text: TW: This story contains mental health issues, physical violence, and gore. The sights and sounds that decorated the dark skies made me sigh in contentment. I breathed in deeply and moaned at the smell of freshly wet soil. A gust of wind blew past, and I shivered but did not draw my jacket closer. Instead, I removed it and my beanie and tossed them onto the bench as I passed it. For several seconds, I watched as people walked by. Most had umbrellas, but those that did not used whatever they could to protect their heads. Shielded and exposed alike stared at me like I was some weirdo for enjoying such weather. Truly, though? I didn’t care. So long had I been stuck inside that prison of a house that I yearned for some time in the open air. The kind of weather didn’t matter to me, so regardless of what happened, today was sure to be the best day I’d had in a long time. I saw a flash from the corner of my eye and turned to face that direction just in time to see a lightning bolt hit the ground. My instant next thought was to rush there to see what the ground looked like where it had hit. After all, it didn’t seem far away, and how many people could say that they got the chance to see such a thing? As I approached the town gate, people tried to get my attention. Whatever for, I neither knew nor cared. All that mattered was getting to where the lightning hit. Not far outside of the gates, I paused to admire the flowers. The wind whipped them back and forth, and I gasped as I knelt, worried they might break from the extreme force. But as I felt around beneath them and up and down their stem, I realized it was a foolish notion. There was little chance they would succumb to the wind’s violence. I stroked the side of one with my hands to wipe all the dew from it. Its absence made me appreciate how deeply the wetness enhanced the beauty. A sound from the small moat that surrounded the town drew my attention, and I peeked over the bushes to see a strange-looking fish jump out of the water and fall back in. It swam to the shore, and I swore it placed itself partially onto the ground to spit something out of its mouth. As I stood, it fled back into whatever hidey-hole it came out of. I walked through the bushes without caring that the thorns tugged at my leggings. Thankfully, I’d chosen to wear thicker stuff, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. When I got there, I saw a small seashell on the ground, and I had to wonder how the fish had held such a thing in its mouth. It was at least three times the size of the mouth of the biggest fish I’d ever seen. My hand touched something chilly as I knelt, and I glanced down to see a shiny new fork. Who tossed aside a perfectly good piece of cutlery like that? I chuckled and used it to brush my hair as I’d read that princesses did. An image of a muscled fish with hands and feet came to mind, with the seashell in front of it like a shield while its other hand brandished the fork like a pike. The thought made me giggle, and it so made me wish that magic existed. Sadly, it didn’t. And even if it did, such a drastic change wouldn’t be worth the cost. For some reason, I gingerly picked up the two items and placed them in my pocket. It made me eager to complete my current task so I could return to my friend and tell her about my adventures with the Fish folk. As I stood, my gaze landed on the torches that marked the entrance to the village and how they flickered and steamed. I’d helped prepare the heavily oiled rags for today, so I was confident they wouldn’t sputter out. But based on how soaked and cold I was for only a few minutes outside the barrier, I was beginning to doubt their longevity, even with the thorough job I’d done. So, I watched them for several minutes to ensure their functionality. When they continued to burn bright, I was more than satisfied the oil would win and turned my attention away from the fire before it consumed me. Though it pained me to do so, I knew If I continued to stare at it much longer, I’d miss out on whatever secrets the lightning-struck tree held. It was so easy for me to get lost in the movements of the flames, and oh! The sound of the fire as it crackled never ceased to calm me, especially when I was nice and toasty warm inside with this gorgeous weather outside. Though one time, many years ago, I got so lost in the beauty of a campfire that I almost fell into it. My friend had luckily been there to pull me back. Out of nowhere, the wind blew and blew and blew for nearly thirty seconds straight. It was so strong that I had to shield my eyes to protect them. When I opened them, one of the torches had been snuffed. Well, then. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. My heart pounded as I worried about what had happened. Or worse yet, what was to come. I didn’t want my thoughts to turn to the what-ifs, so I again began to head toward the distant tree. With each step I took, my boots sank inches into the ground, and pulling them up took a lot of effort. It made me thankful I’d listened to my gut instinct and chose not to wear running shoes. I began to giggle with each step I took, making the squelch sound as different as possible per step. Finally, at the tree line, I realized I couldn’t hear any frogs, crickets, or other creatures that liked this weather. The realization of it sent a shiver down my spine. Usually, the only time nature was this quiet was when something drastic had happened to the habitat. It was known as ‘the calm before the storm’. My eyes picked up on smoke just as its foul stench hit my nose. As I was trying to get the taste of it out of my mouth, a wolf rushed out of the woods straight at me. It seemed more scared of whatever was in the forest than it was of me, but it was definitely still afraid of me due to its last-second evasion. Behind the wolf came several more, along with deer, birds, squirrels, and other forest denizens. Several creatures I saw were wounded, which made me question whether I should go further. My feet began to move unbidden, and after several steps, right at the threshold of the forest, I felt something strange. It was as if the air tightened around me and then exploded with pressure. Once the feeling passed, I gasped and nearly dropped the items that were now in my hands. The two items I picked up earlier and daydreamt about were now reality. A huge, well, normal-sized shield of the same pattern as the small seashell the fish had spat up. And the random fork beside it was now taller than my head and made of sturdy steel. I was still so shocked by the magic of the situation that I jumped when I felt something brush against my leg. When I glanced down, I sighed in relief when I saw it was just one of the wolves. It looked at me and then at the forest before it whimpered. If I didn’t know any better, it was almost as if it wanted me to save it. Them. But what could I possibly do? I was nothing in the village, with no real talent except my wild imagination. How would the magicked items help me when I didn’t even know how to use them? Or how to wield them against a fire? Unless...There was a foe within who was the cause of all this that I was meant to slay? My heart skipped a beat at the chance to be a hero. After I took a few deep breaths, I entered the forest. Several minutes later, I could feel the heat on my skin and hear the much louder and scarier sound of the fire. Right now, it was more deadly than beautiful but still just as majestic. I couldn’t help but marvel at it when I finally saw it come into sight. From nearby, I heard the pound of hooves, the rustling of leaves, and the snaps of twigs as the slowest of the animals finally made their way to safety. Once they were gone, the only thing I could hear aside from the fire was that of a woman as she screamed for help. Without hesitation, I lifted the shield before me and rushed a hundred feet to and through the wall of flames. Almost fifteen seconds passed before I made it out of the flames. Hindsight told me that had been a stupid choice because only my front had been protected, and not very well. How had the fire barely damaged me? Was it some side effect of the weapon or shield? Why did I even entertain such notions when I knew magic didn’t exist? Quickly, my eyes scanned the forest for the source of the screams. The epicenter of the fire had to be here somewhere. Wait. Epicenter? What? Fire exploded outward from its source. This clearing should also have been filled with flames. Instead, it was as if it were untouched, except by a single thin row that led to a tree that seemed like it would fall into ashes at any time. At first, I saw nothing around the tree, but then I noticed a slight movement. There was definitely someone there. As I approached the tree, I almost retched at the smell. Not of burnt flesh or wood, but that of fetid meat. I walked around and sniffed the air every couple of feet. Eventually, I discovered the smell came from the thin line of flames. It burnt bright and strong, using what had to be blood as fuel. But the real question was: what kind of blood could cause that reaction? A memory came to me then of a story I once read of a Hag named Lehte, who was very skilled in magic but loved to play corrupt-a-wish. Whatever you asked for, she would twist it to ensure she got the most benefit. Her blood had smelled of poisonous, rotting meat as well. It was unlikely this person was her, but even if it wasn’t, surely there were no Hags who used their magic for good. That’s why they were referred to in such a demeaning fashion. As much as I wanted to turn around and let the flames have this woman, I knew she was why I was here. Everything about today had led me here. All of it had to have a reason. A purpose. Perhaps this storm, unlike any they’d experienced before, resulted from this woman’s wounds? Maybe she’d even caused it, and this was all an act to lure people in? When the woman’s gaze fell upon me, I shivered. The woman pleaded and made the usual desperate offer people gave. One that offered anything in exchange for what they wanted. Whoever it was must have thought I would be as easy prey as anyone else. But because I had the advantage of seeing through the Hag’s disguise down to the monster within, she couldn’t trick me. After several moments of silence, the woman’s eyes widened, and when she straightened, her demeanor was no longer that of a helpless damsel but that of a predator as it stalked its prey. Again, the Hag offered a boon in exchange for aid. This time, it wasn’t to save her life but to get enough power to face down someone named Vat, who had taken most of her powers. The Hag needed the old magic of the forest to come anywhere close to surviving the encounter. Several seconds of silence passed, and the Hag looked down at my hands. Her eyes glimmered with desire, and she clearly wished to change the bargain. I knew what the Hag wanted, and she wasn’t about to get it. Before she could speak, I used the shield to hit her in the face. The action stunned her, but she quickly recovered. Unfortunately for her, not quickly enough. By the time she was preparing to retaliate, my weapon had already been rammed into her gut. She lashed out with her little power in feeble attempts to push me away, but I held firm. Shouts could be heard from all around me, which I found strange because I was alone in the forest, aside from the Hag. Why did my arm continue to move? It was still, but it felt as if it moved back and forth, and strangely, each time it moved forward, it was as if it pierced flesh again. The shouts grew louder, but I pushed them down even harder as I twisted the weapon in the Hag’s chest. When life left the Hag’s eyes, I flew backward. Oh? Had I been granted the gift of flight in exchange for saving all those people and animals? From saving the forest? It took several blinks of my eyes to realize what happened. I felt someone touch my arms, and I was so shocked at what I saw that I allowed them to do so, which resulted in cuffs being placed on me. All I could see just then was my worst enemy, stabbed over thirty times in the chest with a fork. Beside her on the ground lay a trash barrel lid. A smile crossed my lips, and I spoke. “Checkmate, Jenny. Now, you can never hurt anyone ever again.”