Flames shine through the stained glass – red, blue – the colours falling on my cowering children, faces lit with fire and ice.
Our attackers have stopped beating at the door. The night is hushed, aside for the whimpering of the children. Jack’s eyes are wide, cheek crusted with blood. His sister wriggles in his arms, reaching for me. The men would have killed them – will still kill them.
The stink of burning grows sharp, smoke billowing soft under the door. A pyre for me. Those men – mule eyed, calf faced – how solid have they grown imagining flames licking my neck, devouring my hair? They will share grim smiles – the ones who brought the proud witch down.
I close my eyes against the blinding smoke. Red and blue vibrate inside me, pulling together, hard as ice, unforgiving as flame.
They forged a weapon tonight. That weapon is me.
***
Written for Crimson’s Creative Challenge #47 – thanks Crispina! See here to join in.
Word Shamble 
As ever, your writing is so strong in images and brings total immersion through the descriptive prose. Love it. Always a hit with me. And that last line… it stirs the thoughts
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Thank you Crispina. Love a supernatural story, a bit of witchery. Probably Arthur Miller’s fault. Remember reading the Crucible for my O’Levels and that left a huge impression, even if it was really about McCarthyism
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Yea, sometimes it’s a disappointment when we discover the political reality behind a favourite play or story. A bit like the Tempest.
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Don’t know the politics behind the Tempest. I know there’s some colonialism going on, Shakespeare’s view on Europeans meeting people from the new worlds they were intent on conquering. I remember feeling very disappointed when I realised the CS Lewis books were Christian allegories. I’d enjoyed the witches, the fauns, the snow, I didn’t want to think if Jesus, little atheist that I was!
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Yea, I had the same problem. and T H White’s Sword in the Stone.
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You are definitely the queen of imagery, Lynn. This was fabulous.
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Thank you so much Dale 🙂
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Ooh, love this! I can imagine reading this novel.
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Aw, thanks Jane! Loved writing it too. Always drawn to witches and dark supernatural stories. I think those blokes my regret locking her in that church …
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I can feel her fury itching to get itself wrapped around their throats…
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Yes. I’d almost pity them … if they weren’t trying to murder her and her young children!
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