Chapter 14: The Sticky Situation 
It was a bright and breezy morning in the quaint village where the orphans had recently taken refuge. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting playful shadows on the cobblestone streets, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh bread and blooming flowers. The orphans had been staying in the cozy village house that had been generously offered to them by the villagers after their daring rescue from the shadow beasts.
Inside the village house, Raspberry was busy organizing their supplies in the small kitchen, while Blueberry was practicing her newly learned light spell, trying to create tiny orbs of light that floated around her like fireflies. Bilberry was, as usual, lying on a worn-out sofa, half-heartedly flicking through a book on magical creatures. Huckleberry was outside in the small garden, sharpening his favorite sword, a sturdy blade that had seen him through many adventures.
Strawberry, the youngest and most mischievous of the group, watched Huckleberry from the window, a sly grin spreading across her face. She had an idea, a little prank that she was sure would be the perfect way to liven up the morning.
She tiptoed to the door, making sure no one noticed her. As she slipped outside, she whispered a simple spell under her breath, her fingers tracing a small, intricate pattern in the air. A faint glow surrounded Huckleberry’s sword, but he was too focused on his task to notice.
With the spell complete, Strawberry darted back inside, giggling quietly to herself as she rejoined her siblings.
A few minutes later, Huckleberry finished sharpening his sword and stood up, ready to sheath it. But when he tried to let go, the sword remained firmly stuck to his hand.
“What the…?” Huckleberry muttered, tugging at the hilt. He pulled harder, but the sword wouldn’t budge. It was as if it had become an extension of his arm.
“Huh?” Raspberry glanced up from her organizing, noticing the struggle.
“What’s going on, Huckleberry?”
“My sword… It’s stuck to my hand!” Huckleberry grunted, trying with all his might to pry the sword loose.
Raspberry couldn’t help but smirk, already guessing who was behind this.
“Strawberry, did you do something?”
Strawberry’s giggle bubbled up from the other side of the room.
“Maybe,” she said innocently, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
“It’s just a little enchantment. I thought it would be funny.”
“Funny?!” Huckleberry exclaimed, still tugging at the sword. “How am I supposed to do anything with this thing stuck to me? I can’t even eat breakfast!”
Bilberry, who had been half-listening while flipping through his book, suddenly looked up, a grin spreading across his face.
“Well, you’ll never be unarmed again, that’s for sure!”
Blueberry snorted, trying to stifle her laughter as she watched Huckleberry struggle.
“Maybe you’ll get really good at one-handed tasks.”
Huckleberry shot a glare at Strawberry, who was now openly laughing. “You’d better fix this, or I’m going to—”
But before he could finish his sentence, Strawberry winked at him. “Or you’ll what? Wave your sword at me?” she teased.
Huckleberry groaned, realizing he was stuck with the sword until Strawberry decided to undo the spell. He sat down at the table, his sword clanging against the chair, which only made his siblings laugh harder.
“Fine, you got me,” Huckleberry grumbled, his tone begrudgingly amused. “But you’d better watch your back, Strawberry.”
“Oh, I’m shaking,” Strawberry replied, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically.
Bilberry, always one to enjoy a bit of harmless mischief, leaned over to Huckleberry. “You know, I think you should get even. Show her who’s boss.”
A mischievous glint appeared in Huckleberry’s eyes. “You know, Bilberry, you’re absolutely right.”
Raspberry sighed, knowing that a prank war was about to begin. “You two… Just don’t wreck the house, okay?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Huckleberry said with a grin, already formulating a plan. He might have a sword stuck to his hand, but that didn’t mean he was out of the game. In fact, he had just the spell in mind to get back at Strawberry and maybe Bilberry too, for egging him on.
Later that day, when Strawberry was busy in the kitchen of the village house, Huckleberry found his opportunity. With a quiet murmur, he cast a magnet spell one of the first spells Fiona had taught them. The spell was meant to attract metal objects to a certain point, and Huckleberry figured Bilberry, with his love for lounging around, would be the perfect target.
The spell was simple but effective. As Huckleberry finished the incantation, a faint shimmer surrounded Bilberry. At first, nothing happened. But then, one by one, all the metal objects in the room spoons, pots, pans, even nails from the furniture began flying toward Bilberry, clinging to him like he was a walking magnet.
“What the—” Bilberry barely had time to react before a dozen metal objects were stuck to his clothes, his arms, and even his hair.
Strawberry, hearing the commotion, poked her head out of the kitchen and burst into laughter.
“What happened to you, Bilberry? You look like you’re ready to start your own band with all those instruments!”
Bilberry struggled to move, but the weight of the metal was too much. “Huckleberry! This has your name written all over it!” he yelled, glaring at his brother.
“Hey, you were the one who suggested I get even!” Huckleberry replied, grinning from ear to ear. He stood up, the sword still awkwardly stuck to his hand, and took a few steps toward Bilberry, who was trying unsuccessfully to pry a frying pan off his back.
“This is not what I meant!” Bilberry complained, though he couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of his situation. “Now I can’t move!”
Raspberry watched the scene unfold, shaking her head but unable to suppress her own laughter. “I told you not to wreck the house, and what do you do? You wreck each other.”
“I think it’s brilliant,” Blueberry said, finally joining in on the fun. “Who knew a magnet spell could be so effective?”
Strawberry, still giggling, walked over to Huckleberry and Bilberry, hands on her hips. “Okay, okay, I think that’s enough fun for one day. How about we undo these spells before we all get in trouble?”
“Oh, come on, we’ve only just started,” Huckleberry said, though he was clearly enjoying the chaos as much as anyone.
“Yeah, what’s the rush?” Bilberry added, though he was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the frying pan still attached to his back.
Strawberry rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Fine, if you want to stay stuck like that, be my guest. But don’t come crying to me when you can’t get through the door.”
That was all it took. Huckleberry and Bilberry exchanged a glance, then both nodded.
“Okay, fine, truce,” Huckleberry said, his grin never fading.
“Yeah, truce,” Bilberry echoed, finally giving up on trying to remove the metal objects himself.
Strawberry clapped her hands together. “Good. Now, let’s get these spells undone before Fiona comes back and wonders why Huckleberry’s sword is stuck to his hand and why Bilberry looks like a metal porcupine.”
With a quick wave of her hand, Strawberry undid the enchantment on Huckleberry’s sword. The blade finally came free, and Huckleberry let out a sigh of relief, flexing his fingers.
“Thanks, Strawberry,” he said, genuinely grateful.
“But next time, maybe pick a prank that doesn’t make it impossible to do anything.”
Strawberry winked at him.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Meanwhile, Raspberry had taken it upon herself to help Bilberry. She carefully worked her own spell, one that would reverse the magnet effect. The metal objects slowly detached from Bilberry, clattering to the floor in a pile.
“There, all better,” Raspberry said, dusting off her hands. “And next time, maybe think twice before encouraging Huckleberry.”
Bilberry groaned as he stretched, relieved to be free from the metal.
“Yeah, yeah, lesson learned. But you have to admit, that was pretty funny.”
Blueberry nodded in agreement, her eyes still twinkling with amusement. “It was. But let’s maybe stick to less destructive pranks from now on.”
With the spells undone and the village house restored to its usual state, the orphans gathered around the table for lunch. There was still a lot of laughter as they recounted the day’s events, each of them secretly plotting their next move in the ongoing prank war.
As they ate, Fiona finally returned from her errands in the forest. She paused at the doorway, taking in the sight of the still-smiling orphans and the pile of metal objects on the floor.
“Do I even want to know what happened here?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.
The orphans exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter once more.
“It’s a long story,” Raspberry said, grinning.