He's a Witch!
Chapter 1
Copyright 2023 by Heather Rose Brown

For a long while, I've had a universe brewing in my head, where a few rare boys develop slightly differently than others. Along with those differences in development come unique abilities. The following is a short vignette, showing a glimpse into the life of one of those boys in this universe. I'm really not sure what would happen next, but I had so much fun writing this, I thought I'd share it. Just think of this as a little New Years gift. Enjoy!

The stench of urine mixed with the putrid odor of the rubbish beside me while I buttoned up my trousers.

A moment after I stepped away from the damp spot I'd made on the cinderblock wall, someone shouted, "There he is!"

I turned and saw my cousin Patrick, along with another boy I vaguely remembered from school. The boy pointed to me and asked, "Are you sure she's a witch?"

Pat's footsteps echoed against the graffitied walls of the narrow alley when he strutted towards me and said, "He ain't a she. He's a witch!"

The other boy followed half a step behind Pat while asking, "How can you tell?"

I squared my shoulders and tried to look as menacing as possible. Being at least half a head shorter than either of the approaching boys, that wasn't much. I put the deepest growl I could into my voice as I said, "Leave me alone."

Patrick grinned when he stopped in front of me, then said, "We'll leave as soon as I prove to Howard you're really a witch."

Howard frowned at my cousin while saying, "We really shouldn't be bothering a girl like this."

Pat grimaced, then said, "You really think they'd let a girl in an all boy school?"

"Well ... I guess you're right, but--"

"Listen," my cousin said, "our ma's bathed us together when we were todds, so I know he's a boy. But lately, he's been hiding something under 'em loose shirts," he added while reaching for me.

I yelped when Patrick grabbed my chest.

"What the hell," Howard said while swatting my cousin's hand away. "You don't do that to girls."

Pat scowled at the other boy. Just as he opened his mouth, the clack of thick heels came towards us, and a woman's voice called out, "What do you think you're doing?"

When the woman came to an abrupt halt beside us, my cousin turned towards her and said, "I'm just trying to prove something about my cousin to my friend here."

Even though she was an inch or more shorter, the woman still managed to tower over him while asking, "What exactly are you trying to prove?"

Patrick pointed to me and said, "That he's a witch."

"First of all," the woman said in a stern voice, "a witch should be referred to as ze, not he. Second, you have no right groping *anyone* like that. Third," she said while holding out an ID card, "I'm a certified witch, and if I catch you doing anything like that to anyone again, I'll turn you into a toad!"

My cousin's eyes widened, then he turned and ran.

Howard started trembling while watching Pat escape, then turned to the witch and said, "Please don't turn me into a toad. I hadn't meant to bother her ... I mean zer."

"Don't worry," the witch said while patting his cheek. "I know you're a good boy. Now head on home, so I can have a word with my apprentice."

The boy doffed his cap and said, "Thank you Miss ... I mean Miz," then wandered off on wobbling legs.

Once he was out of the alley, I tilted my head to better read the card in the witch's hand, then asked, "Miz Charmandine?"

"Yes dear," ze said while tucking the card into a pocket in zer skirt.

"Why'd you call me your apprentice?"

Ze raised a thin brow, then said, "Every new witch needs an apprenticeship."

I tugged at my lower lip while thinking, then asked, "How do you know if I'm a witch?"

Miz Charmandine smiled, then said, "That's one of the many things I could teach you, if you're interested in developing the skills needed to become a witch."

I smiled back, then said, "I ... I'd really like that."