The Next Guardian: Sarah the Witch

by puellaignava

The witch who guards children on Halloween has been selected by the Man in the Moon as the new guardian. Mere years after Jack was chosen, the guardians wonder what might have brought this about. Jack volunteers to bring Sarah the Witch to the North Pole to be sworn in. But who is she? And why does Jack recognize her?

2. The Halloween Witch

Sarah watched as families up and down the neighborhood put up Halloween decorations with a smile. Little children ran around screaming with laughter, wearing masks and chasing their friends. Twirling her brown hair in one finger and fiddling with her broom with the other, Sarah sighed and sat up. The roof of her dilapidated home was warm in the sunlight. Quickly jumping up, she swung her broom between her legs and zoomed through the streets, laughing madly. On the way, she nudged a little girl out of traffic, saved a boy from falling into an ant pile and kicked a ball out of the street. She made a wide turn and returned to her old, aged home. She smiled softly at the two story home that she had lived in for as long as she could remember, nearly three hundred years now.

Inside, her modest black shoes clacked against the rotting wooden floorboards. She sat her large black witches hat on the hat rack next to the front door and stretched. Dusting off her pleated skirt, she strode into family room and slumped on the moth-eaten couch.

"Resting so close to Halloween?" a dark voice said from the shadowy fireplace. Sarah looked up in alarm, then relaxed.

"Pitch, you know not to startle me like that. It's not very nice." She said teasingly as Pitch glided into the room. "What do you want?"

"Why do you always assume I want something?"

"Because you always do."

Pitch chuckled. "Very well. I-" He stopped and turned towards the door. "We'll talk later. You have a visitor." He turned to shadow and disappeared just as there was a knock at the door.

Frowning, Sarah stood up and slowly approached her front door. Another knock made her jump slightly; she cautiously reached out and opened it a crack.

"Who is it?" she asked. Wait, no, that's stupid; no one can see me. She thought.

But the white haired young man outside her door was looking her right in the eye. A pang of recognition shot through her just as his eyes widened.

"Do I….know you…" she whispered, opening the door slightly wider.

"Sarah….its me, Jack." The man whispered, reaching for her. She wanted to back away and close the door. But something caused her to remain where she was.

"Jack…Jack who?"

His eyes tightened, and he drew back his hand. "You don't….remember…do you?" Sarah shook her head, her pigtails swinging. He sighed. "I'm Jack Frost now."

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to bring you to the North Pole."