The Frog and The Beast

The Witch Chapter 3

Kyoka was angrier than I had ever seen her, her fury palpable as she lunged at me, yanking me by my hair into a dimly lit room beneath the basement—a sort of garage, I suppose.

"You're a stupid, stupid girl! How dare you defy me!" she screeched. "I should turn you into a mouse and feed you to my hawk!"

For a fleeting moment, I believed she might actually do it, and I was scared to death. Instead, she hurled me into some kind of vehicle, climbed in, and slammed the door shut. The car shot off like a bullet, and as I glanced out the window, I tried to memorize our route, but we were moving too fast. My head began to spin, and then everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself sprawled on a sofa in a room that resembled a luxurious suite in a plaza hotel. I blinked several times, struggling to shake off the disorientation. The room was dimly lit, adorned with plush furnishings and elegant decor. Where was I?

I sat up slowly, then got off the sofa and began searching for an exit. I found two doors—one leading to a bedroom and the other to a bathroom—but neither offered a way out. There were no windows, except for one that opened onto a balcony. I rushed to it, ready to swing my leg over the ledge, but then I looked down.

Below me lay an entire city in ruins—destroyed, forgotten, abandoned. This was the part of town devastated by an earthquake some years ago. The destruction was so severe that rebuilding efforts had never begun. The only structure still standing was a 100-foot-tall apartment tower, its equipment and electrical systems permanently fried. And I was near the tip top of it all.

No way in hell I could come from this height without making a huge SPLAT! The fall alone would probably kill me.

As if the situation couldn't get any stranger, I turned around and noticed my hair had grown—exponentially. It cascaded down past my shoulders, trailing all the way to the floor. What on earth was happening?

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement below the tower. For a fleeting moment, my heart leaped, hoping it might be someone who could help me. But it was the witch. The sight of her turned my stomach. I despised even looking at her and wished she would disappear for good. Yet, at that moment, she was the only one who could explain where I was.

"Erza!" she called out. "Let down your hair!"

Despite the distance, her voice was clear.

"Why?" I shouted back.

"So I may climb up!"

"Climb up my hair?!" I gasped. "You can't be serious!"

"I am!" Kyoka insisted.

"But it's not nearly long enough, and I would fall from the window," I pointed out. "Surely your weight is too much for me to hold."

"Do as I say, child. Throw down your hair, and you'll find it's both long and strong enough for the task at hand."

Her eyesight was worse than I thought, but I reluctantly gathered my hair and let it fall from the window. To my shock, it reached the ground. The witch grasped it and began to climb, pulling herself up and pulling as hard as she could, hard enough to hurt me. She didn't need to pull so hard and she knew that.

When Kyoka reached the balcony, I stepped back to let her in.

"Why have you brought me here?" I demanded. "And what did you do to my hair?"

"Did you really think I would allow you to roam freely in my household after that stunt you pulled?"

"I wouldn't exactly call working all day inside against my will and being allowed only ten minutes outside 'free range.'"

"Well, you don't have to worry about work anymore. From now on, this will be your home, and you won't have the privilege of going outside to gather ingredients for me. In fact, you'll never go outside again until I can trust you."

"You mean you're going to trap me here forever? But I can't stay here! How will I live? How will I eat?"

"I will bring you your meals, and soon we'll begin your training to become a proper witch. Do as I say and behave, and maybe one day I'll let you out."

"You're insane! Completely out of your mind!"

"Please don't make this harder than it needs to be. You've already tested my patience. If you're a good girl, I promise we can build a happy life together—a true family."

"Don't you understand?! I don't want to be part of a family with you! I don't want you as my mother!"

"I suggest you start learning to love me, young lady, because I will be the only one you will ever see again."

"What about Minerva? What are you going to do with her?"

"She'll stay with me, because she behaved."

"You won't keep me here! I'll find a way out! I'll call for help!"

Suddenly, Kyoka burst into laughter, clutching her belly as she guffawed. After a moment, she wiped tears from her craggy face and said, "Oh, Erza, no one will ever find you here! No one goes near this part of town! It's been cleared out, with signs warning people to stay away due to mudslides and sinkholes left by the earthquake!"

"Then I'll find my own way out!"

"The only way out of here is through that window, and the only way to get down with your heart still beating in your chest is by your hair! I've enchanted it to be long and strong enough for me to climb, and it can only be cut by my shears!"

I felt like screaming at her in a fit of rage, to drop to the floor and cry. Yet, in that moment, all I could manage was a quiet plea:

"Oh please, won't you let me go?"

"Stop talking nonsense! This is your home now, and you'd better start acting like it!"

My head dropped to my chest. Kyoka yanked my hair and headed to the balcony, climbing down. When she reached the bottom, she waved up at me.

"Ta-ta, my daughter. See you in the morning."

This couldn't be happening. I couldn't stay here forever! I had to escape! How would I get out? What would become of me? Would I ever see Simon, Kagura, or Minerva again? Was this dreadful, wicked witch truly the only company I would have for the rest of my life? Was this to be my fate? Cut off from the whole world, alone with her til the day I die?

As soon as she was gone, I let my tears fall freely. I crumpled to the floor, sobbing with my face buried in my hands. I missed Simon, I missed Kagura, and I missed Zacharias. I longed for the days when everything felt right—when Zacharias was alive and we were all together. And poor Minerva, now left alone at the mercy of Kyoka. God knows what torment awaits her?

I couldn't stop crying, even as it became difficult to breathe. At some point, I think I passed out again. At some point, I felt warm arms lifting me and laying me gently in bed. Soft hands began to comb through my hair, accompanied by a soothing voice singing to me.

I know where l'm going;
And I know who's going with me.
I know who I love;
But the dear knows who I'll marry.

This song, this feeling, this love—it all feels familiar, as if I had known it once long ago when I was just a baby. It felt like a dream—surely it was. Yet, I savored every moment while it lasted. Cause I knew it would be a long time before I would ever feel so loved and cherished again.