Prompt 10

 May 10th

Use a line to create a story: There was a legend about the well in the garden

There was a legend in the troll family about the well in their garden. It started with the matriarch of the family who had told all of her grandchildren that there was the ghost of her husband in the well. Over the years, this rumor got around to everyone in the kingdom. The king even knew about it. 

Young Mildred, who was half-troll, was the first in her family to actually meet the true occupant of the well. And Granny was very wrong about their identity. Mildred was nine at the time and was told by her mother to never even think of venturing out to the well at the very edge of their garden. But Mildred was not one to listen to the warnings of her mother, especially when it came to her grandmother. 

The troll family's garden was the largest in the kingdom. They had about 100 acres that were run by the entire family. Everyone had their job, and each was important to the overall success of the family. They harvested a lot of the plants in the kingdom, whether that be trees, flowers, or produce. 

Mildred's job was to take care of watering the flowers on the far-left side of the garden and that usually took her about half the day. There were a ton of flowers. The other half of the day she would spend on her schoolwork. But on that day, I believe it was a Thursday, she decided that she was going to find out what was in that well. Luckily for her, her family was too busy to even notice her sneaking over to the well. The only one that seemed to notice was Mildred's dear old granny and she wouldn't tell a soul. But too bad Mildred didn't notice the wicked little grin that her granny's face held when she saw Mildred's mischief. It might have been a better warning than her mother's. Because when Granny smiled like that it was damn trouble for anybody in her path and on that day, it was Mildred.  

She kept looking behind herself to see if anyone was watching her. Nobody that she could see. When she got to the well, she stood back for a while trying to get the courage to look down it into the depths. It took her a few minutes of heavy breathing before she walked over to its edge. She looked down into it but to her surprise, there was nothing there. No water, dirt, stones, and especially no ghost of her dead grandfather. Nothing but the sides of the stone well.

She started back to the work that she should have been doing before she went on her trek to the well. But she kept hearing this cackling laugh behind her as she went through rows and rows of flowers, watering them all. Each time she heard the cackle she stood fully up and looked around. No one was there. Her closest family member was about ten acres to her right and that was her Uncle Timblin. He was not a laugher, and he sure wouldn't have sounded like what she was hearing. Even if he was close enough to her. She went back to her work again and didn't hear the laugh for another four or five rows. The next time she did it felt like the person was standing right behind her breathing down her neck. 

"Who's there?" Mildred asked looking all about her, scared by this point. She reached out a hand behind her without completely looking and felt something solid. Goosebumps covered her arms because she knew if she looked, there wouldn't be anything there to look at. 

"Don't say a word to any of your family. Come back to the well tonight, once the moon is in the sky and you will see who's here," the voice was high-pitched with this nasally sound to it. 

Mildred finished up her work in record time so she could get back to the house and finish up her schoolwork. She got it done before any of her family was even able to get back to the house. The first one back was her mother, who had one of her youngest siblings right by her leg when she walked through the door. Mildred offered to help with dinner and started chopping up potatoes for her mother. 

Three hours later, Mildred was going back to the well, watching the moon in the sky. She finally got to the well probably an hour later and felt the goosebumps gathering on her arms again. Even though she had a coat on. 

"Hello Mildred," from inside the well a woman shot out and landed on the ground right beside Mildred. It made her jump back. 

"Who are you?" Mildred asked looking the lady over. She was a woman that didn't look that much older than herself but the voice made her feel like she could be a lot older. The woman had long black hair that was as dark as the night sky above them. It held in it raven's feathers that came out of a golden-flaked headdress. She had on a flowing green dress that frilled at the edges, with black feathers coming out of the frills. Over the dress, she had on a black cape with a hood that she had taken of when she appeared to Mildred. On her shoulder sat a crow with bright green eyes that seemed to be watching her. 

"I used to go by a name centuries ago at this point, but that name does not exist anymore. You can call me Miss Misery and I have quite the project for you dear, Mildred," the woman said as she held out a hand for Mildred to shake. 

Mildred did not know in the slightest what she was agreeing to but took the hand anyway. She was beyond intrigued.