Short stories

The witch in the winter

Trigger warning, mentions abuse

Once upon time, in a village far away and long ago, a girl named Alani lived with her parents. Her house was like a fairytale castle, whitebrick with vines climbing up, framing the large colored windows. Her father was a respected carpenter, and her mother donated her time to the church. They all seemed to be the perfect family, but alani was never perfect enough to fit in. Her father had desperately wanted a son, and he had gotten one. The boy was strong and perfect. He fit it. But at the ripe age of 12 he was stolen by the winter, and whisked away. Her father wanted another son to take care of them and provide for them when they were old, but he had gotten Alani.

Alani was a weak, sickly little thing with a love for books. Her father did not appreciate all she had done for them, to try to be perfect, and when the nights came he became violent. The town talked about Alani, but she didn't care. They could gossip all he liked, she would ne perfect.

Then, one cold winter night, Alani was woken up by a loud thumping. She snuch to the stairs, and watched her parents whispering together, wearing thick winter coats. She wondered why, and was about to ask them If they were going put when darkness hit her. She was surrounded by fire, tied to a stick. The flames were licking the bottom of her sneakers and she knew she wouldn't survive long. She tried to scream for help, but cloth was stuffed into her mouth, choking her. She looked threw the crowds gathered at the bonfire, and her heart stopped when she saw her parents. They stared back at her, grim faced, before turning around and walking away. Tears engulfed her and she screamed into the red moon.

She woke up with a start, her head leaning on the banister. Checking the clock she realised no more than a minute had passed. Her parents had stopped talking, and she heard the bottom step creak. Deciding there was no time to run to her room, she bounded down the stairs crashing into her dad. He stared at her angrily, but didn't react. "Darling, grab ur coat, we're going to a bonfire." Her mother said. She followed instructions and soon they were strolling through the snowy streets.

Alani walked slightly behind her parents shivering and looking around. Finally they arrived at the clearing, and to her horror she saw a large bonfire with a stuck at the middle. It wasn't lit yet. People stared at her, and she moved to the edge of the town square, lurking near a alley way. A drop of water fell onto her face, and looking up the, the red moon caught her eye. Her heart stopped, and she felt her blood freeze. They were gonna light her on fire, she knew it.

Without thinking, she sprinted down the alley way, into the forest. The snow was cold and her pygama bottoms were soaked, crying, she huddled In a small cave and wished it was all a dream. Alani grew up in that forest. Life was hard, but it was better than at home. She built herself a small cottage and started a small farm with fruits, veggies, 1 sheep and a cow with a calf.

One day, she went into the village, dressed up as an old woman to buy some sugar. On her way there she passed a small cottage. Outside the cottage a woman was screaming at her young daughter. She was dragging her inside by the wrist, her faughter screaming in pain and trying to resist. The mother seemed to snap and delivered a sharp slap across her face. The girl started crying and the mother used it to her advantage to push her inside. From behind the door, Alani could hear screaming and crying, followed by more slaps. The mothers and fathers were warning their children if they dared to show the same attitude as that disgusting girl.

Alanis face turned red with anger, and she strolled away. After a short walk, she found the back of the cottage. Hiding behind the laundry hanging from pegs on the line, she saw the girl softly crying, washing dished next to the window. Her face was red and she could still see the red marks on her face.

Without a second thought she stepped out from behind the washing, and knocked on the window. The girl jumped back, but didn't seem to scared. When Alani beckoned for her to come out, she did. "You deserve better, come with me." She told her, cupping her face in her hands. More tears streamed down her face, and she nodded. Taking her hand, alani started guiding her to the forest.

The two of them lived happily there, alani was already 18, and the girl was 12. They took more kids, and she earned herself the name winter, for she only took kids in winter. She loved her they lived, and was happy what she had done with her life. She had no one protecting her, and now she could protect these kids. When the world is tough, u gotta be tougher.

One night, she saw a man hitting his wife. He had a nasty temper and was drunk. Time passed, and the woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was young and strong and perfect. The man didn't hit his son, but she saw the signs and knew he would start soon. The boy was now a healthy 8 year old boy who excelled at everything. It hurt her knowing how much his soul would be crushed. So she did something she never did before. She took him from the forest, whisked him away.

He grew up happy there. Soon his parents gave birth to a little girl. She saw the parents disgust, and how alone she was left. She was weak and small. And that moment it hit her.

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