The Witch's House

An Alternate Ending

By John Williams III

Viola stood solemnly looking about the distraught room before her, reliving floating memories of the time spent in this very spot where she had sat with her. A casually discarded chair lay knocked over on its side, a cup of spilled liquid beside it. The chair had once faced to a small girl's bed, which was now vacantly in disarray, stained in blots by large blood stains. She scanned the room with a slow caution, unsure of what to expect after her long, trying ordeal to navigate the insanity of this house that she had entered some time ago. The soft clicking of Viola's shoes were guiding her towards the small vanity dresser, where an open notebook was laid bare- a diary. Upon closer inspection, all of the words written in script of total anguish became all too familiar to her eyes, and Viola was able to relive even more of what had transpired in this room, her mind opened up from the slight fog that seemed to be lingering about the room.

"My sickness was going to kill me..."

"So... I took her body from her."

"I lived on in her body.."

"That's fine, right?"

"Because we're 'friends'.."

"She gave me her body.."

"..because we're 'friends'..."

"So, today... We should play some more..."

"Right? Viola?"

At that very moment, the window at the far side of the room shattered, followed by a loud thud against the floor. Viola was unable to see anything in the dark corner of the room, but her imagination began to run wild with the horrifying sounds that began to emerge. A sloshing sound accompanied by groaning and strained attempts at speech drew closer, until the sound became a visible shape. Out of the darkness, a legless little girl with purple hair, tied in a large red ribbon, crawled towards Viola- a large trail of blood flowing behind her. Viola stepped back some, away from the diary in the direction of the bedroom door. At that moment, Viola's eyes locked with the disfigured little girl's eyes- or lack of eyes. Two eyeless orbs of darkness, stained on the edges with crimson, stared with a sheer hatred and violent intent back at Viola. At that very moment, the legless girl began to crawl frantically towards Viola with a supernatural speed, causing Viola to leap back, busting the partially closed bedroom door open. Viola quickly corrected herself, and took off running down the long corridor to the stairwell, glancing back to see the deformed little girl still in hot pursuit, a glowing redness coming from the dead center of her eyeless sockets. Viola darted so fast down the stairs that she almost fell down them- a vase in front of window narrowly missing her as she ran. Bloody handprints pursued Viola along the walls of the house in the distance that the legless girl was unable to close, acccompanied by splitting holes in the floors, and furniture flying aimlessly across the floors to obstruct Viola's path.

At the bottom level, the chase continued with Viola running frantically still from the legless demonic girl, avoiding every obstacle she could catch in time, and stumbling when she couldn't avoid them. It seemed that the chase was going to last all night, but Viola was able to notice by this point that the house was no longer a twisted assortment of mazes and traps- a sure sign that the witch's magic over the house was fading fast. Before long, Viola recognized everywhere that the house was leading her, and soon found herself running down a long hallway, ducking into a small foyer to escape the legless girl. She used the pause in the chase to search for a way out, but found herself in a dead end. Catching a glint out of the corner of her eye, she dashed over to the corner dresser, taking a knife from atop the smooth wooden surface, and held it in her hands for a moment. The concentration was broken violently as the door to the foyer blasted off its hinges, the red eyes of the legless girl piercing Viola's very soul. The girl continued her crawling rampage, causing Viola to resume her retreat. Quickly exhausting and running out of breath against the powerful magics propelling the witch along after her, Viola finally gave in to one final turn, and opened the door before her- greeted by the sweet smell of grass, fresh air, and a gust a wind. Viola quickly turned and slammed the door shut; leaning her back against it. There was no more pursuit it seemed, as everything fell quiet and a sort of peace overcame the whole nightmare scenario. At long last, Viola had escaped the witch's house...

After a moment of walking through the clearing back into the woods, away from the house, Viola stumbled upon a note lying discarded upon a small bush pile. Viola carefully reached out to retrieve the letter, holding it out to examine the writing.

"Dear Viola,

I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday.

There's an old legend that says a witch lives in the forest, and kidnaps children who get lost there. Your friend's house is very near the forest, so... I was worried about you.

Your friend's name is Ellen, right? I don't-"

Noticing then that the note abruptly ended, she immediately recalled the other half of the letter she already possessed. She smiled as she continued the message in its entirety.

"-mind if you go to her house. Just stay away from the forest. Hope to see you home soon.

-Dad"

She could only feel warm at his concern; he was a good father. As Viola continued her stroll away from the house, hoping to be rid of the forest soon, she found herself cornered by the very thing that had blocked her in to begin with- a thorned wall of roses. Viola carefully pulled out the small medicinal bottle she had recovered within the house, and uncorked it, pouring it onto the roses of the wall. In an instant, the roses seemed to have soaked up all of the liquid, and began to violently wither and wilt, before disintegrating completely. When the process was done, there was nothing left to show that the rose wall had even been there to begin with. Viola tossed the empty bottle aside, and continued down the path, finding herself down feeling more and more relieved the further she got.

At the point of feeling completely home free, Viola suddenly heard a unsettling familiar sound: a sloshing paired with an exhausted moaning. The legless girl had indeed pursued Viola even outside the house, though by this point it seemed she was exhausting her mangled body more than the magic could hold it together. Viola sighed heavily, turning around to face the girl as she heavily dragged her body along. Viola walked steadily towards the legless girl, seeing the redness gone from the dark sockets and instead a single bloodstained stream had run down her face, emphasizing the look of pure despair upon her face.

"Boy you're stubborn.." Viola said coldly to the mangled creature at her feet before rearing her leg back and kicking the girl's shoulder and causing her to collapse to the dirt below her. The legless girl opened her mouth, but no sound came from the silent scream of anguish.

"How long are you going to chase me? You know that body won't last long." Viola said in a callous tone. The girls sockets were partially closed as she winced in agony, before attempted to speak.

"...gra... uhh.. uff.." Was all the girl who utter from her mutilated vocal chords. Viola turned and began to walk away, before realizing what was said through the garble.

"Hm? 'Give it back'? No way. This body hurts MUCH less.." Viola grinned with a slight hint of sadism to her expression. "You gave it to me in the first place. Why should I have to give it back? Right... Viola?" The words trailed off of Viola's mouth, at long last betraying the fraud that the soul occupying Viola's body was none other than that of the witch herself- Ellen.

"You felt so sorry for me..." Ellen digressed aloud to the bloody mess that was Viola lying on the ground. "I couldn't even move from me bed. That's why I used my magic to trade bodies with you."

Ellen looked down to see Viola trying to utter words, wide eyed vacant sockets trying to express something that was lost in the silence. She smiled.

"Just for a day? Hehehe, I guess I did say that. I was surprised you could trap me with my own power- but to no avail. After all, it IS my house, yes? It wasn't going to be killing me anytime soon. I was guided by that house all the way- I was ensured to escape." Ellen played an innocent smile at the pained creature that was Viola, who was still moving, still shuddering despite the pain and blood loss. She tilted her head some.

"Hm? Still not dead? I have to applaud your tenacity.. Ah.. Could it be? Are you that worried about your father?" Mere mention of Viola's father caused the legless girl to squirm and struggle, reaching out in vain to grasp at Ellen, lording over her in Viola's body.

"Oh, I know. You and your father, Viola. A close family of two. Those memories stayed in your body. He's a kind man. A hunter, isn't he?" Ellen smirked coldly to the distraught Viola.

"He even left you this sweet letter.. I suppose you're worried about what'll happen when you're gone?" more red streams were flowing from the eyeless sockets of the body Viola occupied, showing the true nature of the despair the poor girl was feeling.

"It'll be just fine. I'll give him Viola's share of love. And I'll take her share of love too. So..-"

"Viola!" An unknown voice called out. Both of the girls had their attention drawn away to the origin of the shout.

"Viola, are you safe?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Viola quickly turned and ran to the man calling out, aware by this point that it was Viola's father calling out. Viola finally sank down to the ground from being propped up on her arms, the blood from her eyes dripping down onto the moist dirt beneath her. She was finally giving up, devoid of all hope now. Viola's father hugged Ellen, unaware that though the girl he hugged played host to his daughter's body, it most sinisterly was not his beloved angel. After a moment, still lost in his stupor, he turned his focus to the horrid mass of bloody remains on the ground, unsure of what to think at the glimpse of the dark sockets that would have held eyes on a normal human.

"Wh-what..!? Why..." Viola's father shook off his amazement, raising the shotgun he had carried with him on his hunt for his daughter through the woods- closing an eye to line up the sights on the monsterous form before him.

"Fh.. fha... aaa... th..." The strained sounds escaped from the girls destroyed throat, to unintelligible gibberish to her own father- who stood at this moment unaware that his daughter was pleading for him to see what he in his own power was not capable of seeing. Viola's father thumbed the hammers back on the double barrels of the shotgun, readying his finger over the trigger, lost in the determination to save his "daughter" from this monster before them.

"Dh... dha... aaa.. di..." squeaked out as a final breath of Viola's resolve, surrendering to the fate that she was about to be unintentionally murdered by her own father. As the moment drew closer that the burly man prepared to pull the triggers and destroy his daughter, a glint of hope shone through the darkness playing out before the three as Ellen grew impatient with the execution Viola's father was intending to carry out.

"Kill it, father! Kill it now! That horrid thing doesn't deserve to live!" Ellen shouted through Viola's vocal chords. As though a simple snap went off in his head, the hunter pulled his head away from the sights of the shotgun, turning to look at his "daughter" with a wide-eyed astonishment. His little girl had so much compassion for everything in the world, spending all of her time elsewhere to the benefit of others. These weren't the words of the loving girl he raised.

"Viola, what's gotten into you? You've never spoken like that once in your life.." the hunter spoke in a mix of stern surprise. Something didn't feel right all in this one instance. Ellen quickly attempted to correct her gross overstep, crossing her fingers together, feigning innocence to the hunter.

"This monster has been trying to kill me all day, father. I just want this nightmare to end. Please, please kill it.." Ellen spoke as sweetly as she could. Viola's father slowly turned back to look at the "monster" on the ground, finally making out the clear visage to be the disfigured face of a little girl- not a monster. Several streams of red ran free from the eyeless sockets, staining the dirt. The hulking man that was Viola's father found himself losing his resolve as he lowered the shotgun away from its aim at the poor girl.

"This isn't a monster, Viola. This is.. pitiful.." Viola's father said as he took a step closer to the girl. Viola's hopes burned brighter than ever now. Though a distorted image in her mind, the magic in Ellen's body allowed Viola to see, without her eyes, that her father had decided against killing her, and was approaching her.

"This.. This is a little girl.. We should take her to the town doctor, Viola.." The hunter spoke, crouching slowly to look closer at the legless mutilated figure sprawled out on the ground before him.

"Don't be fooled by this, father! She's really the witch!" Ellen spoke in another burst of rage, again alerting the hunter that something definitely wasn't right with this scenario.

In a slow, cautious gesture, Viola raised her blood covered hand slightly. Fingers spread over the open dirt in front of where she was lying, she pressed the magic once more from Ellen's body. The result was a slow indention in the ground that quickly became a puddle of standing water, soaking upwards from the soil. Viola's father squinted at the puddle, slightly startled by the magic, and soon realized what the purpose was..

Her father's eyes grew wide and glassy as he saw, to his horror, the image of the girl reflected back against the puddle. What was the mangled body of a little girl before him showed as his daughter in the reflection. Ellen stormed over to stand beside Viola's father, furious at the constant delay that was preventing her from embracing her stolen life. All at once, the color faded from the cheeks of Viola's body as Ellen realized what had been done. As she stood beside the hunter, her reflection was shown as well- the little girl bloodied before them stood whole and healthy in the reflection. Like a lightswitch flipping on, Viola's father was onto the scheme and stood fast to his feet, raising the shotgun again- this time at Ellen, whom he now knew possessed his daughter's body.

"What did you do to her?!" Viola's father screamed, tears streaming from his eyes as he comprehended the horror. Ellen became panicked, trying to rescue herself from the dire situation.

"What are you talking about, father?! Don't point that thing at me! That monster is trying to trick you!"

"No!" Viola's father interjected, "I know what's going on here. You gave it away. All the hatred you spit in your words. My Viola doesn't talk that way, doesn't think that way. You stole her body from her!"

Ellen sighed, chuckling some at the game being up.

"Oh well, it was worth a try. Thing's could have been just fine, but she couldn't just go peacefully." Viola's father took a step towards Ellen, the gun firmly aimed at her head.

"Give her back her body, right now!" The hunter yelled. Ellen shook her head.

"I'm afraid that's impossible. You see, the magic of the body switch can only be performed on two willing parties.." Viola's father was stunned, and turned his head to look at the girl on the ground. Viola turned her face away, trying to hide the expression she held that betrayed the truth. That in good natured love and friendship, she tried to relieve her friend of her pain for a day; that she was paying the highest penalty that innocence can pay.

"And I'm very content with this body. No more pain. I don't intend to be a willing party to giving it back. So we're at an impasse it seems." Ellen spoke elegantly, soaking up the dramatic despair she had wrought onto this poor family. Viola's father took a grave expression onto his face, reaffirming his stance.

"Give her back her body. Now." The hunter spoke sternly, suppressing his rage. Ellen shook her head once more.

"Go ahead, then. Shoot me. Until the contract is complete, the demon who gave me this opportunity will continue to turn back the clock and this will all play out again and again until my old body has passed on." Ellen smiled sinisterly at Viola's father, who's eyes grew wide as he began to lower the shotgun he had aimed at her. He quickly regained his composure, turning to Viola's bloodied body on the ground. Slinging the shotgun over his shoulder, he knelt down and scooped the suffering girl up in his arms. Even if she couldn't have her body back, this was still Viola, and he was going to keep her alive. Viola gingerly wrapped her bloody arms around her father's neck as he began to walk away with her. A shout chased behind them.

"This isn't over! I'll kill the both of you if I must!" Ellen screamed in a fit of hatred, the sounds of her footsteps running after them causing Viola's father to turn and look at the enraged girl wielding the knife she had collected earlier. Determined not to get Ellen killed and cause this nightmare to repeat itself, the hunter picked up his pace, running as fast as he could without jarring Viola too much.

The pursuit lasted what seemed like forever before the hunter his daughter found themselves upon their cabin near the woods. Ellen hadn't hardly given up an inch in the chase, still coming up on her victims. Using his back to bust through, the hunter blew open a way into the cabin and charged in, running to the back room he had occupied himself as a bedroom. He gently set Viola's bloody body down on the sheets, before unslinging the shotgun from his shoulder and readying himself. In the blink of an eye, Ellen was in the room with a monstrous smile on her face as she raised the knife high over her head, ready to end this game and finally own the body she had stolen. Ellen caught a movement out of the corner of her eye too late as the hunter thrust the solid butt of the shotgun against the girl's small cheekbone. The impact sent the girl's light body crumpling to the floor, motionless. Viola's father stood there for a moment, tears streaming down his face at the thought that he had just viciously attacked his daughter's body. After a moment of safety, the hunter relaxed, looking over to Viola laying vulnerably on the bed. He walked over to the girl, kneeling down to be eye level with her.

Able to see her father by using the magic to act as her eyes, she weakly raised a hand to caress her father's cheek, smiling. Viola was safe at last..

. . .

In good time, Viola had come to understand the faculties better of the body she was now trapped in. She focused the magics she commanded to make the body life-worthy again. Though she would never walk again, nor ever see without the aid of magic, she was alive, and her father was there to protect and care for her. Viola sat in her bed, softly sobbing, her leg stumps covered by a blanket. Bloody tear streams ran down from the aesthetic bandages that covered the dark sockets where her eyes used to be. Viola's father heard the sobbing through the door and made his way to the room, sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

"What's wrong, darling?" The burly hunter spoke softly to his little girl. She shook her head some, before opening her mouth to speak. In the months that she had been healing her body, she had been able to recover most of her vocal chords, though still unable to to speak fluently.

"Memories, daddy.." Viola squeaked out. Her father gently rubbed his hand on her back.

"What memories?" He inquired. She continued squeaking words out.

"I cured Ellen's sickness. She knew a cure.." Viola took a deep breath through the sobs. Ellen had known a cure to her ailment all along, she was never at risk of dying. She wanted out of her life so badly that all she could focus on was getting away from everything. Viola suffered the consequences of a hatred so blind that it knew nothing but destruction in the end. Viola's father shook his head some, before standing from the chair.

"Well, baby, we can't change what's happened. You're alive and back home, and that's all I can ask for. Everything's going to be okay one way or another, be assured." The hunter smiled at Viola. She wasn't looking at him, but a smile creeped up on her lips some, as though she could feel the warmth of the genuine love he was expressing.

"I'm going to head into the cellar for a minute, then I'll be back up to bring you dinner." The hunter spoke. Viola nodded in agreement as her father left the room. Grabbing a small lit lantern, he walked across the open living area of the cabin to a full firewood stacker that easily weighed 200 pounds. He grasped the handle of the stacker and pulled the large object to the side, revealing a circular latch handle that opened a cellar door. With a creak, the door pulled up and the hunter descended to the darkness underneath the house. Using the small lantern to light up the small space, the hunter made his way over to the stone wall that acted as foundation to the cabin. When the space finally lit up enough, a figure could be seen haphazardly shackled by the wrists and feet to the stone. Gently writhing in the cuffs was Ellen, still occupying Viola's body. Pulled the small gag from the girl's mouth, he reached to the ground beside her where a bucket of water rested with an old metal ladle sticking out.

Lifting the ladle filled with cold water, the hunter tipped the lip of the utensil where water would run into the girl's mouth. Ellen gasped violently between the fight to breath and the unbearable thirst she suffered from daily. Dropping the ladle back into the bucket, the hunter straightened himself to look into Ellen's eyes, his face betraying no hint of emotion to the terrified girl.

"You left her in darkness, unable to move. And though you have eyes and legs, you too will know her fate for as long as I keep you down here.." Viola's father spoke, an almost sadistic gleam in his words. Ellen's eyes were wide with fear as she stared at large man before her.

"How long will you keep me here..?" Ellen asked through her dry throat. The hunter cracked a small grin.

"For as long as it takes for my Viola to grow up and have some semblance of a life.. The life that you stole from her." Ellen's eyes grew wider, understanding the implications of those words. The hunter gingerly returned the small gag to cover the girls mouth. She began to panic as he turned his back to her, walking away with the only light source in the cellar. Viola's father turned one last time to look at the horrified girl attached to the wall, chuckling some, before ascending the stairs and closing the door. As the heavy firewood stacker found its way back over the cellar door blocking it shut again, the last rays of light disappeared from the cracks, and the footsteps of Viola's father began to fade away.

The shackles rattled some more before silence. And Ellen began to sob weakly in the darkness of her new life..