Fright

Feed the Witch

The village of Fogridge always had enough food and water. The residents were happy and healthy, and they liked to keep it that way. This is why every year, whenever the well seemed a bit dry, or when the rice wouldn't grow, they did what they had to do. They sacrificed a baby girl for water, and a baby boy for food. The Red Witch would lift her curse on the town when she was appeased with the blood of these infants.
One year, Fogridge started experiencing a drought. And soon after the drought came famine since no water meant the plants shriveled up and died, and the animals died of dehydration.
They had never experienced such a disaster before. The yearly sacrifice was supposed to have gone off without a hitch, and it did.
Suppose, they thought, the witch needed more. The Red Witch needed more blood.
This couldn't stand! They had an agreement. Two infants a year - one boy and one girl. So they sent a representative to visit the witch in her dwellings. She lived in an old cottage deep in the woods, as most storybook witches do, and she fed off of children from neighbouring villages. However, these children were stolen, whereas the people of Fogridge would willingly give up two babies.
Ezra Williams was terrified as he ventured out into the woods by his lonesome. The villagers were pinning their hopes on him. He feared for his little sister's life, for he left her at home in the care of his neighbours while he undertook this voyage.
The forest was dark and it seemed that every leaf, branch, and blade of grass had eyes trained on him, menacingly onlooking his walk towards his imminent doom. He heard the crunching of twigs in the distance and doubled his speed, fearing a wild animal was following him.
He stumbled to the ground in a stupor when he came upon the cottage. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. The Red Witch was definitely home. He gulped.
Ezra knocked on the door and tried to use a firm voice.
"Red Witch. Come out. You've gone too far. We already fed you a sacrifice"
The door opened and a pretty young lady stepped outside. Her face was delicate with a soft look to it. The universe must have taken its time when it made her. Her long raven hair was gingerly draped over her shoulder, held together in a plait interwoven with flowering vines. Her feet were bare. Her cloak was the darkest black.
One could mistake her for an innocent. But not if you were to look into her eyes, as Ezra did. Those eyes betrayed her. They displayed her truth - pure evil that has swept the country for centuries. She knew it. Normally she would try to hide them, but she knew Ezra was on a mission. He knew who she was.
"I grow hungrier by the day. The neighbouring villages have been hit by a mysterious disease. The children are sick and dying so their blood is of no use to me," she explained, caressing Ezra's hand.
Ezra forcibly pulled his hand away. He asked the witch what she wanted.
"What I want, my dear boy, is the flesh, blood, and bones of a young girl. Not a baby. A young girl who is healthy. One who has never known the touch of a man. She'll keep me satiated for a while. My hunger grows stronger. I want you to boil her head and bring me the rest of her body dismembered and wrapped up. Go. Go now before I take a girl of my choosing," she smiled.
Ezra turned around on his heels and bolted from the forest as fast as he could. He needed to get back to the village.
If only he'd investigated when he heard those snapping, crunching twigs in the forest. Perhaps he could have avoided this tragedy and rescued his sister in time.
The very neighbour who was supposed to be watching Ezra's sister had betrayed him. He followed him into the woods and headed out once he heard what he needed to. His wife had been so dehydrated she could no longer produce milk to feed their baby son. And so he decided to sacrifice Ezra's sister to appease the witch.
Ezra's sister was freshly killed. Her body had already been decapitated. He was in such a dilemma. On one hand, he wanted to burn the village for murdering his sister. On the other, he knew so many babies had lost their lives to the same cause. And then he thought, she was already dead. There was nothing more he could do. He didn't fight them when they boiled her head like a pig. And they didn't fight him when he stuck his head in the boiling water, body falling limp to the side of the giant metal pot.
The bodies were delivered to the witch. She was angry with the villagers. She'd asked for just the girl. She had no use for the blood of an adult male. He'd tainted the female head. So the Red Witch buried their bones in the wall of her house, and fed the flesh to the forest creatures. She never let them go hungry. And she sent new demands to the village. Should they not be fulfilled, she promised to kill them all, and then she would return to the earth, deep into hell where she came from.