In the middle of the forest, there was a wood cabin, circled with willow trees and lit by the reflection of the moon, with a crooked oak door and a twisted chimney; it was the witch’s cabin, and Dave knew the place very well. He had grown to like the location over the years: for instance, he enjoyed the colorful variety of flowers and plants around the wooden house, or the slanted roof that always looked like it was about to slide off, or even the constant mist coming from the swamps behind the cabin. It was a place of peace and quiet, and he enjoyed the change from the busy life back at the village.Only, he didn’t always think that way. He first came to the cabin about half a decade ago. He was a young man rushed into adulthood to take care of his family. His father had caught a terrible illness and he was left to take care of his many siblings alone with his mother. They struggled to make it without their father, and they prayed every day that he’d survive his illness, as without him their chances of survival were rather thin. Dave was the second-to-eldest son and seeing that every medical expert in the village thought of his father as a lost cause, he decided to rely on a miracle.A man really had to be desperate in order to seek the help of a witch, and Dave was out of options. The village was well-aware of the witch who lived in the forest, but they collectively decided to ignore her: she never disturbed them, and they believed it would be less dangerous to leave her alone than try to get rid of her. People were told to never venture in the woods, to never seek the witch, but Dave was young and adventurous, he was at an age where he thought he was invincible; he was fortunate that the witch in question was nothing like the one in the stories he was told.It took hours of walk into the dark forest and a stroke of good luck before he found the cabin in the morning. He noticed the ominous trees perched above the hut and the deadly plants creeping from the ground. The warped cabin was hidden behind a thick and somber fog, but he could make out the old, rotting wood of a house that seemed to be about to collapse on itself. A red mist was coming from the chimney, signaling that the witch was inside. Dave slowly approached the cabin, walking through its garden, but he didn’t come far before the witch stopped him.Vines suddenly unleashed from the ground and crept unto his legs, restraining him from coming any closer. Dave tried to struggle out as the cabin’s door creaked open, slowly revealing the witch’s form. His eyes were locked on the silhouette as he felt the tight grip of the vines’ thorns shredding his arms and legs. He was initially terrified, but what he saw surprised him; he expected an ancient, shriveled monster to welcome him, but he was instead greeted by a woman who looked only a few years older than him, nothing about her was intimidating, not her small stature nor her big hazel eyes. But the witch did look different from the people of his village, she had dark brown skin and a large mane of curly hair all around her head.The witch seemed angry with the trespasser, which explained her painful choice of a restraining method. casino siteleri She approached him but didn’t come too close, she held a large book in her arms and wore a vibrant red robe ornamented with flowers. She spoke loudly and severely, “I believe you are lost, sir.”“I am not, witch, I have come for you.”She tightened the vines, making him squirm in pain. He realized he worded it poorly.“N-No, your help! I am… seeking… your help!”The witch looked dubious, but she loosened her grasp slightly to let him breathe.“You men never seek me or my help. How do I know you didn’t come to cut off my head and burn my home?”“I seek no such thing, but you are right, I would have never come to you on a normal day. Only, I’m afraid I am distressed.”“Didn’t you fear I would crush your bones and drink your blood?”“I did, but I would give my life to save my father’s.”The witch felt the sincerity in Dave’s plea, and she chose to listen to him. She heard him explain his father’s illness, his family’s misery and his last resort. She was bitter for all sorts of reason and didn’t peculiarly like to involve herself in the lives of the villagers, but she knew very well about the illness the young man was describing and although it was a nasty disease, it was something she could treat very easily. She hesitated to help him, but she remembered what her mother taught her, that witches cannot hold grudges, and she knew that she had to resolve this situation with kindness.Dave remembered very well what happened next: overnight, Rose brewed medication for his father, and the next morning he left the witch’s cabin and walked back to the village. He didn’t know if what the witch gave him was going to poison his father, but if he didn’t try he would die anyway. Furthermore, his short meeting with the witch made him see that she wasn’t as terrible as he had been told, he saw humanity within her.Over the years he noticed the obvious beauty of the witch’s cabin, and he grew fond of her too. That was precisely why it pained him so much to see her tonight. He was standing on her porch, as he did plenty of times in the past, but this time he was unusually filled with dread. Without knocking, he simply pushed in the door and called her name:“Rose!”The cabin seemed empty. It was dark and cold, as if nobody had been in it for days. He was partly worried, not knowing what would happen if she wasn’t there, but also partly relieved, hoping that she could avoid the fate prepared for her. Either fortunately or unfortunately, he went through the backdoor and spotted his friend, sitting on the ground with a dark robe, petting and feeding two gray wolves.“Rose…”She didn’t reply: the witch looked dreary, her robe seemed like a funeral garb, and her hair was untypically tied to form a large bunch. Her smile carried a certain sadness, and her eyes were looking at her wolves one last time to say goodbye.“It’s… It’s time, Rose… I’m so sorry…”She finally turned her head to him, trying to comfort him with a simple smile. Dave was clearly devastated by the situation, hence she tried to help him cope with it.“It’s okay.”She was genuine, but Dave couldn’t be convinced.“No, güvenilir casino it’s not! It’s not… It’s not okay…”His voice broke at the turn of his sentence, and he grabbed his face with his hands, trying to keep the tears in. He thought he was so selfish for crying in front of her tonight, she was supposed to be the one crying, but there he was, seeking her support. Rose couldn’t bear to see her friend in that state, and she took it as an invite to get up and hold him in her arms. He returned the embrace, crying into her ear, holding her head against his chest.The wolves, he thought, she was saying goodbye to the wolves. Through their friendship, he learned a lot from Rose, and he now knew that the witch was just as human as he was. All of her skills and talents, they might have been magic, but he was more impressed in seeing how close to nature she was. She had a way with the forest, from every sprout to every creature. He learned that on his second meeting with her.When his father finally got better, while it might have taken weeks, it was thanks to the witch’s medication. After almost two years of being incredibly ill, Dave’s father was able to stand again, but more importantly, he was able to work. Dave didn’t lie to his family, and he told them the truth about the source of medication. While his mother wasn’t fond to hear that her son had met with the witch, she was immensely grateful about the medicine. The parents swore to never tell anyone else in the village and they asked Dave to seek the witch once more to give her a gift to show their gratitude.He was then sent back into the woods, this time carrying a bucket of milk and the meat of two of their best turkeys. The witch was suspicious to see the young man back, and she first assumed that he was seeking more of her magic or that her medication didn’t work, and that he came to hang her. Consequently, she was very surprised when the young man offered her presents.“I didn’t come here to seek more of you, witch. Your magic cured my father and my family wanted to express their appreciation.”Dave held forward the milk and the poultry to the witch’s confusion.“You want to thank me?”“I do.”She chuckled in disbelief, baffled but amused at the man’s sincerity. She approached the man without fear and took a better look at the presents. She was unsure.“You carried all of this from your village?”“I did.”“You walked through the woods with the poultry without being mauled by wolves?”“It seems to be the case.”She looked at the offerings more closely, hesitating.“I want you to take a sip of this milk and a bite of the bird.”“I do not believe I understand.”“I have no idea whether or not you poisoned the food. Consume some of it and prove to me that this isn’t an attempt to fool me.”“Even the turkey? It is raw.”The man had a point. She shook her head.“Right. Just the sip, then.”Knowing none of the food was poisoned, Dave complied. He dropped his hand in the bucket and drank from his cupped hand. The witch was watching closely but seeing his attitude she was convinced that it was all in good faith.“It seems you’re not dropping dead.”“Don’t you want to wait? canlı casino I don’t think any poison would kill instantly.”“I’m not worried, you don’t look like someone who voluntarily killed himself. Besides, I do not eat any of that.”“You…”He was looking at her in misunderstanding. He assumed the witch had human needs such as him, but it would’ve seemed the creature didn’t eat nor drink. He felt foolish.“Of course, I apologize; I should’ve known witches did not need to eat.”The witch laughed, clearly entertained by his innocence.“Oh, no! I do eat, just not… that. I find it cruel to consume the flesh and livelihood of my neighbors.”Dave looked at the meat and milk. He didn’t know much about witches, but he assumed she must’ve been close with animals. Still, he was shocked to hear that she wouldn’t eat a living being after hearing stories upon stories of baby-eating hags.“Does it mean you won’t receive our present?”“Well, I suppose I can do something with it.”The witch grabbed the bucket and the turkeys and walked towards her cabin. She twitched her head on the side to signal Dave to follow her. The man didn’t know exactly what she meant, but he followed her. They went into the cabin, which he had already spent a night earlier. Once again he was pleased with the witch’s hospitality, and he enjoyed her nonchalant behavior. Back in his village, he was used to harsh days of labor and miserable chores, as if any day disaster could come and take everything away from them.The time spent with the witch was much more carefree as if hours would go by without warning and life itself wasn’t a struggle. Dave thought he had a good life with his family but knowing more about the witch made him realize that things weren’t what he first assumed. At home, Dave would only survive, put in harsh hours of labor to live another day, but the witch truly lived.He followed her through the cabin only to leave through the backdoor. Her backyard directly gave to a dense forest. Dave saw the witch putting the bucket on the ground and shake the two turkeys, calling two names.“Wilhelm! Thomas!”Soon, two grey wolves erupted from the woods, rushing towards them. Dave was startled by the two beasts, but he didn’t have time to be afraid as the two canines gently started biting on the turkeys and drinking the milk from the bucket. Dave was a tad disappointed to see his gifts being eaten by forest beasts, and the witch seemed to notice his bitter expression.“Your presents will do us a lot of good, sir, we thank you.”“Of course, only I wish I could’ve thanked you personally.”“You did. To feed my neighbors is the best gift you could give me.”“Are you sure? Tell me what you desire, and I’ll return with it tomorrow.”“I have everything I need here, there is nothing I desire you could have. As long as you don’t decapitate me I’ll be thankful.”“Of course.”This would mark the beginning of a most precious friendship, one that would grow across the years. Dave would come back to the witch months later, and then every other month. Dave saw the benefits of the witch’s cures, and he came to ask her help anytime a villager would be in need. He acted as the intermediary between the witch and the village, and together they helped a lot of people. Rumors of the origin of the medicine floated around, but the villagers knew that without Dave’s correspondence, their neighbors and relatives would live in misery, therefore it stayed an open secret.