Maggie, How She Completed Our Coven
For a little over three hundred and ninety years, Liam and I were alone together. Our relationship had bloomed into a beautiful existence. Like all couples, we did have our difference though. Liam had taken to exploration and hunting wild game for sport, he calls this business. At first I would go with him, I enjoyed watching how happy this made him. Once he told me, it made him feel alive. After a few dozen years, I began to grow tired of his sport so he would go alone. These absences grew longer lasting a couple months to a year at one time. I felt alone and longed for another to fill my time when Liam was away. I did some searching of my own while he was away. I never traveled to far from Ireland though. I was walking in London one night when I found another of our kind. It was late 1600's to early 1700's. As he approached me, he smiled. He was very civilized. We talked for sometime during which he told me his story. I found him very interesting. He had chosen an abnormal way to survive. I asked him to come and visit my home so I could have him explain this in detail. It was at this time that he told me, regretfully, that he was to leave for the new world and that he would have to decline. With this in mind I stayed with him until he was to leave, learning all I could about him in our short amount of time together. Just after sunset, we made our way to the docks. It was there that I learned his name, Carlisle. It was a sad parting, even though we had known each other for so little time. We went our separate ways knowing that we would always be friends.
Liam left for one of his business trips in December of 1828. I set about on my own again searching for a diversion from loneliness. I had gone for my usual walk after dark when all should be near sleep. I was near Killarney when I decided stop at a small pond in a meadow. The weather was unusually cold. There was a soft blanket of snow on the ground and the pond was beginning to form a thin layer of ice. I was dressed in a heavy hooded cloak and my hands in a fur muff, to blend in with my appearance. I would have to hunt this night.
As I sit there by the pond, I ran one of my hands through the icy water. The water had a slight chill that I could feel even at my temperature. I played with pieces of ice pushing them down and breaking them apart from the whole. I was relaxed and content; my mind distanced itself leaving me unaware of my surroundings. I was lost in thought. I heard a woman screaming for help and I was taken by surprise. She was running across the meadow towards me screaming for me to help her. I stood immediately trying to think of my options. Do I run? What should I do? Do I take her life and end this danger? Yes…
She was too close. I set out devising my plan of attack. Do I wait and see what her problem is? Do I follow her and then attack? If she did not take notice of my difference do I let her live? I decided to…. My back was to her when she approached me. Falling to her knees, she pleaded with me to help her. She told me that she was pregnant and was beaten by her husband. I turned to look at her when she made these claims. As I set eyes upon her, it was clear that she was round with child. I could hear its strong heart beat within the womb. I visually examined her and noticed that she was covered with bruises; her eyes were half-swollen shut. She told me her name was Abigail. Feeling pity for her, I lowered my tone of voice and asked her what I could do to help her. I knew this was wrong of me to do. I had never been this close to a human without ending their life.
Abigail's main request was that I not leave her alone. She was afraid of her husband coming home. She said he threatened to kill her and the unborn child. Instead, he beat her until she was bruised and cowering in a corner. I am not sure if it was rage towards this man or my pity for her that led me to agree to her request. I followed her home, where I would sneak out of before dawn. Her house was small, but quaint. It was dim inside, lit with a single candle. This helped to ease my concerns. Abigail went into the kitchen to offer me food and drink, to this I thoughtfully declined. We sat together and talked by candle light. It was just before dawn when I excused myself. She had calmed and had grown tired. I was heading for a near by tree line when I noticed a man staggering drunk down the lane. I reached the tree line before he neared and stayed out of sight while I watched him. It was the husband. He entered the house yelling at poor Abigail. I stayed for a little while, listening to him, until he grew quiet. I knew at that moment that I would be returning to keep a watchful eye on them. I longed for him to make his fatal mistake. I kept watch over her for a few weeks. He yelled and threw things, but did not lay a hand on her during this time. After he was finished with this, he would go out and get drunk. This seemed to be his habit and I was taking note of his routine.
It was on the night of December 14, 1828 that Abigail gave birth to their daughter. He was off getting drunk when this little angel entered the world. Abigail's labor and delivery were difficult. The birth of this child left her weak and yet she was full of love. She named her Magdalene Marie. I crept in after she was asleep to look upon the child. In what would taken one heart beat of mine, I fell in love with her. She was so beautiful, this snow white angel with a hint of red hair. I knew then that she had taken a piece of my still heart and claimed it for her own. I would protect her.
I watched over this angel and her mother nightly. I would enter Maggie's room while her dad was yelling at her mother and try to calm her with a quiet song. She was about two months old when it happened. They were fighting again and I was in her room. He was drunk and growing increasing more violent. He threw Abigail into the walls and beat her. I could smell fresh blood in the air. I made my way back out the window, when Abigail came into her room. She barricaded the door as best she could, but he still broke through. I watched feeling helpless as he beat her in front of their daughter. With one final strike, he knock Abigail unconscious to the floor and then went for the crib. My rage at this point knew no limits. I looked at Abigail lying on the floor not moving. I knew my only witness to my actions would be an infant child. I eased through the window and made my move on him as he raised his hand to strike the child. I grabbed him by the wrist before he could land the strike and took him into my arms. I could not bear the thought of taking his life in her room, so I carried him away… The smell of mead on his breath was as strong as its taste in his blood. Abigail woke the next morning with no idea of what had become of him.
In December of 1846, I decided to go check once again on Abigail and Maggie. Through out the years I had continued to watch over them. The times were rough for all; there was not enough food to feed everyone. I crept closer to look in the house. I noticed then how weak and frail they had become. Maggie had taken ill and her mother was caring for her. I could hear a slight rasp in her breath and her heart had an irregular beat. For the first time in her existence, I worried for her life. I left that morning wondering if she would survive until the next time I could see her. I hoped in that moment that there would be a chance.
To my surprise, Liam was home when I got back. I went to him welcoming him home with open arms, knowing in the back of my mind that I would be making my biggest request to him soon. It took a few days to think of away to put it in the right words. I thought about just acting without his permission, and then thought better. It was close to Christmas, so I asked Liam if I could chose my own gift. He agreed not knowing my terms.
I went once more to check on Maggie and her mother before telling Liam my wishes. If they were improving, I would ask nothing, but if not… As I looked into their windows, I knew no matter what I would have to see this through to the end. Maggie's condition was worse. Abigail had the early signs of the same illness. Both were thinner than just a few days before. On top of their illnesses, they were starving to death. Immediately I returned to Liam. I told him what I wanted and he denied me. We discussed my wants further; I would not give up my desire. I told him that with his absence this made it easier for me to bear. He told me he would think about it more and wanted to hunt. I went with him as a constant reminder.
We had traveled in the direction of their home, before it came to my realization. I would take him to see them. I told him I wanted to show him something taking his hand and leading him towards their house. As we arrived, I noticed him start to hesitate. He stopped before going any further. Is this the child's house? Yes… He then took my face in his hands looking in to my eyes. If this is what you truly desire I will not stop you. I will stand with you. I took him by the hand and led him into the house.
Standing by her bed, I watched as she slept unsoundly. Her heart had grown weaker; her breaths were shallow and staggered. As I was about to kneel down she rolled over and opened her eyes. A look of calm confusion was on her face as I asked her if she wanted to die tonight. No, please save me was all she said as a single tear flow down her cheek. I leaned over her and my lips found their purchase. I fed on the way to her house and was able to control myself. When I was finished, I wrapped Maggie in her blanket and took her to our home. I laid her on a fresh bed with thick feather pillows.
I left only once during Maggie's transformation. I felt that I owed Abigail some sense of ease. I had first taken her husband and now her daughter from her. I wrote her a letter and placed it by her bed with it I left food and water. The note simply stated that her daughter was being well cared for. She was becoming stronger by the hour and that she would have a life to live. I returned home and went to sit with Maggie. Liam and I were discussing his disapproval of my letter when Maggie woke from her fire. We told her who we were and what had become of her. She took the information in with very little shock; it was as if she knew I was speaking the truth.
