2013 30 Day Image Prompt Contest Book

"The Swamp Witch" (Flash Fiction/Day 25)

The Swamp Witch

Winter had stripped the cottonwoods and fog hung from skeletal limbs like Spanish moss. The only sounds came from water slapping against the boat's hull as they floated across the inky bayou.

"Are we there yet?" Joel's voice sounded muffled.

The boat rocked as the guide pointed. The ghostly outlines of a house formed in the mist.

"La sorcière des marais - the witch of the swamp."

Those terse words sent a chill down Joel's back. Rumors of this voodoo priestess's powers had led him to this point. His soon to be ex-wife was fighting him in settling the divorce. "This is the desperate act of a desperate man," he muttered.

He climbed up a short, rickety ladder and faced a door covered in faded arcane symbols. "Hello ..."

The door seemed to open on its own. As he entered, he couldn't keep from coughing at the decaying odor in the air. A laugh stopped him in his tracks.

"So," a voice began. "You need help from someone with my special talents. I see your troubles. She is difficult and ... " The voice paused, "very greedy!"

Joel nodded in agreement. "I need ..." he began but was cut off.

"I know what you need," she commanded.

A match flared, then a candle, and Joel could see the misshapen crone in the shifting light. Her eyes seemed to capture his.

"Yes, la sorcière knows," she muttered. "She has power over you. You still love her ... she has your heart, she has your soul."

The words didn't make sense to Joel. All he could think about were the eyes. He felt the room begin to fade around him.

Pain brought Joel back. He found himself lying bound on a bed. "What? Help - untie me!"

Horror filled him as a knife gleamed in the flickering light.

The last thing Joel heard was "Do not fear. I know just how to remove her power over you! Remove the source!"

Day 25 - "30 Day Image Prompt Contest - CLOSED" 
Prompt: Image 1 (Witch)
Format: Flash Fiction