Gift For A Demon

She is surprised at how fast the old man in front of her is able to move through this forest in the dark. Especially at the age of seventy, compared to her twenty. Her hands stay out in front of her as she clumsily stubs her toes and trips on overgrown roots and unseen rocks. “Papa! Wait for me!” Evangeline whispers loudly. The old man stops and turns his hand towards her, the light shining from his fingertips nearly blinds her. It doesn’t help that it has started to rain as well. Now she is beginning to feel cold as her long brown hair and thin jacket get wet. “Keep up child. It’s now or never.” He says matter of factly. “Papa, please just tell me where we are going. Why are we out here in the middle of the night? It’s starting to rain.” She doesn’t mean to complain, but she is absolutely terrified of being in this dark forest. The sounds of mountain lions and coyotes have been heard at night from their cabin, but there are much worse threats than that. Like rogue werewolves, slayer demons, and vampires. Her blood runs cold just thinking about them. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers. “You’ll see when we get there. It’s not too far ahead now...” Papa trails off as he turns to shine his light ahead of them and continues walking. “Somewhere right up here if I’m not mistaken. Ah! There it is.” Evangeline isn’t sure what to be looking for, but when her honey colored eyes land on it they grow wide. Between two large trees is a moss covered tombstone. It’s an ominous sight out here in the middle of the dark forest. The old man kneels down and uses his free hand to scrape away the earthy growth from the years. On the old stone are these words… Magdalena Winters Wife, Mother, Witch The young woman stares down in disbelief and tries to concentrate while putting invisible pieces of a puzzle together in her head. Winters is her last name too… Evangeline Winters. Does that mean this woman was related to her in some way? Oh, this is terrible. Horrible. She can’t believe there was a witch in her family! Witches are looked down upon more than any other creature besides humans. It’s bad enough she always thought she was human. Now, to find out she could be part witch. If anyone finds out… She could be killed. “You’re a smart girl, Eve. Have you figured it out yet?” Papa asks as he continues to illuminate the grave stone with his fingertips. “This woman was family to me...” She starts. “Not just family. This woman was your mother. Her blood runs through you.” He says as he studies her face. “My mother, but what happened to her? And what about my father? Why did he leave me here with Krista and never come back?” So many questions are flooding her mind as tears flood her eyes and run down her cheeks with the rain. “Do you think he could have cared for you all by himself? He needed to hide you, girl. He did just that. Ain’t nobody has ever come looking for you. Let’s keep it that way. Your Nana and I have always loved you like you were our own just like we loved your father.” He pauses to gather his next words. “If your Nana’s mind were still right, she would have brought you here herself. She always wanted you to know you were special.” Special… Evangeline has been living a lie her entire life and now she has to keep it up or risk being killed. There isn’t one drop of power in her as far as she knows, but witches are harvested and drained for their energy by demons. She looks down at her mother’s grave and wonders what sort of fate befell her? Her life with her fake mother, Krista, flashes before her eyes. The years of abuse… Was this better than any other life that her father could have offered her? So much makes sense now. Krista never told her she wasn’t her mother, but not once did she ever show Eve an ounce of love or affection. The other four children that live in the tiny cabin must be Krista’s true offspring, judging by the way she has cared for them. The older boy and girl are twins and are only a year younger than Eve. Their pale hair is the same as Krista’s. As for the two smaller ones, they are eight and twelve years old with curly locks of black hair. All four of the brown eyed children treat Eve like a maid or more like a slave. Shaking her head, Evangeline feels lost. Who is she supposed to be now? She doesn’t belong here or anywhere… Not while witch’s blood runs through her veins. “Come on now, let’s get back before we’re missed. Don’t need that woman giving us a hard time. I tell you what… If I could work and take care of your Nana I wouldn’t need that stubborn b***h to look after us at all.” He lets out a heavy sigh and then pulls Eve in to kiss her on top of the head. “I know, Papa. It isn’t your fault. It’s good for Nana to be with you all the time. You are all she knows now.” Eve says as she pictures her Nana, sitting on the porch all day smiling and only asking for Papa to be near her. The rain really starts to pour down now as they make their way back to the cabin. The ground is slick and the light coming from Papa’s hand isn’t helping much. It seems like the journey back takes twice as long as their trip out to her mother’s grave. She can’t believe it has been there this whole time. The truth was hidden so close to her. If Papa hadn’t showed her, would she have ever found out? Papa feels heavy and tired when they get back to where the forest starts to feel more familiar. He started leaning on her only a few minutes ago. Both of them are soaked to the bone and Eve begins to worry about the old man. He hasn’t really been in good health since his back injury at work ten years ago. Seems like Krista is always reminding him of that too. When they finally get out of the woods the rain is hitting them hard. They have to slosh through the mud in the yard to get to the cabin porch. It’s only then that they notice a light is on inside. Eve grabs a hold of the old front door handle and hesitantly turns it. They quietly walk inside and are both relieved to see Krista nowhere in sight. First Eve slides her muddy yard work boots off and then helps her Papa with his. He is capable of many things, but bending over with his bad back isn’t one of them. He drops his wet coat to the floor while she hangs hers up on a hook by the door. She takes a hold of his arm and helps him to his small room. His jacket served him little good and his clothes are soaked through. Eve wastes no time in getting him changed into something dry before she tucks him in his bed next to Nana. Quietly, she closes the rickety door and turns to find an angry Krista staring at her from across the room. The faint light from the oil lamp on the table is casting dark fearsome shadows over the woman’s face. “Where have you been girl? You and that old man have no business being out at this hour.” Her voice is low and laced with hatred. Evangeline fears moments like these. Usually Krista pays her very little to no attention at all unless she is giving her chores to do or scolding her. Having the tall woman staring down at her makes Eve feel small and frightened. Even for a human, Krista has a fearsome and strong willed attitude. Being dishonest with her is not something that Eve is accustomed to, but she has no choice this time. Right? “Papa and I were out looking for the cow. She got out again and we didn’t want her to get lost in the rain. We know how valuable she is and Papa needs her milk to make the butter he sells.” Eve lies. “Why wasn’t I told about this sooner? Don’t you know I was worried about that old man!” Krista hisses. Eve knows she was only worried because of the butter Papa makes and the other small services he provides that bring income to the cabin. Krista herself doesn’t work. Though, rumor has it she entertains gentlemen on occasion for extra cash. “Papa didn’t want to give you any reason to worry and the cow is his responsibility. Please don’t be angry with him.” Eve begs looking down at the planks of the wooden floor. Krista steps closer and Eve can feel the increasing tension in the air. “Don’t you ever tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. Do you understand me? If it weren’t for the chores you do or the money you bring in, I would have you out of here by now! In fact, the only reason you’re here at all is the love I have for your father.” Her dark brown eyes look cold and distant as she narrows them at Eve and takes a step closer to her. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.” Eve is quick to apologize. Cowering back, she raises her forearm to protect her face from the slap she is expecting to get. To her surprise Krista scoffs at her with an evil laugh and turns to walk out of the small room without saying another word. Eve lets out the breath she was holding and sits down on a nearby wooden bench. Her face falls into her hands and she cries silently for a time, as she questions her very existence until her eyes are puffy and she is ready for bed. Eve trudges to the small closet that she calls her room with confusion weighing heavily on her mind. What should she do now? How long can she stay with this wicked woman, working as her servant? Even more concerning is the secret that she has to live with now. Evangeline Winters is a witch and no one can ever find out about it.