Irresponsibly Immortal

Prolouge

© 2020 just_cait_here

"Tar and Goose Feathers"
•••

"Come on Keagan!" I hiss to my twin brother, gesturing wildly with my hand for him to follow me.

He rolls his honey brown eyes, muttering under his breath in annoyance. "If Mother saw you dressed like that...." he began warningly.
"Well she won't!" I quickly cut in, making sure he sees the glint of warning in my eyes.
I had pulled my hair up under my cap, stole some of Keagan's puffy trousers, taken one of my Father's shirts, and secured a pair of muddy boots.

Yes, I disguised myself as a boy.
Yes, that was highly frowned upon.
Yes, it would get me a whipping from my parents if they found out.

I just had to hope they didn't find out.

"Aha... here we are." I whisper, peering through the maple branches. There's a tiny cottage, secured deep in the forest.
I can practically feel the magic heavy in the air.

"The last witch..." Keagan breathes, his mouth hanging open in awe. I reach over and shut it. "Yes. Do you have the goose feathers?"

My brother nods, holding the sack out to me. I grin widely. "And the tar?"

He reaches into the leather pack swung over his shoulder and pulls out a clumsily forged metal container. I open it and can't help but giggle softly as I stare at the thick, black substance.
"This is gonna be good."

"I don't know, Kenya. Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. After all... she is a witch."

"Oh, big deal! How much magic can a mean, shriveled, old lady posses? All the powerful magicians are dead. In fact, magic is practically dead. And look on the bright side- if she turns you into a frog some silly girl from the village might even kiss you! Your first kiss, Keagan!" I wiggle my eyebrows, knowing how much it gets to him that at 16, he still hasn't been kissed.

Especially when I have.
Numerous times.

Another one of those things my parents can never find out about.

He glares. "Shut up. Let's do this quickly... I don't like this. One bit."

I roll my eyes, but sneak out of the shadows and pull the wooden ladder strewn haphazardly across the lawn over to the witch's cottage.
I tentatively begin to climb, the two metal buckets strapped to my waist clanging slightly, making me cringe.

Soon I'm on top of the roof, balancing precariously on the wooden beams. All I have left to do is move some of this grass roofing (how does she manage to keep the rain out with that stuff?) and set up my buckets.
"Hurry up!" Keagan whisper-shouts from his hiding place in the bushes.
"Just do your job and tell me if you see her coming!" I yell back, leaning over and taking apart the roofing.

I am delighted to find that the wooden beams have long nails hammered into them, most likely to keep the grass roofing in place.
I gently set up my two buckets, filling one with tar and another with feathers.
A few strings and pulleys later and my trap is set.

I scramble down from the roof and dash into the bushes, where Keagan is waiting nervously.

"Let's go!" He says, grabbing my hand in one of his sweaty ones and attempting to drag me away.

"No way! I've got to see this!" I insist, yanking my hand away and wiping it on my trousers with disgust.

Keagan scowls. "That's it. I've had enough with you bossing me around, Kenya. You're always getting me into trouble and when you're not you're off getting yourself into trouble. I'm going home." With a huff, Kegan storms off.
I don't bother to tell him he has numerous leaves and branches in his hair, as well as a spider hitchhiking on his shoulder.

It's silent for what seems like forever, than the sounds of branches cracking reach my ears. Heart pounding, I climb quickly up the closest tree, pushing myself against the trunk, hoping I won't be seen.

It's only a matter of seconds before the witch appears. Bent and gnarled, she lumbers towards her cottage, humming softly with a basket on one arm.
I feel hatred at the sight of her.
She asked for this.
When she gave Mother that faulty medicine, causing the stillbirth of my little sister, she asked for this.

The old lady opens her door, triggering my trap.
I hear her throaty shriek as buckets clamber and warm tar pours onto her head, followed by hundreds of goose feathers.
The look on her face is absolutely hysterical.
This is it.
My most glorious achievement.

Than the woman begins to chant.

"Bring into the light, bring into sight, thou who dares to mess with I, the one, the last, the witch of the past, bring them into the light!"

Damn it.

I feel myself being pulled from the tree, my grip on the trunk not near strong enough to keep my body from levitating towards the woman.
I'm thrown to the ground before her feet.
That's going to bruise.

I look up at the fuming witch.
The witch covered in tar and feathers.
And I do the last thing I should.
I laugh.
Hysterically.

I might have even snorted.

A second later I regret it, for my whole body becomes paralyzed.
"You laugh at me, girl? Oh-ho, you're practically asking to have you're heart ripped from your chest."
Her teeth are yellowed. Many of them missing. Her eyes black and beady, filled with malice.
I smile at her coldly.
"You already did that. When you killed my unborn baby sister."

The witch raises an eyebrow. "Ah. You're Martha's girl... hmmm..." her foot begins to tap, quickly, rhythmically.

"Go ahead. Kill me too. All I did was dump some burning tar and feathers on your head, you old hag."

"You know, I really am tempted to kill you for your insolence. But on the other hand I know a little something that'll be much worse..."

I keep silent, continuing to glare.

"I really am quite put off by you, girl. Today is my last day on this earth and I was enjoying it immensely. Well, I guess I can't have my fun ruined. I will continue to enjoy it." She smiles wickedly, making her wrinkled face wrinkle even more.
With a snap of her fingers I am catapulting through her home, eventually slamming to a stop when my body hits the wall.

The old woman hobbles, feathers and all, over to a cabinet. She opens it and pulls out a small glass vial.
I raise an eyebrow, outwardly exerting arrogance and confidence, inwardly trembling.
Stupid, stupid!
How come I didn't consider this outcome? How could I have been so completely reckless?

I really didn't want to be a frog.

The witch hobbles over to me, whispers something, and pops the lid off the vial, causing the black liquid inside to bubble.

Completely against my will, my mouth opens, and my head tilts back slight. Grinning, the witch pours the liquid down my throat.

It burns.

It's as if my mouth is on fire... my lungs are on fire... my body is on fire.
I begin to scream.

Just as it starts to feel like the pain will never end, I find my head clearing. I can hear the witch's voice.

"Curse her with the curse of everlasting life. Take from me my breath, my neverending strife. Shove it in her heart, turn her mind to stone. Let her skin be impenetrable, poison be her home. This curse, my last, my own, shall bring about revenge, for the one who disgraces a witch on the last day of her existence, is the one who shall feel the pain of never ending persistence from the devils in her mind, they will not rest, they will not hide, she will live amongst the mortals hiding a dark and lonely side."

The last sound I heard from the witch was a exhale... from a mouth that would never again inhale.
My body fell to the ground, every movement beyond painful, but I didn't care.

Why, you might be wondering?

Because, lesser ones, I'm pretty sure I was just given the one thing anyone could ever want: immortality.

Some curse.