Temporal Exploring 101 - Cultural Immersion

II.27 Visiting a witch

Erin had casually mentioned a few times that the place where we were staying was not far away from the village where her grandmother lived.

"It is only a couple of miles, really," she explained. "Remember that small village we passed through, before we took the left turn that brought us up here? I could take a bus from there, and it would be less than an hour's ride to Granny's place." She smiled. "I would love to see her and talk to her again. She is almost ninety now, so I never know if it will be the last time I get to see her."

"Would you like to visit her while we are here, Morgan?"

Ms Jefferson had a knack for materializing right behind you when you least expected it.

"Of course. But would I be allowed to do that, Miss?" Erin asked.

"I don't see why I should forbid you to visit your grandmother," our teacher replied, "as long as you promise to be back before sundown."

"Oh my god! Really?" The Welsh girl was grinning excitedly.

"Certainly. But you'd better take along one or two of your classmates. I do not like the idea of one of my students getting lost, or having some sort of accident without anybody there to help."

"I would love to accompany you, if I may," I told Erin.

"And so would I," Natty added.

Erin Morgan smiled. "Sure, why not."

"It is settled, then. I will give you permission to visit your grandmother tomorrow, Morgan. Fogg and Hart will accompany you."

The three of us nodded.

"Alright. Just make sure to be back before it gets dark."

We promised Ms Jefferson that we would return before six o'clock in the afternoon.

On the next morning, immediately after breakfast, Natty, Erin and I set out on our trip. It took us less than thirty minutes to walk down the hill to arrive at the small village Erin had mentioned. The locals eyed us curiously, until Erin spoke to them in Cymraeg, the ancient but at the same time very much alive Welsh language. Natty and I were quite fascinated, though we could not understand a single word of what was being said.

"I asked them where the bus stops," Erin translated for us. She pointed. "Come along, it is this way."

It turned out we were lucky since the bus had been just about to leave. We boarded it and sat down together on a small bench in the back of the vehicle.

"Quite a few of the people I talked to know Granny Morgan", Erin told us, as the bus drove along small and curvy roads through what appeared to be an endless forest. "Seems like she is kind of a local celebrity, around here."

"Isn't she the one who taught you how to conduct a séance?" I asked.

"Yes, that's right," the Welsh girl replied. "She taught me all that stuff." She frowned. "It is one of the reasons I want to see her. To talk to her about all that."

"That last séance you held was kind of creepy, wasn't it?" Natty remarked. "Especially the things you told Ndemba."

Erin's face fell. "Please don't remind me of that."

I made an effort to change the subject, and succeeded, though I was keen on understanding whatever had happened on that full-moon night less than a month ago, too.

About half an hour later, we arrived at the place where Erin's grandma lived. Granny Morgan's house was located in a clearing in the woods, set apart from the other houses of the small village it belonged to.

The old woman was thrilled to have visitors, especially so since Erin had not announced our visit in advance. Erin hugged her and introduced Natty and me as friends from school.

Granny Morgan looked very different from what I had anticipated. To be perfectly honest, I had expected to meet the stereotype of an old witch as depicted in picture books for young children.

To my immense relief, Granny Morgan looked nothing like that. In fact, she looked like a woman considerably younger than her age. You would never have guessed that she was almost ninety years old.

She greeted us cordially and invited us into her house, where she offered us cookies, apple pie and some absolutely delicious cocoa. Both Natty and I were rather charmed by her.

"It is such a beautiful morning. Why don't you show your friends the lake, Erin?", the old woman suggested. "The water may even be warm enough for you to go swimming." She smiled. "There will be time enough for us to talk later in the afternoon."

We did not hesitate to follow her advice.

The lake was located a few minutes'  walk from Granny Morgan's house, and it was incredibly beautiful, surrounded by rocks and shrubs and small trees, with its clear blue water and the glittering sunlight reflected on its surface. There was not a soul to be seen, so we had the lake all to ourselves. We wasted no time to take off our clothes to go skinny-dipping. The water was not quite as warm as we might have hoped, but splashing and fooling around in it was great fun.

Later we were sitting together on a large rock, sunbathing, when we suddenly heard footsteps behind us.

"Ah, here you are."

The curly-haired boy was approximately our own age. He wore blue jeans and an orange T-shirt.

"Hey, Tom." Erin smiled at him. "These are two of my friends from school, Natalie and Catherine."

"I know, your grandma told me that you have visitors."

Tom glanced at Natty and me. He blushed, apparently not sure where to look.

"She also asked me to tell you that lunch will be ready in half an hour so," he added.

"Great. That leaves us with time enough to get into the water one last time," Erin declared.
She got up, as Natty and and I followed suit. "Why don't you join us, Tom?"

Tom's blush deepened. "I think I am going to pass, this time. I have got, uh, things to do."

"Ah, that's too bad," Erin told him.

"Yes, it's too bad," he echoed.

He watched the three of was wade into the lake, with what looked like a wistful smile, before he turned around and walked back the way he had come.

Natty grinned. "Is he a bit shy, or something?"

Erin laughed. "I guess he is shy of getting naked in front of a bunch of nude girls. Boys can be so insecure."

"Is he some relative of yours?" I asked.

"No, just a friend from childhood. We will see him again for lunch at Granny's place, I am sure."

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A / N : As always, thank you for reading this. If you would like to give me some feedback, please do not hesitate to add your comments below or to vote.