4. [new life]
Chapter 4
[new life]
I sucked in a deep breath.
That’s weird.
I didn’t breathe.
I was only vines and pumpkins with slight sentience, as wild magic would flow through me. More sensations coursed through me as I realized I was not just a pumpkin anymore. Wasn’t actually even sure what described the feelings and sensations rolling over me. The wind whispered against my skin. My eyes opened up and the stars above me twinkled. Skin. From this vantage point, the stars looked different. As a pumpkin, my level of sentience and knowledge was pretty much three-sixty around the pumpkin patch with chunks of knowledge that the wild could give me. This was not as I used to be. Exploring more of a sensation across my body. As I stretched my fingers and legs, I could feel the stiffness slowly dissipating. The sensations were completely novel and foreign to me. I sat up. Instead of the vines I was normally connected to, I had human legs and hands. I flexed my fingers in front of my eyes or eye sockets before looking to the side. More pulses of magic pulsed weakly from the woman that cared for the patch. That was interesting. As the magic floated around me, I waved my hands over her chest.
Vines called over her chest, and weak pulses of wild magic filled her cavity. It would take a few days for that to heal. Examining her head, the fresh blood from her head spread along the vines and dirt. Blood poured underneath her. That was sad. Another wave of my hand and more vines crawled around her head, making a makeshift bandage.. With another surge of untamed magic coursed through her, instantly halting the flow of blood. Another few days. Stumbling to my feet, I picked her up and took her to the house. I wasn’t exactly sure what I would find here because only the dead pumpkins have been in here. I admit someone with my knowledge base might be filled in by the wild magic. It’s everywhere and in everything. Whatever a stroke of luck happens somehow. I’m alive and now, with this witch, I will live.
It would be quite a few hours, so I will need to go do what she does throughout the day, which was selling some of the produce. I didn’t really need sleep, but I knew nothing about electronics other than the small tablet she used to take payments. Her words lingered in the air, and I found myself effortlessly mimicking her tone and cadence. I would take care of her and her home. Plus, with magic being particular around magic, I avoided staying inside for too long. Although her place had to be safe for magic because she was a witch. I couldn’t risk it. So I went outside and watched from her front step. I did not feel the need to sleep like the humans do.
Will I ever sleep? Is this permanent? I wasn’t entirely sure there was no one to ask. The only person who might know would be the witch, but she was gonna be indisposed for days. I know from the conversation she had had on the phone in the garden, she needed to do her jobs. She was really quite pretty, but very sad. I looked at my hands. Some of her blood and magic filled my soul. Is this how I was created?
This filled my days as I waited for the witch to rise again. I did my best to man her little vegetable stand. Luckily, I knew the code to our tablet and so far the wild magic didn’t short-circuit the electronics. People awed at my mask. But I wasn’t wearing a mask. I tried my best to keep silent. I tried to repeat the words I heard her say often when she didn’t want to chat.
“Hello, how are you? Fine weather we’re having today. That’ll be thirteen dollars. Cash or charge? One moment. Have a great day and enjoy your item. Bye, have a good one,” I replied to the customers with ease.
It was easy; it was simple, and then if someone complimented my mask, I would just say thank you. One day, the witch would wake and all I had to do was wait.