Her Powerful Witch Mate

The unknown visitor

Somewhere in a forest on 9th Feb 1990

“What’s the matter?” Eva looked up at her husband’s distressed face as one more contraction rippled through her pregnant body leaving her panting for water. John gave her some ice chips from their Volkswagen camper van refrigerator and asked her to chew them while he held her hand and coaxed her to breathe. 

“I am so sorry you have to go through this,” he said, not knowing what he could do to relieve her from the excruciating pain. His delicate wife lay on the bed in their awning, writhing in labour pains.

Traditionally, births in their communities happened in the thatched huts outside their settlements. Here the witch midwives would use all kinds of concoctions, smoke, chants and spells to relieve the labour pains and help with the birthing.

But nowadays, people just went to the hospital. They only needed to make sure that nobody knew about them being witches. 

Unfortunately, they were living in uncertain times. They couldn’t use magic as easily. They had to make sure they were well protected before any form of magic was used and Eva’s contractions had started unexpectedly. Their child wasn’t due until the next month, yet the water had broken and here they were trying to manage a surprise home-birth all by themselves.

His camper and awning made their nomadic life bearable. It had been a good investment. They had to be ready to move even at the slightest notice. They would cover their tracks before fleeing from each place. During their lucky days, they camped near villages and towns and John managed to earn some money doing odd jobs there. Rest of the time they would be camping in the outback.

It was amazing how they had even managed to find each other in such a nomadic and reclusive life. He thanked his stars that his mother was a witch otherwise he would have never met his Eva. She was his soulmate.

If only he was a witch! But his family had realised a long time back that he wasn’t meant to be one.

The ice chips worked in making the pains bearable for Eva but she cried out again as the next contraction reached its peak.

They heard someone at the awning door. ‘Very strange!’ he thought to himself.

Eva turned silent and looked pale.

“Honey, did you conceal us?” asked John, concerned that his wife must have missed something in her condition. If only he could do this bit of magic!

“Yes!” she said. “No one other than a very powerful witch should have been able to discern our location. Who do you think it is?” She asked. Fear for their lives clearly evident in her eyes.

“We are in this together,” he said. “Don’t you worry,” He opened the door.

In came a blast of cold air. In the summer of that arid Flinders range, it felt pleasant. As the air settled, a not very tall, old woman stood in front of them. Her soft brown eyes looked lovingly at Eva. Her crop of curly bangs was just like Eva’s, totally unmanageable. Her wrinkled brown skin made her look like she was ancient.

“Could you close that door mate! Unless you want a werewolf or a vampire to find us!” She chuckled at a joke that only she found funny.

Eva was stunned into silence looking at the woman who reminded her of her mom. John was on the verge of lashing out at her, but stayed silent seeing his wife’s face. He closed the door and turned to the old woman, “care to explain?”

“Patience mate! First, let me handle the safety here,” she walked around mumbling to herself, drawing patterns in the air and sometimes singing. She took out a bundle of herbs from somewhere.

‘Did she pull it out of thin air?’ he thought to himself. He had lived with a witch long enough to know a lot of stuff that could defy logic and science, was possible .

Eva and John looked at each other in amazement. The woman's fresh pine scent reminded Eva of her mother. Her clearest memory was of the day when she last saw her mother. It still felt like yesterday!

A 5 year old Eva was playing out in the sun with her toddler friends. Her curly bangs kept covering her eyes and she would constantly flick them away using her tiny hands.

They lived in a peaceful neighbourhood with her mother being the Elder of the community. She wasn’t very old but she was revered for her powers. She was the most gentle person. Eva loved her mother a lot. Her mother was a beautiful woman. Tall, with a slightly plump frame, she had the most flawless honey brown skin. Eva had got her curls from her mother. Her mother smelled of fresh pines and honey. 

She had seen love and affection between her parents. Her dad was exactly opposite to her mum in looks, smell and colour. He smelled of sweet caramel. Eva had got her fair skin and green eyes from her dad.

She knew her mother was special. Their tribe looked up to her for solutions. If a person was ill, her mother was called upon. She would use chants and smoke to cure the person. Sometimes she would give medicines made out of the local shrubs and bushes.

Her father did not know the “special” art, as he would say. He was a simple man who worked at the local fire station. Their village sat just outside Myponga, a sleepy little town near Adelaide. 

Her mum came running to her. She could see the fear on her mother’s face. “Mama, what happened?” She ran and hugged her mother. Eva smelled the pines on her but something was wrong. She could smell fear, pain and blood on her. She smelled something more, but little Eva couldn’t understand it.

Eva had an exceptional sense of smell. She could read the emotions of people around her. It had made her more mature for her age. Her mother said that mother Earth was her strength. Earth gave her the power of smell, so strong, that it had materialised quite early in her life.

“RUN EVA RUN”’ her mother screamed. She pulled Eva out of her game and dashed towards the woods lining their village. 

She took Eva to a hollow in the tree. She removed her silver necklace, placed it around Eva’s neck and said, “Child, your father is no more. I couldn’t save him.” 

Eva was scared. Her mother looked strong but a stream of tears poured out of her eyes, the only sign of her pain.

“You will need to hide. I have sent a distress signal. Someone from the Order will come for you. Promise me, you will not cry. Promise me, you will be strong. PROMISE ME!!” Her mother insisted.

Little Eva mumbled, “I promise Ma.”

“I need to leave now. They are hunting. They will not find you. My necklace will keep you safe. Remember, I and dada love you a lot.” She hugged Eva.

Eva did not want to leave her. But her tiny arms did not have the strength to hold on to her mother. Soon her mother hopped out of the hollow and walked towards the village. Eva saw it. A humongous brown wolf leapt onto her mother. 

She wanted to shout but the shock of what she was witnessing turned her scream into a voiceless gasp. She saw the beast pull her mother away. She passed out in fear.

“EVA!! EVA!,” John cried, “Wake up!” She was lying still with her hand locked in his. Is she dead?