THE WITCH'S FIRE

THE WITCH’S FIRE

By Don Cambou ©

Me feet be tough from not ever wearin shoes. So me don’t feel de sharp sticks me be standin’ on. Bigger sticks be stacked under and around dose, and bigger still under dose. Don’t hurt from de heavy rope dat tie me wrists to de stake behind me neither. Me got no fear, even as de brown cloaked monk pours de hot pig fat onto de big sticks under me and de little sticks me standing on. Me got no fear today. Me only got hate inside me old and twisted body. Another brown cloaked monk stand dere with a fiery torch. He be so close, me can see de long, thick scar dat run from his dead eye to his chin, and his yellow, broke teeths. He look into me eyes and says “Do ye repent yer great sin of bein’ a witch before God’s purifyin’ fire make ye die?” Me laugh and show me own yellow, broken teeths and spit in his ugly face. All de peoples watchin’ me gasp.

Me be a witch, and me be proud of it. Me always liked ta please meself in all kinds of ways.Getting’ drunken, getting’ out of me mind, copulatin’ with whoever me please whenever me please, goin’ about naked, and conjurin’ enchantments. It be a damn site better’n beatin’ me own back with thorny switches like dem fool monks.Dem monks fear me even though dey see a hunched old hag acause I got powers.

Me look up and see de black clouds startin’ to gather over de great town square where de monks gonna’ burn me. Me start conjurin’, growin’ de clouds. Me look down and see de ugly monk touch de pig fat with his fiery stick. Me look up again and see de black clouds growin’ bigger and thicker above where me be tied to de stake. Me feels a bit of heat from de pig fat startin’ ta burn de sticks piled around.Me shouts to de sky. “Let yer tears fall on dese flames. Yer sister command ye!” Me start feelin’ de fire now. But it don’t hurt me. Me great hate be givin’ me more power dan de sky, and for sure more power dan de monk fire.Me hate makin’ me strong. Me look up and feel de rain on me face. De monks and other peoples gathered around to watch me burn, see de lightnin’ and hear de thunder, and feel de great gushes of rain.Me can smell dey fear. De fire burnin’ me ragged clothes, but it still don’t hurt me.It feel cool on me skin. Me feel de rope dat hold me burnin’. Me hands get free of de rope and grab de burinin’ stake.Me breaks de stake, puts de flamin’ stake between me legs and lift up into de sky. De monks and de peoples in de square below me can’t believe what dey be seein’. A half naked old witch flyin’ over dem on a stake of fire. Flyin’ through de strong rain make me skin ice cold. Me great hate makin’ me conjurin’ powers very strong. Me fly before but never like dis. Me fly before when rubbin’ de mushroom paste onto me broom, den slidin’ me private parts up and down on de broom stick. Dis be different. Me hate make me so powerful. Round and round me fly with de burnin’ stake between me legs, above de scared peoples.Me laughs me old witch wail at dem and dey fear. Me aims for de monk with de scarred face. Come at him like de lightnin’. Me rip his other eye out with me clawed hand, den me hangs in front of him ta watch him shiite his robe. Me clawed hand shoot out again and rip out his throat. He be squirtin’ blood everywhere. Den up to de sky me go and fly away.

De rain stop, and me rest on de flamin’ stake above a still pond away from all de peoples. Me never liked to be with de peoples, unless dey be enchanters like me.Most de peoples be bad and evil inside.Me like de forest and de animals. Not de prayers of dimwit monks. Me look down and see a woman reflected in de water, beautiful and young. She be me long time ago. A young man sit by de lake. wear de rags. Way back in de time me use him for sport. He say he love de woman in de lake. Me couldna say it back. Me laugh at him instead. Me make him sad. Dat make me sorry now. Me look again, but he gone. And den a small girl come shufflin’ down de dusty path toward me. She be weak and dirty and eatin’ a rat. She get close, and me see she be me too, even longer time ago.Me want to help de little girl, so bony eatin’ a rat. But can’t help acause she live long, long ago. Me cry for de little girl, so alone and starvin’. Me tears fall into de pond and de beautiful woman disappear. Me great hate come back. Dem peoples woulda like ta watch de little girl die. Just like dey come happy ta watch me die. Me turn on de fiery stake, and go toward de place where dey tried to kill me. Kill dem.Kill dem all! Dat’s what me think.

Me see de town square again, and dey be burin’ another witch. All de peoples be watchin’ de poor witch and dey be glad about it. Who do me kill first? De monk on his knees, prayin’ with his beads for de pitiful witch he be burnin’!He be right in front of her. Me fly so close to de peoples heads to scare dem, den down to de kneelin’ monk, ready to rip out his throat. He look up at me and I see de long scar runnin’ from de one dead eye to his chin. He be de same monk me already kilt! How can dat be? Me turn me fiery flyin’ stake around to see de witch. She almost burnt to death, but have de funny smile on her face even though de flesh be burnin’ off her skull. Me look closer. She be me!

Very fast, me be inside de flames, lookin’ out.Me can see de monk and de other peoples through de flames. All de hate disappear. All me can feel now be pain. Pain worse dan me ever feel before. Smell me burnin’ old body. One eye go out, den de other. Everything be black. Den me feel nothing. In de middle of de black de light appear, brighter dan de sun. It have much more power dan any foolish monk prayers, even much more dan any enchantment I ever knowed. De light call to me. Me be happy now. And me go.