Gertrud liked flowers. That was it. She was rather cold towards everyone else, especially the ones who thought her to be spoiled. It was not her fault her parents were in possession of large sums of money. All she asked for was a nice garden and silence. All the other useless luxuries were gifts.
Her favorite flower was the rose. White ones, red ones, pink ones—she loved them all. She kept them in ornately carved vases around the house, and in her tumbling green curls.
Gertrud was satisfied.
However, one day she began to feel a bit useless. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter, and she felt a bit guilty. She wished all of it would change.
And one day, it did.
While Gertrud walked into her garden on a peaceful Sunday morning, she found something waiting for her. It was a funny-looking creature, like a white rabbit or cat, but with bright pink eyes and markings of the same color adorning its ears and back. Its ears, in fact, were encircled by golden rings.
"Good morning, Gertrud!" it said without moving its mouth. Gertrud raised her eyebrows, puzzled, but returned the greeting. Even with this thing, she preferred to keep her cool.
The creature got straight to the point.
"Is there anything you would like to change in your current life?"
"Are you asking if I have a wish?"
"Precisely, Gertrud!"
Gertrud frowned. Whatever this thing was, she had this nagging feeling that it was trying to trick her.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch, my dear! In fact, having a wish granted by me will make you a magical girl."
Gertrud gaped and somehow found a stool to sit down on. Did magical girls even exist? She rested her head in her hand as the creature clarified.
"My name is Kyubey, and I will try to explain this as simply as possible. I meet many young ladies and grant their wishes in exchange for becoming a magical girl."
"So there is a catch?"
"Well, magical girls can't just flutter around doing nothing."
"So, what do we do?"
"You rid the world of witches."
"Of what?"
"Witches! Like magical girls are born from wishes, they are born from curses. They survive on the hopes and dreams of humans."
"Are they out in the open?"
"No, no! They conceal themselves in otherworldly barriers which humans cannot escape from. Anyway, after you beat a witch, she has the possibility of releasing a Grief Seed. Over time, your Soul Gem, your power source, will be drained of energy. Grief Seeds restore your magical energy, so collect and conserve these! If you will accept my contract, of course."
"Yes. I accept."
"Really? Oh, lovely! Fantastic! What is your wish?"
Gertrud spoke her innermost desire, watching a white light envelop her.
Now, Gertrude looked back on that day. Oh, why did she accept? What a fool she was! Her once shiny Soul Gem had ran out of energy, and became filled with dark energy instead. This, Kyubey explained, would soon transform her into a witch. This happened to all magical girls.
Gertrud lurched. Her slimy green hair slopped over her face. Though she couldn't see, she still knew the magical girls in her barrier were coming to kill her. She didn't care. They would be satisfied, knowing that they had saved countless lives, but this period of being a magical girl was very short. Their magical energy would deplete and they would become witches, just like her.
Such is the life of a magical girl.
