“Cea! Hey newbie! Do you wanna eat with us?” A blonde girl yelled from across the lunchroom of my new school, in a new town. As everyone turned to look at me an uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Great. I was the center of attention… I hated that. Gingerly I wove through the lunch tables, careful not to bump into anyone or trip over myself. Finally, I plopped my lunch tray on the table in front of the blonde. “Thanks for the invite,” I said gratefully, with a sprinkle of sarcasm which, fortunately, went over their heads. “I don’t recall your na-“
“Megan. And this is Christie and Lila. I just wanted to ask how you like your new house… Did you and your family move in okay?” She leaned in curiously, and asked, “Has anything happened that’s spooky?” she waggled her fingers.
“What? What kind of spooky? What are you talking about?” I exclaimed.
“You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“The legend!”
“What legend?!”
“About the witch! It is Salem you know!”
“Yeah, so?”
Megan lowered her tone, and began with a raspy voice. “Well, legend has it that during the witch trials there was a powerful witch named Abigail with a daughter named Lilian. Because their practice was punishable by death, Abigail and Lillian refined their trade in the basement, where no one would find them. However, one day while Lillian was in town, she met a boy.” Megan’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “The legend says that they quickly fell in love, sneaking out of their houses late at night to see each other. One night, she told him Abigail’s and her secret, thinking he would understand. Apparently, he didn’t take the news very well. Over the next few days Abigail was dragged to the courtroom, convicted, and executed. But before she arrived at the gallows, she is said to have cursed the man that her daughter fell in love with. They say that she cursed him to be forever trapped inside his house, so that he may never harm another soul. Now his soul can never rest, and spends eternity searching for a way out of the house. The house that is now your house, Cea!”
“Stop!” I almost screamed, but I steadied my voice and repeated more calmly, “Stop.”
“What? You scared? It’s only a story, Cea.”
A story indeed, I thought…
