Babayaga

garden.
    “Come child, I need you to take a bath now.”
    “Can I take it later?” Noelle edged away, scrunching up her nose. The room smelled like rotten eggs.
    “No, now,” said Elga, patting the side of the bath. “Hop in the tub and I will comb those knots out of your hair.”
    From the time she had spent in the country hospital, Noelle was used to disrobing and bathing in front of strangers. And so, resigned, she pulled her nightgown over her head and stepped naked toward the steaming bath. Elga had promised her shopping later in the day, so while the dark waters did not seem inviting, Noelle did not want to cause any trouble. Slipping her toe into the water, she quickly pulled it out.
    “Oh, it’s much too hot!”
    “No, it is not.” Elga spanked at her bare bottom. “Get in there.”
    There was a firmness to the old woman’s words and a sting to her slap that made Noelle slightly nervous, so, despite the almost scalding temperature, she slowly squatted, wincing, down into the swampy bath. Her skin was scorched pink from the heat, but she got all the way in without complaint and rested her head gently against the rim of the tub.
    “Good. Okay,” Elga said soothingly. “Now if you close your eyes and count to three, you will get a big surprise.”
    Noelle, uncertain but excited that perhaps this meant more treats, shut her eyes tightly and began, “One, two—”
    Suddenly, she felt the firm hands of the old woman pushing down on her skull, shoving her head forcefully under the water. Noelle squirmed hard to break free, thrashing to get out from underneath Elga’s grasp, but the woman moved quickly, pressing one palm against the side of Noelle’s face while her fist pushed the girl’s bare torso down to the base of the tub. Noelle kicked and opened her mouth to scream. Gagging, she sucked in a lungful of the green water. It burned against the inside of her throat. She twisted and pushed with all her strength, thrashing like a caught fish, but she was no match for Elga. Terrified, the girl tried screaming again. Looking up out through the murky water, she saw the stern shadow of the old woman’s face staring down at her. Noelle reached out to pull at Elga’s arms. She was so confused, the water entered her lungs again; the dark green was growing black. It felt as though acid was being dragged through her veins. Then she saw nothing.
    In her dream there was a russet red chicken. The two of them stood in a large circular clearing in a birch forest. Noelle was wearing her nightgown. The pine needles tickled her bare feet. The chicken stepped around her toes, pecking randomly at the soft ground. Then it looked up at her and spoke: “You are a dancer?”
    “No. I was a dancer,” corrected Noelle.
    “Yes, I heard about that. The ballet, the audition, tut-tut,” said the chicken before returning to its pecking.
    Noelle looked around the forest; it seemed to be quite early in the morning, though perhaps it was twilight, she was unsure.
    “Excuse me,” said Noelle.
    “Yes?” said the chicken.
    A strong breeze came blowing through the trees, making their branches creak. Noelle started shivering. She looked down at the bird, who was waiting patiently for her to speak. “Do you perhaps have something to tell me?” Noelle asked. “Is that why we are here? I would like to know, for I am getting quite cold.”
    “Yes. I have something very important to say,” said the chicken, pausing between pecks to look up at the girl.
    “What?”
    The chicken cocked its head as if trying to recall. “Well, I believe I am supposed to tell you to—” At that moment there was a blurring flash of red as a fox suddenly darted out from the trees. The chicken squawked and jumped, thrusting its feathers out wide in a panicked attempt to escape but the fox pounced upon the bird and, with a quick hard bite, snapped its neck. Then the fox dashed off into the woods again, carrying the bird’s limp body in its mouth. The wind stopped. Noelle looked around at the vast solitude surrounding her and called out a tentative “Hello?” The lonely sound of her small, worried voice echoed in the woods.
    Frightened, she woke up. She was in the hotel bed again; Elga was sitting at her bedside. Noelle immediately jolted up, desperate for escape, but the old woman grasped her tightly in a warm embrace. “There, there, do not worry, it is over, you are fine. You are good now. Look at you, you are fine.” Elga stroked her