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Salem's Witches
by
Apollo Batt
The wind snapped the trees, until one would think they would break. Nothing had ever happened like this before. Nothing like this should have happened and it was all my fault that it had. I brought down destruction and I tasted their pain. I brought devastation and sorrow and I shall pay for it. I shall pay for the life that I have taken, for that life was my own. I took my life when I found out I was a witch.
"Salem Quinn, get your skinny butt down here and eat some breakfast. If we are late again today, I promise you, Mom will slaughter us in out sleep," Abigail yelled from downstairs. I always thought that my sister was the biggest mistake my mother had ever made either that or naming us both after a historical event. The Salem Witch Trials with Abigail Williams, our heritage in a name. While most people got stuck with Jill, Lisa, Melanie, and other typical names of the female sex our family is obsessed with names like Mercy and Mary, two of the so-called afflicted ones. All the men of my family have the names of the judges or the male accused parties. I was supposed to be the special one. I didn't get the name of an afflicted one or an accused one; I got the actual name of the city where it took place! Oh joy, for me!
I put down my just finished book and clambered towards the door. I flung my bag around my shoulder and walked out. Abigail waited at the edge of the stairs. Her strick black hair pulled into two braided pigtails. She glared at me with her welcome-stare.
"What were you doing up there, finishing your homework?" she asked, waving her hands around like a lunatic.
"Unlike you, Williams, I actually do my homework before the morning comes around," I said winding around a corner. Abigail rolled her eyes and marched into the kitchen. I pranced around behind her. I landed with a thump on the kitchen's too-tall wooden chairs for their too-tall table...
I reached into my bag and grabbed a new book. Abigail starred at me.
"Are you finished with the other one?" she asked. I nodded, blindly searching for the milk. I felt something and gripped only to realize that I was gripping only the corner of it.
"Salem!" Abigail screamed out. I looked up seeing the milk tipping towards the ground.
"Shoot! Stop it!" We darted for the milk, not wanting to waist the time to clean it up. The two of us fell onto the ground, missing the milk completely. Salem closed her eyes waiting for the milk to fly on top of her. She waited then, opened her eyes. The milk was lying flat on the floor, yes, but the lid was closed. My cheeks turned red and Abigail had the same reaction.
"Oh..." I shrugged, "it was closed." I picked it and myself up. Abigail looked puzzled.
"It wasn't. I didn't close it after I used it." I scratched my head then shrugged again.
"Well, who cares how it happened, just as long as we didn't have to clean in up." Abigail didn't take the bait. I checked my watch.
"Shoot! We are going to be late!" I grabbed my book and bag and ran to the door, Abigail following behind me.
"And whose fault is that?" she queried. I ignored her and tried to open the door, it didn't budge.
"I can't do this today! Open, darn you!" I called out, only to be rewarded with it to open. "Nice," I whispered. Abigail rolled her eyes and jumped into the already moving vehicle.
We got to school almost two minutes before the bell, which was record timing for us. Both of us darted to our lockers. Odd enough, our lockers were right by each other. Fate or doom? Being the day that it was my locker wouldn't open and Abigail went on ahead, muttering her apology, but laughing hysterically inside. I twisted, turned, and jiggled the lock with no success.
"Shoot!" I yelled out to no one in particular. "Shoot, shoot, shoot!" I checked my watch and bolted to my class, which was on the third floor. I dodged and ducked the loungers, the people who would just stay on the stairs until they were late enough that they get detention and meet up there.
"Hey, Quinn, where's your broomstick?" one said as she jumped over their out-stretched feet.
"Salem is just the place that the trials took place, oh-ingenious-one, and witches are just fiction," I panted as I got up to the third level. I opened the door and fell into my seat as the bell chimed. I place my head on my desk, breathing heavily.
"Why, Ms. Quinn," Mr. Wintok said, smoothly, "nice to see you are on time today. Care to read us your essay on the Witch Trials?" I turned my head over and starred at him, my head still on the desk.
"It would be my honor," I said as I pulled up my bag. I fished around until I found it. I slowly picked myself up and dragged my feet up to the front of the class. I cleared my throat and began.
"In a time of superstition..." she started.
"And no television," a classmate muttered. The class burst into hysterics. Mr. Wintok gave a weary eye and nodded her to continue.
"In a time of superstition the people of Salem," the class snickered once more, "were wary of the Devil's power. They believed that we would come to you at night with a black book, beckoning you to sign an oath to him. They also believed that people accepted his offer, they were called witches..." I went on aware of the presence of Mr. Wintok's stare. As I closed off my last statement the room was silent. I looked up, and followed the gaze of everyone's. My eyes meet those of a woman. She tilted her head and her long red hair fell into her face.
"You have a way with words," she said, smiling. My lip twitched. The woman looked towards Mr. Wintok. "Ms. Salem Quinn?" Mr. Wintok pointed, speechless. The woman's smile grew. "Good. Salem, I need to talk with you." I nodded, hesitantly. She walked out of the room and followed. She turned to me, her face grave. "Salem, you must help me. The Coven is in dire need of one as powerful as you." I frowned.
"What the heck are you talking about, lady? What do you mean by Coven?" She looked puzzled.
"Why, the Coven of the Witches. The Coven of Salem. Your coven." I starred at her then busted out it laughter.
"All right, lady, sure. I'll play along. I'm Salem Quinn, a witch and you need my expertise on what? Magic? Potions? Spells?" My laughter stopped at the sight of her face.
"You haven't taken your vows then? You don't know about your calling?"
"One, no, I am not married. Two, I don't have a cell phone, and truly don't want one," I said, exasperated.
"The vows of the witches are not something to take lightly." I rolled my eyes.
"Lady, you are messed-up." She bowed her head.
"No, I believe that you are. You aren't accepting that you are a witch!" she cried out. My mind flashed back to the milk and the car to not opening and shook my head. I truly was turning crazy.
"You have powers, Salem. You are a witch!" I looked at her.
"Powers? Like what? If I am such hot stuff in Witch World, what kind of powers do I have? Can I turn into animals, can I freeze time? Huh? Can I move things with the mind? Could I just say "open" and all would open?" The woman stood there smiling. "What are you smiling at, lady?" She pointed. I turned around to see all the locker doors in the hallway open. I backed up into the wall. "What the... I didn't just... no. No way. You got to be kidding me." I darted down the stairs, panting with exhilaration. I thought about everything. Mostly, I thought that this was somehow horribly wrong, but I knew that it wasn't. I ran out of the school and went to by car. Sitting inside it was the woman. She opened the door and smiled.
"Get in," she whispered. I shook my head. "Get in," she said, once more, this time forceful. I walked over to the car and got in, my heart beating out of my chest. She smiled. "Do you believe me now?" she asked. I nodded, slowly. There was no scientific way that she could have beaten me to the car.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Court," she said with precision.
"And your power?" I gulped. She smiled.
"I can move myself with my mind. That is my primary power and yours is telekinesis. You can move things with your mind and your power is growing. We must test and teach you if you are to become part of the Coven," she said. My hands were shaking. I nodded once again. It was the only thing that I could do at the moment. I faced the road and pressed the gas pedal.
"Where are we going?" I asked even though I was the one who was driving the car.
"To the Sacred Tree," Court said. I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, sure. Know exactly where that is," I said sarcastically, but in a way I could feel something pulling me. "What about Abigail? She doesn't have a ride home without me."
"We will be back before then," she said. I nodded and drove on.
I turned the car off when we got the Sacred Tree.
"This is the place where the hung the accused," I said, matter-of-factly. Court nodded. We got out of the car and walked over to the tree. A group of women were seated in the shape of a star within a triangle. I starred at them, overwhelmed.
"Before you can help us, you must become one of us," Court said as she led the way. The group of women turned to greet us. They bowed in reverence.
"Our leader," they whispered. I lead over to Court.
"Are they talking about you?" I asked. Court just smiled.
"Ladies, I have brought the leader, but she is ill-trained and has not taken the vows. We must prepare her," Court announced. She turned to me, and then pushed me inside the star. A sudden flash of light engulfed the star and I screamed out in pain. I felt myself being lifted up into the air, yet by no one. A shrill whistle screamed inside my ear and I fell to the ground as the light lessened. I didn't open my eyes; all I could hear was the sound of the wind on the trees.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The women were laying unconscious all around. I cried out as I saw the barren wasteland that I created. The soil was gritty and the houses were knocked flat. I got up, sobbing. I tried walking, yet fell down. Lying beside me was Court. Her eyes opened and smiled.
"You are more powerful than we imagined and you helped us even without training," she whispered. I cried out.
"You wanted this to happen?" Court smiled.
"This is just the beginning. The world will soon be ours. The witches will rule, with your help." I shut my eyes tight, my tears going through my lashes. I opened them suddenly.
"I will never help you," I whispered. Then I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could.
I did this. It was all my fault. I am a witch and I destroyed the world.
If I could do this, why can't I put it back, a thought sang. I could make it better. I walked over to the tree and climbed on top of its mangled branches. I looked up at the desolate sky then, closed my eyes.
"Turn back to a time of happiness," I whispered, "I command thee to move. Earth, move back to where you once where. Release the joyful and consume the sorrow. Move, I tell you!" I screamed out. I opened my eyes to see the green grass and the blue, rolling clouds. I smiled and drifted into darkness.
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