10 Minute Tales

Jan 25 - Never Ask an Owl for Directions, Part 2

Curiously, the smell of cooking meat drifted through the air, a smell strong and rich enough to send her stomach growling. She licked her lips briefly, before realising. There was probably a person nearby!
"Uh... hello?" She walked around, putting the corpse down briefly. "Is anyone there?" She couldn't see the light of a campfire and the forest was too dense to let her try and see a plume of smoke in the air. She wandered around the ruins for a while until she came across a mostly-intact arch, complete with a large, slightly ajar door. The smell seemed stronger here, so she looked around. "What the hell...?"
"Hoot!" Another owl screeched, getting her attention. It was coming right for her! She cried out in surprise and turned to flee, finding only the door. She pushed it open and jumped through the doorway, slamming it shut behind her. She pushed against it for a while, hoping to escape it. It seemed to work, so she eventually stepped back from the door.
It was here she realised the wall on this side was far more complete.
She turned around, confused. Here laid no ruins; she was inside the tower! She chuckled awkwardly, confusion turning to disbelief.
"Okay, uh, what the hell is going on...?" Had she been caught by a witch? No, her crystal would have resonated... she fumbled for it in her pocket and brought it out. It flowed softly in the torchlight, but it wasn't humming. "... either you're broken, or I am." She muttered, putting it back in her pocket. The smell of the meal was even stronger now, as was her hunger, so she walked a little further in.

     The first room was simple, bearing very little decoration, leading only to a staircase she started to climb. The smell was unbearably good as she reached a door; she opened it without thinking. Beyond it laid a mess of a kitchen, pots of ingredients scattered everywhere, used plates stacked in piles as tall as her... and, over a fireplace in a wall, a huge cauldron. The smell was drifting from it, and oh, she couldn't stop herself. She walked over to the bubbling stew, transfixed...
"Good evening." A voice greeted. She yelped in surprise and turned to look. It was a woman, coming down a second staircase into the kitchen! She wore thick eyeglasses and a flowing, black dress, decorated with the occasional white feather.