It wasn’t her boils or awful stench that attracted attention, it was the hamster that sat on her hat.

The witch stalked into town once a week, and people were still not used to the fluffy white creature that watched everything with beautiful eyes.

She always went to the same stall and slammed a list down in front of the terrified attendant, who, fearful of her wrath, got what she needed.

“Uh, two jars of toad slime - I’ve got that in just for you! Human teeth, puppy hearts, snake spines, carrots - wait - carrots?” The frightened man was confused. He managed to get some weird things for the witch, but something so normal…

“Is that for your, ah, familiar?” He couldn’t help but ask.

The witch drew her eyebrows together. “No, it’s for me. The rest of it is for this guy, if you must know.” She gestured with a dirty thumb to the hamster on her hat, who looked cutely at the shopkeeper.

“I HUNGER.” It said deeply from its little pink mouth.

The witch sighed, and took the bag from the pale shopkeeper, watching with no emotion as he promptly passed out on the floor.

A few coins were counted out and left on the counter, while the witch murmured, “You are costing me a fortune…”

As she left, she reached up to scratch the little hamster with a small smile on her thin lips.