Witch Hunt
/ Witch Hunt Chapter 3 part4
Of course, vocaloid producers tend to go for unexpected translations sometimes, so you never know. But I felt I needed to justify my choices here.
(Part 4)
When I reached the marketplace, the arrival of the afternoon had transformed it, leaving few people around. I could feel in my skin a breeze colder than the one I felt at noon, perhaps due to the coming dusk. Apparently, the busiest hours of the day for this marketplace were from noon to the early hours of the afternoon; after that, the influx of people tapered off. I had managed to learn another thing about this country.
Enjoying a small sense of accomplishment, I bought a raspberry juice from a nearby juice stall. I peeked at the surface of the red liquid filling the cup to the brim; the reflection of my face looked a bit tired.
It’s because so many things happened today, I thought while bringing the juice to my lips and the sugary taste filled my mouth. For some reason, it tasted really good. My good spirits returned with that fresh feeling, as if I was just waking up on a Sunday morning.
“Looks like you drank something to your liking, miss.” Likely because I was smiling so wide, the plump store owner handed me another cup of juice when I returned the empty one. “This one is on me!”
This time, it was grape juice and the ripe sweetness of the beverage was delightful. With a smile, I said my thanks and left the stall behind.
In the marketplace there were also stalls dedicated to accessories, fruit, meat and fish. One year prior, I used to live with my father deep in the woods, so for me it was a completely dazzling sight. It was one thing to be like this when I didn’t live in the city, but to think I had wasted time so stupidly, even though such a beautiful world was spread out within my reach!
When I advanced further into the market, I ran into a stall selling dairy products. These look like stuff we might use in the store, I thought, taking stock of the butter and cheese arranged in rows.
All of the sudden, the wind picked up, making the dust dance around. I closed my eyes in response to the sudden event. Just before my eyelids closed, I saw the sellers covering the merchandise to keep it clean.
I guess that even in a situation like this, the sellers in an open market have to be careful, I realized, impressed. Then, I abruptly noticed that head felt somehow lighter. I extended my hand and patted myself, wind abated or not.
…My headdress was gone.
The lace headdress my boss had given me the day I started working on the bakery was missing. Probably it had flown away, carried by the violent gust a moment before. I looked around me, but I couldn’t see it nearby.
“Is something wrong?” The attendant of the dairy products stall asked me with a concerned face, as I dithered about in dismay.
“The wind carried my headdress away…”
However, since she’d been protecting their products so fiercely, she had no idea where the headdress had gone either.
“Wow, a fairy!” Just as I was losing heart, a girl screamed nearby.
When the word ‘fairy’ reached my ears, I became extraordinarily startled. Had a witch used spirit magic somewhere in the middle of this city? When I looked upwards in the direction the child was pointing, I saw a familiar object fluttering in the air.
“My headdress…!”
It was riding an updraft, perhaps, and thus had managed to climb from the top of my head to the distant sky. I felt momentarily relieved, having found what I was looking for. However, as if the lace headdress felt more at home in the skies, it fluttered here and there, without descending towards me no matter how time it passed. While it was defying me in such a manner, suddenly a strong gale blew over, and my headdress took off flying towards the western sky.
“Wait!” Saying my goodbyes to the seller, I ran away as fast as my legs could carry me.
The headdress flied away, wavering. It was just like as if a whimsical wind fairy had decided to play a prank on me.
I’ve done nothing but run today, I told myself as I pursued it.
()
Chapter end
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