Don't Cry Witch

shadows

I was woken up by an ear piercing scream, Kai barking intensely. It sounded like a little girl's scream. I listened closely but the air was silent. I checked my phone. 1 a.m. Suddenly there was another high pitched scream, it stung my skull to the core, causing me to drop off the couch and down to my knees, holding my head in pain. "What the hell is that?" I gasped when the shout subsided, Kai licking at my hands and face so I can come to my senses again. "I'm ok buddy. " I said as I grabbed onto him, holding him against my beating chest.

I couldn't go back to sleep, my head pounded, it felt like a hammer was bashed against my skull. I had this strange feeling that there was someone in the house watching me, turning around to find nothing there. Kai was now sleeping peacefully at my feet. I pulled my bag closer and switched on the lamp next to the couch. If I can't go to bed, I can just as well start researching again.

The notes Riley gave me were all jumbled and blurred in my vision, my head going ballistic. "Mora just relax, calm yourself down." I said to myself and took a few deep breaths, rubbing my face, resuming at the notes. There were a bunch of history records of deaths in the time, there were articles about witches and banshees in London, and then photographs of the trails. One particularly caught my attention.

The witch trial of Maggie Sanders, known witch for her part in killing of about 20 women and children with her witchcraft, Latin speaking woman.

The woman standing on the stand looked oddly familiar to me, her waist length dark hair wild in her face, her dark eyes staring at the jury, her hands and feet in chains. It looked like the woman from my dreams, just more... alive. "No... this can't be. There aren't such things as witches or banshees or werewolves or vampires or unicorns, they don't exist!" I screamed out in fury, throwing the pages onto the table.

One of the pages landed on the ground and the symbol was drawn in the one corner. I picked it up and it was records of known and trialed witches and banshees accused of murder. There list consisted of about maybe 40 names, mostly female. Maggie Sanders being on top of the list, a note written saying that she was the leader of the witchcraft circle. The name sounded so familiar to me, I saw and heard that name before. My mother used to tell me stories about our family tree, leaving a family tree book in my possession after her and my father's passing. I got up and went to the bookshelf, retrieved the book and opened it to the earliest of my ancestors. We had many, mostly from Scotland and Britain, but my mother's people were Spanish.

I flipped through the pages, my father's family were included first, no name popping up out of interest to me. Minutes later, I came to my mother's family. I looked at the females in our bloodline and came to stop at the bottom of the page.

Jessica Sanders, mother of Maggie and Arabella Sanders. Maggie Sanders, unmarried woman with 3 daughters, Kenna, Laura and Penelope Sanders. Lived from 1480 to her tragic death at the age of 32 in 1512.

This can't be. We might have another Maggie Sanders in the family, not related to the witch trails' Maggie Sanders, that's it. That's what it was. I sat there and took a look at the pictures in the book, comparing them to the ones that Riley provided. My blood froze in my body as I put the two pictures next to one another. In my mother's book was a woman with waist length dark hair and matching dark eyes, 3 little girls standing in front of her, all smiling happily, while the one of the witch trail looked like the exact carbon copy of her.

This is just a stupid dream Mora, you are not related to any witch at all. I shoved that thought down to the back of my mind and continued reading the records of my family members and those accused of witchcraft. Another name popped up in the records that I read earlier. Madison Johnson. I flipped back a few pages of my mother's book to my father's family, strangely enough, there it was.

Madison Johnson, wife of Eric Johnson, mother of Lucas and Benjamin Johnson, died at the age of 42 in 1514, her husband and sons soon after. Dates unknown of their tragic passing.

This is just great. Two accused witches in the family, well one witch and...a banshee? I revised the records and saw that there a group of women trialed for being banshees, Madison Johnson being one of the accused. "Oh hell." I sighed as I went through the rest of the documents, highlighting some of the parts and names I come across. I got to the page where the trials took place and where the witches were executed.

Witches and banshees of sorts, trialed and judged in London town square. Most were burned at stake, others were drowned but there were a select few hanged and buried in the heart of London's forest outside of town, those buried known amongst their coven as the Sisterhood. Included in the Sisterhood were 10 witches and 3 banshees, names documented as below.

I went through the records and saw that both Maggie and Madison were buried there, both being the leaders of their supposed coven. So you're telling me that I'm related to witches and banshees and my nightmares are because they're trying to communicate with me? Nice man. I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes for a few moments, falling asleep soon after as exhaustion covered my body.

The sun was already up when I woke up, Kai scratching at my feet as a sign of his hunger. "OK, ok, ok I'm up." I said and rubbed my eyes. I stood up and stretched, my back stiff from sitting and sleeping, walking to the kitchen as a limping Kai led the way, coming to halt in front of his bowl. "Here you go buddy. Eat up." I said as I fed him, his tail wagging as he devoured his food. I made a cup of tea and sat down to eat a few biscuits.

Maybe Riley would be more helpful in interpreting the information than my wretched brain. I decided to call him a little later and go to the library and show him what I found, maybe.. just maybe he'll be able to help. He is in fact of the matter smarter and more familiar with the town's history.

***********

I was able to sneak into the house through the open bathroom window I climbed out from earlier that day into the pitch black house. I was morphed in my cat form to prevent anyone from hearing my footsteps on the wooden floors, since that dog of hers is so keen on finding me and having me for dinner. I never really liked dogs, Maggie adored them, Kenna actually once convincing her mother to get her one.

I got to the living room and there she was, fast asleep with the dog at her feet. He didn't notice when I jumped onto the couch and looked at her in the moonlight. She was so young, Her waist length black hair perfectly curled just like Maggie's. Her skin was a tad darker than Maggie's though but other than that, she was Maggie to the T.

Suddenly the dog jumped up and started barking in my direction. Great now I had to get a quick escape. I jumped off the couch and bolted for the bathroom door as I turned back when I heard her waking up. "Kai, stop."

Suddenly she was on the floor holding her head in pain as she screamed, that piercing scream sounded just like Madison's. She was both! That complicates things a little more... My plan is going to have to change now. I can't risk any of the hunters getting to her before I got her to safety.

Tomorrow I'll see what I can get done, even if I have to walk into the house and force her to come with.