Mildred, young magician

" I miss my Mom so much. She was the one who loved me, who took care of me. Before she met this horrible man. We had to leave my home, my toys, all my friends. I don't like his house , it smells of old things and dust, and there are empty bottles everywhere. When I come home, I sometimes stumble upon them, which makes him very mad. One time he got so angry, I heard him screaming at my Mom all night. And then a lot of loud noises. That was the last time I saw my Mom. He said she left me because I was a bad girl, but I don't believe him. Quickly! I think he's coming, I need to find a place to hide, a better place this time. Yesterday he came back home and started throwing everything around: pieces of furniture, kitchenware, my clothes, even Mom's stuff. I was hiding in the closet, but the wooden doors didn't stop him. No! Don't think about it, don't be afraid! This time he won’t find me!” In panic, she was looking for a place to hide when she saw an open door leading to the basement. Always closed and locked, now it was almost inviting her in. “ONE for death and TWO for birth, THREE for wind and FOUR for earth, FIVE for fire, SIX for rain, SEVEN's joy and EIGHT is pain, NINE to go, TEN back again!” The girl was counting steps while coming down the stairs. The basement was cluttered with all kinds of old junk, although one thing was showing up: right in the middle of the room a peculiar sphere devoid of any dust was placed. Shimmering. Gleaming. Pain! Poignant, violent pain pierced through girl's hand as she touched the sphere. Close-up in wasn't a sphere at all but an old skull with a snake hiding inside. Poor girl fell on her knees, clutching one hand with another. Flashes. Bright flashes came through her mind: an old woman trapped here, hunted down by an angry crowd, pleas for mercy, despair and then all of a sudden… power, hatred, desire for vengeance. And then...relief. A low voice awoke her from her slumber: “Wake up, child. He will never hurt you again, I promise. I will protect you from all the evil in this world, starting with him!”. A gentle knight in shiny armor was standing in front of her on one knee holding a great sword as a symbol of protection. “I'm not alone anymore. I have a friend now. Let's see who's gonna be hiding now." "