The trip back took forever. No one spoke. The little girls were shocked and the elf was dejected. Even the donkey pulling the wagon was heavy in its gait.

It got dark and the elf still did not want to wait. He jumped off his cart and with firm steps entered his house, took out an iron cauldron twice his size and dragged it out and placed it in the center of the road. He brought some ingredients that he had on his shelf and threw them into the pot. He took out of his pocket the jar with the sap of the magic tree and did the same.

The girls came closer but said nothing, they sat on a nearby log and hugged each other because they were cold.

The elf went home, brought some blankets and gave them to the little girls along with a bowl of berries and nuts.

He opened the book to a page he had already marked and before reciting the spell, he looked at the girls tenderly and told them

- You are going back to your mom and dad... I want you to forgive me. What happened in your village was my fault. I was looking for a way to reverse the spell the Raven Lord had cast on my family, but it backfired. Because of me your village, you were crystallized.

Galani stood up quickly and with a firm voice said to the elf

- But with that sap you will be able to save your family! Your daughter!

The elf bent his head, staring at the cauldron and sadly said to him

- No Galani, not my beautiful girl..., the sap that we brought is only enough to reverse the spell that I conjured.

And so the elf began to recite the spell loudly. From the cauldron began to rise a thick reddish smoke that rose to the sky and began to spread in all directions. Slowly the first raindrops began to fall. Everything that was crystallized began to return to its original state and the magic cream evaporated as if it were an ice cube in the hottest desert on the planet.

- It's time to go back... - Said the elf with a broken voice.

The girls during the trip fell fast asleep, they were exhausted. Luckily when they arrived, much of the village was still crystallized. The elf opened the door of the little girls' house and one by one took them down from the wagon. He tried to lay them on their mother's lap but she was in an awkward position for such a maneuver.

He left them the blanket and with a kiss on the forehead he said goodbye. He closed the door and hurried the donkey away before anyone could see him.

Days passed..., the elf was chopping some wood to make food. While he was waiting for a little more at noon to start, he began to reread one of the many books he had.

In the distance he felt some branches snapping. He paid closer attention with his right pointed ear and heard small footsteps accompanied by merry laughter approaching. The expression on his face changed from expressionless to content, he knew he had to change the menu. Today he would cook stew.

The end...?