Short message from the Author:
This is my first ever finished and posted work, I'm both excited and nervous.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
I decided to write a witchy short for the halloween season, and hope you all enjoy <3
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Another leisurely morning, my Mistress pitters about the cabin doing her morning tasks. A fire crackles in the fireplace, the morning porridge brewing in the cooking cauldron mortals call a ‘pot’. Staring at the fire from my cushioned perched, the rocking chair, the heat from the fireplace warming my fur. Gertrude, my Mistress, comes by and scratches me right between my ears, before lifting the lid of the cooking cauldron and checking on her breakfast. Closing my eyes to her and letting out a short purr to let her know my contentment. She gives the porridge a quick stir then heads to the front door of the cabin. “I’m stepping out to the Garden, Topaz, care to join me?” Standing up on the chair and stretching my back upwards, I give her a small growl in response before hopping down from the chair, and walking to the door. Gertrude waiting for me to step out first. I pad my way over to the garden, just around the left side of Gertrude’s wooden Cabin, and hop up onto the cobble fencing surrounding her land watching my Mistress. Gertrude is a petite witch, only about 5’6 in height and pale skin. She’s young too, 17 years, which means I should have this Mistress for a long time. Her eyes are a chestnut brown, she has freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose and her hair is white as snow. Mistress regularly wears a ruffled white blouse, with a floor length brown shirt. Plus of course her witch’s cap, which she decorated the brim with flowers. Gertrude is what they call a Good Witch. With a basket in hand, she begins to harvest her herbs all the while singing softly to herself.
“Through the clouds, who do you see?
By the river, who do you see?
In the fog, who do you see?
Careful now dear children
He’s not what he seems.
Near the castle, who do you see?
In the barrel, who do you see?
Upon the dusk, who do you see?
When the shadows do whisper
It’s better to let it be.”
My tail swishes to the rhythm of Gertrude’s song, as I watch the tree lines of the forest outside her land. The only sounds being the babbling of the river which flows down by the right of the house, and the rustling tree leaves. The river travels down from the village, through the forest, leading all the way to our home. The villagers know how to find Gertrude by the aptly spread “Follow the water, and find she who heals and sings.” slogan. I’m still not sure how it started, but the village people are surprisingly accepting of my Mistress. “Come now, Topaz, let's put these away and have our breakfast.” I almost didn’t hear her calling to me, my dear Mistress is so soft spoken, a cricket is louder than she.
Breakfast done, Gertrude starts to put the herbs she gathered away, and I’ve settled myself on the highest shelf in her brewing room. Mistress’s home isn’t large, but it suits our needs. We have a decent kitchen, a warm fireplace, a place where she sleeps, and the largest area which Mistress likes to call the “Foyer” where she serves the villages. I call it the brewing room though, cause it is where she brews things. A large cauldron sits in the center of the room, and the walls are lined with hooks and shelves which hold all her ingredients and spell books. Aka, my perches. There is also a bench against the wall with several containers and tools, a cot and chair where she places the sick people adjacent to said table.
A rapid knock upon the door startles both Gertrude and I, instantly my back arches and I let out a hiss. Gertrude lets out a gasp.
“Miss Witch?” a male voice calls out from beyond the door.
“Don’t call her that!” a woman’s voice snaps in whispered tones “Miss healer, “she corrects the man. “Please we need your help. Something is wrong with our son.”
I hop down from my high perch on the shelf and make my way to the door, glancing back at Gertrude to make sure she doesn’t come over until I say it’s okay. I give the doorway a sniff, and some foul stench hits my nose, it’s like sweat, and metal, and rot. Clearly whatever’s on the other side of this door has been touched by the Darkness. The knocking persists *BAM BAM BAM* “Miss healer, please. We’ll pay anything.” I let out an even louder hiss, the fur on my back raising fully. Gertrude feels my anxiety and resentment at what's on the other side of the door, but her kind hearted nature pushes her to answer the door despite my warnings. She pushes me aside with her foot “Move Topaz, this could be serious.” Her hand rests on the door handle for a moment, and she whispers softly to me with a knowing look. “Live, and let live.” and opens the door. A woman bursts in, and I hop in front of Gertrude, hissing viciously to the woman. How DARE she barge in here like that. The woman held a smaller mortal in her arms, wrapped in a cloth cloak. Her brown hair barely being held back by a thread, disheveled and messy. The man with her walked in calmer, but looked just as distraught.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Miss healer,” the woman began “Please, there’s something wrong with our son.
“Alright, come into my Foyer and set him on the cot. I’ll take a look.” Gertrude gestured for the pair to follow her.
“His skin is so pale, he’s cold to the touch, and he wont wake up.” The Mother ranted on frantically, following my Mistress into the brewing room. I made sure to keep myself between my Mistress and the dark presence of these mortals.
“When did these signs start showing?”
“He fell ill last night.” The Father responded.
“What are all your names?”
“I’m Martha, this is my husband Henry, and our boy is Jacob.”
The mortal woman named Martha set the cloaked boy onto the cot, now's my time to act. I quickly hop onto the boy’s chest, and growl defensively. This dark thing can’t be near my Mistress. “What is that cat doing!” The mortal man Henry screams out and tries to swat me away. “Please, Sir. He is just protecting me. I’m very sorry..” Gertrude whispers and scoops me up before this Henry fellow has a chance to swipe at me. Being set on the table Gertrude raises her brows to me “Live, and let live, Topaz.” I let out a huff in response, these darn mortals they take too many risks. Gertrude pulls back the cloak that is covering the small boy, his skin is so pale one would mistake him for dead if it weren't for the shallow breaths he was taking. He has dark circles around his eyes, and sweat beading along his hairline. The boy’s curly brown locks seem dull and brittle. Extending her hands over the mortal child, my Mistress closes her eyes. I can feel the air in the room become dense, and the link between us glows as she draws from my mana. A thin red thread only visible to my eyes trails from her pinky finger, to my tail. This scarlet link is coiled and tied to my calico fur, linking our souls. Most witches tend to pick white or black when they get cat familiars, but my Mistress is special, and different.
“Oh….” Gertrude mutters and looks back at me, I give her an unamused ‘told you so’ glare. She used an identify spell, and now she truly knows what I smelt. Darkness. Mistress walks over to her workbench, and pulls down a book.
“Miss healer? What is oh?” Martha’s voice grows with intensity, the worry on her and Henry’s face is clear.
“Well, he’s been cursed. Do you know what Jacob was doing before he fell ill?”
Martha stays silent and looks to the ground.
“I warned you he shouldn’t have gone there!” Henry shouts.
“Don’t you think I know that?” Martha retorts
“Oh, but you only get the point when he gets ill!”
Gertrude clears her throat to try and get the couple’s attention, but the two continue bickering.
“Is it wrong to want my boy to explore his curiosity?”
“Yes! When it puts him in dager like this!”
“Oh so you have all-”
I let out a loud hissing meow, raising the fur on my back once more. These mortals are ridiculous. The two finally stop bickering and stare at me, then turn their attention back to my Mistress.
Henry clears his throat and smooths his curly black hair back. “He was playing around the ol’well the village no longer uses. I told him not to play there, but someone insisted he should be allowed to explore and learn.”
Martha stares daggers at Henry “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is, what matters is can we cure him.”
“Well…” Gertrude turns her attention back to the book, and begins flipping through it. Speaking so softly the couple gets closer to her so they can hear her. I of course stay by the boy, the one who reeks of the Darkness.
“It appears your boy has been struck by darkness. I don’t mean to pry…” Gertrude nervously bites her lower lip, something she often does when anxious. “But do you both fight near the boy?”
“That is not your business.” Henry spits out.
Martha smacks his chest and clicks her tongue “Yes, we do. But what does that matter?”
“Well, darkness feeds off hate, and fear. All the bad emotions.” Mistress flips through her pages “To know how to cure him, I need to know what the darkness is latching onto.”
Martha stumbles back and finds her way to the chair placed between the cot and workbench, burying her face into her hands, and letting out a sob. “This is our fault?”
Gertude looks up from her book, furrowing her brow. She’s not very good with the whole emotion stuff. Clearing her throat again, she flips the page once more.
“Oh, here it is. Darkness born of anguish.”
“Oh lords...anguish?” Martha sobs harder.
“Yes, this is a fairly simple spell.”
Gertrude ignores the tension in the room by getting to work, she begins pulling things from the shelves and hooks. “Thistle prickle, and Yak wool to prick the darkness and cover the tear. Aloe vera salve to soothe the burn of hate...and…” She names the ingredients as she pulls them off the shelves, but gets stuck on the last one. “Shoot.” she mutters. I know what that tone means, and let out a disgruntled mrowf. Mistress looks back to me and sighs “Topaz, I know you want to stay with me. But, we’re all out of blue Centaurea flowers.” I sneeze at her, refusing to leave my Mistress with the darkness in this child. She walks towards the front door, and picks up my back satchel, looking at me with pleading eyes. “Topaz, please. You know as well as I if we don’t take the darkness from that boy it will spread.” Slowly blinking to my Mistress, very displeased with the idea of leaving her alone with strangers, but it seems I have no choice. The darkness spreading would be a worse outcome, she is right about that at least.
So, I hop off the table and pad over to her. She straps the satchel around my belly and pats my head. “Thank you, Topaz.” Mistress opens the door for me, and I venture out the door. The blue Centaurea flower only grows around corn fields, so I have to make my way to the village.