Bewitched - Pt.2

Head Monk did not have any objections to Om and I going to Po Po's cottage for tea provided we return within the hour.  Om of course was delighted!  I was not keen to go but he kept on insisting that I should accompany him, so in the end I gave in and made him promise to leave in an hour as Head Monk had requested.

We arrived at Po Po's cottage a little after four.  She welcomed us with a big smile and led us to a table where she had laid some snacks and fruit juice.  She said the juice came from a wild berry she found in the jungle and was delicious.  Om took a sip and declared it was indeed very good.

Then Om started telling stories of his travels while Po Po listened in silence.  After a while, I noticed that his speech was becoming slurred and he kept rubbing his eyes as if to keep them open.

"Oh, I don't know why I feel so sleepy ...." he muttered and to my surprise, slumped onto the table and fell asleep.

"Don't worry," said Po Po, her eyes gleaming.  "He's alright, I put something in his juice, he has just gone into a deep sleep."  She turned to look at me and suddenly threw back her head and laughed - a wild hysterical laugh that made my skin crawl.

"Now, little cat, I have you to myself," she said in a hoarse, throaty voice.  I looked at her and saw to my horror that her face had taken on a green tinge, her eyes had begun to bulge and saliva dripped from her lips.  Soon her whole face had become distorted, her hair became long and matty and her mouth was an ugly red opening in her face.

Terrified, I tried to run but my legs wouldn't move.  She laughed again and said, "You won't be going anywhere, my dear.  I have cast a spell on the windows and door and they are all tightly locked."

"Who...who are you?  What do you want with me?"  I cried, trembling from head to foot.

"My dear, I am what the humans call a "witch".  I was so lucky to have met you and your friend yesterday. Yes, I was the old woman who gave you directions and I also created that heavy downpour so that I could lure you to my cottage. You see, in the day time I am able to take the form of a beautiful young girl but after 5 in the evening, I turn into this ... this loathsome form!  Oh, I hate being so ugly! Whenever I see all those pretty young girls in the village, my heart aches. So I searched my Magic Moogle and found that the only way for me to retain my young and beautiful form for eternity is to eat the hearts of cats - one hundred to be exact! Your heart, my dear, is what I want."

"What?"  I gasped.  She laughed again and then crossed over to the maroon curtain at the end of the room. With a quick tug, she pulled it aside and I was shocked and horrified to see at least a dozen heads of cats stuck in the wall!

"See this wall?  These are the cats whose hearts I have eaten so far!  I am lucky because there are so many cats in the village but I still need to eat more!  Hmmm, let me see - your little head will fit in nicely here, in this corner ..."

"Help!"  I screamed.  "Somebody help me!"

"Stop screaming, dear.  Nobody will hear you.  I assure you, when I eat your heart, it is quite a painless process.  You won't feel a thing.  But first I have to take my beauty sleep - cats' hearts always taste better after a nap.  Don't try to escape because you can't."  With that she settled down in her bed and went to sleep.

Somehow I managed to get my legs moving.  I tugged the window with all my strength but it wouldn't move. Neither would the heavy wooden door.  I was trapped and no one, not even Head Monk, knew where we were.  I tried to wake up Om but it was no use.  Just as I thought I was finished, I suddenly remembered my golden star.  With trembling hands, I took it out and sent signals to Lao Tze.  In a few moments, I heard his voice in my ear.

"Da, the only way to break the witch's spell is to pluck three hairs from her head and burn it in the fire, but be careful not to wake her.  When you have done that, Om will wake up, the window and door will fly open and you can escape.  You have to be quick because the whole cottage will explode into flames in a matter of minutes and the witch will be sent back to where she belongs.  Do it now!"

I looked at the horrifying figure snoring on the bed and summing up all my courage, I approached her.  She was lying with her face up, with some of her hair flowing over the bed.  Slowly, I reached out and gently pulled a strand of hair, then another and finally the third one, hardly daring to breathe.  Then running to the fire, I threw the three strands of hair into it - there was a popping sound, the window and door flew open as Lao Tze said they would and Om sat up, wide awake.

"Quick, let's get out of here," I shouted to Om.  He was still in a daze but followed me.  As we were about a hundred yards from the cottage, it exploded with a great boom, we heard a terrifying scream, then everything disappeared in a puff of smoke. There was not even a patch of burnt grass on the ground, it was as though the whole thing was an illusion.

"A Mi Tuo Fo!  What has happened?  Where is Po Po?" exclaimed Om.

"You wouldn't believe what I'm going to tell you.  Let's get back to the monastery, both Head Monk and Head Nun must be worried sick by now."

It was a most frightening experience and Om apologised profusely to me for endangering my life.  Head Nun had of course been frantic with worry when we didn't return on time.  After all the excitement had died down, Head Nun announced that she would like to return home, so we left early the next morning. On the way back, I did some deep thinking and pangs of remorse gnawed at my heart as I thought of the fear and anxiety I had caused Head Nun because of my various escapades.  By the time we reached home, my mind was made up.

As soon as dawn broke the next day, I packed my meagre possessions and quietly slipped out of the temple ..... I didn't know where I would be going but I knew I had to leave ...