The Witch of Castle Cloud

The village of Elmia hid in the shadow of the Blackstair Mountains. Invisible from the main road, it did not attract many visitors. Most had not heard of it, and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages said this was just as well.

I was a young man, and the world was my oyster. Constantly travelling but never arriving, I rode from place to place, taking nothing but the money in my pocket and the clothes on my back. For the first time, I was truly free, and it was wonderful.

The first time I heard of Elmia, I had been wandering around the town I had just arrived in, trying to find an inn with a spare room. I had seen two men muttering, and my curiosity overcame me. Under the pretence of reading the sign on a nearby bakery, I listened in on their conversation.

‘So he’s sayin’ their all gone?’

‘Down to the last hoof. I’m telling you, this is the last time we’re doin’ business in Elmia. It’s full with all types of strange folk.’

All at once, I was intrigued. I could remember hazy afternoons by the river, my mother telling me stories of elves, pixies and the like. I needed to know more.

‘Aye, you best be keeping away from that place,’ said Beth, the old wizen woman who owned the tavern I was staying in. ‘Funny things happen in that place...things go missing.’

‘What sorts of things?’

‘Livestock, mostly. In the evening the farmers will put ‘em in the paddock, and come morning they’ll all be gone. Just like that.’ She clicked her fingers, emphasising her point. ‘No one knows who done it. But,’ At this point, Beth’s voice grew soft. Whether this was intentional or not, the effect was good and I found myself leaning closer to her. ‘Livestock ain’t the only thing to go missing ‘round those parts. Children, too. They go out to play in the morning, and are never seen again. Mark my words, there’s something about Elmia that’s not quite right...’

‘How do I get there?’ This was obviously the wrong question to ask. Beth bristled, and rather sharply stated, ‘Ye got a nose for trouble, young sir, and I’ll be damned if it don’t get ye into hot water soon enough! These things are better left alone!’ And with that, she stormed off, face like a dark raincloud.

It was true. I did have a nose for trouble, and it had gotten me into scrapes for as long as I could remember. My childhood was filled with memories of burned fingers, dog bites, broken arms and legs, and once, a charging bull. Still, I reasoned, there was no harm in taking a look. That’s what Pandora said before she opened the box, said the rational part of my brain. A very small part, but it was a seed of doubt, nonetheless. What is a life, if it is one without risk? said the other part. I liked this piece of my mind much more, and it had been the driving force behind my adventurous thus far. ‘Oh, what can it hurt?’ I asked the flicking candle. As if in response, a strong gust of wind blew out the flame.

And so it was that, the next morning, I saddled my dappled gray mare, and rode off in search of Elmia.

By noon, I had arrived at the outskirts of the village, and came upon a group of children. They were no more than seven years old, but all bore anxious faces, and their eyes seemed conceal knowledge far beyond their years. They gasped at the sight of me, as a man sitting on a horse seams very tall when you are barely four foot. I dismounted, if only to seem less alarming, and asked gently, ‘What is wrong? Surely children like you should be playing in the sunshine, not sulking in shadows!’

They looked at each other nervously. After a long silence, a girl (obviously the leader) spoke. ‘It’s Alice,’ she said matter of factly, as if I had quizzed her on the weather. ‘She’s been taken.’

‘Taken? By whom?’

At this, the girl shivered uneasily. ‘By the witch. She took William and Ada too. And we don’t know who’s next.’

Amused, I briefly remembered the year I had convinced myself that a terrible beast lurked within the woods. Such a strange thing is the mind of a child, I thought. Trying to console them, I said, ‘I’m sure that your friends will be along soon enough. I’m sure she’s just doing a job for her mother, like a good girl.’

The children stared at me as if I were a lunatic.

‘She’s been gone six whole days. And William’s been gone for thirty-two, and Ada’s been gone for a whole five months. The witch took them.’

‘I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. Have you asked her mother where she is?’

‘Sir, you don’t understand. The witch took ‘em! She takes children away, and we don’t know where!’

‘There’s no such thing as witches. You best remember that, before you work yourself into a fit. That goes for all of you!’ As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I mounted and rode away as fast as I could. I had a weakness for dramatic exits.

***

Well, that was my first ever story. Hope you enjoyed it! Should I keep going with it, or scrap it?