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Madeline, Madison, and the Good Witch
- Madeline, Madison, and the Good Witch -
She was not quite beautiful as people think of when they consider classical standards of beauty. Many called her plain, but even so she tried to see the beauty in others, and in the world around her. Even, as she stood in this forsaken place, she tried to notice the wild beauty of it. It was the northern slopes of a mountain range that rose up beyond the dark pine forests of her homeland. Few came here, and not one who did was unchanged by the experience. She felt tired, weary from the long walk out to this place. As she gazed downward from the height on which she stood, it seemed that the foothills were like children of the mountains... miniature mountains in a sense... with features as rugged as their mighty parents. All around them were thick woodlands, and all was deep, dark green with the gray of rock here and there. It was a wild place, a forsaken place indeed. Within the woods could occasionally be seen the smoke that betrayed the location of a cottage or a hut, the homes or hermits and wild men. Or wild women. Many were the tales of witches said to dwell in such residences. To she who looked down upon all of this, it seemed that those places represented the truth behind childhood stories, cautionary fairy tales meant to keep children from going where they were not supposed to and running afoul of darker things. Great as it was, the forested regions below still frightened her. The burgomasters of the region kept their grand dwellings far from places such as this, and help to anyone imperiled here would be long in coming. The young girl who stood there on this day, contemplating all of these things, felt a sudden surge of fear. It was far from the pastures, fields, and valleys of her home, far from her family's lands and holdings. Far from civilization, or at least the appearance of such. Yet, she never felt more at home in all of her life!
Her mother was the heiress of a noble house, but it seemed that any joy the young girl felt over being herself born into a life of wealth and ease was joy difficult to keep alive within her breast. Her mother, kind as she could be, kept to herself much of the time and was aloof... perhaps cold... leaving the proper raising of her daughter to servants and advisors that were not related by blood to the family. This, as it was, had not been the first time that young Madeline had run away for a bit in order to collect her wild thoughts and understand better her troubled heart. She always came back before nightfall each time, but in the meantime she would spend hours exploring all of the places shunned by her peers. The places as wild as her thoughts could at times be. Had she to glance out the window of her family's mansion, all as she could see for miles beyond it belonged to her mother and would one day belong to her. But even so, her heart was troubled, as was her mind, and the whispers she could occasionally hear called her to go on adventures such as this. Her mother feared she was mad, and tried to keep Madeline's condition as much a secret as she could from those outside the family. There was no name, in those days, for the sort of conditions that can cause a person to hear voices or behold visions of things not of this world. It was sad for Madeline to realize she was considered by some to be an embarrassment to her blood, but that was how people typically made her feel. Very few of the servants were kind to her, and all of her tutors could be quite severe. She looked to fairy tale books for comfort, finding in them children like her who experienced magical things. For that is what these things she experienced were to her... magical. Not at all terrifying or awful. So why should that be wrong then? She wondered. How was her family even a proper family to her at all! She was lonely, troubled, and right now she was loathe to return home. It did seem that there were many hours yet before dusk. It was mid autumn, and there was early snow in all of the heights of the rough mountain peaks. The first frost, as such, had not descended upon the farmlands yet though. The sun was golden in the present hour, and everything looked straight out of a fairy tale. It was not hard to see why the young adult, but childlike, Madeline would find this place so enchanting to spend time at. Her ebony hair, cropped like a boy's due to a punishment meant to teach her discipline... felt the gentle breeze blowing through it. It was a gentle, mild autumn at least on that day. Odd for the part of the present month that is was right now. Odd, but not unheard of. The breeze felt very pleasant.
Her large, pale blue eyes that were unlike anyone else in her family... whether related to her distantly or immediately... saw only the magic in this place, and nothing of peril. Because the day was so warm, unseasonably so, she wore a delicate cloth cape over her garments rather than a warm cloak. The quick and sudden breeze, though gentle, blew the cape about her for a moment before subsiding. Summer had ended, bringing the present season to the fore, and with it the old Pagan celebrations of Samhain that in some parts of the land were still celebrated. In the wild places, where the influence of the Church was a lot slower to reach. She felt more alone than ever just then... without a friend in the world, nor anyone who understood her, save for her voices. Whatever the source of them! She believed they were spirits, and that those spirits were her friends. One of them suddenly began to whisper to her, saying: “It is nice here, is it not? Better than the tutors' classrooms where only beatings and chastisements awaited. Why not have a look further than you have ever gone before, Madeline! Make your mother worry, this time. Maybe that will make her love you, instead of seeing you as a burden to her. Yes! That is just the way.” And Madeline smiled, the plump lips of her mouth drawn into a sudden mischievous grin that lent her cherubic face an impish quality whenever such a grin played upon it. Cherubic her face was, but still it was made plain to her that she was not quite, not exactly, beautiful. Such was repeated to her often, and it was ingrained in her mind. “I don't want to be beautiful anyway! Too much of a bother, if you ask me. I want to be happy is all. And happiness doesn't come from beauty, it comes from... I don't know. From someplace. Someplace I have to find, someday.” She said to herself out loud, talking to the voices that always listened, always cared, and were always there for her no matter what. The voices were silent, so the young girl fell silent too. Then, she decided to begin moving down into the foothills, along paths as perhaps only hunters and animals used frequently, noticing something off in the distance that caught her attention and made her realize that there might be something truly magical about this place after all, just like in all the stories that she loved. Such things, when they seized her attention, dominated her thought.
She was dressed in boy's clothes for this excursion... a pair of soft, silky knee-length pantaloons with an elegant design woven upon them, tucked into a pair of walking boots of the softest, highest quality money could afford. Tucked into her pants was a silk blouse with very puffy long sleeves. Both blouse and pants were scarlet in color, the boots were a deep shade of brown that in certain lighting appeared almost black. About her waist was a black sash belt tied at her side with a nice bow that was functional and pretty. She was thirteen years old, which in her homeland made it that she was of legal age, and she had a slender body with small breasts. Sometimes, she could bind her breasts with cloth tied around her chest and pass as a boy, but today she felt no desire to do that. She only did that, if she expected to meet people on her excursions and did not want them to know who she truly was. Half the time, her hair was kept short, due to her misbehaving so much... so she felt more at ease being taken for a boy in any case. And, she looked nothing any longer like all the ridiculously idealized paintings of her, which still even now depicted her in long, flowing gowns and with long, wavy tresses of hair. Not in the short pageboy style it was kept in most of the time these days. She did not look like a girl of noble blood, she looked at present like some beautiful prince of far greater worth than any petty nobility. For, ironically as a boy she would have been called not plain but exceptionally beautiful indeed. Why, she wondered, were they so much harder on girls when it came to standards of beauty? When she traveled about as a boy, she oft called herself not Madeline but Madison. However, today she was simply Madeline, no matter how it was she was dressed. She preferred boy's clothes, but still wanted to be a girl whenever it suited her to. Her attention was focused on what she thought she saw a good bit of a way off. Was it a fairy? It was, honestly, not at all like fireflies in any meaningful sense. It was too big, and too bright to be an insect of any kind. It was an orb, a glowing orb... like a shrunken moon come earthward. She decided that she, in truth, just simply had to investigate this to discover this wonder for herself and learn what it really was.
She followed the wisp's silvery light, and it moved this way and that... leading her deeper and deeper into the woods. She had left the foothills behind her by a great distance, and had lost track of time. On she walked, and day became night as the golden afternoon sun was replaced in the heavens by the light of a full moon. Her voices kept her company, their whispers attempting to comfort her as Madeline did begin to feel a certain sense of dread creep into her heart. “What if this is an evil spirit?” she mused, but had no time to consider what she might do even if it was. It could just as well be an angel! And she had to know... she had to know. Curiosity was all, to her. Her teachers despised it in her, yet it was all part of her imagination and the power it held over her very spirit. Soon, the wisp of light led her to a part of the woods where there was a high fence that had a peculiar bleached white quality to it from a distance. As the young girl drew closer, she saw that the fence was made from bleached bones. The bones of very large animals... yet every several feet there was a wooden post driven into the ground atop which was a human skull. These posts linked the segments of the fence, and whatever lay beyond it is where the odd wisp of light was guiding Madeline to venture. She should have been frightened, but the fairy tales she was fond of had prepared her for sights such as this! She imagined something amazing, must surely be just beyond that fence. Else, why would whoever constructed it wish to keep people away? And so, she began to search for wherever the fence's gate must be. Either to the right or to the left of where she was now. If this was supposed to be a fence, there had to be either a gate, or an opening in it, after all. So it was that she decided to choose the left direction first, and she circled about the outer circumference of the fence of bones... which appeared to have been erected in as close to a circle as could be managed... as she looked about for any break in it whatsoever. The moon was so bright, that it made it easy to see what she was doing, and Madeline was grateful for that. Soon, she did indeed reach an opening, a break in the fence. No gate was there, but just a vacant space. As soon as she crossed the threshold of it, one of the skulls on the posts to either side of the opening cried out: “Young girl! Or boy with breasts, as it may well be for all we know... what do you think you are doing trespassing here?” Madeline gasped as the skull spoke thus, and she replied to it as follows: “Oh mister skull, for I hear by your voice that you are clearly a man... or were when you still lived and were not just a skull... I mean no offense by going through this opening. Neither to you, nor to whoever built this fence... but a bright orb of light led me hither, and I long to follow it and see where it leads me. However, it flew beyond this fence and being not able to fly myself I had to find a way to walk past this barrier. I will go back, if you prefer, though.”
The skull then exclaimed: “No need to go back, since you were led hither! The orb is known to us, so you should follow where it leads you. Had it been otherwise, I would have said for you to go away. But as it stands, you are a welcome guest. Be not afraid! As the angels say. But you will find none, here.” In saying that ominous statement, the skull spoke no more and Madeline passed beyond the fence without any further setbacks. The orb's light shone in the distance, and the young girl was keen to follow it and find out what awaited her in the center of this strange fenced-in area of these woodlands. The trees all about were dark and appeared misshapen, with claw-like branches bereft of their brightly colored fallen autumn leaves. The hooting of an owl resounded through the upper branches, echoing through the deep places of the forest, and chilling Madeline a bit with its' mournful call. For it seemed sad, to her. And in turn, this reminded her of her own sadness, her own loneliness and inability to either fit in with any of her peers or please her mother in any way. “Oh, mister owl! Or missus, or miss as it may be... I wonder if you have known loneliness like my own? But surely even in the animal world, family is not as cruel or as cold as my own is.” To which the owl replied, in the girl's own language: “Nature, is red in tooth, claw, beak and talons. Nature is cruel, more often than not! Such is the nature of mankind, as well, even when people convince themselves that they are civilized. Little better than beasts, most can be, and I do pray that a girl as innocent as you never need to learn the full horrors of that very sort of savage reality.”
The owl then fell silent and said no more save for the occasional hoot, as Madeline followed the wisp of light once more, whilst it led her to the center of the encircling fence of bones, where the shadows of the autumn night lay thickest. A mist there was in that center, so thick that it was like a heavy fog only in one place... as if a cloud had descended and been forced to remain, never dissipating as clouds are of a want to do typically. Within the fog, was a wooden hut with a thatched roof, built a bit off the ground and supported by stilt-like wooden pillars driven deep into the earth. A series of wooden steps led up to the hut's door, made of old oak and showing signs of being timeworn, as was the hut itself. But the look of the thatch was clean, and there was no dust or webbing about the structure... smoke rose up, from the hut's stone chimney, and so somebody had to be living here. Someone had to be at home. Madeline was determined as ever, and so she knocked upon the door politely and waited for a reply from within. After a bit, the door opened of its' own accord. The young girl called in, inquiring: “Hello! Is someone home, after all... and, if so, is it alright if I come in for a visit? There is only me, me and my voices. But, they hardly count as a proper person, as such.” A woman's voice called out in response from within the hut: “Oh, a young girl comes to visit me! A curious one, I would wager. And if my wisp tells me aright, you are lonely as well. How could I refuse such a guest? It would not be right if I did. So come in, and make yourself as home. I get so few visitors in my solitude, that it is goodly to receive you on this occasion.”
Within the hut there was a spartan living space, filled where filled it was, with alchemy's various odd apparatuses and all the flasks, beakers, contains and herbs, ingredients, and mixtures that such an art is known for. Books there were on shelves on the walls, tomes perilous to open, read, or even look upon. Stick figures, made from sticks and twigs, hung from the rafters in places, and a raven sat within a cage on a table near a window, letting forth the harsh cry that raven's make. It looked to be the hut of a witch or a sorceress of some other sort. Like something out of one of Madeline's favorite fairy tales. But the witch, in this case, was a beautiful middle-aged woman with a kindly manner to her. She was quite tall, the woman was, and practically towered over the much smaller young girl who greeted her as she came into her hut anxiously, perhaps a bit nervously as well. The woman... for it felt wrong to call her a witch without knowing if she was one after all or not... she may as well have been a healer, after all; she had a warmth to her manner that was wonderful to notice. Tall was she, and with blonde hair so pale that one may as well have mistook it for being a silvery white. Had it turned this prematurely? Likely. The eyes of the middle-aged woman were bright green, her features kindly, her mouth smiling. She was dressed in a white and red peasant gown. White with reddish floral designs. The finest that many peasants could oft afford to either make or purchase for themselves. The sleeves of the gown were long and full, and about the woman's waist was a wide cloth belt with rich embroidery and tassels that hung from it. The woman was barefoot, and wore a silver necklace from which hung a triangular pendant with a small... but brightly sparkling... green emerald set within the center of it as if the emerald were an eye. The tall woman was big boned, and her body curvy. She had an earthy quality to her, as well as a certain hard to discern otherworldly aspect. The woman was friendly, and bid Madeline to sit at her table that lay just before the hearth. Madeline did so, and asked the woman: “I do not wish to sound impolite, but lady am I right in thinking that you are a witch? Not an evil witch, but a good one!” The woman then laughed a bit out loud before answering, saying: “Oh, dear... dear girl! Yes, I am indeed a witch of sorts. And no, I am not evil though some say that I am and fear me as if I were darkness itself. If I were evil, then would I not eat you... rather than have you for my guest? As in all those stories about witches that children are fond of reading or having be told to them before bedtime! But, rest assured, I will not be eating you at all. Nor, feeding you to my pet ravens, either. That is not a fate I bestow upon guests. I reserve that for thieves and worse, who learn swiftly that I am not to be trifled with or driven to anger. I doubt that you could ever anger me, child. My wisp would not have led you hither, if you were of such baser quality.”
Madeline smiled and clapped her hands, before exclaiming: “Oh joy! I finally am getting to meet a real, honest to goodness good witch. This is wonderful! Lady, what is your name? Mine is Madeline.” The witch then said to the young girl: “Pleased to meet you, Madeline! Or, Madison as you sometimes prefer to be called when off on your grand adventures. Whichever, pleases you to be called the most?” And Madeline said that Madeline would do for today. The witch then said: “Very well, then! My name, is Mother Yaga and I originally hail from the cold lands far to the north of these, beyond mountains and streams that your eyes have never beheld in your young lifetime. The waters of those streams are cold, so cold they turn to ice in places sometimes! And on some of those mountains, witches of a darker sort are known to gather, once a year, for their celebrations. This very time of year, in fact. You are lucky to have met me in these woods, and not one of them... lest you would have been spirited away to some far and distant peak, there to be sacrificed to a god whose name I will not utter in your presence. For to do so, would fill you with dread even if you knew not the significance of the name. But my wisp led you to me, and you had the sense to follow it. That much, is good.” Madeline was shocked to hear that Mother Yaga knew of her boy persona, and she said to the kindly witch: “Mother Yaga, however did you know, or learn, of my excursions in the guise of Madison? I keep those a secret for nearly all, yet your eyes is I would imagine keener than theirs. Even so, this is shocking to me!” The witch then answered in a way that was, as should have been expected, quite mysterious: “Shocking as a fork of lightning is to a tree, I would imagine. But is lightning not a part of nature? It falls where it is meant to, and all transpires as is by the will of powers beyond mortal comprehension. Such powers as give me certain knowledge, and it is best for you not to inquire of them further. Some things... we must simply accept and leave it at that.”
That was enough for Madeline, and she smiled broadly as she asked: “So... why guide me here at all? Surely not just for an idle visit! Even I am not that lonely, that I would send a magical spirit to fetch me a friend.” Mother Yaga chuckled, then stated: “And yet! You have your voices... do you not? That your mind sends for whenever you have need of them. How different is that, then?” And the young girl gave as best an answer as she could, explaining: “It is extremely different! Sometimes, they come when I do not want them to, and say things to me that a friend would, or should, not. They are not always a thing I find welcome, and if they were people I would not want them for guests. They stay long past when they are welcome to, and leave too soon when I long for them to stay.” The witch seemed pleased with that answer, and said in response to it: “Well said, child! Well put indeed. No, I suppose it is not like that in this case then. For I am not that random in my doings, unlike those voices. Those... spirits, we shall call them... that you are able to hear and sometimes see. I... have my reasons for bringing you here, you and you alone, specifically. Along with your voices, of course! Not simple for a chat after all, though it is a nice and pleasant way to spend some time. After we have some tea... I shall get straight unto business.” And the witch boiled some herbal tea and shared some with Madeline who found it somewhat minty in its' taste, and sweet. She liked the taste of it, and thanked Mother Yaga for sharing it with her. That did make the older woman smile, and after some simpler talk... the witch got around to what she had to say.
“Your mother is not fit to be your guardian, I fear.” the witch began, continuing: “She is cold, cruel to you more oft than not, and your life at home is filled with abuse at worst and neglectful rearing at best. Even if you have come to like your hair that way, it is wrong that you are not allowed the choice of thus growing it out if it pleased you to. You have that finery you wear, yet it is finery fit for a prince that due to you being born a girl... you would not be allowed to wear openly. I know that frustrates you, child! I know that your whole life frustrates you. You seek escape in your stories, and that is what at first had so caught my eye regarding you! Your imagination, your creativity, your potential for greater things than it seems you are being allotted in life. Dear... dear, Madeline... how would you like to be a boy, for real?”
The young girl thought deeply about it for a moment, then asked: “I would like that, very much, but I do not want to not be beautiful. As a boy, I want my face to be just like it is right now. And I don't want to grow all that hair on my body or face like men do... if at all possible, I would simply like to be a boy but a boy who has a girl's beauty to him and none of the things that I know I would not like about being of the masculine persuasion.” The witch smiled kindly, and said: “That is what I shall grant you, then. I know that, upon your return home however, your family will not like the changes that I will enact upon you. They will know you have been changed through magical means... and they will think you probably made a bargain with evil for it. At worst! At best, they will think you were swapped for a changeling by goblins or something similar. And they will likely involve the Church, and the Church will seek to after that destroy you utterly. After questioning you to learn how you came by your new form. They will call you a witch, or a devil's child, and to be honest they will kill you when all is said and done. And if you mention me, they will come after me in turn, and I cannot have that. I must think of some clever means by which you can gain control of your new life without having all of that befall you. But let us swiftly be getting on with your transformation, first! We can worry, about how to deal with your family, after.”
And Mother Yaga gave Madeline another tea to drink, but this one tasted sweeter than previous and it made her fall into a deep and dreamless slumber that lasted for many long, long hours. There was pain, in that dreamless state, and flashes of it were intense beyond imagining. Never, had the young child, in all her days, experienced such intense and sharp pain. It was as if her body was being altered, but that in the act of that alteration the cause of her agony was made manifest. But the pain passed, and the black, dreamless oblivion she was immersed in claimed her at the last. When at last she did awaken, Madeline sat up in the bed she laid upon and noticed that her chest was bandaged. She was bandaged between her legs too, and both her chest and down there hurt a great deal. She went to speak... but her voice was too weak for her to make any sense when she tried to say anything at all. She was groggy, felt faint, and all about her may as well have been spinning, a bit... with spinning subsiding, as the world came fully into focus. Mother Yaga stood over hear and eased her back down, saying to Madeline: “No! Do not get up, not just yet... you have to rest, take things easy. The operation was the hardest part, but recovery will be a long time coming and you cannot rush it. Go back to sleep for a while if you can, and rest until I bring you your supper. I cannot say how long you will be like this for, in this state, for recovery can take a bit longer for everybody, but in your case with your spirit I suspect it will not take too long. We will need to be taking it day by day... and, that in turn will give me time to think, to plan, and to know what to say in regard to your family, back home. There are, certain... medications... you will have to take now, but not as much as I would normally give in these cases since you don't want to grow hair on your body or face. And, you will need to take these medications for the rest of your life. But that means I will not be able to live far away from you any longer, since you will need me to administer them to you. I need also to consider that side of things! Normally, I delegate an apprentice to take on that task, and I have them live with the person to make things easier. But right now, I have no apprentice so we will have to figure out the best course of action to take. In any case, we need to get you fully recovered first, and that could take weeks... or even months... given the sorry state of medicine, and surgery, in these backward times. A good bloody thing I brought as much as I did from the future! Else this never would have worked at all, or even been possible.” and the woman's voice was speaking with a different accent than before, an accent not from this part of the world, but one that Madeline vaguely recognized as actually belonging to the upper classes of the distant country of England. Only, it was different somewhat in certain ways. As if it was an evolution of the language rather than a present form of it. The witch relaxed a bit once she saw her patient lay back down, and Madeline heard the woman declare after that: “Months! Good heavens, if that turns out to be case the child's family will send out search parties for her. I must think!”
It was indeed many months later, and after that the boy who had been Madeline and who was now for all time afterwards known as Madison was fully recovered from the advanced surgical operation that in full made him a boy. His female breasts had been removed... and there were scars to show this had been done; and between his legs was now male genitalia rather than female. Every three weeks, sometimes a bit longer than that as needed, Mother Yaga would inject... using a syringe the likes of which was not at all common to that long-ago time period... some sort of fluid into the boy, which kept him feeling more like a boy and less like a girl as time went on. The needles would be either sterilized or replaced, and it was explained that this would be the way of it for Madison going forward in life. One day, the witch did explain very carefully to the boy the following: “I used to be a doctor, back in my own time, you know. A physician... a healer. I excelled in my various fields, did great at my practice, was gifted in the realm of science, genetics, hormones, and of course surgery. If you knew half of the things I've done, I know you would probably call it magic. Probably dark magic in some cases. But it is all science, which is to say it is the way of the natural world and the universe we live in. A lot of things I say to you, I know it to be that you find it strange. That is okay! It is... alright, I suppose. I am going to be your doctor, from now on. Your personal physician, your highness! And I have decided what to do about your family. By this time, they should have sent out people looking for you, but they have not. I let my wisp go have a look, and it appears that no further visitors are forthcoming. I do know where you live... I should, given I made a bit of a study of you after all... and I had my wisp peek about there at your home. No one even so much as is missing you, and they seem to have declared you dead, and set about mourning you as a dead person. Horrible, I know, but there we have it! In regards to my wisp, I think it is time you got to meet it in person, up close, so you can see what it actually is. Oh, wisp! Come on over, be not too shy.”
The orb of light flew in from outside the hut, landing on a table next to the great table by the hearth, a small end table. The orb was made of metal, like the armor worn by knights and soldiers. It had round, glowing, window-like panels all over it and these emitted the glowing light. A lens was on the front of the orb, a camera lens as many such tiny drones had back in Mother Yaga's native time. Which... to the eyes of Madison... simply looked like a strange sort of eye. Like the eye of a fish, perhaps. The orb did make all manner of clicking, whirring, and humming noises as machines like that often can and do. On such a close inspection of it, Madison exclaimed: “Whatever is it... it looks like a living thing, but yet... not like any sort of a living thing, at all!” To which, the doctor whom many mistook for a witch said in response: “Another thing I excelled in was robotics. I created this from metal, glass, plastic, wires and microchips among other parts. I know you know what metal and glass are. The rest... just consider them to be like that, components from which a skilled craftsman or craftswoman can build things. It is about as artificial as a knight's armor or sword. It is not alive at all, but it can respond to commands and it can be used to spy on people. It relays information, to a small portable computer I have, which is easiest to describe to you as being like a storing device for knowledge of... various sorts. Textual knowledge, as well as visual knowledge such as pictures or videos. Videos being moving pictures of real people. So, I use things like my drone which I call my wisp... and my computer... in order to basically, um let me see here, do magic and magical things to help others and to make my own life easier. Do you understand?”
Madison did not, and said as much... which made Mother Yaga slap her face with her palm a bit, and sigh audibly. But otherwise, she was not overly irritated, though she did miss her own time a great deal. She did not know, when the time vortex would open next. Whenever the scientists conducting this time travel experiment decided to end the whole thing, she supposed. It could be many years from now, and in the meantime one could only cope as best as one was able to. “Right!” Mother Yaga exclaimed, after which she stated: “So, the situation with your family means we need to decide a bit about your future.”
He should never, have listened to the voices. They told the boy... Madison... that it would be alright to go home, to introduce his family to his new friend Mother Yaga who was a skilled healer and worker of miracles. He even had a plan, and he went through with it! He introduced himself as their long-lost and presumed dead child Madeline, and said that he journeyed to an abandoned chapel in the distant woods, in the forest lands beyond the mountains and the foothills. There, he claimed... he chanced upon an old, ruined chapel where he prayed to God to transform him into a boy because he could bear being a girl no longer. God sent an angel unto him, and the angel transformed him. On the way back, he fell sick... and he passed out. On waking up, he was being tended by Mother Yaga, who nursed him back to health. So great a job did she do, that he promised her that she could be his personal physician forever afterwards. His family thought that he was lying, and wished to see the proof that he was not simply dressing up as a boy like he used to. His mother, in particular, was furious after having come to believe her daughter to be dead all this time... only to now learn that things were quite different than that. She was as severe, as cold, and as unfeeling as ever. She looked like an adult version of how the boy had looked as Madeline, only the cold woman had long flowing hair that was allowed to grow free and be styled however it was that the noblewoman wished. She wore a long black gown, for the family was still making something of a show of being in mourning for Madeline's “death”. And her voice was without warmth, compassion, or any manner of understanding. She glared at her child, and said to him: “Madeline, I do not doubt you are who you claim to be! Your face is that of my daughter's and you are dressed just as she always took a fancy to dressing when pretending to be a boy for her ridiculous excursions outside the house. But it is simply impossible for me to believe that you are not merely playing and lying to me in order to cover having been gone for so many months. Likely, you were up to some mischief or another and this lady... this stranger you bring into our house... is your accomplice in the matter. But as stated, if you could but prove that your tale is true, then all would be forgiven and understood. And, I will have lost a daughter only to gain a son! So it would be no loss at all, for my daughter was too willful and headstrong, and at times idiotic to be a true lady when she grew up anyway. In a son, all those traits can be at least rather... excusable. So please... let us see proof of your transformation.” As per his mother's command, the boy then pulled down his pants to his knees... and took his manhood out form his undergarments for all to see and behold. His mother strode forward and touched it, checking his whole genital area, only to very suddenly exclaim: “Well! He certainly has a nice pair of balls and a fine shaft of manhood to be sure. I daresay that is more than my daughter ever had going for her. But... do you still have breasts Madeline? Or... Madison, as you likely are calling yourself now full time! Let me see.” The severe woman then did put her hands down her child's blouse, and felt for the breasts she was expecting would be there. When she withdrew her hands, she exclaimed: “It seems he is telling the truth! This boy is as if he had never been a girl at all. Only God can make a miracle such as this. If this were some devil's work, the child I daresay would be misshapen or deformed in some way. Aside form some scars, likely incurred during the boy's adventures in the wilderness... the child is perfect in every way.” The severe, but seemingly appeased, mother than walked up to Mother Yaga and asked her: “Are you, madame, an agent of God? You are not some servant of darkness come to test us, I trust.” to which the lady physician answered in a respectful fashion: “I am no servant of darkness, lady. Else I would not have been on my own way to that chapel to pray, when I found your child not far from it... though far enough... and in no state to be traveling, due to illness. Illness born from being I know not how long in the wilderness and likely sick from being exposed to the elements for such a great span of time. It took months for the child to make a full recovery, and I thought he would perish many times whilst he was in my care. I promise to be only a goodly physician for your child, and will continue to serve him well for the remainder of my days if it pleases God that I should be allowed to. When my time draws nigh, I plan to impart my techniques to an apprentice by then, who will continue to serve your house in my stead. Surely, I can do much good!”
This was not the plan that Mother Yaga had in mind, but it was a sound one seemingly, and she had a feeling that perhaps all could be pulled off after all, without any trouble coming from it. She waited, as the boy arranged his clothes decently again so that his body was no longer exposed. It felt as if the cold and nasty seeming mother was drawing out the suspense just to make everyone nervous. At length, the mother sat herself down a the head of the dining table in the great hall of the family mansion, where all this was taking place, and she said without a trace of emotion: “Mother Yaga... is it a coincidence then, that your name is the same as that of a known witch, one from various tales form the north? A witch, as I hear tell of it, who flies about with the aid of a magical mortar and pestle, and who makes her home in a hut that lies beyond a fence made from bones. Always in the woods, according to the tales! Had it so been that my son had told me any other healer by any other name had tended him... then I would not be cross over the matter. But the moment he told me your name, I was alarmed! Even if I seem calm right now, I feel as if I stand before the Devil himself. Was it you, who transformed my son and not an angel after all? Did you make my son believe that you were an angel, only to take on your present form so as to ingratiate yourself with him and thence infiltrate my Christian home in order to corrupt us all! Don't try to deny it, I am not stupid. Speak! And know that you will not prevail with further deceptions here.”
Mother Yaga was not the first person in all of history to take on the name, appearance, and mantle of the legendary witch who bore that name. She was not the first, and would not be the last either. That is why she wanted to train a new apprentice so badly, but she needed more time... and time was running a bit precariously for her at the moment. She said, still respectfully: “Listen, lady, a name is just that. It is only a name. Probably, somewhere on my grandmother's side... I could very well be related to the witch you are talking about. She is an old woman in all the legends, is she not? For all I know... I never really knew her much, my grandmother... she could well even have been her. But I am not her. I am a healer, a physician, and a holy woman. I often go on pilgrimages to holy sites, because they are very peaceful to visit, and sometimes when I am there I even have blessed visions.” On hearing this, it piqued more than a bit of curiosity in Madison's mother... who then, asked of the healer woman: “Visions, you say! What sort of visions, if I might ask? Surely, if you are indeed not in league with darkness it should be easy to tell us what it is that God in all his grace and glory saw fit to show you.” Mother Yaga had a plan... and it was a desperate and insane plan... but, it could work. It had to! She explained to Madison's mother, in a serene sounding, almost at times ecstatic tone and manner: “Lady, such sights as I have been blessed to have beheld! You would not believe me unless I showed you. Remember the Biblical story of angels that take the form of wheels, that were seen by certain prophets? Well, sometimes they can take on the shape of orbs of light also, and one such angel came to me in a blessed vision one time. It told me that I could call upon it whenever I so wished to, and that it would come to me and sing God's praises for me to hear. Shall I pray to God right now... and ask him to send the angel to my side so you may meet it in person and behold its' heavenly glory and hear it sing?” She would call for the wisp... which at present was outside the mansion with its' light turned off so nobody would notice it hiding in the bushes of the front yard. There was an implant in the palm of her left hand that when pressed in a certain way would allow the wisp to be summoned without having to literally vocally call for it. With any luck, it could be used to create a convincing celestial being. Madison's mother said, earnestly: “Yes, by all means do be so good as to manifest this angel for us, if you would be so kind as to do so! If it is a devil of some sort, it should be easy to tell since they are said to be horned and hideous beasts.” Oh... this would be all too easy! And Mother Yaga said calmly: “I will do as you ask, lady.” and she began to pray in Latin, and as she prayed she folded her hands, pressing the button on the palm of the one hand... with the palm of her other hand in just the right way so that the wisp was signaled. The drone would be here any minute, and when it arrived, that is when the fun would begin. She kept praying, making a convincing show of this.
The metal orb then floated into the room, and activated its' light which is what it was programmed to do if it was called in this way. Everyone in the dining hall gasped at the sight, and Mother Yaga called out at the top of her lungs: “Wisp! Play Handel's Hallelujah! Right now.” And the drone, which was so equipped with a music playback device with access to a vast library of songs and symphonies, did as it was commanded to. It had speakers behind some of its' screens, and those speakers belted out the song that it retrieved from its' database. That database in turn had a copy that was on Mother Yaga's portable computer, which she had with her at present in a large sack that she had laid at her feet. “Wisp! Change colors, use rainbow pattern. Mix with strobe effects.” The physician from the future commanded, and as she did so, the orb obeyed. The resulting colorful and powerful display convinced everyone present that this indeed was a heavenly angel sent by God almighty. Everyone present except for Madison fell to their knees and covered their faces, believing themselves unworthy of looking upon such glory. But somehow, being childlike as he was... Madison was able to see the beauty, the magic, and the wonder in all of this and rather than feel frightened he felt elated. This, was truly magical beyond all measure! As this spectacle went on, a swirling vortex of light and energy opened up a good ways behind Mother Yaga herself... that was the time vortex that was being opened from the future. Her fellow scientists at last saw fit to bring her home, and had likely used the implant in her hand to track her exactly location. She could go, she could just step through the time vortex and be home in a moment. But, if she did that then what would happen to Madison? That boy did not belong in this backward time! His family would never treat him right... and besides, Mother Yaga always wanted to have a son of her own anyway. She called over to Madison, saying: “Hey, Madison! Let us go home... together. It is just through that light, right behind me. It is a door... all we have to do is walk through it. You coming, or staying?” And all of a sudden... Madison was bounding straight for the vortex, replying: “I cannot wait to see your time, that time in the future, that you were telling me about! I hope they like me there. Is this the greatest magical adventure of all time, or what?” The boy halted at the vortex's outermost threshold, just long enough to wait for Mother Yaga to grab the sack containing her computer and call for her wisp to follow her. All at once, the pair and the metal drone passed through the vortex, which closed behind them. After that, Madison never saw his biological mother again. He had a new mother now, and a brighter future by far.
The psychiatrist glanced at Madison after listening to the boy's story, and then glanced over at the tall woman who had been declared the boy's legal guardian. The psychiatrist then stated: “It was hard, I am sure, for the boy to cope with all the abuse and neglect his parents put him through, at home. It is good, that he confided in us what was going on there so we could put him into state care for a while, before it was possible to find him a foster home. Just like, it was good of you, doctor, to grant his request for full gender transition from female to male. His family never would have allowed him to, but once he was in state care the decision was yours, whether to go through with it or not. He seems happy you did this for him though, so that is wonderful in my book. Looks like he was trying to come out for years, but every time his mother stopped him. Didn't want to lose her 'daughter' I suppose. Well, she lost her child in the end, didn't she! Selfish woman all the way around. She put religion, before the child's happiness.” The doctor smiled, and looked over at Madison. At once, doctor Yaroslava said to the state psychiatrist, in her perfectly upper class English accented voice... which was a product of what felt like a lifetime spent in England, after having renounced her Russian citizenship decades prior, all of that having been before moving to the United States of America which was now her home and where she was about to begin a brand new chapter of her life with Madison: “I am delighted to have been of help! As you can see... the boy still believes that his life with his mother and family took place in another time. But schizophrenia is easily treatable with the right medications, and plenty of love... and time. All of which, I plan to give to him, as his mother. The mother he always should have had.” In her house, Madison would be happy.
She was not quite beautiful as people think of when they consider classical standards of beauty. Many called her plain, but even so she tried to see the beauty in others, and in the world around her. Even, as she stood in this forsaken place, she tried to notice the wild beauty of it. It was the northern slopes of a mountain range that rose up beyond the dark pine forests of her homeland. Few came here, and not one who did was unchanged by the experience. She felt tired, weary from the long walk out to this place. As she gazed downward from the height on which she stood, it seemed that the foothills were like children of the mountains... miniature mountains in a sense... with features as rugged as their mighty parents. All around them were thick woodlands, and all was deep, dark green with the gray of rock here and there. It was a wild place, a forsaken place indeed. Within the woods could occasionally be seen the smoke that betrayed the location of a cottage or a hut, the homes or hermits and wild men. Or wild women. Many were the tales of witches said to dwell in such residences. To she who looked down upon all of this, it seemed that those places represented the truth behind childhood stories, cautionary fairy tales meant to keep children from going where they were not supposed to and running afoul of darker things. Great as it was, the forested regions below still frightened her. The burgomasters of the region kept their grand dwellings far from places such as this, and help to anyone imperiled here would be long in coming. The young girl who stood there on this day, contemplating all of these things, felt a sudden surge of fear. It was far from the pastures, fields, and valleys of her home, far from her family's lands and holdings. Far from civilization, or at least the appearance of such. Yet, she never felt more at home in all of her life!
Her mother was the heiress of a noble house, but it seemed that any joy the young girl felt over being herself born into a life of wealth and ease was joy difficult to keep alive within her breast. Her mother, kind as she could be, kept to herself much of the time and was aloof... perhaps cold... leaving the proper raising of her daughter to servants and advisors that were not related by blood to the family. This, as it was, had not been the first time that young Madeline had run away for a bit in order to collect her wild thoughts and understand better her troubled heart. She always came back before nightfall each time, but in the meantime she would spend hours exploring all of the places shunned by her peers. The places as wild as her thoughts could at times be. Had she to glance out the window of her family's mansion, all as she could see for miles beyond it belonged to her mother and would one day belong to her. But even so, her heart was troubled, as was her mind, and the whispers she could occasionally hear called her to go on adventures such as this. Her mother feared she was mad, and tried to keep Madeline's condition as much a secret as she could from those outside the family. There was no name, in those days, for the sort of conditions that can cause a person to hear voices or behold visions of things not of this world. It was sad for Madeline to realize she was considered by some to be an embarrassment to her blood, but that was how people typically made her feel. Very few of the servants were kind to her, and all of her tutors could be quite severe. She looked to fairy tale books for comfort, finding in them children like her who experienced magical things. For that is what these things she experienced were to her... magical. Not at all terrifying or awful. So why should that be wrong then? She wondered. How was her family even a proper family to her at all! She was lonely, troubled, and right now she was loathe to return home. It did seem that there were many hours yet before dusk. It was mid autumn, and there was early snow in all of the heights of the rough mountain peaks. The first frost, as such, had not descended upon the farmlands yet though. The sun was golden in the present hour, and everything looked straight out of a fairy tale. It was not hard to see why the young adult, but childlike, Madeline would find this place so enchanting to spend time at. Her ebony hair, cropped like a boy's due to a punishment meant to teach her discipline... felt the gentle breeze blowing through it. It was a gentle, mild autumn at least on that day. Odd for the part of the present month that is was right now. Odd, but not unheard of. The breeze felt very pleasant.
Her large, pale blue eyes that were unlike anyone else in her family... whether related to her distantly or immediately... saw only the magic in this place, and nothing of peril. Because the day was so warm, unseasonably so, she wore a delicate cloth cape over her garments rather than a warm cloak. The quick and sudden breeze, though gentle, blew the cape about her for a moment before subsiding. Summer had ended, bringing the present season to the fore, and with it the old Pagan celebrations of Samhain that in some parts of the land were still celebrated. In the wild places, where the influence of the Church was a lot slower to reach. She felt more alone than ever just then... without a friend in the world, nor anyone who understood her, save for her voices. Whatever the source of them! She believed they were spirits, and that those spirits were her friends. One of them suddenly began to whisper to her, saying: “It is nice here, is it not? Better than the tutors' classrooms where only beatings and chastisements awaited. Why not have a look further than you have ever gone before, Madeline! Make your mother worry, this time. Maybe that will make her love you, instead of seeing you as a burden to her. Yes! That is just the way.” And Madeline smiled, the plump lips of her mouth drawn into a sudden mischievous grin that lent her cherubic face an impish quality whenever such a grin played upon it. Cherubic her face was, but still it was made plain to her that she was not quite, not exactly, beautiful. Such was repeated to her often, and it was ingrained in her mind. “I don't want to be beautiful anyway! Too much of a bother, if you ask me. I want to be happy is all. And happiness doesn't come from beauty, it comes from... I don't know. From someplace. Someplace I have to find, someday.” She said to herself out loud, talking to the voices that always listened, always cared, and were always there for her no matter what. The voices were silent, so the young girl fell silent too. Then, she decided to begin moving down into the foothills, along paths as perhaps only hunters and animals used frequently, noticing something off in the distance that caught her attention and made her realize that there might be something truly magical about this place after all, just like in all the stories that she loved. Such things, when they seized her attention, dominated her thought.
She was dressed in boy's clothes for this excursion... a pair of soft, silky knee-length pantaloons with an elegant design woven upon them, tucked into a pair of walking boots of the softest, highest quality money could afford. Tucked into her pants was a silk blouse with very puffy long sleeves. Both blouse and pants were scarlet in color, the boots were a deep shade of brown that in certain lighting appeared almost black. About her waist was a black sash belt tied at her side with a nice bow that was functional and pretty. She was thirteen years old, which in her homeland made it that she was of legal age, and she had a slender body with small breasts. Sometimes, she could bind her breasts with cloth tied around her chest and pass as a boy, but today she felt no desire to do that. She only did that, if she expected to meet people on her excursions and did not want them to know who she truly was. Half the time, her hair was kept short, due to her misbehaving so much... so she felt more at ease being taken for a boy in any case. And, she looked nothing any longer like all the ridiculously idealized paintings of her, which still even now depicted her in long, flowing gowns and with long, wavy tresses of hair. Not in the short pageboy style it was kept in most of the time these days. She did not look like a girl of noble blood, she looked at present like some beautiful prince of far greater worth than any petty nobility. For, ironically as a boy she would have been called not plain but exceptionally beautiful indeed. Why, she wondered, were they so much harder on girls when it came to standards of beauty? When she traveled about as a boy, she oft called herself not Madeline but Madison. However, today she was simply Madeline, no matter how it was she was dressed. She preferred boy's clothes, but still wanted to be a girl whenever it suited her to. Her attention was focused on what she thought she saw a good bit of a way off. Was it a fairy? It was, honestly, not at all like fireflies in any meaningful sense. It was too big, and too bright to be an insect of any kind. It was an orb, a glowing orb... like a shrunken moon come earthward. She decided that she, in truth, just simply had to investigate this to discover this wonder for herself and learn what it really was.
She followed the wisp's silvery light, and it moved this way and that... leading her deeper and deeper into the woods. She had left the foothills behind her by a great distance, and had lost track of time. On she walked, and day became night as the golden afternoon sun was replaced in the heavens by the light of a full moon. Her voices kept her company, their whispers attempting to comfort her as Madeline did begin to feel a certain sense of dread creep into her heart. “What if this is an evil spirit?” she mused, but had no time to consider what she might do even if it was. It could just as well be an angel! And she had to know... she had to know. Curiosity was all, to her. Her teachers despised it in her, yet it was all part of her imagination and the power it held over her very spirit. Soon, the wisp of light led her to a part of the woods where there was a high fence that had a peculiar bleached white quality to it from a distance. As the young girl drew closer, she saw that the fence was made from bleached bones. The bones of very large animals... yet every several feet there was a wooden post driven into the ground atop which was a human skull. These posts linked the segments of the fence, and whatever lay beyond it is where the odd wisp of light was guiding Madeline to venture. She should have been frightened, but the fairy tales she was fond of had prepared her for sights such as this! She imagined something amazing, must surely be just beyond that fence. Else, why would whoever constructed it wish to keep people away? And so, she began to search for wherever the fence's gate must be. Either to the right or to the left of where she was now. If this was supposed to be a fence, there had to be either a gate, or an opening in it, after all. So it was that she decided to choose the left direction first, and she circled about the outer circumference of the fence of bones... which appeared to have been erected in as close to a circle as could be managed... as she looked about for any break in it whatsoever. The moon was so bright, that it made it easy to see what she was doing, and Madeline was grateful for that. Soon, she did indeed reach an opening, a break in the fence. No gate was there, but just a vacant space. As soon as she crossed the threshold of it, one of the skulls on the posts to either side of the opening cried out: “Young girl! Or boy with breasts, as it may well be for all we know... what do you think you are doing trespassing here?” Madeline gasped as the skull spoke thus, and she replied to it as follows: “Oh mister skull, for I hear by your voice that you are clearly a man... or were when you still lived and were not just a skull... I mean no offense by going through this opening. Neither to you, nor to whoever built this fence... but a bright orb of light led me hither, and I long to follow it and see where it leads me. However, it flew beyond this fence and being not able to fly myself I had to find a way to walk past this barrier. I will go back, if you prefer, though.”
The skull then exclaimed: “No need to go back, since you were led hither! The orb is known to us, so you should follow where it leads you. Had it been otherwise, I would have said for you to go away. But as it stands, you are a welcome guest. Be not afraid! As the angels say. But you will find none, here.” In saying that ominous statement, the skull spoke no more and Madeline passed beyond the fence without any further setbacks. The orb's light shone in the distance, and the young girl was keen to follow it and find out what awaited her in the center of this strange fenced-in area of these woodlands. The trees all about were dark and appeared misshapen, with claw-like branches bereft of their brightly colored fallen autumn leaves. The hooting of an owl resounded through the upper branches, echoing through the deep places of the forest, and chilling Madeline a bit with its' mournful call. For it seemed sad, to her. And in turn, this reminded her of her own sadness, her own loneliness and inability to either fit in with any of her peers or please her mother in any way. “Oh, mister owl! Or missus, or miss as it may be... I wonder if you have known loneliness like my own? But surely even in the animal world, family is not as cruel or as cold as my own is.” To which the owl replied, in the girl's own language: “Nature, is red in tooth, claw, beak and talons. Nature is cruel, more often than not! Such is the nature of mankind, as well, even when people convince themselves that they are civilized. Little better than beasts, most can be, and I do pray that a girl as innocent as you never need to learn the full horrors of that very sort of savage reality.”
The owl then fell silent and said no more save for the occasional hoot, as Madeline followed the wisp of light once more, whilst it led her to the center of the encircling fence of bones, where the shadows of the autumn night lay thickest. A mist there was in that center, so thick that it was like a heavy fog only in one place... as if a cloud had descended and been forced to remain, never dissipating as clouds are of a want to do typically. Within the fog, was a wooden hut with a thatched roof, built a bit off the ground and supported by stilt-like wooden pillars driven deep into the earth. A series of wooden steps led up to the hut's door, made of old oak and showing signs of being timeworn, as was the hut itself. But the look of the thatch was clean, and there was no dust or webbing about the structure... smoke rose up, from the hut's stone chimney, and so somebody had to be living here. Someone had to be at home. Madeline was determined as ever, and so she knocked upon the door politely and waited for a reply from within. After a bit, the door opened of its' own accord. The young girl called in, inquiring: “Hello! Is someone home, after all... and, if so, is it alright if I come in for a visit? There is only me, me and my voices. But, they hardly count as a proper person, as such.” A woman's voice called out in response from within the hut: “Oh, a young girl comes to visit me! A curious one, I would wager. And if my wisp tells me aright, you are lonely as well. How could I refuse such a guest? It would not be right if I did. So come in, and make yourself as home. I get so few visitors in my solitude, that it is goodly to receive you on this occasion.”
Within the hut there was a spartan living space, filled where filled it was, with alchemy's various odd apparatuses and all the flasks, beakers, contains and herbs, ingredients, and mixtures that such an art is known for. Books there were on shelves on the walls, tomes perilous to open, read, or even look upon. Stick figures, made from sticks and twigs, hung from the rafters in places, and a raven sat within a cage on a table near a window, letting forth the harsh cry that raven's make. It looked to be the hut of a witch or a sorceress of some other sort. Like something out of one of Madeline's favorite fairy tales. But the witch, in this case, was a beautiful middle-aged woman with a kindly manner to her. She was quite tall, the woman was, and practically towered over the much smaller young girl who greeted her as she came into her hut anxiously, perhaps a bit nervously as well. The woman... for it felt wrong to call her a witch without knowing if she was one after all or not... she may as well have been a healer, after all; she had a warmth to her manner that was wonderful to notice. Tall was she, and with blonde hair so pale that one may as well have mistook it for being a silvery white. Had it turned this prematurely? Likely. The eyes of the middle-aged woman were bright green, her features kindly, her mouth smiling. She was dressed in a white and red peasant gown. White with reddish floral designs. The finest that many peasants could oft afford to either make or purchase for themselves. The sleeves of the gown were long and full, and about the woman's waist was a wide cloth belt with rich embroidery and tassels that hung from it. The woman was barefoot, and wore a silver necklace from which hung a triangular pendant with a small... but brightly sparkling... green emerald set within the center of it as if the emerald were an eye. The tall woman was big boned, and her body curvy. She had an earthy quality to her, as well as a certain hard to discern otherworldly aspect. The woman was friendly, and bid Madeline to sit at her table that lay just before the hearth. Madeline did so, and asked the woman: “I do not wish to sound impolite, but lady am I right in thinking that you are a witch? Not an evil witch, but a good one!” The woman then laughed a bit out loud before answering, saying: “Oh, dear... dear girl! Yes, I am indeed a witch of sorts. And no, I am not evil though some say that I am and fear me as if I were darkness itself. If I were evil, then would I not eat you... rather than have you for my guest? As in all those stories about witches that children are fond of reading or having be told to them before bedtime! But, rest assured, I will not be eating you at all. Nor, feeding you to my pet ravens, either. That is not a fate I bestow upon guests. I reserve that for thieves and worse, who learn swiftly that I am not to be trifled with or driven to anger. I doubt that you could ever anger me, child. My wisp would not have led you hither, if you were of such baser quality.”
Madeline smiled and clapped her hands, before exclaiming: “Oh joy! I finally am getting to meet a real, honest to goodness good witch. This is wonderful! Lady, what is your name? Mine is Madeline.” The witch then said to the young girl: “Pleased to meet you, Madeline! Or, Madison as you sometimes prefer to be called when off on your grand adventures. Whichever, pleases you to be called the most?” And Madeline said that Madeline would do for today. The witch then said: “Very well, then! My name, is Mother Yaga and I originally hail from the cold lands far to the north of these, beyond mountains and streams that your eyes have never beheld in your young lifetime. The waters of those streams are cold, so cold they turn to ice in places sometimes! And on some of those mountains, witches of a darker sort are known to gather, once a year, for their celebrations. This very time of year, in fact. You are lucky to have met me in these woods, and not one of them... lest you would have been spirited away to some far and distant peak, there to be sacrificed to a god whose name I will not utter in your presence. For to do so, would fill you with dread even if you knew not the significance of the name. But my wisp led you to me, and you had the sense to follow it. That much, is good.” Madeline was shocked to hear that Mother Yaga knew of her boy persona, and she said to the kindly witch: “Mother Yaga, however did you know, or learn, of my excursions in the guise of Madison? I keep those a secret for nearly all, yet your eyes is I would imagine keener than theirs. Even so, this is shocking to me!” The witch then answered in a way that was, as should have been expected, quite mysterious: “Shocking as a fork of lightning is to a tree, I would imagine. But is lightning not a part of nature? It falls where it is meant to, and all transpires as is by the will of powers beyond mortal comprehension. Such powers as give me certain knowledge, and it is best for you not to inquire of them further. Some things... we must simply accept and leave it at that.”
That was enough for Madeline, and she smiled broadly as she asked: “So... why guide me here at all? Surely not just for an idle visit! Even I am not that lonely, that I would send a magical spirit to fetch me a friend.” Mother Yaga chuckled, then stated: “And yet! You have your voices... do you not? That your mind sends for whenever you have need of them. How different is that, then?” And the young girl gave as best an answer as she could, explaining: “It is extremely different! Sometimes, they come when I do not want them to, and say things to me that a friend would, or should, not. They are not always a thing I find welcome, and if they were people I would not want them for guests. They stay long past when they are welcome to, and leave too soon when I long for them to stay.” The witch seemed pleased with that answer, and said in response to it: “Well said, child! Well put indeed. No, I suppose it is not like that in this case then. For I am not that random in my doings, unlike those voices. Those... spirits, we shall call them... that you are able to hear and sometimes see. I... have my reasons for bringing you here, you and you alone, specifically. Along with your voices, of course! Not simple for a chat after all, though it is a nice and pleasant way to spend some time. After we have some tea... I shall get straight unto business.” And the witch boiled some herbal tea and shared some with Madeline who found it somewhat minty in its' taste, and sweet. She liked the taste of it, and thanked Mother Yaga for sharing it with her. That did make the older woman smile, and after some simpler talk... the witch got around to what she had to say.
“Your mother is not fit to be your guardian, I fear.” the witch began, continuing: “She is cold, cruel to you more oft than not, and your life at home is filled with abuse at worst and neglectful rearing at best. Even if you have come to like your hair that way, it is wrong that you are not allowed the choice of thus growing it out if it pleased you to. You have that finery you wear, yet it is finery fit for a prince that due to you being born a girl... you would not be allowed to wear openly. I know that frustrates you, child! I know that your whole life frustrates you. You seek escape in your stories, and that is what at first had so caught my eye regarding you! Your imagination, your creativity, your potential for greater things than it seems you are being allotted in life. Dear... dear, Madeline... how would you like to be a boy, for real?”
The young girl thought deeply about it for a moment, then asked: “I would like that, very much, but I do not want to not be beautiful. As a boy, I want my face to be just like it is right now. And I don't want to grow all that hair on my body or face like men do... if at all possible, I would simply like to be a boy but a boy who has a girl's beauty to him and none of the things that I know I would not like about being of the masculine persuasion.” The witch smiled kindly, and said: “That is what I shall grant you, then. I know that, upon your return home however, your family will not like the changes that I will enact upon you. They will know you have been changed through magical means... and they will think you probably made a bargain with evil for it. At worst! At best, they will think you were swapped for a changeling by goblins or something similar. And they will likely involve the Church, and the Church will seek to after that destroy you utterly. After questioning you to learn how you came by your new form. They will call you a witch, or a devil's child, and to be honest they will kill you when all is said and done. And if you mention me, they will come after me in turn, and I cannot have that. I must think of some clever means by which you can gain control of your new life without having all of that befall you. But let us swiftly be getting on with your transformation, first! We can worry, about how to deal with your family, after.”
And Mother Yaga gave Madeline another tea to drink, but this one tasted sweeter than previous and it made her fall into a deep and dreamless slumber that lasted for many long, long hours. There was pain, in that dreamless state, and flashes of it were intense beyond imagining. Never, had the young child, in all her days, experienced such intense and sharp pain. It was as if her body was being altered, but that in the act of that alteration the cause of her agony was made manifest. But the pain passed, and the black, dreamless oblivion she was immersed in claimed her at the last. When at last she did awaken, Madeline sat up in the bed she laid upon and noticed that her chest was bandaged. She was bandaged between her legs too, and both her chest and down there hurt a great deal. She went to speak... but her voice was too weak for her to make any sense when she tried to say anything at all. She was groggy, felt faint, and all about her may as well have been spinning, a bit... with spinning subsiding, as the world came fully into focus. Mother Yaga stood over hear and eased her back down, saying to Madeline: “No! Do not get up, not just yet... you have to rest, take things easy. The operation was the hardest part, but recovery will be a long time coming and you cannot rush it. Go back to sleep for a while if you can, and rest until I bring you your supper. I cannot say how long you will be like this for, in this state, for recovery can take a bit longer for everybody, but in your case with your spirit I suspect it will not take too long. We will need to be taking it day by day... and, that in turn will give me time to think, to plan, and to know what to say in regard to your family, back home. There are, certain... medications... you will have to take now, but not as much as I would normally give in these cases since you don't want to grow hair on your body or face. And, you will need to take these medications for the rest of your life. But that means I will not be able to live far away from you any longer, since you will need me to administer them to you. I need also to consider that side of things! Normally, I delegate an apprentice to take on that task, and I have them live with the person to make things easier. But right now, I have no apprentice so we will have to figure out the best course of action to take. In any case, we need to get you fully recovered first, and that could take weeks... or even months... given the sorry state of medicine, and surgery, in these backward times. A good bloody thing I brought as much as I did from the future! Else this never would have worked at all, or even been possible.” and the woman's voice was speaking with a different accent than before, an accent not from this part of the world, but one that Madeline vaguely recognized as actually belonging to the upper classes of the distant country of England. Only, it was different somewhat in certain ways. As if it was an evolution of the language rather than a present form of it. The witch relaxed a bit once she saw her patient lay back down, and Madeline heard the woman declare after that: “Months! Good heavens, if that turns out to be case the child's family will send out search parties for her. I must think!”
It was indeed many months later, and after that the boy who had been Madeline and who was now for all time afterwards known as Madison was fully recovered from the advanced surgical operation that in full made him a boy. His female breasts had been removed... and there were scars to show this had been done; and between his legs was now male genitalia rather than female. Every three weeks, sometimes a bit longer than that as needed, Mother Yaga would inject... using a syringe the likes of which was not at all common to that long-ago time period... some sort of fluid into the boy, which kept him feeling more like a boy and less like a girl as time went on. The needles would be either sterilized or replaced, and it was explained that this would be the way of it for Madison going forward in life. One day, the witch did explain very carefully to the boy the following: “I used to be a doctor, back in my own time, you know. A physician... a healer. I excelled in my various fields, did great at my practice, was gifted in the realm of science, genetics, hormones, and of course surgery. If you knew half of the things I've done, I know you would probably call it magic. Probably dark magic in some cases. But it is all science, which is to say it is the way of the natural world and the universe we live in. A lot of things I say to you, I know it to be that you find it strange. That is okay! It is... alright, I suppose. I am going to be your doctor, from now on. Your personal physician, your highness! And I have decided what to do about your family. By this time, they should have sent out people looking for you, but they have not. I let my wisp go have a look, and it appears that no further visitors are forthcoming. I do know where you live... I should, given I made a bit of a study of you after all... and I had my wisp peek about there at your home. No one even so much as is missing you, and they seem to have declared you dead, and set about mourning you as a dead person. Horrible, I know, but there we have it! In regards to my wisp, I think it is time you got to meet it in person, up close, so you can see what it actually is. Oh, wisp! Come on over, be not too shy.”
The orb of light flew in from outside the hut, landing on a table next to the great table by the hearth, a small end table. The orb was made of metal, like the armor worn by knights and soldiers. It had round, glowing, window-like panels all over it and these emitted the glowing light. A lens was on the front of the orb, a camera lens as many such tiny drones had back in Mother Yaga's native time. Which... to the eyes of Madison... simply looked like a strange sort of eye. Like the eye of a fish, perhaps. The orb did make all manner of clicking, whirring, and humming noises as machines like that often can and do. On such a close inspection of it, Madison exclaimed: “Whatever is it... it looks like a living thing, but yet... not like any sort of a living thing, at all!” To which, the doctor whom many mistook for a witch said in response: “Another thing I excelled in was robotics. I created this from metal, glass, plastic, wires and microchips among other parts. I know you know what metal and glass are. The rest... just consider them to be like that, components from which a skilled craftsman or craftswoman can build things. It is about as artificial as a knight's armor or sword. It is not alive at all, but it can respond to commands and it can be used to spy on people. It relays information, to a small portable computer I have, which is easiest to describe to you as being like a storing device for knowledge of... various sorts. Textual knowledge, as well as visual knowledge such as pictures or videos. Videos being moving pictures of real people. So, I use things like my drone which I call my wisp... and my computer... in order to basically, um let me see here, do magic and magical things to help others and to make my own life easier. Do you understand?”
Madison did not, and said as much... which made Mother Yaga slap her face with her palm a bit, and sigh audibly. But otherwise, she was not overly irritated, though she did miss her own time a great deal. She did not know, when the time vortex would open next. Whenever the scientists conducting this time travel experiment decided to end the whole thing, she supposed. It could be many years from now, and in the meantime one could only cope as best as one was able to. “Right!” Mother Yaga exclaimed, after which she stated: “So, the situation with your family means we need to decide a bit about your future.”
He should never, have listened to the voices. They told the boy... Madison... that it would be alright to go home, to introduce his family to his new friend Mother Yaga who was a skilled healer and worker of miracles. He even had a plan, and he went through with it! He introduced himself as their long-lost and presumed dead child Madeline, and said that he journeyed to an abandoned chapel in the distant woods, in the forest lands beyond the mountains and the foothills. There, he claimed... he chanced upon an old, ruined chapel where he prayed to God to transform him into a boy because he could bear being a girl no longer. God sent an angel unto him, and the angel transformed him. On the way back, he fell sick... and he passed out. On waking up, he was being tended by Mother Yaga, who nursed him back to health. So great a job did she do, that he promised her that she could be his personal physician forever afterwards. His family thought that he was lying, and wished to see the proof that he was not simply dressing up as a boy like he used to. His mother, in particular, was furious after having come to believe her daughter to be dead all this time... only to now learn that things were quite different than that. She was as severe, as cold, and as unfeeling as ever. She looked like an adult version of how the boy had looked as Madeline, only the cold woman had long flowing hair that was allowed to grow free and be styled however it was that the noblewoman wished. She wore a long black gown, for the family was still making something of a show of being in mourning for Madeline's “death”. And her voice was without warmth, compassion, or any manner of understanding. She glared at her child, and said to him: “Madeline, I do not doubt you are who you claim to be! Your face is that of my daughter's and you are dressed just as she always took a fancy to dressing when pretending to be a boy for her ridiculous excursions outside the house. But it is simply impossible for me to believe that you are not merely playing and lying to me in order to cover having been gone for so many months. Likely, you were up to some mischief or another and this lady... this stranger you bring into our house... is your accomplice in the matter. But as stated, if you could but prove that your tale is true, then all would be forgiven and understood. And, I will have lost a daughter only to gain a son! So it would be no loss at all, for my daughter was too willful and headstrong, and at times idiotic to be a true lady when she grew up anyway. In a son, all those traits can be at least rather... excusable. So please... let us see proof of your transformation.” As per his mother's command, the boy then pulled down his pants to his knees... and took his manhood out form his undergarments for all to see and behold. His mother strode forward and touched it, checking his whole genital area, only to very suddenly exclaim: “Well! He certainly has a nice pair of balls and a fine shaft of manhood to be sure. I daresay that is more than my daughter ever had going for her. But... do you still have breasts Madeline? Or... Madison, as you likely are calling yourself now full time! Let me see.” The severe woman then did put her hands down her child's blouse, and felt for the breasts she was expecting would be there. When she withdrew her hands, she exclaimed: “It seems he is telling the truth! This boy is as if he had never been a girl at all. Only God can make a miracle such as this. If this were some devil's work, the child I daresay would be misshapen or deformed in some way. Aside form some scars, likely incurred during the boy's adventures in the wilderness... the child is perfect in every way.” The severe, but seemingly appeased, mother than walked up to Mother Yaga and asked her: “Are you, madame, an agent of God? You are not some servant of darkness come to test us, I trust.” to which the lady physician answered in a respectful fashion: “I am no servant of darkness, lady. Else I would not have been on my own way to that chapel to pray, when I found your child not far from it... though far enough... and in no state to be traveling, due to illness. Illness born from being I know not how long in the wilderness and likely sick from being exposed to the elements for such a great span of time. It took months for the child to make a full recovery, and I thought he would perish many times whilst he was in my care. I promise to be only a goodly physician for your child, and will continue to serve him well for the remainder of my days if it pleases God that I should be allowed to. When my time draws nigh, I plan to impart my techniques to an apprentice by then, who will continue to serve your house in my stead. Surely, I can do much good!”
This was not the plan that Mother Yaga had in mind, but it was a sound one seemingly, and she had a feeling that perhaps all could be pulled off after all, without any trouble coming from it. She waited, as the boy arranged his clothes decently again so that his body was no longer exposed. It felt as if the cold and nasty seeming mother was drawing out the suspense just to make everyone nervous. At length, the mother sat herself down a the head of the dining table in the great hall of the family mansion, where all this was taking place, and she said without a trace of emotion: “Mother Yaga... is it a coincidence then, that your name is the same as that of a known witch, one from various tales form the north? A witch, as I hear tell of it, who flies about with the aid of a magical mortar and pestle, and who makes her home in a hut that lies beyond a fence made from bones. Always in the woods, according to the tales! Had it so been that my son had told me any other healer by any other name had tended him... then I would not be cross over the matter. But the moment he told me your name, I was alarmed! Even if I seem calm right now, I feel as if I stand before the Devil himself. Was it you, who transformed my son and not an angel after all? Did you make my son believe that you were an angel, only to take on your present form so as to ingratiate yourself with him and thence infiltrate my Christian home in order to corrupt us all! Don't try to deny it, I am not stupid. Speak! And know that you will not prevail with further deceptions here.”
Mother Yaga was not the first person in all of history to take on the name, appearance, and mantle of the legendary witch who bore that name. She was not the first, and would not be the last either. That is why she wanted to train a new apprentice so badly, but she needed more time... and time was running a bit precariously for her at the moment. She said, still respectfully: “Listen, lady, a name is just that. It is only a name. Probably, somewhere on my grandmother's side... I could very well be related to the witch you are talking about. She is an old woman in all the legends, is she not? For all I know... I never really knew her much, my grandmother... she could well even have been her. But I am not her. I am a healer, a physician, and a holy woman. I often go on pilgrimages to holy sites, because they are very peaceful to visit, and sometimes when I am there I even have blessed visions.” On hearing this, it piqued more than a bit of curiosity in Madison's mother... who then, asked of the healer woman: “Visions, you say! What sort of visions, if I might ask? Surely, if you are indeed not in league with darkness it should be easy to tell us what it is that God in all his grace and glory saw fit to show you.” Mother Yaga had a plan... and it was a desperate and insane plan... but, it could work. It had to! She explained to Madison's mother, in a serene sounding, almost at times ecstatic tone and manner: “Lady, such sights as I have been blessed to have beheld! You would not believe me unless I showed you. Remember the Biblical story of angels that take the form of wheels, that were seen by certain prophets? Well, sometimes they can take on the shape of orbs of light also, and one such angel came to me in a blessed vision one time. It told me that I could call upon it whenever I so wished to, and that it would come to me and sing God's praises for me to hear. Shall I pray to God right now... and ask him to send the angel to my side so you may meet it in person and behold its' heavenly glory and hear it sing?” She would call for the wisp... which at present was outside the mansion with its' light turned off so nobody would notice it hiding in the bushes of the front yard. There was an implant in the palm of her left hand that when pressed in a certain way would allow the wisp to be summoned without having to literally vocally call for it. With any luck, it could be used to create a convincing celestial being. Madison's mother said, earnestly: “Yes, by all means do be so good as to manifest this angel for us, if you would be so kind as to do so! If it is a devil of some sort, it should be easy to tell since they are said to be horned and hideous beasts.” Oh... this would be all too easy! And Mother Yaga said calmly: “I will do as you ask, lady.” and she began to pray in Latin, and as she prayed she folded her hands, pressing the button on the palm of the one hand... with the palm of her other hand in just the right way so that the wisp was signaled. The drone would be here any minute, and when it arrived, that is when the fun would begin. She kept praying, making a convincing show of this.
The metal orb then floated into the room, and activated its' light which is what it was programmed to do if it was called in this way. Everyone in the dining hall gasped at the sight, and Mother Yaga called out at the top of her lungs: “Wisp! Play Handel's Hallelujah! Right now.” And the drone, which was so equipped with a music playback device with access to a vast library of songs and symphonies, did as it was commanded to. It had speakers behind some of its' screens, and those speakers belted out the song that it retrieved from its' database. That database in turn had a copy that was on Mother Yaga's portable computer, which she had with her at present in a large sack that she had laid at her feet. “Wisp! Change colors, use rainbow pattern. Mix with strobe effects.” The physician from the future commanded, and as she did so, the orb obeyed. The resulting colorful and powerful display convinced everyone present that this indeed was a heavenly angel sent by God almighty. Everyone present except for Madison fell to their knees and covered their faces, believing themselves unworthy of looking upon such glory. But somehow, being childlike as he was... Madison was able to see the beauty, the magic, and the wonder in all of this and rather than feel frightened he felt elated. This, was truly magical beyond all measure! As this spectacle went on, a swirling vortex of light and energy opened up a good ways behind Mother Yaga herself... that was the time vortex that was being opened from the future. Her fellow scientists at last saw fit to bring her home, and had likely used the implant in her hand to track her exactly location. She could go, she could just step through the time vortex and be home in a moment. But, if she did that then what would happen to Madison? That boy did not belong in this backward time! His family would never treat him right... and besides, Mother Yaga always wanted to have a son of her own anyway. She called over to Madison, saying: “Hey, Madison! Let us go home... together. It is just through that light, right behind me. It is a door... all we have to do is walk through it. You coming, or staying?” And all of a sudden... Madison was bounding straight for the vortex, replying: “I cannot wait to see your time, that time in the future, that you were telling me about! I hope they like me there. Is this the greatest magical adventure of all time, or what?” The boy halted at the vortex's outermost threshold, just long enough to wait for Mother Yaga to grab the sack containing her computer and call for her wisp to follow her. All at once, the pair and the metal drone passed through the vortex, which closed behind them. After that, Madison never saw his biological mother again. He had a new mother now, and a brighter future by far.
The psychiatrist glanced at Madison after listening to the boy's story, and then glanced over at the tall woman who had been declared the boy's legal guardian. The psychiatrist then stated: “It was hard, I am sure, for the boy to cope with all the abuse and neglect his parents put him through, at home. It is good, that he confided in us what was going on there so we could put him into state care for a while, before it was possible to find him a foster home. Just like, it was good of you, doctor, to grant his request for full gender transition from female to male. His family never would have allowed him to, but once he was in state care the decision was yours, whether to go through with it or not. He seems happy you did this for him though, so that is wonderful in my book. Looks like he was trying to come out for years, but every time his mother stopped him. Didn't want to lose her 'daughter' I suppose. Well, she lost her child in the end, didn't she! Selfish woman all the way around. She put religion, before the child's happiness.” The doctor smiled, and looked over at Madison. At once, doctor Yaroslava said to the state psychiatrist, in her perfectly upper class English accented voice... which was a product of what felt like a lifetime spent in England, after having renounced her Russian citizenship decades prior, all of that having been before moving to the United States of America which was now her home and where she was about to begin a brand new chapter of her life with Madison: “I am delighted to have been of help! As you can see... the boy still believes that his life with his mother and family took place in another time. But schizophrenia is easily treatable with the right medications, and plenty of love... and time. All of which, I plan to give to him, as his mother. The mother he always should have had.” In her house, Madison would be happy.
Published 2nd May 2023
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29th May 2023 2:35am
Wow, this really delves into some deep psychological stuff! I love how there's that big twist at the very end that makes you realize the whole story was not quite what it seemed to be at first, which made the whole thing even deeper and more complex. Amazing work, babe! Writing at your best, as always.
Yeah, this was a very deep work, and one that I thought had a great twist that I slipped into the end of it. I am super happy you appreciated that, sweetie pie! I love coming up with twist endings, and when I first began to write this... believe it or not, even I was not sure how I was going to end it. But then I thought about everything going on in the story and all the things that it all could mean... and it hit me exactly what it all was building up to. After that, I knew exactly how I was going to end the story! Which made it a more complex work overall than it otherwise might have been. I always try to write my best, my love... and it delights me that you notice it. *Smiles* :)
