The Witch and the Seamaiden

Illustrated Short Story · as part of Folktale Week

In November 2024, I participated in the international Folktale Week – an illustration challenge with seven daily prompts. The official prompts were:

Mist · Gate · Blight · Trail · Depth · Bone · Blossom

reddit.com+15piokok.com+15patreon.com+15

From these prompts, I developed my own modern fairy tale: The Witch and the Seamaiden – a forest witch and her friend, the mermaid, fight together against a squalid monster that threatens nature with its mist and debris. The mermaid dives to the deep sea with the witch, consults an oracle, and disposes of the monster with a powerful wave. The forest is saved, the mist has lifted, and nature is clearly visible.

The seven digital illustrations are each vibrant, imaginative, and rich in detail – each one illustrates a part of the story and brings a touch of everyday visual magic to the challenge. In addition, I added an eighth image, symbolizing the rebirth of nature in its dry state.

The series is intentionally designed as a modern fairy tale: it speaks of trash as a shadow, of nature as a living ally, and of forces that operate beyond our perception. I tell it primarily for children, but also for adults - the invitation to think magically again, to dream in fantasy, and to delve into deeper realms of nature together with the characters remains limitless.