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Raven stutters out, “Grandma performed curses?”
Nessa is digging through the trunk in the hallway off the kitchen, frantically searching, “It was a different time when your grandma was growing up. She had to always be prepared for things in a different way than we do. Back then… people killed if someone was different. She had to survive.”
The teen girls let that sink in. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to survive. This is one of those times.
“Got it,” Nessa exclaims, pulling out an old, worn, tattered leather-bound journal. Flipping the pages carefully and with reverence, she suddenly stops and smiles broadly, “This. This is how we keep him where we want him.”
It took exactly one hour to put together everything they needed before heading off through the very woods that had chased them out just yesterday.
In the grand scheme of things, it is simple magic, really. A long bundle of rope, soaked in water charged by the full moon, a single strand of hair from the witch leading the curse, and a drop of blood from every member of the coven. While only three of the women are truly witches, the female energy and intention of the others will be more than enough to make the curse binding. Of this, Nessa is sure.
“You would be amazed at the power each one of you holds inside of you,” she tells the skeptical faces of the girls looking to her to guide them through the first magical thing they have ever done, “Intention is everything. Be strong in your intention and never let it waver.”
“Oh, no worries there,” Callie says, still somehow functioning in spite of everything she has learned in the last twenty-four hours, “We all fully intend for him to never show his face again.”
Nessa smiles as they all continue through the woods to his final resting place. She couldn’t be more proud of the souls of these brave women. She knows they will be enough to get the job done. Finally, they reach the hole. Each one of them is expecting to find him standing here, waiting for a fight. A collective sigh of relief comes when they see that nothing is out of place and the forest is quietly calm.
“Form a circle around the cavern, ladies,” Nessa instructs, “Just like we planned.”
They all follow her command and take a place around the opening in the ground.
“We’re going to throw the rope to each other,” she continues, “I’ll hold one end and throw the slack to Sam across the circle from me.” The toss happens successfully. “Good. Now, Sam pull the rope tight and throw the slack across to Callie next to me.” Another successful throw. “Perfect. Callie, throw your slack across to Emily on my other side.” A picture is beginning to take shape. “Fantastic. Now, Emily will throw it across to Raven. Raven, when you catch it, I want you to throw your slack back to me and I’ll throw the end to Willow who will help me to ground our pentagram.” These last three crisscrosses of the rope complete their perfect five-pointed star over the circular opening. Lightening strikes in the clear blue sky above them but Nessa does not flinch, “Okay, girls this is where it gets real. I’m going to light the rope on fire and we’re going to hold our ends until the fire burns through our hands. Do not let go when the fire touches you. I promise it will not burn you if you keep your intentions true. Think of nothing but locking him in here forever and, no matter what happens, don’t stop. Repeat after me, ‘Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door.’”
Together they begin to chant, “Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door. Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door. Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door.”
Like a lit wick, the fire leaves Nessa’s hand and travels across the cavernous opening to, first, Sam who lets it burn itself through her fingers. The fire follows its path to Callie next who watches in wonder as it burns through her hand as well.
“Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door.”
Lightening crashes again in the distance as the fire burns the rope from Emily’s hands.
“Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door.”
Rain begins to pour from the sky as the rope burns through Raven’s hands. The darkening sky intensifies as it burns through Nessa’s.
“Here you will stay, forevermore. Never again will you darken my door.”
A final bolt of lightning strikes directly in the middle of their circle as the fire reaches Willow’s hands and burns itself out. The second the fire is gone, the rain slows and the sky becomes bright again. The curse has been set.
Sam bursts out, “That was seriously anti-climactic. That was it? We’re done?”
Callie and Emily laugh and tackle Sam in a hug, full to the brim with relief. It takes them several joy filled moments to realize no one has joined their celebration. Instead, Raven and Willow are on their knees tending to their mother who has collapsed to the ground. At once, they rush to her side as well.
“Mama,” Raven pleads, “say you’re okay. Please!”
Taking a long moment to catch her breath, Nessa rasps, “It’s… I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay,” Willow says.
Nessa smiles and pushes the girls off to slowly climb to her feet, “That’s the business of curses. I’ll be okay and, now, so will all of you.”
The weight seemingly lifted from each of their shoulders is so immense they have no words. They stare at one another reverently and let it sink in. He really is gone.
Willow, always the practical mother hen, brings them back to earth, “Now, the hard part. Making the rest of the world think he left by his own doing and not because we killed him.”
After what felt like seven days and seven nights inside the musty local police station, five teenage girls burst out the front door into the cool autumn air. Feeling the earthy damp breeze hit their cheeks feels like freedom. Thunder claps overhead and, hand in hand, they scramble across the parking lot to the big sycamore tree across the street. Racing beneath it, they make it just in time to avoid a cold shower as rain begins to pour from the sky.
Sam squeals with delight, “First time in my life I have been thankful for my brother to be a cop!”
