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Anna Harold looked at the woman in front of her and could not believe that her entire future happiness depended on her. But it was true. This slim woman in a very simple grey, but clean dress was the only hope that Anna had of ever being happy again.
Many called the woman a witch, and Anna hoped that it was true. If it wasn't, there would be no one that could do anything for her. The immense loneliness of her future almost overwhelmed Anna and she grabbed on to the table in the woman’s small, but clean and tidy house.
“Are you alright, your ladyship?” the woman asked.
Anna gulped, but then looked up at her and nodded.
“I need your help,” she said and could hear how breathless her voice sounded.
The woman nodded. Anna thought that it was probably redundant to state that. No one would seek out the woman if they did not need her help. She lived on her own in the forest without the protection of a village. People were afraid of her, but she was alive because they needed her.
“Why don’t you sit down, your ladyship? You look exhausted.” The woman pulled out a chair and gestured for Anna to sit down. She wiped the sweat away from her forehead. The woman remained standing in front of her, as it was customary for someone with a much lower rank than Anna.
“How may I help you?” the woman said with a friendly voice.
“I...” Anna began, but when she thought of how much depended on the woman’s help, she burst into tears. Embarrassed and unable to speak, she hid her head in her hands. Her shoulders quivered as she tried to control her sobbing.
“Take your time, your ladyship,” the woman said kindly.
Anna nodded, but still could not say anything. She took a couple of deep breaths before she was able to control herself enough to keep from crying. She looked up at the woman and was about to speak, when she could feel a sob in her throat again and had to quench it. She looked down at the tip of her boots that were visible below her long, brown travelling gown.
“Is it an unwanted pregnancy?” the woman suggested. “Your ladyship does not have to worry. I’ll be able to fix that.”
The suggestion made Anna look up again and shake her head fiercely.
“No, it’s not that,” she said with a thick voice.
“Is someone ill?” the woman suggested.
“No,” Anna said and quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes and cleared her throat. “No, I need your help bringing someone back from the dead.”