Maiden, Mother and Crone

Bathed in ethereal moonlight, I hesitated before a shadowed wood, reluctant to pass through those warped trees. The celestial orb watched silently from the heavens as I mustered my courage. It was difficult to grasp when faced with that accursed forest.

Many a man had ventured into the smallest of thickets, only to vanish from sight. Those who returned had left their sanity in those woods. I saw it for myself. A seasoned hunter was left crawling in the mud, gibbering in terror, speaking of things which defied reason.

I must be mad myself, to consider this journey.

Warm breath steamed the frigid air as I paced before the opening. Between two gnarled oaks, a gash of darkness yawned as though the forest wanted to swallow me whole. Shuddering, I recalled the words my mother whispered to me.

Seek ye the hidden path, revealed by the rays of a snow moon.

The required conditions were finally attained, the winter moon shone bright and full... Yet I felt a sense of unease.

Would the secret passage visible from amidst the trees? I could make out nothing, peering within the dense gloom. Was that the breeze rustling the underbrush? Or ravenous creatures roaming unseen?

I half-imagined retreating to the safety of my bed, wrapping myself in warm blankets and admitting defeat. These thoughts were comforting and familiar. But a fierce resolve was embedded in my heart, compelling me to swallow my fears and venture into the forbidding umbrage.

There was nothing but cold darkness. Whispers of the forest hissed in my ears, faint growls and mysterious noises echoing all around. Panic took hold of me, sinking its paralyzing grip upon my mind.

I was doomed, another victim to the unspeakable horrors within.

Then the scales of shadow fell from my eyes, revealing a luminescent trail that twisted through the trees. I had never witnessed such a thing before, stones that glowed like fireflies. "Moonstones," I gasped in astonishment.

Radiating a faint green light, the mystical footpath led me deep into the wildwood's belly. I scarcely knew how long I stumbled in the dark. Stray not from the path, child.

Oh mother, you never warned me how treacherous that path would be! I frequently lost sight of the moonstones, the glowing rocks stretching farther and farther apart as I journeyed through the dense trees. The woods grew tighter here, seeming to squeeze me as I desperately searched for the next beacon lighting the way.

Beastly howls swelled beside me. I could hear the foul creatures panting hungrily, waiting for me to fall into their jaws. A savage wind whipped past, stinging my cheeks. Despair filled my heart as I scoured my surroundings in hysteria.

At last, I came upon the final marker.

Darting towards it, I collapsed in relief, legs shaking from the ordeal. Nothing would feast on me tonight. I tried not to think about the return journey, steeling myself for what came next.

After gathering my senses, I gazed at the scene before me. The moon shone stronger here, illuminating a little hut in the center of a clearing. A yellow window gleamed in the twilight, firelight flickering from within.

Swallowing anxiously, I slowly approached.

Bizarre totems hung from branches, ominous objects warding off the evils I scarcely escaped. A ring of mushrooms encircled the makeshift cottage. Once I stepped over it, the wooden door creaked open.

A hunched silhouette stood in the opening, leaning on a staff. The old witch cackled as I neared. "Good evening, granddaughter." She hobbled closer and inspected my face, though it was masked in shadow.

"You seek knowledge, a future foretold in the cards." My grandmother grinned toothlessly. I nodded wearily. She turned her milky eyes towards the moon and spread her gangly arms. "Aye, a fine night you've chosen. Come!"

I followed the crone into the cottage, where a cauldron bubbled over a cheery fire. Dried herbs hung from the rafters, yellowing books moldered on shelves and strange sigils were carved into the walls. A blind crow bobbed his head at me and cawed curiously.

Sitting at a little table, the old woman opened a cloth bag and withdrew a stack of battered tarot cards. "Hold these in your hands, child. Think of the question you want answered as you jumble them."

Bowing my head, I closed my eyes. It swam before my mind's eye, the question I feared most. Keeping hold of that dreaded thought, I shuffled the ancient deck.

Without warning, my grandmother snatched the cards from my hands. "That will do!"

Eyes glimmering with mischief, she clacked her tongue and drew three from the stack. The crow croaked from the rafters as the first tarot card was revealed.

The Lovers, upside down.

I caught my breath, feeling an eerie sensation as the arcane power of the cards spoke to the old witch. She grinned at me. "There is a man in your life, a handsome suitor who's stolen your heart. But he is mysterious and detached, causing disharmony between you two."

My hands trembled as the witch turned over the next card.

The Tower.

"Ahhh... You are with child. But you fear this revelation will cause chaos in your life." She glanced up at me slyly. "No one knows this secret of yours, do they?"

I shook my head, hair covering my face in shame.

The old woman stroked her chin in thought as she peered at the card. "There is something else here... You feel there is something wrong but you cannot grasp what it might be."

It was as though she was looking into my innermost self. Everything the crone proclaimed was true. But the next card held the answer I wanted - and feared most.

I could not stop the tremors in my limbs. A small part of myself didn't want to know, wishing to run from the witch's cottage and into the night. The sinister beasts outside seemed preferable compared to the square mystery that my grandmother held in her withered hands.

Looking at the card, her wicked smile deepened, turning into a leer. I shrank from that expression. It confirmed my worst suspicions.

Gently, she placed it on the table. I forced myself to look at it, to see who the father of my baby was.

The Devil.

I screamed as the witch screeched a triumphant laugh, the crow cawing, cauldron bubbling, candlelight flickering over her lined face while she cackled hideously at my plight.

"The Father of Lies himself has put his seed in your belly, you foolish girl! Now you must bear his cloven-hooved young."

Tearing at my hair, I sobbed pitifully. "What can I do, grandmama? If the village hears of this, they will burn me!"

Stroking my face with her yellow nails, she clicked her tongue. "There, there, poor thing. I can help rid you of this unwanted child."

Clinging to the hope dangling before me, I wiped my teary eyes. "What would you ask of me?"

The witch rubbed her gnarled hands and rocked back and forth gleefully. "When the time is right, I will call on you."

Dazed and withdrawn, I scarcely remembered how I found my way back through the cursed forest. I could not see through the gloom, yet I had little misgivings. No creature dared touch me for fear of harming the unborn devil inside my womb.

Clutching the pouch of herbs my grandmother gifted me, I quietly crept back home. My parents were still fast asleep, blissfully unaware that their daughter had consorted with Lucifer himself. How could I face them, knowing this?

Crushing the herbs in a pot of water, I boiled the concoction according to the witch's instruction. It was a bitter potion. I drank it all, forcing the vile liquid down.

Feeling drowsy, I gladly returned to my bed and fell into a deep sleep.

I dreamed of a great number of horrid things, visions of demons and grotesque fiends dancing before me. He returned to my bedside, the Father of Lies. My belly was swollen with child, the foul thing squirming inside me as it felt his presence.

Wailing in agony, I felt my stomach split open as the malevolent cambion tore itself from my womb and crawled toward the Prince of Darkness. My grandmother was standing beside him. She scooped up the gory child and cooed as it cried hideously.

I awoke in a cold sweat.

There was a wetness between my thighs, a sore feeling in my loins. Lifting the blanket, I saw a great amount of blood. A miscarriage.

I sighed heavily, relief washing over me. But something caught my eye: a set of strange markings on the ground beside me. When I looked closer, I shrank back as revulsion twisted my innards.

Marked in crimson, a trail of tiny cloven hooves led from my bed to the open window.