The full moon cast a silvery light onto the forest, the bark of the birch and oak trees almost shimmering under the lunar glow. Across the forest floor, long, jagged shadows of leafless branches reached for the unwary with questing fingers. That’s how it was with me; I always noticed the beauty and the terror together. I probably do that because I’m afraid all the time. You’d think with me being a ghost, nothing would scare me . . . you’d be wrong.
“Anny, did I tell you I heard from my daughter, Charlotte?” Elenor asked as she walked through the forest.
Elenor Jacobs was my only living friend. I’d been with her for . . . I don’t know . . . I guess decades. She’s the only person I’ve met amongst the Living who can see or hear me, but it’s not just me. Elenor can see all the ghosts who inhabit the city of Salem, Massachusetts. She’s able to do this because of her magic. You see . . . Elenor is a witch, maybe one of the last remaining witches in the world.
“You heard from her . . . that’s great.” I ducked under a tree limb as I followed my friend. I could have just walked through the branch but passing through solid objects always made me feel so cold inside, like icicles growing within my soul.
Elenor smiled. “She had her baby yesterday.”
“She did? I’m so happy.” I grinned, my body feeling lighter as if my growing smile were lifting me off the ground. “What did she have?”
“Charlotte had a daughter and named her Lizabeth,” Elenor said, “but I’ll probably call her Lizzy.”
“Lizzy . . . I like that name.” I glanced at the witch. “Do you think she has the gift? You know . . . witchcraft?”
“I hope so.” Elenor swerved around a large birch tree, the white bark looking like peeling paint. “Their first son, Samuel, had no power at all. My son-in-law, Charles, caught me testing Sam when he was young and became extremely angry; he doesn’t believe in witchcraft and thinks it all a waste of time. It caused a huge argument. I doubt I’ll get the chance to test Lizzy.”
“Well, you’ll know soon enough, won’t you?” I asked.
Elenor nodded as she swerved around a clump of poison ivy clinging to the side of an oak tree. “If she can see ghosts, then we’ll know for sure. It would be terrible if the Jacobs magic disappeared from the Earth. I know that’s happened to many magical family lines.” Elenor sighed. “There are so few witches left these days.”
“But doesn’t witchcraft just happen all by itself?” I glanced at the poison ivy and remembered the last time I let those delicate leaves touch my skin when I was alive . . . ouch. As a ghost, I didn’t care about those terrible leaves, but the memory still caused me to swerve wide.
“You are correct, Anny, it does just appear in people, but that witchcraft can lay dormant within a person for their entire life.” Elenor ducked under a leafless branch.
“How do you awaken the dormant magic in others?” Annie asked.
Elenor shrugged. “I don’t know; that knowledge has been lost to the ravages of time. Maybe the age of witchcraft is finally drawing to a close and . . .” The witch grew silent and stood still, her arms hanging at her sides, fingers moving ever so slightly. “Anny, did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” I asked.
Elenor walked toward me, her feet crunching the newly fallen leaves, victims of Autumn’s recent caress. “I felt something wrong, maybe even evil. I was just walking along and—” She stopped speaking as her eyes grew wide with surprise.
I felt it too . . . a spikey wrongness wrapped in evil was somewhere nearby. The sensation was like the helpless dread you feel when you’re about to fall. All my nerves felt electrified as goosebumps crawled down the back of my arms, a ringing sound in my ears. I shuddered and tried to push the creepy feeling aside, but whatever was causing this had other ideas.
My body shook. I clenched my fists, trying to get control, but it had no effect.
“I don’t like this.” I glanced at Elenor. “What’s happening?” My soft voice sounded like a moan.
“I’m not sure, Anny, but I think it’s coming from that direction.” The old woman gathered her loose gray hair and flung it over a shoulder. “Come on . . . we need to find out what’s going on.”
“But . . .” I didn’t want to go toward it; I wanted to run away. But if I left Elenor’s side, I’d be all alone in this spooky forest. I sighed. “Okay, I’m coming.”
With my body slumped, I followed Elenor through the woods. As we walked, the feeling grew stronger and stronger until . . . it suddenly stopped, like a bubble having just been popped.
Elenor looked around, peering into the sahdows. She reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a purple and white crystal wrapped in silver wire, a long cord tangled within her grip. She put the line over her head, the amulet bouncing off her chest.
I turned and scanned the woods with my all-white eyes. Ghosts stood amongst the trees, all of them facing the source of the evil sensation, their multi-hued auras adding splashes of color to the dark forest. These spirits in the woods preferred living in the wild rather than being in the cities. Some families stood together, children in their parents’ grip. Husbands and wives huddled close together, holding hands, their white eyes staring in the same direction. Most of the ghosts stood in silence, uncertain of what was happening. Others backed away from the ripple of evil, fear painting their pale faces.
A scream stabbed through the silence, making me jump.
Elenor glanced at me. “Stay close, Anny,” she whispered, then headed in the screamer’s direction.
A sound, like someone struggling while being dragged, floated through the forest on wings of fright. Elenor grabbed the crystal hanging around her neck and muttered something soft. The stone glowed, rays of lavender light piercing the darkness.
An agonizing wail shattered the stillness again. The scream went on for almost thirty seconds, then was suddenly snuffed out like a candle’s flame smothered by wet fingers.
Elenor glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed, an angry sneer on her face. “Anny, watch our backs, but stay close to me.”
The old witch took off running, heading for the now silent screamer. I ran two steps behind her, eyes darting through the shadows, looking for threats. In seconds, we came upon a small hill devoid of trees. The lingering echo of evil hugged this place tight, the silence around it prickling with cold, merciless dread. No doubt about it; this was the source of the evil we’d felt.
A dark opening lay within a tumble of enormous boulders, a rusty frame marking its edges. A sign stood tilted to one side; it said, ‘Dungeon Rock Cave.’
On the ground sat an iron door, deep gouges sliced into the metal as if carved with something jagged and sharp. Elenor knelt and touched the door, then turned and looked at me with an expression I’d never seen on her kindly old face; fear filled the witch’s eyes.
That’s impossible, I thought. Elenor isn’t afraid of anything.
“Anny, I want you closer to me.” Reaching into her shoulder bag, Elenor pulled another crystal from her pouch, this one midnight black.
I recognized it as Black Tourmaline. Elenor used it for protection against evil . . . but what evil? Was there something in the forest with us? I thought. Stepping forward, I moved to Elenor’s side. Together, we approached the cave opening.
“What’s that above the cave’s entrance?” I asked.
Elenor raised the purple crystal and let it bathe the rock in its lavender glow.
I gasped and took a step back. Above the dark opening was a shadow in the shape of a person, the red line of color ringing the shadow’s head. It was a burnt-shadow, the last remains of a ghost who had all their energy pulled from them, leaving only this charred shape to show they ever existed. In a few days, the shadow would sink into the stone, be drawn into the Void, and trap that poor ghost in eternal darkness and despair. It was the worst possible death for a ghost.
I took a step back. Before I could turn and flee, Elenor spun around and put a hand on my forehead. Somehow, her hand did not pass through me. In fact, I could feel the warmth of her palm as she held it against my pale flesh. The witch pulled a vial of power from her bag and poured a pile into her palm. She raised the dust to me and spoke a series of words:
“Protect this soul in my care
No evil will touch or even dare
The courage she gains will be the most
The bravest of any now is this ghost.”
The spell caused the dust before my eyes to shimmer, bright flashes of light dancing over its surface. Elenor sprinkled the powder over me. I watched as the glimmering sparks spread across my skin, then slowly faded away.
“There—no evil thing will dare touch you.” The witch smiled and then stepped back. “And the magical dust will give you the courage to see this through.”
“Really?” I asked.
“You saw the little sparkles . . . right?”
I nodded.
“Okay then.” Elenor turned her gaze to the ground, scanning it for some clue as to what had happened. And then she froze in place.
“What tore apart that door; it’s solid metal.” I glanced again at the burnt-shadow and pointed. “And what did that?”
“It is what I feared for a long time now.” Elenor knelt on the ground and stared at a set of tracks pressed into the ground. She stood and faced me. “I’ve felt their presence building for many years. It seems they’ve gathered enough energy to open a gateway.”
“Gateway? What are you talking about?”
“There is another world out there, like Earth. It is called Agartha, and it occupies the same space as Earth but is on a different plane of existence. Long ago, gateways connected the two worlds, allowing the creatures of Agartha — the elves, dwarves, gnomes, trolls, faeries . . . all the mystical beings you’ve heard about in fairy tales come to Earth. For a long time, there was peace between our two worlds, but something happened. The demons rose up and took power on Earth. Knights pushed the Argathans back through the gateways, then witches sealed them forever.” Elenor pointed at the cave entrance and the shredded metal door on the ground. “Apparently, they’ve opened this gateway and let two demons through into our world.”
Elenor motioned me to walk next to her as she moved about the hill, inspecting the tracks on the ground. “I’m guessing, by the burnt-shadow over the cave entrance, that a ghost’s emotional energy can be used to open the gateway again. If these two demons can kill enough ghosts, they’ll be able to hold the doorway to Agartha open forever, letting the armies of evil pour into Earth.”
“That would be bad, right?” I asked.
Elenor nodded. “The evil monsters of Agartha would turn our world into a wasteland, just as they did their own.” She glared into my white eyes. “We must stop them.”
“But . . . demons . . . their claws,” I pointed at the metal door on the ground. “Are the two of us enough to stand up to them?”
Elenor shrugged. “We must be strong enough; there’s no one else here who can stop them. However, we do have something in our favor,” Elenor said.
“We do . . . what?”
“Our courage.”
My posture slumped. Courage was something I severely lacked, but I would not let my only friend go after these two demons on her own.
I looked up at Elenor and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
The witch smiled and then put a hand on my shoulder. I never knew how she did that; solid things usually just passed through me, but somehow, Elenor could use her witchcraft to make it so we could touch. The warmth of her hand felt refreshing.
We left the Dungeon Rock Cave and followed the strange tracks on the ground. The demons’ clawed feet tore deep gouges into the forest floor. Shafts of purple light shot out of Elenor’s crystal and stabbed at the dirt, causing the tracks to sparkle ever so slightly, making them easy to see in the darkness.
“I suspect the demons will need three burnt-shadows to open their gateway and allow the Agarthan horde to invade Earth.” Elenor curved around a large stone, the tracks going right over it, leaving jagged scratches in the granite. “We must catch up to them and—”
Another scream sliced the air in two. The hairs on my arms stood up as beads of sweat trickled down my neck.
We ran toward the sound, our feet pounding the leaves and sticks as we abandoned stealth and traded it for speed. In a long minute, Elenor skidded to a stop. Newly shattered branches lay scattered on the ground, their splintered ends darkened by the demons’ evil touch. The forest floor looked torn up by clawed feet. Deep grooves marred the bark of nearby trees, and small bushes appeared recently trampled. The struggle had been fierce.
“Quick . . . back to the cave.” Elenor spun on her heels and dashed toward Dungeon Rock Cave.
Even though I didn’t need to breathe, required oxygen, or felt fatigue, I still had trouble keeping up with the old witch. Elenor sprinted around trees and leaped over clusters of ferns as she sped toward the cave.
As we approached, we heard a ghost’s voice begging for mercy.
“Please, don’t do this. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“You exist,” a deep, guttural voice said. “To us, that’s wrong. You will serve Agartha by surrendering your life.”
“No . . . please . . . noooo . . .”
As before, the voice was suddenly silenced.
When we finally made it to the cave, a second burnt-shadow adorned the stone around the entrance, this one with a thin blue line around the ghost’s charred remains.
I stared at the second shadow over the cave entrance and shuddered. Stepping up to the dark opening, I pressed my hand to one of the burnt-shadows and tried to give it some of my own emotional energy, hoping I could bring the ghost back to life. It didn’t work; they were gone from the Land of the Dead and would soon suffer eternity within the Void. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I thought about those poor souls.
“Anny, look around you.”
I wiped the moisture from my face and turned toward my friend.
“Look at the forest,” Elenor said. “Do you see any ghosts?”
I stared into the woods, the trees creating a patchwork of moonlit splotches on the ground, each ringed by the jagged shadows of branches and trunks. A breeze flowed across the landscape, giving the colorful red and orange leaves a gentle push to the side as they fell from their branches. Everything was still and silent.
I glanced at Elenor. “I don’t see anything.”
“Exactly . . . all the ghosts are gone.”
I shrugged. “So?”
“So . . . you’re the only ghost around,” Elenor said. “That means the demons are nearby and want you.”
I swallowed, my throat dry as a gravestone. “What do we do?”
“What do we do . . . nothing.” Elenor smiled. “You’re going to lure the demons to the cave entrance, and I’m going to send them back to Agartha.”
“Lure the demons . . . you mean . . . I’m the bait.” I felt my pulse quicken as a shrill ringing filled my ears; that always happened when I grew scared, and right now . . . I was terrified.
“Don’t worry, Anny.” Elenor reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a miniature broom, the handle wrapped with blood-red leather strips, colorful bristles on the other end. Small metal talismans clinked together at the end of the handle, each reflecting the moonlight with subtle flashes of silver. She shook the broom once as if flicking a bug from the handle. Instantly, it grew to its full, five-foot length. “You know what this is, of course?”
“That’s a witch’s broom,” I said as I stared at the magical weapon. The ringing in my head subsided a bit. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“Actually, we call them a besom, not broom.” Elenor held it over her head for a moment, and a rainbow of sparks danced across its length. “It draws power from the moon. Tonight, its magic will be very strong.” She lowered the weapon and leaned close to me. “The demons won’t stand a chance.”
I tried to relax, but being the bait still didn’t seem like the smartest thing I’ve ever done. My body shook slightly as my eyes darted left and right, looking for the monsters.
“It’ll be okay, Anny. I’ll be here with you.” Elenor put a hand on my shoulder. “If we don’t stop these demons, the Land of the Living will become the Land of the Suffering. We must stop these creatures.”
I sighed and nodded. “What do I have to do?”
“Just stand here and look brave,” Elenor said. “Remember, I cast that courage spell and used my magical dust, so just relax and be yourself; there’s nothing to fear.”
Just then, Elenor glanced over her shoulder as if looking at someone, but there was no one there. “Oh . . . hello Lizzy,” the witch said as if she were speaking to a loved one.
“What?” I asked.
But before I could say another word, Elenor disappeared in a puff of smoke, a faint shimmer showing her body’s outline for just an instant, then faded away.
I stared out into the forest, waiting for the demons to show themselves. Fear tried to squirm its way into my soul, but I didn’t allow its entry; Elenor’s spell doing its job. Something fluttered about behind me. When I turned and faced the cave entrance, a colony of bats burst from the dark opening and took to flight, their tiny mouths seeking the insects that buzzed through the forest. I watched the creatures dart about in the night air, their high-pitched squeaks sounding like a chorus of creaking doors. The sound might have made me afraid, but I refused to yield my courage.
Suddenly, the bats darted away, their fluttering wings getting softer and softer.
Two shapes emerged from the shadow of a large oak tree, eyes cast to the ground. Both stood at least six feet tall, with mottled black and gray skin covered with scars. Their hands and feet boasted a set of razor-sharp claws, their bodies bulging with powerful muscles. Thick, leathery wings lay tucked in against their backs, the pointed tips dragging across the ground. I shuddered as the creatures moved slowly forward. Their taloned feet cut into the hard-packed dirt as if it were butter. They both looked at me, showing terrible red eyes that glowed as if lit from within.
“Look what we have here, Valac,” the taller of the two said.
“It seems we have a ghost,” Valac said. “Will you take her miserable life, Xaphan, or must I do it?”
“I took the last one,” Xaphan said. “It is your turn.”
Valac nodded, his red eyes glowing brighter. “Very well.”
The demon turned to me. “Come here, ghost. Your life is being sacrificed for the greater good of Agartha. Rest assured, your suffering in the Void will bring a new world to Earth. Soon, this will be a world of demons instead of humanity, and your life will make that a reality.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, my confident words surprising the demons . . . and me too. “We will not allow it, will we, Elenor?”
Silence wrapped around the hill like the echo of a nightmare.
“Elenor?” I said as I glanced about. “Are you there? Anytime now.”
The demons laughed.
“The witch has fled, leaving you alone to your fate,” Xaphan said, a malicious smile stretching across his demonic face. “It is hopeless for you, ghost. Don’t make us chase you through the forest. It will only make your suffering worse.”
Fear floated into my soul like smoke from a smoldering fire. Doubt started stoking the fire, giving the fear more oxygen.
No . . . I won’t let fear rule me, I thought and shoved the feelings of dread aside. Instead, I thought of my friend, Elenor, and all the good things we’ve done together.
“Your words don’t scare me, demon,” I said, my white eyes growing bright. “I won’t allow you to open this gateway. Instead, I’m gonna erase the stain of evil that is your presence in this world.” I took a step forward, courage blossoming within me. “Surrender, and I will make your suffering brief.”
The two demons stepped back, surprised at my ferocious words.
Just then, a shadow formed behind one of the demons. Elenor stepped out of the darkness, grabbed the Xaphan’s arm, and pressed one of the talismans dangling from the end of her besom to the monster’s head. Instantly, smoke rose from the monster’s skin as it screamed in agony.
Valac turned and saw Elenor, then rushed to the demon’s aid.
“You aren’t gonna hurt my friend!” I screamed and dashed toward the monster.
Leaping into the air, I landed on the demon’s back just as it extended its wings. The creature took to the air as I wrapped my arms around the monster’s neck and squeezed with all my strength.
Valac screamed in rage as it shook, trying to throw me from its back, but I held on tight.
On the ground below, Xaphan had fallen to its knees. Elenor released the monster’s arm and reached into her bag. She withdrew something that reflected in the moonlight . . . a small bottle. She pulled the cork free and poured the potion on the monster’s wings. Instantly, the flesh sizzled and shrank like a flattening tire. Elenor grabbed another potion and poured it over the monster’s head. The skin crackled as smoke curled into the air like mystical serpents. The demon grew smaller, the magical liquid shrinking the demon like a deflating balloon animal.
“Xaphan!” Valac screamed, then dove for its companion,
I held tight as we plummeted to the ground. When we hit, the demon sank its long nails into the ground, its legs absorbing some of the impact, but my arms were not strong enough. I tumbled to the ground, my head spinning.
As I stood, I found Valac had disappeared.
Xaphan fell over with Elenor standing over her victim, the demon’s body encompassed by smoke.
She glanced toward me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I don’t know where the other one went, but . . .”
I froze in terror. Valac shot out of the shadows and streaked toward Elenor’s back. It slashed at her, claws sinking into the flesh of her arm. Before the witch could react, Valac grabbed her broom and threw it into the forest. He then shoved Elenor to the ground.
“Let’s see how strong you are without your weapon,” the demon said. “We know about witches and their besoms, but now you have to face me without it.”
Elenor stood, one arm hanging limp. She glanced at the useless limb, then back to the demon.
Valac held his clawed hand into the air, moonlight glistening off the pointed tips. “You’re wondering if these were poisonous.” The demon laughed and then gave her a devious smile. “Your death will be as unexpected and as it will be painful, whether or not you survive this battle. No matter what happens . . . I have taken your life.”
“We’ll see, demon.”
Valac laughed as it slowly spread its wings, ready to take flight, but I would not let that happen. I ran toward the demon and jumped on its back again. Instead of wrapping my hands around the creature’s neck, I scratched at its glowing eyes while my legs wrapped around the enormous monster’s waist, pinning the wings to its back.
Elenor grabbed the purple crystal around her neck and yanked it down, breaking the cord. Holding one end, she spun over her head as she approached the monster. Lunging forward, she struck the demon with the crystal. An agonizing scream filled the air as the purple gemstone slashed through its thick skin.
“Anny,” Elenor said as she reached into her bag and grabbed a vial of something green and sparkling.
The witch tossed it to me. I snatched the glass bottle out of the air and yanked out the cork with my teeth while holding onto the beast with one arm. Pouring the liquid on the creature’s head, I smiled as the demon wailed in agony.
I leaped off and grabbed Valac’s legs, then pulled them out from under the demon. The monster fell face first with a thud. Elenor slashed at it with the crystal while I pounded on the creature with my fists. Elenor tossed me a crystal dangling from a strand of leather. I touched the red crystal to the creature’s dark skin. Instantly, crimson sparks burst from the gemstone and enveloped Valac like a second skin. The shimmering embers burrowed into the monster’s flesh. More tiny red stars spread across the demon, making its body difficult to see.
Valac wailed in agony and terror as its body seemed to shrink smaller and smaller until finally, the demon burst into a shower of ruby light, glittering traces of red settling to the ground. When all the sparks eventually faded away, nothing remained but silence.
I rushed to Elenor’s side as the witch fell to her knees. She rummaged around in her witch’s bag until she found a potion of swirling blue and white.
“Anny, pour this on the wound.”
I tore her sleeve away and saw the two deep cuts, the skin blackened by the demon’s evil touch. Uncorking the bottle, I poured the liquid into the injury. As soon as it touched the poisoned flesh, the potion sizzled, white specks of magic dancing across the skin. Elenor clenched her teeth and moaned as the potion did its work, eradicating the evil venom from her body. After a minute, the wound grew silent, and Elenor finally relaxed.
“Are you gonna be okay?” I asked.
The witch nodded. “I think so. That potion should have neutralized any of the demon’s poison.”
“But what if we didn’t get it all?”
Elenor shrugged. “Then eventually, there will be one less witch in the Land of the Living.”
I helped my friend to her feet, then ran off into the woods and retrieved her besom. When I picked it up, the broom shrunk down to its miniature one-foot-long size. I ran back to Elenor and gave it back to her.
“I’m glad this wasn’t lost.” Elenor caressed the broom as if it were an old friend. “Did you know one of my ancestors made this back in the 1690s? Once completed, George Jacobs Jr. used it to escape the Salem Witch Trials. Unfortunately, he was too late to save his father.”
“That’s so sad,” I said.
Elenor placed a hand on my shoulder, the warmth from her touch filling me with joy. “You were very brave today, Anny, as I knew you would be.”
“Of course, you used that spell on me.”
Elenor laughed. “That wasn’t a spell; I just made that up.”
“But what about the sparkling powered you used on me?”
“Haha . . . those were coffee grounds with some grains of sugar mixed in.” Elenor smiled. “None of your courage came from me; it was all you. That bravery was within you all the time. You just needed to believe in yourself and set it free.”
“It was me?” I asked.
Elenor patted me on the back. “It was you.”
A huge grin spread across my pale face as I considered my friend’s words. It was me . . . I’m not a coward.
Elenor laughed. “Come one, let’s get back to Salem. It’s late and way past this witch’s bedtime. Maybe we’ll run across more demons for you to play with.”
I nodded, and we headed back toward town, but now, I stood tall, no longer slouching and afraid of everything. Now, I was a warrior-ghost who took down a demon from Agartha.
I glanced up at Elenor and smiled. “Bring it on, demons. Bring it on.”