Got the Brews?

“Are you certain we should be doing this? It isn’t quite proper.”

“By the moon, Teresa! You question this every year, yet here you are!” Julia said.

“Yes, you have been with us too long to go back now. You are with us until the end.” Anne concluded.

“It is time I stop questioning. Let us keep moving. We do not want to be caught.”

The six young women in gray, hooded cloaks moved quietly into the red, orange, and yellow leaves still clinging to the otherwise bare trees. The sun was slowly setting and they only had an hour’s worth of light to reach their destination. The air was crisp but not freezing like it had been in previous years they had gathered together. Their boots crunched the lightly frosted foliage that covered the path leading deeper into the Alice Holt Forest where the rest of the party was waiting.

“Night will be here soon, and we’ll have to begin. Where are they?”

“Not to worry, Trixie. They should be here momentarily.” Lilian reminded.

“They do this every year. They need to learn how to leave earlier in the afternoon.” Trixie huffed, glancing at the lowering yellow/orange ball.

“We cannot always get out of town unseen. You know what would happen if we were discovered.” Bethany said. The six who were already gathered stopped talking as the sound of crunching leaves drew closer and the latecomers emerged from the trees.

“See? I told you they’d be here.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “As usual, Lilian, you are not wrong.” The dark-haired woman looked at the gathering. “Well, ladies, now that we’re all assembled, shall we begin?” The twelve lowered their hoods and formed a circle around a worn stone pillar with a flat top. Each produced either a purple or brown candle and a small metal tool then quickly carved into the wax before the sun completely set.

“Quickly now.” Selene took out a glass bottle labeled ‘Fiery Wall of Protection’ and passed it around the circle. Each woman dressed their respective candle with the blood-coloured oil then rolled them in a pile of finely ground calendula blossoms, deer’s tongue, and slippery elm that Bethany and Rebecca had prepared.

“Now we burn them.” Julia said, striking a match and gently placing her candle on the altar. The rest of the witches followed suite then started their next casting. A snapping twig behind Angelina and Tiffany made everyone go still and listen. Aside from the night time bugs and toads, no other sound could be heard, so they shrugged it off as a nocturnal animal. Still, they kept a keen ear on the woods because one can never be too careful.

Lara and Teresa untied a small pouch that they’d had around their wrist and took out a handful of nettles each. Placing them in the center of the altar, Lara carefully lit the pile while the circle focused their intent of banishment. These were perilous times after all, and every woman had to be wary of allegations of witchcraft and devil worship, so the more protection these twelve could invoke, the better. No suspicions had been directed towards them as of yet but the town was small and ten women had already been condemned to the gallows. Men weren’t necessarily exempt but were less likely to be accused as they were the iron fist when it came to the law and the church. These women were not only looking to protect themselves but their husbands more than anything because if their men were taken, it was only a matter of time before rumors would be started about them.

As the burning nettles turned to ashes, the next spell began. Julie passed around small pieces of black snake root (black cohosh), along with lengths of red ribbon. “Focus on protection from any troubles that can come from magic, spirits, or human malevolence.” She said. “Tie knots as you project your intent then I’d recommend wearing on your waist as it can be hidden easily. Don’t need to be ask why you’re wearing a red ribbon around your neck.” Light laughter was heard around the circle as the women followed their friend’s instructions then discretely tied the ribbons to their skirts.

Another snap was heard but this time, it was behind Teresa and Lara. “That’s no animal. Someone’s out there.” Teresa whispered as the others listened. Angelina, who had the best hearing, slowly moved towards the direction of the noise, only to hear it again louder. Holding up a hand for silence, the brown-haired woman took a step closer to the trees and paused then leapt forward. The other women heard a small cry, followed by rapid shuffling then their friend came out of the trees, a child in each hand.

Two boys, no more than seven years old, were being held by the collar and looking down at the ground. “It appears as though we’ve been followed, ladies.” Angelina brought the children closer, and when the candles illuminated their faces, Trixie and Selene gasped for they were looking at their sons.

“Randall! What are you doing out here?” Trixie stepped towards the boy with brown hair. “I put you to bed hours ago!”

“I presumed you were asleep too, Bernard.” Selene crossed her arms as she glared at the blond boy. Both children couldn’t look at their mothers as they were scolded, much to the amusement of the other women.

“Did anyone else come with you?” Trixie asked. The boys quickly shook their heads.

“I only wanted to see what you were doing on All Hallows Eve, mother.” Randall confessed. “I wanted to be certain you wouldn’t be hanged.”

“Did you really think I was cavorting with the devil, son?” Randall nodded. “Far from it, my boy. What we do here is for the protection of our families. The devil would not be one to ask for that. At least, not without a high price.” Angelina went back to her place in the circle as Trixie and Selene brought their boys next to them. “I think it’s time you both had a proper education on this matter. What do you say, ladies?”

“I would say that’s in order.” Julia said. “Can we trust you children to keep this to yourselves?”

“Yes, ma’am!” They both said.

“We have as long as the candles can burn, which is an hour at most.” Lara said.

“We can start with those. Now, Bernard, Randall, can you see what we’ve carved into these candles?” Anne pointed to the slowly melting words in the purple and brown wax. “We use these to bring about justice to those who have been wrongfully accused, prosecuted, and convicted so that they may be saved from imprisonment and the gallows.”

“Does it work?” Bernard asked.

“Not always, unfortunately, but if you believe enough, it can help someone who is innocent.” The boys nodded, a sense of understanding beginning to form.

“This here,” Rebecca pointed to the ashes of nettles. “were nettles or stinging leaves that are used to banish malevolent people, spirits, or magic. In other words, they can keep people with mean intentions away.”

“People like Pastor Smith?” Randall asked. The women chuckled.

“The nettles can be used for that, yes, but don’t tell him that. He won’t like it.” Teresa said. The boys giggled but put their hands over their mouths to indicate they’d keep their word.

“The last thing we did before we discovered you two were these protection ribbons. These will also keep those with bad intent away from us and our families.”

“Why do you need those when you already used the stinging leaves?” Bernard asked.

“Because there are people that see what we do as wrong, so we need to be protected to keep using our skills for good things.” Selene hugged her son. “I am upset that you sneaked out of bed but I’m also glad you were willing to learn, son. I’m proud of you.”

“So am I,” and Trixie hugged her little boy. The candles were almost burned out by this point, so the women put their hoods up, and with Randall and Bernard in tow, they carefully navigated out of the forest. After trekking the woods for the last seven years, they knew each path well enough to walk in the dark. The moon came out when the party exited the trees, its waning crescent shining on the small bridge over the river that would take them back to their small town.

However, as they approached the rows of houses, they could see a group gathering at the edge closest to them. A few of them held torches that were pointed in the direction of the group that had come out of the woods.

“Oh no. I believe we’ve been found out.” Teresa said, shielding her eyes from the brightness.

“What’s going on?” Randall asked, clinging to Trixie.

“What we feared, my boy.” She held her head high as the mob moved closer. The other women stood tall until they were face-to-face with their soon-to-be accusers.

One of the torches lowered. “Terry!” A voice called out and a tall man ran to the redhead.

“Roger!” Terry hugged him as he lifted her off the ground. “Did you guys have to spook us like that?”

“Do you have to go out into the woods every Halloween for this?” The women laughed when he tugged at his girlfriend’s hood. “Taking your boss’s kids trick-or-treating isn’t enough fun for you?”

Randall and Bernard ran over to Tom, who hugged them. “You boys know better than to wander off.” He gently scolded. “Your mother worked way too hard on your costumes for you to mess them up.”

“Come on, Dad. You know Mom uses the most durable stuff to make our costumes.” Randy pulled at his Puritan-style shirt. “This won’t tear that easily. And besides, we had fun pretending with the nice ladies who work for you.”

Tom shook his head but couldn’t stop the smile. “Come along. We can still get you some candy.” He waved to the group. “Happy Halloween, everyone.”

“See you tomorrow, Tom!” Angelina called then she turned to Murphy.

“Have to say, love. I do like it when you get all witchy.” He hugged her.

“Maybe next time, you guys should join us.” Lara suggested, taking Mortis’s arm.

“And ruin the atmosphere? Not on your life.” Mikey said, putting an arm around Julie.

“The Halloween party still going at the Echo Club?” Terry asked.

“Yeah, and if we hurry, we can still get the Samhain drink specials.” The couples went to their autos then drove back to London. “So, I gotta ask: what do you get out of doing this every year?”

“It’s the spirit of the season, Roger. And after our encounter with the Headless Horseman last year, I’m curious as to what else is out there, and the best time to search is Halloween.”

Roger smiled as he drove. “Just don’t look to closely. Don’t wanna take anything home.”