The Friendly Neighbourhood WITCH??

I was staring up into the clear blue sky while lying down on my back in a clearing deep within the enchanted woods. With my arms stretched wide, while I was lazily basking in the warm sunshine. I came out to the woods again, this time I was trying to get in touch with nature, and perhaps find some inspiration along the way.

I closed my eyes so that I can focus and listen more intently to the harmonious rhythm of the forest. It was like an orchestra, filled with life; I could hear the gentle flow of water in a nearby stream, the sweet singing of the tree birds as they call out to each other, the deep yet melodious croaking of a few toads, the high pitched shrieking of the monkeys, the faint screaming of a girl which grew increasingly louder with an alarming rate.

Puzzled by that sound which seemed out of place, I turned to its direction and peered through my half open eyes. To my shock, a vague figure of a person fell from the sky and crashed right onto me with a loud THUD!!

Groaning in agonizing pain, I tried to wrap my arms around my torso which felt as though a few ribs were broken. But instead, my arms clasped around a body not of my own. Then I saw her, just inches away from my face was hers; with a surprised pair of big beady eyes, flustering rosy cheeks, long black hair and a black pointed hat.

All of a sudden, my pain went away. My heart leapt with joy as I thought “Golly! A pretty girl fell from the skies on me! She must be God sent!” then I was abruptly interrupted “I’m so sorry, are you hurt?” asked the girl with a concerned tone and continued “I’m still not good at riding a broom, so I lost control and crashed.” I smiled with my mind still hazy and replied “I’m fine, don’t you worry your… sself…”

Something struck me, she wears a pointed hat, and she rides a broom. Who is she? Or rather, what is she? “Beware of the witches in the forest!” I recalled some villagers who warned me some time ago “They’ll turn you into a toad!” some even said “They’ll boil you in their cauldron and eat you up!”

“Argh!!...” I panicked and all my pain came back. “Oh no, you are hurt, come follow me, I have just the right potion for your solution” she said with a cheery tone and pulled me up. Smart little witch this one, first she break my ribs to render me helpless, in turn making me unable to escape, now I have no choice but to abide to her every command. For all I know, I might just end up as her dinner or in a pickled jar on her shelf. Just my luck.

As the evening came, she had dragged me to the swamps of the forest. We stopped at a big old willow tree. She leaned over to the willow tree and whispered to it. Immediately, bright glittering lights emerged from the ground under the tree next to where we stood. The lights aligned themselves taking the shape of a small hut. Slowly the shimmering image of a hut became clearer and soon, the whole hut materialized before our eyes. “Welcome to my humble abode!” announced the witch as she opened the door to welcome me in. As I stepped into the hut, I can’t help but notice a floor mat with the words “Hola!~” written on it.

“A little chilly isn’t it?” she said with a smile as she snapped her fingers. At that very moment, right at the corner of my eye, the fireplace lit itself setting a warm orange glow upon the room. Now I could clearly see the entire place. But surprisingly, it wasn’t how I had expected it to be. There were no pickled jars of animal innards or organs lining the walls, neither were there any peculiar symbols nor dusty cobwebs around. It was just like any other country cottage which you can find.

“Come on, just lie down here and relax while I look through my potions cupboard.” She said as she gently pat on the couch next to the fireplace. Still shaken I did as she said. Sure enough, after a few minutes of fumbling in the cupboard next to the neatly arranged bookshelves, she came back with a vial of concentrated white solution that labeled “Unfracture”. She poured some of it over my wound, which was swollen and darkened to a shade of purple. I felt a tingling sensation, and the pain had somewhat lessen slightly. “It will heal completely in a few hours” she said as she stood up. “Oh, how rude of me, I’m Phui Yan, the Wonderful Witch Phui Yan!” she proclaimed bearing a wide smile as she struck a pose with her hand by her hips.

Seems like my luck wasn’t that bad after all, I was still alive and none of my organs were taken as I bid farewell and left the hut the next morning. I concluded that not all witches are as scary as everyone says they are. They are just misunderstood for their intelligence and possession of unique abilities and talents, or maybe some odd behavior. But they are special, and in this case, nice.

By the Wandering Minstrel,

Rong Tau