Rick got out of his car to look around. He had brown hair which was getting a little long so the ends curled a bit, hazel eyes, and a bit
of a gut. He stood five foot eight and looked like he didn't get much sun. Well he didn't since he worked at night and slept during the
day. That was before he had the urge to quit and come here to the edge of this forest. Now as he stood there he felt the same pull he'd
been feeling for awhile now. It had gotten to the point that he couldn't ignore it and thus started on his trek to here though he knew his
journey wasn't done yet. Sighing he retrieved his water bottle and backpack from the car and started walking through the forest.
As he walked he felt at peace here in this forest like he belonged here. A few small animals stopped and looked at him as he passed by
and he had to smile at their curiosity. Some of them seemed almost human and that got him to thinking about the people that have
gone missing around here. There were stories of a witch living in this forest and the stories had people coming into the forest to deal
with the witch and never coming back out. Many said the witch killed and ate them while others said she transformed them. Then those
people would crack up and say there wasn't a witch in the forest. The people who had come into the forest likely got lost and met with
an unfortunate end. There were bears, wolves, and cougars in the forest which could have killed the people. He shook his head
knowing that it was dangerous in here but he just couldn't bring himself to feel like he was in danger. He was being led someplace for
some reason and he wanted to know where and why.
After walking for four hours he came across a small cabin in a clearing. It seemed that he was being drawn to this cabin which was a bit
of a relief since his feet were killing him. As he walked up to the cabin the door opened revealing a woman who said, "Come in come in.
I've been expecting you."
He should have turned around and ran since there really was no way she could have been expecting him. He had come here for
answers though so he stepped into the cabin asking, "How were you expecting me?"
"Oh not you specifically just a person," the woman said going to a wood burning stove. She placed a tea kettle on it and asked, "Tea?"
"Yes please and thank you," he said looking around the cabin. It was only one room as far as he could see. In one corner was a kitchen
with a sink, counter, wood burning stove, cupboards, and what looked like a very old ice box. There was a table with a couple chairs
almost in the middle of the room and an oil lamp in the center of it. In the corner opposite from the kitchen area were two beds with
antique looking wardrobes at the foot of them. A small table with another oil lamp on it stood right in the corner with the heads of the
beds facing it. In the other two corners were a couple of bookshelves containing some old looking books. Overall it looked like
something that belonged in colonial America. He was sure that there would be an outhouse and tub outside.
The kettle whistled and the woman said, "Please sit down," gesturing for him to do so. Once he did she sat two cups on saucers down
and poured the hot water into them. Once she had sat the kettle down she sat herself and said, "I'm sure you're wondering why you're
here."
"Well I actually was wondering that," he said as the woman took a sip from her cup. He looked in his own and saw that there was tea in
there.
"I called you here," the woman said as he took a sip.
"How?"
"Well I am a witch. I'm sure you've heard some stories about the witch that lives in this forest. Well that's me."
"Are you going to eat me?" he asked suddenly becoming afraid.
"I don't eat people," the woman said waving it off.
"That's a relief."
"I do turn those people that come here to kill me into animals though. They're out in the forest somewhere living their new lives."
"Don't you care about them?"
"Not really," the woman said with a shrug. "They came here to kill me just because of what I am. Now back to you. I want to give you a
bit of a test. If you pass then you are indeed the one I have been calling. If you don't then we'll part on good terms. Do you speak
German?"
"About the only word I know in German is Ja."
"Good," the woman said nodding. She slid a piece of paper over to him and said, "Read this out loud please."
He was confused about the request but took the piece of paper anyway. He didn't see how he was supposed to read it when he didn't
know German. However he found he was able to say, "Ändern mein Körper in einen zehn Jahre alten Mädchen," as if he had spoken it
all his life. He was suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he noticed that
things seemed a little bigger. His feet had come up off the floor and his clothes were loose on him. His shoes and socks had fallen off.
He felt something tickling his neck and when he reached back he felt that his hair was now even longer. "What happened?" he asked
noticing that his voice was higher and sounded like a girl.
"You passed the test," the woman said nodding. "I've wanted a daughter for awhile now but another witch made sure that no man would
sleep with me. So I had to come up with another solution. I cast a spell to bring someone who would be my daughter here. That person
turned out to be you."
"How old am I now?"
"You're ten now. I'll have to give you a name if you decide to be my daughter."
"Will I be able to do magic if I do?"
"Well you were always able to do magic you just didn't know it."
"I think I'll be your daughter. My life wasn't that great anyway."
"Wonderful," the woman said the joy evident on her face. "Now to give you a new name."