel any better. She felt weaker. The fear she felt began to bloom in her heart. Another thought presented itself to her tired mind. Instead of being a patient to this older woman she now felt she was a prisoner. As weak as she was, she decided to test her theory. She slowly walked to the entrance of the cave which seemed to make Egdirbmu nervous. The young lady told her that soon the day would arrive when she would have to leave. This brought a sudden burst of energy from the older woman who with surprising agility moved right behind the young lady and placed her hand on her shoulder and told her that it would not be possible for a while. She ushered the young lady back to where she was sitting and told her that she was not yet strong enough. This reaction from Egdirbmu seemed to confirm what the young lady thought. She was a prisoner. A memory entered her thoughts. Long ago she and her friends were in such a situation. A father of a friend of theirs tried to keep them in his house, but failed. What they escaped to was very bad. The young lady looked at her inside forearm and rubbed it as if the pain was still there. She had to try and channel what energy she had to escape. She was afraid but determined. Determination was a strong part of her character.

After some time Egdirbmu seemed to sense that her captive knew the situation and was preparing some kind of action to bring about her freedom. It could give the appearance of open war to a trained observer and the old goose knew her victim was no easy prey. Although she could not still bring the memory about, she knew this young lady from some time in her past. The cave atmosphere reeked of a cat and mouse game and both were determined to win the contest. However, Egdirbmu had the upper hand because she was the stronger and knew the surroundings better than the young lady.

The contest moved forward when the young lady decided not to eat anymore of the old woman's "healthy" stew. She said she needed a variety in her diet and very sweetly asked her host if there was anything different to eat. Trying to manage her anger at the request, the old maid shoved the bowl of stew away and told her that of course there were other things to eat. Seeing the reaction of the older gal the young woman was content in knowing she had won a small victory. The young woman was presented with some bread that did not have the aura of freshness. The young woman reluctantly accepted it and after eating it thought that perhaps whatever the stew was laced with it might have tasted better than the bread. These back-and-forth mini battles took place for several days until the frustration of the old woman came to a peak.

It was very difficult for the young lady to stay awake. Her older captor never seemed to tire and went about the cave doing knick-knack work. She remained close to the entrance so her little rabbit could not escape. Egdirbmu decided she had to do something to injure this young thing to put the odds in her favor. She decided she would target the young lady's leg, so she could not run from her. Egdirbmu was rather fat and of course her age was against her. Even when she was young she was not fast-a-foot. She was often teased by other kids of her same age who could run circles around her. She always shouted back at them that someday she would get even. She could kill this young woman with her wand, but the test of wills between them had been rather enjoyable to her, especially when she knew she would win the contest.

Nevertheless, she would have to take action soon because she was growing tired of being in the cave for so long of time. She had to keep constant watch on her cave mate so she wouldn't leave without her permission, which of course would never come. She knew the young lady watched her every move when she was awake, even though she was trying to disguise it. This bothered the old woman to the extreme. However, she had a stroke of inspiration and formulated a plan. She decided to wait until twilight when the warmth of the cave would create an atmosphere of tranquility. She knew her prey was still weak from the stew and not eating much after that. She decided on a powder from a root that would make one sleepy. She did some studying in a book of Herbology she had kept when she was at the school. It proved resourceful in her decision to be an exile in the Forbidden Forest. After some intense reading in the book, she discovered a root that would produce a sleeping draught that was rather powerful. To her delight, the root was available in her surroundings. She did some searching and found the root. She then worked with it and then put the powder in the large water container. When the time was right, she would pour herself a drink in front of the young lady. The young thing would surely have to believe that she wouldn't drink something that would be tainted. After some time passed, the old woman made noises to bring attention to her movements. She needed the young girl to see her pour herself a cup of water from the container. This action worked. The young woman slowly got out of her bed of boughs. Egdirbmu held an empty cup and bid the girl to pour herself a drink. The old woman poured herself another drink of water from the container. Although the young lady showed great reservation she moved slowly toward Egdirbmu and took the cup and poured herself a drink. The older woman smiled and nodded as she continued to take small sips from her cup. The young woman gave way to her reservation and poured herself a generous amount of water into the cup she was holding. She drank greedily, for she was very thirsty. She poured another and again drank deeply. Because she had not eaten anything all day the powder took quick effect. She dropped the cup on the cave floor and the remaining contents splashed about. Egdirbmu , although groggy herself moved toward the young girl and grabbed her. She wrapped her arms around her and threw her on the bed of boughs. She stood over the girl and a great thrill came over her. She had done it. In her essence of insanity, her feeling of elation increased. The battle was good as over. She rested a few moments before she took a heavy mallet from a corner of the cave. She had lifted it from a poor man who had crossed her path long ago. She thought it would be of some use and now she was going to use it well.

Now a new thought presented itself to her brain. She sat down on the bed of boughs and asked the young lady, even though she could not hear her whether she should she break her leg while she was unconscious or wait until she was awake? The latter won over. Egdirbmu fetched some line that she had collected from another unfortunate person of whom she had the pleasure of meeting alone in the wood. She tied the young lady well and good. She then went to find an item she would need to do a proper breaking of a leg. She thought a large flat rock would do. She looked about the cave and after a bit of searching found one that would work quite well. It was rather large and heavy, but she managed to get it up on the bed of boughs. She placed it under her victim's right leg, for that was the one closes to her. She secured the leg to the flat rock. She then settled for a rest, waiting for the young lady to wake up. She also would need to gather her strength to be able to wield that heavy mallet on to the young lady's leg.

After time had passed, the young lady stirred. Although, she was completely out from the drugged water, her aching body told her she was not in a comfortable position. When she tried to adjust her body, she realized she could not move. A quick observation revealed to her that she was tied to the bed of boughs. Then fear slowly arose in her inner being as she saw her leg resting on a large flat rock. She also saw that her leg was tied to the rock with line. She was afraid. Egdirbmu cleared her throat to gain the young lady's attention. Egdirbmu sat looking at her. She was drinking something that appeared to give her a nice lift. She also seemed quite full of joy that she had the upper hand in their dueling match.

"You have put me to a great deal of trouble. Now I intend to put you to a great deal of pain."With a fiendish smile Egdirbmu taunted her captive. The unlucky lady had fallen within in her web and now after some time she must suffer the penalty. Egdirbmu enjoyed hurting people, not torturing them. HOWEVER, when she came across this girl there was something different. She had waited a long time for a perfect victim and now she was before her, unable to defend herself. The young lady's eyes were wide with terror as Egdirbmu picked up the mallet and slowly walked toward her. She smiled at the young lady as she slowly moved her hand up and down the leg searching for the right spot. When she was satisfied that she had found it, she took out a knife and slit a large tare in the young lady's clothing covering her leg. She placed a light kiss upon the spot and then stepped back and lifted the mallet high over her head and brought it down on her captive's leg. She heard the bone splinter and crack. The young lady screamed loudly to Egdirbmu's complete delight. The girl then passed out from the incredible pain. After this great effort, the old witch checked her charming creature and decided all was well with her. She took a deep breath and went to leave the cave for a nice walk, knowing full well her little darling could not escape from her. It would be some time before her return because she needed to re-stock her cave with many things. She also decided that when she arrived back, she would arouse the girl, let her suffer a tot more, and then kill her. She was tired of this girl.

Pain made the young lady pass out, now it made her wake up. The pain was so very intense. Any movement would bring such pain that she almost threw up. She turned her head over and scanned the cave and saw that she was alone. She turned her head back and looked up at the ceiling of the cave. She had to get out of the cave. Perspective, she thought, perspective. She was tied and could not untie herself with her hands. Then she noticed it, a knife lying on her right side. It was not far from her hand. She did not know how it got there and she didn't care. All she did know was that she had to get it and cut herself free. She drew a great breath, knowing the pain would be great and lifted forward as best as she could. The move brought her fingers within close reach of the knife. She touched it, but could not bring it to grip. The pain made her want to scream, but she held it in being afraid the yell would bring her captor back in the cave. She lay back, sweating profusely. She was known for her temper and she drew upon that energy and tried to reach it once more. This time her effort was successful. Her fingers were able to place the knife handle in the palm of her hand. The pain from her leg was blinding, nevertheless, she had to somehow bring the blade across the line that held her. Her hand had good dexterity from writing so many school work parchments however the task was still very difficult. With sweat and effort she managed to cut a line. It curled and snapped. After that she was able to cut more and then she was free.

She took a deep breath and sat up. This action brought on new horizons of agony. She choked back another scream because again she didn't know where the old hag was. After gaining command of herself, she gazed at her broken leg and thought she would vomit. She could see the break. It was a purplish-green all round it. It was also puffy and bloated from swelling. She swallowed her bile and went to work releasing her leg from the line that was attached to it. It was beyond painful, but it was a task she must complete, to escape. After this was accomplished she took a deep, deep breath and holding her leg with both hands swung it over the side of the bed of boughs. She cried. She slowly lowered it to the floor of the cave. She tested it with her weight but the pain shot through her with great intensity. She had no choice but to crawl. The thought of this task brought on a dark, gloomy and brooding feeling. Perhaps she thought that she should slip back onto the bed of boughs. How beautiful it would be to give in at last and rest to let Egdirbmu have her way with her and be done with it. Just turn out the lights. She entered into death dreaming. And then with anger she stomped her injured leg and the pain revived her, quickening her mind. With the electric shock, life flooded back into her, driving out the lethargy, pumping back the will to survive.

She fell to the floor as gently as she could. However, any movement brought pain. With great effort she began to crawl. Although the pain tended to dominate her thoughts, she knew she had to concentrate, perspective. She decided the first order of defense was to locate her wand. She looked round and round but did not see it. She had to improvise. She looked at the pile of wood in the corner of the cave used for the cooking fire. She crawled to the pile and looked for the best piece of wood for a weapon. As she pawed through the wood she gasped. To her delight she found her wand. The old Crone must have stuck it in there to hide it. The old goat must have read Poe, she thought, hiding it out in the open were it could be seen. She grabbed it, she was armed. She wanted to rummage about for food and water, but not knowing how much time had passed she thought she had better be on her way. She crawled out of the cave as quickly as she could. It was very slow going. The pain in her leg was close to overwhelming. Concentrate, perspective. She made little progress but continued to try. Old Winnie said never to give up, so she would not give up. She made it through the opening of the cave, she was free. After some great effort and fighting back her screams, she finally made it to a gathering of trees. She felt a sense of victory, but then she looked back and to her horror she saw that her crawling had made a path easy for Egdirbmu to follow. She was completely exhausted, but she had to think. Think, think, what should I do? She was talking to herself. She was fading, she needed to stay awake or the "oddity" would be upon her and drag her back to the cave. She couldn't crawl to the castle, it was too far. She took a very deep breath, hoping it would help her to arrive at a decision. She was afraid. Then out of her being came a peace. It was like an aura about her. She knew what she had to do.

Her calm logical reason took over. She remembered what she read in a book one time that cowards die many times before their death. She needed to stay and fight and if necessary give her life to save others from Edirbmu. She also remembered that the valiant never taste of death but once. She then heard a noise. She looked in its direction it was the old woman returning to the cave. She noticed that she was investigating the crawling trail in front of the cave. She went in and the young woman heard a blood curdling scream. She was so very afraid. This was it, the final curtain of her life, her last performance. She saw Egdirbmu come out, viciously angry. She started to follow the trail. The enraged old woman was coming closer and closer. The young girl waited.

The End

Dedicated as always to the "Beautificus Totalis" Emma Watson, A True English Lady.