How Ania Became The Third Witch: Hecate’s point of view
The Third Witch
Not too long ago, in a neighboring land, the natural order of the universe was thrown into chaos. It began when a seventeen year old girl named Ania tried to steal my job away from me. I am Hecate, Goddess of Witchcraft, and this is how the witches became three.
Ania was a human who worked for my witches, going places and gathering information that those two could not. She heard everybody’s prophecies, but was sworn to secrecy so she could not abuse them. But young, foolish Ania thought she could get by me, and one day decided to “help the greater good” as she put it. Personally, I just saw her as a traitor who needed to learn her place.
“Please Hecate; I’m too young to be put to death! I was just trying to help the greater good.” Ania pleaded for her life, not once expecting to hear what was about to be said.
“Silly child, I’m not about to kill such a great potential. But abusing the prophecies is a great offense. I will give you two choices; you will either be cursed as a witch for the rest of time, or be sentenced to live an eternal life as a donkey.”
“But I just can’t become one of those hags. They are outcasts among all people.”
The poor girl really was beside herself, so I asked, “Would you prefer living immortally as an ass?” To which she promptly gave me her answer.
I sent her to my prison so she wouldn’t try to escape overnight. The next day, I sent my two witches, Agatha and Arina, to go bring Ania to her initiation.
“Hello Ania,” The witches said in unison.
“I am Agatha.”
“And I am Arina.”
“And we are here to bring you news from Hecate.” Agatha went on to tell Ania about what she must do to become a witch. “You must complete two horrid tasks. Your first task is to retrieve the finger of a dead child.”
“Then you must catch a wild goose and drain its blood,” Arina continued. “Meet us back here when you have finished your tasks. Now be on your way.”
“And remember, Hecate sees all,” warned Agatha.
Ania went on to rob the grave of a child buried earlier that day. Just as Agatha said, I was watching to make sure Ania wouldn’t betray me again. With disgust for what she had to do, and hatred for me, she proceeded to pull out a dagger and cut off the newborn’s finger. She put it in her pouch and re-buried the child hoping that nobody would ever know.
As she walked deeper into the forest, she thought about what she had to do next. She came across a pond where several geese were sitting, like they were just waiting for her to arrive. Once again she pulled out the dagger, and once again I saw disgust and hate in her eyes. She snuck up behind a small goose and slit its throat. After she drained its blood into the bowl given to her by Agatha, she headed back to the prison to meet with the witches again.
“Now that you have retrieved the items, please join us in preparing your charm,” Agatha said.
Agatha began,
“Round about the cauldron go,
In the poisoned entrails throw.
The wing of a bat from its peaceful slumber.
The tongue of a lizard, and the rock he was under.”
They all chanted,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
Arina continued,
“Next in the cauldron to boil and bake
Is the rattler from the noisy snake.
And the finger you retrieved
From the infant in eternal sleep.
Again they chanted,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
Hesitantly, Ania continued,
“The head of a goose I caught,
And all the blood the goose has got.
The last ingredient to go in
Is newly hatched bird without its skin.”
For the final time, they all recited,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
“We’ll cool the mixture with baboon blood. After that, the charm is finished,” Arina finished.
As Ania drank the potion, the thunder rang in her ears. The lightning flashed bright, and the wind was so powerful it almost knocked her to the ground. But in the midst of that rainless storm, I saw the guilt slowly disappearing from her eyes, and I knew a third witch was born.
“When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” asked Agatha.
Arina answered, “When the hurly-burly’s done. When the battle’s lost and won.”
“That will be ere the set of sun,” added Ania.
Again Agatha asked, “Where the place?”
“Upon the heath,” responded Arina.
“There to meet with Macbeth,” Ania interjected.
Agatha called out, “I come gerymalkin!”
“Paddock calls,” whispered Arina.
“Anon,” said Ania.
Together they chanted one last time.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
Ania was a human who worked for my witches, going places and gathering information that those two could not. She heard everybody’s prophecies, but was sworn to secrecy so she could not abuse them. But young, foolish Ania thought she could get by me, and one day decided to “help the greater good” as she put it. Personally, I just saw her as a traitor who needed to learn her place.
“Please Hecate; I’m too young to be put to death! I was just trying to help the greater good.” Ania pleaded for her life, not once expecting to hear what was about to be said.
“Silly child, I’m not about to kill such a great potential. But abusing the prophecies is a great offense. I will give you two choices; you will either be cursed as a witch for the rest of time, or be sentenced to live an eternal life as a donkey.”
“But I just can’t become one of those hags. They are outcasts among all people.”
The poor girl really was beside herself, so I asked, “Would you prefer living immortally as an ass?” To which she promptly gave me her answer.
I sent her to my prison so she wouldn’t try to escape overnight. The next day, I sent my two witches, Agatha and Arina, to go bring Ania to her initiation.
“Hello Ania,” The witches said in unison.
“I am Agatha.”
“And I am Arina.”
“And we are here to bring you news from Hecate.” Agatha went on to tell Ania about what she must do to become a witch. “You must complete two horrid tasks. Your first task is to retrieve the finger of a dead child.”
“Then you must catch a wild goose and drain its blood,” Arina continued. “Meet us back here when you have finished your tasks. Now be on your way.”
“And remember, Hecate sees all,” warned Agatha.
Ania went on to rob the grave of a child buried earlier that day. Just as Agatha said, I was watching to make sure Ania wouldn’t betray me again. With disgust for what she had to do, and hatred for me, she proceeded to pull out a dagger and cut off the newborn’s finger. She put it in her pouch and re-buried the child hoping that nobody would ever know.
As she walked deeper into the forest, she thought about what she had to do next. She came across a pond where several geese were sitting, like they were just waiting for her to arrive. Once again she pulled out the dagger, and once again I saw disgust and hate in her eyes. She snuck up behind a small goose and slit its throat. After she drained its blood into the bowl given to her by Agatha, she headed back to the prison to meet with the witches again.
“Now that you have retrieved the items, please join us in preparing your charm,” Agatha said.
Agatha began,
“Round about the cauldron go,
In the poisoned entrails throw.
The wing of a bat from its peaceful slumber.
The tongue of a lizard, and the rock he was under.”
They all chanted,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
Arina continued,
“Next in the cauldron to boil and bake
Is the rattler from the noisy snake.
And the finger you retrieved
From the infant in eternal sleep.
Again they chanted,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
Hesitantly, Ania continued,
“The head of a goose I caught,
And all the blood the goose has got.
The last ingredient to go in
Is newly hatched bird without its skin.”
For the final time, they all recited,
“Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
“We’ll cool the mixture with baboon blood. After that, the charm is finished,” Arina finished.
As Ania drank the potion, the thunder rang in her ears. The lightning flashed bright, and the wind was so powerful it almost knocked her to the ground. But in the midst of that rainless storm, I saw the guilt slowly disappearing from her eyes, and I knew a third witch was born.
“When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” asked Agatha.
Arina answered, “When the hurly-burly’s done. When the battle’s lost and won.”
“That will be ere the set of sun,” added Ania.
Again Agatha asked, “Where the place?”
“Upon the heath,” responded Arina.
“There to meet with Macbeth,” Ania interjected.
Agatha called out, “I come gerymalkin!”
“Paddock calls,” whispered Arina.
“Anon,” said Ania.
Together they chanted one last time.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”