A Halloween to Remember

By Janeal Mulaney

A Halloween to Remember

The full moon crested the horizon, as I made my way to my sister’s resting place. In the hole lay my sisters bones, as well as the pile of rocks the good citizens of Cheyenne had piled on her until she was crushed to her death. As I stood there at the head of her make shift grave, I could hear her screams of pain, and her voice as she begged for them stop. At last I heard her prayers for the Lord to take her swiftly into his arms in the middle of the night.

I had been too late; I had been safe on the other side of the world, when the good people of Cheyenne had descended upon my family’s home. They had decided our pagan ways had gone on for too long. They would rid the town of the woman they called witch. She had not been a witch, nor had my mother taught her, her evil ways. For witchcraft was never in their family line. Their blood was as pure as the driven snow. The only thing they were guilty of was taking in a child that no one wanted. As a babe I was left to die in a forest not far from their home. They had accepted me as their own, and moved on, so no one would know that I was not a child without a home. As I grew I started to suspect that I was not family in the true sense of the word, but still I was loved, and wanted by them.

Although I kept these facts to myself as well as the powers that grew, which could not be tamed. I begin to understand who and what I truly was. I believe I had been successful until my seventeenth year. That was the year I had met Byron, he had moved in three doors down from us and we had hit it off right away, or so I thought. He was tall, sandy blond hair, with dark blue eyes and full luscious lips. Yes he was every girl’s fantasy, and every boy’s worst nightmare. He was good at everything, the best-looking guy at school, and for some reason he wanted me. He zeroed in on me the first day of school. Since none of the other boys had ever paid the slightest attention to me. My head grew three sizes that day. I, to say the least was overwhelmed, and completely out of my league. My sister and I had always been close, after all there was less then a year’s difference in our ages, and up to the point when she had fallen in love with Derek we had shared everything.

Derek had change a lot between us, except for the fact that we still lived in the same house with the same parents. Derek had never liked me, nor did he like the fact that Tansy and I told each other everything. So he started his little campaign, before we celebrated Tansy’s seventeenth birthday, I was all but a wonderful sister. Supposedly I was a jealous, annoying gossip. Tansy could no longer trust. I had tried, but failed to prove my innocents to Tansy, Derek had woven his web nicely and I along with all his lies were trapped inside.

As Tansy and I grew farther apart, Derek became her true best friend, and Byron became mine. I had kept my secret from all within the town of Cheyenne, until that faithful night. Derek had showed up at our door, I was the one to answer his knock. I’m sure it could have came out a different way, but that night I don’t think I really cared to keep the witch that I’d become within myself. Byron was already there, and Derek decided it was time again to attack my character. He went on and on about my jealously, and all the lies I had supposedly spread about my sister and him. Much to my surprise Byron never said a word not to defend, nor did he condemn me. But no, my so-called boyfriend just sat there and listened to the ramblings of my enemy. I was hurt, mad, and discussed by the time Derek shut up. I knew I was losing control, and I should have walk away, but something or someone stopped me, and I turned around one last time. Before I could stop my lips my words of a curse came flying through. As Derek stood in front of me the man became the toad I truly felt he had always been. Byron flew from our home. I left minutes later, after facing what I had done, and turned Derek back into the pitiful man he had become, but it was too late, my adopted family’s eyes lit with horror.

Through the night I had wandered over many miles, I did not know where to go or even how I would get there. My mind was running with the speed of light, my heart grew heavier with each step I took. I had totally ruined everything. I no longer had a family or a home. I researched witchcraft in every library in every town I happened through. I worked odd jobs long enough to get a paycheck and then I would leave once again. Until the day I found my mother’s name. The name was in a small newspaper and it leaped out of the headlines at me. I felt the connection clear to my bones. She had moved back to her land in Scotland. The interview read she would no longer roam. She had grown bored of the limelight, and just wanted to end her days in peace. I knew Scotland would be the place I would find all the answers that I was seeking for.

I cannot say it was a happy reunion for she did not want me there to miss with her life; anymore then she had when I was born. She did however tell me about my grandmother and her gifts. She was whom I got my powers from; the witchcraft skipped a generation every now and then. The old lady was still alive and although her daughter would not have anything to do with her, she gladly told me how to reach her mother anything to get me away from her. She hadn’t wanted me as a reminder of the mistake she had made back then, and wanted me even less now.

I had spent months with my grandmother a woman I had found very enchanting in more ways then one. She was still limber and bright of mind even though she was well into her seventies. We spent many hours together as she helped me understand and excel in my craft.

Two nights ago I had the nightmare, with the touches glowing in the middle of the moon lit night. I could hear the screams of the family whom had raised me, and I felt their terror and fright. Too late I got here, for my parents had died within the fire; my sister was pressed to death that within hours of her own parents death. No one had lifted a finger to stop then injustice of the crime. Once again as all these thoughts left my mind I looked up at the red ringed moon and decided the guilty would pay. Three innocent people had died in mid evil ways. Ways that were so old they had been outlawed long ago. This town was filled with murderers and this town would pay. I said, as I rose from my knees to be on my way.

I walked up the lane where once my family had dwelled the house was nothing but black soot with a burned up board sticking out here and there. The sweet woman and gentle man that once welcomed an infant into their home were now gone, burned beyond recognition, the same way the house had been. I drew a circle and chanted their names to right their wrong in the most horrible way. It was revenge I was after for they had never done anything wrong. Although I wanted the murderers to pay, I wanted the innocents to be left alone. The chant went up to the sky above the wind howled and timbers glowed red once again. The rains came as the chant grew to a close, the wicked would pay throughout the coming day. Halloween was upon us and many would know what happened to wicked people on this faithful day.

As dawn touched the horizon, the chilled wind touched the trees. The sun took on a weaker glow, as the day grew cloudy while the wind blew. Just after lunch the snow started to fall covering the ground quickly. Drifts started to form as the wind picked up its howl. School was let out promptly as the drifts started to raise, one winter storm that would soon bring death to the city for all who ventured outside. The temperature fell quickly leaving no time to spare. Businesses closed and all went home faced with fear. No trick or treating, no customers the children would ware. Thirty-six inches had fallen with more coming in waves thick as the ocean tide.

Six men were not accounted for where they were no one knew. Three family’s kept phone lines busy hunting for husbands and sons, who would never be found. In their drunken state they had once again found the place where they would pay for what they had done wrong.