It was summer of the 8th year in the 19th century. A girl walked through the thicket of trees, clad in a ripped and worn dress. The dress was so worn, that the colour of the fabric was indistinguishable. She looked as if she was between 11 or 12 though you are not so sure. Her skinny frame made her look younger. Her flaming chestnut hair was in a tangled mess and she had grime all over her body. She was hurrying along the path as she clutched a tiny black pouch that fit perfectly in her hand.
You notice her occasionally glancing back, her wild and scared eyes betraying her determined posture. You also notice that she is jittery and nervous, jumping at the slightest sound and clatter in the forest around her.
She brushed away the branches and plants blocking her way earning her scratches and abrasions but she did not care. She flitted through the winding footpath quickly. She seems eager to get to her destination.
She still glances back from time to time, her eyes, which were of golden hue, shone with uncertainty and fear but there was also resolve in them.
She slowed her pace down when she passed a ginormous pine tree. She craned her neck, trying to look at the top of the pine tree but the summer sun blinded her. The girl blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the lighting. Afterwards, she looked sideways. She scrunched up her nose and a crease formed on her forehead.
The girl knew that the plant was somewhere near; her mother said that it was here. It had to be here.
She kept looking around; her footsteps were barely making any noise.
Suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop and her eyes shone with delight. She went to the plant, its leaves were heart shaped and its colour was a deep olive green hue. She then carefully plucked the leaves out of their respective stems. She gingerly put it in the black pouch.
She started to head back the way she came, feeling proud of herself.
Amidst the noises of the forest, you heard her mumble silently. "Surely, mama won't beat after this."
II
I stared incredulously at the old lady. Shocked beyond belief. Her voice was surprisingly gentle for an old woman. She stood at the doorway, smiling at me, waiting for my answer. I don't know how long I gawked but finally I voiced out my thoughts. Hundreds of questions were whizzing in my head but I settled for the simplest I could muster.
"I…. I beg your pardon?" I said to her in bewilderment.
"Oh dear, you must be hungry! Come, come. Let's get you to the kitchen. I have been waiting for you to wake up. Anyway, it's already night time and you haven't eaten yet." the old lady chattered happily while taking a step towards me. I took a step back. She didn't even answer my question.
Either she did not notice my reluctance or she must've feigned ignorance because once again, she took a step towards me. I took a step back and, due to my uncanny ability to be a complete klutz, I accidentally hit a pile of books, henceforth knocking the books off the pile and onto the floor, and sending papers flying everywhere.
I shook my head as I mentally berated myself and tried to gather the books and papers into my arms. After a few minutes of apparent struggle, I managed to put some of the books into its corresponding pile. I was so engrossed with the mess that it had somehow slipped my mind that the old lady—asking for her namesake was completely out of my head—was still there.
I jumped when I felt an old and wrinkly hand grasp my arm, almost hitting my head at the low ceiling. I turned to the old lady and tried to pry my arm away from her but her grip was astonishingly strong. I looked at her questioningly, silently asking her to let me go but she did not pay heed. Once again, I think she either dutifully ignored my mute plea or she hadn't noticed it. I am leaning onto the first option.
Nevertheless, the old lady spoke as she led me towards the door.
"Dear, come on. Let's get you downstairs so you can eat and fill your stomach. I have prepared you pumpkin pie and I have also cooked vegetables but I still am not done with the dessert, it would be very helpful if you shall assist me."
I could not stand not knowing and my mind was filled with questions I was eager to ask. So I did.
"I'm sorry if this will come out as rude, but who are you?" I asked tentatively, not knowing if I could fully trust her.
She came to a sudden stop and turned around to look me in the eye as she said, "Dear, I am Gothel. Dame Gothel."
She said every word with an emphasis and she spoke with a tone of finality. Her eyes were hard and commanding and, though she was smiling, I knew not to ask any more questions. She turned around again and started making her way to the door and I stumbled my way across the room, avoiding strewn papers and other curios, as she towed me behind her. I was also mindful of the ceiling, my back slightly slouched. My left ankle ached but I tried to ignore it as I made my way through the room.
As we passed by the shelves, I tried to look at the contents of the jars and the titles of the books but nothing was labelled.
When we were nearing the door, I could smell something incredibly delicious and sweet. The minty, herbal smell was being replaced by the sweet scent. I could only deduce it as the smell of the food the old la—Dame Gothel—was talking about earlier. The aroma of the food got stronger with every step I took. I suddenly felt very famished and I hastened my pace a little bit, very much eager to enter the kitchen. Dame Gothel finally let go of me when she saw that I was willingly going to the kitchen.
As we descended the stairs, we passed by a large, silver ornate mirror. It was hauntingly beautiful but it had a crack right in the middle of it. When I turned to look at it, I saw the distorted reflection of my chocolate brown eyes staring back at me with inquisitiveness and wonder. My rounded face was framed by my mousy brown tresses, which came up until my waist. The bags around my eyes were prominent, much so that I looked like a zombie. My skin was fair but it obviously lacked proper nutrition. I sighed 'My ankle still hurts.' and continued making my way down the stairs as normally as I could manage.
Dame Gothel made her way into the kitchen as I scanned the living room. The room was slightly bigger than the one upstairs yet unlike the room upstairs; the living room was immaculately clean and orderly. There were 2 small windows, one on the far left side and one on the far right. All I could see outside were the night sky littered with the twinkling stars and the silhouette of the trees and foliage around it.
There was a fire burning in the fireplace and it gave the room a mystical look, enhancing the red of the plush armchairs surrounding it. Atop the mantelpiece was an ancient looking clock. It ticked continuously even though I was expecting it to stop because of the wear and scratches on it.
As far as I could see though, there wasn't any door. I thought this was weird but I didn't ponder on it.
I took a lungful of the tempting aroma of the food and realized that my stomach was grumbling; I quickly made my way into the kitchen. I blushed, hoping Dame Gothel didn't hear the embarrassing sound.
I entered the brightly lit and modest kitchen and was thoroughly surprised by the amount of food at the table. Dame Gothel was there, holding tray which contained the pumpkin pie. She was humming as she arranged the table.
"Uhm… Dame Gothel, is there anything I could do to help?" I asked, quite unsure of what to do. I felt really awkward just standing by the doorway.
She perked up and noticed me then said, "Well dear, if you could so kindly help me wash the raspberries for the coulis." She paused then said, "And please get the sugar from the shelf."
Raspberries? I stood there for a few seconds, certain that I forgot something about raspberries.
"Azariah dear?" Dame Gothel drawled out. I immediately snapped out of my reverie and went to fetch the bowl of raspberries sitting at the wooden counter near the sink. I soaked them in the basin of water and put them back the bowl.
Next, the sugar. I looked at the shelves and I almost thanked the gods out loud. The sugar wasn't too high and I could reach it easily so that was what I did. I put both of the ingredients on the counter and turned to Dame Gothel. But before I could tell her I was done, she motioned me over and told me to place the ingredients on the table.
"Oh and dear, a fork please." She added. Dame Gothel gestured to where she kept her utensils.
I nodded though I know she couldn't see me and got a fork. I wordlessly handed it to her. She then proceeded on making the raspberry coulis by mashing the fruits, sugar joined by a little lemon juice with a fork in the bowl. Soon, all there was left was a sticky wine red substance with bits of raspberry. Dame Gothel got a sieve and rid the coulis of bits. She smiled contently after tasting the sauce.
She poured the raspberry coulis to a plain pudding and pushed the plate towards me. My eyebrows rose, as if to ask.
Having caught on my question, she then said, "Go on, dear. Try it, why don't you?"
I nodded and she handed me a spoon.
I smiled as Dame Gothel tucked me in while she hummed a lullaby. The food she cooked had filled me so much. Her voice was comforting and it made me sleepy. I yawned.
"Dame Gothel?" I asked sleepily. She responded with a 'hmm?' sound.
"How did I-" I yawned again, eyelids drooping. "How did I end up here?" I ended up mumbling the latter part of the sentence.
"Just go to sleep dear." I nodded and closed my eyes. "Just go to sleep." She repeated faintly. I felt myself drifting off to a peaceful slumber. And that was the last thing I could remember.