The Hedge Witch

I met a real-life hedge witch when I was a little girl traveling with my mom from Missouri to Arizona. We stopped at a commune, called ARF somewhere up in New Mexico. She was named ARF because there were so many dogs on the commune. We arrived very late and it was so dark we could bearly see the narrow path with our flashlights. The darkness was so dark it felt suffocating. We made our way through the dense pine trees, finally finding the main house, which is basically a community house where all visitors and people who live on the commune can come temporarily sleep, hang out, eat, and possibly have electricity and running water.

I woke up early bright-eyed like a normal eight-year-old. Adventure awaited me and I just could not contain myself. I was so curious about what the land looked like now that the sun was out. It was so dark and mysterious the night before. I opened the door to look outside and I was blinded by white everywhere, the whole place was covered with snow. We are in a mountain range and it had snowed quite a bit since we arrived.

I grew up in Missouri, I was used to snow so I wanted to go outside to look around. My mom and others were still sleeping up in the loft. I found a loaf of bread and a block of cheese in a very ancient-looking fridge that squeaked when opened and had to be slammed shut. The handle was weird and I had to lock it to keep the door from swinging back open. Quietly I made a cheese sandwich to nibble on then I put my coat and shoes on and my gloves were in my coat pocket. I was ready to explore!

I was just being a good kid looking at the porch and hanging outside the house for a while. The whole area was full of trees and I felt like I was deep in the woods between some mountains. I felt like there was no one around for miles. The sounds of town could not be heard this far out. Out of the eerie yet peaceful silence that I was not accustomed to, I heard dogs barking and playing not too far away.

My excitement mounted, I loved dogs and dogs love me. I decided I just had to go find them. So off I went alone wandering around looking for dogs, following narrow animal tracks through the trees.

There was 10 inches of snow coating the path, so deep it kept falling into my shoes around my ankles. I didn't care, I was busy listening and looking for dogs that left paw prints in the snow, and I could still hear the barking off in the distance, but closer.

Like right out of the storybook I came across this tiny little wooden cottage made out of what looked like trees, surrounded by trees, shrubs, and containers full of plants everywhere. Being a commune kid I knew that I could just go knock on the door and introduce myself and by this time I had like five dogs with me. We had found each other! And boy were my feet cold!

The porch was all wooden, made with logs from nearby trees including the porch swing and all the hanging planters that were exploding with green despite the snow and cold. A gentle glow shone through the round window in the door, and she peeked her face up close to see inside.

A middle-aged woman sits inside stirring a pot on her small wood stove. I tap gently on the door and wave at her. Suprise and delight flash across her face and she gestures for me to come on in. I eagerly enter, followed by a pack of dogs and a cat who appeared from under the porch.

The inside of the cottage was magical and quaint. Old books filled bookshelves, side tables, and even a few piles randomly scattered here and there. The smell was amazing with so many herbs and flowers hung drying from the 12-foot ceiling. Jars of oils, herbs, buttery substances, and flowers perched all over the cottage, placed here and there. The woman claimed they were for tinctures and salves that she sells to the townsfolk.

She poured me a cup of tea from out of the pot I had seen her stirring when I first peeked in. It was warm with an earthy yet sweet citrus taste that instantly chased away my chill. I pulled out my cheese sandwich and offered her half, which she took with an amused grin, saying it was smart of me to bring food on my quest. It was so cozy and warm, we were having such a good time talking about her dogs and how they got their names. We talked about the snow, cactuses, and books, such a grand time we were having.

Then my mom burst into the cottage with snow billowing in behind her. Apparently, the snow had started coming down again while the little girl and woman had been visiting. Her mother was totally freaking out frantically explaining that she’s lost her daughter in the snowstorm but found her tracks in the snow heading this way and she had been missing for almost an hour. Her mother's face went from panic to relief when she glanced over to the pile of dogs and there I was, with a big grin on my face. I had no idea that I had caused such a panic. I possessed so much innocence at 8 years old, invincible, and adventures always calling.

When we went to go leave the next morning, we found five pairs of socks on the windshield of our car with a note from the woman in the cottage, saying that she had noticed I wasn’t wearing socks and she had a few extra pairs for me. My mom was so mad. She was like … "Great! So the woman who owns this place thinks I can’t watch my kid and don’t have clothes for you."

Thinking back, I wasn’t worried about putting on the socks that day of my adventure, I was just trying to explore a bit and find the playful barking dogs. I never imagined that I would stumble across a Hedge Witch in the middle of the woods and get to hang out! This by far is one of my favorite childhood memories.