Story: Stormy Beginnings - Village Witch #10

[nsfwords]

10th session of the solo TTRPG Village Witch, this 567 word story was inspired by a back channel prompt from FB user Sarah Becca. You can read the earlier stories for this series on the landing page for Village Witch - Edwina! 

Stormy Beginnings

   Edwina sat cross legged in the center of the small green stilt house on the edge of Lake Murkwell and listened to the rain pound upon the roof. It was the final night of her three day rest period, but she couldn't sleep as the thunderstorm raged around her. Sheer winds caused the wooden siding of her home to rattle and groan. She felt keenly this storm was the beginning of Murkwell's disaster. Whatever they'd been preparing for, this was when and how it began.

 

   She breathed in deeply, filled her lungs, held the breath, then released. She exhaled, slowly, controlled, and worked to settle into the rhythm of the storm, to follow its swells and lulls. She intended to make contact with her father tonight. Driven by both home sickness and a real fear of what waited on the other side of the storm, Edwina needed the comfort of speaking to her family. Astral projection wasn't one of her strongest talents. She didn't think she'd be able to see her father, or have him see her either. But if she really worked the spell, was resolute in her intention, she knew they could speak to one another.

 

   It took hours. Never wavering from her position, moment by moment Edwina struggled to settle into true stillness, and used the power of the storm to aid her endeavor.

 

   "Da. Wake up. Speak to me now," she called. Silence surrounded her, the sounds of the storm lost to her intense meditation.

 

   "Da? DA!"

 

   "Now Ed, don't shout at me. Not in my own head like that girl. What's happening?" Edwina heard her father respond.

 

   "Oh Da! I'm using a spell to talk to you from my new village."

 

   "Really now? That’s a fine thing I'll tell the crew tomorrow!" Her father sounded amused and please, always ready to boast about his wee Witch to the other sailors. In that moment Edwina felt impossibly young, and awash in bittersweet emotions. She desperately desired a big bear hug from her gruff Da. Wanted the strength and security he had always represented. She felt the spell start to waiver, and grasped for calm and focus, barely holding on to their connection.

 

   "Yeah Da. It's not going to last long, but I really wanted to hear from you."

 

   "You doing okay out there Ed?"

 

   "I'm okay Da. This town though, it's in trouble. None of us know exactly what the trouble will be, you see? So, we can't stop it. I spent a lot of magic the last two weeks trying to protect everyone as much as I could, but I don't think it'll be enough."

 

   "If you worked hard, and did what you could, then you can't be blamed it if doesn't work out. You can't see all that the Sea and Stars might throw your way." Her father's voice was low and full of conviction in her mind.

 

   "Thank you Da. I love you and mum so much. I just wanted to make sure you knew, in case this gets bad for me too, not just the town."

 

   "We know you do Ed. We love you too, wee Witch. And you know I believe in you."

 

   "Thanks Da. Blessings!" Edwina chokes out loud as she starts to snuffle and the spell falters.

 

   "Blessings." She hears as her father's voice fades from her mind and the sounds of the brutal storm return. 

 

Comments

[siliconshaman]

Now that's an interesting start!! Hope there will be more.

[nsfwords]

Thank you! This is the 10th story in Edwina’s journey to find a village that will accept her as their Village Witch. The game I’m using to help write the stories plays through all 4 seasons, starting in Spring and ending in Winter. We’re only into the Summer currently, so there are many more stories to tell!