The Sea Witch's Locket

From the shadows, the aged being called ‘the sea witch’ watched the uneasy young couple wander their way into the dark cavern she called home. A crooked grin slowly plastered across her pale, tired features. An easy deal to be made, she thought. Young lovers are oh so predictable. They were easily blinded by their rose-tinted gaze from the hidden dangers that lurked nearby. A mistake that the sea witch had made for herself a long time ago.

The young woman frantically scanned the rocky walls with wide eyes, looking for a hint of the old hag’s existence. Her hands were gripped tightly around her lover’s arm as they ventured further into the underwater depths.

“Are you sure this is the correct cavern?” The woman let out a pitiful squeak and closed the remaining distance between her and the young man, as if she were afraid of her voice disturbing the hauntingly eerie silence of the dark atmosphere.

The sea witch studied the couple as they came to a halt halfway into the cavern, ever closer to her watchful perch among the rocky crags of the sea cave. The man now faced his partner and was gently rubbing her arms. She snapped her attention to the man’s loving gaze and calmed.

“So far, everything we’ve been told to look for has been true, “ he whispered, “We’ll take a quick look in here, and if this was all a ruse-” He paused when the young woman glanced down, avoiding his scanning eyes.

“We’ll leave and start our own lives together without our families’ blessing.” He gently tilted her chin up to look at her face, then gave her a soft peck on her forehead. The sea witch shuddered. She grew tired of their soft tones and displays of affection, but she could not shake that hollow feeling of envy pitted deep within her chest. A flash of memory of young love tragically cut short. She brushed off the forgotten memory, snarling at herself for even thinking about it.

With the snap of her slender fingers, the sea cave quickly illuminated. Sickly green flames danced from the braziers that lined the walls, once hidden in the murky depths, but now licked greedily upon the sea witch’s command. The attention of the couple flicked quickly to the amalgamation of woman, fish, and monster that perched lazily upon a rock face behind an inky black cauldron that glowed a brilliant purple hue. The lighting almost made the sea witch look pretty- almost. If it wasn’t for the curling tendrils of dark tentacles that lapped down the side of her rocky bed, she could be considered beautiful. The sea witch was casually propped up on her elbow, staring quietly at the young merfolk before her, no doubt sizing up her prey.

She slowly extended her hand and beckoned the couple closer with the curl of her finger. Her tentacles now reached for the floor below her, settling amongst a layer of fish bones that littered the ground. The couple glanced briefly towards each other, then back towards the monster that urged them forward. With a newfound courage, it was the young female mermaid who led her lover to the base of the cauldron.

The sea witch spoke first.

“Why have you disturbed my sleep?” She hissed each word, letting them linger on her cursed tongue. Her tentacles grew agitated, now gripping the bones and crumbling them into a white dust that spread within the water. Echos of the pieces that were spared bounced off the walls. The young woman gulped.

“O’ great sea witch, we’ve come to seek your boon,” the young woman declared as she bowed her head towards the sea witch. Noticing her lover’s unmoving position, she tapped his forearm. He quickly followed her hint and bowed deeply, hoping he didn’t offend the powerful being across from him. “Yes,” he stuttered, still in shock from the sea witch’s existence. “Our families have forbidden us from being together. We seek a solution to ensure happiness for us.”

The sea witch snorted. “Why is this MY problem?” One of her tentacles crushed a fish carcass, and it shattered with a sickly crunch.

The couple flinched, holding each other tightly now. The woman responded, choosing her words carefully. “Powerful One, we humbly request your help, and in return, we will give you anything you desire.”

A loud thud reverberated throughout the cave. The sea witch now clenched her cauldron with her slender fingers, leaning over the large pot, and was leering directly in the young woman’s face, searching for hidden lies. Inches apart, the young woman made no move or sound, staring back into the witch’s narrowed eyes. After several grueling seconds, the sea witch hummed thoughtfully and slowly backed up into an upright position, towering over her witch’s brew.

“Anything I desire,” she probed mockingly. She tossed one of her inky curls off her shoulder with a quick flick of her hand, then hummed again approvingly.

“Very well.” With that, she snapped her fingers again. The cavern reacted instantaneously to her command, the braziers switching their hellish green blaze to a vibrant blood red, dripping on every surface the light could reach. The unknown purple concoction within her dark cauldron now bubbled furiously and popped loudly, making the couple jump at every POP. The witch smiled devilishly, an obvious hunger gnawing at her soul.

“For what you ask, a small price will need to be paid,” she said as she waved her hands above the cauldron, wafting the putrid smell that seeped from the popping bubbles. The young man stifled a gag, while his lover’s appearance remained unchanging. If she was horrified or disgusted, she made no outward sign to signify it.

The sea witch grabbed various small glass vials with her tentacles from a hidden cache beneath her figure. The tentacles brought the vials over the cauldron, and without checking the contents, the witch uncorked the potions and poured the unknown liquids into the boiling pot. She wafted the new scent that permeated from the cauldron, and sighed heavily with content.

“Now, all we need is one last ingredient.” The witch cast her gaze from the cauldron to the young couple before her. She slowly extended her arm and held out her palm. “I require something from both of you to complete the spell,” she paused, turning her gaze to her tentacle that was lifting a pair of tongs towards the couple.

The couple gasped at the sight of the rusted metal tool and took a cautious step back, cowering from the grotesque hint the witch was implying.

“What do you want?” The young woman shivered while eyeing the damaged tool.

The tentacle pushed the tongs closer to the couple, as another slithered up and caressed the young man’s cheek. He whimpered, frozen, as it gripped his chin and opened his mouth. The witch grinned while watching the man react, finally, and squirm at her touch.

“One tooth,” she stated. “And one fingernail.” She lifted the woman’s hand with another tentacle, examining the pointed nails on each finger. The woman gasped and pulled her hand back. The witch frowned as she still studied the now-empty place where the young woman’s hand once was. “From both of you.”

It was the young man who jerked back from the witch’s tentacles with disgust on his face. “No, no, no,” he scowled and shook his head side to side. “I do not agree to these terms!” He turned to the young woman now, his eyes pleading. “Come, my love, we do not have to mutilate ourselves in the name of love. Surely our parents will see reason.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” The young woman nodded slowly, still shivering. Hand in hand, they cast one last glance at the sea witch and swam quickly out of the cavern. The sea witch let out a frustrated groan and dropped the metal tongs. They floated quietly to the floor as the sea witch turned and climbed to the ceiling. She sat on her cave ceiling, watching the cauldron bubble more slowly now. They would be back, she thought. They always come back.

Her ember eyes closed. She absentmindedly searched her corset, searching for the hidden pocket she had woven in so long ago. Her fingers touched cool metal. She smiled. Pulling the metal object from her breast, she opened her eyes and looked at the small metal locket within her hand. She brushed her thumb over the top and carefully opened the latch, revealing a sketch of a young man. He stared intensely at her with brooding eyes. A slight smirk upon his full lips. His dark stubble matched his dark curls that lay wildly upon his head. He was absolutely gorgeous, she thought. And absolutely dead.

She snapped the locket shut. The memories that haunted her dreams were relentless every night, and she caused more strife by being so infatuated with that locket. Damn that witch. That dirty old hag was the reason the sea witch spent her days living in that dark cave among the crabs and other bottom dwellers. If only I had listened to him.

The sea witch sighed and opened the metal trinket again. “I failed you,” she mumbled, “you trusted me and I failed you.”

The young man in the portrait gazed silently at the sea witch. “Do not look at me that way, she continued, “I did not know what that witch had in plan.” The portrait did not respond.

“She tricked me!” The sea witch cried out. “I wanted to be like her! Powerful, respected!”

The sea witch searched the young man’s eyes for any sign of understanding. She growled when he did not change his expression. “You judge me,” she yelled at the man. “Perhaps the witch was mistaken! Maybe you were never my greatest treasure!”

The sea witch threw the locket from her grasp and watched it sink lazily towards the filthy floor of the cavern. She crossed her arms angrily, turning up her nose like a child having a tantrum. Not even a few seconds had passed, she released her tentacle’s grip from the jagged ceiling and frantically grabbed at the necklace as it floated gently downwards. Hugging the locket tightly against her chest, against her frantic heartbeat, she let out a dry sob.

“I am sorry, “she panted, caressing the locket gently with the tip of her tentacle. “You are most special to me, and I should have realized that long ago.”

She shut her eyes and rocked side to side with her locket, humming softly. Suddenly, voices materialized outside her cave and were rapidly approaching. She stopped comforting herself, shoved the locket back into her pocket, and saw the young couple from before, swimming straight for her cavern.

Before they reached the witch’s cauldron, the young woman called out. “We have what you need for the spell.”

As they approached the sea witch, the couple extended their hands, each revealing a red-stained molar and sharp, bloody fingernail. “If you need proof,” the man started to say, and then held out his other hand to show his mutilated finger that was missing its pointed counterpart. The woman did the same. They both opened their mouths to reveal a dark hole sitting between two gleaming white molars. Blood slowly seeped from the fresh wounds and drifted calmly in the sea current.

“Ah,” the witch praised. “This will do nicely.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling, and plucked the bloody items from the couple. She threw them into the cauldron and laughed quietly under her breath. With the spell complete, the sea witch nodded slowly and poured the potion into two vacant vials.

“Here,” she beamed while thrusting the vials towards the couple, “drink this and you will have what you desire.”

The young woman and man looked nervously at each other, noticing the witch’s new demeanor. “It’s the only way,” the young mermaid assured. With arms looped together, they drank the potion.

“Another happy customer,” the sea witch exclaimed, clasping her hands together and watching the couple slowly shrink out of view. She moved to the other side of the cauldron where the couple once stood, but instead of the merfolk, two serpents sat, intertwined with each other. She gently picked them up and wrapped them around her shoulders. They hissed angrily, and one lunged towards her forearm, clamping down on her soft flesh.

“You have no teeth or limbs, you silly serpents.” She laughed, stroking the attacking snake. Realizing they could do no damage, both serpents calmed and settled on her warm body. She hastily dug the locket out again from her corset and opened it. The young man stared at her, unmoving, unblinking, forever frozen on the parchment. The sea witch smiled faintly.

“Yes, I agree,” she responded to the portrait, “At least they are together.”