Mina’s jaw set. She had a way of shifting when she made decisions—subtle, like adjusting the sails when the wind changed. “Then we do what people have always done. We keep each other close. We show them the small, ordinary things. We teach them how to look.”
"To the elsewhere," she said. "To where lost things come to sleep. Or maybe to a town that doesn't look like ours. Either way, I can't be what they want and still be me."
But the world outside names were less forgiving. “Big sister is a witch” had been whispered long enough in shadowed corners of school corridors and over backyard fences that Raf had started to believe the shape of it. It wasn’t the predictable witch from storybook shelves—no pointed hat, no broom left leaning against the shed. Mina did know herbs and how to stitch a hem into a nearly invisible seam. She kept a jar of basil on her windowsill and a line of paper cranes suspended across her doorframe. She could fix a radio with a paperclip and knew, without asking, when Raf was pretending to sleep so the lights stayed on.
While it's challenging to pinpoint the exact origin of the phrase, it's believed to have emerged from online forums, social media, or gaming communities. The phrase "I raf you" is a casual, internet-slang way of saying "I love you" or expressing affection, often used in a joking or ironic manner. The addition of "big sister is a witch" seems to be a humorous, nonsensical appendage, potentially inspired by fairy tales, fantasy fiction, or even everyday expressions of sibling rivalry.
Put together, “I raf you big sister is a witch” reads like a child who is simultaneously expressing love and hurling an accusation. It’s the emotional equivalent of: “I love you… but you’re a witch.” That tension — affection mixed with frustration — is at the heart of many real-life sibling relationships.
Etsy and Redbubble sellers have caught on. Search “i raf you big sister is a witch” and you’ll find mugs, hoodies, and stickers featuring the phrase in a child’s handwriting font. It’s become a niche gift for sisters who share a teasing, loving bond.
is often depicted with blonde hair and fae-like ears, drawing inspiration from characters like Ashley White from the Adventures Potential "I Raf You" Origins
"She remembers," he said to me then. "She remembers being someone else. She remembers names that weren't hers. She does this at night. She calls them by the wrong mouth. And when she does, I feel it—like something is taking from me."
: Many of these titles were released on retro forums like Eka's Portal or distributed across regional networks. Because the original developers often spoke English as a second language, early online translations routinely featured fragmented grammar—colloquially referred to as "Babelfish translations"—which generated bizarre phrases like "i raf you big sister is a witch".