Black as Night, Witch's Moonlight

Black as Night, Witch Moonlight

Melanie woke with a fright. She felt the iciness in the air. She knew darkness was close. Only evil spirits brought forth the coldness she felt on her skin. She knew it was not going to be a typical Tuesday morning. She knew she had some herbal magic to work with in her studio, but before she got ready for work in the studio, she needed to locate the coldness in her home. She felt the darkness in the cold and worried that someone was coming for her.

Melanie fluttered from room to room. She could feel the sharpness of cold grappling for her skin when she entered the living room. Suddenly a broom fell by the hearth and Melanie knew. Evil was coming. It was the under lords coming up from their realm of despair and darkness. They were coming to attack her. They had been in her home searching for something. Melanie forgot about mixing up herbal remedies and instead summoned the coven.

Soon all thirteen women from the coven were surrounding Melanie and her home. They could still feel a whisper of the coldness in the air. They each tried to speak above the other, each one yammering over the other. Melanie was getting a headache. She said, “ENOUGH”, everyone was totally silent, and Melanie spoke of everyone saying their idea one at a time. They would go around the room and each woman could say what she thought, what she wanted to do, and a plan for achieving it.

After much deliberation they decided they would search the house for the portal the under lords used and they would close it forever. This, they all knew, was easier said then done. It had to be something sacred to witches, but Melanie’s entire home was filled with items that fit that description.

As all the coven was searching, they were suddenly thrown into darkness. Daylight had left hours ago. Melanie found a flashlight and went to check her fuse box. Not one thing was blown, but they had no power. They all knew it was so much easier for the dark lords to slip in to harm them in the darkness. Melanie and the coven knew they had somehow cut the power from her cottage.

Melanie found candles and the witches lit them with a snaps of their fingers. Each snap equaled one candle lit. With no power they could not search for the portal, nor could they attempt to block something invisible. Melanie called her local power company to make sure it was not on their end. She knew it was not but wanted to see if it was just her home. The man on the telephone assured her that her power was indeed on.

All the coven gathered round Melanie; they were a wall of protection around her. They all knew whatever was coming after her, was dark and dangerous. They had battled the dark lords before, but that was when they could see to mix potions and spells. Now they could throw a spell and hurt each other. If the spell did not find its intended person, it would hurl back the way it came. No one wanted to cast spells in the dark.

One of the coven women asked everyone to follow her to Melanie’s basement. Each had a flashlight now and could see the way down the damp, dark, and narrow stairs. Behind the old staircase lay a large cast iron pot. The kind that would hang on a hook to cook soups over the fireplace. Melanie did not even know she owned this. Everyone except Melanie knew that this cottage carried special magic. They tried to lift the cast iron pot with no luck. Even though it was dark, they tried a collective spell to get it up the stairs. It stumbled on a few steps, their spell faltering, but thankfully it did not fall and kill anyone. They lifted it together onto the hook. Melanie looked at them all confused. They told her a fire in the hearth would light up the entire room and would at least give them heads up if evil approached.

They each had some ingredients on them that they thought could possible be helpful. As they emptied their pouches onto Melanie’s coffee table, she looked at these witches she had known her whole like and marveled at them. They knew to come prepared.

Upon her coffee table lay items that could harm any mortal, possible kill a mortal. The under lords and the darkness they thrust them into when they cut her power off, had Melanie worried. They had laid birch bark and comfrey which were for protection, eucalyptus for protection and healing, gardenias for peace and heather for luck. They figured luck could not hurt. One by one they placed all their ingredients into the pot over the fire and started stirring.

Melanie watched as the flame soared up to the top of the stone hearth for a moment after they all mumbled something. Melanie asked what they were doing. Stephanie came to Melanie’s side and told her about green witch magic within a coven. Melanie did her own green witch magic, but this seemed different. Stephanie explained that between the coven they had each tackled their own darkness, while the coven took over and rid whomever of whatever was thrown at them. There sitting in the firelight room were these amazing women, these amazing witches, and Melanie listened as she was instructed to. Perhaps if she survived what was coming for her, she too would have such extraordinary powers too.

A few hours had passed and still no power. They knew the under lords would soon be under foot and ready to attack them. They drank coffee, took turns stirring the cauldron, and stirred their own spells into the pot. Midnight rolled around and no one had seen or heard anything all day, but suddenly an icy chill filled the room. Icicles formed on the windows, each lady shivered, and the fire went out. Back in darkness they tried their flashlights. None worked. They gathered around Melanie again, they followed and icy chill through the house. Without power they could not see what was moving through house. A blaring cackle, a flash of light and horror, a dark lord loomed over them all.

Melanie had somehow gotten out of the protective circle and was drawn to this dark and cold figure. The coven tried to stop her, but she moved like a possessed spirit. Melanie walked to the under lord. The coven waited in total silence. Soon Melanie held up her outstretched hand to touch darkness, but as their fingers were about to touch, lightness blared into the room. The power had been blocked by this dark lord, but now that he was concentrating on capturing Melanie, the coven restored power back to the cottage.  He attempted to pull her down with him, down to the darkness, the cold bitter pit of despair, but with her finger still extended she said a spell so quickly and almost silently, no one breathed.

In a flash the power went out again, but this time it stayed out for only a moment. Everyone looked around at the room, at Melanie, and at each other. They were all alive. They circled Melanie and asked what spell she used to send the dark lord back to the bowels of desolation, she just smiled and whistled as she walked into the kitchen to make them all some food. Melanie knew she could only banish the darkness once or twice, but if they could hold secrets, so could she!