Chapter 1: The Grandmas’ Home

I was laying on the grassy slope with Kaira, her eyes were shut, but her mouth didn’t stop. We could chat from morning to night and we still would have more to talk. I turned my head to look at her. The long and wavy black hair and the long eyelashes always caught my attention. Her pale skin that never got tanned like everyone around here and beautiful body always shook my heart.

She is very beautiful indeed!

“Do you have any big plans after the harvest festival?” While I was lost in her face she asked me.

“Big plans? Not really. I’m just learning with granny like always. Why?”

“Well…” She faltered “I have something big coming…”

The way she was speaking wasn’t to my liking. If it was something good, she would jump and smile like she always does with happy things. I hesitated for a moment trying to gauge what was on her mind.

“What is the something big..?”

“Promise me you won’t get mad and make a fuss!”

“Okay… I won’t”

She turned her head to look at me and our eyes met.

Oh, God of Light, she is gorgeous!

“You see, my parents decided that I’ll marry Angus after the harvest-“

Wait! Marry? Angus? She will marry the carpenter guy? What?

My brain was still processing what Kaira was saying, but she didn’t stop.

“-And because of that we’ll throw a party… I know you don’t get along with the guys, but I would love if you could participate and help me with everything… Please!” She said with hoping puppy eyes.

No! I hate that! I don’t want to help you with your marriage! Why your parents decide your marriage anyway? Can’t you just stay with me until we are old ladies?

A lump formed in my throat and my head was a whirling mess. However, her pleading eyes guided me to say the word I least wanted to say!

“Sure!”

My face was smiling, but behind the surface I was a mess. My best friend and the one I loved was getting further away from me… and from my unattainable dream of us becoming a couple, something unheard of in this village.

After the shocking reality hit me, I parted ways with Kaira. Walking along the packed-dirt path that led home my mind started playing all these years I spent with my beautiful friend. All the times we sneaked to eat in the jaboticaba trees, the times we dressed like grown-ups, the times we bathed together… that time we wondered how kisses felt and we kissed…

That was when I realized my feelings for her, but I guess it was one sided.

I sighed and kicked a rock on the ground. I didn’t know if I was angry or sad. Maybe I was both at the same time. The only thing I needed right now were my grandmas. Those grannies will cheer me up.

“Grandmas, I’m home!” I announced as I entered.

“Oh! Little one, you arrived early today.” I was greeted by a woman floating closer to the ceiling. She had a short and dark blonde hair tied in a ponytail. The woman had big and cheerful eyes that gave her a friendly demeanor. Also, she was shorter in stature which made her easy to tease by the others.

“Hey, grandma Erna, where are the others?”

“The As are sleeping and the rest went out with your grandma to take herbs to someone in the village. I’m looking for a cat that entered the house, but the poor thing is scared of me.” She placed her hand in her cheek and gave me a troubled look.

“Of course it is scared, cats are sensitive to spirits.”

“Boohoo! I just want to pet him since he entered the house. When will I have another chance?”

“Maybe if you offer food it’ll-”

“Look! There he is!” Erna pointed to a beam in the ceiling and sprinted?... Floated sprinted in the cat’s direction. Needless to say, the kitten hissed at her and started jumping and running.

Pfft! Hahahaha!

That gave me a good laugh. Erna was great at liven me up with her crazy antics. For some hundred years old wraith, her acting like an aloof older sister to me was always funny.

Suddenly, walking through the wall, a woman appeared. She was tall, taller than any person I’ve met and her dark black hair and eyes could scare anyone. However, she barely opened her eyes because she was always sleepy. I think something went wrong when she anchored her soul, but the other assure me she was always like this.

“What is all this noise?” The woman asked in a sluggish voice while rubbing her eyes.

“Oh! Grandma Anna. It’s just grandma Erna chasing a cat.”

“You are back already, Soso? Something happened?”

“Yeah… but don’t worry about me.”

I forced a smile and the sleepy Witch just patted my head in response. She patted my head and began to bend over. Slowly. Until she was sitting on the ground with her hand in my head. She was so tall that we were eye to eye level.

I knew that grandma Anna wanted to just lay down on the floor, so I said thanks and released her hand. She immediately dropped down to the floor, resting.

He! With this many people in the house cheering me up I can’t be sad! I’ll stop thinking about Kaira for now!

I took advantage of arriving early to start dinner. Grandma always arrived hungry after walking around the village. The disadvantage of being the village’s Witch is that more often than not you are highly sought-after and people took advantage of your skills.

Even though it’s a tough job I can’t wait to help with witchcraft work around here. Maybe by working I won’t have time to… No no no! Stop thinking about her!

I sighed while chopping the radish with my hands and potatoes with my shadow. This was a training I was being forced to do on a daily basis. The sound of the water boiling was interrupted by the door swinging open and voices coming from the entrance of the house.

“Someone is cooking already?”

“It can’t be Anna, that is for sure!”

“Or Erna, of course!”

I heard laughter coming the way to the kitchen and saw my three other grandmas entering the room.

On the left, slightly floating off the ground and laughing was grandma Miranda with her fiery red hair and perfect curves. She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I always gawked when looking at her. She was so gorgeous that, to this day, people in the village said “the most beautiful Witch to ever live was from Purpleforest” even though she died about 200 years ago.

In the middle, slowly walking due to old age, was my granny.

What was granny name again?

She was the one that adopted me after my parents died of a disease. She told me to call her granny, I guess I should ask her name at some point. White hair and old, she is the current Witch of the village. I love and respect her the most. She is also the only one in the house besides me that is not a spirit.

Walking on the right was Ilva with her odd and extremely long greenish hair. She had sharp teeth and her ghostly clothes resembled fur from wolves.

I bet when she didn’t float her hair was always dirty for being dragged on the dirt.

She was the youngest Witch of the Coven and my granny’s teacher. Many old people in Purpleforest still remember her. I love to hear stories about ‘the crazy Ilva that howled to the moon’!

The three of them made for a wacky trio. It’s a good thing that nobody can see them outside the house. Not that the ghost Witches show themselves to others in the house anyway.

With dinner ready we all sat around the big square table to eat. Although only granny and I were properly sitting… and the only ones that could eat. Because of that, even with six people around the table, there was not too much food served.

This table is so big a person can lie down here and there’ll still have space left over. Maybe someday I’ll try it hehehe.

Dinner time was always lively and, except for Anna, everyone had something to say. I don’t know how they still have something to talk about with each other even after centuries and decades together.

“Somara, dear, you are not eating much today. Are you feeling well?” Miranda asked me with a worried expression.

“I’m fine… Yeah… I think I’ll be fine.” I said, sadness in my voice.

Suddenly, Erna hugged me from behind making me drop the fork I was holding.

Ugh!

“Don’t be sad, little one! We are here for you!”

The others nodded and begin to say the same, showering me with words of encouragement. Only granny was looking at me seriously. She finished chewing her food and asked.

“Did anything grave happened?”

“Not really, granny. It’s just Kaira.” I looked down remembering our conversation early, “She’ll be marrying soon.”

“Oh! Isn’t it a good thing though?”

My grandma words pierced my heart. Of course, if your best friend is marrying you would be happy about it, not sad or angry. Yet I was a mess inside, I knew what that entailed for the hopeful future I never told anyone. The future together with the person I love.

“I guess so” was the only thing I could muster.

“You don’t understand a thing about a women’s heart, old crone!”

Appearing through the wall, the one missing from our gathering spoke. Astrid was her name and she was the founder of this Witch Coven. The oldest and wisest Witch among us. Her silver silk hair swaying while she floated made her look angelic and, even though she was a spirit, her scar going from the thumb to her right should drew my eyes every time. Also, despite the fact that she was at least 300 years old, it felt she was only in her early twenties, in contrast to the others that felt like in their thirties.

Still, she was the most respected among ourselves and when she spoke everyone fell silent. Grandma Astrid floated to my side and placed her cold ghost hand in my shoulder.

“It must hurt, Somara, I’m sorry for that. Life is full of disappointments.”

Although grandma Astrid was stoic, I knew she understood me in this regard. In her past, love was not in her favor either. I guess we are both cut from the same cloth. Her hands in my shoulder felt warm after her words to me.

“Thank you, grandma Astrid. I’ll be fine!” I smiled to her and turned to my granny, “Anyway, there is going to be a celebration after the harvest, Kaira will definitely invite us, so get something good to dress!”

Granny probably guessed what I was feeling, because she changed her tone to annoyance with the marriage.

“What a hassle, I’m not young anymore you know.”

I don’t want to go too, but I have to, so I will drag you together

“Tough luck! We are going, arms linked and everything!” I laughed and granny faked a gruntle while finishing the food on her plate.

I love all my grandmas!