‘There had been a five-witch coven in the area since the late eighteen hundreds. Both Evelyn Stout and Thora Hubbard were members of the coven, as both of their mothers and grandmothers had been. Evelyn’s husband, Edgar Stout, raped Thora Hubbard’s daughter. The police were called, but Edgar was well respected, he denied it and no charges were brought. Evelyn Stout fiercely defended her husband and left the coven to stand by him. Less than a month later, Thora’s daughter walked into the river and never walked back out. In grief and rage, a spell was cast by the remaining witches on the Stout family.’
‘They seriously believed they were witches?’ Bryant asked.
Donna rolled her eyes. ‘They were witches. Witchcraft has been present in human history from the beginning of time. Curses are spoken of in the Bible. Despite centuries of persecution, it has endured and evolved. A curse is any magic powered by the fuel of ill intent.’
‘But no one really believes in them,’ Kim stated.
Donna laughed. ‘You don’t, as is your right, but there’s a reason why witches were persecuted all over the world.’
‘Go on,’ Kim urged. She’d taken a sip. It was good coffee and her tolerance for this nonsense would last as long as it took her to drink it.
‘Hundreds of witches were tried by churches and executed, imprisoned or exiled as enemies of God and humanity. Why? If there was nothing in it, then why were they persecuted? Why were they not disregarded as crazy or senile? Why was the Church threatened by them?’
Donna paused and Kim took another sip of her drink.
‘Many say that successful magic hinges solely on the belief of those people practising it. In early history, magic was considered to be a power innate in some healers, shamans and religious leaders.’
‘Good magic?’ Bryant asked.
Donna nodded. ‘It changed in the medieval period with the advent of demonology. The fifteenth to eighteenth centuries were crammed with curses, blessings, angels, devils, ghosts, spirits, fairies, elves and ruling over it all was a benevolent god.
‘Miracle working was a special class of power reserved only for Christian saints. Therefore, all other supernatural powers were lesser and came to be seen as evil.’
‘Hence the persecution,’ Kim said, acknowledging historic record. There was no question the witch trials had happened.
Donna continued. ‘Most witches were thought to be female, as women’s minds were easily confused by demonic lies and their tongues talked men into sin. Satan would mark you with a blemish or growth showing you belonged to him, then lend you the power you’d wanted, and you’d become a witch.’
‘Hairy warts,’ Bryant said, and both Kim and Donna looked his way. ‘That’s how they’re always depicted, isn’t it? Hairy warts, pointy noses, that kind of thing?’
‘In The Wizard of Oz,’ Donna said with a look that was barely tolerant.
‘So, what exactly was the role of a good witch in the community?’ Kim asked.
‘Mixing potions for ailments.’
‘Who were the potions for?’ Kim asked.
‘Mainly peasants. People from lower social classes relied on folk healers to treat their illnesses as they had no access to medicine.’
‘A bit like the NHS?’ Bryant asked.
Donna tried to hide her irritation at Bryant’s flippancy. He was allowing his contempt to leak out of every pore. Kim didn’t disagree with him, but she didn’t have much coffee left, so he wouldn’t have to suffer for much longer.
‘You’ve done your homework,’ Kim observed.
‘Why wouldn’t I? The dark side of witchcraft has dominated the life of my ancestors and my family.’
‘And it’s a spell that caused all your bad luck?’ Kim asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘Spells are passed down through generations. There are spells to dominate nature, protect from evil or injury, or to prevent other spells. It’s not a spell which has destroyed my family.’
‘What’s the difference?’
‘A spell is a broad term for the use of magic. A curse is a specific type of spell intended to cause lasting and severe harm, misfortune, or a persistent negative effect on a place or person. Take the Hope Diamond. It was rumoured to be cursed, and countless people who came into contact with it either died or lost their mind.’
‘Which would probably have happened to them if they’d never set eyes on the stone,’ Kim argued, unable to stop herself presenting the logical side of the argument.
‘You’ve never read about the Kennedy curse? A family blighted by death and misfortune?’
