53. The Skull Cave
Even with her new found dominance over the menacing trees, Rosella still could not wait to be free of their brooding
canopy of unease. And so, the break in the forest didn’t come a moment too soon. Despite her mind’s willpower, she
couldn’t stop her legs from running as fast as she safely could in her heels (and maybe a little bit faster) the last few
yards of the oppressive woods. Perhaps secretly she hoped it would break into a field of wild flowers and dew covered
grass under the moon’s watchful eye. This was however not the case. The open earth on the other side of the forest
only boasted patches of grass sprinkled about. Rosella tried to step carefully on the uneven barren ground, but she
was excused for any carelessness. The mountainside she approached mainly captivated her attention. More
specifically it was a cave at the foot of the mountain. The rock formed a giant skull complete with a gaping eye sockets
and an open mouth that lead chillingly inside the mountain. The moonlight washed the rock in a yellow light that gave
Rosella an even more curdled feeling of death in her nervous stomach. It appeared that somebody was inside as well.
A spiral of smoke wisped lazily from a small crack on top of the skull. This was the cave of the three witches, and while
Rosella couldn’t shake the butterflies in her stomach, she knew that she had to go inside. Genesta, her fairies, all of
Tamir was counting on her to complete her quest. It was too late to lament her rash decision to jump into the magical
portal that brought her tumbling through space to crash into this dangerous world. But if she ever wanted to wander the
lavish gardens of castle Daventry or squirm and kick lazily in her plush bed again, she would have to rescue Genesta.
The good fairy was the only one with the power to return the princess to her homeland. Rosella’s nostalgia for Daventry
was almost more than her damp blue eyes could support. She wiped her face quickly with the dusty sleeves of her
pretty red gown, and sniffled a couple times to get herself under control. Falling to pieces would do no good. It’s what
Lolotte would want anyhow. To see the heroic princess’s spirits crushed and meet her doom by the denizens of Tamir.
With chin up, Rosella strolled into the open jaw of the skull cave, exuding an air of confidence on the outside if not in her
timid heart.
The cave was simple inside. It was but a single domed room with shelves chiseled out of the walls. The shelves were
lined with books, bottles, bones, and other such hideous décor to match the large wrought iron cauldron that stood in
the center of room. A ring of logs that popped and cracked within dancing flames garnished the bloated black beast. A
frothy green liquid bubbled and rolled as it simmered away above the flickering fire. But the true answer as to “what was
Rosella to find inside a skull cave?” was the three old hags that lined the back wall. Three gray skinned old ladies
wrapped in ratty old black robes, stood hunched in a line passing a spherical object between them, up and down the
line. What happened next made Rosella gasp, and cover her pretty red mouth with a slender hand, staring with wide
blue eyes. While the princess possessed a finely chiseled face, creamy white skin, and two beautiful big blue eyes…
the three witches had faces with an unknown bone structure for their dull gray skin sagged revoltingly and was covered
in scratches and warts. But what made Rosella shiver was their eyes, or rather their lack of eyes! Each witch had two
gaping sockets unfilled as the skull cave they called their home. The small glass sphere they passed between
themselves was held up to an empty socket and allowed each witch to see for a few precious moments before passing it
back down the line.
The silence, save for the cracking of the burning wood and boiling pot was broken, “Hello? Who’s there?” asked the
three blind witches in tandem, one word a piece right down the line. They sensed that someone had broken their
miserable sanctuary.
“My –my name –my name is… Rosella,” replied the princess. Her words were as nervous as her body.
“Rosella? Rosella? Rosella?” Each witch tried the name out on her tongue, eerily. “Such a… pretty name… Rosella.
You see… we can’t… see. Please… Rosella… come closer,” they cooed. The young girl willed her feet forward, taking
hesitant steps toward the three witches. Their eyeless sockets stared straight ahead but their ears were rapt with
attention at the sound of Rosella’s dainty heels scraping against the gravelly cave floor as she shuffled forward. Unable
to control themselves the witches smiled, revealing rotten but sharp toothed grins that made Rosella’s knees go weak
beneath her skirt. As she passed the boiling cauldron, she peered over into the bubbly green liquid quickly pinching her
nose lest she be overcome by the putrid smell wafting from the unknown contents. Rosella stopped several feet away
from the line of witches, a safe distance she decided. With the princess closer, the witches took in a deep breath
through their long grotesque noses. “You smell… so… delicious.” There was that rotted grin again. Rosella hugged
herself unconsciously. “Let… me… see!” argued the witches as they passed the glass eye anxiously now that Rosella
was closer. “You’re… so… beautiful! You must be… the most beautiful maiden… in the land! Your skin… looks… so
soft. You’re so lovely my dear… and we’re so withered and old… please take pity on us and give us a hug,” pleaded
the old hags.
The desperate request caught Rosella off guard. All the while she had been thinking about stealing their glass eye to
make sure they stayed helpless. After all they seemed like harmless old ladies. Maybe a hug could do more good than
foul. Besides, stealing could lead to more trouble than she bargained for. Rosella could sneak in and take the eye as
they passed it between themselves, try to lure one of the witches away before snatching the eye, or trust in the good of
these old witches, and offer a hug from a beautiful princess and perhaps get more help than she ever imagined in her
fight against Lolotte. What should Rosella do?
Sneak in and snatch the eye!
Lure one witch away and swoop in for the eye!
Hug a witch