Wiccan Ch. 5

         The next morning, despite all the dismay it caused Aisling came just like it would normally. In fact, it was maddeningly bright out, putting her in an even worse mood than before. The only good thing about the day so far was that Lisa seemed to know something was up, and was giving Aisling plenty of space.

         At around 10 am, Aisling emerged from her room and trudged slowly down the stairs towards the front door. She was just about to head outside when she heard Lisa calling her.

          “Aisling!” Lisa called as she came up behind her.

         Aisling turned around, slightly annoyed and said irritably, “What?”

         Lisa pretended not to notice her tone, however she winced internally. “I just bought vanilla scented blue candles this morning. Would you like me to place them around your room and say a small prayer?” She inquired, smiling kindly.

         Aisling looked at Lisa, her surprised face quickly changing into a grin. “Thanks, Aunt Lisa. I would love it if you would do that,” Aisling said with gratitude.

         Lisa nodded, and replied, “No problem honey. I’ll go do that right now then so it’s done before that young man arrives.” With that she walked away.

         Aisling shook her head, smiling slightly. How did her aunt always know? She wondered as she headed out the door.

         The sun’s warm rays were beat down on Aisling’s head as she headed over to the curb. Sitting down, she took a few calming breaths and began to wait.


         Taylor pulled up to the B&B, prepared for an all out war with Aisling over what she wasn’t telling him. He was shocked to find her sitting on the curb, as though waiting for him. Turning off the engine, he got out and walked around to where she was sitting.

          “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said quietly. “I need to tell you something.”

         Taylor was royally confused. He thought for sure that he’d have to fight with her and now she was volunteering the information. Not knowing what else to do, he nodded at her and followed her as she rose and walked up to her room.

         Once inside, Taylor noticed a distinct difference. Blue, vanilla scented candles were burning, all placed succinctly around the windows and doors. Instead of feeling afraid, Taylor felt a wave of calm and security sweep through him. He looked at Aisling suspiciously. Was this some kind of spell?

         Aisling caught his glance and said, somewhat defensively, “They make me feel calm and safe. This isn’t an easy topic for me!”

          “Oh, sorry,” Taylor said, somewhat sheepishly. He wondered what could be so horrible.

         Aisling sat down on the floor by the bed, and gently drew her Book of Shadows onto her lap. Taylor took the hint and sat down silently on the floor. “This is hard to discuss. It’s starts with my parents, basically it’s the whole reason I don’t want to share my history,” she began.

          “Aisling…” Taylor interrupted, but trailed off as he realized he had no idea what he had been about to say.

          “Taylor, could you just listen until the end. Otherwise I’ll lose my nerve,” she begged him.

         He nodded as she continued, “My parents got divorced when I was 7. I always though they had a happy marriage, but I guess at age 7, your parents are better at hiding their problems. My mom got custody.”

         Aisling took a deep breath and then continued, “My parents were both very religious. We had always gone to a Catholic church so I assumed that my mom was Catholic as well. My father was a priest, a very strict one at that. The only true religion was the Catholic religion according to him. Anything else was either devil worship or a cult of some kind. When I turned 9, my father started lecturing me about being a Catholic, and warning me to stay away from those that weren’t Catholic. My parents, even though they were divorced, still got in constant arguments over me. I always felt as though I was to blame for their fights. On my 10th birthday, my parents had the biggest row I’d ever heard.”


          Aisling sat hiding under the desk in the corner of the den. Her long blonde was pulled back into a French braid, and her green eyes were wide with fear and sadness. She had on her favorite green sweater and blue jean skirt. To top off her look she had black boots on.

          Loud raised voices came from out in the den. Her mom and dad were arguing again. And on her birthday. Aisling felt her eyes fill with tears as her parents’ voices moved close enough for her to hear what was being said.

          “Cara, I cannot believe you would give MY daughter a piece of satanic jewelry! What kind of mother are you? Just because you want to burn in hell after you die doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to drag my only daughter along for the ride!!!” Luther, Aisling’s father yelled.

          “I would never give OUR daughter satanic jewelry. This is a handcrafted symbol for the Mother Goddess. It’s nothing to do with devil worship. If you weren’t so obsessed over your precious Catholic religion, you might actually be able to see that there’s nothing wrong with other religions! And you might actually have even an inkling of an idea of who our daughter is and what she likes!” Cara screamed, slamming her fist hard into the wall.

          Aisling jumped, then screwed her eyes shut, curling herself into an even tighter ball. Please stop! She thought.

          “My God in Heaven, you haven’t been sharing that witchcraft and satanic rituals with my daughter have you? I thought I told you specifically that if you did that I would take her away from you!” Luther threatened.

          “YOU can’t! The court already decided who Aisling belongs with, and that’s me! I don’t care how many times you go back to court to try to gain custody; they will always give you the same verdict. You are not fit to take care of a child full time!”

          “How DARE you, you bitch! The only reason you got custody is because you slept with the judge! Just admit it. Everyone already knows the truth!” Luther accused Cara.

          Cara’s voice was tight with rage as she demanded, “Take that back! I would never. Our daughter’s future is at stake and I would NEVER mess with that!”

          “I will not, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it!” Luther refused sternly.

          Aisling heard a resounding smack and cringed as she heard her father roar with rage.

          “I told you never to touch me…”

          “Go ahead,” Cara encouraged him, “because the minute you do is the minute you lose all visitation rights! And then we’ll be rid of you once and for all!”

          Luther restrained himself and said tightly, “I won’t give you that satisfaction. I refuse to allow my daughter to grow up to get involved in a cult or any other form of devil worship. Aisling WILL be Catholic. I’m not about to let her go to hell. You, I could care less about.”

          “You don’t care about Aisling,” Cara hissed. “You’re just using her to needle and annoy me. I’m not the one forcing my religion, yes religion, on my daughter. She has the right to make her own choice. I will not love her any less if she decides to be Catholic over being Wiccan. You however, would probably disown her.”

          “AISLING WILL NEVER BE WICCAN!!! If I have to, I’ll kill you to keep it from happening!” Luther yelled.

          Aisling heard a cry come from her mother as her father’s fist connected with her face. Aisling froze in terror. Her father had never hit her mother before. She heard another blow connect and crawled out from under the desk. “STOP IT! PLEASE STOP!” she cried hysterically.

          Both parents froze and turned to see their daughter kneeling in front of the desk, shaking with terror. Cara had the beginnings of a bruised right cheek and a fat lip. Luther face was red where he’d been smacked but otherwise sported no damage.

          Aisling stared at both of them, and then yelled, “How could you do this to me?”


          Aisling sighed, then continued, “After that, my parents stayed apart. No one reported the incident to the authorities and I was too scared of my father to tell anyone. My mother decided that home-schooling would be the best choice, one that would satisfy my father without sending me away.”

          Taylor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All this had happened to a child no more than 10 years old? He also had a sickening feeling that there was a lot more.

          “My mother chose the subjects we studied and she added in Wicca just as an informative lesson on the religion. She told me that I could make my own decision as to my religion and she wouldn’t love me any less.

          “I enjoyed my mother’s lessons on Wicca, and finally decided that I wanted to be a Wiccan when I turned 14. I saw my father monthly now; he was too busy ridding the world of all the demons. He’d gotten more obsessed over the years, now he felt that he was God’s instrument in getting rid of any and all demons possessing humans. When I went to see him, he was rarely around, so I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. After my dedication ceremony (which is basically just an announcement the God and Goddess of a person commitment to study and be a Wiccan) my mother gave me a beautiful silver 4 elements necklace. It was a symbol of my dedication, she told me. What I did with it was up to me. The instant I put it on, I knew that I would wear it always, announcing my dedication to the world, even if I was the only one who knew what it meant.

          “A few weeks later, I went to visit my dad. My mom dropped me off in front of his house and I headed in. I didn’t even expect him to be home…”


          Aisling opened the door and looked around. She sighed, and headed to her room. Dropping her suitcase on the floor, she turned and headed into the living room to start a fire. Since no one was home she decided to try to start the fire using magic. She thought a small prayer to the fire dragon then whispered ‘so mote it be’ and opened her eyes in time to see the firewood burst into flame.

          Happily, Aisling said, “Thank you fire dragon. This spell is…”

          “I knew it!” came an angry voice from behind her.

          Aisling jumped, startled and started to turn around. She was stopped abruptly by two hands grabbing her, picking her up, and throwing her at the couch. She hit the floor, jarring both her knees in an attempt to catch herself. She let out a cry of pain and whirled around to face her attacker.

          Luther stood in front of her, eyes blazing with hate. “How dare you inhabit my daughter?” he exclaimed. “All this time I’ve been hunting you and you’ve been right in front of me.”

          “Dad, what are doing? What are you talking about? It’s me, your daughter, Aisling.” She said nervously, carefully eyeing her father in fear.

          “You’re not my daughter! You’re some demon pretending to be my daughter! Let her go! Or I’ll make you!” Luther screamed, as he lunged toward Aisling.

          Aisling’s stomach was tight with fear as she ducked out of her father’s grasp and back away towards the fire.

          “Dad, stop, please. It’s me, Aisling,” she pleaded with her father.

          This only served to make Luther angrier. “My daughter is a Catholic, not some devil worshipping Wiccan! Get out of her this instant!!!”

          Aisling dodged her father again, and frantically tried to reason with him, “Dad, I’m Aisling. I’m just not a Catholic. I’m Wiccan. I don’t worship the devil, I never will. Please, you have to believe me. I’m your daughter.”

          Luther’s eyes watched her suspiciously, as if evaluating her, “No, you’re not my daughter. However, I know how to get her back,” he said with cold conviction.

          Aisling’s blood froze in her veins as she wondered exactly what he was talking about. In the next instant, however, it became painfully clear. Aisling watched as her father stalked over to the fire and pulled a cross fire poker out of the holder. Sticking it in the fire, he used it to stir the ashes and embers around.

          Oh Goddess, Aisling thought, he’s going to try to brand me with that thing to purge the demon out of me. Aisling’s thoughts raced as she tried to figure a way out of this mess. Her mind finally seized on the only thing she could think of. Closing her eyes, Aisling imagined a direct link from her mom’s mind to hers. Strengthing it with her aura, she thought to her mother frantically (Help me mom, dad’s lost it, he’s trying to brand me!). Putting all her strength into that message, she pushed it away from her. Opening her eyes, she was startled to see an empty room.

          Goddess, where had he gone? She thought to herself. Suddenly she was seized from behind and thrown onto the ground. Aisling flipped over onto her back in order to try to defend herself. Luther loomed over her, his eyes snapping with crazy excitement. This scared Aisling even more. Was he actually enjoying this?

          Luther laughed as he said, “I’ve got you now my demon.” He kneeled down on Aisling’s stomach, pushing the breath out of her. She gasped, trying to bring air into her lungs. This distraction was more than enough for Luther. He reached down and pulled Aisling’s top off, revealing the lacy bra beneath. Putting a strong hand on her sternum, he held her down.

          Aisling realized what was happening all a second too late. She felt the poker push into the tender flesh above her right breast, and then a burning pain, followed by the smell of burnt flesh. Aisling closed her eyes trying to block out the pain but found herself becoming dizzy instead.

          “Oh God, please dad, stop! It hurts, please stop,” Aisling begged, her voice choked with pain. Her father’s response was to press down harder. Aisling let out a scream.

          Suddenly, the pressure was gone and there was a commotion going on around her. Taking a second to take some deep breaths, Aisling opened her eyes. Her father stood with the poker, holding it like a baseball bat, circling her mother. Aisling tried to move, but couldn’t. She was too weak.

          Sirens approached, as her parents continued to swing at each. Her mother connected first, knocking Luther off his feet. Luther jumped back to his feet unharmed, yelled, “Demon whore, Return to hell!” Then he swung at Cara hard, connecting with her head. Aisling heard a sickening crack and then a thud as Cara fell to the floor dead. Luther let out a maniacal laugh.

          “Freeze or I’ll shoot!” shouted the first police officer on the scene.

          Luther just turned around, laughed again, and said, “God will protect me from you demons,” then he stalked toward the police officer.

          The police officer didn’t hesitate. He squeezed the trigger and shot Luther twice. He fell to the floor.


          “The last thing I remember is some officer leaning over me, asking me if I was alright. I woke up in the recovery room; my aunt was already there. She explained the whole thing, and I grieved my mom. A few weeks later I moved out here,” Aisling finished just as the dam broke on her tears and she began to sob.

          Taylor didn’t know what to do. How could anyone do that to their own child? Awkwardly, he leaned over and put his arms around her shaking shoulders. For a moment Aisling tensed up, like she always did with physical contact, then she relaxed, let him hold her while she cried. And that’s when he felt it. The electricity surging from her body. Almost like an electrical pulse, but he felt himself being drawn to it as well. It was too soon when Aisling wiped her eyes and gently pulled away.

          “Thanks, I haven’t cried since the funeral,” she admitted to him, red-eyed but smiling.

          Taylor smile a genuine smile, not sure of what to say. Then he tapped the book in her lap, “I know why you don’t want to use names, and I know why it’s hard to talk about that personal a story, but what about older, more ancient stories. I though you said there was more in here.”

          Aisling opened the book to the family tree, tracing her name to her parents’ and so on back. She got to around the time of the Salem Witch Trials and stopped.

          “This is the time period in which it would have happened. The Mills family was alive at that time. Mother, Father, and daughter all had the gift. The daughter had it the strongest. She was the town’s healer. Her mother was on the church committee and her father was a captain on a very successful shipping company. They lived in a small port community on the east coast,” Aisling stopped to breathe, and saw a truly fascinated look on Taylor’s face.

          “The trouble started when the preacher’s daughter, Anna, fell ill. Tru, the healer, was unable to find what ailed her. Soon others were falling ill with the same ailment, and people were becoming suspicious because Tru wasn’t healing them. Tru had learned everything that she knew from her mother and grandmother and was truly baffled by this new disease,” Aisling continued, “When the other young started to die, people started to fear witchcraft.”

          “What happened?” Taylor asked, anxious.

          Aisling sighed, “The rumors of witchcraft were furthered when the preacher announced that in her ravings, his daughter had fervently feared a witch among them. This new revelation, coupled with suspicion already felt towards Tru, made many suspect her of witchcraft and treachery. Tru, desperate to heal those who had not already died turned to the Indian, or Heathens, as the Puritans called them. She soon learned what ailed them. The girls and their families that were sick had all been eating a deadly herb that grew in those parts. The Indians gave up the cure to Tru when she peacefully made clear to them that she would die if her people did not get better. However, she was too late. The preacher’s wife had also fallen ill and although Tru offered the antidote to the preacher, he failed to heed what she warned. When his wife died as well, he declared Tru a witch and sent for her to be burnt at the stake. She died a horrible death.

          Taylor was baffled, “Why didn’t her mother try to rescue her?”

          “This was a time of fear and paranoia. No one wanted to be looked upon as a witch and burnt at the stake. Tru’s mom was already under suspicion, simply for being related. Tru had made a deal with the Indians that if she was killed they would come and take her mother away to safety. Tru knew her mom was pregnant with child and didn’t want any harm to come to her unborn sister. Shortly after the burning, Mrs. Mills disappeared, never to be seen again,” Aisling explained.

          “And her father?” Taylor questioned.

          “He died at sea in horrible storm. He never knew the fate of his daughter or wife,” Aisling sighed, then added, “That’s probably the most interesting story as to witch burnings and witch trials. There are other stories in here of successful spells and staving off disaster and there is the most interesting story of Tru’s younger sister…” Aisling stopped mid-sentence.

          “Aisling, why can’t we use Tru’s story?” Taylor asked.

          Aisling looked worried as she replied, “I guess we could, I just don’t want anyone to connect it to me. The last thing I want is for people to insult me, accuse me of hurting them, or hurting me. I don’t want to be hurt like that again,” and then she added, her voice small, “or killed.”

          These words were like dead weight inside Taylor’s chest as he slowly digested what she had just said. He didn’t want her dead, especially not now, not when he was starting to like… no that wasn’t true. He just didn’t want her to die. Or get hurt. Or cry. He sighed, he had a nagging feeling that he was starting to like her. But he wasn’t going to worry about that now, he’d deal with those ridiculous thoughts later.

          Aisling shouting his name jarred him abruptly out of his thoughts. “What?” he asked surprised.

          “Where did you go? I was repeating your name for the last five minutes,” Aisling asked, then without waiting for a reply she plunged ahead, “Taylor, I’m worried about you. Remember what happened in the library?” when he nodded, she continued, “Well, I lied to you when I allowed you to think that I did that. It wasn’t me. Someone else did, and it would really make me feel better if I could place a protection spell around you, but I won’t do it unless you agree to it.” She had spit those last lines out so fast that she had to gasp for air.

          “WHAT?” he asked lost. Aisling noticed that he looked like a little puppy dog.

          She smiled, “Sorry. What happened in the library that kind of magic can only be done with a voodoo doll. I cannot do voodoo magic. First, it’s against my morals, and second, it isn’t within my power. You were so angry at the time that I had to tell you something, so I took the blame for it. But I’ve been thinking and if someone was using a voodoo doll they could do real damage…”

          Taylor cut her off in mid-sentence. Aisling had given him a lot today. She had trusted him with what had really happened with her folk s and she had shared her history with him. She was also willing to use Tru’s story, as long as they did it in a way so no one would connect it to her. And now on top of all that she was worried about his safety. He had to admit that he was too. He had read about voodoo and the thought that someone else had control over his body was not at all comforting. So with all that in mind, he said, “Aisling I’m not all the comfortable with Wiccan magic yet, but I think we could give this protection spell a shot.”

          Aisling’s face lit up with relief when he said that. She then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, the electricity from her body shocking him and making think about something that he wasn’t sure he should be thinking about.

          “Thanks, Taylor. I promised you won’t regret it,” she promised him.

          He however was thinking about other things. Like his tumultuous feelings for one, and why she cared for another. He had been awful mean to her in the beginning. This was another reason that he was falling for her. Oh god was that what was happening. He had to talk to Bailey and fast, before he stopped making any sense at all.

          They decided to meet the next day to perform the spell, because Aisling had to prepare some things ahead of time for it. So Taylor let himself out and sped home, all the while wondering what was going on inside his own head.

          In another part of town, a dark figure sat scrying at a pool of dark water, watching the young man drive away in his vehicle. “SO, she thinks she can protect him from me, does she? Well, she’s about to learn just how little her Wiccan power can stand up against mine. Just wait till I take everything away from you, little girl, just the way you took everything away from me!” Laughing the figure splashed the water with a black gloved hand.