| It was winter in the Island of Skye in Scotland in 1900, and Ethel was laying by the fire and waiting for her husband, Kieth, to come home from sheparding. She was expecting her fourth child, and her neighbor was over to help her watch the youngest daughter, Joan, who was about a year old. Both of the women were tired from a long day and shortly the neighbor fell asleep after Joan. Then Ehel heard a low muttering and opened her eyes slightly, only to find three ugly old women huddled together and watching the sleeping Joan. Ethel pretended to be asleep for she realized that she did not know these women. Then it hit her: they were witches. All the doors were locked tight, there was no way in. Then one of the hags spoke: "We shall take her and leave at once." "You already have so many from this house." Said the second. "Best to put a curse on her." Suggested a third. Everyone agreed and the first witch cast the spell, "When this sod of peat shall burn away, that child shall die and turn to clay." Another witch threw a piece of peat, which was then used to fuel fires, into the fireplace to burn. When the witches vanished, Ethel opened her eyes, darted to the fireplace, and put it out with a pail of water. Just to be safe, Ethel wrapped the peat in a rag and locked it up in an odl chest, thinking the curse was over. It was 20 years later, and Joan had grown up lovely, never knowing about the peat and how close to death she had come so long ago. Back then, it was a custom that an engaged girl would not attend church until her wedding. So Joan was forced to stay home while her parents while Ethel and Kieth went to church. Joan knew of the chest in the closet, but had never been permitted to open it and was very anxious to find out what was so special. She pried the lock open and found nothing inside but a piece of slightly burnt peat wrapped in a rag. Feelign slightly disappointed, Joan threw the peat into the fire as there was nothing more to do with peat. She had no clue why her mother would care so much about a piece of peat, it being of no great importance. As soon as the peat hit the fire, Joan began to feel a sense of foreboding and quite odd. Her parents were walking towards the house at this time, and heard their dog whining and runnign around. They quickly went inside and saw the dying Joan, with nothing visible bothering her. There was no sign of the peat in the fire, it had burned away. A minute later, Joan died. |
| Witches of Skye |