Hello
She often wondered if she had sacrificed her sense of humor to gain power. Creep assured her that no, her sense of humor was not the asked price. When she requested clarification as to what exactly the price was, he only stared at her with his dewdrop black eyes and said nothing.
The conversations usually went like this.
"Hello. What's your name?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"We've been through this already. You has it right the first time."
"I don't understand?"
"Hello."
"Well you don't have to be so rude about it!"
It was Creep's fault, in a way. There had been a time when she could have had the conversation go much more smoothly, a simple answer to the question that people could understand easily, and talking could move on from there. She had known the life of a witch was going to be somewhat solitary by necessity, but she had thought it would be because of the witchyness.
It had been an especially dark night when Creep first came to her. Even on nights with no moon, there's plenty of light to be had; stars, lanterns, if one were lucky enough to live near a city, the light from that bounced off of clouds for miles. But that night...
She had awoken suddenly from a dream she couldn't remember, and wondered if she had gone blind. She rubbed hard at her eyes, searching for an injury or some sign they were malfunctioning, but at the pressure, little yellow and blue spots appeared and faded. That was normal. So it wasn't her eyes.
Something that wasn't a voice spoke, with something that wasn't a mouth. It was more a feeling, a general memory that someone had spoken to her. She didn't understand the words. Nana had said that manners would be the most useful life skill she could ever get, and it had worked enough times that she still trusted Nana's advice on the matter.
"Hello," she said aloud to the general darkness, hoping the person--or whatever--would know she was speaking to it. "Do you--do you speak Common?"
She was old that yes, that language was an option. There was a certain amount of amusement when it followed up with a comment that her name was weird.
"It's not weird. I haven't told you my name. It's--" but she choked. She tried again, but what had been her old name stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
The voice advised her not to try too hard. She wouldn't be any good to anyone if she hurt herself trying to tell a lie.
"But I'm not lying!"
I asked you to name yourself, the voice said calmly. You said Hello.
Nana had also said that the witch thing would take her when she was least expecting it. Since she had been looking for it her every waking moment, the last few months had been a depressing thing, knowing that the more she looked for it, the less likely it would be to show. She hadn't thought that "every waking minute" would mean that it would come while she was asleep.
"My name is Hello?" she asked. It sounded correct, and didn't have any trouble coming out of her. The voice approved.
"What do I call you, then?" she said. Nana had always taught her that it was rude to ask directly what people's names were. The voice had been rude, in that regard, but the exact phrasing just let it squeak by, even if it had been in a language she hadn't understood.
The voice told her that she could call it whatever she liked.
"You're kind of a creep," she said, suddenly uncomfortable. Men talked like that in the tavern when they'd had enough drinks to not care about the witch's apprentice. Usually something along the lines of "Honey, I'll be whatever you want me to be."
Creep. I like it, the voice said, approving. Open your hands.
Hello, as she now had to think of herself, did as she was told. She sat up straighter against the tree that had been her shelter from the dew, and presented her hands, palms up. Something with tiny clawed hands and sleek fur slithered into them, warm and silky. She recognized the shape as a rat, and it took a monumental effort not to immediately drop the thing. She had no problem with rats as a whole, but it was always a shock to find one where no rat was expected.
I am Creep. I serve Hello. We are one.
She opened her eyes.
It was still dark, but an ordinary dark, just nighttime in the woods. Her back was stiff from leaning against the tree since sundown, her fire gone out in the evening dampness. Curled in her lap, snuggled against her leg for warmth, a large black rat, almost the size of a kitten. It looked up at her when it felt her shift, rearranged itself, and went back to sleep.
Not a dream then, she thought. I'm a witch now, and my name is Hello.
Well. At least she had an explanation as to why Nana was short for "Nobody."
The conversations usually went like this.
"Hello. What's your name?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"We've been through this already. You has it right the first time."
"I don't understand?"
"Hello."
"Well you don't have to be so rude about it!"
It was Creep's fault, in a way. There had been a time when she could have had the conversation go much more smoothly, a simple answer to the question that people could understand easily, and talking could move on from there. She had known the life of a witch was going to be somewhat solitary by necessity, but she had thought it would be because of the witchyness.
It had been an especially dark night when Creep first came to her. Even on nights with no moon, there's plenty of light to be had; stars, lanterns, if one were lucky enough to live near a city, the light from that bounced off of clouds for miles. But that night...
She had awoken suddenly from a dream she couldn't remember, and wondered if she had gone blind. She rubbed hard at her eyes, searching for an injury or some sign they were malfunctioning, but at the pressure, little yellow and blue spots appeared and faded. That was normal. So it wasn't her eyes.
Something that wasn't a voice spoke, with something that wasn't a mouth. It was more a feeling, a general memory that someone had spoken to her. She didn't understand the words. Nana had said that manners would be the most useful life skill she could ever get, and it had worked enough times that she still trusted Nana's advice on the matter.
"Hello," she said aloud to the general darkness, hoping the person--or whatever--would know she was speaking to it. "Do you--do you speak Common?"
She was old that yes, that language was an option. There was a certain amount of amusement when it followed up with a comment that her name was weird.
"It's not weird. I haven't told you my name. It's--" but she choked. She tried again, but what had been her old name stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
The voice advised her not to try too hard. She wouldn't be any good to anyone if she hurt herself trying to tell a lie.
"But I'm not lying!"
I asked you to name yourself, the voice said calmly. You said Hello.
Nana had also said that the witch thing would take her when she was least expecting it. Since she had been looking for it her every waking moment, the last few months had been a depressing thing, knowing that the more she looked for it, the less likely it would be to show. She hadn't thought that "every waking minute" would mean that it would come while she was asleep.
"My name is Hello?" she asked. It sounded correct, and didn't have any trouble coming out of her. The voice approved.
"What do I call you, then?" she said. Nana had always taught her that it was rude to ask directly what people's names were. The voice had been rude, in that regard, but the exact phrasing just let it squeak by, even if it had been in a language she hadn't understood.
The voice told her that she could call it whatever she liked.
"You're kind of a creep," she said, suddenly uncomfortable. Men talked like that in the tavern when they'd had enough drinks to not care about the witch's apprentice. Usually something along the lines of "Honey, I'll be whatever you want me to be."
Creep. I like it, the voice said, approving. Open your hands.
Hello, as she now had to think of herself, did as she was told. She sat up straighter against the tree that had been her shelter from the dew, and presented her hands, palms up. Something with tiny clawed hands and sleek fur slithered into them, warm and silky. She recognized the shape as a rat, and it took a monumental effort not to immediately drop the thing. She had no problem with rats as a whole, but it was always a shock to find one where no rat was expected.
I am Creep. I serve Hello. We are one.
She opened her eyes.
It was still dark, but an ordinary dark, just nighttime in the woods. Her back was stiff from leaning against the tree since sundown, her fire gone out in the evening dampness. Curled in her lap, snuggled against her leg for warmth, a large black rat, almost the size of a kitten. It looked up at her when it felt her shift, rearranged itself, and went back to sleep.
Not a dream then, she thought. I'm a witch now, and my name is Hello.
Well. At least she had an explanation as to why Nana was short for "Nobody."