Vargahaxen - The captial virtues: Vargahaxen - Kindess

The trips to the village of Marsen was never Varga’s favorite, but she needed her knives and dagger to be sharpened and there lived the best cutler around. In this village they don’t trust witches, they see them as something sinister and evil. She always heard silent cussing and cursing about her, some villagers even spit on her. She didn’t care about them. All she needed was the cutler.

That day when she approached the village, something was different, wrong. Nobody was on the streets, everything was silent. She met an old woman and asked her what happened. “Oh gods, the children. Lots of them are sick. Nobody knows why. Every family is scared that their child will be next. My lovely grandchildren, they lay sick for three weeks now.”: an old woman whispered to Varga with sadness in her voice. Three weeks, that time in the forest Varga found the traces of the Noon ghost. That creature can curse the minds of the children. Varga immediately knew what to do. She rushed to the house of the mayor to offer him her help. But he shouted at her that they don’t need some stinky potions from a crazy woman and he shut the door in front of her face. Varga turned around and decided to leave them in their misery alone. But when she went through the city, she saw mothers crying when they asked the healer for help. She saw a craver who was making wooden toys but she could see in his eyes that there would be no kids to play with them. She changed her mind and also made a plan to help them.

Back home she got her basket and rushed to the forest to get all the herbs for the cure. She collected herbs for the whole day and whole night she spent by the cauldron when she made the potion. Luckily the children would need just the drop of the cure. In the morning Varga found the hive and talked to the bee queen. Humans would just hear the buzzing, but not Vargahaxen. She asked for help. “You really want to help them? Even when they were not nice to you, even when they didn't want it?”: the queen asked her. “No mother has to see her child suffer. They love their children and I don’t want to see the sadness in their eyes, even when they were really mean to me. Please queen, let your bees help me. Let them bring the little drop of potion to the mouths of the youngling. I want to hear their laughs again when they will be playing in the woods again.”: Varga bowed to the queen on her hand and in her mind she saw dancing children. The queen gently caressed Varga’s fingertip and said: “I can feel the kindness in you. As you wished, mine worker bees are yours. Save the children.”

The village was still silent, it seemed that nobody was awake already. Vargahaxen opened the jar with the cure. The bees dipped their legs into it and created a little drop and then flew to the houses with cursed kids. The next hour Varga spent hiding in the shadow of a big building when suddenly she heard a cry. It wasn’t the cry of sadness, it was a cry of relief and happiness. It was followed by the laughter of the childrens. It the minute the streets were full with running kids and their parents. It that moment the mayor ran out of his house too with two little girls. He was surprised that every child was cured. And then he saw the woman in the shadow leaning on a stick. He came to her and with tears in his eyes he asked: “Why? Why did you do that? I was so rude to you every time you were here.” Vargahaxen just smiled at him and answered his question: “Because nobody has to suffer. Even when they don’t like you, they don’t need to suffer. And when I can help, I will do it. Everybody deserves little kindness in their lives. You should also thank the bees too. Plant some lovely flowers for them to feast on, they will be grateful.” Vargahaxen gently squeezed the mayor’s shoulder. He just started to cry and hugged her. And then his two little girls dragged Varga and him to play with their new wooden toys a craver just gave them.