Short Stories

A Coven of Witches

 "Come on Minerva!"

Minerva ran into the woods, following the voice. The dull yet colorful leaves scrunched underneath her shoes. Above her, the trees absent of their leaves created a canopy and blocked out some of the sunlight.

"Where are you?" Minerva yelled.

"Over here!" the voice said again.

Minerva followed the sound of the voice. She peered into the woods, trying to see if she could spot a figure in the distance.

Instead, she saw twenty-one stone tables in a circle. She stepped towards the tablets. An eerie feeling struck her as she stepped closer. It pulled her, it wanted her.

Just as she was about to step into the circle, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She screeched and jumped.

"You scared me!" Minerva said as she turned around.

Her friends started laughing. Minerva slapped the shoulder of one of her friends in response. "That wasn't funny!"

"How did you even get here?" her friend asked.

"I have no idea," Minerva said. "I was following the sound of your voice and it led me here."

"I was at the other end of the forest," her friend said. "How strange."

"Maybe it has to do with the legend," her other friend said.

All three looked at the circle. The stone tablets had the names of those who were prosecuted and tried during the Salem Witch Trials and a lone rose growing in the middle.

"Yeah, but the legend was made up Constance," Minerva said. "I doubt that it's true."

"Keziah can ask her mom," Constance said. "She might know more about the legend. She was here during the witch trials."

Keziah nodded her head. "Let's go ask."

The three girls walked away from the circle and towards the village. As they walked further away, Minerva felt the eerie pulling sensation again. She turned around and stared at the memorial site one more time.

Keziah pulled her arm as they reached the edge of the forest. They linked their arms together and walked towards Keziah's house. The village was blooming with activity. Farmers headed to the market with their sheep. Market stalls were open and shoppers picked through the fruits and vegetables shipped from neighboring towns or England. Children played on the streets.

Keziah led them through the market and towards her house. Keziah's father was the town doctor and her mother handled the apothecary. Her mother was also the best person to ask about Salem's history and gossip.

Keziah knocked on the door and walked in. Minerva heard Keziah's father talking to a patient in another room. A voice rang out. "Keziah? Is that you?"

"Yes mother!"

Keziah's mother walked out of the room and towards the girls. She directed them to the dining table.

"Mother, we have a question to ask you," Keziah said. "What do you know about the legend of the stone tablets in the woods?"

Keziah's mother breathed in. "At the end of the witch trials, one of the accusers went missing. No one knew where she went. They tried finding her but failed."

"How did that happen?" Minerva asked.

"No one knows. There were rumors floating around that she understood her actions and decided to leave. She just vanished into the night with no one knowing where she went," Keziah's mother said. "But five years later, people believed that they saw her in Salem."