WITCH FOR LEASE

Origin of the curse

Over a century ago, in the dead of the night…

A number of greyhounds viciously barked at a distance. Behind them, a contingent of men carrying torches and crude weapons followed.

“they are hiding in the barn!” a loud voice reverberated across the hectic night atmosphere. “Bring them all out.”

Painful agonizing screams could be heard as a number of women and children got dragged out of the shed. Some were pulled by the hair, some by their feet, regardless of their age and dressing, in a blatant show of inhumanity and barbarism. Children cried at the ferocity of the hounds that kept at their heels, craving to bite them. Women wept at the brutality of men who existed for the sole purpose of protecting them. Amidst the excruciating yelps of pain, the men spat, kicked and shouted sacrileges at the helpless victims. They had a craze in their eyes, devoid of empathy and sympathy, emotionless and cold. From their looks, nothing could stop them, not even the ear-splitting screams and sorrowful cries.

“Burn them!” one started chanting

“No…. please don’t” the cries and pleas for mercy grew more strident. They only served to fan the flames of impatience burning in the hearts of their agonizers.

“Kill them!”

“Crucify them!”

“Spare us, we are innocent” one of the women yelled

“Not in front of our children” another one added

“All of you are servants of the dark master” one man furiously stepped forward and kicked the woman squarely on her jaws. The hit instantly knocked the woman out but the man continued kicking and delivering heavy blows towards the poor woman’s limp body.

One woman stumbled forward to help her but then another man joined and started battering her mercilessly. The cycle continued until the whole thing turned into one chaotic fight, a one sided brawl where the women were doing nothing more than cover their bodies as the men pounded them. The children were no exception, unfortunately, they weren’t as strong willed as their mothers. Some gave out to the mob injustice while the lucky ones just passed out. It went on for a few minutes until the screams gradually died down, that’s when the affliction stopped.

“Tie the breathing ones to the poles” one man said, his authoritative tone suggested his position in this whole fray.

Swiftly, the women and children were tied to poles back to back, too helpless and weak to protest. Even without bidding, dry hay and twigs were rung around the poles, enough to burn whole houses to the ground. As events continued transpiring, it was beginning to dawn on the live ones that their fate was about to get worse than that of their departed friends and children. Bloodied to the face, their eyes peered trying to get a good look at the mob’s trailblazer. Some were looks of plea and appeal, some were maddened and incensed, some were calm accepting of their fate that was inevitable and some were just dead still.

“Death to the witches!” the leader shouted

“Death to the servants of darkness” the mob chanted passionately. Aside from the heavy huffs of the hounds present and the hum of the burning flames, a deathly silence coursed through the atmosphere. The night started growing darker, as if in protest of the inhumanity that was about to occur. The air got icy cold, thickened with palpable heavy emotions of anger, pain and frustration.

Donning a white robe, blemished by the blood of the victims tied to the poles, the leader stepped forward. His cold emotionless eyes scanned around like a predator would at a sea of prey. It stopped at one certain woman with bloodshot eyes. She was exceptional because out of every woman present, she glared daggers at the man. Her eyes were murderous and she wasn’t trying to hide that fact. She was unafraid, a fact which didn’t sit well with the men who delighted in instilling fear.

“Confess” he ordered

The woman scoffed then sputtered a mouthful of blood. Her lips revealed a mocking smile.

Incensed by her attitude, without a thought, he lit up the pole closest to him, unminding that it entirely held children. Like a hungry beast, the flames devoured its prey as it quickly rose up to the sky. The screams were uncomfortable but they only lasted for a few prickly minutes. The final sight was sorely unbearable to watch.

“Confess and you’ll be spared in the afterlife” the man’s unsympathetic voice sounded again

At the moment, the mocking smirk had been wiped off from the woman’s face. Even yet, she still shook her head, maybe helplessly or in defiance.

“T-they were innocent children” she struggled to say

“The offspring of a snake is a snake” the man snapped “they are just as guilty as you are”

“If children paid for the sins of their mothers and fathers, wouldn’t the world be empty by now? Where is the justice in that?” her voice was stern and unwavering, a tell-tale of the wisdom held within.

“You are all spawns of evil” the leader replied “and today we cleanse Blackhaven of this…”

“Weren’t you born of a woman, Bradley Smith?” the woman interjected with a question “I was your mother’s friend, why isn’t she here tied up with us?”

“She is not a witch”

“So were my children whom you just burnt to the stake” she sobbed “to hell with you and your whole family”

“Confess” the man repeated aloofly

Snorting, “Okay, I will confess”

The leader smiled in triumph “Truly you’ll be saved in the afterlife, of that I assure you.”

“But promise to spare…them”

“All of you are weeds that ought to be uprooted…”

“So you’ll still kill us nevertheless” she laughed dryly as her eyes looked around. They stopped again on the charred remains of her children. Though not evidently visible in her eyes, it was clear that she was undergoing a great pain. She just witnessed the murder of her children, their fading screams were on an endless loop of repeat in her mind. She was broken, Bradley Smith had finally broken her.

“well, I’ll still confess…” she sniffled

“I confess I’m a witch” she added after a little while. “I confess…”

“Our lord is great” Bradley Smith smiled towards the crowd of religious fanatics “today salvation has…”

“But I’m not sorry at all” she added sternly. The smile instantly faded from Bradley’s face “I’m not sorry I’m a witch. I’m only sorry I didn’t inflict this town as much pain as it has inflicted my tribe ever since you set foot in our lands. I’m sorry I didn’t conjure demons and plagues to torment every household in this town. I’m sorry I didn’t invoke diseases to kill your young ones and wives in their sleep. I’m sorry I didn’t sacrifice any one of you for a dry spell. I’m sorry I couldn’t perform evil while I could, for that I’m sorry.”

She paused to glare at Bradley Smith

“But now, I’ve got nothing to lose….” Her eyes instantly turned pitch black as her hair and attire fluttered wildly. Under the glint of the burning fires, she seemed possessed by a powerful demon. Cold rough winds howled in a ghostly way, instilling fear in the hearts of the tormentors. As a result, Bradley Smith and his followers gasped as they fell back a few steps.

“I curse you, I curse your homestead for infinite generations to come. Pestilence and death will rob your male sons of maturity.” She said “I curse this land, it’ll experience the darkest nights and coldest winters ever known to man…”

“Light them up” Bradly screamed impatiently “Now” fearing the curse would stick on them

“I curse you, all of you who are here”