A Witch and the Boy

She was dressed like a wizard, no wonder everyone thinks that way. There were many stories about her even the myths like she ate children for breakfast but that’s only mother’s way to control their child to stay home after dark. But, to many surprises this sparks a mark of curiosity in child’s mind only to discover the witch in the cave after sun has set.

The village contained all kinds of legendary myths but the most customary was about a woman who lived in the woods, she’s a witch who can convert into bat only to fly around the village at night to mark her pray for breakfast. Sometimes she catches an animal, other time…. Children

A young boy of 13 had too much, he decided to be the judge of the story himself.

One night of full moon he decided to sneak out of the house and head into the woods. It was another normal night for his parents they lived in a small village with few other people, some of them were farmers and some of them were ranchers containing all kinds of animals.

The boy took the opportunity, sneak out of the house, head straight for the wood, after passing through the woods he saw a small cabin glowing in the light of lantern with a cave beside it

He felt a horror passed through him as he sensed someone’s watching him from behind, but he couldn’t see anyone, he calmed his nerves and knocked on the door, the door flied open, boy went into the house saying hello but no one answered, to his disappointment it looks a pretty normal house contrary to what people believed.

It was a small cabin with a center table in the living room with a small kitchen in front and a door leading to a small room, enough for one person.

The boy was observing the house with mixture of fear and excitement when he heard a loud fearful voice from behind

“What you want?” said a woman

The boy almost cried out in fear as he did not expect someone to be standing behind him.

“What you want?” woman asked again.

“I …..I am looking for a witch heard she lived here …. Sh…..she ate children with bad manners …. She drinks blood of rat she…she looked … I want to see her”.

“you’re looking at her” she said almost exasperatedly.

Her? the boy thought, she’s no witch, she’s another ordinary woman though she she’s dressed in black with a small cap on her head but she’s no witch.

Woman sensed the boy’s confusion and said “What’s your name boy”.

“Liam” he said, still confused.

“And how old are you?”

13 he said. He noticed something strange in the woman’s eyes her face was bright and dull at the same time, her eyes were beautiful observing everything they touched, she has a smart and calm personality, she’s someone you can trust but always feels she can out smart you anytime she wants.

“Who are you?” boy asked

“You can call me jenny”.

“How do you live here”?

Well, I hunt and cook some herbs let me show you, she liked the curiosity of the boy and showed him some white leaves which she was collecting at the time of boy’s reconnaissance

She was about to show him hunted squirrel when he asked why do you live here but not in the village?

Why do I live here? She descended into a deep thought how do I explain him the reason of isolation how do I explain him not everything is magic like his parents and other villagers believe how do I explain him the secrets of science, the growth of plants the composition of herbs the nature of animals. This all is superstitious to all the people they thought of her as a mad woman, who do I explain everything to a 13-year-old? She thought.

Boy noticed something strange has appeared on the woman’s face, he was about to speak when jenny told him to go, his parents will be searching for him as he has seen what he wanted to see, he realized his situation and bade farewell to jenny, told her that he would visit her in the morning.

Although she had lived alone for a long time but she longed for him to visit.

When boy reached home, people were out looking for him but he managed to evade them that he went by the well and sat there for a moment, he lost the count of time. His mother did not believe him but she was relieved as he came back safe and sound.

Boy waited the wind to settle and after some days he went to visit her. She was happy to have him, they talked about life, philosophy and science they talked about plants the animals and the nature of sun and stars and moon. By the time passed she taught him the thigs she learned and boy understood the silliness of the people. She’s not mad she is just another human being who is far more intelligent, she try to find out the reason behind every mystery. But the villagers weren’t ready to get out of their ancestral myths, they accused her to be the witch and forced her to live in the woods but through her knowledge and wisdom she survived.

But what happened to you back in the village he asked.

“Well, boy, that’s the story for another time” she said and a deep sorrow appeared on the woman’s face, he did not want to see her like this so he left her be.

He continued to visit her to take his lessons but he always wondered, what happened?