A Wood Witch’s Wish

Griselda, the ancient wood witch, began to see the slight changes in Folksburywoods. She had listened to the birds, beetles, and butterflies. They spoke of a creeping death on the far side of the wood.

The Wee Folk complained of rumblings deep within the earth. They noticed the smell of pitch in the early morning before sunrise.

Even the twins Fern and Franny had sought her out to inform her of dark happenings throughout Folksburywoods.

The witch had no choice but to find Panoptes, the all-seeing one. She dreaded meeting him, for he always played word games, and Griselda preferred straight talk.

Griselda greeted the oracle with a bow and requested Panoptes’s help.

“What does a wood witch wish?” asked the worm.

“A simple thing, to know what darkness threatens my woods and nothing more,” said the witch.

Panoptes sat smiling at the witch, then turned and crawled away.

“Can you offer nothing oracle?” asked Griselda.

The worm turned its head and said, “Neuromancer,” and then faded away. The wood witch had heard of such horrors, beings that suck the life from all it touched.

“Best talk to the marsh wizard, Fern will know about this dark magic,” said Griselda. Turning to retrace her steps, the witch felt like a shaft of ice was penetrating her soul.

“This Neuromancer is near. It must be stopped, or the wood will die,” said the witch. She then carefully made her way out of the dark wood.