Salem 1993
Max Dennison hated Salem, mostly for the fact that it wasn't Los Angles. He hated the town's stupid Halloween traditions, all the cheesy decorations that people had been putting up since the end of September. He hated the cold weather. The only good thing was the new cross-trainers his parents had bought him, and the loft in his bedroom was pretty cool too.
There was also a girl, Allison Watts. She was gorgeous and Max was really trying to work up the nerve to ask her out, but he always got so tongue-tied around her. It was embarrassing really.
But no matter how cool his loft was, and how nice Allison was, he really wished he was in California.
Halloween day at school was the worst. People were sorta dressed up, but not really. His history teacher wore a pointed witches hat and regaled the class with the story of some witches that lived in Salem ages ago like anyone cared that they supposedly turned some kid into a cat. That was just a bunch of hocus pocus nonsense. The story did give him the opportunity to try and get Allison's attention.
He decided that mocking the holiday the whole town seemed to adore was a good way to get her attention. He even gave her his number, which she promptly returned when he talked to her outside of the school building.
He angrily rode his bike the long way home, up through the graveyard. But he was cornered by the bullies, Jay and Ernie, who stole his new shoes. A perfect end to a perfect day. He was stuck across the country from all his friends, he lost his shot with Allison, and now he didn't have any shoes. But at least they didn't steal his bike.
When he arrived home, Max went straight to his room. Only to be ambushed by his little sister, Dani, who made fun of him for his crush on Allison, and informed him he would be taking her Trick-or-Treating tonight. Another thing that he didn't want to. He wasn't going to do it.
Ten minutes into trick or treating and Max was ready to go home. But Dani wasn't having it. Not even when Ernie and Jay tried to bully her out of her candy. But that fight led them to a large two-story home, where the sounds of a party spilled out. The siblings decided to go see if they could get some candy, even if it meant bobbing for apples and drinking cider.
Inside people, their parent's age, were dressed in pastels that looked vaguely like they should belong in a royal court.
Dani honed in on a caldron of full-sized candy bars and the siblings rushed forward to add some to Dani's bag since Max had given his bag to the bullies.
It turns out that it was Allison's house that they had found. She wanted to know what Max was doing there, to which he explained that he was only taking his sister around trick or treating.
Eventually, the conversation turned to witches, since Dani was dressed up as one for Halloween, and Max saw his chance to salvage his plan.
"Why don't we go to the old Sanderson house?" Max hoped he sounded fearless and cool, especially since all his 'flirting' and attempts to impress Allison before had been more like schoolyard teasing.
Allison was startled at the request and Dani looked terrified.
"Well, come on," Max added, talking to Allison. "Make a believer out of me."
Allison met his eyes and he smiled. He was surprised when she smiled back.
"Okay," Allison agreed. "Let me get changed. They'll never miss me."
And so, after Allison changed into normal clothes, the trio made their way to the old Sanderson house. They cut through the graveyard which was much creepier at night. Max was slightly worried that they'd run into Ernie and Jay and he'd have to fight to defend Allison's honor – or his own.
Not long past the graveyard, they reached a low stone wall that was made from river rocks with crumbling mortar and secured together with creeping ivy.
"Legend has it that the bones of one hundred children are buried in these walls," Allison said, running her hands over the stones.
"Oh, great" Dani was even less excited to be there now.
They approached the wrought-iron gate and Allison made sure Max and Dani were ready before she pulled an old key out of her sweater and unlocked the gate. The three stepped through and something small and dark shot across the path. Dani jumped and Max felt the bite of her short fingernails in his skin.
"What was that?" Dani hissed.
"It's just a cat," Max dragged Dani forward, she was clinging to his arm like it was her lifeline. He knelt and pointed out the yellow-green eyes that caught the light of the street lamp.
"It's not just a cat," Allison added. "It's the cat. The one that warns you not to go in. It's been here as long as I can remember."
"How long do cats live?" Dani whispered.
Max dug around in the fallen leaves and picked up a pebble that he launched at the eyes. A yowl was heard and the eyes disappeared. Dani and Allison were less than impressed. Both looked at the boy in disgust.
"I didn't think I hit it," Max defended.
As they continued towards the house Dani told Allison about the time Max came home crying from baseball camp, to back up his defense that he didn't hit the poor cat.
The house in front of them was smaller than Max expected but still felt like it was looming over them. Almost like the spirit of the house was larger than the crumbling wooden structure in front of them. The wooden steps creaked as Max climbed them.
"I don't think we should go in," Dani said, but Max shot her a look and she reluctantly agreed to enter the ancient house.
Allison produced a second key and unlocked the door. The sound of the deadbolt disengaging was very final.
Dani debated going in but finally gave in and climbed the steps to the creepy old house. She muttered about "stupid crushes" as she flipped a switch on her jack-o-lantern bucket to make it glow. She led the way in, Allison and Max following.
"I can't see a thing," Dani said, her candy bucket's glow was simply not enough to light up the space.
"There's a light switch around here somewhere," Allison assured.
Max took the makeshift flashlight and peered around. He'd biked past the building the previous weekend and though it had looked creepy in a dilapidated way, but now he knew it was sinister in a far different way. The air was stale and too still like something was waiting to jump out at them at any second.
There was a ticket counter at the front of the room displaying dusty souvenirs like postcards, stuffed bears with capes, tiny brooms, and lighters. Max grabbed one of the lighters.
"Found a lighter." Max grabbed a silver Zippo that had a witch silhouetted by the full moon engraved on it.
He lit it and hurried over to help Allison find the light switches, which didn't work until he tried the breaker. Then the lights lit up the room.
The lights weren't the only modern thing that had been added. There were pipes that circled the ceiling and ended in a spigot. Max realized they were sprinklers, 'In case the old tinderbox decides to go up in flames', he thought.
The house was also set up like a museum instead of a house. All the furniture was pushed back against the walls. Everything was labeled to help visitors understand what they were looking at in the one large room that made up the main part of the house. There were brooms, pots, and pans, all hanging from the walls and ceiling. A large curio cabinet was filled with bottles and jars
"Here's the original cauldron," Allison pointed to the squat iron pot that was hung above an empty stone circle. "Upstairs is where they slept," she gestured to the loft that circled the outside of the room above their heads.
Allison approached a display case that held a large leather-bound book. It was huge. As long as Max's forearm and thicker than his hand. The cover was held together with large angry stitches, and tarnished silver swirls reinforced the corners and the spine. The right edge of the cover had a strange pucker of leather, like the closed eye of a rhinoceros. A loop of silver surrounded that, and the far edge of the metal had a latch like the book could be locked.
Allison read from the display card in the case. " The Spellbook of Winifred Sanderson. 'It was given to her by the Devil himself. The book is bound in human skin and contains the recipes for her most powerful and evil spells.'" Allison glanced at Dani.
"I get the picture," the younger girl remarked.
Allison laughed. "According to town records, this went missing after the Sanderson sisters were hanged. They found it in another woman's house just a few days later. I guess she wanted to try it out for herself."
"How many witches does Salem have, anyway?" Dani shuttered. She couldn't believe anyone would want to touch a book made of human skin.
"None anymore," Allison squeezed Dani's shoulder. "Present company excluded," she added, as she tugged on the tip of Dani's pointed hat, making the little girl smile.
"What's that?" Max asked, crossing the room. There was an ancient-looking cast-iron stand that held a tall cream-colored candle. The surface was etched with trees and fire and, along the base, tiny humans running in fear.
"Oh." Allison's voice dropped in pitch. "It's the Black Flame Candle."
Max then read the nearby plaque. " 'Black Flame Candle. Made from the fat of a hanged man. Legend says that on a full moon, it will raise the spirits of the dead if lit by a virgin on Halloween night.'"
He looked around the dusty old museum, there was no one but them, and Max had an idea to make the trip more memorable. It would give Dani something to tell her friends. And maybe Allison would tell her friends too. Max liked the idea of Allison telling her friends about him.
"So, let's light this sucker and meet the old broads," he said, pulling his new lighter out of his pocket.
Dani looked horrified at the thought of lighting the candle and shook her head no.
"Wanna do the honors?" Max held the lighter out to Allison.
She was smiling but looked unimpressed. "No, thanks." She rolled her eyes, which threw Max. Did that mean she wasn't a virgin?
A screeching cat jumped out of nowhere onto the back of Max's neck. Its claws, needle-sharp, sunk into his skin. Max fell to his knees, shouting. But he wrestled it off, and the cat slunk away under an old chest of drawers.
"Stupid cat!"
"Okay, Max," Dani said, nerves coloring her tone. "You've had your fun. It's time to go. Come on, Allison." She grabbed Allison's hand, the pair heading to the door.
"Oh, come on," Max finally caught his breath. He wasn't ready to go home yet. He liked Allison, she was the only person who'd given him the time of day in Salem, and he couldn't make it another two years here if he didn't have any friends. "It's just a bunch of hocus-pocus."
"Max, I'm not kidding this time," Dani scolded in her 'mom' voice. "It's time to go."
It was moments like these where Max remembered that his sister was only eight. She acted so mature, that sometimes he forgot how young she actually was. Shaking his head, he opened the Zippo and held the flame to the dusty wick on the candle.
"Max, no!" Dani shouted at her irresponsible brother.
The candle caught instantly, Max grinned. Then he saw the strange flame. It flickered yellow and orange around the edges, but the center was a cool black.
"Uh-oh." Max's face changed from triumphant to concern.
One by one the light bulbs burst in flashes of light. Each burst made Dani squeal. She'd covered her eyes with her hands. Allison let out a frightened scream when the last bulb shattered and left them in the dark.
A breeze blew through the house, knocking Dani's hat from her head. She uncovered her eyes and looked up, amazed.
The heavy ironwork chandelier creaked on its chain. Allison pulled Dani closer to her, Max started across the room towards them.
A brilliant green light started to glow through the cracks in the floorboards, and the wood itself started to tremble and jump like there was an earthquake. Allison and Dani jumped to the nearest walls, while Max tried to steady himself on nearby furniture. It felt like the whole house was shaking and like the floor could very well decide to open up and drop them all into an unknown world.
Just as suddenly as the shaking started, it stopped and there was silence. The trio stood quiet as if they weren't sure whether it would start all over again.
"What happened?" Max asked, breathlessly.
"A virgin lit the candle," Dani said as she picked up her witch's hat and shoved it down onto her head.
There was a sharp pop and the lights in the chandelier relit one at a time, but this time they were real flames. All the candles in the room followed with a soft whoosh. Even the cauldron got a fire lit underneath it. The kitchen hearth fizzed and popped like a handful of sparklers.
Allison and Dani dove away from the door just before it was thrown open, the knob slamming into the wall. Max hid as well, ducking under the dining table, near the spell book's case. When he looked up at the door his eyes widened.
Three women were silhouetted in the moonlight and framed by the open door. One with long blonde hair and a narrow waist, the second with two wild swoops of hair near the top of her head, and the last with dark wiry curls shaped into a crooked cornucopia.
The middle woman marched into the house. She was dressed in a floor-length emerald dress with a high collar and creeping black patterns that looked like they were trying to smother the green. A gold clasp cinched the dress at her waist and the underskirts were a brilliant blue. When she stepped into the light, it revealed the unnatural red of her hair.
"We're home!" she declared.
Not far away, in the Salem cemetery, there was the sound of stone cracking, though no one was around to hear it.
A young girl gasped her first breath of air in three hundred years and then promptly collapsed behind her gravestone.
She found it surprisingly exhausting being stone for however long it had been. Surly closing her eye for just a moment wouldn't hurt. She had all night to stop those dreadful witches and to try to break the curse on her dearest friend.