Rough draft--please don't quote or repost.
___________________________________________________________
The staff rested
on her forehead. A spike of intense cold
radiating from the staff wrung a cry of agony from Katie.
"You will
say it," Old Man Winter said.
"Get away
from her!" Mel screamed.
Old Man Winter
whirled. Katie gave a sobbing gasp of
relief as the spike of torture was removed from her forehead. Her eyes re-focused, and she saw that Mel
stood by the Wishing Tree, and that the Pretender swung from one of its
branches. Mel looked magnificent, and
Katie had never been more proud of her sister.
