Myths of Yesteryear

Love the Witch

Hannah darted past stone cottages towards the holding cell of the courthouse. Neither the chilly night air nor the mist hanging low to the ground could deter her. Not even the threat of being caught sneaking around at night was enough to dissuade her from seeing her true love.

This was all Matthew Hall's fault. Matthew meant to make Hannah his bride. Hannah couldn't imagine anything worse than becoming Goody Hall and besides she loved another. Matthew became suspicious of Hannah and followed her the previous afternoon as she stole away to meet her lover. He caught them kissing and in a fit of jealousy had Hannah's sweetheart arrested.

On Matthew's word, the magistrate locked Hannah's lover in a cell. The holding cell had a large barred window so that townspeople could ridicule and shame the prisoners. Hannah's lover didn't deserve to be called a prisoner any more than she deserved the title of witch.

"Grace!" Hannah whispered through the bars when she reached the courthouse.

"Hannah is that you." The cold terrified girl asked stepping closer to the bars.

"It is my love," Hannah said reaching her small hand through the bars.

"You shouldn't be here, else they will try you as a witch too." Grace placed her freezing hands inside of the warm embrace that Hannah offered.

"This is unfair." Hannah felt the hot tears run down her cheek. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"How?" Grace asked.

"If I agree to marry Matthew he said that he would find you work with one of his relations a few towns away."

"We'll never see each other again?" Grace asked.

"No, but you'll be alive and just knowing that you are alive is enough for me."

Hannah barely could see the other girl shaking her head on the other side of the bars. "I would rather die than see you married to that man. You should marry someone you love."

"That's impossible," Hannah said. "Because the only person that I could ever love is you and everybody believes that me loving you is wrong."

"How can love ever be wrong?" Grace asked.

"When it gets the one you love killed," Hannah answered.

"It is not our love that accused me of being a witch but Matthew's hate."

"That is why I must agree to Matthew's terms," Hannah whispered.

"No, my lambkin, surely that would be a fate worse than death, and I won't let you trade your life for mine."

"What am I supposed to do, watch you die at the stake." The tears fell hard and fast down Hannah's cheeks.

"Yes, lambkin, but remember we are destined to meet again, in another lifetime. One where our love will be accepted, and in that lifetime, you will be my wife." Grace sadly smiled.

Hannah brought her lips to Grace's hand and kissed it before returning to her stone home, the words: love is pure, love is love, and love will conquer hate, echoing through her mind.