Hocus Pocus: Rising of a Little Witch

Chapter 22: Figure in the Woods

While Mallory was at work the following day, the sisters and I ventured back out to the cottage to begin keeping watch for whoever or whatever was after us. We never saw anyone, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us. I could once again see the tension on Winnie's face and even on Mary and Sarah's this time. Even if we couldn't see anyone, there was certainly someone there.
After what seemed like hours and hours of sitting in the leaves between the trees, we finally called it quits on account of the dropping temperature.
Just as we started to get up, we saw something.
Off in the distance, just beyond the cottage, was a black hooded figure just standing there, seemingly watching us watch them from afar. Winnie glared and let out a low growl. Her sisters stared worriedly at the figure and then back at her. Before any of us could say anything, she started storming down the hill towards whoever it was.
"Winnie!" Mary cried, taking off after her. Sarah and I glanced at each other before running after her as well. Winnie picked up her pace, preventing Mary from stopping her and made a beeline for the individual standing at the side of the cottage. She started yelling out at them to show themselves. However, the hooded figure just turned and ran in the opposite direction. Winnie sped up to a proper run, trying her hardest to catch up to whoever it was. When she got within about a thousand feet of them, she threw out her arm and shot a bolt of lightning. Unfortunately, it missed and hit a log. The mystery person suddenly vanished into thin air.
Winnie stopped running and bent over to catch her breath. Mary was the first to reach her and then me and Sarah.
"Who was that Winnie?" Mary asked, placing a hand on her sister's back.
"Doesn't thou think I would have said if I knew?!" She barked standing up straight.
She groaned and turned her gaze toward the cottage.
"What is it?" I asked.
She turned her eyes quickly to me, before looking back at the cottage.
"I have a bad feeling that whoever that was, was trifling through our cottage."
With that, she stormed off towards the front door. Mary, Sarah and I followed close behind. When she reached the top of the stairs, she wasted no time swinging the door open. That was when she let out a horrified gasp. I ran up behind her and saw that the downstairs room had been completely torn up. Tables were knocked over, vials were spilled and or shattered. The place was a total shit show.
"Curses!" Winnie hissed and kicked a nearby fallen candle holder.
I walked in after her and looked around completely bewildered. Sarah and Mary followed and began picking things up as they made their way further and further into the room. I scanned the room and immediately noticed that the cloak I had found the day of fire, was gone. That must have been the same cloak we saw on the hooded figure just then.
Who the hell was that? And how did they know the Sandersons were alive?
"I don't get it." I said finally, breaking the tense and frustrated silence.
"What, child?" Mary asked, looking over at me.
"It's just...who else could know thou are back? Like besides me and now Mallory."
I considered maybe some dumb teenagers or something, but all these attacks seemed way too personal to just be some pranksters. I also considered Dani for a moment, but these issues started long before seeing her. I just couldn't make sense of it.

Unless...the sisters weren't the only ones I brought back.

The minute this thought entered my brain I couldn't get it out.
What if I brought someone else back from the grave along with the Sandersons?
All the spell really specified was that it "raised witches". It didn't say which ones. I just figured it meant the Sanderson Sisters because it's Winnie's spellbook. But then again, that spell must have been there back in the 17th century when they were first alive. Who was it meant to raise before the sisters had even died?
"Kaytrina?" Winnie said, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked over at her and the look on her face told me she too had been deep in thought.
"Yes?" I asked.
"How was it thou was able to bring us back if not by using the black flame candle?" She asked me quizzically.
Mary and Sarah stopped what they were doing and looked over at me.
   I guess we never really established how I was able to resurrect them. The only thing they concluded that night, was that the black flame candle hadn't been lit.
Butterflies formed in my stomach as my nerves heightened. Was Winnie thinking the same thing that I was?
"I read a spell." I replied nervously.
Winnie narrowed her eyes.
"What spell?"
I felt my muscles tense up and breathing grow heavy. I was honestly terrified of how she might react, but I knew I needed to answer.
"It uh said "Raise Witches" at the top." I could hear my voice start to tremble.
Winnie moved her gaze downward and thought hard for a moment. Sarah and Mary looked at me for another second before looking back at their sister.
"I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even think any of this was real until I read it and it brought you three back." I stammered trying to explain myself
"Yes child, I know". Winnie said, holding up her hand to quiet me.
I was relieved that she wasn't angry and that she was just trying to make sense of things.
She shook her head before saying:
"I cannot picture what spell thou are talking about".
That surprised me. I was sure she had to know every spell in that book by heart.
She threw a hand up "Nevermind for now." She dismissed. "When we are done here, I will have thou show me in my book".
I nodded and continued sweeping.

A few hours later, when we had made it back to Mallory's house, we all immediately ran upstairs to the guest room where Winnie was staying. She grabbed her book and sat it on the bed. We all stood around it.
"Raise Witches!" Winnie commanded with a swish of her hand. The spellbook flew open and the pages fluttered until it settled on the right one. I looked down at it and read the same words I had uttered on Halloween, when my life was changed forever. Winnie looked to me.
"Is this the spell?" She asked me.
I nodded and she looked back down and read the words to herself. Sarah and Mary leaned in closer and also began to read it.
"Hmmm I cannot think of a time we have ever used this". Winnie said after a long moment. Her sisters shook their heads.
"Who would we have raised? Besides mother perhaps." Mary added.
The sisters stared at the book a few moments longer before Winnie sighed and shut the book.
"You three were the only witches I raised right?!" I asked finally, not able to keep my anxiety to myself any longer.
Winnie shook her head.
" I fear we may not be the only ones you hath brought from the grave. Like thou hath said, there is no one alive naturally today besides thy cousin and thee, who knows we're alive." She replied.
"But one thing I do know about spells such as this, is that thou must specify whom is to be brought from the grave or there is no telling who may return."

"But who else could she have brought back that would be after us?" Mary questioned, looking around at the rest of us.
Winnie stared out in front of her, with her nail pressed to her temple, clearly thinking hard once again.
Just then, almost at the same exact moment, Winnie gasped in horror and Sarah's eyes widened and her breathing grew heavy. A look of awful realization appeared upon Mary's face as well.
My eyes darted anxiously between them.
"What?!" I cried.
Fuck!! What did I do?! What did I do?!
"Bartholomew!" Winnie hissed.