“Where are we going, Momma?” Doris asked.

“Where going to Grandma’s house, sweetie,” Alyse responded.

“We usually drive to Grandma’s house, Momma. Why are we walking through the forest?” Doris asked.

“This time we’re going over the river and through the woods,” Alyse said. “It’s located very deep in the forest. Isn’t it beautiful here with the rays of the sun peeking through the branches of the trees.”

Doris looked around. “Yes, but the sun seems to be setting. Will we get there before it gets dark? I’m afraid of the dark.”

“Oh yes, sweetie,” Doris’ mother answered. “And once we get there, Grandma will be ready to have us for dinner.” She smiled down at her little girl, but the smile was different from her mother’s usual warm smile. It looked almost sinister to young Doris.

“Momma, are we going to a different house than the one we always go to when we visit Grandma?” Doris was feeling worried.

“You’ll see, sweetie.”

In a little while, just as the sun set, Doris and her mother arrived at a cabin. Alyse knocked on the door and an old woman, one Doris had never seen before, answered. Alyse grabbed Doris’ hand and pulled her inside.

“Hello, Doris,” the woman said. Doris smelled the old woman’s bad breath, saw her yellowish eyes, and her large brown teeth. “Come into the kitchen, my dear. Now that you’ve arrive, we can start cooking dinner.”

Doris looked up at her mother, whose appearance seemed to have changed since they arrived at Grandma’s. Her eyes were also yellowish, her teeth were brown. Doris backed away. “Come Doris, let’s help Grandma fix dinner,” Alyse said.

Tears started flowing down Doris’ cheeks. “What is Grandma fixing for dinner?” She asked.

Both her mother and her grandma had transformed fully into ugly witches. “Oh sweetie, it’s not ‘what,’ but ‘who,’” the two women cackled.

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Written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. photo credit: James Wheeler @ Unsplash.