I was in the woods.

A restless fear pressed between my minds like a wedge. It took me a few seconds to realize it was mine alone; Anna was excited. My heart bubbled with it. Sunlight was seeping through the thick branches, creating blotchy patterns on the forest floor. I hopped from one patch of sunlight to another.

Anna wasn’t afraid. I didn’t need to be afraid.

The dread quieted.

I glanced behind me as I twirled in the light.

Dominie was there, carrying a basket full of vegetables and a few cuts of preserved meat. It looked heavy.

“Can we stay today?” I asked.

“No.”

“Can I stay today?”

“I’m afraid not. Maybe another day.”

I stopped in a puddle of sun and turned to him. “It’s always another day. I want to play with them.”

“Anna, I know you like them, but they’re adults, not children. They have work to do. They can’t play whenever you want.”

“Then I’ll help them.” Dominie caught up to me. I fell in step beside him. “I help you with your work.”

“And don’t think I don’t appreciate you.”

“They listen to me, like you do. And they laugh and talk with each other. They talk to me like I’m one of them, and they’re always doing something. When they were hanging herbs, Mercy told me everything about them. She told me that next time I came over, they would teach me to mix tea.”

“What kind of tea?”

“Medicine tea. Tea for a cold. Tea for a cough. Tea for pain. They can cure everything but old age.”

“Did they say that?”

“Tace said it. She’s pretty old, so she would know.”

Dominie didn’t answer. I looked up and saw he was smiling, but then it faded. “Did they offer to teach you anything else?”

“Not yet. They say herbs are always useful.”

“Good.”

The word dropped soft, like a thick raindrop. I wondered at it.

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Dominie went on, “Anna, I’m glad you’re friendly with them, but…” The hesitation was a long one. “But I also want you to be careful.”

My mood darkened. “You don’t like them.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Do you like them?”

“You’re still young, and this is very hard to explain. Can I trust you to listen?”

I nodded.

“Can I trust you not to repeat it to anyone else?”

“If I can’t repeat it, should you be saying it?”

Dominie laughed, then thumped a finger on my head. “How dare you use my words against me.”

I rubbed my head.

He went on, “I hope I’m not saying anything cruel or unfair, but these are my private impressions, and I know how much they’re worth. I wouldn’t want anyone in the village to hear them and think they’re more valuable than they are. The sisters have a hard enough time here as it is. And I don’t want what I say to get to them. It’d be too easy to misunderstand, and I wouldn’t want to cause needless pain. Do you understand?”

Not everything, but I nodded anyway.

“I’m grateful the sisters are willing to help teach you such a useful skill, but all the same…they make me wary.”

“It’s because they’re witches.”

Dominie raised both eyebrows.

“Did you know they were witches?” I asked.

“I knew they were witches. I’m surprised you knew.”

“They told me that’s why the villagers don’t like them. Is that true?”

“I suspect it is. I’m glad they’ve found a home with us. We’ve always taught it’s important to tolerate people who have different beliefs, but I’m afraid many of our neighbors don’t tolerate them gracefully.”

“Is that why you don’t like them?”

“Please stop saying that. There’s a difference between being wary of someone and disliking them. And, no. That’s not the reason why. I’ve known witches before, and I’ll probably know others, and while I disagree with many of their views, I’ve never found that to be a good reason to dislike someone.”

“Gerrit says they work with devils.”

“I doubt it. Devils aren’t all that easy to work with. Still, why don’t you ask them?”

“If you don’t mind they’re witches, why are you uneasy?”

Dominie stopped walking, set down the basket, and sat down on the path. A half-minute passed before he spoke.

“Anna, I’ve gone many places, met many people, and I’ve made and lost many friends. People aren’t always kind.”

“Like Mr. Ruis?”

Dominie tried to hide his smile behind his hand. When he lowered it, he said, “Now, I like Mr. Ruis. It’s true he’s very grumpy and particular, but I can absolutely trust him to tell me what he’s thinking. It makes things easy. The people I struggle with are the ones who have a…a kind of a pall behind their eyes. They keep things back. It’s hard to know what they’re thinking. Once you’ve been hurt a time or two, you begin to sense the pall.”

“How?”

“Small things they say, patterns you’ve seen before—it’s very hard to put into words. All I know is that some people make me nervous, and I don’t always know why. But I’ve learned to be careful.”

“And the sisters make you nervous?”

He held up his hand, with his thumb and forefinger no more than a quarter inch apart. “A little.” He looked up to the sunny branches. “But maybe I’m only prejudice because I know they’re witches. It’s hard to tell.” He turned his eyes to me. “That, Anna, is why it’s so important to be kind to everyone.”

He stood up and picked up the basket.

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “They like you.”

“Oh?”

“They say you’re nice.”

“Do they? That’s gratifying.”

“But they also say you’re long-winded.”

“Well, they’re not wrong, are they?”

He continued down the path. As I turned to join him, a sudden voice, as loud as a bell the size of the moon, cleaved my mind.

Don’t go.

[https://i.imgur.com/f011ZNa.jpg]

When I woke up, my hands were trembling.