I wondered what Granny would do if someone faced up to her like she did to her elder generation witches.
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It was just before dawn. Granny woke, stretched and walked over to the window. The trees were green, the herbs were mugging passing birds. There was a young woman sitting in the middle of the lawn, right outside her back door. Muttering to herself, Granny wrapped a shawl around her and stamped down the stairs. Opening the door, she snapped.
"And what do you want?"
The girl blinked at her.
"I want to be a witch, Mistress Weatherwax." she said calmly. Her accent was that of Ankh-Morpork.
Granny studied her.
She was about 16, with brown hair and eyes. Wearing her ankle length plain black dress, she didn't look like one of the normal girls that came around wanting to be a witch. However Granny couldn't be having with any of that at her time of life. She already had one student.
"Go home to your mother, child!" she snapped, and slammed the door.
She expected to hear sobbing, or at least the girl getting up and leaving. She didn't hear anything. She went through her normal morning routine, although she washed her face in the scullery, as she didn't want to go outside yet. Fishing the newts out of the kettle, she sat down for a cuppa.
The girl was still outside. Just sitting there, watching the cottage.
Granny scowled.
The sun rose higher.
Nanny dropped in mid-morning, for a cuppa and a chat.
"Esme? Esme! Why is that girl sitting on your lawn?" Nanny demanded.
Granny was sitting at the table, staring out the window.
"I don't know why. She wanted to be a witch, but when I refused her, she wouldn't go away!"
Nanny gave this some thought. And grinned.
"Sounds like someone I know." she said.
"Young Agnes is nothing like that!" Granny snapped.
Nanny's grin got larger.
"I wasn't thinking of her. I was thinking of another young girl who wouldn't take no for an answer."
"She won't have the determination to wait for 2 days!" Granny snapped.
If Nanny's grin had got any wider, the top of her head would fall off.
"Bet you a dollar?"
Granny emerged from the cottage, with Nanny following
"What do you want!" she snapped again.
"I want to be a witch, Mistress Weatherwax." She said in the same tones as she had used that morning.
"You don't have any talent!" Granny snapped back.
The girl stared into her eyes. Silence fell over the clearing. Nanny winced.
The space between their eyes wavered, as if in intense heat.
Raw power wasn't enough to defeat a lifetime's experience. The girl broke first.
"I have talent." she said.
Behind Granny, Nanny nodded.
"Not enough!" Granny snapped, turned on her heel and left. Nanny shrugged at the girl, then followed.
"I was nothing like that girl!" Granny snapped.
"Yes Esme." Nanny disagreed.
"I obeyed my elders and betters."
"Yes Esme."
"I did what I was told!"
The thought crossed Nanny's mind. 'Only when you wanted to.' But that was a part of witchcraft, choosing which rules to obey and which to break. And never, ever changing your mind. Unless it was really important, that is.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Granny snapped.
"To see young Esme? At the castle?"
A rabid bear leapt out of the bushes and snarled. Nanny moved for a tree. Granny snarled at it, and...
The bear went yelping into the bushes again. They heard it running away like all the hounds of hell were after it.
"Bad mood, Esme?" Nanny asked evilly.
The sun rose higher over Granny's cottage. The girl sat there. A shape drifted out of the trees. She turned and smiled. A young man, carrying a bag and wearing a slouch hat grinned at her and handed her the bag.
"How's it going?" he asked, in an Exian accent.
"So far, so good." she replied, digging into the bag.
"Said the man who jumped off a cliff." he said, squatting next to her.
She shrugged, eating the leg of chicken.
"She'll come round some time." she said calmly. He shrugged.
"I'll come back after dark." he said and taking the bag, walked back to the tree line. Although she was watching him, he faded into the forest. Eating the last of an apple, she tossed the core as far as she could into the trees. A curse answered her and she grinned.
Granny stamped back up the path, and rounded the corner of the cottage.
The girl was watching as if she expected Granny to turn that corner, just then.
Granny scowled.
"Just how long are you going to stay there?" she demanded.
"As long as it takes." the calm answer came back.
"You'll be there for a long time, then." Granny tried.
The girl shrugged. She seemed to be saying that she could wait.
Granny muttered under her breath and slammed the cottage door behind her.
Granny lit a lamp, then looked out of the window. The girl had wrapped a cloak around herself, but still watched the cottage. Granny muttered, and sat down in her rocking chair.
Reaching her mind out, she gently touched the girl's mind. The girl's whole attention locked onto Granny's probe.
"I want to be a witch." she demanded.
Granny was troubled.
"Why?" she asked.
"Revenge."
"On who?"
"Those who said the greatest witch in the world would never take a city girl."
"Greatest witch? Who told you that?"
"Woman Wizard at the University."
"ESK?"
"That was her name."
Granny withdrew, very troubled now. She looked out of the window. The girl was staring at her.
Granny opened a drawer and took out a small wooden box. Opening it, she took out a fragment of clay and a wrapped toffee. She stared at them for a while, then took the fishing buoy from the drawer.
The cottage door opened. The young man froze and faded back into the trees.
"You'd best come in then." Granny's voice was faint at this distance, but distinct.
"If you want to be a witch, that is."
The young woman got unsteadily to her feet and walked to the door. Granny entered first, but the woman paused and waved at the tree line, before entering the cottage. The door closed behind her. The young man smiled, and skirting the cottage headed for the Lancre Bridge.
He wasn't needed here any more.
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It was just before dawn. Granny woke, stretched and walked over to the window. The trees were green, the herbs were mugging passing birds. There was a young woman sitting in the middle of the lawn, right outside her back door. Muttering to herself, Granny wrapped a shawl around her and stamped down the stairs. Opening the door, she snapped.
"And what do you want?"
The girl blinked at her.
"I want to be a witch, Mistress Weatherwax." she said calmly. Her accent was that of Ankh-Morpork.
Granny studied her.
She was about 16, with brown hair and eyes. Wearing her ankle length plain black dress, she didn't look like one of the normal girls that came around wanting to be a witch. However Granny couldn't be having with any of that at her time of life. She already had one student.
"Go home to your mother, child!" she snapped, and slammed the door.
She expected to hear sobbing, or at least the girl getting up and leaving. She didn't hear anything. She went through her normal morning routine, although she washed her face in the scullery, as she didn't want to go outside yet. Fishing the newts out of the kettle, she sat down for a cuppa.
The girl was still outside. Just sitting there, watching the cottage.
Granny scowled.
The sun rose higher.
Nanny dropped in mid-morning, for a cuppa and a chat.
"Esme? Esme! Why is that girl sitting on your lawn?" Nanny demanded.
Granny was sitting at the table, staring out the window.
"I don't know why. She wanted to be a witch, but when I refused her, she wouldn't go away!"
Nanny gave this some thought. And grinned.
"Sounds like someone I know." she said.
"Young Agnes is nothing like that!" Granny snapped.
Nanny's grin got larger.
"I wasn't thinking of her. I was thinking of another young girl who wouldn't take no for an answer."
"She won't have the determination to wait for 2 days!" Granny snapped.
If Nanny's grin had got any wider, the top of her head would fall off.
"Bet you a dollar?"
Granny emerged from the cottage, with Nanny following
"What do you want!" she snapped again.
"I want to be a witch, Mistress Weatherwax." She said in the same tones as she had used that morning.
"You don't have any talent!" Granny snapped back.
The girl stared into her eyes. Silence fell over the clearing. Nanny winced.
The space between their eyes wavered, as if in intense heat.
Raw power wasn't enough to defeat a lifetime's experience. The girl broke first.
"I have talent." she said.
Behind Granny, Nanny nodded.
"Not enough!" Granny snapped, turned on her heel and left. Nanny shrugged at the girl, then followed.
"I was nothing like that girl!" Granny snapped.
"Yes Esme." Nanny disagreed.
"I obeyed my elders and betters."
"Yes Esme."
"I did what I was told!"
The thought crossed Nanny's mind. 'Only when you wanted to.' But that was a part of witchcraft, choosing which rules to obey and which to break. And never, ever changing your mind. Unless it was really important, that is.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Granny snapped.
"To see young Esme? At the castle?"
A rabid bear leapt out of the bushes and snarled. Nanny moved for a tree. Granny snarled at it, and...
The bear went yelping into the bushes again. They heard it running away like all the hounds of hell were after it.
"Bad mood, Esme?" Nanny asked evilly.
The sun rose higher over Granny's cottage. The girl sat there. A shape drifted out of the trees. She turned and smiled. A young man, carrying a bag and wearing a slouch hat grinned at her and handed her the bag.
"How's it going?" he asked, in an Exian accent.
"So far, so good." she replied, digging into the bag.
"Said the man who jumped off a cliff." he said, squatting next to her.
She shrugged, eating the leg of chicken.
"She'll come round some time." she said calmly. He shrugged.
"I'll come back after dark." he said and taking the bag, walked back to the tree line. Although she was watching him, he faded into the forest. Eating the last of an apple, she tossed the core as far as she could into the trees. A curse answered her and she grinned.
Granny stamped back up the path, and rounded the corner of the cottage.
The girl was watching as if she expected Granny to turn that corner, just then.
Granny scowled.
"Just how long are you going to stay there?" she demanded.
"As long as it takes." the calm answer came back.
"You'll be there for a long time, then." Granny tried.
The girl shrugged. She seemed to be saying that she could wait.
Granny muttered under her breath and slammed the cottage door behind her.
Granny lit a lamp, then looked out of the window. The girl had wrapped a cloak around herself, but still watched the cottage. Granny muttered, and sat down in her rocking chair.
Reaching her mind out, she gently touched the girl's mind. The girl's whole attention locked onto Granny's probe.
"I want to be a witch." she demanded.
Granny was troubled.
"Why?" she asked.
"Revenge."
"On who?"
"Those who said the greatest witch in the world would never take a city girl."
"Greatest witch? Who told you that?"
"Woman Wizard at the University."
"ESK?"
"That was her name."
Granny withdrew, very troubled now. She looked out of the window. The girl was staring at her.
Granny opened a drawer and took out a small wooden box. Opening it, she took out a fragment of clay and a wrapped toffee. She stared at them for a while, then took the fishing buoy from the drawer.
The cottage door opened. The young man froze and faded back into the trees.
"You'd best come in then." Granny's voice was faint at this distance, but distinct.
"If you want to be a witch, that is."
The young woman got unsteadily to her feet and walked to the door. Granny entered first, but the woman paused and waved at the tree line, before entering the cottage. The door closed behind her. The young man smiled, and skirting the cottage headed for the Lancre Bridge.
He wasn't needed here any more.