Miraculously, Oliver's recovery did not take too long. Actually, it happened immediately after the day he met his saviour. He got up from the bed half sleepy and wandered into the kitchen in search of water. He did not notice anyone besides the sofa he was sleeping in, nor saw the surroundings due to the faint lights of dying fire not being able to light the room. His memories were foggy thus the man speculated of everything that happened previously was some bizarre dream. But a familiar figure brought Oliver back into reality. She stayed in the hall with only her silhouette visible due to the surrounding darkness. She waved to the awakened man and came closer, revealing totally new attire. The witch was no longer in her nightdress but one elegant piece, befitting the nobility. Oliver was taken aback by this sudden change of attire and so she spoke first.
"I see, your recovery is over, how did you sleep, Oliver?"
She tilted her head to the side and leaned towards the man, but did not get too close to him as if she still was on her guard. Oliver shook his head and rebutted her question, "I am not feeling bad, but what is the meaning of this? Do you want to tell me this was not just a dream?"
"Your eyes are surely not deceiving you, this is reality."
"Are we still in the arctic circle?"
The woman kept silent for a moment until a dull gust of wind swept outside the house and then she continued, "Bet you can rarely witness such winds in your homeland."
Oliver hesitated for a moment while the woman was staring at him with a soft smile on her face. He just noticed her pupils having an extraordinary colour, deep red, reminiscent of the devil. He made a step back and carefully asked, "What are you planning on doing with me?"
Instead of soothing his suspicions with some sweet words, the witch only deepened her smile and made one step forward, "I see, scared of me?"
"Do not come closer."
His demand was expectedly ignored, she tried to come closer yet again, but with every step made forward by her, the more steps Oliver made backwards. He was like a mouse trapped by a cunning cat and Oliver could do anything with the horror burning through his eyes. The cognitive dissonance of a tall and sturdy man like himself being pursued by a young gal made him avert his gaze to the back of the corridor and he ran! But then… the door to his room closed on its own.
"There is no point in running away from me, Oliver. I am able to catch a lion and a polar bear, the likes of you are a mere snack for my eternal gluttony!"
The man fell to his knees and outstretched his arms, "Please, no, I do not want to die!"
His back was pinned to the door and his eyes closed from whatever terror would be brought upon his hands, which he involuntarily was willing to sacrifice in order to prolong his life for just a painful while.
Finally, he felt a touch on his palm which made him bite the bullet in anticipation. But instead of agony, the man only felt some kind of warmth and moisture on his pointy finger. He opened one eye only to find the witch lightly biting on his finger. As soon as she noticed his gaze she bit a little harder and said, "Beware of the scary witch!"
"What the hell are you doing!?" surprised Oliver and shook the witch off his hand. She, though, burst into tears.
"How silly, did you really think that I will eat you?"
"This is not funny, goddamn it! Do you realize what kind of situation I am in? I lost my crew, wandered into the middle of fucking nowhere, nearly died of hypothermia and now you basically resurrect me from the dead!"
"But is not it wonderful? A lost human could only dream of finding a shelter in this middle of nowhere!"
Her careless attitude and ignorance about the situation made Oliver narrow his brows. He averted his gaze yet again, not out of fear but frustration, and walked past the woman which made her wonder, "And where do you think you are going?"
"I am going home, I do not have time to deal with crazy. Thank you for taking care of me."
"Oh, I see, but do you realize that you are not kept here under captivity?"
"...huh?" immediately after her words, Oliver found himself in a snow-white field, the screams of the storm intensified and he was able to feel its coolness with his whole body. He was lacking his cold-protective clothes and immediately felt the weakness piling up in his body. The witch, on the other hand, was peacefully staying beside him. The harsh environment and absolutely inappropriate clothes for it did not bother her at all. In the midst of misery, it even made Oliver feel a spark of envy.
"Seems like the weather outside is not good enough for the stroll?" sarcastically said the witch while showing her smug expression.
"Ok, I got it! Bring us back, please!" cried out the man but one blink was enough to change the environment completely. He found himself in the same corridor, freezing, but at least under a roof. One more time he took a look at the witch, who was visibly awaiting his attention. She tilted her head to the side and with a soft smile yet again, proclaimed.
"Alas, certain death is seeking for you outside my domain, but I will let you stay here as long as you would like."