ALFA'S WİTCH (Midnight Oath)

The day I buried my grandmother, something inside me broke. What's the hardest thing for an orphaned girl? Is it learning to accept loss? Or is it becoming so attached to the only person she has, compared to everyone else? I suppose both applied to me. My grandmother and I had left this cursed town many years ago. Because this town had taken my mother and father from me. Even the cause of their deaths was kept secret like some mystery. They had only said "a fire." That it was a witch hunt, unfortunately, I would learn much later... On the day of the funeral in that cursed town: Snow covered the earth like a thick, merciless blanket. I stood alone at the edge of the old cemetery, holding in my hands the small wooden box that remained of the woman who was my only family. The priest had refused to come. The townspeople had refused to come as well. Only a handful of crows were there, as if they had come to attend a ceremony, watching intently. I didn't cry. Not yet. On Christmas Eve, as I dozed off with my mulled wine, I planned this ceremony... Three days later, I was driving on the icy road to Blackthorn Ridge, the small mountain town where I had spent every Christmas of my childhood. My grandmother had made me promise, as if she knew this would be her last Christmas: "One last Christmas, Eva! Light the candles. Hang the mistletoe. Let this old house remember joy one more time." And here I was. Twenty-five years old, the last of the Rose bloodline... returning to a place where people looked at me as if to say, "We want to kill you." As my red pickup climbed up the hill, the wind filled my ears with an ominous howl. My only goal was to reach the mountain house as soon as possible. Shortly after, I saw a dark shape amidst the pure white snow covering the ground. As I got closer, it became clear it was a vehicle. "I guess it broke down..." I thought to myself as I saw him. A man examining the car with the hood open, wearing nothing but a t-shirt despite this bone-chilling cold, as if he wasn't cold at all. The hostility of the town's people had rubbed off on me too. I considered just passing by without caring. But damn it! My grandmother had raised me to be a butterfly of kindness. I reached for my coat on the passenger seat and put it on. The moment I got out of the car, my nose turned bright red. Okay, I'm someone who gets cold even on summer days... But this cursed land is really putting on a show! I walked a bit closer and called out: "Hello, looks like you're stranded?" The man lifted his eyes from the engine and looked at me. He was breathtaking... Dark features, muscular build, and those piercing eyes. Yes, I was impressed. But just a little! Don't exaggerate, ladies... He smiled with a sly and flirtatious look in his eyes. "Yes, you could say I'm stranded," he said and closed the hood. I was shocked by what I saw then. There was a huge log embedded in the front windshield of the car. Seriously embedded... "Wow! It's like a giant came and stuck this tree in your windshield like a toothpick. How can it stand so perfectly?" I said. The astonishment on my face was evident. He suddenly burst out laughing. "Ohh... I think giants are extinct." Then his eyes focused on me with a suggestive look. "This town's past is remembered for its wolves and witches." Then he turned his attention back to the car. I might have looked at him as if to say, 'So what?' "Hmm... I don't think I can find you a witch or a wolf. And since giants are extinct too..." I said, then smiled. "I have a vehicle. If you want, I can drop you off in town." He looked at me with the deep dimples that appeared when he smiled. "I'd be grateful, if I'm not bothering you," he said. Laughing, I headed toward the vehicle and when I reached the door, I called out to him: "As long as you don't complain about me listening to Elwes in the car, you won't bother me," I said as I got in the car. He took his leather jacket from his car and came over. The moment he got in the car, his face changed. The reason might have been my heater blasting him like desert heat. "I think you were a bit cold," he said. "I'm always cold," I said with a smile. And I think I had made my first friend in this town. He had been stealing glances at me ever since the journey began. Under normal circumstances, being watched by such a handsome man might have been flattering, but the people in this town were so strange that I wasn't sure this was a good thing. "Hey, could you stop that already?" I said, briefly turning my gaze to him before focusing back on the road. He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, you're just so different. I couldn't take my eyes off you," he said. "Ever since I arrived in this town, you've all been making me feel very different. I'm starting to think I have 'I'm a stranger' written on my forehead," I said, scrunching up my face. "Are you always this sarcastic?" he asked with a laugh. "Let's call it my way of camouflaging pain. I buried my grandmother yesterday," I said, looking at his face. There was neither surprise nor any other expression on it. It was as if he already knew. But no one had attended my grandmother's funeral except the gravedigger who buried her. A few seconds later, he asked, "I'm sorry. Did you love her very much?" "Yes, she was my only family. I loved her more than anything," I said. I couldn't make sense of the anger in my eyes. What was I even angry about? "I understand. So why are you still here?" he asked. Normally, I would have answered all of this politely, but I didn't like being interrogated. Especially a phrase like "why haven't you left" was extremely irritating. I turned toward him and, raising my eyebrows with a sarcastic expression, said, "For Christmas... I'm just going to celebrate Christmas." We had finally arrived at the town center. I stopped the car. He got out and approached the window. There was a warm smile on his face. "My name is Jo," he said. I extended my hand. "Eva," I said. "Pleased to meet you," he said. His facial expression had changed. I could see the sly grin on his face. "Well then, Merry Christmas, Rose daughter," he said. What was this whole Rose's daughter thing, for God's sake? Every person I met called me Rose's daughter with a look of disgust. Just then, an old man who ran the town's market, sitting on a wooden chair on the sidewalk, suddenly rushed over and pointed his finger, shouting, "Don't talk to her, Jo! Have you lost your mind? She'll bring bad luck!" After hearing this, I had reached the end of Eva's politeness. I stuck my head out of the car window and pointed my finger at the man. "I'm not cursed! I'm not carrying a contagious disease. Moreover, I haven't killed anyone! I don't even know you. Stop talking about me, you senile old fool!" I hit the gas and drove away. In the rearview mirror, I could see the man's face, red with rage. And Jo, doubled over with laughter... I suppose it was time for this stubborn town to witness the determination of the Rose women!