Halloween Tale: The Prankish Witch

My cousin Nilsa is deaf and for a few years now she has been working for an organization that helps deaf and hard of hearing people in everyday life on many different aspects, but, in short, every year they organize a small party for Halloween which brings together hearing and hard of hearing people. There is a buffet, there is a horror movie at the end of the evening, but for me the highlight is the literary competition.

It’s a kind of storytelling contest where children vote for the best story. Today I offer you the one I am going to tell:

The Prankish Witch

Once upon a time there was a terrible witch. She was not only horribly ugly but also terribly mean.
She lived hidden deep in the woods, as she had a large hooked nose and claw-like fingernails. People seeing her guessed she was a witch.
But on Halloween night, as everyone was in disguise, she took the opportunity to come to town.

On the morning of October 31, she had lit a big fire and was brewing a potion to the children become a dunce, a duncism spell. She dipped sweets and treats in it.

If a child ate these sweets, he could not learn anything for a year and had very bad grades in school. He was scolded by his parents, was punished all the time and became very unhappy. And that made the witch terribly happy.

This morning, not far from there, a brother and a sister were getting ready to go to school thinking about the costumes they had prepared.

Daniel was seven years old and his sister Fanny, ten. He was wheat blond, and she had jet black hair with big hazel eyes.

— What are you dressing up as, asked Fanny to her brother Daniel?
— As a vampire, and you?
— As a mummy, it’s going to be terrible!

And they began to talk about what they were going to do, about their disguises,… so much so that they didn’t see the time pass. It’s the noise of the school bus that warns them of their delay.

— Quick, said Fanny, but it was too late, they had missed the bus.
— Oh oh, we’re gonna get…
— Yes ! even worse, we’re going to be deprived of Halloween.
— If we cut through the woods, we might have time to get there before the school bell rings. Let’s go!

After taking their satchels, they began to run in the woods, because the bus was making a long detour to pick up all the children.

Arriving in the middle of the wood, Fanny saw a big black smoke. It was the smoke the potion gave off as it cooked. Luckily, the witch had just come out to fetch some ingredients.

Fanny says to Daniel:

— You think it’s a fire?
— I don’t know, but we’ll see just in case…
— Yes, you’re right, so if we arrive late, we’ll have a good excuse.
— Maybe we should get away from the danger and call the fire department?
— Here I’m the big one and I’m in charge, let’s go!

They arrived in front of the witch’s house. Seeing that the smoke was coming from inside, they entered. Smoke filled the whole room and they couldn’t see anything. Groping in the dark, Daniel unwittingly knocked over the cauldron.

The smoke stopped. Seeing what Daniel had done, Fanny was devastated.

— Looked ! The person who lives here will notice it. She’ll go see the school principal who will tell our parents and we’ll be deprived of Halloween, that’s for sure!
— We’ll quickly clean up and make his rotten soup again, said Neil.

While Daniel mopped the floor, Fanny took ingredients at random and threw them into the cauldron.

In five minutes, it was done, the smoke started again.

— The person who lives there won’t notice anything, said Fanny.

Once the stupidity was fixed, they left very quickly, arrived a little late at school, but not enough to be punished.

On returning home, the witch noticed nothing. She continued her potion and dipped the candy in it.

On Halloween night, she gave it to the children. But with the ingredients that Fanny had put, the spell had changed. The spell of duncism had become a spell of excellism.

All the kids who ate the witch’s treats got 20/20 all year, even the ones who didn’t do their homework.

But beware ! This year, the witch will return, so don’t accept treats from just anyone!

I hope you like it! see you soon guys.

An exotique bird

The little girl was playing at the bottom of the garden. She had decided that on this balmy summer afternoon, she would be an archaeologist. Armed with her beach bucket, a small plastic shovel and a large brush borrowed from her father’s workshop, she began her excavations at the foot of the walnut tree. She sank her knees into the damp earth and scraped the ground sometimes with her shovel, sometimes with her fingernails. According to her map, cut from a book on piracy taken from the library, there must be treasure nearby. The first hole having given nothing, she went around the tree to make a second one.

Her eye was then caught by a small shiny object. No need to dig after all. The little archaeologist, brush in hand, approached and examined her discovery more carefully.

It was an egg. A tiny egg barely bigger than her thumb and as shimmering as a gemstone. The child took the egg in the palm of her hand and, abandoning his equipment, ran back up towards the house.

Her mother was busy in the kitchen making a chocolate cake while his father, in her workshop, railed against a brush that had mysteriously disappeared. The little girl crept quietly to her room.

She grabbed a bed in the dollhouse that her father had made for her and placed the strange little egg there, which she kept warm under her bedside lamp. She was no longer an archaeologist, now she was a princess from the Orient to whom a suitor had just offered a future bird of a very rare species. She opened her closet, put on a pretty turquoise dress and put on a tiara to which she hung an iridescent scarf belonging to her mother, then she sat down on her bed facing the egg and waited.

Soon his mother called her for tea. A delicious smell of chocolate wafted through the house and tickled her nostrils, but she resisted. She didn’t want to miss the hatching of her exotic bird. She heard her mother coming up the stairs. She hid the egg behind a teddy bear and sat up on her bed as if on a throne.

— I have decided that I will only eat blue foods.

Her mother closed the door with a smile and went back down to the kitchen, where she put her cake in the fridge for later.

The little princess, tired of waiting without doing anything, decided to organize a ball to celebrate the next birth of the fabulous baby bird. She arranged her stuffed animals in a circle and, a doll in her arms, began to dance humming in the midst of her guests who had come from all over the world to honor her.

It was then that a small crack was heard. The girl dropped her partner and turned to the egg, her eyes wide. Cracks gradually appeared and all of a sudden, the sparkling shell burst!

A strange little creature unfolded its wings. She was completely naked and all wet but, above all, she shone even more than her shell. It wasn’t a bird, not even an exotic bird, it was a fairy!

The little girl remained mute with surprise at this apparition which exceeded her imagination. The fairy stretched and waved her wings. She took off and came to rest in the dollhouse, facing the mirror in which she admired herself for long minutes. Finally she turned to the child who was still staring at her. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them. Immediately, she disappeared, from the room as well as from the child’s memory.

The little girl was playing at the bottom of the garden. She had decided that on this mild summer afternoon she would be a fairy. Armed with a magic wand with a strange resemblance to a dead branch and a wicker basket filled with flowers, she began to dance under the walnut tree.

She hummed at first and soon sang a song of her own making about the hatching of a curious bird. She didn’t really know where the idea had come from but she thought she was pretty and she wanted to tell her parents.

In fact, she wanted to tell lots of stories. Starting tomorrow, she would be a writer. So she could share her adventures as an archaeologist, princess, fairy and bird.

Higher on a branch, a small winged creature observed the round of the child while laughing. It wasn’t a bird, not even an extraordinary bird, it was a fairy! The fairy of imagination and inspiration.

Witch cats

When I walk in town, I really like to observe the animals that I can come across there. I like to imagine stories about what they can experience day by day, hiding under the gaze of passers-by who ignore them. Here is one such story:

Formerly the cats whose tails had not been cut off used to assemble on a fixed day: they were seen gathered together in the moonlight on some deserted moor, not far from the Fairy-Rocks and the Standing-Stone. They were deliberating, grave as priests in church, and no one would have dared pass close to them, let alone disturb them, when they were holding their plenary meetings. Strange and frightening stories were told at the wake to people bold enough or mad enough to have wanted to mingle with their society: some had died suddenly, others had been so terrified to see all the cats darting their eyes shining like hot coals and looking at them with an irritated look that their hair had turned white overnight, and they still trembled just thinking of the nocturnal assemblies of the tomcats.

Eric Olafsen was returning one fine night from the fair, where he had lingered a little in the inns, because the cider was good that year. He was very happy and was walking merrily, singing at the top of his voice, when at the turn of a sunken road he suddenly saw a large gathering of cats ranged around a stone cross. They were of all sizes and all colors; at the sight of all these tomcats, the singer’s voice choked in his throat, and he began to tremble like a man who has a fever, for the cats uttered irritated meows, arched their supple backs where the hair stood on end. , straightened their tails and looked at him with eyes that glowed in the night.

His terror increased further when he saw the bulk of the gang running towards him: he closed his eyes, expecting to be torn to pieces and recited his act of contrition. But, instead of feeling the cat’s claws sink into his flesh, he noticed that the animal was rubbing itself along his legs, purring happily as if he wanted to be stroked. Eric Olafsen opened his eyes and recognized his own cat which began to walk in front of him, and which sometimes preceded him, sometimes came back towards him and stroked him with its tail.

When Eric Olafsen arrived with his driver at the place where the assembly was, the tomcats were sitting quietly because the cat had said aloud to his colleagues: “Let Eric Olafsen pass”.

I hope that this pleased you. I tell you see you soon for a new drawing or a new story.

The legend of Lilfire

My cousin Nilsa is an incredible storyteller in addition to being a great person for me but that’s not the point! >.<
It was she who pushed me to do this blog and to celebrate, she asked me to write a story together and the result is the little text just below. I hope that pleases you.

Lilfire stomped forward. He had just argued with his father again: Burninflame was a 625-year-old Great Ruby Dragon and he couldn’t stand that his youngest son didn’t have a job.
“Learn from your brothers!” Roarloud has worked at the forge since he was 193 years old. When Fierelmet enlisted in the royal guard, he was just 181 years old. Even Brurn found a job at the mine before he turned 207! And you, at 212, you’re still here!
Lilfire would have liked to make his father proud of him, but he was not like his brothers. He wasn’t tall and muscular, and his flames were barely enough to start a wood fire. Every time he applied somewhere, a stronger dragon got the job.
When he passed the forge, Roarloud called out to him.
“Fuck it!” Did you argue with Dad again? Anyway, I have good news. I registered you.
Lilfire grabbed the yellowed sheet her brother held out to her, on which was written in gold letters:
“Hear, hear dragons and dragons!”
The king is looking for a dragon to defend his treasure. In order to choose the strongest among you, a big sports competition is organized. At the end of the latter, the dragon with the best score will have the immense honor of becoming the guardian of the royal treasure.
If you are over 180, register with the palace steward. »
Roarloud had signed him up for a sports competition. Organized by the king himself, what’s more. And that was supposed to be good news…
“Roarloud, I can’t go. I will make a fool of myself. What would I do in a sports competition?
“I’ll train you!” And then imagine how happy Daddy would be if you won!
“But I will never win!”
There’s only one way to find out…

They had a month to prepare Lilfire for the tests of the competition: acrobatic flight with a block of stone, camouflage, spitting fire on moving targets, and finally, the fight against knights. Unlike his brother, Lilfire was far from optimistic. They started with camouflage since it was the only test he felt capable of tackling. Indeed, he had inherited his mother’s dark gray scales, which made him look like a big rock.
For the other events, Roarloud called upon the skills of Brurn and Fierelmet in order to prepare Lilfire as well as possible. Brurn for bodybuilding and endurance, Fierelmet for combat techniques; himself would take care of the fire-spitting.
With such a demanding training and such demanding teachers, Lilfire did not see the time passing and one morning, without warning, the sun rose on the first day of the competition.

A colorful crowd crowded the drawbridge to enter the huge arena of the castle. Wooden bleachers stood all around, set up for the occasion.
Five large rocks were arranged in a circle in the center of the arena. Lilfire paid no heed to the cheers of the crowd and headed straight for them. Four other dragons did the same. Lilfire didn’t dare meet their eyes, he concentrated on his block and remembered his choreography. He had to keep his rock in the air for more than three minutes by performing as many tricks as possible to score points. A sound of the gong announced the start of the test. All the dragons took off at the same time, except Lilfire.
He climbed on his rock, dug his claws into the roughness of the rock and flapped his wings. Gradually he rose. During this time the other dragons had stung to recover their block helped by their momentum. Lilfire, meanwhile, continued to climb. When he was about six meters above the ground, he dropped his rock. He flew another ten meters and swooped down after the huge stone. He passed her, spun around and picked her up on her back. The shock took his breath away and nearly knocked him off balance. He hovered for a few moments then, mobilizing his last strength, did a loop. The boulder fell right back to where it started and Lilfire landed right behind it. Another sound of the gong announced the end of the first round.

A huge blackboard had been set up to record the scores. For each event, the first earned 50 points, the second 40 and so on. When Lilfire looked up at the painting, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Missia, a female mole who failed to lift her boulder, was last with 10 points. Feurlet, a dragon with electric blue scales, followed her with 20 points. Foudre, another dazzling golden female, was third with 30 points, while Veryfierce, a large pine green male, won the class with 50 points. Lilfire was therefore second and gained 40 points. Unbelievable !

For the rest, a section of the arena had been dismantled, so that it was now open to the forest. The camouflage test was simple: the dragons had one minute to blend into the landscape. The first to be seen lost. The five competitors lined up at the edge of the forest, and, at the sound of the gong, dashed between the trees.
Missia, who thanks to her dull dress had blended in with the earth, came second. Veryfierce, who had melted into the foliage of the trees, finished third. Lightning with his golden scales was the penultimate, ahead of Feurlet and his dazzling blue cuirass. Lilfire, transformed into a rock, won the test. He was now leading the competition with 90 points! He couldn’t believe it.
But his joy quickly waned. The last two trials to come were the ones he dreaded the most.

Thirty yards from the five dragons, targets were mounted on rails.
Feurlet passed first and hit seven out of ten targets. Veryfierce burned nine, Missia five. Lightning burned them all at once. It was Lilfire’s turn. The sound of the gong startled him. He inflated his chest to the maximum, felt his fire pocket fill up and spat as hard as he could. He didn’t hit any targets.
However, he didn’t have time to mope because he already had to prepare for the last test, the fight.

Lilfire was the second to pass. Three knights in armor were waiting for him on the sand. At the sound of the gong, the first, equipped with a flail and a shield, threw himself on him. Lilfire curled up on himself and leapt above his opponent, without the flail touching him. He landed right next to the second knight who was pointing a spiked spear at him. He mowed it down with a swipe of his paw, while sweeping the first one with his tail. Seeing his two teammates on the ground, the third, armed with two long swords, slowly backed away. He was trying to buy time to allow the others to get up. Lilfire didn’t let this fool her and instead of attacking her directly, he knocked out the other two once and for all. Alone with his two swords, the last knight rushed at Lilfire. As Fierelmet had taught him, he blew out a thick plume of smoke from his nostrils to blind his opponent before ripping his swords off with a sharp claw movement and putting him out of action.

The king stood upright on the dais as he addressed the crowd to close the competition.
“At the end of this historic sporting competition we have a happy winner! I would like to congratulate you all for the magnificent show you have given us. Without further ado, the name of the new guardian of my royal treasure: Veryfierce! Congratulations ! »
The crowd cheered cheerfully but the king resumed, silencing the cheers.
“However, my dear friends, he was not the only one to impress us! Another competitor stood out for his originality and above all for his vigor in combat. Thus, I decided to reward also the second of this competition. You see, my daughter, Princess Iloa, needs a valiant protector. So I designate Lilfire as Princess Iloa’s official bodyguard! Kudos to him! »
Lilfire choked at this announcement. Roarloud at his side gave him a strong slap on the back to congratulate him. Fierelmet and Brurn spat flames into the sky to proclaim their joy. The crowd cheered him and Veryfierce, and among all these people, Lilfire saw a large ruby ​​dragon. Burninflame looked at him and in his eyes shone a gleam of pride.

---

Nilsa has a more adult universe than mine with fantastic or science fiction stories often flirting with the strange and the disturbing. In addition to her story, she talks about her life with her deafness and shares very good cooking recipes. In short, I leave you the link of his blog so that you too can benefit from his many talents:

https://nilsasworld.blog/