Suffer a Witch

Chapter Three ~ part ten ~

 Chapter Three

~ part ten ~

She made quick work of her shower and got dressed. She brushed out her long hair before opening the bathroom door. Giles Corey was standing on the other side of it.

“You’ve brought this on yourself,” Giles said.

Em rolled her eyes and tried to move past him. Angry, he grabbed her by the arms.

“You should have listened to me,” Giles said.

Em shook her head. He yelped and let go. There was an odd rumbling in the apartment and everyone stopped talking. Now furious, he took a step toward her.

“How dare you?” Giles asked. “You’ve brought this upon all of us.”

“You have no more idea of what’s going on than I do,” Em said. “Don’t pretend you do.”

“I know who’s at the root of it,” Giles said.

“Who?” Em asked.

Their energies pressed against each other’s in the tight hallway. Angry, Em refused to give him any ground.

“Giles?” Sam asked from behind them in the hallway.

“What?” Giles asked.

Giles tried to overpower Em. She kept him off her. She was at least twice his strength, which infuriated him even more. She could have easily overpowered him, but she refused to do to him what he’d always wanted to do to her.

“You remember what happened the last time you went after Em?” Sam asked.

Giles didn’t let up his press upon Em.

“Why don’t you come out of there and we’ll talk about it?” Sam asked again.

“She’s the root of all of this!” Giles said.

“Come out of there so we can talk,” Sam encouraged. “She’s not your problem alone. We all want to talk to Em. You can have your say then. If you’re right, we’ll back you. You know that.”

Exhausted, Giles let go of his press with a sigh. He shot Em an angry look but was clearly relieved to have a way out. Giles spun around and stormed away from her. Sam touched Em’s arm to make sure she was all right. She nodded. Sam followed Giles into the living room. For a moment, Em stood in the hallway to catch her spiritual breath.

When she looked up, George was standing in the hallway. As if to say that she couldn’t help it, she shrugged. He smiled. He held his arm out, and she tucked herself into him. He held her close for a moment. Kissing her neck, he stepped back, gave her a nod, and took her hand. They went into the living room to face the music.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part nine ~

 Chapter Three

~ part nine ~

“Thanks, Sam,” Em said as they hung their bee suits in the bee shed.

“For what?” Sam asked.

“Beekeeping, new windows, friendship . . .” Em smiled. “I owe you.”

Sam snorted as if she’d made a joke.

“Ready to face the music?” Sam asked.

“Not really,” Em said.

“Hey you guys!” Margaret Scott appeared on the stairwell. “George has readings to do tonight. You need to . . .”

“We’re coming down,” Sam said.

Margaret smiled at Sam. He passed her on the stairwell and continued down to Em’s floor.

“How are you, Em?” Margaret asked.

“I’m okay,” Em said.

“Any darkness today?” Margaret asked. She squinted as she scanned Em’s physical and spirit bodies.

“Not that I can tell,” Em said.

Margaret had been in her late seventies when she was hanged in Salem Village all those years ago. In modern life, Margaret looked like she was a fit woman in her mid-forties. She worked as an economic forecaster for the state of Massachusetts.

“See anything?” Em asked.

“Not a thing,” Margaret said. “You’re such a radiant light. I’m sure you’d just block out any darkness.”

Em smiled. Margaret’s words were always in inverse relation to her forecasts. If Margaret saw a negative outcome, she’d always say something incredibly kind and nice. Margaret must have seen something that she didn’t like in Em.

“Yes?” Em asked.

Margaret blushed.

“It’s okay,” Em said. “We can talk about it at dinner.”

Em trotted down the two flights of stairs to her apartment, and Margaret followed. Em opened the door to her apartment and felt the wave of warm friendship and noise of talking voices. Margaret slipped in behind her. Rather than going straight into her living room, she slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower and inspection of the new windows. She had just stepped into the shower when the door opened.

“Hello?” Em asked.

“Just brought you some clothes,” Sarah Wildes said.

“Thanks, Sarah,” Em said. “Are you . . .?”

Sarah Wildes’ face appeared around the shower curtain.

“I’m sniffing around,” Sarah Wildes said. “I hate the subterfuge, but Margaret asked me to check and . . .”

“And?”

“Finish your shower!” Sarah Wildes smiled at Em and left.

“Witches,” Em said under her breath. 

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part eight ~

 Chapter Three

~ part eight ~

“If I don’t save as much as I can, what will we have when we need it?” Em asked.

“We could put in more . . .” Sam started.

“Everyone does what they can,” Em said. “Immortality isn’t for the meek of heart.”

“Or Bridget,” Sam said.

“I was going to say ‘Susannah.’” Em smiled and turned her attention back to the open beehive in front of her.

“You know, I hear myself talk and . . .” Sam laughed. “I know I’m ridiculous. You’ve bailed me out of more than my share of expensive disasters. I guess I’d like to give back a little.”

“I appreciate the new windows,” Em said.

“Nothing really,” Sam said. “If I write you a check, will you put it in the fund?”

Em looked up at him. For a moment, their eyes held. She nodded.

“Thanks,” Sam said. “You’re our rock.”

“I’m kind of your crazy rock,” Em said. “Did George tell you what happened last night?”

“George, Alice, Ann, Margaret, . . .” Sam nodded. “Everyone’s downstairs waiting for you; even Giles managed to show up.”

“Gee, that sounds fun,” Em said. “An inquisition of witches.”

“Kind of a role reversal,” Sam said. “George is cooking.”

Em looked up at him.

“It smells divine,” Sam said. “That man of yours . . . You don’t think he’d swing over to my side?”

“I don’t,” Em said. “I think you and John will miss out on George.”

“And Giles?” Sam asked.

“That man never left the 17^th century,” Em said.

Sam laughed. They settled into beekeeping. They went frame by frame through the beehives together. They managed to find the queen from one hive. Another hive looked like it had been split in half by swarming. The split hive was healthy enough, but Em marked the cover so she’d remember to keep an eye on it. They moved on to the next hive. The hot, satisfying work took all their attention. When they finished reviewing the hives, they placed special compartments, called “Supers,” where the bees could collect honey.

“Thanks, Sam,” Em said as they hung their bee suits in the bee shed.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part seven ~

 Chapter Three

~ part seven ~

Unable to sit still anymore, Em went to spend time in the honeybee hives she kept on the roof of the building. Two hours later, she was hot, sweaty, and happy. There was nothing like the ordered chaos of honeybees to make everything in the world seem right. She kept her Italian honeybee hives in two Top-Bar hives and three traditional Langstroth hives. She looked up when a shadow came over the Langstroth hive she was working.

Sam Wardwell had dressed in one of the beekeeper’s white jumpers and head net that she kept in the bee shed. He was standing near the hive. She gave him a wooden frame of wax comb covered with bees. He held the frame up to his eyes to look at the rice-grain-sized honeybee eggs.

“They’ve settled in,” Sam said.

“Hopefully they’ll thrive,” Em said with a shrug.

Like most beekeepers in the United States, Em had lost more than half of her hives over the winter due to a combination of a long, hard spell of cold weather and pesticides. In early May, she had replaced the ones she’d lost with new beehives in the hope they would survive. Sam had picked up beekeeping in the early 1800s, when he lived with Em for a few years while getting back on his feet. He now kept his own hives at his suburban home in Lincoln, MA.

“I replaced the windows,” Sam said.

He had been a carpenter in Salem Village. After getting sober and addressing his inner demons, he’d opened a small carpentry shop. The business had flourished and was now a multimillion dollar construction company.

“I replaced them with double paned,” Sam said. “They’re nice and will keep you warm next winter.”

“At least the bathroom won’t be drafty,” Em smiled. “Next winter, I’ll live in there.”

“You should let me replace all of them,” Sam said.

“I can’t afford it,” Em said.

“Em . . .”Sam started.

Em shrugged.

“If I don’t save as much as I can, what will we have when we need it?” Em asked. 

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part six ~

 Chapter Three

~ part six ~

"What do you think about this devil or whatever?” Em asked

“I think that I had to burn the vision to destroy it,” George said. He glanced at her and flushed with emotion. “I think I had to cleanse you with water and salt to clear the presence from you. I think the burst of energy blew out the power for a mile radius and destroyed our bathroom windows. I think . . .”

Em’s eyes scanned George’s face.

“I think that I love you,” George said with a sigh and a shrug. “I’m scared for you, for us.”

“This darkness . . . this thing . . .” Em said.

George tipped his head to the side to listen deeply to her words.

“It belongs to us in some way,” Em said. Her voice dropped. “To me.”

George scowled at the idea.

“And it’s coming,” Em said.

“It’s going to be powerful — and not very nice,” George said. “Was the vision a warning, then?”

“I don’t know,” Em said. “Maybe a test . . . for me. He bowed to me.”

“As if you were his master?” George asked.

“No,” Em said. “No, of course not. He bowed as if to say . . .”

Em finished her tea and looked up at George.

“I’ll be back,” Em said.

“Ta ta for now.” George bowed with a flourish. “Yes, I think you’re right.”

Em nodded.

“Come,” George held his hand out to her. “I’ve called our employees and told them you were sick. I’m taking you back to bed to rest and recover.”

Em opened her mouth to argue.

“We’ve lived ten human lifetimes and worked hard every one of them,” George said. “We can afford to rest on the bad days.”

Em closed her mouth and nodded.

“Good,” George said.

He held out his hand and led her back to bed.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part five ~

 Chapter Three

~ part five ~

“Is the devil draining me?” Em asked.

“Oh, I doubt it,” Ann said. Ann’s eyes flicked to where George had gone. “It’s more likely that your partner came back from a month-long trip and you’ve been catching up.”

“Are you offering to take him for a night?” Em grinned at Ann.

“It does sound fun,” Ann said. “But, no. As you know, I’m seeing the head of surgery. He’s . . . fun, young, no baggage, doesn’t have time for kids. He also gives me nice little presents.”

Ann held up a large diamond ring on her left hand.

“Congratulations,” Em said.

“Thanks,” Ann said. “I thought it was time for another husband.”

“Probably,” Em said. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”

“I don’t have the hang ups about humans that you have.”

Em smiled.

“I don’t like this, Em,” Ann said. “Neither does George. I’m going to talk to Margaret. I’m seeing her today for lunch. She’s good at long-term prediction. Do you mind?”

“No,” Em shook her head. “I think we should all be on our guard.”

“Why?” Ann asked.

“I don’t know,” Em said. “Just feels like . . .”

George came back into the room with another cup of tea, which he gave to Em. He put his arm over Ann’s shoulder.

“Just feels like?” George said.

“We’re in danger,” Em said. “Something has changed. For us. What do you think?”

While Ann closed her eyes to think, George didn’t take his eyes off Em.

“I think you’re right,” Ann said in a low voice. She glanced at George. “You?”

“I don’t know,” George lied. “I think Em needs some rest.”

“I’ll go,” Ann said. “I need to be at work by nine anyway.”

George walked Ann out. They kissed at the door, and Ann left. George came back into the living room. He stood about a foot from her, half staring at the wall and half looking at her.

“What is it?” Em asked.

“What is what?” George asked. He scowled but didn’t look at her.

“You and I don’t do this,” Em said. “We don’t lie to each other or sugar coat the truth. What do you think about this devil or whatever?”

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part four ~

 Chapter Three

~ part four ~

“I was trying to figure out what those kids are up to,” Em said. “Mostly it seemed like they were fun, curious kids, but there was this other thing.”

“Malice,” Ann said.

“Malice.” Em nodded.

“Are you sure you didn’t go looking for the devil and so you found one?” Ann asked.

Em drank her tea and thought it through. After a few minutes, Em shook her head.

“No, I think it’s connected to this,” Em said. “I think it’s looking for us.”

“Looking for us?” Ann shook her head. “Why?”

“No idea,” Em said.

“Why now?”

“No idea,” Em said.

“Do you think the devil made us immortal?” Ann asked. “Gave us these powers?”

Em shrugged.

“George always said that it’s a mark of God, like Cain,” Ann suggested.

“I don’t know about Gods and Devils,” Em said. “They aren’t my thing.”

“But you think . . .”

“I think this devil creature did not leave when George commanded it,” Em said. “I think . . . Well, honestly, I don’t know.”

“George said that Shonelle wants to do a séance for the Salem Witches here,” Ann said, “at the Mystic Divine.”

Em nodded.

“Would you . . .” Ann started. “No. You wouldn’t would you?”

“If you’re asking if I’d have a séance to trap a demon, possibly the entity that did this to us and brought all of that pain to Salem Village . . .” Em looked up, and Ann nodded, “no. I’d be happy if I never saw it again.”

“What about your ever-burning need to know?” Ann said with a smile.

Em shook her head. She loved mysteries, but this was different.

“It must have been horrifying,” Ann said.

“How am I, Doc?” Em asked to change the subject.

“You seem fine,” Ann said. “Your physical body doesn’t show any effects of the episode. Your spirit body shines white, as always. You just seem tired.”

“Is the devil draining me?” Em asked.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part three ~

 Chapter Three

~ part three ~

Wrapped in three thick blankets, Em sat with her knees against her chest in a tattered armchair in her living room. She held a large mug of chamomile tea up to her nose while she watched George talk to Ann Pudeator. Ann had been a midwife in Salem Village, and now ran the midwife department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Since the Salem Twenty had unique medical issues, Ann had always been their medical doctor. Plus, she loved delivering babies. It wasn’t hard for her to continue in this profession.

She was one of George’s lovers. Em peered over the mug of tea to watch them talk to each other.

Em wasn’t jealous, mostly because she wasn’t a jealous person. She didn’t feel possessive of George. If anything, she relished the time he was away serving the homeless, and the nights he visited the other women. She knew that George considered her apartment home because she held him so lightly.

Em didn’t have real relationships with human beings. Since Salem Village, she’d only met a few unique human beings she felt she could truly trust. Human beings killed that which they didn’t understand. She had always been something that human beings didn’t understand. Since they’d killed her once, she figured she’d just leave them alone.

She had George and the others. Most days, that was enough for her. George caught her eye and smiled. He nodded to Em, and Ann looked up. They walked over to her.

“What’s the prognosis?” Em asked.

The lights came on in the apartment.

“The power’s back,” George said.

He left the room to turn off the lights and appliances they’d turned on to test the electricity. Ann sat on the arm of her chair.

“Do you feel any better?” Ann asked.

“Sure,” Em said. “Maybe. I don’t know what you’re asking, really.”

“You had a terrible fright this morning,” Ann said.

“You think I made it up,” Em said.

“No,” Ann said. “Of all the things that I believe, I don’t believe that you made up seeing the devil last night. I’m just not sure why you saw the devil or what you were doing to cause the devil to look at you.”

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part two ~

 Chapter Three

~ part two ~

He gave Em a ragged-toothed smile before sauntering back to the multicolored river of energy.

“Be gone!” George’s voice commanded again.

The devil laughed at the repeated command. He hopped onto the letter “M” and floated down the river of energy. Just before he disappeared over the horizon of her vision, he took off his top hat and bowed to Em.

“Em!”

George’s hand came into view. He grabbed the vision, and it burst into flame with a pop.

“Em!”

George’s hands went to her shoulders. He gave her a gentle shake.

“Are you stricken?”

She was shaking so hard that he wrapped his arms around her. She shook her head.

“Can you speak?” George asked.

“Ter . . .” Em tried to say “terrified.”

“Yes,” George said.

He pulled her out of bed. Pushing and prodding, he got her under the shower spigot. He turned on the water and a blast of cold water fell onto her head. She gasped at the cold. He threw a handful of salt over her head and reached to change the water temperature. There was a tremendous “pop.”

The bathroom windows blew outward, showering the street below with glass. The power went out, and she collapsed.

Suffer a Witch continues...

Chapter Three ~ part one ~

 Chapter Three

~ part one ~

MALICE.

Black capitalized word floated like a leaf on top of multicolored streams of energy.

MALICE.

Dreaming, Em watched the word until the current of the energy river broke the word into separate letters. The letters floated apart from each other like separate leaves on top and within the rivers of energy. The word became unrecognizable as individual letters.

Suddenly, she was at the party this morning. The letters swirled around each of the drinking, laughing Salem Twenty on streams of multicolored energy. Seeing Em, the letters lined up to present themselves to her. Sarah Good’s mansion was gone. The Salem Twenty was gone. Em was standing alone in front of the word “Malice.”

She sat up in bed.

The letters began to spin in a tornado-like formation. They spun and spun until only the dark color of the letters was visible. Her ears filled with the sound of people whispering to each other, like words being carried on the wind. People’s evil gossip whipped the tornado into a frenzy. More and more gossiping voices joined in the chorus. The louder their voices grew, the faster the tornado spun. Em covered her ears with her hands.

“Stop!” Em commanded.

The tornado stopped spinning. The letters fell to the ground revealing a figure — more shadow than living being — that had been hiding inside the vortex. Em made out his cloven feet and horns. She screamed in terror at the form of the devil that had haunted her Puritan life.

“Be gone!” George’s voice came into her range of hearing.

At his command, the devil’s leathery snout poked out from the shadow. He sniffed in George’s direction and stepped into the light. He had the charcoal-grey, leathery skin of a rhinoceros. A horn jutted out from where his hairline should be. He wore a black fitted tuxedo vest and a top hat over the crown of his head. His muscular shoulders and thick arms ended in human hands. His cloven hooves jutted out of the bottom of tight, black leather chaps. Feeling Em’s horrified stare, the creature turned in her direction. His black beady eyes, shaded by his pronounced browridge, glimmered beside a jutting nose and masculine jawline. He gave Em a ragged-toothed smile before sauntering back to the multicolored river of energy. 

Suffer a Witch continues...