The Enchanted Forest: The Wicked Witch

 The Wicked Witch had not always been wicked and naughty. Years ago she and her sister and brother grew up together on a wonderful little farm. She had loved the animals there. She had a cow with a baby calf and some ducks. She didn't even mind cleaning the barn. Her brother had a horse that he cared for and her sister took care of the dog and cat. They all lived happily together with their mother and father for forever or so she thought. 

One day a peddler came down the road. He stopped and asked for a drink of water. Water was very scarce in those days. The creeks was almost dry, so her mother had told him she didn't have any to spare. She was very sorry and told the peddler so."

The peddler became angry and thought, "I will show that old hag a thing or two. I am so much smarter than she is. I will tell her that I will trade her one of my rocks for a drink. I will tell her that it is magic and will make her rich, but in fact it will do nothing. She will have a worthless rock and I will have had a cool drink of water."

The witch's mother had thought and thought about trading away any of her precious water, but also knew that she and her family needed food to eat. The garden wasn't growing because they had no water, the cow wasn't giving milk because she had no grass to eat and the dogs and cats were becoming mean because they were hungry. "If I don't do something we will all be homeless, she thought. I will trade you a drink of my precious water if you promise that the rock will make me rich so I can feed my family." The peddler promised the woman and drank thirstily from the cup of water she had given him. He soon laughed and said, "I tricked you old woman. I am on my way and you have a worthless rock. What a silly woman!"

The lady was very angry. She had been tricked by a peddler. What would her husband say when she told him what she had done. She decided that she wouldn't tell him. She would try the same trick on someone else as soon as someone passed by.

It wasn't long before another traveler stopped by and asked the woman for a drink of water. She told the young man that she didn't have any to spare, but if he would give her something valuable she had a magic rock that she would trade with him. The woman didn't know that the peddler and this man were friends. The peddler had told his friend that she had given him water for a worthless rock so he should give it a try as well. They had a good laugh about the silly woman and then they each went on their way. This turn of events, however, made him think fast. He had to trick the woman out of water. What should he do? Finally he told the woman that he had a trained chicken that he would trade for a cup of cool water. He didn't want the rock. When the woman started to refuse he told the woman how smart the chicken was and that it would make her rich. Well the woman decided to once again part with her precious water for a chicken that could do tricks. She would be rich. As she shooed the chicken to the coop where the ducks were she heard the traveler laughing. "Aha! I tricked you just like the peddler did. Soon you will have no water only a worthless rock and a hen that is old and no longer lays eggs. Try feeding your family with a rock!"

The woman's daughter watched her mother trade away the little water that they had for a rock and an old stewing hen. She was very very angry at her. She said, "If I had my way I would leave this farm and live in the forest. I am tired of being tired. I am tired of being thirsty and hungry. I am tired of this old farm. She picked up her few belongings and walked deep into the forest and never looked back. She would start a new life and be so much happier. "Who needs them anyway?" she thought.

The daughter lived in the forest for years and years. She was getting old. Her dress was the same as she wore the day she moved to the forest. It had become black and dirty. Her hat had turned black as well. Her fingernails were long and dirty. She didn't care. She had no one to talk to. No one to laugh with. She had no one to love. She hadn't heard about her family. She didn't know if their farm animals survived, or if her brother and sister still lived. If they did she had no idea where. She no longer cared.

One day she heard two little girls talking as they walked through her forest. She didn't like people in her home. It belonged to her and the animals. But wait...What were they saying? A king? A princess? Farmer? Where? This must be little girl nonsense. No one lived in her forest but her. She would know if they did. King, princess. Silly notions of little girls.