It's been a week since learning I had one year left to live because of a wretched curse.
And now, it's question time.
At what kind of pace do I need to collect these teardrops with the time I've got left?
See if you can work it out!
Th-Three drops a day?!
Wait, wait, hold on. I worked pretty hard and collected just two the other day.
Not only that, but they weren't even tears of joy.
Yet I'm supposed to work even harder for one more teardrop?
What are you yelling about?
What's wrong with you?
Fine!
I'm done for!
Once Upon a Witch's Death
The Apprentice Witch and the People of Lapis
Meg, are you really going to die?
Yeah. I'm cursed.
Cursed?
Can't Ms. Faust cure you?
She said it's like a congenital disease that she can't cure.
So that's why you need tears of joy? That certainly sounds difficult.
You said it.
Look. I only collected two in a week.
And they're not even tears of joy.
Wow. So that's what they look like.
I don't know a whole lot about magic, but those are beautiful teardrops.
I guess you could say they look pure.
Pure, huh?
I still don't get it.
What's so funny?
Meg, you're actually a really kind person.
Instead of being ratty all the time, why not try to be honest for once?
Mind your own business.
Marry me?
No.
By the way, do you have some business with us today?
Actually, I have a request for Ms. Faust.
You want me to fix your watch?
I hate to ask you to do this, but the watchmaker couldn't fix it.
Let me take a look.
Its fairy has weakened.
Fairy? Like those things in children's stories?
Technically speaking, it's a little different.
You can see them, can't you?
Yeah.
Whenever anything organic or inorganic has fulfilled its function, a fairy enters it.
They're the driving force that make things work.
Are you saying that force is gone?
So my watch can't be fixed?
There is a chance it could still be.
What?
Meg, take her to Zepeto's shop.
Oh, right. Mr. Zepeto might be able to fix it.
Zepeto?
He's a watchmaker. He's a master of his craft.
He can fix stuff that'd stump the average watchmaker.
Well, this is unusual.
This style of German military watch is rather old.
You know what this is?
Whoever made this watch did quality work.
Each part has been expertly crafted.
Germany is renowned for their watchmakers.
You can just sense the maker's dedication.
So, um, can you fix it?
I'm not sure.
I'll have to take a closer look.
But as you can see, it's just me here right now.
It'd be a nuisance if another customer came in, so I'll hold onto it for now.
Huh. In that case...
How did we end up doing this?
Hey, listen. Can't you just buy another watch?
There are plenty of cheap, fashionable ones for sale these days.
I know that, but I want to keep using that watch for a little while longer.
I'm attached to it.
Attached, huh?
You've never been all that particular about stuff like that.
Hey, Meg.
Yeah?
Are you really going to die?
Apparently so.
How can you be so calm about it?
It's more that it doesn't feel real. And I've never been much of a worrier.
You're always so monstrously positive.
F-Fine?!
Wh-Wh-Wh-What's wrong?
Don't die, Meg. It's just too sad.
Why'd you have to go and die, Meg?
I'm not dead yet.
Come to think of it, Fine's always been like this.
Fine and I first met after I got into a fight with some kids in town and they beat me up.
Why are you crying?
Because that looks painful. I feel sorry for you.
Hey, what's your name?
Fine.
Hup.
Don't cry, Fine.
I'd rather see you smile.
Okay.
Fine hasn't changed a bit.
She's as kind as she's always been.
Don't look so down.
You're at your cutest when you're smiling.
Besides, I'm not dead yet, and I have no intention of dying.
Meg...
I still need to see you go to university and then graduate.
I need to attend your wedding and see your grandkids, too.
Oh, but your husband will get a good thrashing.
Seriously?
What are you, my mother?
Thanks for waiting, girls.
How'd it go?
Unfortunately, this watch is at the end of its life.
I see.
This watch was a memento from my grandfather.
I'll miss using it.
Grandpa!
I want to keep using that watch for a little while longer.
I'm attached to it.
Hey, Fine.
I've got a suggestion.
A memorial?
It's a memorial ceremony witches have traditionally conducted.
Objects are thanked for their years of service and beseeched to rest in peace.
I had no idea.
What do we do now? We're not burning it, are we?
Do I look like someone who'd treat a friend's precious watch like that?
That's exactly why I'm asking.
Soul of the kind and hardworking spirit.
Wander quietly through your everlasting sleep.
We offer our eternal gratitude and eternal appreciation.
With thanks, we return this one to the cosmos.
We pray that it may someday wander back to us again.
Now, go.
I-It's over?
Yeah. I returned the spirit that was in the watch to the cosmos.
Spirits returned in this way are reborn as new spirits and return to reside in new objects.
So it may look different, but you'll get to be with your dear grandpa again.
Meg.
Thank you.
Coochy-coochy-coo.
Even I'm surprised by how naturally the tears came.
All kinds of memories came flooding back when I saw that light.
About your grandpa?
Yeah. How he played with me, ate with me, and patted me on the head when I got hurt.
You're still your grandpa's girl, huh?
The light that emerged from the watch was kind of gentle, wasn't it?
Yeah.
That spirit was probably carrying the lives of two people.
The lives of Fine and her grandpa.
I guess they are beautiful after all.
Granny Flare!
Oh, my.
Thank you for carrying them all this way, Meg.
It's fine.
Hey, can I come visit you sometime?
I'd love to learn more about flowers.
Of course. You're welcome anytime.
See you later.
Hey, mistress.
What is it, Meg?
That person is kind of shadowy.
I see. So you can see it, huh?
I later learned that the person I'd seen enshrouded by mist had died.
A black mist appears around those close to death. Say, within about a month.
That's the reaper.
The reaper?
Meg. Meg! Meg Raspberry!
Huh?
Don't space out on me. Pull yourself together. We're eating.
Sorry.
Mistress.
What is it?
Is it really impossible to save someone enshrouded by the reaper?
Did you see something?
We're subject to something called fate.
When a person's time comes, the reaper enshrouds them.
Shouldn't you know that better than anyone since you can see it?
But can't they be saved by producing a seed of life?
Meg.
Fate should not be messed with.
Mistress, you say witches live alongside fate, right?
Wouldn't I be "messing with" fate by consuming a seed of life?
Some fates should not be messed with.
And who gets to decide, huh?!
Meg, calm down.
How can I?!
I could be enshrouded in the reaper soon.
Would you be able to tell me to just give up on the seed of life and die?
I can't forsake someone who might be savable, nor would I want to!
Come with me, you two.
Why, Meg, what are you doing here at this hour?
I got into an argument with my mistress and ran away from home.
Dear, oh dear. Well, it's cold out there, so come on in.
'Kay. Excuse the intrusion.
Your row with Ms. Faust is the most trouble we've seen in years.
Why are you smiling?
Oh, you know. I used to row with my husband, too.
You got into rows?! I find that hard to believe.
I've lived a long time, so I've had a row or two.
But that's how people learn more about each other.
Little by little.
Say, Granny Flare, can I stay here for a bit?
This bed smells like flowers. It smells like you.
Oh, my. I was tending to the flowers, so maybe I brought their smell into bed with me.
This house is getting old.
How many years has it been since your son moved out?
I'm not sure. It was so long ago now.
Have you seen him recently?
He's been busy, so I haven't seen him in a long time.
I see.
What's wrong, Meg?
You seem worried about something.
What? I-I-I'm not worried.
I don't know much about magic, but I can at least lend an ear.
You can talk to me anytime.
I love how you're always smiling.
Granny Flare.
What should I do?
What can I do for Granny Flare?
I wonder how much time she has left.
Three days have passed since I came to Granny Flare's.
I've been researching grimoires in the library every chance I get,
but I still haven't found a way to save her from the reaper.
And as if it's mocking me...
the reaper surrounding Granny Flare is growing stronger and stronger.
This is my special place.
Huh.
This tree has been part of my life ever since I was little.
Whenever I played with friends, or spent time with my family...
or even spending time with you like I am right now...
this tree has always watched over me.
You were always together—
A disturbance in its magical power.
This tree is beyond saving.
What's wrong?
Oh, uh, nothing.
We're subject to something called fate.
When a person's time comes, the reaper enshrouds them.
I see now.
There are some fates that just can't be changed.
Granny Flare.
What is it?
Hypothetically speaking, if the world was ending tomorrow, what would you want to do?
Oh, my. What an unusual question.
But, well, if the world was ending...
I'd want to spend time with my family.
I see.
Here we go.
Kindred, hear my call. Release the power within you,
and fly into the vast sky.
Grant us the strength to travel to distant lands.
Like an angel soaring in the heavens, may your wings slice through the air
as we ride the wind and fulfill this duty.
It's bitter today, isn't it?
Where could Meg have gone when it's so cold out?
Granny Flare!
Meg?
They're finally back!
Grandma!
Lily!
I've been in shock ever since she showed up suddenly this morning.
She made it sound like you were in critical condition, Mom.
Grandma!
I just gave an undutiful son the opportunity to visit home.
Anyway, this really is a trip down memory lane.
It is?
I used to come and play here often with my late father.
We'd play well into the afternoon, and Mom would bring us homemade cookies.
That brings back memories.
Dad!
Over here!
Thank you, Meg.
You brought Ed home because you knew I was missing him.
I always thank people for food and lodging.
Though I hope I didn't overstep.
It's all right. After all, look at how happy you've made me.
I'm glad to hear you say that.
I'm glad I met you, Meg.
Where'd that come from?
In my long life, I've met more than a few witches.
But you're the only one who's given me so much.
You're exaggerating.
Not even slightly.
I'm spending this warm, quiet day with my precious family...
and I have a kind, wonderful witch by my side.
I'd surely be punished if I wished for more.
What are you talking about? This is nothing.
I'm going to become an even more incredible witch and show you...
even more delightful sights.
She's resting peacefully.
She must have truly been happy if she met her end quietly as if falling off to sleep.
Mistress.
Meg, nobody can change the end.
But you changed what her end looked like.
You did well, Meg.
You live burdened by a future that many could never see.
That's why you must survive.
As one who knows who will die, that is your mission.
Yes, mistress.
I think I'll make beef stew today.
Tomorrow, I'll bake rosemary cookies.
That way, Granny Flare will live on through me.
As long as I'm alive, she'll always be with me.
Wisdom Visits From the East