He was going to be in trouble. So much trouble.

Lutz hurriedly climbed up the cobble steps and halted at a threshold, where a sign read, 'Riverside Pasture'. The boy embraced the familiar scent of forest breeze and the sound of crickets chirping a song nearby. The forest was where he spent most of his afternoons, exploring the local fields and playing with his friend, Melanie, near the rivers. He loved discovering the different species of insects, ones that he'd recognize from the photographs in his textbooks. He'd get hesitant to get up close with the wild animals but he enjoyed observing from afar and drop bits of food from time to time.

Now, he was going to cross into the forest again, except this time was different. It was nighttime. 22:30 to be exact. Normally, his mother would have already tucked him in bed and he'd be dreaming away right now. So why exactly was the young boy up at this late hour?

He wanted to see fireflies.

Of course, he knew about them. The creatures can spotted during summer time and tended to come out when it's dark. Yet, what sparked his interest was Melanie's story the other day.

"You collect fireflies?" Lutz asked in surprise, skepticism quickly washing over his face. He knew his friend wasn't particularly fond of insects of any kind. Melanie replied with giggle and turned to look at the sky. The two children were sitting under the shade of a tree, having just finished pointing out the clouds in the sky earlier.

"Well, my Dad does," Melanie said, "Lillie said Mom used collect them in a jar. Then in the morning, she'd let them go."

Melanie then shrugged before saying, "Dad does it once in a while to light up the porch. It's really pretty. They're the only bugs I like."

"Wow, I never seen them up close before." Lutz replied, imagining the science of such creatures. Actually, they're the only insects he hasn't seen up close. Of course, his mother would never handle insects herself, let alone let him do it. Melanie turned toward him and placed both of her hands on his shoulders forcefully.

"Oh, you have too, Lutz! They're so…so magical!" Melanie exclaimed and Lutz stared blankly at her, wondering why she chose to describe an insect 'magical'.

"They only come out at night. Mother would never-"

"Sneak out!"

Lutz nervously adjusted his glasses and continued forward. He was surprised that he'd actually followed through Melanie's reckless idea. He had objected at first, but she told him it was the benefit for knowledge. Wasn't that what his mother wanted him to pursue? Surely, being studious didn't mean sitting and reading books by himself all day, does it? He didn't give in to Melanie's plan at first, knowing full well he'd be grounded if caught. Yet, he couldn't help but let his curiosity get the best of him. He wanted to see them for himself. He wanted to see if they were magical.

The churning of the water paddy wheel and faint sounds of cicada bugs filled the atmosphere of the road. Despite the lack of light, Lutz relied on his memory to navigate the path, silently hoping he wouldn't accidently trip over a pebble. Slowly, Lutz felt his heart beat against his chest and he couldn't help but feel frightened by the sheer amount of darkness that surrounded him. This definitely wasn't the forest he was used to. He started to regret his decision.

But before he thought about turning back, something caught his eye. In the distance, Lutz could see a tiny light flickering between a crowd of trees. Captured by his discovery, he kept his view poised on the light as he followed the path up a hill and careful to keep his footing quiet.

Suddenly, the light started to grow brighter, casting a glare on his glasses. Then, just when the light came into full view, it immediately dimmed into nothing. Lutz was back in the dark and he blinked in surprise. What happened? Did it-?

Oof!

Lutz felt something poke his back and he fell over to the ground. His hand quickly shot up to his face and realized something was missing. His glasses must have fallen. He looked up to see the blurry face of his attacker, lightly illuminated by the same shining light from before. He could make out the image of a girl, probably around his age, and distinct blonde pigtails.

"Don't come any closer!" she warned, "I'm a witch and not afraid to use my powerful staff!"

A-a witch!

Forgetting the fact that his mother had told him that witches and such fairy tales don't exist, Lutz simply stared at the blurry girl with a blank face.

"I never met a witch before." He said curiously and began feeling the ground for his glasses. They couldn't have fallen that far, could they?

"Hah, well today is your unlucky day!" She declared and pointed her glowing staff once more at Lutz, "I shall turn you into a…a frog! And you will become my pet!" The little witch laughed, which sounded exaggerated than genuine, and when she stepped forward…

Snap!

Lutz stiffened at the sound and his face visibly drained white. He vaguely saw the girl slowly pick up the object from underneath her shoe and inspect it. Lutz noticed that the light coming from her staff was growing dimmer.

"Glasses?" She then said in a low voice, "Are these yours?"

Lutz was too shocked to say a word. Now he was really in trouble now! There's no way he can face his mother. How was he supposed to go back home now? Plus, a witch is threatening to turn him into a frog!

Although he didn't show it, Lutz was scared. Really scared.

With a newfound inch of bravery, he stood up to face the witch and said, "C-can you fix it with your magic? Please?"

"Ah…" she hesitated and then quickly said, "Of course not! I don't even know you!"

"But you broke them!" Lutz pointed out, "You're the one that's supposed to fix it."

"Hmph," was all the girl could manage and said, "You might as well go now before I change my mind and turn you into a frog."

Lutz was starting to get tired. He can't go home without his glasses, that's for sure. Even if he did make it home, his mother would question him about it. He wondered if his mother had already found out that he was gone. He observed the girl before him, whom had turned away from him with one hand clutched to his broken glasses. That was when he started to question this 'witch'. Why hadn't she turned him into a frog already? Then he figured out the answer.

"You can't do magic, can you?"

The girl stiffened and as she whirled around to face him, the light of her staff surged brightly. She was so close to him now, that he could see her features more clearly and that included a pair of glaring, purple eyes.

"Are you accusing me of being a fake witch?" She said, voice rising, "Let me tell you, they don't give a staff like this to a fake witch! I am Witchie the Witch, you dumb human!"

"I'm not saying you're a fake witch," Lutz explained, "But I don't think you know how to use magic very well. I mean, you seem like you're my age. So, you can't know everything yet." Lutz paused for a moment before he said, "Maybe you're a witch…in training?"

Although he couldn't see her very well, Lutz saw that the girl's face changed from anger to a solemn expression. She looked down and bit her lip.

"I must admit…you are a smart little human, Lutz."

"Huh? H-how do you know my name?" He said in surprise. After all, he had just met her.

"I've seen you and your friend play outside from my window," Witchie explained, her eyes still on the ground, "You look like you're always having fun. Nobody wants to play outside when it's dark. So I only have the frogs and snakes to talk to."

Then she tightened her grip on her staff, "I live on my own. I used to have someone to teach me magic, but now I have to read dusty old books to learn and it doesn't help at all."

Lutz simply studied her. She lives on her own? She must be really brave. Lutz couldn't imagine living off on his own yet. There's too much he doesn't know how to do.

Then he started to wonder more. Where was she from? What was her house like? Where are her parents? What kind of magic is she trying to learn? He had so many questions. He wanted to get to know her.

"You're bleeding!"

Huh? Lutz jumped at Witchie's shout and looked down to where she was pointing. He had a minor scrape on the knee and only a tiny trickle of blood. It must have been from when Witchie pushed him. This didn't worry Lutz but he couldn't say the same for the girl.

"I messed up really bad," Witchie said, voice quivering, and started to step away from him. Lutz panicked inside. He didn't want to be left alone!

"Wait!" He said, calmly as possible, "I'm okay. I just…need to go home. But, it's too dark." He slumped his shoulders in defeat, "If you can't fix my glasses, then can you help me get back to town?"

"Town!" She exclaimed, her demeanor back as usual. "I never gone there before," Witchie said and seemed to be weighing her options, "Hm, I have an idea!"

Witchie came up to him to give him his glasses back and said with her back turned, "I help you get back home but you have to agree to be my lackey!"

Lutz blinked and said, "Your lackey?"

"Yes! You're the bookworm type, right? Then you are fit to help me with my training!" She declared, smiling wide at her own wonderful idea. Lutz considered this crazy idea with an open mind. Help a witch with her training? That's certainly not a chance every kid gets offered. He could definitely learn more about Witchie and her world. Are there more magical creatures he's not aware of?

Making up his own mind for a change, Lutz nodded. Witchie's staff glowed bright as she waved it in triumph. Then she asked, "What were you doing out here anyway?"

Lutz sighed. "I originally came here to see fireflies but haven't found a single one."

"Ah!" Witchie exclaimed, "That's because I shoo them away when I'm training. They can be quite a pest sometimes." She then pointed her staff in the air and shouted, "Here, fireflies! Come on out!"

All at once, tiny twinkling lights illuminated around them and Lutz gasped in amazement. He had never seen anything like it! It was if he was surrounded by stars up close, scaring away the darkness that had frightened him before.

"There we go! Hitting two stones with one bird! Er…or was it the other way around?" Witchie laughed, "Anyway, now you get to see the fireflies and there's light to find our way to town!" She then pointed her staff down the path, "Onwards, my lackey!"

Lutz smiled and the two started their walk down the hill, led by a trail of fireflies freely drifting above them.

He knew he wasn't getting out of this one with his mother. He'd also have to face Miss Veronica about his scrape and have to come up with a good excuse. But at least he found something magical. And a new friend. Boy, now Melanie is going to find this story entertaining for sure!

A/N: I love Story of Seasons dearly, it's my first Harvest Moon game :) Lutz has always been an interesting kid to me. I mean, his sprites looks like he's supposed to be a snotty, know-it-all type but his dialogue is actually really sweet! And Witchie is just adorable! I kind of have this headcanon in my head that Witchie and the other kids go on all sorts of adventures.

This story has been sitting in my computer for a while, hoping to come back to it and edit the quirks. But lacking any of that strength to do so, I just decided to publish it. It's not my best work but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

~HarperLace