The Witch Children

He walked at his usual slow pace down the lonely street shuffling his feet across the ground. He carried a brown bag filled with groceries in his arms and no one paid him any mind. Sometimes he wished they did, or at the very least, for someone to say hello. A friendly greeting, a warm smile, was that so much to ask of a stranger?

The trip to the store seemed longer each week and his legs weren’t as strong as they used to be. He stopped for a moment to rest. Looking out at the nearby park, he watched the children play. A memory of watching his own kids flashed in his mind and he wondered what they were doing now.

“Hello,” said a young girl breaking him from his memory. He looked down into her large brown eyes.

“Hello there, young lady,” he replied. There was something familiar about her. “You know, you bear a striking resemblance to my older sister, Patty. But that would just be silly. She died years ago.”

“That’s sad.” She smiled at him again before running off.

He smiled after her grateful that someone bothered to notice him at all, even if it was only for a moment.

He made his way home, the lock echoed down the empty hallway before he entered. Inside, he put away the groceries and then went to relax in his favorite chair. He kept a picture on the table next to his chair of him and his wife on their wedding day. She had the most beautiful smile and he did his best to make sure that smile would never leave her face, a promise that, for the most part, he kept. As he held the frame and reminisced, there was a knock at his door.

“Hold on,” he called as he heaved himself from the chair. Moving slowly, he shuffled over to open the door only to see the same young girl once more along with five other children. He smiled down at her. “Did you follow me home? I see you’ve brought some friends.”

“Hello,” she said. She and her friends stared at him.

“Is there something you need?”

All the children were silent and looked at him with empty eyes.

“Do you want to come with us?” she finally asked.

“Come with you where?”

She pulled on his arm signaling him to lean down before she whispered into his ear. “Someplace really special.”

He stood and looked at her. Intrigued, he walked outside. The children circled him and lead him down the street to their final destination.

They led him to an old house a few blocks away. He had always assumed this particular lot was abandoned. Everything was overgrown and unkempt. There were boards over the windows and the wood that made up the porch was warped and faded.

The gate squealed when they entered. He felt uneasy but allowed the children to lead him. He cautiously made his way up the steps that creaked as he ascended, as if lifting his legs that high weren’t trouble enough. Even though the entire place seemed creepy, he felt at ease with the children who were very patient with him throughout the entire journey unlike the other people in town who would either heavily sigh their impatience or worse yet, verbally express it.

They entered the house. It was dark inside, but the front hallway was very similar to his. He wondered if they had the same layout. The door closed behind them and they were greeted by a voice in the distance.

“Who’s there?” she called. “Have my children returned home?”

“Yes, Mother,” they answered in unison.

“And did you bring him?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Bring me?” he asked. “Bring me for what?”

She emerged from the darkness, a beautiful woman somewhere in her 40s. It was getting hard for him to tell these days. They all looked so much younger than when he was in that age range. Her hair was long down her back and deep black with a few silvery streaks. Her almond-shaped eyes were an icy blue and lifted upwards on the edges. The way she presented herself and the general expression on her face made him think of a 1950s starlet. She wore a dark, form-fitting silk dress that showed her figure, long and lean, and a dark blue shawl over her shoulders.

“Good afternoon, Robert.”

“Do you know me, miss…” he trailed off hoping she would fill in the blank.

“I have a proposal for you,” she said.

He was hesitant. “What kind of proposal?”

A smile spread slowly across her face. “To be young again.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“No more achy joints. No more slow movements. No more looks of pity from those younger than you. And you can do things all on your own again.”

He waited for a moment. “How much younger?”

The children left his side and walked over to surround her.

“A child?” he said in disbelief. “How old are they? Eight or nine?”

She draped one of her elegant arms over the child who reminded him of Patty. “You should know how old this one is.”

“Why should I know this one?” He studied the strange sort of smile on the child’s face. “She doesn’t seem to know me.”

“Part of the price,” the woman smiled. “This is your older sister, Patricia.”

He reached up and put his hands over his mouth in surprise. “That’s not possible.”

“Are you interested?”

“That’s… it’s just not possible.” He was silent for a moment. “How would that even work? Did you find the fountain of youth or something?”

“It’s just something that’s in my power to provide.”

The idea did intrigue him. “I’ve led a fine life. Seems unfair to take another.”

“You’re not interested in living another one?”

“There’s always some sort of catch in situations like this. What’s the cost?”

“Cost can always be negotiated.”

He hesitated.

She started laughing. “It’s strange. Everyone else here was more interested in the how not the cost.”

“I know my sister when I see her. I just didn’t believe such a thing was possible.”

The woman was silent letting him mull things over for a moment.

“No,” he said finally. “The cost is too high.”

“You don’t even know the price.”

“For something so amazing, it has to be pretty high. For something like this, there has to be some sort of evil force behind it.”

“All I want are your memories, your experiences thus far, and how they made you feel. Is that so high? Does that sound evil?”

“My experiences?”

“You give me those, and you get to live through a different life, as many as you choose as long as you leave your experiences with me before beginning again.”

He turned his head. “What do you want with my memories?”

Her lips curled up wickedly. “That’s none of your concern.”

“And if I refuse your offer?”

The smile quickly left her face. “I would be disappointed.”

“Disappointed and nothing else? You wouldn’t just kill me and take them?”

“My but you’re a curious one. Something obviously shaped by your experiences.” She thought for a moment. “If you really wanted a reason, I can give you one, but I must tell you that if I give you a full explanation, then you will give me your memories without question.”

“Do they sustain you? Do they keep you young? How would that even work?”

She chuckled. “So many questions. Does that mean we have an agreement?”

He looked at her, locked once again in contemplative silence. His eyes shifted to the ground then up to his sister. “I get the feeling that you’ll get my memories no matter what I say or do, and it seems you’re very interested in them, so the deal is this. I want both. I want answers, I want to be young again, I want to keep the memories of my sister, and I want her to have her memories of me back.”

“So many demands.”

“You're very interested. Seemed a shame not to demand more. ”

"A businessman." She turned away and began pacing. “Your sister already remembers you on some level. I’m sure those memories can be retrieved.” She stopped pacing and made her way to him. She looked him in the eye and then put out her hand. “It’s a deal then.”

He took her hand to shake it, but she grabbed it tight. He felt strange. He wanted to call out to get his explanations, but his voice refused to work. He was growing weaker, not stronger, and believed he may have made a mistake.

“No, you haven’t made a mistake, Robert. Yes, your memories and experiences do sustain me, but not in the way you think. It’s more like the way food sustains and nourishes you. The more enriched your life, the longer you can nourish me. I won’t die if I don’t get memories, at least not for a very long time. As far as I know, I’m immortal with a special gift.”

She seemed to grow taller as she squeezed his hand, but he knew it was he who was shrinking. His entire life flashed before his eyes, memories forgotten as quickly as they appeared in his mind.

“Enjoy your new life as one of my children.”

He blacked out.

“Bobby! Bobby, wake up.”

He heard a small voice calling out to him and opened his eyes.

“Bobby, wake up. It’s time to play.”

“Play?” He looked around. Whose voice was that? “What?” He looked at her face, her sweet, familiar face. “Patty?”

“Mother! Mother, he’s awake,” she went screaming out of the room.

He jumped out of bed. When did he get into a bed? Nothing hurt and he felt so energized. The only thing he remembered was his name and his sister.

The woman entered the room. “Glad to see you’re awake, Bobby. Would you like something to eat?”

He looked up at her smiling face feeling like he should know who she was, but he couldn’t quite place why. “Yes, I think so.”

“Call me mother.” She ran her fingers through his soft curls and stroked his plumped cheeks with her thumb. “I’ll take care of you now.”

He nodded. “Yes, Mother.”