The Two Witches

Here is a short story I wrote a couple years back. Enjoy! 

In a place long forgotten there live two boys,  Rorimac and Madoc. There world was secluded and mystical. Stretching for miles were woods and fields of flowers to play in. All around were small villages of people enjoying their simple lives. And the children enjoyed playing outside their homes in the woodlands. Everything was harmonic.

On this day, like any other day, Rorimac and Madoc had been playing. Neither expected to meet witches. Neither expected what  trouble those witches would bring.

While running about, Rorimac began to realize he was lost. He wished to get home sooner rather than later nor did he want their game to last for much longer. There was a feast tonight.

It was a lovely evening.  The sky was tinted red as the first stars showed themselves. “Fantastic,” muttered Rorimac as he sat down to rest. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed listening to the sounds of the wilderness, but suddenly a song in a foreign tongue mixed with the sounds of the birds and bugs. Opening his eyes he saw a woman walking towards him with a lantern. She was the singer. When she was close to Rorimac, she stopped and smiled at him as she beckoned him to follow. He felt compelled to do as she asked. Slowly, Rorimac stood and followed.

Meanwhile, Madoc traipsed through another area of the. “Rorimac,” he shouted and awaited any response; there was none. Turning on his heel, he ran to find help. Madoc remembered seeing a home nearby. He knew the home as did everyone else. It supposedly belonged to a witch. Madoc was scared to go near, because no one did, but he had to get help.

Madoc almost fell into the cottage door in his haste Panting, he reached to knock, but an eerie sound  made him stop in mid-knock.  As the sound grew louder, the door was flung open.

The witch stood in the doorway. She was a short, plump woman dressed in a knee-length blue dress and floral, many pocketed apron. She also wore a silver charm bracelet. “Come in,” she instructed, “Danger’s near. Evalay is calling to her prey. Stay close.”

Madoc entered  the cottage and the woman closed the door behind him. He glanced around, taking in the mass of items that cluttered the room and then looked at the witch. “Danger? Oh, dear,” he exclaimed, “My friend is out there. What if—“

She raised her wrinkled hand to sush Madoc. “We must go and find him before she does. She’s looking to make herself immortal. I’ve been trying to stop her for many years,” she explained with fear in her eyes.

“Are you a good witch?” he asked.

“Yes,  I am. I am Gwaylan the good witch,” she said as  they left the cottage and started to look for Madoc and Evalay.

Neither spoke as they looked. Finally, when the search felt hopeless, they stopped at the edge of a clearing. In the center of it was a fire pit with a hideous figure  bent near the fire. The figure was stooped over a prone figure.

“Rorimac,” Madoc whispered. He wanted to go to him but Gwaylan stopped him. Looking up at her, she pressed a finger to her lips. Understandingly, Madoc nodded.

Removing her hand from his shoulder, Gwaylan stepped forward. “Stop,” she shouted. “Get away from him!” As she spoke, Gwaylan three charms from her bracelet.

 “Leave now! You can’t have him,” Evalay screamed.

“No, I won’t,” Gwaylan shouted  as she rolled the charms in her hand.

Evalay again stooped and worked her spells upon Rorimac, however she twitched as if the charms in Gwaylan’s hand was hindering her work. Finally Evalay stood again. She turned to face Madoc and Gwaylan. “You won’t stop me! I will have him,” she warned as she  fled.

Madoc couldn’t believe what he had just seen. Evalay’s words chilled him. “She can’t have him,” he whispered as he went over to Rorimac. Kneeling besides him, Madoc place a hand on his shoulder and found it was cold. He looked over at Gwaylan. “Will he be all right?” He asked. When he received no answer, he looked back at his friend and waited.

Suddenly, Rorimac began to stir. He  kept his eyes closed tightly as he grasped for something to hold on to. Finding Madoc’s hand, Rorimac held it tightly.

Madoc stared down at Rorimac. He saw the fear on his face, which frightened him in turn. “It will be all right,” he said soothingly. He hoped the fear he felt was not betrayed in his voice. Madoc then looked back at Gwaylan, who was fiddling with her bracelet.

She smiled wearily at Madoc after placing the charms back onto her charm bracelet. “She is gone…for now. However, she will be back,” she explained. Nodding to Madoc, Gwaylan walked away with a stride filled with weariness.

 “Come on. Let’s get going,” Madoc said after awhile. He hopped up. The bending over, he offered Rorimac his hand.

Grasping Madoc’s wrist, Rorimac stood. His knees shook, but he did not fall. “OK, let’s go,” he said weakly.

As they made their way to Madoc’s home, he watched for any signs of Gwaylan or Evalay. However, there were no traces of her.  It took awhile, but the friends made it to Madoc’s home. Everyone, except for the cook, was asleep. She let the boys in after Madoc knocked. No questions were asked but she wore a worried expression. He offered no explanation as they made their way down the hallway. Reaching his room at the end of the hall, Madoc opened to door one handedly. The door swung soundlessly open as he led Rorimac into the bedroom.

Helping Rorimac into the bed, Madoc He did not take his eyes off his friend as he readied himself for an all-night watch. But, eventually fatigue from the strenuous day took over and he fell asleep. The next morning, Madoc woke with a start. Someone had been shaking him. Madoc blinked and looked around to discover who had been shaking him - Rorimac.

 “I had best be getting home,” Rorimac said as Madoc stood and stretched.

Modoc  nodded in agreement as he waved good-bye to Rorimac as he left. Watching Rorimac’s retreating form, a foreboding feelings lingered in Madoc’s mind. Shaking it off, he went back inside.

Madoc worked hard through the day trying to drive the thoughts to the back of his mind. By bedtime, Madoc had forgotten the eerie thoughts. He quickly drifted off to sleep. As he slept he dreamt about Gwaylan and Evalay.

He was wandering through the woods, carrying a basket filled with berries. Haunting sounds and ghastly shapes flitted at the edges of the forest. As Madoc walked through the woods, Gwaylan strode out in front of him. Worry creased her wrinkled face.

“Madoc,” Gwaylan said, “you must go to Rorimac. He is in terrible danger. Evalay has penetrated my charm. You must go in haste.” Then, without another word, she turned and strode into the dense, dark forest.

Madoc woke with a cold sweat slicking his hair to his forehead. In haste he stood.  Fumbling around through the dark, he found the ink quill and the unfinished letter to his aunt Mabel. Turning it over, he scrolled a quick note on the back of the paper telling his parents where he was going and that he would be back soon.

Placing the note on a bench near the front door, Madoc grabbed his cloak and went to the stables to get a pony to ride. If the situation hadn’t been dire, the ride would have been enjoyable. The moon was full; the air was warm. There were no clouds veiling the moon thus Madoc could see for miles.

As the stars faded, Madoc saw  Rorimac’s home looming in front of him. Madoc halted the pony as he hopped off and to the back door. Fumbling, Madoc opened it and  ran through the house to Rorimac’s room.

Rorimac’s door was ajar. Pushing the door open, Madoc started forward, but then he stopped when he saw Rorimac. He was as pale as the bed sheets.

“Oh Rorimac,” said Madoc as he sat down in one of the bedside chairs. He let his hands hang down between his knees as he stared at his friend. “She’s come back.” 

 I wish Gwaylan were here. She’d know what to do, Madoc thought, But she’s not. He let his mind clear and a fragmented memory of the chant Gwaylan  had used came to him.

 “Ah, come back. You walk a fine line,” he chanted, closing his eyes. “Come back. Walk the steady path. Come back.”  Hearing a gasp, Madoc opened his eyes.

“Madoc, she’ll be back for me. She told me,” Rorimac whispered. His voice cracked. “Why does she want me? What makes me special?”

“I don’t know,” Madoc replied.

`           “I hope so,”  he mumbled falling asleep. After awhile, he woke and sat up, causing Madoc to wake. “There is no need to molly coddle me. I’m all right,” he said getting up and getting dressed. “I want to go for a walk. Let’s go to the brook.”

Madoc was unsure if that was the best thing to do – especially after last night. Finally, Madoc replied apprehensively, “All right. We can go.”

Rorimac grinned as he trotted out of the room; Madoc followed close behind. The two boys went out back and Rorimac grabbed two fishing poles. Then they  head to the nearby brook.

All day the boys stayed at there. They enjoyed the day, but there were foreboding feelings lingering in the back of both of their minds. In silence they lay under an oak tree staring up at the darkening sky.  A deafening scream suddenly filled the air, which made Rorimac stand and follow as if hypnotized.

 “Ror,” Madoc called, “Rorimac.” Receiving no response, Madoc stood and trotted after his friend. However,  he soon lost sight of him. Hearing a noise, Madoc jumped as he turned to see what had made the sound. Gwaylan stood in front of him.

“Rorimac is in trouble. Evalay is back,” Madoc whispered.

“I know,” she said, walking over to Madoc and taking his hand. Squeezing it tightly, she said, “Keep close.” The castor witch, with Madoc in tow, began to run. When they stopped, they were at the edge of a clearing.

Directly in front of them half was a bookshelf filled with glass jars. And in the center of the clearing Madoc’s friend Rorimac lay on the ground, still as death.

Bent over helpless Rorimac, was Evalay. She was chanting something in a language Madoc recognized, but did not understand. Even though he didn’t know what she said, he knew what she was doing.

 “Please, let him be,” Madoc begged glancing over at Gwaylan.

Gwaylan strode forward. She held a hand in front of her; the charm bracelet dangled from it. “You won’t take this lad’s soul,” Gwaylan said. The castor witch removed a caldron shaped charm and then another shaped like a broom. Clearing her throat, she began to chant a similar spell, but Madoc could tell there was more to the spell this time. Instead of the charms glowing blue, as they had before, the charms glowed a vibrant magenta.

With each word chanted, Evalay, howled in apparent pain and faded. As the last syllable of complex spell was uttered Evalay disappeared.

Madoc was petrified and couldn’t move. Only when Rorimac stir did Madoc move to his friend’s side. When he reached his friend’s side, he sank down beside him. “She’s gone,” Madoc said.

“I know,” Rorimac replied. He smiled slightly and then sighed. It was over. Wearily, he sat up and then stood, using Madoc’s shoulder as a brace.

While Madoc was checking on his friend, Gwaylan put the charms back onto her bracelet. She then reached into the pocket of her apron. Dropping two items onto the ground, she left. Neither of them  were aware she had left.

Madoc and Rorimac looked around. Gwaylan were gone and in her place was a small wooden flute and a note. Madoc stooped and picked them up. Pocketing the flute, Madoc opened the letter.

To my dearest Ones,

Evalay, who tried to take Rorimac’s soul, has been banished. However, the spell that I did won’t hold forever. She’ll come back eventually, but for now, you’re safe. If either of you are in trouble, play the flute I have come and I’ll come.

Gwaylan

Madoc folded the letter up and  put it into his pocket. Madoc smiled slightly. “We’re safe and always will be,” he said as they left the clearing as the sun began to rise.