She picked up a strand of my hair which lay curled at her feet.

“Watch,” she commanded and then sliced a large piece of it off with her nail. It fell to the floor, free of the rest of my hair.

Nothing happened. I didn’t fall down. My heart didn’t stop beating. I didn’t die.

The fear I’d been feeling a moment before was replaced with rage. I rushed towards her, arms raised.

“How dare you do this to me? To my family? You – You witch!”

Before I could reach her, I suddenly stopped, my feet held fast to the floor as though by magnets.

“Now, is that any way to treat your mother?” The witch laughed, revealing rotten teeth.

I tried moving and realized I was paralyzed, standing still where she’d stopped me. I couldn’t move. I opened my mouth to scream and nothing came out.

“All right, little one. It’s time we introduced you to your new abode. It’s time you said good-bye to your tower.”

The only part of me I could still move was my eyes. I begged her with them, but to no avail. Then everything went black.