Elias bursts into the living room, his boots leaving streaks of dirt on the floorboards. He has abandoned his stick-sword on the porch and now holds a piece of chalk that Mara has given him. He comes to a stop beside her.
Mara, with her dark hair pulled back in a tight braid, kneels near the front door. A small bowl of iron filings and a jar of ink sit at her side. Her green eyes sparkle as she looks at Elias's dirt-smudged face.
"You look like you've been wrestling a wendigo out there," she teases, brushing a smudge of dirt off his cheek with her thumb. Her tone is light and warm.
Elias giggles, fidgeting with the chalk. "No, Mama, I was fighting a dragon! It was going to eat The Cluckinator!"
Mara raises an eyebrow and smiles. "A dragon, huh? You will need more than a stick for that. Let's start with something easier."
She points to the floor near the door where a faded protective ward is outlined. It is a simple circle with intersecting lines and small symbols, its edges worn from many footsteps.
"This is a ward," she explains patiently. "It keeps bad things out, like ghosts and spirits that might try to sneak in and steal your cookies."
Elias's eyes widen. "Ghosts like cookies?!"
Mara chuckles and nods. "Yes, especially chocolate chip cookies. That is why we need to make a new ward. We cannot let any cookie thieves get in."
Elias shakes his head seriously, as if the fate of the cookie jar depends on him.
Mara hands him a small piece of paper with a simple ward symbol—a circle with a cross and a few straight lines. "First, draw the shape," she instructs as she guides his hand. Elias presses the chalk to the floor and carefully traces a circle, his tongue sticking out in concentration. He adds a little swirl at the end, which makes Mara laugh softly.
"I don't think that swirl is part of the ward, Elias," she teases.
"It's for extra protection, Mama! Dragons hate swirls!" Elias replies with a grin.
Mara smiles and lets him keep the swirl, happy to see his playful spirit. "Good enough," she says encouragingly as Elias completes the circle with uneven but enthusiastic lines.
"Now add the cross. Make sure it touches the edge of the circle," Mara instructs.
Elias nods and draws the cross with careful strokes. He accidentally smudges part of the circle with his sleeve, leaving a chalk streak across the floor.
He looks up at Mara with a guilty expression, expecting a scold, but she only laughs.
"Looks like we already have a ghost. Your sleeve is haunting the ward," she jokes, wiping the smudge away with her own sleeve in a gentle, firm motion.
Elias beams, delighted by her laughter.
Mara then dips her fingers into the jar of ink—a mixture prepared earlier with herbs and iron shavings—and shows Elias how to trace over the chalk lines. "The ink makes the ward stronger," she explains in a serious tone while adding, "It is like giving the ward a protective suit so it can keep out those cookie ghosts."
Elias nods and mimics her movements, carefully tracing over the chalk. The black ink smudges his fingers and even leaves a mark on his nose when he scratches an itch, which makes Mara laugh again.
"You're a mess, kid," she says affectionately.
At that moment, Daniel enters the room. His broad frame fills the doorway as he carries a shotgun, preparing for a quick supply run into town. He stops and takes in the sight: Elias with ink on his nose and Mara struggling to contain her laughter. A rare smile appears on his face.
"What's this, a new kind of war paint?" he teases.
Elias looks up, his eyes bright with mischief. "No, Papa. I'm making a ward to stop cookie ghosts!" he declares proudly, holding up his ink-stained hands.
Daniel chuckles deeply and ruffles Elias's hair, leaving it even messier. "Cookie ghosts, huh? Better finish up quickly—I am bringing back some chocolate chip cookies from town, and I don't want any ghosts getting to them first."
Elias gasps in excitement, his determination renewed by Daniel's words. He turns back to the ward and works faster, his small hands moving steadily over the chalk and ink. When he finishes, his fingers are thoroughly smudged with ink.
He looks up at Mara, his eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Does it work now?" he asks eagerly, imagining an army of cookie ghosts being kept out.
Mara nods and places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It will, once we set it." She pulls a small knife from her belt: a worn hunter's knife, and pricks her finger. A single drop of blood falls onto the center of the ward.
Elias watches closely, his eyes wide. The sight of the blood makes him pause, a moment of seriousness flashing across his face. Mara quickly adds, "Don't worry. It's just a little magic to show the ward who is in charge."
She hands the knife to Elias, and he hesitates for a moment before pricking his own finger. He winces slightly as a small drop of blood falls onto the ward, joining hers. His expression is a mix of determination and the weight of responsibility.
For a moment, the air around the ward seems to hum. Elias imagines the ward telling any cookie ghost, "You shall not pass."
Mara smiles warmly and ruffles Elias's hair again. "You did well, Elias," she says proudly. The praise fills him with a deep sense of accomplishment.
"Now the cookies are safe?" Elias asks, hope in his voice.
"Safe as can be," she replies, her smile widening. "Thanks to you, my little dragon-slayer."
Elias beams, his young heart filled with joy at her words. He envisions himself as a hero, a hunter protecting the farmhouse from cookie ghosts, and that thought makes him glow with pride.