The Ladies of the Lake 
By Myriss 
myriss1013@yahoo.com 
RATINGS WARNING: PG-13 
CLASSIFICATION:  V 
KEYWORDS:  Williamfic, future fic, post-col (sorta) 
SPOILERS:  Nothing really. 
DISTRIBUTION:  Gossamer and Ephemeral Okay.  Okay for others 
please go ahead but let me know.  And keep my name and 
header. 
SUMMARY: "Why would anyone give up their own kid?" 
THE DISCLAIMER:   Any character you recognize from the TV 
series belongs to 1013 and Fox (except for Scully and Mulder 
who belong to each other).  I am just borrowing them. 
*AUTHOR'S NOTE* - Just a word of warning: although, Mulder 
and Scully are in the story, they come into the story very 
late. This story is about Will. 
THANKS TO MORI for beta-ing! 
The Ladies of the Lake 
by Myriss (myriss1013@yahoo.com) 
***** 
  
Will was digging into the dirt with the end of a stick. 
"Why would anyone give up their own kid?" he asked. He 
didn't really expect an answer. 
He was too busy brooding about what happened last Saturday. 
While digging through his parents' closet looking for his 
lost baseball glove, Will had accidentally knocked over a 
ratty shoe box stuffed full of yellowed papers.  As he 
gathered up the papers, he had stumbled onto the fact that 
he had been adopted when he was nine months old. 
"It wasn't like I didn't kinda know, you know," he continued 
glumly.  "I never did fit in, but still--I don't know why 
they didn't tell me..." 
He scowled fiercely at his feet, his long red hair flopping 
around his thin, slightly freckled face.  "I just don't 
understand, Mouse," he muttered unhappily. 
I nodded sympathetically.  Will was my best friend.  Wait a 
minute.  Let  me amend that statement.  Will was my *only 
friend.* 
I had the dubious honor of being born a "Lady of the Lake." 
It was not an honorable thing really. 
According to the town legends, the Lakes had lived for 
generations  in the looming, three story house with its high 
stone walls that were lined with sharp black iron spikes, 
its heavy black gates, its rambling gardens, its fishpond, 
and its fruit and nut trees. 
The Lake House residents were mostly women. The Lake family 
line ran to females. And the males who came--well, the 
stories say--they did not last long. They either went mad or 
died young. 
You would think knowing this that men would steer clear of 
the Lake House and its inhabitants, but it was not so. Men, 
past and present, had tried to scale the high walls to woo 
the women within, only to receive various broken limbs for 
their pain. 
The Lake ladies were known for their ethereal beauty and 
seemingly coldness of the heart, none of which I seemed to 
have inherited. I had yet to find out whether this was a 
gift or a curse. 
Will and I were standing outside the Lake House front gate, 
under the oak tree. Beneath the tree was a bench that the 
Aunties had put out because Will, under the threat of a fate 
worse than death, was not allowed to go past the gates. 
His parents--although well known for their firm religious 
conviction--were still superstitious enough to believe the 
Lake House stories that any male that went past it would die 
a horrific death. 
The last male that came through the gate was my father. 
My father had met my mother, Summer Lake, while she was 
attending the local college. He was from out of town so he 
didn't put too much stock in the stories about the Lake 
House. When she wanted to remain at the Lake House, he 
agreed. 
For a while it went well. My sister, Autumn, was born seven 
months after they were married, a true Lake lady with her 
fall-colored hair down to her graceful feet.  When she 
moved, my sister made you want to weep from the grace of it. 
Seven years later, I was born--a small brown baby with dark 
downy hair and dark brown eyes. I was a throwback from 
somewhere in my father's family. My sister, seeing me for 
the first time, had exclaimed happily, "Look! She looks like 
Tattling!" 
Tattling was, at that time, Autumn's pet mouse. It was how I 
got my nickname. 
Two months later, my father, suffering from some mysterious 
aliment, quietly expired in his sleep. 
My mother did not remarry.  Instead she withered away.  One 
day, in the dead of night, she dressed herself in her 
wedding gown, laid face down in the fish pond in our back 
yard, and drowned herself in three feet of water. 
It was up to the Aunties, my mother's sister May, and Great 
Aunt Winters  to raise my sister and I. 
***** 
Even at a young age, I never fit in. Local kids and their 
parents eyed me with suspicion. It was well known that the 
Lake Ladies were witches, after all. 
Nor did I feel I quite belonged to my family. They were too 
beautiful, too graceful, for an ugly duckling like me. 
Although, the Aunties had never shown any preference by word 
or deed, I could not help wondering if they perhaps loved 
Autumn more because she was so beautiful. 
So I could empathize with Will's alienation at not 
belonging. I did not belong either. But together, we 
belonged to each other. 
His hazel eyes was dark with pain.  "Why would someone give 
up their baby, Mouse? Why didn't they want to keep me?" 
I crouched beside him and drew a picture of a boy drawing a 
sword out of the stone in the dirt. 
"Queen Igraine gave up King Arthur," I said to him. "To 
protect him from King Arthur's enemies." 
Will bit his lower lip.  His face brightened. "She did, 
didn't she?" 
"Maybe that's the case with you." 
He grinned.  "Maybe. Maybe I'm a prince or something and 
hidden away so I would be protected." 
"Something like that," I grinned back. 
"You're the best, Mouse," he said, clasping a hand on my 
shoulder. He dug his hand into his pocket, pulled out a 
bill, and waved it in the air. 
"Got my allowance," he said, grinning. "You want to get some 
peanut butter ice cream?" 
Who wouldn't? 
Peanut butter ice cream. The cure for all ills. 
  
***** 
  
Will and I spent the day, gorging on peanut butter ice cream 
at the Silver Scoop Ice Cream Shoppe, before we headed out 
to the local park to play baseball. Once there, we ran into 
a couple of kids from school. 
They sneered at my presence. 
"What are you doing with her?" Randy Johnson demanded to 
Will. "She's a witch, you know. If you're not careful, 
she'll put a curse on you, Van de Kampf." Then he made a 
face. "Or maybe she already did. Maybe she put a love spell 
on you!" he snickered. "And that's why you are hanging 
around her!" 
"Shut up, Johnson!" Will snapped, his face almost as red as 
his hair. 
"Why don't you come and make me, shrimp!" 
Will stepped forward, all ready to defend my honor . It  was 
flattering in a way, of course. I knew some girls who would 
have loved the thought of boys fighting over them. But I 
wasn't one of them. Besides, I was no fool. Two against five 
were not very good odds--especially if the five were all a 
foot and half taller and twenty pounds heavier. 
I grabbed Will by the arm to keep him from doing something 
stupid. "Don't, Will," I hissed. 
He jerked his head in protest. 
"Will!" 
Reluctantly, he let me pull him away. Randy Johnson and his 
friends hackled and hooted after us. 
"Chicken!" 
"Bawk-Bawk-Bawk!" 
"Mouse Lake is an ugly witch!" 
"Maybe we should call you Will Fraidy Pants, instead of Will 
Van de Kampf!" 
Will was furious. 
"You should have let me belt him one!" he said darkly. 
"You know they wouldn't fight fair. They would have 
ganged-up on us!" 
Will made a face. "I wouldn't expect you to fight, Mouse." 
I made one back at him. "What you expect me to do? Stand 
around and watch you being pummeled?" 
Will's mouth dropped, then he said, his humor restored--his 
temper dying down. "Naw," he said, grinning. "I expected you 
to run for help, Mouse." 
It was later that afternoon we heard the news. After 
heckling us and leaving the park, Randy Johnson had been hit 
by a runaway shopping cart while crossing the local Walmart 
parking lot. He was in the hospital with a broken arm. 
  
***** 
"Are you all right?" Auntie May asked when I came into the 
kitchen. And before I could answer, she had felt my forehead 
for my temperature and checked my pulse. Then turned around 
and put a kettle on top of the stove. 
"What happened, Mouse?" 
"Randy Johnson got ran over by a shopping cart. He broke his 
arm." 
To my surprise, Auntie May merely said, "I thought you and 
Will didn't like Randy Johnson--that he was the bane of your 
existences." 
"He is," I confessed. "Me and Will were playing in the park 
when he and a bunch of his friends came over and started to 
harass us. Will was so mad that he wanted to beat them all 
up." 
"I like Will," she said mildly. 
I sighed. "Don't you see, Auntie! They're going to blame me! 
They already saying that I cursed Randy Johnson and that's 
why he got ran over." 
"It wasn't because he was just careless?" she asked, looking 
very innocent. 
The kettle sang from behind her and she got up to attend to 
it. Then she set a cup of tea down in front of me. I took a 
deep sniff. It was lavender tea. To soothe me.  I drank it 
down. Then I rubbed my finger across the polished surface of 
the kitchen table with its indentations of generations of 
use. 
"What am I going to do, Auntie?" 
She patted my shoulder comfortingly. 
"It'll blow over, Mouse. You'll see." 
***** 
  
It was worse at school. Kids whispering and dodging out of 
my way as I walked through the halls. I was more miserable 
than usual. 
"It'll all blow over soon enough," Will said soothingly. 
I made a face. "That's exactly what Auntie May said." 
He grinned . "I like your aunt, Mouse." 
I wrinkled my nose at him. "That's what she said about you, 
Will." 
Will hooted happily. "Auntie May likes me then?" 
I rolled my eyes. "Of course she does," I said darkly. "I 
don't know why." 
He gave my shoulder a little push. "Hey, I heard that!" he 
said. 
I laughed, feeling better. Will always knew what to say. 
  
***** 
It would have blown over after a while, I guess, if nothing 
else had happened. 
Randy Johnson returned to school, flashing his arm sling to 
the oohs and aahs of our schoolmates, and casting rather 
nasty looks at me and Will, but otherwise he left us alone. 
I guess he was too scared. 
Two days after his return, Tye Carter, one of the five boys 
that had heckled us, had fallen into the toilet as he was 
using the bathroom and broke his tail bone. 
We had been playing Knights. I was the Queen of the Land and 
had just dubbed him Sir William when we overhead a neighbor 
tell his mother what happened. 
Will rolled on his back with laughter. "Oh, I wish I could 
have seen that!" he said, giggling. 
I was distressed to see that he found it funny. "It's not 
funny," I said, feeling if I was somehow to blame."That must 
have really hurt." 
"Of course it hurt," Will said rather unfeelingly, "but it's 
still funny." 
I shook my head, wondering if this was the same Will. The 
one who cried when Charlotte the spider died in the 
Charlotte's Web or when Little Ann died of a broken heart in 
Where the Red Fern Grows. The one who didn't even like to 
abandon me. That Will. 
Will pulled his mouth down mulishly. "He deserved it," Will 
said. "And so did Johnson! Saying those mean things about 
you?" I could tell he was getting mad. His ears were turning 
red. 
"I'm not saying they didn't deserve it , Will. It's 
just--it's just they think I did it, Will. And I didn't do 
anything!" 
Will sighed. "They're leaving us alone now, right?" 
"Well, yeah," I said reluctantly. But still..." 
"Oh, c'mon now, Mouse." He patted me on the shoulder. "I got 
something to show you." 
He opened his closet and lifted the hidden trap door on the 
floor of his closet. The trap door led to a crawl space that 
was large enough for Will and me to crawl in and pretended 
we were a king and queen escaping our enemies or prisoners 
thrown into a dungeon. It was also the place that Will kept 
the things that he didn't want his parents to mess with. 
I  was pretty sure that his parents didn't know about it. 
The house was very old and Will had discovered the trap door 
by accident a few years ago. It was so well-hidden that you 
had to practically know it was there to find it. 
He pulled something out of there, walked back over to me, 
and handed it to me. I looked at it in puzzlement for a few 
seconds, before I realized it was a baby cap with bunny 
ears. 
A vision of Will as a baby wearing these bunny ears popped 
into my mind. 
"I found these in the same box that had my adoption papers," 
he said, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully.  "I think it's 
mine before Mom and Dad adopted me." Then he stopped and 
corrected, "No, actually I am sure it is," He touched one of 
the bunny ears with a tentative finger. "I've remembered 
other things, too." 
I smoothed the soft fabric of the bunny cap, then looked up 
at him. "Are you sure, Will? You were just a baby then." 
He nodded. "I know, Mouse. But I'm pretty sure they're real 
memories." 
"What do you remember?" 
"I--I remember a woman singing to me. She has red hair. 
She's singing--" The tips of his ears turned pink. "She's 
singing a song--It's a pretty silly song." 
"What is it?" I asked, curious. 
Will made a face, then sang off-key, "Jeremiah was a 
bullfrog..." 
We looked at each other and giggled. 
"That's a real song?" I asked disbelievingly. 
He nodded. "Yep. I asked my parents if they ever heard of 
it. They say it's an old song. Joy To The World by Three Dog 
Night." 
We giggled even more at the absurdity of the name. 
"Did you tell your parents that you found about being 
adopted?" 
Will shifted uncomfortably. Then he shook his head. "Nahh. I 
don't want to hurt their feelings. I mean--they aren't bad 
parents, you know. They can't help being the way they are. 
It's not their fault." 
I nodded. Will's parents weren't that bad. They were very 
nice to me, letting us play together. A lot of parents in 
town wouldn't because of the stories about the Lake House 
and the Lake Ladies.... 
It was just that Will was so different from them. The way he 
acted. The way he thought. I always had a sneaking suspicion 
that Will was a lot smarter than he made himself out to 
be...a lot smarter than his parents, to tell you the truth. 
His parents couldn't understand him. They kept trying to 
make him act like a regular twelve year old kid. They just 
didn't realize that he wasn't one. 
  
****** 
After a while, I got used to being avoided by the kids at 
school, and Will was avoided along with me, since he refused 
to abandoned me. I had hoped it would fade away, and it 
would have except two more of our hecklers suffered from 
unfortunate accidents. 
Martin Cooper had the embarrassing luck of slipping on dog 
poo and breaking his big toe. Then Greg Evans broke two of 
his fingers when he accidentally got them caught in the 
bathroom door after gym. 
"Well, there's only one left to go," I said gloomily to 
Will. 
He patted me on the shoulder. "It's not your fault, Mouse." 
"It sure feels like it, Will," I told him. I was glad that 
the winter holidays were about to begin. 
  
***** 
Along came the holidays.  My sister Autumn came dancing home 
from performance school. She swept in gracefully, looking 
like a princess from a fairy tale. 
Will looked at her and gulped. 
I rolled my eyes, disgusted at his behavior. It was the 
typical response that any male from the ages of nine to 
ninety-nine had when he saw Autumn. 
She swooped down on me to hug me close, her scent sweet and 
spicy. 
"Hello, Mouse!" she exclaimed happily. "I sure did miss you 
and the Aunties!" Then she reached over and hugged Will to 
his amazement. His ears turned such a bright red that I was 
surprised that they didn't glow. I snickered. 
"Hi ya, Will!" she said. "Glad to see you here, too!" Then 
she turned and motioned behind her. "I want you guys to meet 
someone. This is my friend. She's my new roommate!" 
Leslie smiled uncertainly at me and Will. I thought she 
seemed rather nice but very shy--very different from most of 
friends that Autumn had made. 
I didn't realize how different until I stumbled into 
Autumn's bedroom the next morning and found to my surprise, 
Leslie in bed with her. And it was obvious they didn't have 
any clothes on beneath the covers. 
I stopped short, unsure what to do. 
"Do you need something, Mouse?" my sister asked sleepily. 
"Uh..." I stammered. "Auntie May wanted to know if you two 
wanted breakfast." 
Autumn nudged Leslie, who muttered in her sleep. Autumn 
sighed, then smiled at me, "Tell Auntie we'll get something 
later on." 
"Sure," I said, and fled, embarrassed. 
Later, I told Will what happened, my face flaming. 
"So your sister is gay?" he asked, looking surprised but not 
as surprised as I had been. 
I looked down at the ground and tried  to draw a picture on 
the ground with the toe of my shoe, but It was cold and the 
ground was too hard. 
I sighed.  "I guess so. I always wondered why she never had 
a boyfriend. I mean there are tons of boys that are in love 
with her. They leave candy and stuff by the front gate and 
of course, at night, they come and try to wake her up by 
throwing things at her window." I made a face. "They usually 
wake me up instead." I shrugged. "I just thought that she 
was too busy with her dancing to pay attention." 
Will looked puzzled. "So you don't like the fact that your 
sister is gay, Mouse?" 
I frowned, thinking about it. Then I shook my head. "That's 
not it," I said. "I guess I felt weird walking in on them 
like that. It was rather mortifying, Will." 
Will leaned over and said quite wisely, "She's still Autumn, 
you know. That never changes." 
I sighed. "I know. It was just a big surprise. That's all. 
I'll get over it." 
And I did. 
Leslie was pretty funny once she got over her shyness and 
realized that the Aunties didn't seem to care that she was 
sleeping in the same bed as my sister.  And it was obvious 
that she and Autumn was deeply in love. Leslie helped the 
Aunties cook the holiday dinner, and even found time to sit 
down with me and help me finish making Will's gift. 
***** 
Will was already waiting for me at the oak tree. 
"Merry Christmas!" he said as I came out the front door, my 
arms equally loaded with his presents, all of them wrapped 
in the Sunday comics. 
"What do you got there?" he asked, gleefully. 
"Happy Yuletide, Will," I said and shoved his gifts into his 
arms. 
He took them, grinning broadly, and made a big production 
about opening them, as though he didn't already know what he 
was getting--or at least from the Aunties. 
They had given him the same gift every year for the last six 
years that we have known him. 
From Auntie Winters, he received three pairs of hand knitted 
socks. Will loved her socks and he received a gift of them 
for every gift-giving holiday. 
Will sat down on the wood bench at the foot of the oak tree 
and pulled his boots (they were new so they were obviously a 
present from his parents) and socks off. He slipped on a new 
pair of Auntie's socks, then he wiggled his toes happily in 
the air. 
"They fit perfectly," he said like always. "Tell Auntie 
Winters thank you." Then he opened the box from Auntie 
May--a hand knitted hat, gloves, and scarf set. This year 
they were white with scarlet dragons. 
He hooted his approval. "They are so cool, Mouse! Tell 
Auntie May that they are great!" Then he looked approvingly 
at my own gloves--red with black ravens. "Those your new 
ones?" he asked. 
I nodded and wiggled my gloved fingers at him. He snickered 
and opened up Autumn's gift to him. It was a complete set of 
Harry Potter books that she had picked up from a secondhand 
shop. 
"Wow!" he said, looking amazed. I knew how much he wanted 
them. He was allowed to read them, but his parents refused 
to buy them for him. He had read both the library copies and 
my own to tatters.  "Tell your sister thanks, Mouse!" 
Then he opened my gift. I squirmed. I had made his gift and 
wasn't sure if he would like it. 
"Oh, Mouse!" he said. His hand clenched tightly around it. 
For a heart stopping moment I thought he didn't like it but 
then I looked into his face. His eyes were shiny with tears. 
"It's gorgeous, Mouse." Carefully, he lifted it from the box 
and flipped through it slowly, stroking the pages lovingly. 
"It's the story about King Arthur," I told him. 
I had written the story in my best calligraphic hand script 
and illustrated it in watercolor. I had poured my soul into 
it. 
"I tried to make it look like one of the medieval books," I 
said. "But I had to use fake parchment paper, though, since 
real parchment paper is too much money. Autumn bought the 
paper for me at a copy store. And the cover is real leather. 
We found an old leather coat and cut it out of there, and 
Leslie showed me how to sew it up like a real book." 
He looked up at me, his eyes shiny. 
"I love it, Mouse! It's beautiful!" He looked down at the 
book for a long time, then up at me, "I have a present for 
you." He looked uncertain..  "But it's nothing like what you 
gave me, though... He handed a small box to me. 
I opened it up. 
"It's a friendship bracelet," he said, looking over my 
shoulder. 
It was a silver I.D. bracelet. My name was engraved on the 
outside. On the inside, was Will's. 
"I got it for you because you're my friend," he said, 
looking slightly embarrassed. Then he held out his wrist. He 
wore a matching one. 
Best friends. We smiled at each other, then Will helped me 
put it on. 
Then he laid his forehead against mine and whispered, "Merry 
Christmas, Mouse!" Then so softly that I almost didn't hear 
it. "I'm glad that you're my friend." 
Then Auntie May came out with a tray of refreshments for us. 
For me, they always made lavender tea. For Will, they made 
chamomile and honey. And for the both of us, Monkey Face Ice 
Box cookies. 
We munched the cookies down and drank the tea, and Will got 
up to go. His parents were expecting him home. 
  
  
***** 
The day had started out so beautifully but as night fell, a 
sense of foreboding crept into the air. It became heavy and 
oppressive. And my heart began to race as if I was running 
as hard as I could. 
I tried to push it from my mind, but I couldn't shake the 
feeling that something awful had happened. 
Uneasily, I climbed into bed, tossing and turning, trying to 
get to sleep. Finally, I was able to drop off to sleep--only 
to be awoken a few minutes later by pinging at the window. 
I groaned, much annoyed. 
It was probably one of Autumn's lovelorn admirers who found 
out that she was back home and decided to make a nocturnal 
visit. 
The braver ones tried to scale the walls, but they received 
broken or sprained limbs for their pains. The ones who were 
to scared to go past the gate tried to get Autumn's 
attention by throwing pebbles at her windows. Whether it was 
bad aim or that they were frightened by the Lake House 
stories, they rarely hit Autumn's window. Instead they got 
mine and they would often slink off in embarrassment when 
they realized that they had awoken the wrong Lake sister. 
Frustrated, I rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head, 
but whoever it was was persistent. I gave up on any hope of 
going to sleep and crept out of bed, intent on telling Mr. 
Romeo to get lost. 
It wasn't a Romeo. It was Will. 
He was inside the gates. Somehow, he had managed to get over 
the wall without getting hurt. 
Astonished, I ran outside without bothering to put my shoes 
or coat on. 
"Are you crazy, Will?" I whispered loudly.  "Coming through 
the gate." 
I thought I didn't believe in the stories about the Lake 
House, but a tiny bit of me did after all. 
"You could've gotten hurt. And your parents are going to 
kill you!" 
"They can't," he whispered shakily. "I think they're dead." 
"What?" I stared at him incredulously, not sure what he just 
said. 
His face was sheet white, his body shaking. He was dressed 
only in his pajamas, wearing nothing on his feet except a 
pair of Auntie Winters' socks. He was clutching something in 
his hand--it was my book that I had made for him.  "What do 
you mean that they're dead?" 
He drew in a sobbing gasp. "Something woke me. I don't know 
what it was. Mom was screaming, "Please don't hurt him. 
Please don't hurt him." And someone was saying, "Where's the 
boy? Where's the boy?" And my Dad was yelling, "He's not 
here!" Then Mom was saying,  "Why are you doing this? Why 
are you doing this?" Then I heard bangs. I think they shot 
my parents." He whimpered. "I got scared and hid in the 
dungeon, Mouse. I heard them come into the room and check 
the closet. I could hear them talking. "Where's the boy? 
Where is he? We can't leave without that damn boy!" Will 
began to shake like a leaf. "I was so scared, Mouse," he 
whispered.  "I waited for a long time until I was sure they 
were gone. Then I snuck out and came over here." 
"Did you call the police, Will?" I asked, horrified. 
He shook his head numbly. I turned to run inside and do so. 
He caught my arm. "Don't, Mouse," he croaked out. 
I stared at him, puzzled. "Why not?" 
He took in a deep breath. "Because one of them was Chief 
Leeds." 
"Chief Leeds?" I whispered, aghast. I tried to imagine the 
large, jolly policeman who made frequent "say no to drugs" 
lectures at our school as a cold-blooded killer. "Are you 
sure, Will?" 
He nodded wearily. "You know how he talks. No one else talks 
like him." Then, "Please, Mouse. Don't call the police. 
Promise me?" 
I nodded reluctantly, suddenly realizing my feet were like 
frozen blocks of ice. I was freezing cold and looking at 
Will's thin pajamas and shivering body, I bet he was, too. 
"You can't stay out here, Will," I said. "It's freezing." 
Suddenly I had to make a choice. I hope we didn't find out 
if the Lake House curse were really true.  "You need to come 
inside, Will. And hide. I bet they'll be looking for you." 
His hazel eyes looked like deep bruises in his thin face. He 
hiccupped. "I can't do that, Mouse. What if they come after 
you and your family and h--hurt you guys, too." 
Determinedly, I took his hand. Will had stayed with me 
through thick and thin. I refused to abandon him in his time 
of need. 
"You can hide in my room, Will." 
We snuck upstairs, past the Aunties' rooms on the 2nd floor 
and up to the third floor where Autumn and I have our rooms. 
I opened my closet. It was large, almost as big as a small 
bedroom.  I pulled blankets and pillows off the closet shelf 
and made Will a bed in back. He dropped down limply.  He 
looked like he was going to pass out. I pushed his head 
between his knees and rubbed his back, and covered him high 
with blankets. 
"You okay, Will?" I asked. 
He nodded. 
"I'll back," I whispered. I went downstairs into the kitchen 
and made him chamomile tea with honey. Then I came back up 
and handed him the teacup. He took it with shaking hands. 
"Thanks, Mouse," he whispered, his teeth chattering. 
I reached out and pulled a blanket high over his shoulders. 
He smiled uncertainly at me and took a deep breath of the 
sweet, apple-like scent of the chamomile. It seemed to calm 
him a little. 
He finished the tea, looking sleepy and exhausted. I took 
the empty teacup away from his limp hand. I bent over him 
and helped him lie down, took off his wet socks, and put a 
new pair of socks on his feet, then pulled the blankets up 
to his chin. 
"Go to sleep, Will," I whispered to him. 
Looking suddenly very awake and very frightened, he asked, 
"You won't be far, will you, Mouse?" 
"I will be here," I promised. 
And I would be. 
  
  
  
****** 
  
  
The next dawn,  Chief Leeds showed up at the front gate, 
asking me if I had talked to Will this morning. He wouldn't 
pass through the front gate. Chief Leeds, it seemed, was a 
believer in the Lake House curse. 
"Are you sure you haven't talked to William Van de Kampf 
this morning?" he asked. In the morning light, he was no 
longer the jolly man that I knew from school. He was 
different, his posture menacing. 
I shook my head. "No," I said truthfully. I had peeked in on 
Will this morning but he was still asleep, and I hadn't 
wanted to wake him. 
He stepped forward, looming above me. He frowned. "Are you 
sure, Miss Lake?" he asked me. "We have reason to believe 
that whoever killed his parents are going to try to hurt 
him." 
He grabbed me abruptly by the arm, his fingers digging into 
my skin. "We can protect him, Miss Lake. If we knew where he 
is..." 
He was beginning to frighten me badly. I tried to pulled 
away but he tightened his grip. 
"Chief Leeds!" 
We both turned around. It was Auntie Winters by the door, 
looking imperious and regal. She was still very beautiful, 
despite the fact she was quite old and gray. Her presence 
seemed to affect him greatly. I could feel him shaking as he 
dropped his hand from my arm. 
"Please stop bothering my niece," she said in a clear, 
ringing voice. "You're frightening her!" Then she opened the 
door wide. "Come inside, Mouse. It's freezing cold outside." 
Happy to have an excuse to get away, I scuttled inside. 
After breakfast, I slipped away to check on Will and tell 
him what happened. 
"You be careful now, Mouse," Will said anxiously, as he ate 
the oatmeal and toast that I gave him.  "Don't get hurt 
now." 
"I won't, " I promised, although I wasn't sure if I would be 
able to keep it. 
  
***** 
  
Will was having nightmares. And his face became paler and 
paler. I became worried and sought Auntie May's advice. 
"Are you having nightmares, Mouse?" she asked, looking at me 
thoughtfully, her knitting heavy on her lap. 
I hummed noncommittally. 
Auntie picked up her knitting. "Make a dream pillow, Mouse. 
And fill it with lavender and rosemary. Lavender to soothe. 
And rosemary to keep the bad dreams away." 
So I slipped into the Herb Room where the Aunties store the 
herbs in ceramic jars after the harvest. I got some rosemary 
and lavender and took them upstairs to the Aunties' sewing 
room . 
I dug through their scrap bag and found a large piece of 
scarlet velvet that I sewed into a small pillow, stuffing it 
with the herbs and cotton wadding. Then I took it to the 
third floor to give it to Will. 
He took it, looking a little puzzled. "It's seems awfully 
small to be used as a pillow, Mouse," he said rather 
doubtfully. 
"It's a dream pillow," I told him. "You stick it under your 
pillow. It's supposed to keep bad dreams away." 
He scrunched up the pillow thoughtfully. The scent of the 
herbs wafting up to his nose. He grinned, looking a bit 
pleased. 
"Hey, Mouse," he said. "It smells kinda like you." 
"It's the lavender." 
The Aunties scented our soap and rinse water with lavender, 
and stored lavender sachets in our clothes. 
"It smells nice," he said. 
  
***** 
A few day later, another man appeared. He must have been 
from out of town because he had no qualms about coming 
through the front gate to our front door. He was a tall man, 
big, with a bald head, and glasses. 
Auntie May didn't seem to be surprised to see him.  She let 
him in and led him into the kitchen. 
I watched his eyes follow her as she sat down at the kitchen 
table. 
He cleared his throat, embarrassed, when he realized he had 
been staring. My Auntie was unconcerned. 
"My name is Walter Skinner. I'm with FBI," he said, showing 
his badge to us. 
"I don't know much about the FBI, but I would venture to say 
that you're pretty high on the FBI totem pole, Director 
Skinner," Auntie May said mildly. 
Mr. Skinner's bald head turned several shades of pink, but 
his voice was even as he said, "This is somewhat of personal 
case for me, Mrs.--" 
"Miss Lake," Auntie May said. "I've never been married. Why 
is this personal? Did you know the Van de Kampfs 
personally." 
He paused. "Uhr--no--not the Van de Kampfs." He cleared his 
throat again. "They have a son--an adopted son--William Van 
de Kampf, who has been missing since the murders, Miss Lake. 
I have reason to believe he is in great danger. I need to 
find him." 
Auntie May sighed. "We are all worried about Will. We are 
all very fond of him." 
Director Skinner nodded to me. "I've been told that your 
niece here was very close to Will. I would like to talk to 
her." 
Auntie May frowned. "I'd rather you didn't, Mr. Skinner. 
She's been very upset by this all. And after the way Chief 
Leeds treated her while he was questioning her earlier  made 
me and my aunt wary of letting her talk to anyone else." 
Mr. Skinner drew his brow together in puzzlement. "What did 
the Chief do?" 
"Mouse," Auntie May said. "Show Mr. Skinner your arm." 
I did. You could see bruises where Chief Leeds had gripped 
me. Mr. Skinner looked furious. 
"Miss Lake," he said. "Let me assure you that is not the way 
that law enforcement officers usually work!" 
Behind us, the kettle sang. Auntie May got up from her 
chair. "Excuse me, Mr. Skinner. It's time for tea. Would you 
like some?" 
Mr. Skinner looked like he was about to decline, but thought 
better of it, and nodded. "Thank you, please." 
Auntie May handed me a teacup and some cookies. "Here you 
go, Mouse," she said. "Go upstairs for now. Let me talk with 
Mr. Skinner here." 
I took the teacup from her and took a sniff. It was 
chamomile tea with honey. My eyes widened. 
Somehow, Auntie May knew that Will was here. 
"Go on," Auntie May said. 
I nodded, trying to hide my trembling, and hurried upstairs. 
****** 
  
"Auntie May made you some tea," I said to Will as I handed 
him the tea and cookies. 
Will looked frightened. 
"I didn't tell her, Will," I answered his unspoken question. 
"She just knew." 
"Do the others know that I am here?" he asked. 
I shook my head. "I don't know, Will." I paused, then said, 
"There's a man from the FBI here. " 
"FBI?" he squeaked. 
"He said that it was personal." 
"Personal?" Will wrinkled up his brow. "What does he mean by 
that? Did he know my Mom and Dad?" 
"He didn't say. Auntie May is talking to him downstairs." 
"Do you think she will tell him?" he asked. 
"I don't know," I replied. "But only if she really trusts 
him." 
I looked down and noticed that he had my book in his lap. He 
looked down at it, then up at me. 
"You know, Mouse," he said ruefully.  His hand shook as he 
turned a page. "I decided that it's much better to read 
about adventure than go through it." 
  
***** 
There were footsteps in the hall by my bedroom door. We both 
started, then I relaxed.  "It's just Auntie May," I said. 
She knocked on the door and came in. She had some clothes 
draped over her arm. 
"Hello, Auntie May," Will whispered, looking sheepish. 
"Hello, Will. I'm glad that you are here," she said briskly. 
"I have some clothes for you. You need to take a bath." 
"A bath?" he stammered. 
Auntie May thrust the clothes into his arms as well as a 
small sachet. "Put this in your bath, Will. It will make you 
feel better." Then to me, "Bring his clothes downstairs so I 
can wash them." 
Then she was gone. 
Will looked at the clothes that she brought. Somewhere, 
probably in the attic, she had scrounged up a pair of jeans, 
boxers, and  a T-shirt that would fit him. He blushed at the 
boxers. Then picked up the sachet that Auntie May had given 
him. 
"What is this?" he asked. 
"It's filled with herbs. You put it in your bath. It's like 
a giant tea bag." I looked at him anxiously. "You're feeling 
okay, aren't you, Will?" I worried that he was becoming sick 
from being in the house. 
"I feel okay," he answered. "Considering..." he left that 
open. Then he said, "I like your house, Mouse. I like it a 
lot." 
I was surprised. "Do you? They say most men who've come in 
complained that they felt they were being watched all the 
time. You don't feel that way?" 
Will thought about it. "No. I do feel I'm being kinda 
watched. But not in a bad way. Not like a someone watching 
you, waiting for you do something wrong. More like someone 
watching and taking care of you." 
I smiled. No matter how hard it was to be a Lady of the 
Lake, I loved every square inch of this house. 
***** 
  
He looked a lot better after he got out of the bath. The 
T-shirt hung almost to his knees. And the jeans puddled to 
the floor. I bent over and rolled them up for him. 
He watched me do this and said shyly, "I don't know what I 
would do without you, Mouse." 
I smirked up at him. "Roll up your own jeans!" 
But I understood what he meant. I stood up. 
"Auntie May and Auntie Winters want to talk to you," I said 
to him. 
"So Auntie Winters knows I'm here, too." Will didn't seem to 
be surprised or too upset. I think he was glad to have some 
adults know what was going on. 
"I don't know if Autumn knows you're here. She and Leslie 
wanted to stay, but the Aunties told them to go because 
Autumn has a dance show to rehearse." I tugged his arm. 
"C'mon, let's go." 
***** 
They were sitting in the parlor. Auntie Winters was knitting 
Autumn a sweater and Auntie May was knitting an afghan for 
one of the upstairs spare bedrooms. Both of them put their 
pieces down when we came into the room. 
"Come here, Will," Auntie Winters said, motioning him to 
come forward. "Let me check your ears to make sure they are 
washed properly." 
Bemused, Will cast me a glance. At my shrug, he walked over 
to her. She grabbed him by one ear and inspected him 
thoroughly, before checking the other. 
"Very good, dear," she said. She waved her hand to the 
couch. "Sit, Will." 
So Will and I sat on the couch. 
"Tell us what happened," Auntie Winters said, looking like a 
Queen. 
So we did. 
****** 
Afterwards, Will said tentatively, "I'm afraid they will 
hurt you if I stay here any longer, Auntie Winters." 
Auntie waved his concerns away. "They will not bother us," 
Auntie said. "As long as you stay in this house, you will be 
safe." 
"But--" 
Auntie May leaned forward. "Will. Don't worry, dear. We have 
our own way of protecting ourselves. You will stay here and 
we will protect you." 
It was too much for Will. Relieved, he began to cry. I 
reached out a hand and grabbed his hand, and began to howl 
alongside of him. 
The Aunties waited patiently for us to stop. Then they stood 
up, looking very grand, and Auntie Winters said regally, 
"Come, Will. I am not sure what Mouse has been feeding you 
for the past few days--" she gave me a stern gaze, "--but 
dinner is ready." 
The Aunties were good cooks and Will ate hungrily. I watched 
him carefully. He finished his second bowl of stew, took a 
bite from a piece of homemade bread, and yawned widely. 
"Oh, excuse me," he said, looking abashed. Then promptly 
yawned again. 
Auntie May merely said, "It's time for you to go to bed, I 
suppose. Mouse, take him upstairs and put him in the bedroom 
next to yours." 
***** 
"Wow," Will was amazed when he saw his bedroom. His bed was 
like mine--a poster bed made of heavy wood. It was hung with 
well-worn, midnight blue velvet curtains, and dressed in 
matching bed clothes. On top of of it, piled high, were 
mounds of silk and velvet pillows. 
"Aunties must like you," I teased. "To put you into the 
special guest room." 
He laughed a little about that, climbed into bed and let me 
tuck him in. He slipped the dream pillow under his head. 
Then I turned around to go but he mumbled, "Don't go yet, 
Mouse." 
I came back and sat on the floor and rested my head next to 
his on the pillow. 
He reached out, grabbed my hand, laced his fingers through 
mine, and pulled our hands next to his cheek. 
"Wait until I go to sleep?" he asked, mumbling. 
I nodded, even though his eyes were closed and he was half 
asleep.  We lapsed into silence, my eyes became heavy. I 
closed them. 
"Mouse?" Will said sleepily. 
"Yeah, Will?" I replied, as sleepily. 
"Glad you're my best friend." Then he was asleep.  And so 
was I. 
***** 
I haven't left the house much since everything happened, but 
both Will and I needed something to read. Will had given me 
a whole list of books that he wanted me to check out, 
starting out with Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising Books 
(which started us on the whole Arthurian kick that we were 
on in the first place.) The list included Mary Stewart's 
Merlin Trilogy, and rounded out with a personal favorite of 
mine: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I loved 
it because her main characters were the "Ladies of the 
Lake", too, although the ending always made me sort of sad. 
I had stayed longer than I planned. Time has a way of 
getting away from me when I'm at the library. It seemed one 
moment I was taking a book of the shelf and then next 
moment, the library was closing. 
By the time I left, it was pitch dark outside already and I 
had to carry a bag of books that weighed a ton. I had made 
this journey countless times before in the past, with barely 
any thought, but tonight, the familiar seemed alien. I felt 
like I was venturing into some strange and terrible land. I 
could imagine how Will felt as he ran from his home to our 
house that night... 
"Miss Lake--" 
Startled, I looked up to see Chief Leeds looming in front of 
me. My heart began to thump crazily. 
"C--Chief Leeds?" I stammered. "Y--you scared me." 
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said in a way that I knew he wasn't. He 
looked into the bag. "What you got in there, Miss Lake? 
Library books?" 
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. 
"Seem you have a lot of books there, Miss Lake. Enough for 
two people to read." The way he said it didn't leave any 
room to doubt. He knew that Will was at our house. 
"I need to get home," I stammered. "My aunts are expecting 
me home for supper." 
Chief Leeds ignored what I said. Instead he went on 
conversationally as if I hadn't said anything. "You know I 
went to school with your Aunt May and your mother 
Summer.\par You know, your mother was sure beautiful, but 
your Aunt May--well, your Aunt May was considered the 
"beauty" of the two. I asked her out a couple of times but 
she always told me no." He stepped closer to me until he was 
almost leaning over me. "Now I hear that your sister Autumn 
is the same way. Won't say boo to anyone." 
I swallowed. I wasn't sure why he was so angry about my 
sister's dating habits. "Who Autumn dates is her business, 
Chief Leeds. I don't have anything to do with that." 
"I guess you don't." Suddenly his round, jovial face 
twisted--turned ugly. "Since you don't have those looks that 
drive a man plain crazy, only one who gives you the time of 
the day is that boy, Miss Lake." 
"I have to go..." I whispered and tried to brush past him. 
He grabbed my arm hard. "Where's the boy, Miss Lake?" he 
hissed. "I know that you know where he is!" 
I whimpered. He was twisting my arm, hurting me. "You're 
hurting me, Chief Leeds!" I cried. 
"Chief Leeds!" a voice called. It was Mr. Skinner from the 
FBI. 
My shoulder sagged with relief. I was never so glad to see 
anyone in my life.  I was shaking, my heart pounding. I 
could hear the Chief breathing heavily beside me. 
"Director Skinner," the Chief said, nodding his head. 
Mr. Skinner looked coldly at the police chief, then turned 
to me, "Miss Lake, I have just been at your house. Your Aunt 
May told me that you were at the library. I thought I could 
speak to you. I will be happy to give you a ride home." 
I had two unhappy choices: one, I could accept the ride with 
Mr. Skinner and talk to him (which I didn't want to do) or I 
could turn him down and take my chance with Chief Leeds who 
I knew would hurt me--*wanted* to hurt me, and would have if 
Mr. Skinner had not shown up when he did. So I nodded my 
head numbly, leaving Chief Leeds glaring at us from behind, 
and got into Mr. Skinner's car. 
  
***** 
He didn't say anything until he parked the car in front of 
the Lake House. Then he turned to me and said, "I know you 
that you know where Will is, Miss Lake." 
I opened my mouth to protest but he shook his head at me. 
"Don't," he warned me. "I know, Miss Lake. And I'm not going 
to force you to tell me. I could if I wanted to. You know 
that. I could go into your house and look for Will myself, 
but I won't. Because I know you are Will's friend and that 
it will upset him too much to do such a thing. But I want to 
tell you that Will is very much in danger. That the people 
who killed his adopted parents are still after him. That 
this is no random thing. The men went there for a specific 
purpose. To get Will. His parents were killed because they 
were in the way.  Your family is in the same danger. Think 
about it, Miss Lake. These people don't mess around." He 
broke off. "There are two people that I want you to meet. To 
talk to. Would you do that? I will bring them here to the 
House, if it will make you feel more comfortable. They would 
have been here earlier if they had known..." He cleared his 
throat, "They--they have been very worried about Will--very 
worried." 
Talking to him, I suddenly had the urge to unload my 
worries. To trust him. But I couldn't. Not without betraying 
Will's confidence. That I would never do. 
I had to talk to Will first. 
I stumbled to my feet, grabbing the bag of books from the 
the floorboard. 
"I need to go," I stammered. "My aunts are waiting for me, 
Mr. Skinner." 
"Please think about it, Miss Lake," he called after me as I 
made my way to the front door. 
I paused, then turned. 
"I will meet with them. But just to talk. You can bring them 
by tomorrow morning, Mr. Skinner." 
He was silent for a long time, looking very worried. Then he 
nodded. "I will bring them by, Miss Lake. Be careful. Be 
very careful, Miss Lake." 
  
***** 
  
Will flew down the stairs to meet me. 
"Mouse," he said anxiously. "I've been so worried since 
you've been gone. I kept thinking that something bad was 
happening to you. I told Auntie May how I was feeling and 
she said not to worry--that you were with Mr. Skinner." He 
took the bag of books from my shaking hands and led me to 
the couch in the sitting room, then said slowly, "Something 
did happen. Tell me, Mouse." 
I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "I ran into 
Chief Leeds as I was walking home.  He--he said he knew that 
you were here--He..." 
"He hurt you!" Will said, his voice furious. "He twisted 
your arm!" 
My eyes jerked up to his. 
He showed me his arm. "I felt it, Mouse! That's why I told 
Auntie May, but she said that you were with Mr. Skinner..." 
"Mr. Skinner came in time," I said softly. 
Will's eyes filled with tears. 
"He could have hurt you!" Will whispered. "He could have 
hurt you bad, Mouse! And it would be my fault!" His chest 
began to heave with sobs. "I should go. I should go before 
you and the Aunties get hurt." 
"No, no, Will!" I said, grabbing his arm. "It's not your 
fault! It's not your fault!" 
"It is! It is!" he sobbed. "It's my fault my parents are 
dead! It's my fault that Chief Leeds hurt you! I need to go 
before it's too late! Before they hurt you bad, too!" 
"Will! Stop! Listen! They think you are here anyway. Even if 
you leave, they will still think you are here. It doesn't 
matter if you go, you see! They will still think you are 
here anyway!" 
My words finally sank in. He drew in a shuddery breath. "Do 
you think so, Mouse?" He wanted to believe. He wanted to 
believe so badly. 
I nodded. "At least if you do stay, you're safe." 
"Yeah--safe." He whispered the words huskily. 
We both leaned back on the couch, exhausted. Finally Will 
said in  a quiet voice,  "What did your Aunties mean when 
they said they  have their own type of protection?" 
I frowned. "I don't know." I picked at a loose thread on my 
jeans, then mumbled into a couch cushion. "People say 
that the Lake House is cursed, you know." 
"Yeah. Everyone says that," he said, his voice drowsy. 
I looked at him sharply. His eyes closed and his face was 
drawn with fatigue. I felt his forehead. It felt clammy. 
"You've been sleeping better, haven't you, Will?" 
His eyes opened, looking a bit surprised. "Oh, yeah, Mouse," 
he said. "The pillow you made seemed to help a lot."  He 
reached out and tugged at my hair playfully, grinning. 
Then a strange look came over his face. He stared at me for 
a moment, then he began to laugh. "Are you worried that the 
house is making me sick, Mouse?" he demanded. 
I made a face. It seemed rather silly when he asked the 
question outright, but it didn't stop me any from worrying. 
I was going to ask the Aunties to make sure. 
"I feel fine, My Lady Mouse." He sat up and gave me an 
elaborate bow from the waist up. Then he patted my shoulder 
assuringly. "I feel fine, Mouse. I promise. I was just 
worried about you and the Aunties getting hurt..." he broke 
off. "I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to 
you, Mouse," he added, his eyes shiny. 
"Will," I said hesitantly. "There's something I have to tell 
you." Then I told him what Mr. Skinner had said. 
  
  
***** 
  
I cornered Auntie May after dinner and asked her. 
"Curse?" She seemed genuinely perplexed. "What curse?" 
"About men--boys coming into the House? About them getting 
sick..." My voice caught. "...and dying. That's what people 
say..." My voice trailed off. 
Auntie May touched my face, a rare gesture on her part. Our 
family was not a demonstrative one. "Have you been listening 
to those tales, Mouse? Are you worried that Will will die 
because he is here?" 
I couldn't help myself. I started to cry. "I don't want Will 
to die!" 
"Oh, Mouse!" Auntie May said, shaking her head. "There is no 
curse." 
"But what about my father? And the others?" 
"People have a good memory for the bad. They easily forget 
the good or the mundane, Mouse. Your father was a good 
man--but he was a very sick man--even before he married your 
mother and came to live here." 
"They--they said that he died mysteriously." 
"Mysteriously to them but not to us. We of the Lake House 
have always kept to ourselves." 
"But my mother..." 
"She loved your father very much, Mouse," Auntie May said 
gently. "Very much.  Part of the reason they moved here was 
because your mother couldn't bear to be away from the Lake 
House. We share a certain bond with it and the land--but 
part of it was she hoped that we could help him--but there 
are some things beyond our abilities, Mouse. Your mother was 
filled with grief and she could not see beyond it. She was 
without hope and in the end, it killed her, Mouse." 
"But couldn't she have stayed for me and Autumn? We needed 
her, too?" I cried, long time resentment brimming over. 
"It is easy for us to say that," Auntie May said, "but your 
father was her whole world. I know it is hard for you to 
understand it. And you will one day when you love. We don't 
give our love easily--the women of our family--but when we 
do, we give it all. We cannot call our hearts our own. Our 
soul is no longer ours, but part of theirs. They become an 
extension of ourselves. That is how we love. It can be very 
beautiful. Or it can very terrible, Mouse." 
***** 
They came with Mr. Skinner and Auntie May let them in. She 
led Mr. Skinner off to the kitchen and left me alone with 
them in the parlor. 
"Are you Morgan Lake," the women asked, reaching to shake my 
hand. She sounded nervous. She was a pretty woman, very 
small, with Will's red hair. 
"People call me Mouse," I said. "You can call me Mouse, if 
you want." 
"My name is Dana Mulder. You can call me Dana." She turned 
to the tall, dark-haired man standing behind her. "This is 
my husband. Fox Mulder." 
Mr. Mulder reached out a hand. 
"You can call me Mulder," he said. 
I looked into his face and saw Will looking back at me. A 
sob began to bubble up inside of me. I could feel Will's 
eyes watching us, listening to our words so carefully. I 
could feel the turmoil fluttering inside of him. 
Dana's voice was wobbly as she said, "I--I heard that you 
and Will--Va--Van de Kampf are best of friends." 
I nodded. "We've been best friends since we were six. That's 
when they moved back here. Mr. Van de Kampf owned a farm in 
Wyoming but it went under. So they came back here, because 
Mrs. Van de Kampf's daddy still lived here." 
"Is he still living?" 
"Mrs. Van de Kampf's daddy?" I shook my head. "No. He died 
when Will was eight." 
"Do you know if Will has any family left here?" Mrs. Mulder 
asked me. 
"No." 
Dana glanced at her husband and he gave her a tiny nod. 
"We are worried about him--Will. Can you just tell us if 
he's all right?" 
It was then I noticed she had Will's bunny cap in her hands. 
That she was worrying it gently with her fingers.  And then 
her husband's hand carefully came up and tenderly covered 
hers. 
"That's Will's," I said, pointing at the cap. 
She nodded. 
"He had it when he was a baby. Before he was adopted." 
She nodded again. 
"He didn't know he was adopted for a long time," I went on. 
"He just found out a little while ago. He didn't--he didn't 
understand why his parents didn't want him." 
Her eyes filled with tears. "But they did want him, Mouse. 
They wanted him more than anything. He was their beautiful 
miracle baby." 
I swallowed my tears. I was determined to ask the questions 
that Will wanted so desperately to know. "Then why did they 
give him up if they wanted him that much?" 
It was her husband that spoke, "They thought they were doing 
the best thing for him. They had a lot of enemies that 
wanted to hurt them. To hurt their baby. They were afraid 
that if they kept him, he would get hurt. So they thought if 
they give him to someone else, he would have a chance to 
have a normal life--a happy life--instead of looking over 
his shoulder and worrying that someone was trying to hurt 
him." 
"But that happened anyway." 
"Yes." Dana said sadly. "It happened anyway." 
I reached out and took the bunny cap from her. She let it go 
reluctantly, her fingers clutching empty air. 
I smoothed the ears down on my lap. 
"Tell me what you sang to him," I said to her. 
She looked startled. "Sang?" 
"A song that you sang to him when he was a baby." I had to 
make sure. 
She looked uncertain for a moment, wiping the tears from her 
face, then she began to sing off-key--just like Will did, 
"Jeremiah was a bullfrog..." 
And from the behind us, from the stairs...Will's voice 
warbled shakily"...was a great friend of mine..." 
We all turned to see Will standing by the foot of the 
stairs,  dressed in jeans and shirt that my Aunties had cut 
down to fit him.  For a moment, they stood there uncertain, 
then his parents opened their arms, and Will ran into them. 
  
  
****** 
  
I hoped it would be over, but it wasn't, of course. Auntie 
Winters invited Will's parents to stay at the Lake House. 
"The boy does not need to be separated from his parents," 
Aunt Winters said firmly. 
The Mulders nodded, agreeing meekly to her words. 
Then Auntie May and Mr. Skinner got into an argument. He 
wanted the house to be watched. 
"In addition to the people already watching?" Auntie May 
asked him, her brows arching. 
Mr. Skinner blinked. Then sputtered. 
"We do not need people watching our house, Walter," Auntie 
May said to him. 
"May," he protested. "These people are dangerous! And I 
don't like the fact that Chief Leeds hasn't been seen for a 
while. I'm just surprised that he hasn't come after you, if 
you what you said about him is true!" 
"We have ways of protecting ourselves," was Auntie May's 
placid reply. 
  
  
**** 
  
The next morning, they found Chief Leeds and another man 
dead. Apparently during the night, they had snuck past the 
people watching and tried to scale our iron gate last night. 
They had slipped and fallen, impaling themselves on the 
gate's iron spikes. They had died slowly and painfully. 
On the bodies, Mr. Skinner's agents (since he no longer 
trusted the local law enforcement) found the guns that were 
used to kill Will's adopted parents. 
It caused a great uproar in our community and new stories 
about the Lake House spread like wildfire. 
The Aunties dismissed them with a wave of their hands, but 
Will and I could not help wondering if that was their way of 
protecting us, and that some of the stories about the Lake 
House might be true after all. 
I longed for a happy ending, to know that all would end 
well. But I knew better. Not matter what happened, I knew 
that Will would be leaving me soon. 
  
***** 
Will's parents told us more about what was happening. Why 
they had given up Will in hopes he would have a normal 
childhood--that what they feared would never come about. But 
now they were sure that the threat was immediate. 
The Aunties listened attentively, knitting up a storm. They 
were making scarves, hats, and gloves for the Mulders and 
Mr. Skinner. 
"You should go into hiding," Will's father urged the 
Aunties. "Before it's too late." 
"Young man," Auntie Winters said, "We are of the Lake House. 
We * belong* here!" 
"But..." 
"We can't go, Mr. Mulder," Auntie May said quietly. "If we 
did, we might as well be dead. This is how we are. How we 
always have been." 
"But your niece, Autumn, is gone," he pointed out. 
"For a while," Auntie Winters said. "But she will be back. 
We are always strongest here at our home." 
Mr. Mulder bit back what he was about to say. Then he said 
slowly, "They call you the Ladies of the Lake." 
Auntie Winters hrmmphed and switched yarn colors. 
His eyes lighted on me. "They say that Morgan--the one from 
the King Arthur's stories--was the most powerful and the 
Queen of the them all. That her bird was the raven. And her 
colors black and red. They said she started out as a 
Goddess, but became vilified until she ended up as evil 
sorceress who seduced her brother, the King." He chewed his 
bottom lip thoughtfully. "I always wondered if she hated him 
so much, why it was that when Arthur lay dying, it was 
Morgan and her ladies that came to take him to Avalon to be 
healed. Curious. Just curious." 
Auntie Winters sniffed. "Stories," she muttered. "They are 
just fairy stories, Mr. Mulder." 
And I said seriously, "Mr. Mulder..." 
"You can call me Mulder," Will's Daddy said. 
"Mulder, I can assure you that I'm ordinary as you 'could' 
be." 
"Are you sure?" he asked me.  And his eyes--so much like 
Will's--twinkled at me. 
  
  
***** 
  
They could not stay. There was too much to do. To little 
time to do it. But this time, they would stay together. 
So I knew for sure that Will was leaving and I went about, 
trying not to weep. 
Years seemed to have passed since Will's adopted parents 
were murdered. The truth, it had been just days. 
Laden with the woolens that the Aunties had knitted for them 
and the food that Auntie May had made, they packed up to 
leave on the twelfth day. 
They gave Will and me time to say good-bye. 
In his hands, he clutched the book that I made for him. 
"I guess this is goodbye," he said, his voice dull. 
I nodded numbly. Part of me wanted to get it over with so I 
could crawl into bed and cry. The other part didn't want the 
time to come at all. 
"Goodbye, My Lady Mouse," he whispered, reaching out and 
rubbing my friendship bracelet. 
"Good-bye, Sir William," I said, my voice clogged with 
tears. 
He clasped me strongly on the shoulder. 
"Best friends?" 
"Best friends always." 
Then he turned away and took a step slowly away from me. I 
became blinded by a curtain of tears. 
He was going--going away... 
My heart was breaking--I knew it would never mend... 
Then he was back, hugging me tightly to him. I was 
sobbing...sobbing... 
"It's okay, it's okay," he crooned, rubbing my back 
soothingly. 
Then he whispered into my ear,  "I'll be back, Mouse. I'll 
be back. I promise." 
Then he did something he never did before. He bent his head 
and kissed me gently on the lips. Then he turned quickly 
away to hide his tears. He didn't want me to see. 
I watched him climb into the car with his parents. Watched 
him watching me, red-eyed, as they faded away into the 
distance... 
Then he was gone.... 
  
My Will was gone... 
  
******* 
EPILOGUE: 
It was very different to go about without Will at my side. 
There was an emptiness to my life that I could not describe. 
I remembered what Auntie May had said about my mother. I 
could now understand how she felt when my father died. 
At first I heard from Will sporadically. He kept in touch 
like he promised. Letters. Postcards. Emails that I read on 
a computer at the library or at school. He would write and 
tell me the books he was reading. What he was learning. 
It was in one of those rare communications that I found out 
it was Will who did those things to Randy Johnson and his 
friends... 
"I didn't realize it was me at the time, Mouse. Can you 
imagine my surprise when my Mom told me that I used to do 
that type of thing when I was a baby? She thought I had lost 
it, but I guess I didn't. They think that I can use it. It's 
something that *they* fear. 
I hope you and the Aunties are all right. I miss you all. 
And I will be back, Mouse. I promise. 
I just wish you could write me back.... 
Your best friend, Will 
  
I couldn't write him back because he couldn't let me know 
where he was. It was too dangerous for them. 
Then it happened--what the Mulders feared would come to 
pass. The world was invaded by those who wanted to destroy 
it. They razed the world, leaving it smoldering in ashes and 
millions of people dead. 
There was no law. No government. No order. 
As the chaos reigned outside of the Lake House, inside it 
remained the same. The Aunties knitted fiercely by the 
fireplace, making mounds of woolens to give away for those 
who sought refuge. 
I sat and read by the candlelight since there was no more 
power. Soon after, knitting needles found their way into my 
hands and I began to knit too. 
Occasionally, a brave soul would venture past the front gate 
of the Lake House--the only thing standing in a landscape of 
destruction. They would marvel at the trees standing high, 
the vines that draped across the stone walls of the house, 
and the herbs that sweetly scented the air. 
"How can this still be standing?" they asked us as we gave 
them food to fill their tummies, drink to quench their 
thirst, and clothing to keep them warm. 
The aliens did not bother us. They tried at first, of 
course. If they ventured by land, the earth opened and 
swallowed them whole. If they came by air, the ships came 
down in flames. After a while, they left us alone. 
And to those humans who plotted to harm us, they suffered 
from the same fate. It was as if the Lake House and the land 
around knew their intentions. 
There was no hiding the magic that my Aunties wrought. 
My sister Autumn had returned to the Lake House and was at 
home when it all began.  Leslie was not here. She was 
visiting her family two states over and Autumn could not 
stay at the Lake House, not knowing if her lover was safe. 
She kissed me and the Aunties goodbye, bid us not to worry, 
that she would be back with Leslie as soon as she could. 
As the days, then the months passed, there was still no word 
from Autumn. 
The leaves turned from green to red and begin to fall from 
the trees. One cold night, the clocks in our house stopped 
at nine thirty-three. 
Auntie Winters, looking stiff and bent, went through the 
house, covering the clock faces and mirrors in the house. 
My sister Autumn was dead. 
Later, word came to us that she and Leslie had joined a 
resistance group. Autumn had used her allure to obtain 
important information from those humans who worked with the 
enemies. She had succeeded in performing a powerful service. 
As she and Leslie were returning to the Lake House, they 
were ambushed and killed. 
When I heard this, I wept bitterly. I wanted to leave. To do 
my part in the fight for the future. And I told the Aunties 
so. 
They shook their heads, looking for the first time so 
old--so gray--their pain etched deeply into their faces. 
"You cannot leave, Morgan," they whispered, their voice thin 
wisps, "because we do not have the strength to stay. You 
will understand. You will soon understand." 
A few months later, we buried Auntie Winters first in the 
cold, frozen earth. 
"You will have to learn,"Auntie May said. And she began to 
teach me--the things that the Ladies of the Lake knew. 
I learned because I knew it was what I had to do. There were 
no doctors--no nurses--no hospitals or drugs. The sick came 
to the Lake House and Auntie May and I did what we could 
with our herbs. Sometimes it was not enough. 
When Auntie May lay dying, her beauty so faded that only 
what remained was in her eyes. She patted my hand and 
whispered, "You have a duty--to keep the earth alive. As 
long as one small piece is alive--there is hope and all is 
not lost.  Remember what I told you, Morgan. " I had ceased 
to be Mouse that day so very long ago. She sighed. "I have 
no regrets but one." 
I leaned close to her to hear her voice. "What is it, Auntie 
May?" 
She smiled, a sad smile. "If you see Walter Skinner, tell 
him I said goodbye." 
And then she closed her eyes and died. 
I was alone, the last of the ladies of the Lake House. My 
sister was dead. My Aunties were dead. And Will? 
I have not heard from Will since that fateful day when the 
war started and all communications and mail ceased All I 
knew was the snatches of news that I heard from those who 
passed through the Lake House. 
They said when all hope was almost gone, a young man 
appeared from nowhere. Tall and red-haired, he was brave and 
strong. He could, they said, their voice filled with awe, 
wrestle the control of the ships from the aliens themselves 
and make them do what he bid. There were even, they said, 
aliens who *served* him. And his name, they said, was Will 
Mulder. 
The tide was turning. We were winning... 
***** 
It was an early spring day--still chilly from the winter 
months before. I had laid down to rest, having been up all 
night delivering a baby--when there was a knock on the door. 
Summoning the strength I cold muster, I got up to answer 
it--then it happened--my senses started to tingle--and I 
knew--I knew! 
I ran and flung the door wide open... 
It was him. Will, standing there, looking taller, older, his 
red hair darker, but still--Will. 
We stared at each other for a long time. Such a long 
time--lost in each others eyes. I could see the lines of 
pain etched at the corners of his eyes. 
Both of us reached out a tentative hand to touch each 
other's face. 
"Mouse?" he whispered. And in that one word, I knew all he 
was asking and saying. 
I nodded, my heart bursting with joy. 
Then we were in each other's arm. 
"You see," he murmured into my ear, holding me tight. "I 
told you that I would come back." 
All I could do was weep. Will was finally home. 
FIni 
  
  
  
****** 
Author's Note* 
  
Yep, I am a sap. And I like happy endings. So sue me. 
I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, please let me 
know. 
And as always, constructive feedback is always welcome. 
Myriss myriss1013@yahoo.com