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Philip awoke in a cold sweat as he found himself in a small lake, smaller than the one he dived into back in Gravesfield. He crawls out of this unfamiliar body of water, only to realize pretty much everything around him was unfamiliar. The grass was red here… and so were the trees. All the surrounding trees were tall and pointy. He also saw large ivory colored spikes in the distance. How strange… how horrifying.
He realizes this is where that witch that took Caleb came from…. meaning this must be a land of witches. (He prayed this was not actually Hell.) Philip briefly thinks about how easy it would be to hunt down a witch here and bring it back to Gravesfield for the approval of the town, but he then remembers that he doesn't know his way back. That ripple in the lake back in Gravesfield seemed like just a coincidence, some rare occurrence.
Philip sighed as he realized that this "land of witches" was his home now. He didn't really want to go through the portal in the lake that brought him here in the first place, but he had no choice. After the Gravesfield townsfolk found Caleb's note, he couldn't possibly risk staying there anymore. Now he had to survive out here on his own with no one to help him. The thought makes his heart ache.
He then remembers Caleb is also here, which brings him both relief and worry. He vows to himself that he must get his brother back and find a way back home. If he returns with Caleb and some captured witches, the townsfolk would have to welcome them both back Then everything would be back to normal!
After coming up with his first basic plan, Philip takes out his notebook from his satchel, which he never left home without. He was quite relieved he'd at least be able to document information that'd help him survive and return home. He lets out a heavy sigh, noticing that his hand shake a bit. He was in a strange new place, no wonder he feels so nervous.
Noticing the sky slowly starting to get dark causes his wandering mind to stop in its tracks. Frantically, he rushes to try to find shelter. The trees are far too stiff and thick to chop without tools, so he looks around to see if there's a cave or abandoned building. By the time he finds a small cave, barely big enough for him to lay down in it, it's almost completely dark.
As Philip puts down his satchel and clutches his coat tighter, tears start to prick in his eyes. He then buries his head in his legs and begins to cry, rocking back and forth while hugging his legs. How was he possibly going to do this? Trying to adapt to living in Gravesfield was already hard enough with Caleb by his side, but now he had to do it all on his own in a completely new world!
Part of him doubted if he'd even survive the night. How cold did this place even get at night? Would animals try to attack him in his sleep?
Fearful thoughts continue to flood Philip's mind until he finally fell into a fitful sleep…
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An aching pain in Philip's stomach woke him up the next morning. Hunger was finally starting to get to him. He had hoped he could hold out a little longer,, but all that walking from trying to find shelter (along with all the stress he's been feeling) exhausted him more than he realized.
He gets up and out of the cave and puts on his satchel to try to find food, only to realize all his prior food knowledge doesn't apply here. No fruit or vegetable looks like anything he's ever seen before… how could he possibly tell what was poisonous or not? Animals around here also were wildly fast and vicious (he learned this the hard way after just barely escaping an attack from some small creature) and the bugs… he really didn't want to try to eat bugs despite his desperation. The small lake he came out of also no fish to his disappointment, and the sea was… boiling? No way he was going down there.
Philip did manage to record some notes on the possible food sources he did find and collected a few fruits he thought might be edible. He decides to try going to the nearest town to see if there were resources on what was actually edible, though he realizes he may have to travel a long ways just to find a town. Hopefully he could find some food while in town… even if it meant sacrificing his dignity.
Thus began Philip's travel by foot to the nearest town began. The terrain was mostly decent save for a few jagged rocks, but the distance was quite length. When he finally arrived in a small village, he noticed some of the townsfolk had quite… monstrous appearances. Thankfully, most townsfolks spoke the same tongue as him, so communication would most likely not be a huge issue. All the signs in the village were also readable, so that was another plus. He tries to keep his head down as he looks for an opportunity to get food or obtain information.
Philip felt very reluctant to interact with anyone. After all, these were all witches who could curse him. He certainly wanted to avoid sin as much as possible, but his options were already slim. He looked at the local markets and saw that the currency here was "snails", at first thinking they were the kind you could find in the forest only to realize they were just another name for coins and banknotes.
Some of the food options he saw were quite… grotesque. Different townsfolk walked by with all sorts of goop and guts sticking out of their foods and drinks. He prayed to God that he'd be able to find something half decent to eat as he tries not to think about how he can't really afford to be picky in this situation.
As he wanders, he thinks of various ways to acquire decent food without "snails", though some of them quite humiliating. He wouldn't dare beg for food from witches, not in a million years! He thinks also about working in exchange for food, but this doesn't seem much better. The idea of being indebted to a witch, to rely on charity from witches, makes Philip's blood boil.
He considers stealing, debating the sinful nature of such an act, when he notices some purple fruit being sold at a market that looks like the most appetizing food he's seen so far. Such debates would have to wait another day; Philip needed to eat.
The witch running the stall was an older woman with light green hair and soft brown eyes. She seemed well-meaning, but Philip didn't feel any less guarded around her. She did look like she may be gullible and sociable, sometimes talking to customers for minutes on end. As soon as the opportunity arises, Philip discreetly swipes two of the fruits from the stall and carefully places them in his satchel while the woman speaks with a customer on the other side of the stall.
He hides behind the nearest building and tries one of the fruits. They're good. He's so relieved and he immediately devours both fruits within minutes. Philip decides it'd be worth stealing more, as many as possible. He sneaks around and tries to fit a bunch in his satchel, but he freezes in shock and fear as she notices him.
The witches approaches him non-threateningly and speaks quite politely for a stall owner speaking to a thief. "Excuse me young man, did you happen to purchase those fruits? I don't seem to recall you purchasing those."
Philip gulps as he debates how to respond. Saying he did purchase them would probably get him in trouble, but then he realizes how kind she speaks. Perhaps she'd let him off easy if he told the truth?
He clears his throat as he tries to sound as polite as possible to the woman. "Apologies, ma'am. I unfortunately cannot afford to purchase your goods, for I have no snails. You see, I've recently lost my home… and my brother took my life's savings. I-I'm terribly sorry ma'am, I can put these back if you'd like-"
The woman responds with a kind nod, instantly believing him. "No, no dear, it's quite alright. Please, take as much as you need."
"Thank you kindly, ma'am!" Philip means this earnestly; he doesn't need her to say this twice as he quickly grabs as many fruits that can fit in his satchel. In all honesty, he can't believe his luck that she's this kind.
He then sees the berries he found earlier and takes them out. "Say, would you perhaps know if these berries are edible? I found them in a bush nearby."
She takes a look and nods. "Oh yes, these are plenty fine to eat. I wish you well, young one. Please feel free to stop by if you are in need of assistance again."
Philip gives a small polite bow of thanks. "Much appreciated, ma'am." He then sheepishly walks off, feeling a complex mix of emotions from the older witch's kindness towards him, a complete stranger who she's never seen before.
As Philip heads back and gathers more of the edible berries, he thinks about how far he could get that older witch to help him. She gave him an inch so he'll take a mile if he can.