Andy Crow's Fantastical Summer

The Witch of Fairton Hill (Part 3)

"How did you know?" She squinted through the haze of smoke rising from the cauldron. "An Outlander like you... how?"

He's a child of the Crows! Chip said triumphantly and there was an evident smugness on his pug face, but Andy could only mentally facepalm.

"A Crow?" She rounded the cauldron to get a better look at Andy. She squinted her eyes as if that could do anything to clear her vision. Then Greta rolled her eyes and spat, "You are no Crow. Your eyes and hair aren't black. The Crows had never had someone in their family who had a lost look in their eyes. They are proud and tall and as dark and brooding as their namesake. But you... I can't feel anything in you at all. Not even fear!"

The witch cackled and went back to stirring her ladle. Andy was somewhere between offended and amused. In the process of letting him down that he was in no way related to the Crows, his family, she unconsciously let slip the words of praise to the family she despised. But beneath those were the lingering fear and challenge that her family, the Keepers, had long endured from the Crows and Rainwaters. But he would tell none of that, he knew when to say things and keep quiet. But Chip absolutely needed to be trained to know when to shut up when the circumstances forbid it.

Andy's adopted. But there's nothing wrong with being adopted! Right, Andy?

"Chip, shut up!" Andy grumbled.

"Oh!" she cried. The witch looked up, surprisingly merry. "Which of Mortimer and Adeline Crow's scum of a child is your parent?"

Andy felt his blood rise to his neck with immense pressure, not liking the way the witch badmouth his dad and aunt. "None of your business, old hag," he said through gritted teeth.

"Bah! Very well." Gretta threw her arms in the air, throwing the raven off the wooden staff. "Children of the Crows and Rainwaters. Ha! All is going well for me."

"Don't get full of yourself, Greta. Get it through that rotten skull of yours," the wooden staff chimed as he let out a guffaw.

Greta simply shrugged, and said with a sigh, "Ah, I've been yearning for the day when I can finally get rid of you, Uncle Teddy Bones. You don't know how much I regretted finding your soul and bringing you with me!"

"But you can't, Greta, and you know it! I'm the only one you have!" said Teddy Bones, well-pleased with himself.

The witch posed a resigned look as she stationed herself once more in front of her cauldron. "Unfortunately." Then she grinned at Andy, exposing her yellowing and rotten teeth when she caught him staring with a horror-struck look.

"U-Uncle?" he stammered.

Greta patted the top region of the skull and Teddy Bones' features contorted in distaste. "Here's my Uncle Theodore Keeper, young Crow. But he's been Teddy Bones ever since I infused his soul in this staff of mine." She tee-heed and surely, Teddy Bones still brought with him the grudge of having his peaceful and wandering soul be disturbed that he rained down angry curses at Greta who paid him no attention after that.

Something sharp poked Andy on the left side of his body, making him hiss. As he turned to his left, he caught Spy-O giving him a meaningful stare with his now half-lidded eyes. It was then he remembered that his little robot was only powered with batteries, and anytime from now, he would stop functioning. But Spy-O wouldn't let himself be a failure in front of his master. He would do this one last good deed before his system went down.

Andy risked a quick look at what he was doing. He nearly forgot that he installed that feature on the little robot despite his parents' reprimand that he should never play around with things that could hurt him, but he still did it: Spy-O was a little sharp around the edges.