فصل 22

22.

In Which There Is Another Story

Surely I told you about the boots already, child.

Well then. Of all the hideous devices owned and used by the Witch, the most terrible of all are her Seven League Boots. Now, on their own, the boots are like any bit of magic—neither good nor bad. They only allow the wearer to travel great distances in an instant, doubling the measure of her movements with each successive step.

This is what allows her to snatch our children.

This is what allows her to wander the world, spreading her malevolence and sorrow. This is what allows her to elude capture. We have no power. Our grief is without remedy.

Long ago, you see, before the forest became dangerous, the Witch was just a little thing. An ant, practically. Her powers were limited. Her knowledge was small. Her ability to work mischief was hardly worth noticing. A child, lost in the wood. That was how powerful she was, really.

But one day, she found a pair of boots.

Anyway, the boots, once they were on her feet, allowed her to go from one side of the world to the other in an instant. And then she was able to find more magic. She stole it from other magicians. She stole it from the ground. She snuck it out of the air and the trees and the blooming fields. They say she even stole it from the moon. And then she cast a spell over all of us—a great cloud of sorrow, covering the world.

Well, of course it covers the world. That’s why the world is drab and gray. That’s why hope is only for the smallest of children. Best you learn that now.