How the Witch's Heart Leapfrogged

Once upon a time there lived a young witch, young yet hideous as any other crone. A crooked nose, pointy teeth, warts all across her body. Somewhat content with her life living all alone in a long forgotten forest, but she always wondered if this was it. Once in a while she would receive visitors, all coming to wish something from the witch. To be forever young, to have the strength of a bear. The witch did as her coven thought her, curse them all, for no one should dare to ask an ugly witch to be more beautiful. Months would pass in between visits, and every time she responded the same. Afterwards going on with her life as if nothing had happened. However, this all changed when a knight showed up to her doorstep, claiming that the witch had ruined the lives of many people and sought to defeat her. The knight was quickly dealt with by the witch, turned into a toad which she released into the wilds. 
The first few days nothing had changed, yet suddenly a stomach ache befall the witch. No concoction that she brewed cured this awful feeling. Therefore, she started to think what happened? What changed? The witch thought to herself that perhaps she would feel better when a new visitor shows up. So she waited for months and no one appeared, yet the feeling subsided. Years had passed, she had never gone this long with someone visiting. She then though back about her last visitor, the knightly toad. Remembering their conversation, she thought that that was perhaps the cause of her feeling. Uncertain, she would go out into the woods in to hope that the toad was still alive. Perhaps he had all the answers that she needed to cure this horrible feeling. 
As she spotted the toad her eyes glowed up, she felt something new in her body, something different, something she had never felt before. Her ache was still there yet she felt better. She quickly picked up the toad and brought him back to her cabin. The witch performed a spell turning the toad back into a knight. The witch felt a sense of relieve, her ache still there yet even less strong than before. The knight was both happy and shocked to be back in his original form. For he never expected the witch to turn him back. After the shock on both sides a small argument stared. However, none of them lashed out physically at each other. Instead a conversation started between the witch and knight. The witch explained her dilemma and the knight explained that what she was feeling was guilt. And the only way to make it go away was to make amends with the past. 
And so the witch together with the knight left the cabin, trying to seek everyone that was still alive after all this time. Everywhere the witch came she lifted her curses. Yet she remained unsatisfied and decided to lift curses that were cast by others too. The witch felt satisfaction and learned what it meant to be helpful. So she returned to her cabin, with her knightly escort returning to his castle. Once again visitors started to show up wishing for all different kinds of things. But she would not curse them, instead she would cure them of all their ails and aches. Slowly a small community grew around her cabin as word of the good witch spread. Years later an old man appeared before her, asking for one last wish. This old man was the knight from so long ago, he said that he always thought back about their time helping people and could never forget her inner beauty that she showed and still is showing. So he wished for the witch to marry him. She graciously accepted and they lived happily ever after.
Category:Alex
Category:Short Story