If You Go into The Woods Today

The Things I do for You

"I haven't seen Alec in over a week. I wonder if he is sick again, maybe he once again had some of that fools bread. I know that the baker has been busy. There is smoke coming out of the village near constantly over the past days. Why, a few days ago it was so bad I thought that perhaps the town was burning.

Maybe I should go and check on him, he could be very ill. Thought to check on him I would have to go into the village, I would be surrounded by people and they could see my hair. You know, my father made sure I knew all about the dangers of my hair. He told me how the foolish people of the village would hurt me if they saw it... but I want to visit Alec, he must be sick to miss our meetings... he would do the same for me... but he would be angrier I think if something happened to me... I can't risk going in, you understand?" I ask and the rabbit I was talking to bounces away, damn I should have killed it for dinner, I haven't had a decent hunt since Alec's went missing. What if a skunk sprayed him? That happened to me once the smell didn't go away for a good week.

Poor Alec he was probably embarrassed, I have to check on him, so I put my cloak on and start toward the Village.

I walk until I find the dirt path to the village. I have to take a deep breath, I haven't been into a village since then.

I soon see the gates that guard my nightmare. I will have to ask where he lives but that would mean I would have to talk to someone. The things I do for Alec! That boy should be grateful... with the crazy things I do for him.

I ask a small non scary looking woman where he lives. She laughs and then points out the small cottage at the edge of the village. Strange. I shrug it off and go in the direction she told me.

When I reach his small but charming cottage I walk up the steps and knock on the heavy wood door. I have to wait a few seconds before a short, dead looking woman answers the door.

"Um I am here to see Alec, is he here?" I ask, annoyed at the wispy, scared sounding way my voice comes out.

"They killed him." I blink and take a step back, almost falling off the stoop.

"What?" This time my voice is barely there, so shocked sounding and an overbearing loneliness fills me.

"They took my Alec and killed him! My little boy is dead, he burned, oh god they burned him."

I rush forward as she collapses, going down to crouch next to her as she clings to me and sobs heart wrenching sobs, her breath hitching and catching, sobs that tear me apart because I want to join. The kind of sobs that seem to want to wake the dead.

Wait what did she say about her son?

"Madam, what happened to Alec?" I ask softly and her grip tightens

"They named him a warlock and had him burned! They called my child, my baby, the son of the devil! My son, whom I carried and raised, they named him a child of the devil and burned him!" Her outburst is sudden and shocks me. I gently let her go and stand up.

Alec's dead.

He-he was burned, for being a warlock. No no no no no NO NO he can't be dead, he can't, he can't! I turn and run faster than should be possible to the town's center. That's where they would do the burning. Time held no meaning as I ran towards the village. The pounding of my own heart drowns out the sound of the church bells as I reach the village center.

The pain I felt barely compared to the pain I thought the woman had experienced. I saw his pile of ashes, that was my Alec my funny, charming, sweet Alec was now a pile of ashes rotting on the dirty street.