A New Era...for the Witches

The darkness loomed over the town on this all hallow's eve, more so than in previous years. The townsfolk had noticed it seemed darker than usual, but in their enlightened minds, it was simply the waxing and waning of the moon. A "new moon", they called it. Unbeknownst to them, this was the resurrection night - the perfect weather, alignment of the planets and the moon being gone set the stage for the most perfect of supernatural events. The veil between worlds was indeed the thinnest it had been in centuries. One solitary witch knew this, and had great plans for this night.

Katie Smith sat in her bedroom, enjoying the silence and looking out the window. Time can't pass fast enough, she told herself excitedly. It was officially Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween, as spoken by the common folk. Katie smiled to herself and stood up to check her things for the hundredth time. Raven's feather, check. Lizard tail, check. Onyx stones, check. And the list went on through various different ingredients. She was satisfied with her run through and made her way to the kitchen to find something to quell the gnawing in her stomach. Her mother, a devout christian woman convinced her daughter was going through a phase, gave a disgusted look at Katie's choice of clothes, and smoothed her face to address her daughter. Katie was aware her mother disapproved of her choices, which made her choices even sweeter to her.

"Hey sweetie, are you looking for something to eat?" her mother asked her. Katie nodded. "Well, there's some leftover meatloaf in the fridge if you're hungry, we're just about to head out with your little brother to go trick-or-treating," her mom said, and the 6 year old boy waved at his sister in his spider-man costume. Katie smiled and waved back.

"Thanks mom, hey Dustin, cool hero outfit," Katie said complacently, and absent-mindedly returned to browsing the fridge. When Katie heard the front door slam behind them, she practically leapt for her bedroom. It was only 6:30 pm, but Katie was SO READY. She packed everything into her denim bag, did a mental run-through of her checklist - there was no room for errors tonight - and left the house. She got on her bike and started pedaling towards the cemetery. With every pump of her legs, she felt more nervous and excited; every breath of fresh air she gulped in only fueled her desire more. She passed by everyone out on the streets, taking the young children out - later the kids her age would be out to torment any stragglers. Katie had more important things to tend to than taking candy from younger kids. She arrived at the graveyard and walked her bike to the gnarled old tree on the hill, in the middle of the graveyard. She got to the tree and laid her bike in the grass, then dug in her denim bag for the blanket she had packed. She laid the blanket out on the grass near the twisted tree and sat on it. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, beginning to meditate and to pour all of her energy and intent into what was about to happen. The hours flew by.

Katie's phone alarm went off at 11:50 pm, dragging her out of her trance like state and gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. The still quiet of the graveyard encouraged her to continue. She added the necessary ingredients to her mortar and pestle and ground them as quick as she could. She checked the time again. 11:58 pm. 2 minutes, she told herself. She could hardly contain her nervousness and her hands were shaking as she pulled out a blade that was as ancient as the tree she sat next to. She placed the blade in her hand. When the clock on her phone said midnight, and the giant clock in town started reverberating with the bell inside it, Katie sliced the palm of her hand above the small bowl and a few drops of blood fell inside. She squeezed her hand to add more to the bowl, and continued squeezing until the chimes from town stopped. She stirred the ingredients while chanting her spell, "A mari usque ad nubes, ad coronam de solio! Ex sanguine autem arbor, a cute ad os! Lignum vitae, in quo es, ut feed radices e terra in mari longe! Praecipiens ortu rami e caelo, nunc veni, ut mors eius mendacium!" she chanted over and over, with all her heart and intent. She continued stirring and chanting for what seemed like an eternity. She finally stopped when the wind blew a chill down her spine. Katie glanced around her.

There were several shapes hovering yards away from her. Katie gasped in shock. While the shapes could easily be looked over as clouds of hot air, Katie knew this wasn't the case. She pulled out some of her onyx rocks and threw one in each direction of the "clouds". Slowly, each one began to gain substance and fill out a bit to form the shape of a woman. Over an hour later, Katie could see some clearly defined features in the very pale, very translucent characters. She cleared her throat.

"Sisters, awaken from your slumber, and join me in my efforts to create a better world; for new beginnings are not possible without a dissolution for the old endings," Katie announced, raising her arms while she stood. The translucent figures looked at her and shimmered. One spoke to her and her voice sounded as if she were underwater, speaking with vibrations.

"What year is it, little one?" the figure said with a heavy Scottish accent. Katie surmised it must be Merga, the prophetess witch from hundreds of years ago. Katie bowed to her before answering.

"It is the year 2020, sister," Katie responded humbly, in awe of her mere presence. Another one shimmered with vibrations.

"And just what is it you are planning, little witch?" she said in a Caribbean accent. Katie looked at her and guessed it was Tituba, the previous slave who brought witchcraft to a small town named Salem several hundred years ago. Katie bowed respectfully to her as well.

"I want the world to understand we are real and we are a force to be reckoned with," Katie answered honestly. "The world needs a reset, there's so much anger and hatred, there is no love for nature, we need an enlightened era from those who understand magic and nature," she added. The figures nodded in their shimmery way. Katie smiled, for the world was about to experience something it had never experienced before.