A Christmas Tradition

My name is Thelma Lou and I have a story to tell you about a long time Christmas family tradition. My daughter Gertie sat curled up on her grandpa’s lap in da old rockin’ chair by the wood stove. Da red line on the thermometer dipped well below zero as da wind howled through the pines. We all love this time of year when we visit my folks during Gertie’s winter break from school.

            I came from the kitchen with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Gertie poked at da mini marshmallows bobbing on top. Then she licked the chocolate off her fin-gertips and grinned all Chesire cat like. I settled down on da sofa with my mother’s afghan pulled over my legs and I cracked open my mystery novel.

            “Tell me a story, Grandpa!” Gertie begged. I knew from da twinkle in Pa’s eye and his sly grin toward me that she was about to hear a whopper.

            “Did I ever tell you about the Christmas tradition your Grandma and I started before your mother was born?”

            Gertie shook her head. Even if she had heard da story before, it always grew bigger with each telling.

            Grandpa began. “I bet you didn’t know your Grand-ma and I made some of da best moonshine around.”

            “What is moonshine, Grandpa?”

            I look over my book at my Pa.

            “Oh, it’s something people used to drink in the old days, before there were revenuers up north. They celebrated a lot when they drank it.”

            “Like when we drank raspberry Kool-Aid at my birthday party.”

            “That’s right sweetie, whenever there was moonshine around you could be sure there was going to be a party.” Pa winked at me and continued with his story before I could interrupt it.

            “Every year a few weeks after Thanksgiving, we’d head out into da woods with our best bottle and your Grandma’s Remington shot gun to pick out a tree. It all started when I lost my best chainsaw in a poker game.” Grandpa whispered, “But dat’s another story, and I’d just as soon not bring it up while your Grandma’s within earshot! Now where was I? Oh yeah, how da tradition of shooting da tree got started.”

            “The only thing we had to use to cut down our Christmas tree dat year was your Grandma’s Remington. So we stuck it on the gun rack in our trusty old Ford and we headed out in to da woods to hunt down the perfect spruce.”

            “Before too long we ran into old Gussy. He was a Conservation officer who had to follow every rule in the books. Yer Grandma was worried that he’d write us up for doing something wrong, especially after that incident with the ten pointer in July the year before. So she hid da gun under the seat and commenced to smoochin’ on me like we were out on our first date.”

            “Gussy pulled up next to us and asked us what we were up to. Yer Grandma told him dat she was overcome with passion for me, ever since I helped her trim her bunions dat week. He seemed satisfied with her answer and drove off to leave us to our business.”

            “As soon as we saw his truck disappear, we pulled out da shot gun and the jug of moonshine and we made for the woods.”

            “Before we could make it 15 feet, we heard a loud horn toot behind us. Wouldn’t you know it, our neighbors from down the street, the Bulenskis, had decided to go for a little drive in da forest dat day. They asked us what we were doin.’ We figured they could keep a secret, so yer Grandma told them how we planned to get our tree dat year.”

            “They thought that was a grand idea. Billy ran back home to get his rifle and when he got back, he and Hildie joined us on our adventure.”

            “Of course da news spread like wild fire and da tradition was born. Da ‘Shooting of the Tree’ became a yearly community event. We all took turns being on da lookout for Gussy. We always managed to stay one step ahead of him. But then a new problem arrived on the scene.”

            “What grandpa?”

            “Do you remember hearin’ stories about my Aunt Eartha? She was one of da biggest tree huggin’ creatures you’d ever seen. She tried to hold a rally to get us to stop da tradition, but we still did it anyway. So Eartha changed her tactics and decided to team up with Gussy to catch us in da act.”

            “Yer Grandma and I thought we’d have a little fun with my aunt. Even though she couldn’t kill a tree to cele-brate Christmas, she sure wasn’t afraid to shoot any bunnies for her famous rabbit stew.”

            “What did you do, Grandpa?”

            “Aunt Eartha used to complain all da time about how hard it was to get a good bead on the little buggers in da winter time since they blended in with da snow so well, and her eyesight wasn’t what it used to be.”

            “So we followed her out to one of her favorite huntin’ spots and hid behind some big beech trees. After she moved on, we sneaked out and put a pile of carrots at da base of a clump of spruces.”

            “Sure enough, after a few days those rabbits were coming back all da time to look for more grub. We waited for Eartha to show back up.”

            “There she was with the biggest smile on her face. She lifted her shot gun and Bam! She shot at da rabbit. Well, dat bunny got away, but Eartha had shot a hole clean through da trunk of one of da spruce trees! The tree teetered, then it fell to da ground.”

            “Oh, no,” said Gertie. She covered her mouth and looked very surprised.

            Papa continued. “She took a look around to see if anyone had seen her dreadful deed. Then she slung da trunk of dat spruce tree over her shoulder and dragged it out of da woods. We were flipping blown over. She threw da tree in-to the bed of her pickup and she drove home.”

            “We followed her to her home and peeked in her window. We watched her decorate dat dang thing! Every now and then she’d stop and stare up at da tree and grin. She’d give it a hug and sniff its branches. Aunt Eartha seemed to be sucking in da aroma of dat tree and holding it in her nostrils as long as she could.”

            “Did she know you were watching her?”

            “No. Yer Grandma couldn’t take it anymore. She was laughing so hard at da sight, she was sure Eartha would hear us. So yer Grandma marched over to da front door and banged real hard on it. I kept watching Aunt Eartha through da window. She looked around in a panic. Then she de-cided she better answer the knocking since it kept getting louder.”

            “Eartha stammered. Words were refusing to come out of her mouth right. I thought this was a good time to join da party so I stormed into da house with my hands on my hips.”

            “I was just about to open my mouth and blackmail my aunt so dat she wouldn’t hassle us anymore about our activities when she spoke up, ‘You know, this isn’t such a bad way to celebrate da season. I think I’d like to participate in this tradition next year.’”

            He paused to take a sip of his coffee. He grinned at Gertie. She smiled back and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

            “And that’s just what she did. She even started da event with a bugle call every year! Until she headed for the happy rabbit hunting grounds in da sky.”

            “That’s amazing, Grandpa. Do you have a picture of Aunt Eartha?”

            “Yes, I do. I will show ya after I drink my hot cho-colate.”

            “Did dat really happen, Papa?”

            “Of course it did. I’m surprised yer Ma didn’t tell you dat she and your Pa have carried on da family tradition for years now.” My Pa winked my way again as Gertie climbed down off his lap and scrambled over towards me on da couch to sit next to her ma.

            “Is it true Ma?” Without waiting for an answer she added, “And how come we don’t get to go with you and drink moonshine and help shoot down da tree?”

            Papa got up and patted me on da shoulder, “I think I hear Grandma calling me in da kitchen.”  He shuffled off with a twinkle in his eye.

Alien Abductions

We are being watched by aliens from other planets and sometimes they take us to their spaceships or possibly planets to examine us to find out how we are different or similar to them. Many individuals filed reports about alien abductions. Some of the humans have not been returned to Earth. They have disappeared forever. Some have given detailed accounts about their abductions and others do not remember any details. Various testimonies derailed the idea that we are alone in this universe. Other life forces exist.

            “George wake up. Someone is in our home,” wailed Alexia.

            “I don’t hear anything,” replied George.

            “George, can you take your gun and flashlight and check things out?” asked Alexia.

            “Yes, Alexia,” said George begrudgingly.

            George grabbed his handgun out of his nightstand and the flashlight that was laying next to the gun and walked out into the hallway outside of their upstairs bedroom. He heard nothing.  He almost tripped over their cat, Sammy. Cursing because he stubbed his toe, he continued to look in the other bedrooms and bathroom that shared the same floor as their bedroom. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

            He walked downstairs and entered the kitchen. He found nothing out of the ordinary. George was starting to get frustrated because this was the second time in two weeks that he has been woken out of a sound sleep by Alexia because she thought she heard something.

            Alexia screamed, which startled George. He ran upstairs. Alexia was nowhere to be found. The door to the terrace from of their bedroom was open. He ran outside just in time to see a strange spaceship.  The spaceship was round and blue lights lined the perimeter.

George could not believe his eyes. He grabbed onto the railing and yelled at the spaceship to bring back his wife.  

            What do I do? She’s gone and it looks like aliens took her. Do I call the police? What do I do? I have to call someone. George was beside himself. He decided to call the police. He could not deal with this on his own.

            “Hello, my name is George Castice. I am reporting that my wife was just abducted by aliens.”

            “Slow down. It sounded like you said your wife was abducted by aliens,” replied Sandy the responder from the 911 call center.

            “Yes, that is what I said.”

            “Give me your address and I will send a car over there immediately,” replied Sandy. She has heard a lot of strange things since she started her job a couple of years ago, but never did anyone report an alien abduction. She placed the call with a couple of police officers that were in the area after George gave her his home address.

            Lights were flashing brightly from the police car as the police entered the driveway of George’s home during the wee hours of the morning. The neighborhood was quiet.

            “I am so glad you are here. My wife heard something and woke me up to check things out. I was downstairs when I heard her scream. The door to the terrace was wide open. They were locked when we went to bed and when I ran onto the terrace, I saw a strange alien spaceship,” George said. He was out of breath because he was talking so fast and he was a nervous wreck.

            The officers looked at him strangely and suspiciously.

            “Have you been drinking, sir?” asked one of the officers.

            “No, I was sound asleep and like I said my wife woke me to check things out. I was downstairs after checking all the rooms upstairs when I heard her scream.”

            “Did you see anything out of the ordinary when you checked out the house?” asked the officer.

            “You mean besides the spaceship?” asked George who was starting to feel like he was not being taken seriously.  He was concerned about his wife and knew the police officers could not help him.

            “Have you and your wife been getting along?” asked one of the police officers.

            “What are you suggesting? I love my wife. We were going on vacation in a couple of days. I would never do anything to hurt her,” said George. He was starting to feel sorry that he called 911. George’s face was turning redder as he stared at the police officers.

            “Settle down. We are not accusing you of anything yet.”

            George asked the police officers to leave. They reluctantly left.

            “Let’s us know if you hear from your wife.”

            “I will.”

            A couple of days went by and there was no sign of Alexia. George was getting more and more worried.

            He went to bed and tried falling asleep. He saw flashing blue lights outside their bedroom window. He opened the doors to the terrace and found Alexia. She was in a daze. He guided her to their bed and helped her lay down. Her nightgown was torn and dirty which George thought was odd. It was like she was running through the woods with bare feet. Her feet were covered in mud. How odd that she appeared like she did.

            “Are you okay my love?”

            Alexia did not respond. She lay staring at him with blank eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Dark circles were under her eyes and her eyes were bloodshot. George lay down beside her and held her in his arms. She fell fast asleep and did not wake up until 8:00 a.m. in the morning. She shook George who was sound asleep next to her. He was startled and woke up to see her looking down at him.

            “I’m hungry, George.”

            “What do you want to eat?”

            “Anything. I haven’t eaten in days.”

            George stared at her for a little while and then got out of bed to retrieve food for her. He made her a turkey sandwich on rye and peeled and orange for her. He poured her a glass of milk and walked upstairs to bring the food to Alexia. She was in the shower. George set the tray down on the nightstand and walked into the bathroom.

            Alexia finished showering and started drying off. George didn’t realize how much he missed her until he saw her in front of him. She was covered in small bruises and winced when she dried over part of the bruised area on her body.

            She ate heartily after she put on another nightgown.

            George waited until she finished eating and drinking the milk and then asked her, “Can you tell me what happened to you?”

            “I was taken by these strange greenish people. They didn’t talk but probed me a lot. They inspected my whole body. We landed, I think on Earth. It looked like Earth and they had me run through the woods as fast as I could. They placed that thought into my head. There was no talking. I had to run for what seemed like hours and I was given short breaks. I think they wanted to see how strong I was.”

            “Did they hurt you?”

            “They were pinching me with these devices. That hurt.”

            “What did the devices look like?”

            “They looked like large narrow tongs with red lights running down the sides. The red lights were hot,” said Alexia.

            Alexia matter of factly added, “I was told that I was taken as a child when I was six and they wanted to see how I have grown and to check my strength.”

            George was surprised to hear about her fist abduction.

            “I don’t remember being abducted when I was six. They told me they erased the memories of my abduction from me and my family’s memories.”

            “Why are you able to remember you were abducted this time?”

            “They said they are not concerned with hiding their appearance on this planet. There are a lot of aliens on Earth at this time. The aliens are concerned with what we are doing with our planet.”

            “Interesting.”

            “We do things like recycle and use energy efficient appliances. We also grow our own food when possible, but many people do not take any steps to save our planet,” said Alexia.

            “Are you okay?” asked George.

            “They were more careful with me than they were with some of the others because I am pregnant.”

            “You’re pregnant,” said George. He was astounded to hear the news. They gave up trying to have a baby a few years ago because of George’s low sperm count. They adopted a dog and a cat to fill the void and volunteer at the local animal shelter when time permits. They thought they lived fulfilling and happy lives for the most part.

            George hugged his wife and patted her belly.

            “Are you going to be left alone from now on by the aliens?”

            “I don’t know. They dropped me off and said nothing to me about any future visits,” said Alexia.

            George did not know what to make of the whole ordeal. He called the police and the same police visited their home again. They met with Alexia to get her side to things and left feeling like they were just told the biggest lie. The police officers looked at each other with disbelief but could not openly disagree with Alexia about what she reported. They told her that they were glad she was home safe and sound.

********

            Jack woke up in his bed in a small community in Vermont. He was terrified about the dream he just had. He dreamed he was taken by aliens to another planet. He was shackled, probed and ordered to run for great distances. The man that was running next to him fell to the ground and it looked like he was dead. There was no heart beat or pulse. He was alone running for what he thought was for his life. He was fully awake so he looked at his alarm clock. The luminated numbers told him it was 5:00 a.m. so he got out of bed to get ready for work. He worked at the hospital for the maintenance department.

            He arrived at work and John, a lab tech, asked him if he was feeling better.

            “What do you mean?” asked Jack.

            “You were out for a few days,” responded John.

            “What day is it?” asked Jack.

            John looked at him queerly and responded, “It’s Sunday.”

            Jack realized he missed a couple of days. He lost them completely. He thought it was Thursday. Where did Thursday, Friday and Saturday go. Jack scratched his head.

            Jack looked at John and told him he was feeling better and he thanked him for his concern.

            Jack did not know what to think about what was going on. He went about his business and explained that he had a terrible bug and he was immobilized for what he thought was only a day or two and was very sorry he did not call in. Jack was a model employee so they did not question what he said. They took his word concerning his three-day absence. There were a few bugs going around. It was that time of year, midwinter.

           

*********

            Leon was strapped to a long table. A bright light was hanging above his head. He did not know where he was. He was groggy and stunned to realize he was in a strange place.

            Tall people who happened to be a greenish color were staring down at him.

            They were planting thoughts in his head or he was reading their minds. They were planning on examining his brain. They wanted to find out why he was so intelligent. More so than the other humans they picked up from Earth.

            Leon was a scientist on Earth. He was working in a laboratory trying to come up with a cure for cancer. The aliens were exploring the possibility that he may be a human hybrid. They knew he was more intelligent than most of the humans they have examined. They wanted to find out how intelligent he was and where his intelligence came from. Some of the aliens that visited Earth were in competition with the other aliens.  Most of the aliens were from advanced civilizations and they surpassed the capacity of the typical human brains.

            Leon was given a multitude of virtual tests to measure his intelligence. The aliens were impressed with his aptitude. Leon was getting sleepy so they studied his brain while they let him sleep. They continued for days until they reached a point of discovery that Leon must be a hybrid human. The origin was further explored by running a series of complex DNA studies. They made the determination that Leon was derived from a combination of donors. One of the donors was from the planet Nibiru, their sister planet. They learned that at an earlier time period their Anunnaki brothers and sisters were experimenting with their own DNA to make more intelligent humans. It appeared to them that they were successful with their human hybrid experiment.

            Leon woke up from his induced sleep to find them probing his heart and lungs. He was in pain from all the probing that was being done to him. He looked down at his arms and saw puncture wounds.

            “I want to go home,” demanded Leon.

            Aliens have been known to be able to decipher any language from any planet they visit and respond by planting thoughts in the beings’ minds. They replied that he will go home soon by planting that thought in his head. Leon settled down and tried to block from his mind the things they were doing to his body. He fell to sleep naturally and woke up in his own bed not remembering a thing that happened to him the past couple of days.

********

           
            Alexia was having a nightmare one night and George turned on the light on his end table. He saw Alexia standing facing him on the bed. Her face was contorted. She looked like she had seen a ghost. George carefully helped her lay down. He held her in his arms. She was crying and trembling.

            “I don’t want to go back with those aliens. They haunt me constantly. Half the time I have trouble deciding what is real and what is not.”

            “I am so sorry honey. I wish I could ease your mind.”

            “I know you are doing the best you can.”

            “The baby kicked. Feel it.”

            George placed his hand on his wife’s belly. She appeared to be getting big with this pregnancy faster than George expected. George was hopeful everything was going to be okay. Alexia’s doctor’s appointment was tomorrow and they could check on the progress of the baby. The doctor was going to conduct an ultrasound.

            The next day they are at the doctor’s office and he running the scope on Alexia’s swollen belly. George is anxiously awaiting the results.

            The doctor points out what looks like a dark blob on the screen.

            “It looks like a healthy baby. Look there is a second fetus hidden behind the first,” the doctor said.

            George and Alexia look at each other to share in the surprise together. George squeezes her hand.

            “The fetus that is behind the other fetus appears to be smaller. You may be having a boy and a girl.”           
            “That will be okay,” said George elated about the news. Twins did not run in any of their families as much as he was aware but the news of the babies being healthy and of possibly two sexes sounded okay to George. He held Alexia’s hand.

           

********

           

            Jack discovered that he was even more forgetful. He forgot to set his alarm and was late for work. He forgot to pack his lunch so he wandered down to the cafeteria.

            He paid for his food and sat by himself. John sat next to him.

            “I think I am still under the weather. I am not myself.”

            “Is there anything I can do for you?” asked John.

            “No, I think I just need to let it work out of my system.”

            The truth was he felt okay but his mind did not seem to work as well as before he was abducted. He was wondering what the aliens did to him.

            “Do you mind if I join you?” asked Mary, another lab tech.

            John pointed to the seat by him.

            “What’s wrong with your friend?” asked Mary quietly.

            “I think he’s still feeling like he’s under the weather. He was recently sick.”

            Mary smiled at Jack to reassure him.

            At home later that evening Jack tried to play along with jeopardy and realized that he couldn’t answer any of the questions that were being presented. He closed his eyes and thought about a time when he could not answer the questions and could not come with a time when his mind was as blank as it was now. He was getting concerned. He had to write lists to accomplish any of the everyday things he used to do in the past such as turning on his alarm clock. He developed a daily checklist so he wouldn’t forget to do anything. He couldn’t afford to be late for work anymore. He felt he was being watched at work. Jack went from being a model employee to one who was being watched. This was unsettling to him.

            When the aliens abducted Jack they realized that he was of average intelligence, not a remarkable human specimen. They were not careful when they erased part of his memories from the abduction. Some of his previous memories before the abduction were also erased.

            Leon, on the other hand, was treated with the utmost care when they erased part of the memories from his abduction. As part of their experiment, they injected some of their brain cells, which enhanced his intelligence. He was making progress with his research concerning finding a cure for cancer in leaps and bounds.

********

                       
            It was time for Alexia to give birth. They were both nervous but faced the future bundles of joy with happy anticipation. Alexia’s mother was arriving at their home that evening to help with the twins. She was able to stay for a month or two. George was very happy about that. His mother died years ago so he was glad that Alexia still had her mother in her life.

            Alexia was in a lot of pain and was given a shot to ease the pain.

            The time had come. The first head of one of the babies was crowning. It was a girl, a healthy baby girl.

Alexia started pushing again and the second baby’s head was crowning. This baby was considerably larger so she needed to be cut more to allow the baby’s head to come out.

            Everybody was waiting. Alexia’s sister and her husband and George’s father were in the waiting room.

            George asked, “Is the baby okay?”

            “The baby is fine, just larger,” replied the doctor.

            The baby was finally born. The baby’s skin had a sparkly glow to it. Everyone in the delivery room thought it may be the lighting. The baby was a boy. He cried loudly as he was being cleaned after the delivery.

            Alexia was being stitched and given additional pain medicine because of the difficulty of the second delivery.

A Witch's Curse

A Witches Curse

Darkness fell on Eloise as she grasped her throat in agony. Mary Beth smiled upon the dying woman, the woman who had the attention of her lover and companion. Kirt belonged to her and only her. The love potion must be wearing off.  Mary Beth kicked Eloise when she walked by her. Her eyes were closed and she stopped moaning and moving. Kirt was waiting for her in front of the book store. Mary Beth lured Eloise to the back alley behind the store. Eloise was unaware that there was a hex bag in the pocket of her sweater, slipped in when she was standing next to Mary Beth ordering coffee. Mary Beth pretended to be her friend and invited her to join her while she had a cup of coffee. They discussed the books and magazines they were purchasing.  Mary Beth convinced Eloise to come with her to the back of the store to look at some flowers. Eloise was curious so she followed Mary Beth. They left their books and magazines on the table they were sharing. Mary Beth started chanting a spell as soon as they were outside. Eloise fell to the ground and started choking. Eloise felt as if her chest and throat were on fire. She died shortly afterwards.

            Eloise was a stunning woman with red hair.  A few freckles lined her nose and cheeks. She had a slender body and long legs.  She was athletic, played sports such as basketball and ran several days a week.  Eloise had a friendly demeanor and had many friends and she was close to her family.  Mary Beth did not care about how many people were going to miss her. She only cared about ridding herself of the burden of Kirt paying attention to her.

Mary Beth entered the store and acted as if nothing happened after disposing of Eloise’s body in the dumpster.  She paid for her books and met Kirt, who was sitting on a bench in front of the store enjoying his ice cream cone. Mary Beth told him she was full and did not have room for any ice cream. The ice cream shop was very busy and it took Kirt a while to get his ice cream and return to the book store to wait for Mary Beth.  It didn’t take much to convince Kirt to go for ice cream after she saw Eloise enter the book store. Things played out nicely and Mary Beth was rid of the nuisance.

            Mary Beth was often a somewhat somber person who had long black hair and she was only 5’ 2” in height. She often wished she was taller because she felt tall women got more attention. She was somewhat pretty if she spent a lot of time with her hair and make up. She was not a natural beauty like Eloise or other women she envied.  She was slender but never felt she was slender enough, always on a diet.  Kirt told her she was perfect but she didn’t know if that was the love potion talking.

            Kirt asked, “What books did you buy?”

            Mary Beth took the books and magazines out of the bag. She proudly showed Kirt what she purchased. She purchased cook books, a People magazine, and a Yoga magazine.  Mary Beth wanted to pretend that cooking and taking care of herself were important to her. 

            “Do you plan on trying new dishes? I already think you are a good cook,” said Kirt.

            “I want to try new dishes,” said Mary Beth. She grabbed his arm and put her head on his shoulder.

            He squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

            A day later when Eloise did not show up at her parents’ home the night before, they called the police and reported her missing. Her parents and siblings spent last evening and the day looking for her frantically.

            “Somebody is not considered missing until they are missing for at least 48 hours,” said Officer Riley.

            “You don’t know our Eloise. She would never stand up her family. She is never late. We need help finding her. I don’t have a good feeling about this,” said Ramona Bikel. Eloise’s mother. Ronald, Eloise’s father, was standing next to her when she made the call. Eloise’s brother, Randy, and her sister Ursula were standing next to Ronald.

            “Let’s get our friends together to help us look for her,” said Randy.

            “I will make some calls to see if they will help us,” said Ronald.

            A group of approximately 30 people joined them in their search. They checked thoroughly the trails Eloise hiked on and anywhere else she may have frequented to no avail.

            The garbage men were dumping the dumpster behind the book store the following Monday when they noticed a human arm amongst the trash and stopped. They called the police.

            The coroner looked up missing persons in the area and discovered that Eloise Bikel was missing. Her family identified Eloise. They were heart broken and hired a local detective agency to locate the killer. They didn’t trust that the police would do a thorough job.

            Mary Beth put some more of the love potion in the food and drink she prepared for Kirt. She wanted to make sure he ingested the potion.  She tried a difficult soufflé and added Crème Brule for dessert.  The potion was added to Kirt’s wine and his dessert.  Kirt finished his wine and the Crème Brule and looked longingly at Mary Beth. They spent the rest of the evening cuddling and making love. Mary Beth did not want the evening to end. She thought to herself, if I was a cat I would be purring right now. She petted Percy, her black cat. He was purring loudly.

            Mary Beth joined a witches’ coven a few years ago so she didn’t have to practice her craft alone.  They met in an old abandoned barn off Highway 90.  A table was placed in the middle of a smaller room off the main part of the barn. The room was used to store tools when the barn was in use to board horses and milking cows. The table was used as their alter.  The bones of cats, bat wings, and various herbs were strewn in a pile near the center of the alter. The coven wore long black robes. They circled the alter and started chanting. They discussed earlier that a mayor needed to be removed from his role because he was going to condemn their meeting place and they wanted to be left alone. They were working on a deadly curse to rid themselves of Henry, the mayor. They had a person in mind to replace him. Her name was Selina and she was a part of their coven.

            Selina prepared a hex bag to stick in Henry’s pocket.  The plan involved Mary Beth meeting with Henry to discuss the addition of a statue to city park, a statue of Jonathan Shuttlemeyer, the last mayor, who was well liked.  He died in a horrible car accident involving a semi. Jonathan’s tire blew and he swerved in the path of a semi. He died instantly.  Mary Beth was going to tell Henry that she would hire a sculptor to construct the marble statue. She had someone in mind. They would discuss a large community fundraiser that Mary Beth would offer to run to earn the money for the statue.  She would never be suspected of her role in carrying out the coven’s plot.  The plan seemed flawless.

            The meeting was set up between Mary Beth and Henry. They met at her flower shop.

She served cookies and coffee at a table in the breakroom at the back of the shop. She claimed that she gave her staff the day off to celebrate a family event, someone graduating.  She greeted Henry with a warm smile and invited him to sit down. The side of her apron got stuck on the chair Henry was sitting on and she almost fell into Henry’s lap. She slipped the hex bag in his pants pocket when she was trying to right herself. 

            “I am so sorry. My apron got caught on your chair,” said Mary Beth.

            “It’s alright. Are you okay?” asked Henry.

            “Just my pride,” said Mary Beth. She acted embarrassed.  She knew Henry had a crush on her some time ago.  She used her attractiveness to get his attention.

            He smiled and touched her hand to reassure her. She smiled back at him.

            “Let’s talk about the statue. I want the marble statue to be at the entryway to the park so everyone sees it when they enter the park,” said Mary Beth.

            “That’s sounds nice. You have someone in mind to do the work?” asked Henry.

            “My sister knows of a sculptor that is looking for work. She went to school with him.  I would check to see what the going rate would be for his services so we don’t get charged too much,” said Mary Beth.  She handed Henry a catalog containing large pieces of marble for them to purchase. He was impressed that she did her homework and he started flipping through the calendar.

            “Marble is expensive,” said Henry.

            “I know it is. That is why we need to hold a fundraiser,” said Mary Beth.

            “What do you have in mind?” asked Henry.

            “I thought we could host a fancy dinner and dance and ask the ones with more money than the rest of us to come to the event,” said Mary Beth.

            “Why don’t we keep the costs down for the event so that many people could attend?” suggested Henry.

            “That could work, too. The amount that could attend could offset the cost of the event.  I was looking to get as much donated as possible,” said Mary Beth.

            “I think that sounds like a very good idea,” said Henry.

            “I will work on more of the details and then we can meet again,” said Mary Beth.

            “I look forward to carrying this out. It would be nice to honor Jonathan. He did a lot for our community.”

            Henry left. Mary Beth called Selina to let her know about Henry’s departure.

            The coven was meeting at Selina’s home. They started chanting and calling out a death spell for Henry’s demise. It didn’t take long before Henry had a massive heart attack at the age of 39. He died immediately while he was walking back to the court house.  He left two small children and a wife behind.

            “How was your day?” asked Kirt when Mary Beth walked through the door of her apartment.

            “I had a wonderful day. The shop was busy. I sold a lot of flowers for some of the graduation ceremonies and a wedding. Henry, the mayor, met with me to discuss the possibility of creating a statue in honor of Jonathan. He is on board with the idea,” said Mary Beth. She acted like she didn’t know about Henry’s death.

            Kirt had dinner made for Mary Beth, shrimp skewers cooked on the grill with roasted corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. She was really hungry so she ate rather quickly. They sat down to watch the local news after dinner and learned about Henry’s death.

            “I just met with him today and he seemed fine,” said Mary Beth.  She wiped a tear from her eye.

            “I am so sorry.”

           

            The detective agency that was working on the death of Eloise found about some interesting things concerning Eloise’s death. A hex bag was discovered in the pocket of her sweater. She was seen having coffee with Mary Beth at the book store. They were also seen leaving out the back door and only Mary Beth returned.

            There was a knock at  Mary Beth’s apartment door. Two police officers were on the other side of the door.

            “We have to take you downtown for questioning concerning the death of Eloise Bikel,” said one of the officers.

            Mary Beth did not have time to seek help from the coven. She was forced to follow the officers to their police car. Kirt tried to get in the police car with her and they ordered him to go back to the apartment.

            Mary Beth was stewing in the back seat. This is a first time any one of us have been linked to any crime. I should have been more careful. I needed to do things more discreetly. I needed to not do anything in a public place. I had one thing in mind and that was to get rid of her. I hope I can get out of this.

            Mary Beth acted sweet when they arrived at the police station. They led her to an interrogation room.

            “Tell us about your meeting with Eloise Bikel. We were told that you met with her to have coffee at the book store. Then the two of you went outside and only one of you came back inside. She did not. What happened?” asked Sam, a city police officer.

            “Sam, you know me well enough. I don’t have a mean bone in my body,” said Mary Beth meekly.

            “You were seen going out the back door with Eloise and only you returned. What happened to Eloise?” asked Sam sternly.

            “I had a question about some flowers and I wanted to know if she could name the flowers,” replied Mary Beth.

            “Why didn’t she return with you?” asked Sam.

            “She decided to go for a walk. She did that a lot,” said Mary Beth.

            “She was found dead in the dumpster. How did she get in there? She didn’t end up going for a walk,” said Sam.

            “Look at me. Does it look like I could lift Eloise and put her in the dumpster,” said Mary Beth.

            “No, it doesn’t look like you could do that,” said Sam. He scratched his head and looked at Mary Beth in a scrutinizing manner.

            “Was there somebody else behind the book store with the two of you?” asked Sam.

            “I saw a man that stood at end of the alley and stared at us. But I didn’t think anything of it,” Mary Beth said.

            “What did the man look like?” asked Sam.

            “He was tall and had broad shoulders. He had dark hair and was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I don’t think I could pick him out of a line up because I really didn’t see his face. He was wearing sun glasses. I do remember that,” said Mary Beth.

            “Did he stand there for a long time?” asked Sam.

            “No, he didn’t.”

            “We are going to bring you home. You need to stay in town in case we have more questions,” said Sam.

            She was led back to the police car and taken home.

            Kirt was anxiously waiting for her.

            “What happened? Why did they haul you away?” asked Kirt.

            “They were wondering what happened to Eloise Bikel. She was found dead in the dumpster behind the book store,” said Mary Beth.

            “And they thought you would know how that happened. That’s ridiculous.”

            “That’s two deaths, the mayor and Eloise. What is happening in this town,” said Mary Beth. She looked like she was upset.

           

            “This is strange. There was a hex bag found in the mayor’s pocket. Witches are involved in the deaths of Eloise and Henry? We need to look into this further,” said Rick, a crime investigator.

            “I do think it is strange that both deaths involved hex bags and they both died mysteriously. Henry was quite young to have a heart attack. His doctor reported that he was in perfect health. It looked like only Eloise’s hand prints were found on her neck. There no other finger prints found. It almost looks like she strangled herself and we both know that is not the case,” said Derek, another crime investigator.

            “What was Henry working on that may have made somebody upset. Upset enough to kill him,” inquired Rick.

            “I will look into that and get back with you,” replied Derek.

           

            The next day Rick and Derek met to discuss the case.

            “I discovered that Henry was working on condemning some of the properties in the area to make the area safe,” said Derek.

            “Let’s go together to check out these locations,” said Rick.

            Derek had the places that were being condemned logged in his GPS unit in his phone. First, they visited an abandoned warehouse. They could not find anything out of the ordinary.

            They went to the barn next which they were unaware that it was being used by the coven.  A small clearing and a wooded area was located behind the barn.  The woods were thick and dark.

            They walked around the barn and the property and then went inside. Rick and Derek discovered very worn stalls that haven’t been used in years. Then they walked into a small room. They had to use their flash lights. They discovered a table with herbs, small bones and bat wings on it.

            “These items were found in the hex bags. I think we found a witch’s place, where they hold their strange meetings,” said Derek.

            “I think you’re right. What’s on the wall over there?” asked Rick.

            They shined a light on the wall and saw black robes hanging on hooks.

            “Let’s get out of here and set up a hidden watch over this place especially at night to see if we can catch them in the act and discover who is behind the deaths,” said Derek.

            An owl hooted and then they heard what they thought were coyotes howling.

            Rick turned to Derek and said, “That sounds like a plan.”  He walked quickly to the police cruiser.

            They went back to the police station and set up stake outs with at least three to four police officers for that evening.

            The first watch revealed nothing.

            The second night, five women showed up. The police officers recognized all the women. They were upstanding women from the community.  They had video recorders set up and recorded what happened in the small room connected to the barn.  The women’s names were taken down and they were going to be followed for awhile to see if they could catch them in the act.

           

            “We are being watched,” said Mary Beth.

            The coven was privately meeting in the woods near the park. Little did they know that their homes were bugged along with their phones, and the businesses they owned.  They were also followed and watched at the meeting they were attending. 

            “I am getting creeped out. I feel like there are eyes on me wherever I go,” said Selina.

            “I am being followed, also,” said Mary Beth.

            “What are we going to do about these intrusions?” asked Jane, another member of the coven.

            “I don’t know,” said Selina.

            “The hex bags are the only way we can carry out the spells we put on people. I wish we could have retrieved the one from Henry’s pocket and I should have thought of removing the one I placed on Eloise,” said Mary Beth.

            “Yes, we got sloppy,” said Jane. She glared at Mary Beth.

            Weeks went by and the coven laid low and did not place any spells on any of their perceived enemies. The police lightened up on their surveillance of the women they thought were witches.

            Mary Beth talked with the coven to see if they could rid themselves of Sam and some of the other police officers who were trailing them for such a long time.

            “What can we do to get new blood at the police station? Perhaps get rid of Sam, who was leading the watch over us,” said Mary Beth.

            “I could meet with him,” said Selina.

            “How would you pull that off?” asked Mary Beth.

            “I would alter my appearance and pretend I am a new residence. I would go to the police station and report a possible stalker,” said Selina.

            “What address would you use?” asked Mary Beth.

            “I would use a school teacher’s address and mention that I moved to town to live with my brother or sister,” said Selina.

            “He won’t be given a chance to corroborate the information before he is killed,” said Mary Beth.

            “Why don’t we try another approach?” asked Jane.

            “What do you have in mind?” asked Selina.

            “Why don’t we have someone become crazy and enter the police station and open fire making sure to kill Sam,” said Jane.

            “That’s sounds like a better plan and it would be more difficult to link us to him,” said Mary Beth.

            Jane said, “I am ready to call off my relationship with Stewart. Perhaps I can plant a hex bag on him and we can use him.”

            “You wouldn’t mind,” said Mary Beth.

            “No, I am ready to move onto someone else.”

            Mary Beth prepared the hex bag for an unsuspecting Stewart.

           

            Jane invited Stewart over to her apartment. She slept with him one last time and then planted the hex bag in his back pocket of his jeans without him being aware of it. She decided to have the coven put the spell on him after he left her apartment. She called as soon as he left.

            Stewart entered the police station. He had two guns in his hands loaded and ready. He headed to the area the police officers were located and started shooting. He shot Sam first in the chest and started shooting at the other officers.  Sam died immediately because the bullet lodged in his heart. He managed to shoot two more officers before Derek shot him in the heart. He fell heavily, banging his head on one of the desks before landing on the floor.

            The coroner called some of the remaining police officers to his office.

            “Look what I found in his back pocket,” said the coroner.

            “Looks like another hex bag,” said Derek.

            “Those witches got one over on us, again,” said John, another police officer.

            “We were watching them for quite a while. We lightened up concerning our watch because they did not seem to be up to anything and then this happens. They had Sam killed. I think it was because he was the lead for the investigation concerning them,” said Derek. Derek had seniority so he was given the temporary role as the police chief to take Sam’s place.  He did not like having to deal with unscrupulous witches. It was beyond his pay grade.

            “What are we going to do about the witches?” asked John.

            “I don’t know. I really don’t know,” replied Derek.  He looked frustrated and looked like he was ready to give up. Then he placed his finger on his chin and told them he had a plan.