That day, Hekske (the little witch) got a rude awakening well before dawn when a snow flake landed straight on her face, while the wind was howling through the dark forest.  Falke (the 10 year-old witch apprentice) had snuggled close to her under the moss blanket to keep warm and dry.  It was already mid-February, but there was still no end in sight to the harsh winter weather. The outdoors life of a witch is full of beautiful and rewarding moments, but on mornings like these, even the toughest witch can sometimes be yearning for a warmer and drier place.
A little later, both girls were sipping from a warm cup of herbal tea, still huddling under a moss blanket. Their morning mood brightened up considerably when Falke saw a snow drop shoot peeking out of the snow. Like every year, they consider this as the first sign of the awakening of spring, and the start of the new year in the enchanted forest. Hekske told Bob the eagle-owl to spread the news to all the forest animals. This would be a day full of mystic new year rituals!
And to make things complete, they saw Quintine flying over their heads and make a gentle touchdown next to them. Also in her forest in Ellezelles, the first snow drops were shooting out of the ground. They decided to celebrate the new year together and it would be a very special one for Quintine, who had woken up a few months ago from a 414 year hibernation (see Witchtape #181 for that story).
At noon, all the animals of the forest assembled around the clearing and listened to the witches singing their new year’s songs with a sweet voice. And after passing through all the classic witch’s songs, Quintine taught a long-forgotten song to Hekske and Falke.
Meanwhile, the sun had started to shine while all the snow had melted. The witches felt courageous enough for the next New Year’s tradition : a dip in the nymph’s pond. The witches slipped out of their immaculately white dresses and cautiously waded into the frigid water, before diving head-first into the water. This pond is very special, as the water looks murky from above, but crystal clear from below, with the surface acting as a mirror. Then Falke noticed something strange about Quintine. Instead of 439 years, she suddenly looked very young and vivacious. Quintine looked into the mirror and saw it herself. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed she looked exactly the same as in the year 1610, before she started her 414-year long hibernation. She touched her skin and felt it was soft and smooth again. When the witches came out of the water, the forest animals couldn’t believe their eyes. It took them quite a while before they realized this young witch was actually Quintine. Once they realized, a wave of excitement went through the whole forest. This was truly a miracle. All forest dwellers were delighted to see that Quintine could pick up the thread of her life from where she had left it 4 centuries ago.
And after the initial amazement abated a little, the witches proceeded with their mystic ceremonies, which would last until the middle of the night. A night full of magic …

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/pastelina

Photo credits : Ironika (Irina Alexandrovna)

Witchtape #185 | Guest Witch : Pastelina

Witches are the guardians of the forests.  We're not evil or dark, just a bit shy.  And even surprisingly sweet and kind... as long as you respect the forest.

Art project of Hekske ('Little Witch' in my native Flemish language).
Founded on the 22nd of January 2017

Avatar and wallpaper by Ironika (Irina Alexandrovna)

New tracks tagged #Mirror, mirror on the water ...