A Not-so Horror Story

Angry spirits. Angry Halloween spirits. Those were the last few things I could see before losing my sight completely. Whispers from the beyond clouded the rest of my senses. I wanted to help my family. But, I couldn’t do a thing. Stupid muscles won’t work when I want them to. Ugh.

After what seemed like ages, we were awoken from our trance. The cauldron of protection was lying upside down on the ground. The bonfire was no longer in existence. And all my fellow witches and wizards were lying unconscious. Except for Ms. Warren. I turned to look at her, multiple questions in my eyes, and a whole universe worth of confusion. I thought everything was going according to the plan. Halloween was supposed to be our spell casting day. We did everything perfectly. We started exactly at midnight. We chanted in perfect unison. What went wrong?

It seemed like a great idea back then; the creek by the woods was a fan favorite, after all. It had everything we needed. Water. Air. Earth. Wood for fire. And plenty of silence. It was my discovery. I stumbled upon this place when I was feeling rather disconnected from the world. My search for some peace brought me to this serene destination, where even the crickets are afraid of disturbing the stillness of nature. Back then, I was a little too excited to share my find. Little did I know that I will come to regret that decision!

*************

“You won’t believe what I found while wandering the woods!”

My mom rolled her eyes, lowered her gold-rimmed glasses, and gave me a look I was way too familiar with by now. Displeasure.

“You went wandering in the woods all alone? All alone? How many times-?”

“Do I have to tell you to not venture out in the wilderness all by yourself?” Everyone was in splits, well, except mum. “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

“The. Forest. Is. Not. Safe. For. Young. Girls.”

“I’m not that young, you know? I’ll be 21 by Halloween. Remember?”

Exhausted, I flopped down on the sofa. It really takes a lot of energy trying to argue with my mum. But, it probably is what every child goes through. At least that’s what I used to tell myself; which is exactly why I was extremely glad that my aunt chimed in. “That’s right. You’ll be 21 soon. You know what that means, don’t you, Jen?”

“I get to go spell-casting with you guys this year!” My excitement knew no bounds. I swear I probably broke a few glasses that day. No high pitched voice, however, would have ever been enough to express my joy.

“You get to go spell-casting. Yes!” My aunt’s embrace fell warm as ever. In fact, it felt even better, if that were a possibility.

Every year on Halloween, multiple witch covens gather and cast a protection spell around their respective neighborhoods. It’s an annual thing, much like the World Cup. This has been a tradition since the great massacre of Salem. Families gather around a bonfire, share stories, and cast spells. It is somewhat of a spectacle. This year I was going to be present there. Cool. It’s a witch’s highest honor to cast a protective spell for her people.

“Now, tell us about this place you found.” Auntie’s words cut through my thoughts.

“Yes. The place. I was walking by the woods near the old villa, and I just wanted to sit down and cry. That’s when, out of the blue, I saw this pretty blue butterfly. I followed it right into the arms of a giant oak. Through the auburn leaves, I could see the sun shining off a still lake. It was the most surreal thing anyone can ever see. The ground was covered in rusty, crisp leaves, the sun was almost setting, the lake was a beautiful orange, and there was not a soul in sight. I sat by the waters and finished my book before I came home and got scolded by ma. It’s my new favorite place on earth.”

Mum’s furrowed brows said more than enough. I knew she did not like the idea of me being all alone in a place no one’s ever heard of. But, who can ever control a wild horse? Especially a curious one.

Auntie, however, was well pleased with my exploration. She beamed with pride; a mysterious smile formed on her face. I knew that face way too well. She had an amazing idea. Or an epiphany.

“You said it was a secluded place, right, kiddo?”

“Yep. And don’t call me that!”

“Listen, kiddo, how about going spell-casting over there? I mean it sounds perfect. I’m sure the elders won’t mind. And the other covens will love the change of space.”

“I am so digging your idea right now. My first coven-wide meeting and it will be at a place I unearthed. Oh! Isn’t this the best day!”

“Alright-y, let’s call everyone over, shall we? We will need time to prepare and stuff.”

“OMG! Yes! This is going to be epic.”

************

One by one people (witches and wizards) started to drop by. I loved the hustle and bustle my house was in; people gathering to celebrate multiple things. My birthday this year was going to be resplendent. Usually, my human friends and I would go partying or go to the movies or just go to a nice restaurant. Not this time, though; this birthday was special. It’s an amazing feeling, you know, to be young and be ecstatic for your birthdays. So any good wishes, and so many delicacies!

As everyone sat near the fireplace in the living room, one of the elderly wizards got up and raised a toast. Clink. Clink. Clink. “To Jennifer, because of whom we all get to enjoy such a scrumptious meal, and such a wholesome company. It surely is a nice feeling to meet like this, without having to exchange pleasantries in a rush-rush. Our busy lives have indeed taken away so much from us. To Jen! And, oh, one more thing. Congratulations, dearie, for now you can officially join us in the annual Halloween Armor Festival.”

“To Jen,” echoed around fire lit room. Saying so, one of the guests turned on some jazz, and we all started enjoying ourselves. The black shadows dancing against the red hues of the fire felt both joyous and ominous at the same time. Stop thinking so negatively. Everything is going to be beyond fine. Little did I know that that wasn’t going to be the case!

“Here’s some pumpkin pie, you guys!” People cheered as auntie started distributing the mouth-watering dessert. “Enjoy the sugary goodness! You know that after this we cannot have anything sweet till Christmas.”

Ah, the most important part of the ritual. No sweets. Starting from the morning of Halloween to Christmas Eve, no witch is allowed anything sweet. I wonder why.

As if answering my thoughts, a witch cleared her throat. “That’s right. Remember, for the ritual to work, we must refrain from eating sugar or anything with sugar in it. Once the Halloween spirits finally leave our realm on Christmas Eve, we can enjoy all the sweets we want to. Till then, control your tongues.” As she spoke out her wisdom, and giggled, I could see her thin, weak ribcage shaking furiously. It’s almost as if it took immense effort to speak via her wrinkly, chapped, pale lips. Ooh, that must be Mrs. Buffay.

“While we’re on the subject, tell us about this ‘place’ you found, Jen,” demanded another witch. One could tell that she meant business. If her black ensemble didn’t give away, her rather serious-looking red eyes would definitely indicate that she wasn’t the kind to take traditions lightly. That must be the Ms. Ophelia Warren everyone keeps talking about. Serious. Scary. Not friendly in the slightest.

“Um, well, it lies beyond the woods. It’s actually quite close by. Just near the old villa.”

“I don’t care about all that, young lady. Does it have all the sacred requirements we need?”

“Umm…”

“Relax, Ophelia. You’re scaring the young witch.” I was so relieved that Mrs. Buffay interrupted her. “Do you know the sacred requirements, sweetie?”

I shook my head, too afraid to answer.

“Don’t worry. It’s all okay. It’s not rocket science. The five things we need for the spell include water, sand, wood for fire, air, and an ancient tree that can act as a witness.”

“Oh! Then it’s sorted. The place is near a lake. So water is done. There are a bunch of trees there. Wood. Air is everywhere. And there’s an oak. Looked pretty old.”

“That’s settled then. We all gather at the said place on Halloween right before midnight. Spellcasting should be fun this time around. Did you all know that it’s a blue moon this year?”

“Cool!” said the boy with the most beautiful cheekbones I had ever seen.

The next morning, on Halloween, we all prepared ourselves for the great night. Wearing white was customary for new witches. My mum stitched up the most beautiful white gown. The lace highlighted just the right features. The satin would glisten like the still waters in the moonlight. The grey ribbon around the waist was the cherry-on-the-top. We ate leftovers, laughed a little, slept a little, and looked at the clock a lot. And just like that, it was nearing midnight. Time to go!

************************************

At the venue, some of the witches had already started the bonfire. The pretty boy was lugging the huge iron cauldron. Mrs. Buffay was arranging the potion ingredients neatly on a tray. Ms. Warren was found to be sitting under the great oak, appearing in a meditative state. A few wizards were collecting water from the lake, while the others were collecting sand in tiny potion bottles- one for every witch/ wizard. The tranquility of the place had somewhat dimmed amidst all the chaos and the scurry. Looks like everybody loved the place. Yay!

As we walked towards the giant oak, people started greeting us. Pleasantries were exchanged. Smiles were brighter than ever. Hugs were sent out. Everything was magical; this was the state without any actual magic happening. The atmosphere was heavy with mirth, and the scent of burning sage. Who was burning sage? Why was sage being burnt? Whatever. I shrugged the thought away. The excitement and mania were unmatched. I could practically taste the bliss in the air. It was heavenly. Or should I say, calm before the storm? Stop it, Jen! Why would you think that? Nerves, I thought. Foreboding at its best. What was the matter with me? Seriously, shut up, Jen!

The old town clock struck the first bell of midnight. It was time. Witches and wizards from across the globe were huddled around the huge bonfire. It was a sight unbeknownst to mankind- unity for a single cause. The cauldron was set on the fire, water poured in. The chanting began. Seconds passed. Minutes. One by one we proceeded towards the boiling pot and were handed the tiny sand bottles to pour in the now mystical water. The steam coming out of the cauldron changed colors with every bottle. Blue. Green. Black. Red. It was a spectacle to behold for eternity.  

Things took a turn when it was my turn. As I stepped forward, a little voice in my head cautioned me. Don’t do it. You know it will not be fruitful. You know something’s going to go wrong. I shushed myself and went ahead with emptying the contents of the glass bottle in the water. A flash of pink lightning blinded me and the others. A thunderous roar followed. The sandstorm became indicative of a nightmare come to life.

Angry spirits. Angry Halloween spirits. Those were the last few things I could see before losing my sight completely.

What went wrong?

Sensing my turmoil, Ms. Warren held my palms and explained the whole situation. “The annual Halloween Armor Festival is supposed to protect mankind from angry witch spirits. Every year we get together and cast a protection spell and appeal to the Salem witches to spare the human lives. It is the noblest thing that we, as witches, do. You, my dear, are supposed to be among the most powerful witches known to our kind. And that is because you have ancient magic running in your blood. When you offered your prayers, a weird conundrum was created. The spirits got angry and created a ruckus.”

“Umm, okay. But how did you stop them?”

“I was meditating under the great oak when I sensed that something was wrong. I may or may not have spoken to our ancestors’ spirits about this. Long story short, they intervened and calmed the whole situation down.”

“And the spell?”

“Successful. They won’t bother anyone ever. They finally found peace. Turns out all we needed all these years was one powerful witch with ancient magic in her system.”

“Found peace? Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“The others. Why aren’t they waking up?”

“That’s something only you can do. Go ahead.”

Haha. No way in hell was I this powerful. I’m definitely dreaming. Maybe I’m not. No, I’m not. I know what I feel. It’s surreal. I can do this.

I can.

I hope so. The spirit whispers don't seem angry with me anymore. Nope, they are rather supportive.