B (8:17)

Iris, Nina's gray kitten, looks up at Nina and mews in a manner that seems to betray a level of excitement. Excitement. Nina herself can't quite stand still. She and her classmates are lined up outside Ms. Teak's cottage, their brooms in hand and a few familiars weaving through their legs. Today they're going on a field trip. Ms. Teak has been dropping hints about the journey for weeks, and now the day has finally come. Ms. Teak's final preparations and checks seem to be taking a painfully long time. To the girls, the morning is bright and sunny. The first real day of spring this year. Nina suspects that Ms. Teak brought up the idea of the field trip weeks ago to keep their spirits high as the last days of winter dropped away. Despite the sunshine, the girls have all been told to dress warmly for the flight. Each one has a pack at their feet with their lunches, a small leather bound notebook and a pencil. Finally, Ms. Teak closes the front door of her cottage schoolhouse and turns to her class. She eyes the three familiars and smiles. A few of the other girls also have their familiars, like Nina, but most of the kittens decided not to come. Cats are notoriously lazy and curious in equal measure. Ms. Teague tells them that since they're on a trip to the big city city they should probably leave the kittens behind. Neena and the other two girls wave goodbye to their familiars. The two other kittens simply chase one another out of the clearing, intent on having their own adventures in the forest. Iris, however, stares at Nina with good natured defiance. Nina gently pushes Iris towards the forest and turns back to face Ms. Teague. She swears she can feel the cat's orange eyes on her. Nevertheless, Ms. Teague tells them that they will be flying south for an hour before making landfall just outside the city. The girls wiggle and whisper with excitement. They've never been to the city before. Nina has never even left the village or the surrounding fore. Once they arrive in the city, they will stop in at a regular witch hangout and make their way on foot to a large magical emporium. Eager to get going, the girls put on their packs, mount their brooms, and circle the clearing while Miss Teak casts a few final spells to ensure a safe and fast journey. Finally, Mystique joins them in the air, flying with ease as they have practiced many times in the past few weeks. They form a V shape like migrating birds. Ms. Teague explained how this improves their wind resistance and makes the journey easier. She, of course, flies at the front of the V with her pupils spread out behind her like wings. Nina loves flying, and this is her first long journey despite the bright sunshine. It's cooler up here near the clouds, and Nina finds herself appreciating the knitted gloves that her mother made for her. The bracing air is refreshing, though Nina can see for miles and miles up here, far above even the treetops, the forest seems to go on forever. Between the trees crawl little tendrils of smoke that hint at the presence of cottages. Rows of neat trees in straight lines mark out orchards on small family farms. But in the distance, the sea of green leaves begins to thin. Neena and her classmates amuse themselves by calling out the names of trees below them or flocks of birds that pass by. Nina hardly notices that half their journey has already literally flown past. Ms. Teak leads them all into a landing spot near the edge of the forest. All seven girls stare from the sanctuary of the final few trees and across the huge fields. They watch the golden weeds sway in the breeze. Here and there the land is dotted with big farmhouses or barns and immense fields full of crops. Ms. Teak explains to them that all this room for crops is needed to feed all the people in the city. She goes through the details of supply chains and agriculture. Nina begins to notice some movement in her bag. She puts it in her lap and peers inside. Two mischievous orange eyes peer back at her. Nina gasps in surprise. Mystique asks her if there's something the matter. The whole class turns to look at Nina as a mew comes from the bag. Iris pokes her head out proudly. Mystique sighs and smiles. She tells Nina that they are too far now to turn back and drop Iris off, so she will have to join them on the rest of their journey. Iris looks pleased at this turn of events. Ms. Teak tells the girls to mount up and Iris jumps onto Nina's shoulders. She curls herself around Nina, prepared for the flight. They all kick off from the ground once again and continue their journey. Field after field passes below them. Nina thinks it looks like a green and yellow patchwork quilt. Eventually they start following a wide, lazy river that flows between the fields. In the distance, the landscape changes again. Now the fields give way to houses and wide streets. Nina thought there would be some border or wall, perhaps even a big sign that told people they were approaching the city. Instead, the smaller towns and hamlets eventually morph into a larger metropolis. Before she knows it, Nina is looking down over hundreds of roofs, roads, and squares. They are still following the river, which flows beneath countless bridges and breaks off into little canals. They are no longer the only people in the sky. Other people on broomsticks whiz back and forth across the city. The students all instinctively start flying closer to Mystique. Everyone who spots them waves cheerfully or says hello. Nina, for the first time, begins to realize how many people there are in the city. Mystique leads them down into a small yard behind a cafe. It holds a stable. The back door to the cafe is covered in a very old wisteria vine. The purple blue flowers drape gracefully over the dark doorway. Inside the stable are one horse, one Unicorn and something in the shadowy back corner that looks like a kelpie. All around the yard stand tall stone or wooden buildings. Clotheslines are strung between them with colorful garments dancing on the breeze. Mystique welcomes them to a famous witch cafe called the Old Familiar. She tells them that this place has been a rest spot for witches for centuries. There's a room for travelers to leave their broomsticks, delicious food and beds for rent upstairs. With that, Mystique turns around and leads them into the building. It is cool and dark inside with the sound of a busy kitchen. Teacher and pupils come into a small waiting room with a large desk. A smiling young woman takes Mystique's name and collects the broomsticks for storage before pointing the group down the hallway towards the cafe. Iris still has not left Nina's shoulders, peering at everything. Clearly she feels as overwhelmed by the new experience as Nina. The group comes out in a light built cafe. Large windows face the street letting in beams of pure gold. The room is mainly populated with small circular tables and wooden chairs. In places, a couple of comfy looking armchairs stand on either side of an end table. One wall is dominated by a huge wooden bar. On this side it is lined with ornate bar stools. Behind it is a wall of teacups. Every design and color imaginable stands on a matching saucer. A rolling ladder darts back and forth behind the bar while a nimble worker climbs up and down, retrieving and returning teacups. Other workers move between the tables to deliver pastries and drinks or take away finished plates. Nina notices one woman cleans up with a floating tray, following along behind her to hold the dirty dishes. The girls populate a few tables near the windows while Mystique goes to the counter. They pull out their packed lunches just as Mystique comes back, followed by a floating tray of teacups. Each girl finds their favorite tea in a cup just for them. Nina's cup is creamy porcelain with a green design of ivy vines. She takes a sip to find a delicious apple cinnamon tea inside. The girls eat their lunches, sip their tea and watch the other customers. Some people are meeting friends for a chat, while others are there alone or with just a book for company. Nina has time to notice that the wisteria plant from outside is also growing across the ceiling. Inside the cafe, Iris curls in her lap, orange eyes wide and watching. Mystique announces it's time for them to leave and leads them outside. Out on the wide cobbled street, street people, carts and animals move back and forth in the lazy traffic. Mystique joins the flow. Confidently, her students following suit. They wander past shops selling everything imaginable. Some things are ordinary, like clothing or trade goods. Other shop signs announce themselves as apothecaries or makers of fine crafts. Nina wishes she had all the hours in the day to browse these shops and their wares. Mystique leads them down larger thoroughfares and up winding alleys. Finally, she stops them across the street from a great glass domed building. She tells them that this is the magical emporium. Here there is every kind of magical professional they can think of. And this is the site of their field trip. The girls stand in awe of the shining building. Even Iris seems mesmerized. It looks like it's been cut from pure crystal. They follow Mystique across the street and through the huge golden archway. Inside the building, rainbows paint every surface. The sun shining through the crystal dome makes everything technicolored and bright. Along the walls are little shops that open up to in the main floor of the building. There are several floors that crawl up the sides of the dome via one long winding walkway all the way around. On the bottom level are the bigger shops, some with workshops attached. The sounds of making, selling, buying, crafting and commerce echo around the room. Mystique turns to her students and outlines their assignment for the day. Find three magical professionals and learn as much as you can about their work. The girls pull out their leather notebooks and pencils and split up. Nina immediately makes her way towards a large shop where the sounds of banging emanate from within. Iris has jumped down from her shoulders now and follows her at a truck. There's a large crowd in front of this workshop. Nina and Iris manage to wiggle through the pairs of legs and get to the front. Groups of workers wearing leather aprons and large gloves are occupied in the crafting of magical implements. They work bellows, hammer metal and sharpen edges all around the warm workshop. The master blacksmith has a forge all to himself. He has just finished something and is polishing it with care. He turns to the crowd and reveals a magic sword. The hilt is inlaid with precious jewels and the blade is inscribed with magical runes. The people around Nina ooh and ah in appreciation. The blacksmith. Blacksmith places his creation carefully on a velvet cushion and calls for one of his assistants to take it away. The people around Nina begin to disperse and the blacksmith wanders over to a spigot in the wall to wash his hands. Nina plucks up the courage to approach him, timidly she wonders if she might ask him a few questions about his work for her school report. To her surprise, the blacksmith smiles eagerly and welcomes her to the workshop. He leads her around to each station, carefully making sure she and Iris remain at a safe distance. He explains cheerfully what each blacksmith is doing here. A woman is setting stones in a magical tiara. Over there, an apprentice works on a fine glass wand. In the back, there is even a man struggling to finish a pair of seven league boots. They keep trying to run away as he repairs the soles. Nina writes down as much as she can. Meanwhile, Iris makes herself right at home, rubbing against the legs of the blacksmith and purring loudly. When Nina finally says goodbye, the blacksmith holds her up for a moment, darting to the back of the workshop. He returns with a small black box, which he presses into her hand. Nina opens the hinged lid to find that it is a compass. Not any compass, he assures her. This compass doesn't point north. It points to wherever she wants to go. Nina thanks the blacksmith and continues on through the building. Nina starts to climb the long sloping walkway that leads to the upper floors. The shops here sell magical ingredients or tools. While they are very interesting, Nina knows she can find most of the herbs sold here and her own Forest or Ms. Teak's garden back home. A little shop with a cauldron bubbling out front catches her eye. Ready Made Potions, the sign says. Nina and Iris duck inside. Instead of finding some dark cave like room, Nina is surprised to find herself in a space that reminds her very much of her grandmother's kitchen. Along the walls are wooden cabinets and shelves holding jars, boxes and ingredients. The main portion of the shop is taken up by a big black cauldron in a huge fireplace. A scrubbed wooden table is in the center of the room with a few chairs. An older woman looks up as Nina enters and smiles. She gestures for Nina to take a seat and asks her if she would like any tea or cookies. Nina agrees immediately and within seconds is enjoying some spicy ginger cookies and a cup of calming chamomile tea. Nina is so comfortable and cozy in the shop that she nearly forgets why she came in. Even Iris is curled up on a chair and taking a nap. Nina asks the woman about her shop and her job. The potions master tells her that she prepares potions on the spot for customers. Perhaps someone needs a bit of luck for an upcoming event. They will come to her to put in an order and she can make it right then and there. Nina is amazed. She's only a beginner when it comes to potion brewing, but it seems to take her forever with many checks of the recipe. Just then, a customer enters the shop, and the potions master tells Nina to watch carefully. This customer is looking for a love potion. The potion master bustles over to her cauldron right away and starts to work. While she darts around the shop for ingredients or stirs the cauldron, she asks her customer about her beloved. With each answer, the potion gets something new or different added. In just a few minutes, the potions master is decanting a bright red liquid in a small vial and handing it over to her customer. After the customer leaves, she returns to her seat next to Nina. Nina has so many questions that she doesn't even know where to begin. As if reading her mind, the potions master tells her that every mixture she creates is adapted for the person who ordered it. She has such an encyclopedic knowledge of ingredients that she can create something without the use of recipes. Nina is amazed, to say the least. She promises herself that she will work very hard in her potions class and one day be as good as this woman. Nina and Iris leave the shop reluctantly, but not before Nina has a couple more cookies again. They climb the gently sloping walkway. The shops seem to get smaller as they climb. Finally, they reach the last little shop front at the very top of the building. It's barely more than a doorway covered in thick red velvet. There's no sign above the door, so simply a carved wooden eye with a blue iris. While Nina is deciding whether to go in here or retreat back down to another shop, her little grave, familiar slips between the curtains. Nina hesitates for a moment and then follows. Inside, the space is barely larger than a closet. It fits two comfy chairs and a small, intricately painted table. A large crystal ball sits on the table, and a young witch is resting in one of the chairs. This fortune teller looks like she's barely more than a teenager. She's smiling and petting Iris. She looks up as Nina enters and simply gestures to the other chair. Nina isn't sure what to expect when a deck of cards appear out of thin air in the fortune teller's hands. She lays out three cards, flipping them over casually. Nina doesn't understand the meaning of the beautifully painted cards, but the fortune teller seems to. She smiles to herself and strokes Iris, who peers over the table to look at the cards too. As quickly as the cards came out, they are gone again. Next, the fortune teller gazes into her crystal ball. She watches it like one would watch a fish tank, vaguely interested, but not particularly focused. After a few minutes, she smiles again. Nina is too impressed to speak and simply sits and waits. The fortune teller looks at Nina and holds out her hand. Nina proffers her palm and the fortune teller takes it for a few brief moments. Then Nina's hand is released. She meets the gaze of the young fortune teller. Nina asks what exactly it is she does. The fortune teller replies that she finds the answers. Nina writes this down in her little book. The fortune teller leans closer and whispers that she doesn't always tell them, though. Nina looks up but finds that instead of the fortune teller's shop, she and Iris are back down at the bottom floor where Mystique and the others are waiting. Nina looks around the glittering room once more and smiles. It's been a wonderful day, but she's ready to go back home to the comfort of the forest. Mystique gathers the girls and leads them through the city. They pick up their brooms from the cafe, go out into the yard in the back, and lift off into the sky. The city passes below Nina and her classmates as they journey home. Already she can smell the earthiness of the forest on the wind. Iris curls around Nina's shoulders, her tail lying across Nina's neck like a necklace. It's a big world out here, but Nina and Iris know where they want to be. Home at last.