When Witchy Comes to Town

What are some of the ways you celebrate Halloween? From decorating to dressing in costumes, Halloween is a holiday rich in tradition and history, dating back thousands of years. And for the residents of one small town, Halloween means they’re about to be paid several visits by one of their most mysterious citizens: a witch who lives in a little stone cottage and brings the spirit of Halloween with her each time she comes to town.

your best halloween ever, when witchy comes to town, original fiction, halloween short story


We always know Halloween is on its way when Witchy comes to town.

Of course, it’s widely accepted that most small towns and villages have a witch or two, but don’t believe the rumors you may hear about them. I’m sure there’s been a few bad ones over time, but Witchy is jovial and kind. She’s an old woman with short, graying hair who lives at the edge of the woods in a stone cottage, and mostly keeps to herself. Our town grocer even makes a weekly trip to deliver her food, bringing back her trinkets to sell in his shop. For most of the year, we hear very little from our local witch.

But when Witchy comes to town, it’s nothing short of magical.

It starts when the first leaf changes colors. Some trees turn a bright yellow, others a deep red. The days are still warm, but the nights start to cool and if you listen very carefully, you can hear her singing in the wind as she tends to her garden of pumpkins.

“Dance with me, let’s spin and sing!

‘Tis nigh on the hour of Halloween!

When the leaves doth change, and the days condense,

Magic builds in the air, and my power hence!

So I say with glee to those most dear:

Happy Halloween to all – the time grows near!”

She makes her first trip into town on the first of October when the sun is at its highest point, the squeaking wheels of her horse-drawn cart announcing her arrival. The children playing in the streets gather to welcome her as she rounds the corner into the square, a toothy grin on her weathered face.

“Hello again, my darlings!” she calls, lifting the wide brim of her black pointed hat to greet the children. They rush to her, knowing she’s brought them gifts to take home.

“For you, a paper bat, my dear,” Witchy says, handing out a handmade decoration, “and for you a pumpkin pail! A hanging ghost for you, young one, and for you all, a spooky tale!”

After the last of the decorations has been handed out, the children gather round and she tells them stories of Halloween. She shares chronicles from the woods and tales of the spirits, bringing them to life with her magic, until the shadows grow long and she must begin her journey home. She packs her cart and departs the square, waving goodbye as she goes.

“I’ll be back in two weeks’ time, when the leaves all start to fall,” she calls. “And I’ll have with me in my cart, dress up costumes for you all!”

***

True to her word, Witchy returns in two weeks. The days are shorter, and the air more brisk. It’s a windy, gray day when the squeak of her cart can again be heard. The children of the town throw on their jackets and run to the square to await her arrival, and as she turns the corner, they welcome her with a cheer.

“Hello again, my little ones!” she calls to the excited children. “It’s lovely to see you all! I hope my decor hath brought you joy, as the days give way to fall!”

She jumps down from her cart, her bangles clanging as she lands; her black dress is covered in crescents and stars that shimmer, even on this dreary day. She reaches up and pulls down an old trunk that hits the ground with a bang.

The children look over one another, eager to see what Witchy has for them today. She flings open the trunk and starts passing around carefully wrapped parcels.

“For you a sweeping cape, my darling,” she says excitedly. “Oh! You look divine! For you a black cat mask, young one, and for you a hat like mine!”

Witchy continues handing out costumes and as she does, the children happily put them on. Before too long, the last of the parcels has been handed out and she is surrounded by a group of little goblins and ghouls, all excitedly playing in the costumes she’s given them.

“Now take these home, and do take care,” she says. “I know they bring delight! But carefully these costumes wear so they last ‘til Halloween night!”

With that, she gives each child a hug and sends them on their way home. She carefully puts the trunk back in her cart and as quickly as she’d come to town, Witchy is on her way back to her cottage.

***

The next week Witchy comes to town again, though this time overnight and with only about a week until Halloween. As the sun goes down, she loads her cart full with the pumpkins from her garden, and once the town has gone to sleep, sets out on her mission.

Witchy quietly rides through the town, wrapped in her orange cloak adorned with bats, owls, and cats. She hums to herself cheerily as she goes, leaving a pumpkin at each door with a note that reads:

“Here’s a pumpkin, orange and stout,

and all your very own.

But now a task to you I hand,

imperative you don’t postpone.

For soon the moon glows in the darkest of night,

and walks a spirit horde.

And only the light of this jack o’lantern,

off the monsters will ward.

So carve a face and light a candle,

to carefully place inside.

And leave it lit the whole night through,

‘til the sun outside doth rise!”

Witchy continues on her nocturnal errand until the last of her pumpkins have been delivered to the homes in the town, and when she’s finished, she quietly heads back to her cottage, singing to herself along with the gentle clip clop of her horse’s hooves as she goes.

***

Witchy makes her final trip to town for the year on the morning of Halloween, loading up her cart with treats for all. And by the time the children of the town wake up, she has completely transformed the square into a Halloween wonderland with decorations and games for everyone to enjoy.

In the late afternoon, once they have finished their schooling for the day, the children dress up in their costumes and head to the square with their parents and carved jack o’lanterns in tow. They spend hours playing games and sharing the treats Witchy has brought.

“For you, a candied apple, dear,” she grins, “and you a pumpkin pie. For you a bag of sugar treats, better than money can buy!”

The sun starts to set and the townsfolk light the candles in their jack o’lanterns, bathing the square in an orange glow. They light a bonfire in the middle, and a few of the adults play music from fiddles and pipes. Witchy joyfully leads them in a dance, her pointed shoes clanking on the stones in the square.

One by one, the children start to grow tired, and their parents take them home. Before long, there are only a few of the adults left from the town helping Witchy carefully pack the decorations away in her cart.

As the town settles down to sleep, with jack o’lanterns still lighting their windows, Witchy drives her cart back to her cottage, singing to herself in the moonlight.

“Dance with me, let’s spin and sing!

‘Tis still the hour of Halloween!

Lo, as belov’d October wanes,

The magic of this night yet reigns!

So I say once more, to those most dear:

Happy Halloween to all – I’ll see you next year!”

-end-

🎃

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