Chastening of the Witch, Part 14
Date: 4/23/98
From: AngeliqueBouchard

Miranda stood behind some bushes on Widow's Hill waiting to see the outcome of her spell. Judah had ordered her to summon her Uncle Jeremiah and Aunt Harriet here for unknown reasons. It was strange, thought Miranda, how quickly she became accustomed to the art of black magic. A clay doll, whispering into the flames, invading a dream; they all seemed to be second nature.

The approach of Judah moved Miranda from her reverie. She pretended not to notice the odd burn marks on his face and turned back to facing the cliff. Miranda found it hard to hide her disdain for this loathsome man who stood behind her and leaned his face over her shoulder. "Hello my dear Miranda," he said, his breath resembled the stench of a decomposing corpse. Miranda cringed as his cold flesh pressed against her cheek. She contemplated why exactly she gave into his advances and decided that it was the price she had to pay for the power he so often spoke of and dangled in front of her. She almost laughed aloud at the thought of Judah's seemingly absurd demand she remain a virgin until the ceremony, while he seemed to have no qualms about mauling her in various other ways using her brother's body. That thought deflated Miranda. She questioned how evil she must truly be to have consented. She remembered her embarrassment and shame when she was told Judah had released Barnabas from his power and had allowed him to remember everything from the moment he was first possessed. How unlike her brother to accept it so well and act as if nothing was wrong. He used to be so protective of her, but now he truly seemed to be the son of Judah Zachary. Stranger still was Barnabas' pride when he told Miranda of all the evil things Judah had taught him when he was in some other dimension while Judah possessed his body.

Jeremiah and Harriet arrived at Widows Hill from different directions. "What are you going to do?" Miranda asked in a whisper.

"Watch and see," Judah replied.

While Jeremiah and Harriet questioned each other's compulsion to come to this place at this time, another person could be heard approaching through the underbrush. Judah began to snicker as Daniel Collins arrived at the clearing, wearing such rage that his face appeared to be that of a demon. Miranda gasped when she saw he was carrying a rifle. "So the lovers have already arrived!" Daniel shouted as he lowered the rifle at Harriet.

Miranda cried out, "No!", but Judah immediately clamped his hand over her mouth and held her immobile with the other.

"I do not know why you accuse us," Harriet said frantically, "I have no..."

Before Harriet or Jeremiah could explain their innocent encounter Daniel held out the phony letter forged by Judah. "I found the letter, whore!" Daniel shouted. He was clearly deranged. In an instant he swung the butt of the rifle across the side of Harriet's head, knocking her unconscious to the ground. Jeremiah lunged at Daniel and knocked the rifle from his hands. "Betrayed by my own family!" Daniel yelled as he clamped his hands around Jeremiah's throat. Using every once of strength Jeremiah unclamped Daniel's hands and tried to grab the rifle.

Judah whispered, "Strength, strength."

Suddenly empowered, Daniel grasped Jeremiah by his shirt and lifted him above his head. Without any hesitation Daniel hurled him over the cliff. Jeremiah's terrorized screams reverberated off the stone wall until he crashed on the rocks below. With a cruel and unnatural smile, Daniel turned towards his wife lying still on the ground. He picked up her wrists and dragged her into the woods.

Judah released Miranda and laughed so hard he had to lean against a tree to hold himself up. "You will eventually see the whole Collins family destroyed my dear 'Angelique'."

Miranda looked questionably at Judah, but he didn't seem to notice. He called her "Angelique"? Then Miranda realized the awful truth. Every time Judah touched her, every time he spoke to her, every time he called her name, which he claimed belonged to her mother in a past lifetime; Judah was pretending she was her mother. All this was because of his obsession for Angelique Bouchard and Miranda was the main object of his attention for no other reason than because she resembled her so. "What have I done?" Miranda thought. "And how can I ever escape?"

TO BE CONTINUED