The Earthwitch

[indiekid]

The Earthwitch

This is a story about a little girl named Mina, who lived with her brother Roy on a long and pebbly beach. To one side of the beach was the grey sea and to the other a great, crumbly cliff. Day after day Mina would walk along the beach to where the waves could almost cover it, then climb to the lower parts of the cliff. There a lot of small, thorny plants grew, and Mina liked to crouch down and explore the hidden places among them. Roy was a better climber than she, and would never let her get lost or stuck. At night he would take her hand and lead her to the upturned boat under which they slept; he always got in after she did. Mina lived happily with Roy, the beach, the sounds of the sea and Maxwell.

Maxwell would visit Mina and Roy every morning and cook fish for them on a fire. Sometimes a little sand would trickle from his fingers onto the fish. This would make him upset, but they would only laugh and pick the sand off with their fingers. Maxwell, unlike Mina and Roy, was made of stones and pebbles, and his face was a big plank of driftwood. He never said anything, but he was very kind. Roy, who had a good memory, said he was a bit like their father, which was why he ought to be called Maxwell.

One day the children sat down to wait for Maxwell as usual, but he did not come. A chilly mist blew in from the sea and they could hardly see anything. Mina's tummy rumbled. Roy grew worried, and said he should go out and look for Maxwell. At that moment, however, Maxwell arrived, walking slowly towards them and limping a little. In his hands he held – to Mina's disappointment – just one small fish, and it was still wriggling. He sat down heavily in his usual place and started to make a fire out of dry wood; Mina and Roy helped him. When the time came to light the fire Maxwell struggled: his hands were weak and he couldn't rub the sticks together fast enough. Eventually Roy took them from him and lit the fire, then placed a flat stone on it with the fish on top. He had to move his fingers quickly to avoid getting burned. Mina slid closer to Maxwell and put her hand on his knee.

"Maxwell," she said, "Are you alright?"

Maxwell didn't say anything, of course, but Mina knew he liked talking all the same. Mina didn't ask him anything else, and soon she could smell the fish cooking. All of a sudden Maxwell stood up so quickly he showered the children with sand.

"Maxwell," cried Roy, jumping to his feet, "What is it?"

Maxwell stood very still and looked inland. Mina stood up too, just behind him. She could not see the cliff and the stunted trees seemed to reach out of the mist towards them. There was a noise from the cliff life a rock falling. Something was coming towards them, and Maxwell seemed to be waiting for it. The trees trembled, then shook violently, and a dark shape burst out of them. The shape straightened up, the mist swirling angrily about it, and Mina saw that it was a woman. She had never seen a woman before, though Roy had told her about them. The woman was dressed all in black, and carried a staff and a big pack. Mina thought that she might be beautiful, though she was very pale. The woman looked at them for a moment, and did not smile.

"Greetings, children," she said, "I am the Earthwitch. What are your names?"

"I'm Roy," said Roy, carefully, "And this is my sister Mina. And this is Maxwell."

"Maxwell," the Earthwitch repeated, stepping down onto the beach, "I think that Maxwell is not very well today. Is that right, Roy?"

"That's right."

"Then perhaps I can help."

The Earthwitch walked towards them and, to Mina, seemed to grow taller with every step. The pebbles crunched under her feet. Finally she stood before Maxwell and reached out her hand. He looked down, then took it in his own. The Earthwitch led Maxwell away from the fire, then stopped and let go of his hand. He lay down with a gentle sliding noise.

"Say goodbye to Maxwell, children," said the Earthwitch, without looking at them.

"Goodbye," said Roy.

"Goodbye," said Mina.

"Sleep," said the Earthwitch, in a deep voice that made Mina's toes tingle.

There was silence for a moment. Mina and Roy could the stones of Maxwell's body, and his smiling face, but they could not see Maxwell. Mina smelled something nasty and looked towards the fire: Maxwell's last fish was still there, burnt black.

The Earthwitch stomped back to the fire and slung her pack from her shoulders. "You must be hungry," she said.

Without waiting for an answer she started rummaging in her pack and pulling things out. She picked up what looked to Mina like brown sand, then sprinkled water on it. She patted it into a cake and placed it on the stone on the fire. Then she made two more cakes and set them all cooking, with Maxwell's fish smoking on the pebbles to one side. Mina watched the Earthwitch working away at the fire; her tummy felt empty but she wasn't hungry any more. The Earthwitch scooped the three cakes onto another stone to cool down.

"Here, Mina," she said, handing her one, "And one for you, Roy."

The cake felt soft and hot in Mina's hands. She watched Roy take a big bite out of his and catch some crumbs in his hand, so she tried to do the same. She didn't like the cake and it made her mouth dry, but she didn't want to be rude.

"Try not to feel sad about Maxwell," said the Earthwitch, "He is happier now. You are lucky to have called him a friend. There are many people like Maxwell in the world, though they are very shy, and few people can see them. We call them Spirits: they are the guardians of the Earth, and the Earth itself. When they are sick, or angry, they wake up, and it is my job to help them sleep again."

"Will we ever see Maxwell again?" asked Roy.

"No. But don't worry: I will look after you." She paused for a moment, then went on quietly, "As the Earthwitch, my power flows from the Earth beneath my feet. I did not make Maxwell sleep – I merely reminded him that he could. Now, get your things. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Roy went to the boat, and while he was gone Mina played with the damp pebbles. The mist was swirling more thickly around her and the fire was dying; she could not hear the sea. Roy returned with his knife, which the Earthwitch placed carefully in her pack. Then she led the way off the beach and into the trees. She had to stoop very low to push past their branches. Mina followed the Earthwitch and Roy into the gloom, but she turned at the last moment to look back at the beach. As she watched, the mists parted to reveal a patch of grey water. On it was a boat, not unlike Mina and Roy's, and it was being paddled away by two people. They were little girls, each with hair as long and dark as Mina's own. As quickly as it had appeared, however, the boat was obscured, and Mina wondered if she had just imagined it.

*

The journey was as long and difficult as the Earthwitch had promised. After climbing up the broken cliff they entered a forest of huge trees. Mina was frightened of them at first, and of the shadows through which the Earthwitch seemed to glide. With every step she wondered when they would return to the beach and to Maxwell. If he was missing them as much as they missed him, surely he would wake up again? Mina felt confident that Maxwell was waiting for them, with fish ready to cook on the fire.

The Earthwitch was not as good at looking after Mina and Roy as Maxwell had been. When it rained at night, she stretched her spare cloak between tree branches to keep them dry. She lit campfires which stung Mina's eyes and made her cry. She remembered Maxwell putting seaweed on the top of their boat to keep out the water when it rained. They would be able to hear him at work in the darkness, and in the morning the seaweed would still be there. At least, Mina thought, she still had Roy at night, holding her in his arms. She was always tired: she had never walked so far before. Her feet hurt, and her fingernails smelt of the forest.

One morning Roy lost his temper. "How much further?" he asked.

"We will be there by nightfall," replied the Earthwitch.

Mina stopped and looked at the ground. She didn't want to walk until nightfall, but she didn't want to make the Earthwitch angry. She heard the Earthwitch coming back towards them.

"Roy," she said, "Can you carry my staff please?"

Mina did not look up, and suddenly felt the Earthwitch's strong hands under her arms. The Earthwitch lifted and cradled her with one arm under her legs and the other under her back. She was surprised, and longed to tell the Earthwitch that she didn't need to be carried, but somehow the words didn't come out. She was reminded once again of Maxwell, though when he had carried her he was gentle and kind – the Earthwitch was neither. She rocked back and forth as the Earthwitch set off again, and she could hear Roy running to keep up.

Mina blinked and it was nighttime. They were going uphill and the Earthwitch was breathing heavily. She didn't feel cold because the Earthwitch's arms and body were hot. All of a sudden, the Earthwitch stopped.

"There it is", she said, "The City."

"With lots of people?" asked Roy.

"Yes."

Suddenly Mina felt herself being lowered to the ground. Her feet were unsteady but after a moment she felt able to look at the City. She was struck first by the last orange light of the setting sun. Between her and the sun were pillars of smoke, and the smoke seemed to come from a forest in the valley below them. It was not like the forest Mina had come to know: the trees were huge and square, with no leaves. It all looked very dry and lifeless.

"They are lighting a lot of fires," said Roy.

"Those are factories," replied the Earthwitch, "Places where people make things – too many things. We will go there tomorrow, but tonight we will sleep here."

Mina did not need telling twice. As soon as she lay down she dreamt of Maxwell and the beach. In her dream, she and Roy pushed their boat out to sea, then paddled it away. Looking back, Mina could see Maxwell waving. She couldn't keep looking at him because the boat was rocking her about too much. Then it wasn't the boat rocking her, but the end of Roy's paddle, hitting her in the shoulder with every stroke. She tried to tell him to stop, but the dream was fading and her eyes were trying to open. The Earthwitch's voice drifted down to her.

"Mina," she said, "It's time to wake up."

Mina stretched and the Earthwitch stopped shaking her. It was so dark that she wasn't sure if she was really awake. Her arms felt heavy from holding the paddle for so long. She realised that she had only dreamt the paddle: her arms were just tired from the journey, the whole long journey which had brought them to this cold morning. Beside her she felt Roy standing up.

"Why do we have to get up so early?" he asked.

"You mustn't ask questions today, Roy," said the Earthwitch, firmly, "You must both be silent and stay close to me. We are going into the City. It is a dangerous place."

Without saying another word the Earthwitch led the way downhill. Roy took Mina's hand and they followed as fast as they could. They struggled to see where they were going, but as the trees thinned out they could see patches of lightening sky above them. Their path took them along the bank of a river. The river was not very nice: it was mostly mud, with a small trickle of water at its centre. Strange objects stuck out of the mud and a green slime covered everything. The smell was so bad that Mina had to hold her nose. The path continued along the river for some distance, eventually passing under some enormous shadows. Mina realised they were the shadows of the square trees she had seen the previous evening. They looked more like cliffs than trees, and she wondered if the "factories" the Earthwitch had spoken of were at the top.

"Are those..." began Roy.

"Hush!" snapped the Earthwitch, who had stopped and was looking at something in the mud.

Mina and Roy looked too. The mud was very dark here, and some animal was making a splashing noise out of sight. There were a lot of pieces of old wood in the river, and Mina recognised one as the prow of a boat. It was about the size of the rowing boat she thought she had seen at the beach. She looked up at the Earthwitch, to see if this was the object of her interest. The Earthwitch, however, was no longer looking at anything: her eyes were closed. After a moment she swept on, and Mina and Roy followed.

They were very close to the factories now, and Mina could hear strange animal noises coming from them. Then she heard words she recognised, and realised it wasn't animals but other people on the inside. She felt afraid: what if they were all like the Earthwitch? The Earthwitch was moving slowly now, and checking the way ahead. She paused where another path led away from the river and beckoned Mina and Roy onto it. It was very narrow, and the factories loomed high above their heads. Strange things, like branches, were stretched between them; there was not a plant in sight. The Earthwitch led them up the path then around a tight corner, and another. They had to walk in single file and Mina could see little more than Roy's back ahead of her; she was sure they would soon be lost.

The Earthwitch stopped abruptly at a small wooden recess in one of the factories: a door. It had an ugly piece of metal sticking out of it. She knelt down and put her ear to the ground; Mina, meanwhile, pressed herself against the factory wall and waited. At last the Earthwitch stood and let out something like a sigh.

"The Spirit is expecting us," she said.

The Earthwitch pointed the end of her staff at the doorhandle, and Mina noticed, for the first time, patterns carved into the dark wood. She could see lines and spirals, some tightly wound and some stretching the length of the staff. The more she looked the clearer they became; they were, in fact, beginning to glow. Their light turned the Earthwitch's staff red, and the doorhandle let out a sudden, loud click. The noise seemed to echo up and down the path and the Earthwitch was immediately alert. She looked left and right then pushed on the door which, to Mina's amazement, swung inwards. There was nothing but darkness on the other side.

"Inside," hissed the Earthwitch, "Quickly."

Mina didn't want to go inside but the Earthwitch was pushing her and Roy in with her whole body. A rush of cold air hit her and the door banged shut behind them. They were plunged into darkness, but their eyes soon adjusted to the red light of the Earthwitch's staff. It was strong enough to turn the smooth walls and floor the colour of blood. They were in a corridor which sloped steeply downwards. The Earthwitch took a few steps ahead.

"The City has forgotten this place," she whispered, "But the Earth has not. Come."

Mina was very aware of Roy beside her, and of the cold stone beneath her feet. The Earthwitch turned and saw that they hadn't moved.

"You are cold?" she said.

She placed her pack on the ground and rummaged inside it. As she moved, her shadow seemed to grow and shrink on the wall behind her. After a moment she pulled out the spare cloak with which she had kept the children dry in the forest. She reached over them and placed the cloak around their shoulders. Roy pulled it tight and pulled Mina close to himself in the process. The cloak was still slightly damp but Mina felt better, especially with Roy's arm around her.

"There," said the Earthwitch, smiling. She led the way down the slope and this time Mina and Roy followed. Mina thought they must look like a strange, four-legged animal.

As they descended into the cave the air grew colder, and the only sound was that of their footsteps. They rounded a corner and the Earthwitch, up ahead, gasped. Mina craned her neck to see what was happening. Two girls were fighting silently in the cave before them: they were almost see-through, and Mina wasn't sure if they were really there. They looked just like the girls in the boat at the beach. The younger girl was holding tightly to the other's arm, preventing her moving away. The struggle lasted just a few seconds, and ended with the older girl breaking free and running deeper into the cave. The younger girl held out her hand and made to follow; both faded from view.

"What was that?" asked Roy, even though he wasn't supposed to.

"Nothing," said the Earthwitch, "A message of sorts."

"I remember..." began Mina.

"Quiet!" shouted the Earthwitch, striding further into the cave, "Come and see the Spirit for yourselves."

Mina and Roy saw that the cave had widened into a huge cavern which stretched out into the darkness. They were on a ledge looking over it, and a little way ahead some steps were cut into the rock. They stood with the Earthwitch at the top of the steps. Mina was not sure if she wanted to meet the Spirit after all. Looking out, she saw big piles of metal strewn about: rusted, twisted metal of all shapes and sizes. The Earthwitch's light did not stretch far into the cavern but Mina was sure she could see smaller lights dancing amidst the metal.

Abruptly a hot wind began to blow from behind them, picking up a small piece of metal from a nearby pile. The metal began to tumble towards the centre of the cavern, and the sound of it scraping was echoed by others in the cavern. The wind picked up more and more pieces of metal; soon the whole expanse seemed to be moving and gathering in the centre. The wind grew so strong and the noise so loud that Mina buried her face in the cloak, and would have fallen but for Roy's arm. As suddenly as it had begun, the wind and noise stopped. Mina forced herself to open her eyes.

The cavern's metal had collected into a single, steep-sided pile. As Mina watched, two holes appeared near the top and seemed to glow with a red fire: eyes. With another screeching of metal a third, larger hole formed into a jagged mouth. The whole mass shuddered and resolved itself into a body and four clawed legs. It was no longer a pile but a creature, huge and terrifying. It stretched itself up to its full height, took a great  breath and roared. To Mina it was a roar of pain, imprisonment and metal pounded against metal. She wished it would stop, and wished herself away, but when the creature finished it merely stamped and roared again. Unsteadily, but with increasing speed, it heaved its writhing body into motion. It ran mindlessly and slammed into the rock wall with such force that small stones fell at Mina's feet. Mina heard the Earthwitch's voice, cold and hard, coming from behind her.

"The people of the City did this," she said, "They plunder the Earth thoughtlessly; they take everything. Now the Earth's pain has a form of its own: this, the Pain Spirit."

As she spoke, the Pain Spirit reared angrily and charged across the cavern. The ground shook again as it collided against the far wall, and it began a rhythmic pounding as though trying to break through.

"Can you make it sleep?" Roy asked.

"No," said the Earthwitch, "It wants something I cannot give, payment for the crimes committed against it: a life. I'm sorry, Roy, I know it's not right, but one of you must sacrifice yourself to the Pain Spirit. The other will stay with me, and I will teach you to be the next Earthwitch. Now, choose."

"We're not doing anything you say!" cried Roy, spinning Mina around to face the Earthwitch.

"Choose," said the Earthwitch, her grip tightening on her staff, "Please."

The Earthwitch was suddenly much taller than Mina remembered. Her staff glowed brightly and threw her shadow against the rock wall behind her. Another shadow was beside hers: it had a rectangular head and a long, thin neck.

"Maxwell!" She cried, and without thinking she and Roy flew towards him, cloak discarded.

Maxwell knelt down and spread his arms wide to meet them. Mina leapt up and hugged his stony body tightly. She felt his arm around her, and a piece of dry seaweed tickled her shoulders.

"Maxwell," said Roy beside her, "The Earthwitch... the Earthwitch..."

Roy couldn't finish because he was crying; Mina was crying too. She cried because she was happy: happy to be with Maxwell again and to be going back to the beach. Maxwell hugged them tightly, and didn't move until their tears had stopped. After a while Mina realised there was something wrong about the stillness and quiet. She remembered the Pain Spirit. She made to look over her shoulder, but Maxwell pulled her close and tapped his cheek with a long, pebbly finger. Mina knew what he wanted and stretched up to kiss him there; she tasted the salt of his face on her lips. Maxwell tapped his other cheek and Roy, too, kissed him. Then, letting go of the children, he stood up to his full height.

"Maxwell?" said the Earthwitch.

Maxwell did not look at the Earthwitch. He looked at the Pain Spirit, which was standing in the centre of the cavern, mouth and eyes agape, body heaving with every breath. Mina could see the deep red flames within it. Without warning Maxwell took a great step towards the Pain Spirit, then another, and was soon descending the steps towards the cavern floor.

"No, Maxwell!" cried Roy, starting after him.

"Don't!" cried Mina.

"Stay where you are!" shouted the Earthwitch, grabbing each of them by the shoulder.

"Let go of me!" said Roy, punching and kicking as hard as he could, "Let go!"

The Earthwitch, however, was too strong for Roy, and Mina was too transfixed to move. Maxwell was crossing the cavern quickly, and the Pain Spirit stood, tracking him with its head. Undaunted, Maxwell strode right to the Pain Spirit's feet and looked up at it. Mina was not sure if she was shouting or crying or both, but she hoped Maxwell would hear her. Somehow she knew he would not. The Pain Spirit reared up on its hind legs and opened its mouth impossibly wide. It brought its head crashing down upon Maxwell and its entire body seemed to follow in an avalanche of metal. At once Mina was hit by another burst of wind, blowing this time from the Pain Spirit itself. It flung her to the floor and it was all she could do to cover her ears and tuck her knees into her chest. The wind stopped.

Mina opened her eyes, inhaled a mouthful of dust and coughed for a few moments. The cavern was dark and quiet. From above her came the sound of loose stones falling, and the darkness was punctured here and there by shafts of daylight – the Pain Spirit had damaged the ceiling. Mina hoped that the Pain Spirit was just something she had imagined, or dreamt. Scanning the cavern, she caught sight of the Earthwitch walking in the centre of the cavern. Mina wondered how she had got there so quickly – she must have fought her way through that awful wind. Without knowing why, she started down the steps after the Earthwitch. She had to weave her way around the heaps of metal, which were much larger than she'd realised, but she no longer felt afraid. She ran, her breathing loud in her ears, and the Earthwitch soon saw her.

"You can go if you like," she said, before disappearing behind one of the piles.

"Mina!" called Roy from some way behind her, "She said we can go."

Mina ran on, convinced of something she could not put into words, and caught up with the Earthwitch.

"That was you we saw," she burst out, "And your sister. Maxwell showed us. Maxwell did it."

The Earthwitch stood for a moment, tapping at some metal with the end of her staff. "Her name was Nadia," she said, "She died here twelve years ago. I thought I knew why. Until today, I thought I knew why."

The Earthwitch sank to her knees and her pack hit the ground heavily. Dust motes, caught in a shaft of light, spiralled slowly around her head. She flung her staff away, and its clatter was joined by the sound of running feet.

"Come on!" said Roy, grabbing Mina's arm.

"No, Roy," she replied, pulling away. She walked towards the Earthwitch who, kneeling down, was hardly taller than she was. "She was very brave, your sister."

The Earthwitch looked at her for a moment, and smiled. "As brave as your Roy," she whispered.

"Is it asleep?" Roy demanded.

"Yes," said the Earthwitch, "Yes. But twelve years is too short a time. Something has gone wrong. I have to," she paused, "I have to do something."

"We'll help you," said Mina, enthusiastically, "Won't we Roy? We'll help you, and you can teach us both to be the Earthwitch. Two will be better than one!"

The Earthwitch was still hanging her head, and Mina wished she had the spare cloak to wrap around them both. "I would like that," she said, eventually.

"No," said Roy, "I don't."

"I can make it up to you, Roy," said the Earthwitch, straightening up, "I'm sorry I brought you here. I never wanted to. I'm sorry about this, and the Pain Spirit, and the awful, awful Earthwitch."

"What's your name anyway?" asked Roy, warily.

"Idil," said the Earthwitch, "My name is Idil, and my sister's name was Nadia. Roy, Mina, it's nice to meet you," she stood up, "I would like to train you both as Earthwitches, if you'll have me. But I think you should look after this."

She reached into her pack once again, and pulled out Roy's knife. She held it out to him and, after hesitating, he snatched it close to his chest. "What do you say, Roy?" she asked.

"Do you promise," he said, carefully, "That there won't be any more horrible spirits?"

"I promise. There's only this one, and when it wakes up again we'll be ready for it, won't we?"

"Yes!" cried Mina.

"Yes," said Roy, and the blade of his knife, caught in the light for a moment, flashed brilliantly.

[indiekid]

I should say I'm viewing this as a "living" document, so please point out any mistakes or typos you see

[Jubal]

Will have a more careful proofread for you sometime soon. Liking it on a first quick read though: it has a good childrens' story feel with some interesting environmental themes etc

[indiekid]

Thanks Jubal. I actually told a version of this at the Birmingham Storytelling group back in - I think - 2017. The biggest change since then has been making Mina the main narrator.