《The Witch Meredith》 The Witch Meredith Chapter 1 The Witch Meredith ¡°Bye!¡± Meredith called out as she waved to her parents¡¯ distant figures on the ground. They became ever-distorted as Meredith¡¯s broom carried her up and away. Cici, the young witch¡¯s black, feline companion, tightened his grip on the front of the broom as Meredith excitedly veered away from her boring life, suffocating parents, and lame village and shot off into the sky. Meredith¡¯s curly, auburn hair trailed behind her, billowing in the wind with her black robes and medium-sized leather purse. Her feet, clad in black knee-high slip-on boots, dangled beneath her broom. Inside her enchanted bag was everything Meredith needed for her summer stay at her Grandma¡¯s, and she couldn¡¯t wait to get there! The young witch was delighted to escape the stuffy academy for the summer and leave her dull little village behind. She felt free, liberated! She was going to learn how to become a proper witch! The pair flew just under the sparse clouds that littered the sky. Below, patches of forest, farmland, hills, and dirt roads spanned as far as the horizon. The Norwich River she was set to follow lay to her left, running crookedly north to south. The sun warmed her skin, and the pine-scented breeze immediately cooled it. The freedom of flight felt amazingly wonderful, at least for her. Meredith could see the tension in Cici¡¯s shoulders as the wind wafted over his fur. A surge of recklessness overtook the young witch. She yanked on the broom and careened into a stomach-churning somersault. Cici panickedandclutched at the broom handle while Meredith whooped. ¡°Whoo!¡± The witch laughed as she angled back into a steady, flying position. Cici turned his head and glared at Meredith. ¡°I wish you¡¯d warn me before doing your acrobatics,¡± he grumbled as he relaxed again. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Meredith teased and poked him. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be used to it by now!¡± Cici ignored her and faced forward once more. They swiftly soared forth until the familiar patterns of home became miles of hilly forest with small villages dotted throughout. Large, squared parcels of farmland interrupted the otherwise endless forest. But Meredith followed the Norwich River until it forked in two, which she followed to the right. Her face began to tingle from the whipping wind, and her shoulders grew warm from the sun above. Still, it was a perfect day for flying. ¡°You do know where you¡¯re going, right?¡± Cici asked as he nimbly crept closer to sit directly before Meredith. He arched his head up to see her face; his piercing yellow eyes shimmered in the sunlight. ¡°Of course I do,¡± Meredith replied. ¡°We just follow the river until it splits and stick to the right, which we just did. Now, we just keep following until we see Greenwood. It¡¯s the first village that spans both sides of the river and has that giant rock bridge.¡± ¡°How will you know if you accidentally pass it?¡± ¡°Have some faith, worrywart,¡± Meredith huffed. ¡°Mom drilled the directions into my head. You¡¯d know that if you weren¡¯t asleep every time we went over it. Lazy cat.¡± Cici faced forward again and flicked his tail high, the tip barely grazing Meredith¡¯s chin. ¡°Instructions bore me,¡± Cici stated matter-of-factly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out, just in case. Maybe I¡¯ll even catch a bird if I feel so inclined.¡± He lowered his body into a crouch. ¡°Ok, panther.¡± Meredith rolled her eyes and giggled at her prissy cat. He wouldn¡¯t know what to do with a bird, especially way up in the sky. ¡°Just let me know before you jump.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m a silent hunter. You¡¯ll just have to catch me.¡± ¡°With the bird?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not eating a bird on my broom.¡± Cici humphed and curled his tail around himself. The pair flew for hours, passing farms, pastures, villages, and swaths of forest. Meredith eventually slowed and enjoyed the scenery as she bobbed gently, gliding on the wind in pure bliss. She occasionally warned Cici before she attempted another aerial maneuver. Meredith would hop on her broomstick and surf; other times, she¡¯d loop, spin, or weave side to side. Boredom slowly replaced exhilarating freedom as the sun arced higher and higher until it slowly began falling at their backs. Cici hadn¡¯t seen any birds worth pouncing on, and Meredith¡¯s butt was sore from sitting. The pair chatted throughout the flight, but even they ran out of things to say. Finally, as the sky glowed with a brilliant orange and the tall trees of the forest below cast long, spiky shadows across the Norwich, the river town with the rock bridge came into view. ¡°There it is!¡± Cici howled and dug his claws into the broom. ¡°Finally!¡± Meredith cried out. She dropped her broom downwards and streaked towards Greenwood. As they drew nearer, Meredith could see the sprawling mishmash of brick and lumber houses sprinkled throughout the cobblestone streets on both sides of the river. Roofs of wooden shingles, clay tiles, and thatch adorned the mass of single-story buildings. Each home had a small garden and one or more chimneys, all of which spouted a gentle, curling stream of gray smoke that Meredith could smell from up high. ¡°There¡¯s Grandma¡¯s!¡± Meredith pointed to the eastern side of town. A small wooden building sat a bit away from the rest in a slight clearing surrounded by tall pines with a winding dirt path leading to it. Atop it was a clay shingle roof with two brick chimneys on each end. A white picket-fenced garden, lush with vegetation, lay behind the house. In the front, a door stood between two wide windows reflecting the sun''s glare. The front of the building was Grandma¡¯s apothecary shop; the back was her home. Meredith swooped down towards it. ¡°Pull up! Pull up!¡± Cici shrieked as the ground came careening up to them. Meredith yanked her broom upwards. THOOM! Meredith¡¯s stomach lurched as they came to a screeching halt just above the ground. Clouds of dust swept off the dirt path beneath Meredith¡¯s broom. She swung herself off, left her steed hovering, arched her back, and stretched her stiff muscles. Cici leaped onto the ground and gave Meredith a sour look before arching his own back. BANG! Cici flinched as the shop door burst open, revealing a tall, portly, ashen-haired woman clad in a black robe that ended at her bare feet. ¡°Is that my grandbaby swooping in with thunder at her heels?¡± Grandma beamed from the doorway with her fists on her hips. ¡°Grandma!¡± The witches trotted towards each other and embraced. ¡°You better quit getting so big!¡± Grandma squeezed Meredith. A large black cat sauntered out from the shop and joined the elder witch. Cici padded over to nuzzle her. ¡°Hey, mama!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± Mama Cat purred. ¡°Is Meredith treating you well?¡± ¡°She picks on me all the time!¡± Cici wailed. ¡°Oh, hush you!¡± Meredith gasped as Grandma continued to strangle her with love. ¡°My poor, sweet baby,¡± Mama Cat crooned with amusement as she licked Cici¡¯s forehead. ¡°Still getting picked on by Mean Meredith.¡± Finally, the young witch was somewhat released, but Grandma¡¯s hands stayed on Meredith¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Come on inside, you two!¡± Grandma beckoned them into her shophouse as she stooped to pet Cici. ¡°You must be starving after that long flight!¡± The young witch and cat happily obliged. Meredith And Grandma Chapter 2 Meredith And Grandma Meredith and Cici followed Grandma and Mama Cat inside while Meredith¡¯s broom leaned itself on the wall beside the front door. A magical chill wafted over Meredith and made the young witch shudder. The shop was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun that poured in from the wide windows. Scattered throughout the shop were tables, shelves, and racks displaying gemstones, trinkets, enchanted jewelry, jarred specimens, crates of peculiar gourds, lotions, potions, ointments, and stoppered tubes filled with different substances that swirled and shimmered. Tall, book and bauble-filled shelves lined the walls, interspersed with large, spice and herb-laden apothecary cabinets. It was all so confusing and convoluted but also mesmerizing. Meredith thought it was a wonderful mess. Before them stood a long wooden counter with packed display shelves recessed underneath it, which almost spanned the width of the shop. A colorful myriad of stacked goods sat atop the counter. The organized mess covered every bit of available space, save for the slight gap next to where the large, intricately designed tiller sat, where, over the years, countless products and currency had slid across and worn the top of the counter. Cabinets stood behind the counter amongst a jumble of larger, rarer, and more expensive products. Small orbs of light lazily bobbed overhead, emitting a dull white glow just beneath the ceiling, painted to display the night sky. It was almost too much for Meredith to take in. ¡°It¡¯s just like I remember it!¡± Meredith stared in awe as she inhaled the familiar scent of wood and spices. Nostalgia rankled her heart. She always loved Grandma¡¯s shop. ¡°Not much has changed,¡± Grandma replied, leading her family through the maze of displayed goods. Though some of her favorite relics were missing, she spied the dusty globe atop the counter she used to play with as a child. ¡°You still have the globe!¡± Meredith gave it a twirl as she passed it. ¡°And Mr. Shiny!¡± Beside the globe sat a bejeweled skull on a stand. She tapped it with her fingernail, and its jaw popped open to reveal a candy. Meredith knew better than to reach for it. ¡°Do you remember the last time you tried to eat his candy?¡± Grandma asked wryly. ¡°I¡¯m not making that mistake again.¡± Grandma led her family towards the wooden door in the back that opened to the house proper. Meredith weaved behind her and snuck a peak behind the counter. Amidst the pile of treasures sat a large, long-handled, and jewel-encrusted warhammer. ¡°You still can¡¯t get rid of that thing, can you?¡± Meredith asked. She remembered failing to lift it as a child. Grandma glanced at the hammer. ¡°Unfortunately, the market for fancy weapons has significantly decreased.¡± Grandma pushed through the door. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Meredith wasn¡¯t ready to leave; she wanted to poke through the shop but followed Grandma anyway. She would have plenty of time later. Through the door, they entered Grandma¡¯s house proper, where numerous odors slammed into Meredith¡¯s nose. The dark interior had been bewitched to be much larger inside than outside, just like Meredith¡¯s purse, and was lit by streams of light pouring through the side windows and small floating candles that bobbed lazily above their heads. Grandma¡¯s house was just as cluttered with magical curios as her shop and stretched out twice as much across a dark wooden floor. On one side was the kitchen with a wrap-around counter, an island in the center, and a brick fireplace set into the far wall. A simmering cast iron cauldron floated lazily above the low fire. The counters were cluttered with multiple jars of ingredient powders, spices, gels, and mysterious substances alongside scattered beakers, burners, and utensils. Above the counter, on slight shelves, sat jumbles of books and scrolls. Underneath were heaps of cauldrons of various sizes stacked within each other. Throughout the kitchen floated multiple small black cauldrons; green flames flickered underneath and enveloped the bottoms while wooden spoons slowly stirred their contents. The other side of the house was filled with overstuffed bookshelves and cabinets. They lined the walls alongside display shelves that held all manner of witchy arts. Between them, another door led to the side of the house by the garden. Within the cocoon of books sat a pair of red, velvety cushioned chairs beside another fireplace. Scrolls were stashed between anything that could hold it. Atop one of the side tables sat a small enclosure that hosted Grandma¡¯s pet three-eyed toad, Thomas. Besides his bulky stature and third eye atop his head, Thomas was a marvelously normal-looking toad. ¡°You remember Thomas, don¡¯t you?¡± Grandma gestured toward his enclosure. ¡°He¡¯s hard to forget!¡± Meredith replied. ¡°Hello, Thomas!¡± The toad belted a loud croak. Meredith soaked everything in: the warmth, the smells, and the nostalgia of the familiar coziness that Grandma fostered in her living space. A short wooden hallway split the wall between the kitchen and sitting room. On opposite sides were doors leading to Grandma¡¯s room and the guest room, now Meredith¡¯s. The door at the end of the hallway led to the washroom. ¡°Make yourself at home, dearie.¡± Grandma spun around as she stepped towards the kitchen and waved Meredith towards the hallway. ¡°Set your things down and make yourself comfortable. Dinner will be out soon. Your first day starts tomorrow!¡± Meredith, excited, skipped down the hall and into the room where she would be staying, with Cici prancing at her heels. It was a rather empty room, but Meredith saw it as an empty canvas. The walls and floor were made of the same dark-colored wood planks. A narrow, wrought iron bed with purple sheets was shoved up into a corner just under the sole window. Beside it sat a small wooden desk and chair. Opposite them was a small closet with sliding doors. Meredith whipped the black curtains open, allowing the remaining light of the setting sun to brighten the room. Minute dust floated in the orange sunlight. Cici bound onto the bed and padded around while Meredith set her bag on the desk and kicked off her boots. ¡°It¡¯s starting to feel real!¡± Meredith exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m so excited! This summer is going to be the best!¡± She picked Cici up and spun. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to be a great witch like Grandma! This is practically my dream job! What do you think? Are you excited, too?¡± Meredith held Cici aloft before her face. He slowly blinked, then said, ¡°I do not dream of labor.¡± ¡°Whatever, you ol¡¯ grouch.¡± Meredith frowned. The pair returned to the kitchen, filled with bewitched utensils clattering about. Dinner was soon served, and Meredith and Grandma spent the evening in the sitting room talking and laughing as they ate a plateful of pork, beans, cheese, and bread while Mama Cat and Cici sat before the fireplace and shared a large fish.