Short Stories Anthology

The story of a girl who fell in love with a witch

" No matter what, Annabella. Do not ever
trust a witch's promise. She guarantees you
a taste of heaven, but grants a personal hell. "

Those were the words that her mother uttered to her on her deathbed. It was the only thing she departed, along with an empty mansion and a grieving father, whom consumed by his overwhelming grief for his late wife, dedicated himself to his work, oftentimes leaving Annabelle fatherless, and up to the care of a thousand nannies. Regardless, no matter how many beautiful, talented and hardworking ladies came and went, the presence which should be filled by a living mother couldn't be replaced.

Annabelle Welkin was the lone daughter between the couple of a poised noble family that was well-respected amongst the rank of their local community. She was only ten when her mother passed away so abruptly at her youthful age, divesting Annabelle of a loving mother figure at such an early age.

Annabelle had a deep appreciation for beautiful things, more specifically, beautiful things that did not compromise a long lifespan, hence she had a profound interest in that of flowers. It was a common trait she shared with her mother, so her father would jokingly comment. However, with a scrunch of her nose, her mother would grumpily respond no human was capable of comprehending their own forthcomings. Albeit she displayed a reluctance to indulge in this fondness of hers, she had a penchant for gardening — her favourite pastime. And, when she was alive, she had constructed an elaborate greenhouse.

A magical setting it was. With a myriad of multi-coloured flowers, each belonging to the same or different interspecies that bloomed almost every season, fostering a harmonious and pleasant smell all-year round within the confines of their mansion. Yet her mother would not let anyone intrude upon her garden, not even her own husband and child. Now that her mother was gone, Annabelle visited the greenhouse in her stead. Her disappearance was more of a frequent occurrence which did not incur most of the maids' urge to seek out for her. More possibly, they did not seem to care much.

It was a day like any other. Annabelle took an alternate path, differing from the entrance that was mainly supervised by their then hired gardener, by creeping through the berry bushes and crawling through a manufactured dog-hole. Once the coast was clear, and all the remaining maids had cleared from their allocations, Annabelle poked her dirt-covered face out into the open, only greeted by the countless greeneries in her peripheral vision. She looked down to dust her bows-teeming dress, and as soon as she raised her head, she came face-to-face with a pair of vividly viridescent eyes that seemingly captured all the magic of the surrounding flowers.

Like the protagonist of a renaissance painting had been breathed into with life, the dazzling golden-haired lady in front of her donned a youthful nature, not in a sense that was childish, but she appeared to be a young noble lady. Piercing green eyes that seemingly blended in with the surrounding environment, yet burning brighter with a ferocity on par with the Sun's blazing glare. Her curly locks that stretched down to her hips were gently blown aside, giving an impression of mild waves rolling off a sandy burnt shore. On that tiny framed face of hers was a look of perplexing confusion, as though she were a fairy of the garden caught red-handed by a sneaking ruffian.

Annabelle's oak-coloured eyes only reflected this alluring figure of the fairy-like lady.

"What a beautiful lady..." Annabelle, in a moment of a trance, murmured to herself in awe. But the beautiful lady seemed to have overheard this ghostlike whisper and her pure-white face melted into a gentle smile.

In this very moment, young Annabelle's heart sung a hymn that could never be performed again unless it was for this beautiful blonde-haired stranger. Her stubby legs lost their power and Annabelle flopped onto the bed of grass. Yet her gaze never once left the wondrous sight of the lady.