'March, my child
You never saw the light
Don't even know what it means to see '
-[~ Ido e Itaru Mori e Itaru Ido ~]Kanojo ga Majo ni Natta Riyū 彼女 が 魔女 に な っ た 理由 The Reason Why She Became Witch




Chapter 1 - Light is warm



My hands slowly stroked the wet grass beneath my body, noticing the damp dew on the tiny cotyledons, which was evidence of the last, cold night. I listened to the wild, yet calming sounds and steady rush of the water. I enjoyed the protective closeness of the big tree, which hugged me with a gentle coolness and felt the individual, warm rays of the sun, which tickled my face tenderly.

I enjoyed the feeling of light on my skin, felt how pleasantly it warmed me and let out a relaxed breath. The hand of my right arm, stretched out in the air, searched for the warm rays of the sun, tried to catch it between my fingers.

I knew that the light that gave my body this wonderful warmth could not be caught, I had tried it so often. But I still didn't understand. My grip got lost in a void that could not be grasped.

Why can't I grasp the light with my fingers like the many stalks of grass?

Why can't I touch it like the flowing water of the river?

Why can't I hear it like the loving songs of the birds?

Slowly I lowered my arm, pulled it back and touched my face with my hand, placing it on my right cheek.

"If I can feel it ..."

I let out a sad sigh, a gentle breeze brushed my skin and around me the calm soul of nature woke up. The nails of my fingers dug into the earth again. She was soft and damp, had freed herself from the cold and hard embrace of the dark winter. Something I could only too gladly ...

Tired of the short dancing of the sparks in front of my eyes, as they got lost in the dark, I closed my eyelids, enjoying the sweet smell of this spring morning, so alien to my soul.

"Did you come to the forest to hear the ghosts singing, my boy?"

I was startled when that scratchy, crooked voice spoke to me and it was difficult to make out the old woman behind her. Now I also noticed a noisy dragging of feet, how tired they moved through the grass.

"Are you the same?", I answered with an effortful, friendly voice, while I began to sit up on the side.

I had supported myself on both of my arms before I was able to get up on my feet quickly and carefully with this help. I turned in the direction of the voice that had just been heard.

"No, no, my child." I heard the old woman laugh with a grunt.

"I would love to come back to the forest to listen to what he has to tell me. But there is no time for that."

Her limp steps were accompanied by an exhausted snort and I heard another noise made by her.She repeatedly pushed a blunt object into the earthy ground; perhaps to carry this person's heaviest burden - their old age. I can only guess.

"What is keeping you from that?" I asked and my voice had an unfamiliar, bumpy tone and began to tremble.

"So I usually don't like meeting others ..."

Again I noticed how the old mother was etching, the faint rustling of fabric and a loud, terrible cracking of bones.

"They avoid my presence ... are not as brave as you, my boy."

I gasped eagerly, cursing my curiosity at the same time, when later thoughts seized me and robbed me of my free movement. My head condemned this woman, secretly berated her for something unforgivable. But I wonder ... why?

"What are you doing here?" I asked insecure, heard her tired laugh again.

"Your attention is miserable. Don't you see that?" I received as a counter-question, only now hearing the inconspicuous sounds of the picking.

"But maybe you would like to help me with my work?"

A little spark in my mind told me to run away, out of this forest. But my instinctive thinking has been tricked by my heart, my good faith and my ignorance. They knew no fear or fear, no bad experiences.

Slowly I let myself fall back with my knees into the grass at my feet.

"Please just look for some dandelion for me while I continue to cut the grass with the scythe." Asked the old woman, and I searched the soft ground, feeling with my hands, noticed a slight, Murmurs from the stranger's mouth.

I crawled across the floor, propped up on both my arms and legs, searched the tall grass with my hands and gave them a suspicious crackle. All of a sudden I felt a painful tingling sensation in my fingers begin to tickle and spread rapidly. A burning that budded with eager flames, made me let out a shrill sound of pain.

"What a clumsy bum," came the old voice, worn out over the years.
I noticed the wrinkled and coarse hands of the old woman, which closed with a firm grip around my left upper arm, and felt the pointy fingernails digging into my skin. I moaned, complained about the harsh treatment of this ruthless witch.

"That's not so bad ..." I heard her say, then heard dragging footsteps moving away from me.

Some time later she took hold of my burning hands again and I felt the pleasant coolness of the wet cloth that she wrapped around my right hand. I enjoyed the feeling of relief on my skin as the flaming pain gradually suffocated.

"You are a stupid little boy. And yet you know more than other children your age.", The old woman paused for a moment.

I winced when, so completely without the slightest warning, a wrinkled hand put itself over my eyes, causing me to close my eyelids, on which they still lingered."You see and explore this world with your heart ... You see it without your eyes ..."

I shook my head, perplexed, turned my face from the touch of those strange hands. That old hag had no idea what she was talking about!

"I can't see. But from your mouth it sounds like it's something I should be proud of."

"Isn't that it, boy?"

Something bumped admonishingly against my nose before the old woman's fingers reached my right again, they loosened the material from her almost unnoticed and put it back on my other. Then she grabbed my right hand repeatedly. She twisted it into hers, dabbed each and every one of my fingers with a pointed tip, and then exposed the inner surface.

"Life leads through a labyrinth of lies, intrigues and forces people to see falsehoods. But what do you see? Do you not enjoy having more knowledge than the others, being able to go through this maze without being confused by its superficialities the scratchy voice asked me.

I felt uncomfortable about her existence, and while I can't confirm it for myself, I'm sure I can feel her eyes on mine.

"Good woman, why do you think I can do that?"

The stranger broke into a short, brittle laugh.

"Your gaze is not yet fully developed, clouded by uncertainty. But the heart is pure. It is strong." I heard her say.

"And it's your eyesight ..."

I suddenly notice a hand on my chest, just above my beating heart.

"Such a heart cannot be fooled. Not yours, my boy."

And the next moment I was grabbed by my arms, forced to my feet by them, which is why a loud, startled, sound left my lips. I was jerked forward a little and the fat fingers came away from me, only to close again around the wrist of my left hand.

"Tell me what you see," said her worn-out one and I found myself touching the damp and hard bark of a tree with my hand.

"What are you feeling, my boy?"

"I ... what ..." I stuttered, confused.

"What's that good for?"

"Concentrate and do what I told you.", The old woman scolded, slapped my back painfully and hit my shoulder a few times, so hard that I almost fell to the ground under this weight.

"Now listen ... What do you see?"

"A tree," I answered listlessly.

I wasn't in the mood for such silly and senseless gadgets.

"What else?"

I grumbled annoyed, while trying to calm the raging storm of pain on my back with my other, free hand. I couldn't understand what she was asking of me.

"A tree?" I repeated bluntly at her request, but immediately regretted it.

Taking advantage of my weakened gift of attention, she hit me in the head. I secretly swore. This hateful woman was nothing more than a cruel witch."Don't be fooled by obvious things, you no good. Don't draw your knowledge from what you know, what you can feel, but learn to understand with significantly more important things ... Can you still not feel it?"

"What should I feel? And understand what?" I asked perplexed.

"To see ... finally start doing it."

Your words confused me. Should i see? How? I can not…

I was overwhelmed and interrupting my connection, through my torn hand, my only way of seeing, to the sturdy trunk, I turned away. That was just too much and furthermore I perceived a disparaging snort, steps which were also moving away from me ...

"So your wish will remain unheard of ...", the voice of the strange woman barely reached me.

My wish?

He was insignificant. No matter how big my pursuit of happiness in a world shrouded in constant darkness. My wishes have always remained unfulfilled dreams. After all, who could fulfill it? Who should help me understand this dark world with all my unanswered questions?

Why and for how long would I still have to hide with my mother.

Why was my mother worried about me all the time?

Why was she afraid for me because of other people?

My wish was irrelevant, vague, like those blurry will-o'-the-wisps that flared up in front of my eyes in the eternal darkness, ultimately only for a short time.

I sighed sadly and spun around myself in an involuntary movement. I was here alone, tied to my last memories to orient myself in this place. The old woman was gone ... and that was strange. It felt like she was never present.

Turning to the cows, possibly a large shadow, I took a few steps. I stretched out my right arm for the second time and stopped when I hit the bark of a tree again.

"I'm finally starting to