Richmond County

The Orphan and the Witch~(After The Grimm Brothers)

By Jessica Lewis

10th Grade

Atop a hill lay the foundation and workings of an orphanage. There, occupied twelve lost children. The residents soon knew there would be more to follow, as they had. And so, when that thirteenth lost soul made her way up from the unforgiving slums she returned to the entrance of the driveway. All hopes in finding shelter were now extinguished. Then the young one came upon a stranger—meager in size, but healthy in appearance.

The man was a Saint. He inquired about the girl’s status and she spoke the truth. He gestured with his arms and said, “I shall take you in—feed you and clothe you—my child. For my favors I’ll teach you the ways of the church.”

“Thank you, dearest saint of God—but I shall not take up boarder with you, for you press your issues upon another soul in hopes of redemption of your own.” And with that, the child turned away from him.

Farther down the road the girl met another man striding. This one however, was much older than the last, face nearly dragging the ground. He, however, was dressed very sharply. A wealthy business man no doubt. He declared, “Orphan filth! I see that it is a home you desire. I shall take you in…and give you all the joys of the world.”

“No,” she clamored. “I shall not take up residence with you! You will trick me with your deceptions, you deviate!” And with that she darted off into the woods. There she found an earthen woman—caught in her prime. The orphan asked, “Who are you?”

The woman replied, “A witch…of the arts.” The witch further examined the girl. “Shall I take you in?” And with that the girl accepted the witch’s proposal. “I will make you understand the ways of the art, and you may become famous.” There, with the earthen woman, she studied the force of art and its reputation. It took less than three months for her to take in all of art’s cultures.

And within four, she had become worldly known. The orphan girl would soon stray from her foster mother in pursuit of a career and life of her own. Before her departure, she told the earthen woman, “No matter where I go in this world, I will always thank you.” From then on she became contracted under many patrons. And every time she made sure to thank her former caretaker. Then one day she was hired by a saint she met long ago to paint an icon for his new church. She did so and was praised by the saint; all the while she forgot her duty to her mother. Oh surely, the orphan thought her only mother would forgive her.

Then she soon forgot and began work for her new client, the businessman. He praised her so with riches of gold and joys of the world that again she forgot to thank the earthen woman. That night, while the orphan artist slept, the earthen witch came to her. The witch appeared in her head and said, “You have broken your promise not once, but twice,” while pointing to a spectrum of colors. “Everyone has a color to define their soul—”

The girl interrupted, “Which color am I? A warm, a cool, a neutral?”

The witch pointed into thin air and the girl seemed puzzled. The witch answered, “One which does not exist. You are none.” Then the witch clinched her fist, causing the girl’s knees to buckle—she fell to the floor. At the dawn of the day the businessman found the girl pale and cold.