The night was as black as the witch’s heart and I knew she was out there waiting for me. The fire burned brightly in the hearth, filling the room with the fragrance of autumn, yet I was cold. It was as if she had reached icy fingers through the dark forest, through the rough walls of my home and grabbed hold of my heart. I stood up, mesmerised, unable to resist the hexen call, and walked to the front door, opening it. Daisy whined pitifully but I paid her no heed.

She called … waited … hungrily.