10 Minute Tales

Jul 12 - Which Witch?

A jolly tune accompanied the witch as she skipped down the street. Her red dress flowed elegantly in the gentle breeze as she walked down the country road, her large hat providing ample shade from the glorious sun overhead. Her companion, a simple black cat with one green eye and one hazel, strode cautiously beside her.

"Well, Midnight, we should be there tomorrow." she smiled. "You can see it already, can't you?" she pointed ahead of her. A mile or two away sat a quiet town, the ocean glistening beyond it. She could see a couple of boats out there, too, no doubt happy fishermen going about their trade. She giggled as she imagined the town. "Come on, Midnight, let's hurry up!" she reached into her bag and drew out a large book. Opening it with both hands, she flicked through the pages until she found a timewarp spell. "Here we go... sumpet, uh... sumpet tiguf!" The pleasant breeze grew quiet as the air almost solidified. "Hey, I got it right!" she giggled, turning to stroke Midnight. "The spell should last for about an hour my time, which is about a minute in external time... yeah, that should work!" As soon as she touched Midnight, a yellow pulse of energy washed over him. He shook himself down and mewled, continuing to walk. The witch giggled and carried on, humming to herself.

-----

Even with the timewarp spell, they didn't make it to the town until that evening, the sky a brilliant orange overhead. She panted quietly as she caught her breath, looking up into the town. What had seemed so small and quaint from the distance now loomed over her, large and imposing. She was used to trees being the tallest things around her, and these towered over them!

"Th-this might have been a bad idea..." she muttered to Midnight, picking him up and hugging him. He mewled once. "Y-yes, you're right... I can feel it too." she sniffed the air, frowning a little. "There's some powerful curses around here." She wandered into the street, one hand holding her hat self-consciously. Her unusual garb caught the eye of several citizens, and none approved. Their normal conversations grew quiet, replaced by soft, displeased mutterings. "Oh, not again." she sighed quietly, glancing around. "They don't know I'm here to help..."

"Mummy, is that a witch?" she heard a young boy ask.

"Quiet!" came the hissed reply. "Don't point at her!"

"Who is she?"

"Go inside."

"But Mummy...!"

"Now!"

"Y-yes, Mummy..." the child muttered, heading into a building. The witch paused, looking around. She could smell a curse already.

"Okay, well... guess we've found our first client." she muttered, heading over. The mother glanced up, cautious.

"What do you want?" she asked tersely. The witch smiled, focusing herself again.

"Good evening! Have you suffered from unusual emotions recently? Are people in your household acting in ways you weren't expecting? You might be the victim of a malignant-" SLAM! The door was closed with all the force the mother could muster. "... curse..." she finished quietly, sighing. "This is going to be a hard sell..."