This is a
Halloween Story Contest 2023
entry. I hope you enjoy the read and please add a vote. All characters in this story are adults.
I love autumn. It is a witch's best time, and before you ask, NO, it's not because I mount a broom and fly around in the skies in the October nights! No, I love fall because it is the season of the harvest, and I have long found solace and relaxation in the harvest. I keep a close hand on all things nature.
My long, straight red hair has always drawn the eye of men and women alike, as does my curvy body. I like having my womanly curves, my breasts with their nipples stiff and pink, and the little thatch of curly hair between my legs protecting my loins. I like the swell of my buttocks and the graceful arc of the muscles in my leg. I should be curvy and shapely - I walk nearly twenty thousand steps a day, every day! I know this because I have an Apple Watch, which really - a witch does not need - but really, what a convenience!
My home is in a rural area. I have slowly amassed about forty acres of land that is centered on a small, freshwater pond where I have built my home. Behind my home the land slopes upward a little, not much, but a little, and there is where I have planted an enormous garden. I grow vegetables, quite a lot actually, more than enough to keep me fed throughout winter. I have onions and carrots, broccoli and lettuce, potatoes and corn, and beans and peas. The other half of the garden is devoted to my herbs I grow for cooking, and the flowers I require for my charms.
I love my home. I love my life. It's quiet and serene, and I study often and think always. I walk to make sure that the plants and mosses and ferns that I also need for my charms - that grow naturally in the forest surrounding my home - have their routine inspections and so that I can sing to them. My voice is admittedly not the best, but it's soft and high pitched and over the years I have gotten better at hitting the right tones.
But I am lonely, and it's been weighing heavily on me of late.
Today I have gathered up a great deal of my herbs and packaged them in the manner that I do. There is a large country fair that is in the town nearest my remote home, and one of the ways that I generate income is by selling my wares. I am actually quite successful at this through my online store!
I am a modern witch.
But I am still lonely.
With my small, economical but spacious car loaded, and wearing my normal attire of a long flowing skirt, a loose-fitting button down top and a bandana pulling my hair back, I am quite aware that I look like a hippie. I have gone to these fairs wearing a tiara made of flowers, but did not feel like putting up with the inevitable side-eye today. I might become irate and send a mild curse towards the person looking askance at me. Perhaps they might get a painful ingrown toenail.
The drive did not take long, and I pulled in and handed over the cash for my space, and then followed the directions to my booth. I got out and set up my ten by ten pop up tent, an act I have done many times. I set up my tables in the usual U-shape and carefully set out the goods I had for sale, organized on my racks. Last, I got out the little chair I used, and my iPad. It has my credit card device, because I have learned that being a modern witch means that I need to accept modern forms of payment.
The fair was due to open in about thirty minutes. It was a warm, clear day, only a fortnight before Halloween, and I was expecting a throng. Some women would wander through, wearing tee-shirts with some humorous quip about Halloween. Some would walk through wearing little cat ear headbands, both adding that Halloween flavor while doing the job of keeping their hair out of their eyes. Most of the men at the fair would shuffle along wearing expressions ranging from abject boredom to lukewarm interest. Few men entered such a fair, their faces alight with joy at the prospects of shopping!
I hummed a song I had learned long ago while browsing my phone. I had to fulfill three orders, which I was going to do on the way home this evening. The local post office was unlocked until late; all of my packages were prepaid and would be shipped out on Monday. I put that all over my website, that I ship on weekends due to my timing of harvesting the various orders.
But as the clock hit the top of the hour and the doors opened to the event, I donned my smiling face and awaited visitors. I did not have to wait long. I slowly stood as first I got a trickle of women, and before long a crush. I had a steady stream of customers and as my inventory dwindled my account value increased. I would have to repack tonight when returning home so that I could have a successful day tomorrow, too.
It's rare for me to experience a tingle in my groin. I've been around for a long time. I've had lovers, and some who have captivated me and others I've forgotten with ease. I am always acutely aware of my body, and each and every time that I get a tingle, I have to smile. Perhaps my period of some loneliness might be drawing to the end. It has been a while.
As a tall, lean woman walked into my booth, my loins went from a mere tickle to a full-throated roar. I have always had a thing for tall, lean women, and she was just the sort who tickled my fancy. She had a dainty silver necklace on, an infinity charm dangling between small breasts.
"Hi," I greeted her.
She looked up, her eyes sweeping me fast before locking onto mine. Her voice was firm, a lower register, and her smile was soft. "Hello!" She returned my greeting with warmth. Her eyes dropped to scan the wares. "What all do you sell?" she asked while sweeping her eyes left and right.
As I explained the different herbs and spice combinations, and their uses, and showed off some of my homemade candles, I kept watching her eyes return to mine. Each time she looked at me, my loins tingled pleasantly. Each time she looked away, I felt a pang of disappointment. Her pale green eyes were stunning.
She finally looked up and around. "You're very lovely," she said softly.
"I think the same thing about you," I assured her.
I saw her confusion, angst and dismay. I've been told by many lovers that being in my presence arouses them - at least when I'm aroused. I had a feeling that my reaction to her - triggering my own arousal - was doing the same to her, and she was not sure how to handle it. "I feel warm," she admitted.
"All over?" I asked, adopting a sweet smile. "Or in one particular spot?"
Two dots of color appeared on her cheeks. "All over," she said dully, hiding the truth.
I smiled. She was afraid of her own feelings; my inner eye sensed that she had been dealing with these sensations for a long time. But she had never allowed those feelings and needs to be voiced or experienced. I withdrew my inner eye; I cannot see thoughts. But I can sense feelings.