Just Anouther Reminder that One Week from this Thursday I will be Moving this story to the Hocus Pocus Archieve.
Chapter X
"So the ugliest things that ever lived are back, are they?" Dani Dennison spoke softly with Zack so as to not ruin the young witch's concentration. The two sat on the couch, with Emeline resting her head on her brother's lap. Tania stood in front of the stove, watching the simmering concoction with intense concentration. The three children had shown up on Dani's back porch not too long after midnight, having just run halfway across town to get there.
Zack nodded, watching as Tania slowly mouthed the counts as she stirred the simmering concoction. "This should get rid of them for good, and neither Tania nor I know of any other legends or spells that might cause them to return again."
"This potion should hopefully destroy their never ending lives, release them from Lucifer's contract, and allow them to move on." Tania stated, putting in her two cents and sprinkling the ginger over the surface of the mixture and then brought the flame to a bubbling boil. Exhaling heavily, she leaned against the table in the center of the large kitchen. "It should be fine like that for five minutes before adding the fruit bat stomach." She said in a sigh. All three mortals grimaced, of which Tania caught. "Be thankful it wasn't something worse."
Dani coughed, sounding strangely like 'Dead Man's Toe' giving the young witch a smile. "You must be great in the kitchen." The teacher complimented.
"Yes, quite ironic actually, I can't cook for the life of me."
"Well, it's a good thing you're going out with Zack then." Both teenagers turned red and sputtered, protesting loudly to the older woman, telling her that she had it wrong. They were just friends– only classmates, really. The traditional things.
Dani only shook her head, and it was plain she wasn't buying any of it. Tania, still red, turned back to her potion and began slicing up the stomach with a cutlery knife on a worn wooden board. Zack went silent, looking anywhere but in Tania's direction. The room remained silent up until the moment Tania switched off the stove and began to cool the pot with a thick sheet of ice she created wrapped around it.
"What are we going to do about the last ingredient?"
"You mean that wasn't everything?"
Tania wiped her hands on a paper towel, looking thoughtful. "The last ingredient will have to be added as soon as we acquire some. Without the ashes too, the potion is null and void, it won't work. Adding it however isn't the problem, nor is figuring out where to get some. The trouble comes when we have to steal it from the sisters' own home. There will have to be a distraction."
"I'll do it." Zack offered firmly. Tania looked ready to protest, but he beat her to it. "Look, we need you to complete the potion and we need both you and Em to offer up the blood to finish the spell, right?" Reluctantly both Tania and Emeline, who had been told of her part earlier, nodded. "So that leaves me."
"I'll help him." Dani offered, but Tania shook her head.
"You've already fought your battle in this war."
"But so have all of you."
"And we, the ones who began, must end. That is the way of a witches' war, ones that can last a multitude of lifetimes. Every life will remember that a war must be fought."
"Is that why I can still remember my past life?" Tania confirmed his theory with a nod.
"Fine." Dani huffed and she grabbed her keys. "But I'm driving you there."
"Hey you ugly old hags!" Zachery Binx was standing on the exact same rafters that his past life stood upon 300 years ago and Max had seventeen years ago.
The ancient watermill had miraculously held up his weight as he climbed into the small window at the top. The window had been boarded up with rusted nails that were barely holding the planks to the side of the house. Wiggling the planks, the nails gave out with ease. He had crept through after placing the boards inside the house and out of the way. Over the edge of the rafters, Zack was able to see the three witches around the vicinity of the cauldron (as always). Within the cauldron was a simmering, tarlike mess, its rancid odor and smoke filling the cabin from ceiling to floor boards. Zack coughed and placed a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to filter the air. Over Winifred's ranting, however, the sound went unnoticed.
"No…No, No, No. This isn't how 'twas done. If only I could remember." Her whining voice trembled loudly over the small house, drowning out the bubbles of the useless potion and the giggles of her youngest sister. "If only that little witch hadn't taken my book, I'd know the potion and we'd be sucking the lives out of all the children in Salem right now."
"Now, now Winnie." The middle sister Mary comforted. "We'll find her, and we'll force her to tell where she hid your book. Then…"
"Her life will be mine! Along with that new-bodied boy, Thackery Binx!"
It was then that Zack called out to them, grabbing the attention of all three sisters. Winifred boiled under her pale complexion, her face rising to meet the shade of her hair. Rounding on her sisters she shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? AFTER HIM!"
Zack was already scrambling out the window again, dropping off the watermill to the bed of the dried creek. He wrenched open he iron gate, shouting "Drive, Dani, Drive!" He barely made it into the black Acura before Dani slammed on the gas.
Winifred Sanderson stood at her front porch, seething. "Sisters, grab the master's gifts, we fly." During their last visit to hell, Lucifer had bestowed upon them three new broomsticks. A much-needed gift, considering what happened to the last ones. The three witches took off, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching them from the shadows of the wood.
"Let's go." The two girls made their way into the old dimly lit house which was now lit with a multitude of candles. "Spread out, it shouldn't be that hard to find." While Emeline checked the cauldron for any spare ingredients trying not to breath in the rancid fumes, Tania moved to the back shelves. Fingertips ran over the dusty labels written in a spidery script. Tania scowled at a few of the potion ingredients; gagged at one or two, before she found what she was looking for. "Emeline, over here." She called to the younger girl as she picked up the vial of ashes. "This is it."
"Now what do you need with Ashes of Hell and Dragon Scales?" Zack Binx was thrown at their feet. His sister hurried to kneel beside him. Tania glared coldly at the three sisters.
"What did you do to him?"
Winifred laughed. "It was just a little shock." She giggled, lightning tickling over her fingertips.
Tania then noticed someone was missing. "Where's –"
"That woman? We didn't have any need of her. Her life is of no use to us, so one little shock and she was unconscious."
At least they didn't kill her, Tania thought. She knew full well that it would have taken more than a 'little shock' to knock out Dani. The three witches had not known that the woman was the same eight-year-old girl whose life they wanted to end seventeen years ago. If they did Dani would not have gotten away so easily.
"Well would you look at this… this situation looks familiar." Winifred taunted with a sick grin on her face as she gazed at her prey. "I seem to remember the girl being there." Tania quickly put a hand on Emeline's shoulder, cancelling out the elder witch's power. Winifred glared, but continued with her story. "Then you were right beside her, and you, little boy, were a monstrous creature."
Tania snorted. "I'd hardly call a cat a 'monstrous creature.'"
"You are in no position to be making sarcastic comments, girl." Winifred hissed.
Tania kept quiet when she felt the comforting squeeze on her ankle. She knelt down to Zack and gently brushed his hair away from his damp brow. As Winifred ranted in her victory Emeline snuck her hand into the bag around Tania's shoulder. The jar in her grasp she pulled it out. Tania unscrewed the lid and, with no chance to even attempt to measure it, dropped a decent amount of ashes into the jar.
"Um Winnie…"
"Not now, you fool." Winifred shouted, still basking in her conquest. Tania smirked at her overconfidence, as she shook the closed jar with a jerk of her wrist. The liquid turned slowly to a clear coloring. She shook Zack slightly and caught Emeline's eye. Both siblings nodded ever so slightly.
"We'll need a knife…" Tania muttered almost inaudible. Neither of the two heard her and it didn't matter at the moment. We'll cross that gorge when we come to it. She went into her bag again searching for a certain ingredient. Triumphant she pulled it out and dumped a load into her palm. With a shout that caught the sisters' attention she flung the black powder at them igniting it with the flames that covered the entire house. Quickly she covered Emeline and Zack with her body as it exploded.
The smoldering flames and smoke erupted everywhere: on clothes, the floors, the tables, and most importantly the three Sandersons. The three kids quickly moved to the back wall to avoid the spewing flames. After tearing the ingredients off the wall Zack shoved his body against the wood rot. The wall gave away to the fresh autumn air. The three children sprinted into the night, leaving the burning cabin and Lucifer's servants behind them.
-DD
December 10, 2009
(c) Disney 1993
Just Anouther Reminder that One Week from this Thursday I will be Moving this story to the Hocus Pocus Archieve.