The witch from Hell's Gate

The witch from Hell's gate could only be seen when the moon was round and full bright orange. The witch would stand with her hair blowing in the breeze. The long black strands were so slick and slimy they looked like oil was poured over them. She would stand there cursing at the moon or at God himself some folks would say but no one knew for sure. When she was alive folk say she was the old school teacher from the 1920s. She was real religious and seemed eager to teach the children. She also seemed to love baptizing the kids that wanted to follow Christ but she was taking them down to the local creek and drowning them instead. For some reason, she believed she had to make sure they were really converted. If they were truly coveted then they were ready for Heaven was her mindset and needed to be sent there before the world could corrupt them again. So thinking this world was not a place for good Godly kids she would drown them in the river. She also believed she was saving them from the horrors of this world. Out of fear the rest of the kids said nothing and would go along with whatever story she made up to tell the adults. Once the locals finally found out, she was chased out to the outskirts' of town, tied to a crooked cross, and burned alive.
The locals say you can still hear her screams, every night there's a full bright orange moon. She's saying, I am sending the children to meet their maker". She seems to be shouting a few other things that can't be fully understood they say. She was never permitted to go all the way into the gates of Hell only to stand without welcoming others in who had done things just as bad or worse as she'd done. People who had hurt kids or people who had hurt people who were in someway defenseless.People who had lived completely selfish lives and didn't know Jesus. She never really got to greet them really just see them enter to their doom. Part of her punishment was to hear their screams, to see their eyes filled with horror as they dissented into Hell. She sent so many to get their eternal reward so now she got to see countless numbers of lost souls get their earned recompense. Knowing full well that one day she would join the masses of the doomed. Knowing one day she would enter into Hell when Satan finally got his due so would she. Knowing that there was no escape for them or her.

Thinking on all her biblical studies she knew none of this would matter on that day because the horror of Hell she would soon be experiencing would be on her mind. Hell is a place of complete darkness. There is no company with you there, no one will greet you, or hate/love you, or keep you company unless you count your sin, death, and shame. Hell is a place that is so large yet full that it has to enlarge its-self to make room for others but it's so vast and black and dark and deep you see nothing. You hear no one's screams in Hell but your own. The fire and brimstone are your only companion and the worm that eats your flesh but they don't talk to you. If there's any encounter at all with Satan and his demon's they are being punished too so they most likely will not be in a great mood to shoot the breeze even if they are able. They also hate mankind so why would they shoot the breeze with you? She knew all this but hadn't known enough to stay out of the devil's clutches. She had let the devil confuse her mind and see wrong as right even convincing her to play God.

She was one messed up chick and there was no undoing what she had done. Well, come to find out she was not cursing at the moon or God but trying to warn anybody who was still alive and on their way to Hell to turn around and go back. Sometimes humans can hear from the dead some folk say. Once in a while like on Halloween for example some could hear the dead and also get a little glimpse of them. Her great, great, great-grandson Johnny was one of the meanest kids on this side of the grave. She just had to try and reach him somehow. So one Halloween night which is when this moon was usually full and bright orange. She started yelling at the top of her lungs from Hell's gate. Johnny came around there with his friend Billy Bob with a tire rod getting ready to break out his old man's car window and steal his new speakers. The witch not knowing what to do and if she would be heard leaned forward as far as she could from Hell's gate. That old witch got close enough to smack him almost and looked him in the eye. Folks in those parts say it was a true act of God. She said," straighten up Johnny and fly right or it will be Hell for you". Well, Johnny peed his pants more than once folks say. He dropped the rod and ran home and hid under his bed for 3 days they say. When he finally came from under his bed he washed like he was trying to wash all the dirt and stink away that had ever gotten on him or ever would. He didn't eat a full meal for almost 7 days. When he did speak all he kept saying at first is he saw a glimpse of Hell and he wasn't going NO SIR!