After gaining my bearing , I decided based on what I remembered, that I may have said some unnecessary things or suggestions to Rullia the Witch .
But was removing my house truly necessary!!!!
Fuming , cold and uncertain I marched towards the village , once I pass the town gate I'll head over to that witch and give her a piece of my mind ...
But before I can reach the gate, a familiar face blocks my path .
" Good morning good Felix, how does the morning treat you?"
The speaker was a tall thin man, taller than I. He too was balding but his hairline was further back. Where I had brown eyes and dark brown hair, he had green, dark eyes and grey hair. Well, what was left behind. His hair was on the back and sides no top , I still have some hair on top thinning , though we could be mistaken for brothers - we are not .
" Ah morning Teal , as you can tell the day has treated me to a swim in the river and it was cold , ah yes my house is gone too !!
Now if you will excuse me , I must confront the culprit !"
I said so in a huff without waiting for a reply. I walked on through the gate ...
Arriving just outside the house of the one who I must speak with, I now stood out of breath and out of huff , hands on my knees feeling dizzy.
The world seemed as though it was fluid and not solid as it seemed to move in waves , then darkness ...
In the dark a voice called out .
"FELIX are you ok , can you hear me ? "
Darkness and stillness.
I wake up in a unfamiliar room , a sweet smell permeates the air , there is a wet cloth upon my head and I'm in some kind of bed , I try sit up feeling anxious but before I can rise a slender white hand with a green sleeve stops me and a sweet voice calls out .
"Wait "
The sudden touch and the voice stopped me dead. I wasn't sure why at first but it felt like it was okay to lie back down .
"Where am I?" I called out with a hushed voice.
" You're in my home, don't you remember ?
You came by and passed out a few metres from the door "
Replied the voice .
I turned to face where the sound came from , and who I saw was a smiling witch in green , the witch named Rullia Lavender.
" I apologise for the trouble of falling at your door , please accept my humble apology " I was quick to say .
I was at a crossroads, do I accuse the one who came to my aid or do I look for a new approach?
"So I assume you're looking for a place to stay, I happen to have a spare room if you're interested? "
It was in this moment that she said" that I was searching for a new place to stay " that I knew she was indeed the culprit behind it all , I was shocked , unsure if my expression gave me away or not but she just smiled and giggled and while tilting her head she asked .
" I am right, aren't I ? "
"Right , right you say , it was you ?
Wasn't it ? " I stammered.
She played coy and answered " What was me ? I have no idea what you are referring to , perhaps you hit your head ?
After all I've only nursed you while you slept after passing out at my door no less !"
I yelled " It was you who sent me flying then sent the river to check my house during the night , that storm was one of your spells it's all that makes sense "
Rullia was taken aback in fact she seemed hurt .
" I promise you were never in danger I just needed to make sure you would stay with me that's all , after all you did offer your help and well if we were say to stay together our friendship could grow and we can work better at , as you put it, improve the perceptions of those in Burr to be honest. I like the sound of the plan ."
Her words told me she was indeed the culprit behind it all however I find her reasoning a little outrageous though I did offer to help and being here will help me keep a better eye on what she is up to .
" If I were to say yes to your invitation, if that is indeed one, how would it work ? "
Her face went from one of anticipation to one of utter glee in a second !
.. Her face changes fast with her mood I thought , or perhaps I don't pay much attention to people's expressions, perhaps I stared too long. I quickly avert my gaze turning back to the roof as she began to explain excitedly.
" Yes it is a invitation for cohabitation and as to how it would work is we would live together and split the daily duties of the house and we'll get to know each other better, but we would also focus on finding a way to have the townsfolk accept my being here and perhaps allow me to help those who need it . "
" I see I suppose you would require a form of payment for your help as you put it ? "
" A form if thanks would be good yes I'd rather get goods in exchange. Food, plants, materials of various kinds. I hate money it's the greatest evil , it's the little evil middle man always screaming me me me ! He cares not of anything else only his end ."
She said this with a firm resolve then turns back to her smile and asked .
" Well what do you say, are you in ? "
" You do realise you left me with no choice? But sure I'm in "
After my reply she turned away and she calmly said in a soft voice .
"GOOD I look forward to it and may the future treat us well .
Oh this is your room.
For now you should get up.
You have been asleep all day and the whole night and your fever is down so you should be fine ."
She walked out smiling , closing the door and she said one last thing .
"It's nice to be the subject of someone's dreams ... you called my name. Just so you know it made me happy ..." Rullia said this while beaming and stepped out .
I was left shocked and abashed.
After a few minutes I got up and decided I needed to go out a bit to see if I could find any of my old things and clothes.
Some dry shoes would be nice , in my haste I did not notice that I had forgot about putting on shoes before leaving , but when I looked down at my feet after removing the cloth from my head and the blanket from my body and placed my feet down on floor to find them clean , I was shocked at first I checked the bed and the blanket but there was no dirt there either .
I wondered if she cleaned my feet ?
I guess I'll never know, I'm far too embarrassed to ask .
As I opened the door I was greeted with .
" Ah Felix you're up , are you heading out ? "
Sure as the sun rise there she was Rullia she was a sight to behold with her hair tied up and a red bow to hold it in place. She was wearing some kind of grey overcoat while standing before a cauldron with a fire at it's base. The overcoat was thick and looked like it was made out of tough material. It had a hood too which was down and an odd smell filled the air .
"What is it that you're doing, Rullia ? Should I be worried? " I asked cautiously.
"Well as to what I'm doing , it should be obvious? ..
I'm brewing a potion , one that heals the ill and one that boosts energy , although the energy booster is more of a tonic than a potion to be honest , it's just like I said I want to be helpful . "
Rullia said this with a smile and in parts it was sung more than said ..
Thus the cohabitation of man and witch began .
I left the witch's house of which I was a conscripted tenant.
I started walking to the left away from the way I came in the last two times and followed the river against its flow , it would seem the river led from my old home to my new one. After a few minutes of walking I arrived upon the grounds of my former home to find nothing ...
After standing doing nothing I returned to the witch's house of which I was now calling home to ..
It was about a week later , that I stepped into town with the witch at my side , this action caused a stir in town as we walked greeted everyone one we saw , we had a large bag with tonics and Rullia was handing out to those we met she said to each that she was a good witch and she only has one wish and that's to be accepted by the village and be allowed to help those who are ill and for the people to take a free tonic to boost their energy , I was bouncing off the walls halfway through to prove it was not poison I had drank many tonics .
That night nor the three nights after did I sleep on the 4th day however I spent the day and the night asleep .
It was 2 days since I'd slept as though I was dead for day and a night , as I was relaxing thinking of what to do today , a knock at the door drew my attention. standing perplexed there was a second round of knocking as I approached I was startled by a hand grabbing my shoulder which caused me to jump and yelp in a manly manner.
" Yeeeeep , what's that? Who's there? "
" It's just me ! You're so jumpy today hehe " Rullia said while laughing.
"Ah Felix are you ok I think I heard you ?." Called out a familiar voice.