āAre you the witch who turned eleven princes into swans?ā
The old woman stared at the figure on the front step of her cottage and considered her options. It was the kind of question usually backed up by a mob with meaningful torches, and the kind of question she tried to avoid.
Coming from a single dusty, tired housewife, it shouldāve held no terrors.
āYou a cop?ā
The housewife twisted the hem of her apron. āNo,ā she muttered. āIām a swan.ā
A raven croaked somewhere in the woods. Wind whispered in the autumn leaves.
Then: āI think I can guess,ā the old woman said slowly. āHusband stole your swan skin and forced you to marry him?ā
A nod.
āAnd you canāt turn back into a swan until you find your skin again.ā
A nod.
āBut I reckon heās hidden it, or burned it, or keeps it locked up so you canāt touch it.ā
A tiny, miserable nod.
āAnd then you hear that old Granny Rothbart who lives out in the woods is really a batty old witch whose father taught her how to turn princes into swans,ā the old woman sighed. āAnd you think, āHey, stuff the old skin, I can just turn into a swan again this way.ā
āBut even if that was true ā which I havenāt said if it is or if it isnāt ā Iād say that I can only do it to make people miserable. Iām an awful person. I canāt do it out of the goodness of my heart. I have no goodness. I canāt use magic to make you feel better. I only wish I could.ā
Another pause. āIf I was a witch,ā she added.
The housewife chewed the inside of her cheek. Then she drew herself up and, for the first time, looked the old woman in the eyes.
āCan you do it to make my husband miserable?ā
The old woman considered her options. Then she pulled the wand out from the umbrella stand by the door. It was long, and silver, and a tiny glass swan with open wings stood perched on the tip.
āI can work with that,ā said the witch.
