I my self, just seven years old, was crouched on the floor at her feet, wearing pajamas, dressing-gown and slippers. "You swear you aren't pulling my leg?" I kept saying to her. "You swear you aren't just pretending?" "Listen," she said "I have known no less than five children who have simply vanished off the face of this earth, never to be seen again. The witches took them.