Story: A Kaleidoscopic Trio - Village Witch #12

12th session of the solo TTRPG Village Witch, this 722 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! 

A Kaleidoscopic Trio

   Bells rang out above her, around her, through her. The light twinkling of a wind chime, the toll of a hand bell, and the deep vibrations of a heavy gong. The sound rose to a cacophony, then subsided, only to begin again, over and over. She wanted it to stop, but that would require waking up. As she drew a breath to try and plead with the bells to cease tormenting her, she only made it halfway before her lungs resisted, coughing and hacking in a fit that brought her fully awake and struggling to drag in necessary air.

 

   "Here, here, cough up all that nasty lake water, that’s a darling," soothed a woman's voice, ringing like just another bell amongst the wall of sound. Edwina blearily took in the solid walls around her, the blankets twisted about her legs, and the chaos of colorful petticoats swirling through her stilt house, and tried to make sense out of anything.

 

   "Alright, Auretta, shove off. And cease your Temple Bells spell, it's going to give us all a migraine," gruffly came the deep voice of a woman in bright green taffeta from over near Edwina's stove.

 

   "Worked, didn't it? I knew the bells would call her back to the corporeal." The woman addressed as Auretta swished a slim skirt of burnt orange as she slashed her arms through the air, and the bells ceased their songs.

 

   "She never went incorporeal; she just wasn't waking up."

 

   "That’s no reason to leave her at risk of wisping off to the Other Realms, it was high time she woke up!" enthused a third voice, full of mirth and good cheer, from a woman in purple and turquoise.

 

   "How many people are in my house?" Edwina managed in a hoarse croak.

 

   "Our whole Trio!" exclaimed the chipper woman who'd spoken last.

 

   "Ugh. Why are you in my house?"

 

   "You tried to drink the whole of Lake Murkwell, from the bottom, like an idiot," groused the woman in the kitchen. "So we were compelled to rescue you in our own fine bit of heroism, and without getting our skirts soaked in the process, I'd like to add."

 

   "She did so well Gardi! Don't diminish her success. You know none of us have the raw magical power to accomplish what she did to the lake. It was a bit reckless to try it alone, but I imagine she didn't know to wait for us, since you both vetoed my plans to introduce ourselves sooner," the third woman's happy voice sounded a bit more perturbed now.

 

   "Fine, fine. I'll shut it, Beatrice. The tea's ready anyway," said Gardi.

 

   "You were right Bea, we should have at least made time to say hello," claimed Auretta.

 

   "Bah, what's done is done! Now drink this," Gardi shoved an overflowing mug under Edwina's nose, "and it'll clear up the infection trying the grow in your lungs."

 

   "What's in it?" questioned Edwina.

 

   "Magic. What the fuck do you think is in it?" Gardi glared.

 

   "Gardi! Rude," admonished Auretta simultaneously with Beatrice's peal of laughter.

 

   "I think you've used an herbal tea as a base for the magic, and I want to know what's in it before I drink it, and who the hell you three are for that matter," Edwina glared right back. Then ruined her ferocious response with another round of barking coughs.

 

   "Drink it! This first cup is echinacea, ginger, clove, and honey. I've got a savory thyme infusion next, to see what your lungs respond to best. God, treating other witches is the worst." Gardi flounced her verdant skirts back towards the stove.

 

   "We're the Trinity assigned to Alpha Mineral's Mining Company. The sourpuss making your magical brews is Gardi Becker, Hearth Affinity. That radiant goddess in bronze in Auretta Esposito, who woke you with her Temple Bells, and has an odd Air/Metal Affinity, and I'm Beatrice Cobb. I'll be using crystals later, when you aren't coughing so hard, to balance your energies. I just have a general Magic Affinity, so I'm the jack-of-all-trades for our happy Trio!" Beatrice smiled brightly at Edwina, fluffing her teal ringlets a bit.

 

   "Thank you, for explaining. Thank you all for saving me from the lake." Edwina looked from woman to woman, and they all gave a smile, a nod, or a harrumph as suited their temperaments.

~~~Notes~~~

With this session I am including all the Character Inspiration photos I've gathered for the series so far! Feel free to disregard if you're picturing any of the characters a different way. The differences described in several stories between how Edwina chooses to dress, and what is current Witch Fashion should be readily apparent.

Edwina Mallyson Stevedore (Photo Credit: Rachey.Maksy)




Auretta Esposito (Photo Credit: Cosplayer Suzanne Dus & Photographer Frank Kok)




Gardi Becker (Photo Credit: attribution could not be found, I searched the internet for hours)

 

Beatrice Cobb (Photo Credit: Auralynne)