The Witch of the Aletsch Glacier

A Strange Glow Beneath the Ice

The glacier spread out before Eira like a frozen sea, its icy surface shimmering under the weak winter sun. Eira Gessler, a young glaciology student, stood at its edge, her breath visible in the frigid air. She adjusted her woolen scarf, her gloved hands gripping a trekking pole. It was her third expedition to the glacier this winter, but today something felt different.

Eira’s boots crunched over the frost-crusted ground as she approached a fissure she had marked on her map. She was here to collect samples for her thesis on ice core stratigraphy, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. The glacier seemed... alive.

Then, as she reached the fissure, she noticed it—a faint, otherworldly glow radiating from beneath the ice. Kneeling, she peered into the crack, her gloved hands brushing away loose snow. The light pulsed gently, as though the glacier itself had a beating heart.

“What on earth...?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the biting wind.

The glow wasn’t the only oddity. Etched into the ice around the fissure were strange markings—symbols she didn’t recognize. They didn’t look like natural formations; they looked deliberate, ancient. Her mind raced. Could this be some kind of forgotten alpine script? An artifact left by an early civilization? She leaned closer to capture a photograph, the lens of her camera fogging from her breath.

Just then, a gust of wind swept through the valley, carrying a sound that made her freeze.

“Eira…”

Her name, soft and ethereal, whispered as though carried on the wind itself. She jerked upright, scanning the empty expanse around her. The glacier stretched endlessly, silent and barren. No one was there.

Stories of the Witch

Eira’s heart was still pounding when she returned to Fiesch. The warmth of the village inn enveloped her as she pushed open the door, snowflakes clinging to her coat. The familiar smell of woodsmoke and spiced cider did little to ease her nerves.

Professor Klaus Weber, her mentor, was waiting for her by the fire. He was a stocky man in his sixties, with a thick salt-and-pepper beard and eyes that seemed to see everything.

“You’re late,” Klaus said, gesturing for her to sit. “Did the glacier hold you captive?”

His attempt at humor didn’t lighten Eira’s mood. She pulled out her camera and placed it on the table between them. “Look at these,” she said, scrolling to the images of the glowing fissure and the strange symbols. Klaus studied them silently, his face growing more serious with each passing second.

Finally, he looked up. “You shouldn’t go back there.”

Eira frowned. “What are you talking about? This could be a major discovery.”

“You don’t understand,” Klaus said, leaning forward. His voice dropped to a whisper, as though the walls themselves might be listening. “The Aletsch Glacier isn’t just ice and rock. It has a soul. And the villagers believe it’s protected by a witch.”

Eira raised an eyebrow. “A witch?”

“They call her Valtessa,” Klaus continued. “She’s said to be as old as the glacier itself. Some say she’s a guardian, others a curse. Either way, those who disturb her resting place don’t live to tell the tale.”

Eira snorted. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

Klaus didn’t answer. Instead, he poured himself a glass of schnapps and stared into the fire. “Just be careful, Eira. Some things are better left undisturbed.”

Beneath the Glacier

Eira’s skepticism didn’t last long. The glacier had captured her imagination, and she couldn’t resist its call. Two days later, she found herself back on the ice, this time with better equipment: a portable ground-penetrating radar, a thermal camera, and a flashlight. She was determined to uncover the source of the glow.

The fissure was easy to find; the strange glow seemed to beckon her. This time, she followed the symbols, which formed a faint trail leading deeper into the glacier. She descended carefully, the ice walls shimmering like diamonds around her. The air grew colder with every step, and the whispers returned, louder now.

“Eira… come closer…”

Her rational mind told her it was the wind, but her heart knew better. There was something—or someone—down here.

The trail ended at a cavern, its entrance hidden beneath a curtain of icicles. Inside, Eira’s flashlight revealed a breathtaking sight: the chamber’s walls were lined with artifacts—tools, weapons, and jewelry frozen in the ice. At the center of the chamber stood a figure encased in crystalline ice, her hands folded across her chest. Her face was serene but commanding, her eyes closed as though in deep slumber.

It was the witch.

Eira felt an overwhelming urge to touch the ice. Her fingers brushed the frozen surface, and a jolt of energy surged through her. The ice began to crack.

Valtessa Awakens

The cracking grew louder, echoing through the chamber. Eira stumbled back as the ice shattered, releasing the figure within. The witch opened her eyes, and they glowed with an intensity that made Eira’s knees buckle.

“You…” Valtessa said, her voice like the chime of a thousand bells. “You have freed me.”

Eira stammered, “I—I didn’t mean to—”

Valtessa stepped forward, her movements fluid despite the centuries she had been encased. Her gaze was piercing, yet there was a flicker of warmth in her expression.

“Do not be afraid,” she said. “I am Valtessa, the guardian of this glacier. For centuries, I have slumbered, bound by ancient magic. But you… you have awakened me.”

Eira’s mind raced. “Why were you imprisoned?”

Valtessa’s face darkened. “The balance of the glacier was disturbed by greed and folly. The people of the past paid the price. Now, the glacier is threatened once more.”

A Pact Sealed

Valtessa explained that the glacier was more than ice; it was a living entity, its lifeblood flowing beneath the mountains. It was dying, its heartbeat weakening as the world grew warmer.

“You must help me restore its strength,” Valtessa said.

Eira hesitated. “Why me?”

“Because you are chosen,” Valtessa replied. “You carry the spirit of the glacier in your veins. You can feel its heartbeat, can you not?”

Eira swallowed hard. She could. She had felt it ever since she touched the ice.

“Will you help me?” Valtessa asked, extending her hand.

Eira took it. The moment their hands met, a rush of power coursed through her. She felt the glacier’s energy flow into her, merging with her own. Her senses sharpened; she could hear the crackle of the ice, feel the subtle shifts deep within the glacier. She had become its guardian.

A Battle for Survival

Eira’s newfound powers were tested sooner than she expected. News of her discovery had spread, attracting the attention of a mining corporation eager to exploit the glacier’s resources. Their machines arrived in force, carving into the ice with no regard for its sanctity.

Eira stood at the forefront of the glacier, her breath visible in the frigid air. Valtessa stood beside her, a spectral figure commanding the storm. Together, they summoned the glacier’s wrath. Blizzards raged, and fissures opened, swallowing the miners’ equipment. But the corporation was relentless, bringing in heavier machinery to combat nature itself.

The battle reached its climax when the miners deployed a massive drilling machine, capable of cutting through the glacier’s heart. Eira and Valtessa joined their powers, unleashing a final, devastating storm. Ice and snow engulfed the machine, and the miners fled, defeated.

The Glacier’s Keeper

When the battle was over, Eira collapsed, her strength nearly spent. She awoke in the ice chamber, Valtessa watching over her.

“You have done well,” the witch said. “But your journey is not over. The glacier will need you for as long as it endures.”

Eira nodded, tears in her eyes. She had found her purpose, but it had come at a cost. She could never return to her old life. She was the glacier’s keeper now, its protector and its voice.

In the years that followed, Eira became a legend in her own right. The villagers spoke of her in hushed tones, calling her the Witch of the Aletsch Glacier. And though the glacier’s future remained uncertain, one thing was clear: its heart would continue to beat, as long as its guardian watched over it.