She walked over to where the root had fallen and placed it back into the basket. The basket was already full, and so the root bounced out and onto the ground once more. Leanne sighed and tossed the root into the small basket. “Can the humans not do the same?” Invidia snapped. They do not force us to do so, they do not keep us in cages, and they do not treat us the way our full-sized sisters are treated. “We love to garden, and the humans create enough need for us to garden aplenty. When she spoke, Invidia had to tilt her head up to look her in the eyes. Leanne was taller than Invidia- as tall as a spoon was long. Invidia’s longtime friend and frequent gardening partner, Leanne, picked up the root from where it landed at her feet. She ripped the last adventitious root from the base of an orange tree and tossed it away. “Why do they refuse to listen?” Invidia fumed. Invidia implored her other sisters to demand retribution from the townsfolk, or at the very least, to abandon the gardens in the village and begin their own garden somewhere else- somewhere they would not be taken advantage of. She despised the lazy, ungrateful townsfolk who took and took from the gardens and never once gave anything back. Months passed and still Invidia could not adjust. They believed Invida had grown spoiled by the humans’ gifts, and she need only adjust to the lifestyle they now led. Invidia voiced her concerns with respect, but they paid her no mind. The three had been leaders since the beginning, and organized the witches’ efforts in the gardens. Invidia requested an audience with the high witches: Alizon, Elizabeth, and Demdike. Had the witches not provided for them the fruit of their salvation? Should the witches not garner even an ounce of respect from the creatures who would have starved without them? Invidia felt betrayed and belittled by the humans around her. All were content, except for Invidia, the smallest of them all. As long as they could tend to, and receive resources from the gardens, they need not want for anything else. The witches were content to exist in this way. Soon the human’s gifts to the witches stopped coming altogether, but the gardens continued to be taken care of. The witches realized they would no longer be ogled by the townspeople, and so they allowed themselves to be seen more and more.įor the townspeople, witnessing a witch stroll along the top of a fence post became synonymous with watching a stray cat do the same. Children still searched for the witches, but not as often. Gifts were still left, but less frequently. It was a lucky child indeed who saw the barest flash of small dark eyes, for no matter how the children searched, the witches would never allow themselves to be seen for longer.Īfter a few decades had passed, the novelty of having tiny witches tend to their gardens wore off. So naturally, the children made a game of looking behind every plant and rock in the gardens in an attempt to locate them. Most witches preferred to stay hidden whilst the humans were present. Spools of thread, cuts of cloth, and plates of pastries were the most highly coveted amongst the witches.
The townspeople would leave small gifts behind in return for the witches’ kindness.
They grew plants, banished weeds, and protected the animals who also sought shelter there. The witches took shelter within bird nests, or rabbit dens, or potting sheds. Thinking their salvation to be in these tiny witches, the townspeople allowed them to live in their gardens. Indeed, they would use their magicks to summon life from the rocky soil, where before the townspeople could only coax the smallest sprout of green. These witches were more docile than their full-sized sisters- more focused on their affinity to nature than their soul’s craving for the dark arts. The shortest was the length of a pinkie finger and could wear a ring as a crown. The tallest amongst these witches could pass beneath a chair whilst barely grazing the hairs upon her head. But little know of the town at the base of a nondescript mountain, wherein witches got along quite well with humans. Many know of the witches who cast dark spells and perform wicked deeds, and were thusly dunked and set aflame.
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