Watching the Witch-Lady |
|
|
|
Chapter 1 |
|
| I am hiding. Hiding and watching the witch-lady. The witch-lady scares me. The older children call her ‘Guidlmistress’, I don’t know why though, because she isn’t one. I don’t know why she’s here, but I know it isn’t good; she just sits there, watching people. I don’t know what she is watching for, but I think that maybe if I watch her then I will be able to figure it out. I know that I’m right because everyone’s always funny around her. Mostly I think they don’t want to be there, because they fidget a lot, but they come anyway, like they can’t stay away. They don’t realize she needs watching though, they think she’s harmless. Maybe that’s why they come; because they know she’s scary and they want to reassure themselves that she isn’t real. He’s with her again. He comes more often than the others, I’m not sure why. He talks and she sits. It can’t be very interesting to talk to someone that doesn’t talk back. Not that anyone really talks to her. They talk around her, like grown ups talk around me, they don’t expect her to understand. They’re silly. She listens, I can tell. She listens and she thinks, but she doesn’t say anything. She’s up to something, I’m sure of it. Why else wouldn’t she say anything? That’s why I need to watch her, because no one else will. Da says that I shouldn’t, he says that its rude, but I need to, she’s scary and no one else will because they think she isn’t real. All they see is silence; they don’t see how clever she is. He looks towards the tapestry where I am hiding and I sit very still. I do not think it would be good to be caught today. He and Da have been arguing again. I didn’t understand it. “She’s not there anymore Rushton!†Da had shouted. Which was stupid, because she never goes anywhere. He just shook his head and walked away, He didn’t want to listen. I wish I was a grown up so I didn’t have to listen. My Da says very silly things sometimes. He sighs and walks over to her. He kisses her eyelids and runs his fingers over her lips. Then he kisses her forehead and walks away. It’s a very silly way to say goodbye. I almost feel sorry for her; kisses are yucky. My bottom is getting sore and I think that it might be nice to stand and creep away for a little while, but I don’t. She’s waiting for that, I’m sure of it. She’s waiting for me to stop watching and then she’ll be up to something. So I keep watching. Watching and hiding from the witch-lady. |
|
| Views | 970 |
