The Salem Witch Society

*1st Place Winner in Young Adult/Teen Fiction in the 2021 Fall Series of the Seasonal Contest*

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of prosecutions and trials held between 1692 and 1693. The accused were those that were deemed to be involved in witchcraft which led to the prosecution of more than 200 women.

In the fall of 2020, the Salem Witch Festival is in full swing--- turning the town of Salem, Massachusetts back into a spookier, tourism driven rendition of what Salem Village would have looked like in the late 16th century.

Bryn Copeland is used to the usual chaos revolving around September and October, thanks to her high school's self-named Salem Witch Society. The pack of particularly witchy girls, no pun intended, all distantly related to some integral historical figure in the trials, make the festival and it's surrounding activities the only priority for most Salem residents. Which means endless fundraising, booth manning, re-enactments, printed flyers, hay rides and events of the like. This year in particular it is her turn to play a role in the lengthy re-enactment of the trials, a two-night only spectacle to conclude the festival and tourism season for the otherwise sleepy town.

But when Bryn stumbles across an age-old secret, buried in the midst of the commercialized tourist fare, she discovers that the festival and its residents entail more than what simply meets the eye. And certainly more than *who* simply meets the eye.