Oh, dear reader, it happened! I saw the smoke in the woods again and I went out and I found, oh goodness… well, let me start from the beginning. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I saw the smoke. So with my heart pounding in my throat, I grabbed my shawl and lantern and went out into the night.
Oh, it was so dark and windy out there. I had to hold tight to my shawl just to keep it from blowing away. All the leaves were shaking on their branches, and the sound of it made me shiver just as much as the cold. I tried to hurry through the trees, but I got so turned around I had to double back twice. It seems “as the crow flies” is not at all helpful advice when trying to find one’s way in the woods at night. Finally, I found the source of the smoke. In a little clearing, was an ancient stone cabin, with smoke curling up from its chimney and light pouring from the windows. Oh goodness, and there seemed to be someone or something inside. I stepped forward to get a better look but heard the door creak open and, startled by the noise, slipped on a rock and tumbled to the ground, scraping my hands. Oh, they stung so, but I looked up again quickly, afraid of what I might see. But it was just a little old woman. There she stood in the doorway with pointed hat atop her head. She saw me and without a moment’s hesitation bustled forward just like a grannie saying “now, this won’t do” and “I’d best get you inside.”
The cabin was warm and cozy, and I was sat upon a wooden stool with a patchwork blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I stared at the old woman as she hummed to herself and heated a kettle. Stoking the fire, she said that she had been waiting for me and wondered why it had taken me so long to arrive. I was amazed. What could I say? She chuckled, but did not push me for an answer. Instead she asked about my hands. I lifted them, ready to show her the cuts, only to realize… well, they were gone! I looked from my hands back to her, and she giggled. Oh goodness, how strange!
As she busied herself with the kettle, I spied a small black kitten playing at her feet. The fearless thing noticed me and jumped onto my lap as though demanding my attention. I pet its soft head, and the woman sat down beside me, passing me a cup of tea and a dish of candies, which tasted of cinnamon and honey. It made me think of Mrs. Hume, so I put one in my pocket.
The old woman said I seemed taken aback when she healed my hands and asked what I had expected from a witch. I gasped, spilling a little of my tea, and again she laughed which… well, somehow put me at ease. An old lady, living alone in the forest, serving tea to strangers? She certainly was not what I expected a witch to be. And goodness, nobody knows healing magic anymore! I thought it was a lost art. But all in all, I found this odd woman a pleasant surprise and settled back on my stool. She took a sip of tea and began to explain how it was she knew I was coming. She said the forest gave her signs, like “a change in the wind” or “a strange bird song” whenever someone was on their way. Many people had found her over the years, or rather the forest had brought them to her. Sometimes they were sick or lost or in need of advice, but they always needed something, and she did her best to help them. I asked her what she thought I needed, and to that she said “perhaps another cup of tea?”.
We had another cup, and I told her a little about myself, how Auntie Ember had found me, the mystery of my origins and green color, and how I had decided to move to Greenwood in the hopes of finding some answers. I asked if she might be able to help me. After a long sigh she shook her head. All she knew was that the forest had its ways, that it provided for folks. Years ago, after running away from her old village, she had found this cabin, and the forest had taken care of her ever since. Strange things it had shown her in her time. It had even brought her a friend or two, and she laughed, pausing her story to scratch the kitten behind his ears. I asked why she had run away. With a sigh she stated that some people made it clear they hadn’t wanted her …or her “witchcraft” around. Perhaps, she suggested, it was the same for me. I thought about, at first thinking of Larksville, and the strangers who always stared. But then I thought of Greenwood, of Mrs. Hume’s kindness, and of the invitation to the dinner party… and so I answered no. She smiled at me gently and told me if I stayed around the forest long enough, I was sure to find my answers.
We sat for a long time, watching the fire and listening to the kitten’s soft purrs. I must have fallen asleep, because when I awoke, the sun was shining above me and I found was lying on the forest floor, covered in leaves. I jumped up. All around me were the crumbled remains of a stone building... but how could that be? I had been in the cabin the night before. I felt that the candy was still in my pocket, and after finding my shawl and lantern, ran back home.
Oh, dear reader, it was all so curious and wonderful. The cabin seems to be gone, but I do not think this is the last I have seen of the old witch. Perhaps it is all just as she said, and if I learn to listen, the forest will help me find my answers. In the meantime, I think I have something I would like to give to Mrs. Hume.