The Witch of the Castle of Glass

The afternoon sun shone brightly in the sky, reflected in the crystal waters of the sea. Milly walked along the shoreline, watching the gentle waves crash rhythmically into the white sand beach. She danced out of the way of a wave that nearly reached her shoes, laughing with child-like delight. She watched as a tiny crab scurry back to the waters and flocks of colorful birds gliding on the breeze. Milly felt relaxed, as if the waves were washing away her anxieties. If only for a moment.

Milly followed Elmer’s sandy footprints north, away from the teams of players scattered around the tower, picking up coconuts or searching for crabs, mussels, or other sea life that had been left behind by the receding tide.

“Not enough to feed the whole tower,” Milly said, watching them work. “Even with the fruit from the jungle and Elmer’s boar, it is not nearly enough. What will the CEOs do if they cannot keep them all fed?”

Milly’s stomach growled at the thought, and she pulled out another roast beef sandwich from her inventory. It tasted as fresh and delicious as it had this morning.

She finished the last bite of her sandwich when she saw the landmark that Elmer had described. A rocky outcropping stretching into the ocean from the shore, so narrow and flat that it could have been mistaken for a man-made dock. Milly stared out at the archipelago of islands dotted across the ocean’s horizon. “Someday it might be used as a dock. We are not going to swim to those islands.”

The world around her seemed incalculably vast at that moment. Milly walked out to the tip of the natural dock and sat at its edge, taking off her worn sneakers and dipping her feet into the cool waters. She stared at the small fish that swam beneath its surface and giggled when one broke from its school to swim over and nibble her toes.

“Just trying to stay alive, aren’t you fishies? Trapped in a vast ocean with dangers all around you, being watched by someone you cannot comprehend.” Milly glanced back at the tower, at the players scurrying about like bees around a hive. “I know what that feels like.”

Milly withdrew her feet from the ocean, watching the water droplets fall off her toes before she put back on her shoes. The school of fish had scattered at her movement, leaving only the one that had nibbled her toes. “Just you left, huh? All alone? I know what that feels like too.”

Milly felt her thoughts start to grow darker, the waves crashing against the rock now sounding more menacing than comforting. She tried to shake it off, thrusting her feet into her shoes. “Go away depression,” she mumbled to herself, “I have no time for you right now.” But, as usual, it did not listen, and she headed back to Elmer’s trail.

The footprints in the sand led away from the ocean, into sandy hills and reedy grasses just beyond the outcropping. Scattered trees, gangly and squat, littered the area, and Milly plucked one of its fruits. “Olives?” Milly wondered, placing it in her inventory to show Rain. She was about to reach for another when a familiar shout reached her ears.

“Dammit,” Milly spat, the olives forgotten. “What the hell is she doing?”

Milly ran forward into the grass, only to crash head-first into Calista a moment later, knocking both of them off their feet. They lay next to each other, Milly’s head spinning.

“Ow…watch it you utter blockhead,” Calista scolded before she looked up. “Mil-dead…um…Milly, what are you doing here? Why are you dressed like a witch? Why…”

There was a rumble from the grass, growing closer quickly. Calista’s eyes flashed with alarm and she grabbed Milly by her shoulders without warning. “Roll!” Calista cried, and she pulled Milly forward with surprising strength, wrapping her in her arms and rolling across the sand just as a giant boar erupted from the grass and charged through where they had been moments ago.

Milly landed on her back hard, the wind knocked out of her. Calista jumped to her feet and positioned herself protectively above Milly. Calista looked down and gave her a confident smile, before pulling a spear and wooden shied from her inventory. The shield looked like it was on its last legs, fractures running down its lengths.

The boar circled in the sand and charged at them once again. Milly tried to scramble backwards, aiming her palm forward to strike the boar with fire, but Calista was in the way and her vision was fuzzy. “Calista, move! I need a clear…”

The boar closed the distance fast, snorting angrily. Calista did not move. In the last moments before the boar struck, Calista held her shield forward and yelled “Barrier!”

A pale-yellow light encased Calista’s shield, expanding down to the sand and until it was as wide as Calista’s shoulders. Calista braced for impact as the boar, shocked at the sudden appearance of the shield of light, slammed headfirst into the barrier. Milly heard a crack, and Calista thrust her spear around her shield as if she were a Spartan warrior, stabbing the boar in its side. The boar gave a panicked squeal and escaped into the grass.

Milly looked up at Calista from her prone position. Calista was covered in sweat, which, of course, made her glow in the sunlight. “Unlike the kind of sweat I get,” Milly thought. Calista’s frilled blouse had been torn in three places, showing more skin than Milly would ever dare show. Her tight black leggings were worn as well, covered in mud and sand and holes in both knees. Her hair was a tangled, yet somehow still attractive, mess filled with bits of grass and branches.

“Milly, quick! We can catch it,” urged Calista, holding a delicate hand towards Milly.

Milly stared at Calista’s outstretched hand in disbelief and suspicion. This was Calista, the woman who belittled her in the office. Milly had no idea what to do, dark thoughts occupying her mind. “Why on earth did I even leave the tower to find her in the first place?” thought Milly. “I must be out of my mind. This woman hates me.”

Calista interrupted Milly’s spiraling thoughts. She reached down, grabbed Milly’s hand, and pulled her to her feet. Milly couldn’t help but notice how soft Calista’s hand felt in hers but dismissed that uncomfortable thought as quickly as it came.

Milly tried to find her voice. “What the hell are you doing out here, Calista?” she demanded. She felt an anger leaking into her voice, born from months of Calista’s mean and offhand comments that sought to make her feel small. Yet underneath the anger, Milly remember that this was also the Calista whom yesterday had been brave enough to fetch the spear that saved her life.

“Well…umm…” Calista stuttered, taken back by Milly’s angry tone. “People got to eat, right? I mean…you…I…I guess…”

An awkward silence settled in between them, each at a sudden loss for words. It was Calista that broke the silence, in the most unexpected way possible.

“Youinspiredmeyesterday,” Calista blurted out, stringing the words together into an unintelligible jumble.

“I…what?” said Milly, confused. This was Calista, the bitch of the 10th floor. She did not say such things, especially to her.

“You inspired me,” Calista said, trying to slow down. “Yesterday. You saved my life, Milly. I thought…I figured…I just wanted to do something to help too.”

“And you decided to hunt boars?” Milly said with disbelief. This ditzy woman who always teased her in the office. Who manipulated people into doing her work. Who wore the skankiest clothing she could get away with. She was hunting? The juxtaposition of the Calista that Milly knew and the woman standing before her could not be further apart, and it made her head hurt.

“My…my father is…was… a hunter,” Calista replied softly, eyes down and staring at the sand, “He used to take me on these elaborate hunting trips as a kid. Bow hunting, trap lines, tracking. All that traditional stuff. Boars were his favorite to hunt because they were so smart. He used to come up with all kinds of ways to hunt them.”

Calista knelt and picked up a small, rounded stone, and tossed it absentmindedly into the grass. “When I heard those guys talking about hunting for food, I asked to join. Its safer in a group, you know. I mean, I am not an idiot.”

“You could have fooled me,” Milly mumbled under her breath, but somehow her anger was starting to feel forced. As if out of a sense of obligation to herself rather than present reality. Why did she feel so dirty staying angry, when this woman had been miserable to her until only two days ago?

She knew the answer in an instant. “Because two days was a lifetime ago.”

“But one of the hunters got hurt and they headed back,” Calista continued, oblivious to Milly’s growing internal dilemma. “They were bad at hunting anyways, and all their complaining and moaning kept scaring away the boar. Honestly, it was more dangerous to have them around. So they left and I stayed. I had my shield, so I thought I would be fine.”

“You leveled up and got that talent from hunting boars?” Milly asked, jealous. She nearly died in the battle where she had got her first talent point.

“No. I…I got it after you killed the ogre,” Calista said, “I guess I did enough to earn my first level, at least that’s what Tutoria said.”

“Hardly seems like a fair split of the work,” Milly complained, “But I guess it did save my life, and I’m glad it got you started.” Milly realized that she actually was glad, and that made her even more uncomfortable.

Calista gave an embarrassed laugh, glancing in the direction where the boar had escaped. “Umm..can we…?”

“Oh, I guess so,” Milly agreed reluctantly, thinking about the hungry people at the tower. “The more food we have, the better off everyone will be.” Calista stepped into the grasses, beckoning Milly to follow.

They fell into a tactical silence, Calista choosing their path carefully. It was only a few minutes before they came across the giant boar lying in a mudhole, bleeding profusely from its side, its tusk fractured from the blow against the shield. Its breath was labored, and it could do little more than raise an eye in their direction when they emerged from the grass.

“Poor thing,” whispered Calista, standing up straight and walking over to the boar. She raised her spear. “But people need to eat.” She thrust the spear through the boar’s side and into its heart. The boar’s last cry rang across the grass before it was silenced forever.

“You are good at this,” Milly acknowledged, impressed.

“My dad was one of the best,” Calista said. She gave a soft sigh. A sigh that spoke of deep regrets and opportunity wasted.

“Have you ever wanted to be someone else, Milly?” Calista asked, kneeling beside the boar.

“I…suppose so?” Milly asked, suspiciously. She had wished for that every day of her life, though she was not about to tell Calista.

“I had an epiphany last night, after you saved me from the ogre,” Calista said, half to Milly and half to herself. Calista pulled a knife from her inventory and absentmindedly sliced across the boar’s throat to make sure it was dead. Milly was both impressed and nauseated.

“You see, I was the mean girl in high school. In every stereotypical way possible. Second string cheerleader, dating football players, bullying the weak girls, flirting with teachers to get a passing grade. I stopped hunting with my dad because girls like me do not go hunting. They sit up all night, talking about boys and sending mean texts to people who do not deserve it.”

Milly listened awkwardly, uncertain if she wanted to hear this. It was easier to think of Calista as the mean girl with no redeeming qualities who could be hated without a second thought. She did not want to admit that Calista might have her own layers and regrets.

“I hated myself,” Calista suddenly admitted, opening her inventory while she grabbed the boar by the legs. “I looked in the mirror every day and saw only my flaws. And I started seeing only the flaws in others. And then my dad got sick and…well…it just became easier to be the mean girl.”

Calista pulled on the boar’s legs until it touched her inventory screen. In a flash the boar vanished, becoming an icon on the screen. “That’s…really clever,” Milly admitted to herself, impressed with Calista’s understanding of the system. Except being impressed with Calista also did not fit well in the role Milly had assigned Calista in her mind. A role that was fracturing with every word Calista spoke.

“And then I graduated, and it turns out that being the mean girl can apply in the workplace too, but you get trapped in the cliché quickly. And a year later you realize you peaked in high school where you hated yourself, and your life is just a downhill slide to irrelevance after that.” Calista finished with the boar and walked over to Milly.

“And you are telling me this because…?” asked Milly cautiously.

“Because I was the mean girl to you. Because I was a miserable bitch, and I know I made your life worse to make myself feel better. And you saved me despite that. The ogre was running over to kill me, and you threw yourself in its path. You almost died to save me.” Calista was ranting now, her face growing red and her words seeming to flow from her without thought. “I guess I am telling you because I want to change. Because you inspired me to change.”

Milly did not know what to say. She had never inspired anyone. She had never done anything except exist next to other people’s lives, in the background and of no consequence.

“I was going to tell you tonight, once I worked up the courage, but then you ran into me. Literally. I don’t want you to forgive me. But maybe a fresh start?” Calista held out her hand, eyes determined. But there was something more there, Milly thought. Desperation, as if her future rested in Milly’s answer.

Milly stared at Calista’s hand for a long while, weighing her options. There was a part of her, a big part, which cried out for her to say no. That wanted her to make Calista feel like she had felt these past few months. To leave her alone in this world, a victim of her own making.

Yet as she stared at Calista’s hand, manicured nails now cracked and encrusted with blood and sand, she saw herself within Calista. A woman with a difficult past, who hated who she was, her world ripped asunder and trying to begin anew. The Witch of the Castle of Glass was not just about Milly protecting herself. It was her chance to become someone she liked. That small thought grew, until it filled her mind and led to a simple question.

Who would she be if she denied others the chance to change?

Milly looked up into Calista’s blue eyes and nodded. “A fresh start,” she agreed, shaking her hand.

She saw Calista’s face light up with such happiness that it made Milly’s heart skip a beat. She had never seen a happy Calista before. She looked lighter, like a weight had been taking off her shoulder. And before she knew it, Calista had pulled her into a tight hug.

“Umm…yes…. well, what now?” Milly asked awkwardly.

“I was going to drop off these boars at the tower. Then I was thinking about exploring along the beach? This was the last boar in this area, and I need to find new hunting grounds. Do you…want to come with me?” Calista said, tentatively.

Milly had been intending to explore further down the coast anyway. “I guess so. That sounds…wait. Boars. As in plural? As in more than one? How many did you hunt?”

Calista opened her inventory. “Counting that last one? Umm…. six. Though two are just piglets. It is not enough for everyone. Even with rationing, it will only feed half the tower for the day.”

Six boars. Milly could not believe it. “Calista, that is amazing. Do you know what kind of difference this will make?” Milly thought about the CEO’s efforts to control the tower by controlling the food, and how much this would put a dent in those immoral plans.

She looked at Calista with a growing respect as they walked back to the tower and delivered the boars to Elmer. Their first boar roasted over a gentle fire on a spit and filled the air with succulent aromas that made Milly’s mouth water. Milly saw more than fifty people gathered around the spit in a rough line-up as they waited for it to cook, even though it would not be ready until long after the sun had set.

Elmer’s mouth gaped as Calista dragged out four more boars and the two piglets and laid them beside the fire. “You’ll need more roasting pits, Elmer,” said Calista, “But seems like you’ll have some help with that.” She pointed at the waiting crowd, laughed, and then started walking back towards the beach without waiting for Elmer’s response, Milly following beside her.

“By the way, I love your new dress and glasses, Milly,” Calista said as they strode away from the tower. “You look beautiful.”

Milly gave an awkward laughed, and turned away so Calista did not see her face grow red.