Communication

Though verbal conversations are usually the first to come to mind as a form of communication, The Witch's Boy demonstrates that other types exist and serve multiple purposes.

Ned is the son of a woman known as Sister Witch. When Ned is very young, he and his twin brother Tam try to sail a homemade raft. Tam drowns. Ned is near death and Sister Witch uses her magic to stitch Tam's soul to Ned's body. She saves Ned's life, but he is never able to speak without a debilitating stutter and cannot read or write. The result is that Ned's communication is greatly limited from that point. Sister Witch believes this means that Ned will never be able to take over responsibility for the magic the family has guarded for centuries. While Sister Witch is away, a group of bandits try to take the magic. Ned...