ysabetwordsmith | Poem: "The Unretired Witch"

This poem came out of the October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by

janetmiles. It also fills the "witches" square in my 10-1-25 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem belongs to the Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia series. Its sequel is "The Disappointing Daughter."

"The Unretired Witch"

Horace the porcupine liked forests.

They were quiet and shady and
full of delicious trees to nibble.

Yancie knew where all of
the creeks and ponds were,
following the trails that wound
through the undergrowth.

Presently they came across
a well-worn path that led to
a cottage surrounded by
raised beds full of herbs.

"Go away!" someone yelled
from inside. "I'm RETIRED."

"That sounds like Tessa the Witch,"
said Yancie. "I heard she retired."

Horace looked at the path, which
was packed hard and smooth,
and the picked-over herb beds.

"Doesn't look very retired,"
the familiar observed.

An old woman yanked
the door open, gray braids
swinging past her waist.

A black cat twined around
her ankles, then disappeared
into the bedraggled garden.

"Well, I keep trying to retire,
but there's nobody to take
my place," Tessa grumbled.
"So the villagers just keep
coming to me for everything."

"Harsh," Horace sympathized.

"Maybe we could help you,"
said Yancie. "We could
pass the word that you've
retired, or something."

Tessa sighed. "I've tried.
They know. They just don't
have any other alternatives."

"So you need a successor,"
said Horace. "How do you
tell who'd make a good witch?"

"They need to be free to choose
the path. They need magic --
the more, the better. They need
enough skill to grow herbs and
brew potions." Tessa ticked off
the points on her fingers.

"So younger children who
won't inherit a family business
or farm. Look for places with
a decent garden," said Yancie.
"I don't know about magic though."

"As a familiar, I have some sense
of magic," said Horace. "It's not
very detailed, but it should do."

"Perhaps I could help," said Tessa.
"Come inside the cottage, you two."

She pottered around for a while,
then poured a potion over a crystal.
It began to glow softly, then when she
waved a hand over it, the glow brightened.

Tessa strung the crystal on a cord and
offered it to Horace. "There you go,"
she said. "I appreciate your help,
but you may have a quest in front
of you. I already checked the two
closest villages for prospects."

"That's all right," said Horace.
"We like exploring the woods."

So they let Aldornia and Zenobia
know what they were doing, and
then they went off to see who
they could find as candidates.

They met second sons and
third daughters. They even
met a handful of orphans.

They watched for homes
with good gardens or fields,
and once, a place that was
full of all kinds of livestock.

Yancie chatted with people
while Horace kept an eye on
the magic-measuring crystal.

Whenever it indicated that
someone had potential, Yancie
explained the opportunity and
pointed them toward the witch.

There were several girls who
wanted to escape some sort
of arranged marriage.

There was one who had
already started brewing
simple herbal remedies.

There was a long-haired boy
who was the seventh son of
his village's soapmaker and knew
how to make all kinds of soaps.

After one month, Yancie and
Horace went back to see Tessa.

They found the little cottage bustling
with activity as people tended the herbs,
brewed potions, and stirred vats of soap.

A sign over the door read, Witch School.

"I thought you wanted to retire," said Horace.
"This looks awfully busy for retirement."

Tessa chuckled. "Well, I do have
to spend time teaching everyone, but
they already know a lot. They help me
with my chores, so it's not too bad,"
she said. "Besides, somebody else
might need a replacement witch."

"Good idea," Horace said as
he returned the crystal to her.

It had been an effective quest.