Witches

I wrote a short story for a magazine Witches and Pagans  ( I haven’t heard back yet, I hate waiting. I also don’t have much patience.)

It’s about a young girl -Tessa- who wants to learn witchcraft. She found a mentor (that’s the name “Mentor”) and how she’s learning with her.

I thought that was the end of that story. “Good. Done.” I said nodding to myself. Well, Tessa had different plans. I wrote another segment of her story. Again I thought “DONE” well she still isn’t done with me. I’m in the process of writing the third segment. Here is a paragraph from the first segment. (The one I submitted. )

I sat back down at the table with her. Yet she still didn’t speak so I also kept silent. We sat there for a long time. I tried not to fidget; I wasn’t use to the silence. I had two younger sisters; my house was never quiet. I thought I would welcome the quiet. Yet it scared me in some unknown way. Wanda watched me; I knew she was preparing me. I knew this was another lesson. Maybe it was even a test. I tried to endure the silence, what I should have thought was peacefulness.

So I thought I would share a little bit about witch folklore.

Witches were believed to meet with their coven (strange how witches and Vampires both call their group/family covens, and a lot of folklore believed witches turned into vampires*) from midnight to 2:00 AM on Tuesdays and Fridays at a crossroad.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if I knew when evil witches were meeting, I’d be for trying to stop them. I’d try to set up a trap or something with the other villagers.  (Well, maybe not. I might be too afraid of them.)

There are good witches. (I’ll save that for another post.)

Evil witches could ruin crops, cause life stock illness or death and kill or cause illnesses against humans. They became “hunted” during the time of the Inquisition. Before the Inquisition most areas and their populations believed that witches were good. They were seen as healers, it was the Inquisition that changed the mind of the people.

*Spain believed their witches or Brujas engaged in Vampirism of children. Portugal’s Bruxa and Italy’s Strega were all believed to be living vampires or become vampires after death. Romania believed witchcraft was one of the evils that would cause you to be a vampire in the afterlife.