《Little Flower of Salem》


 Chapter 1: I feel so different

    My name is Julia and I was 13 when this story happened. I look like any other girl. I am not one of the popular girls that have the looks of Miss Universe. I was quite common and still liked my hair to be in pigtails. I was not a tomboy. Mom called me a Barbie girl, as I loved pretty dresses. I had a lot of teddy bears and I had a huge dollhouse that I still played with. I did not have a thousand friends. I had a good friend called Tina. She came from a very religious home. We were friends since playschool and I never thought our friendship would die.


    I lived in a small historic town called Salem, which is in Maccetusets. There are about 40,000 people that live here. It is like living in a museum. All the buildings are so old. I suppose this is because we were one of the first towns established in the USA by colonists 400 years ago. My family also lived in a small house. In a way, it was strange to think about, that I was a small part of history.


    Salem was very famous. In 1692, 30 people were accused of being a witch and 19 were executed. The witchhunt made people accuse each other of being witches. Imagine the fear that they lived under! Most people were puritans at this stage and they were, of course, afraid of evil. Witchcraft was blamed for people''s sickness. This was a dark part of the history of our town, but also one that we could profit from in the modern world.


    Tourists are most welcome here!


    The Salem witch trials of 1692 are now part of our identity. Police cars are adorned with witch symbols. My school is called Witchcraft heights. Een the Salem High school athletes are known as the witches. A lot of tourists came to visit the place where so many people were killed for being witches.


    I was the only child and lived with my mother. My father left when I was quite young. Mom told me that he learned that our ancestors were some of those that were executed in 1692. Dad did not like this fact and could not live with mom. I always thought this was a stupid excuse and even a weak one to leave his family. The secret was that he left because of me. I was never told this as Mom did not want me to feel guilty.


    Mom was a good mother and worked at a retirement home as well as being a mother. I always considered mom as a saint. She never was negative or was mean to others. Her philosophy was that we should respect and love one another. One of the common things that Mom said was that ¡°if you have nothing good to say, then do not say anything¡±.


    I always knew I was different. When I was 7, my mom got very mad at me. I was playing in the front yard and sitting making a crown of flowers for my head. However, I could not find enough flowers so I just wished that some flowers around me would bloom so I could finish my crown. I did not think twice about the fact that there were suddenly now hundreds of flowers on the front lawn. They were much better than boring grass. When my mum saw what I have done, she was mad and told me not to be thinking of magic. I, of course, cried as I never did like mom was disappointed or mad at me. I was also confused. Why did she say to stop using magic?


    The fact is I knew I could do strange things. Like when I tidied my room, I just had to sit on the bed and wave a few fingers. Then things would move around by themselves and my room would end up tidy. I was able to move things by just thinking of moving them. There were a lot of things that I could do that were considered magic. I never thought twice about it until a few months ago. I suppose I just thought it was something normal.


    Maybe I was too young to think about why I could do strange things.


    I knew my mother was worried at times when she saw me do magic. She would get mad at me and tell me not to do things that were not normal. She never used the word witch and looking back I am glad that she did not. If she told me that I was a witch, I would freak out. Witches for me at that age was some evil hag you dressed up for Halloween!


    I told you that I knew I was different. I just was too young and maybe afraid of why I never asked why.


    I could have asked the day when I was 9 years old and I saw my mom talking to someone invisible. I thought she was going crazy. She looked as if she was talking with herself. She was saying I was destined to be a legend and she would not bind my powers. To be honest, I did not even know my mother was speaking about me. I just thought it was sad that my mother was speaking to herself. Of course, now I know that she was speaking to one of our ancestor ghosts that wanted mom to bind my powers, so no one would ever find out who I was or what I was.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Things were ok until a few months ago. I became a teenager. I became quite confused one day when I was doing my homework and thinking about the teacher that always gave us too much. I was mad that day as I absolutely did not want to do homework. I imagine harm being done to our teacher. I usually do not think about hurting others, but anger does strange things. When I thought of the teacher, my pencil went on fire! You can imagine how I panicked when this happened.


    It made me think once again why I could do strange things. This made me sit for hours and wonder who I was... What was I?


    The next day I asked Tina if she thought I was strange. She smiled and told me that I had to be strange to be her friend. I know she was just using humour to cheer me up. Then she got serious and asked me why I suddenly would say something like this. I was too afraid to tell her about the weird things I could do. What would her reaction be?


    The next few days went by with me speculating over who I was. I would sit at home in my bedroom suddenly making a pencil become like a fire torch. I would get rid of the fire and do it again. This just made me ask myself more and more about what was wrong with me. I knew that it was not normal for people to be able to make things go on fire or move things by just thinking. There was something very seriously wrong with me!


    Mom caught me doing my pencil trick and once again got mad at me. She told me once again to control what I was thinking and not do these sort of things. This time I just did not nod my head and cry. I told mom that I should not be able to do these things. I demanded to know what sickness I had. I was a teenager and I had a right to know why all these things were happening.


    Mom sat down next to me and admitted that it was time that I knew the truth.


    ¡° I have dreaded this day would come,¡± she said, ¡°The fact of the matter is that you are a witch. You have special powers that no one else has. You can be a great witch that helps the world and make it a better place. You have been showing these talents since you were a baby. I wanted to tell you what you were, but always thought that you could not deal with the fact you were a witch.¡±


    Mom was right. I could not deal with it then and I could not deal with it now. I screamed at my mom that this could not be the truth. As I screamed my bedroom became like hell. There was fire everywhere. The more I screamed the more fire there was. All I could think about was witches had green faces, long noses and were wicked. They were also killed by witch hunters. I shouted and shouted that I could not be a witch.


    Mom told me that I was burning the house down. When she said this, it started raining in the house. I knew that this must have been one of my powers as well. The house was a mess. There were black burnt spots everywhere and the floor had puddles of water.


    I ran away and felt like screaming louder and louder. Every place I looked, there was something about a witch. Of course, there was! Our town was known for the witch trials a few hundred years ago. I ran thinking that I always thought that these were people that were not so educated and let their puritan ways lead to this hunt. How stupid I could be!


    I was a witch!


    I ended up in the forest and sat down under a large tree. This tree was most likely also a witness to the witch trials in 1692, and now it had a new witch sitting under its leaves.


    I was a witch!


    How could I be so stupid? I should have guessed this years ago. Why did I not question more the fact that I had special abilities or powers? Was I deep down afraid of what I would find out? Would my reaction be the same as it was now? I sat there wondering why me and what would I do now?


    ¡° I remember when my parents told me I was a witch,¡± a voice said. ¡° I was so mad and so confused. I felt so sorry for myself. I used my powers to pin my parents against the ceiling. They were there for hours!¡±


    There was a woman standing in front of me. She was dressed in white and had this glowing light around her. She had the most beautiful hair ever. She told me that her name was Miranda, and she is one of my ancestors. Miranda explained that our family was witches since we could remember. Some were hunted and persecuted, but most lived normal lives.


    ¡° Some witches are dark ones and evil. Our family is angels of light and we choose to use our magic for good. You will learn how to be a witch, but you are also protected and guided by your ancestors. You can see us and talk with us. We will help you. Just remember this, being a witch can be a good thing, if the magic is used wisely.¡±


    I was speechless. I just met a person that was dead for hundreds of years. This is something that does not happen every day. I felt better after she talked with me. Being a witch did not mean that I was a bad person. I was the same person as I was before.


    I decided to go to the Church and pray.


    Does God like witches? Does God still love me?

 Chapter 2: I am not Hermione Granger

    The church is supposed to be the place where someone could feel safe and even at times get answers. I went to the church and sat down and looked at the statue of Jesus hanging on the cross. That must have hurt him and caused him so much pain. This means he would understand the crises I was in. I admit that I could not compare my confusion with the pain Jesus had when he was on the cross.


    I sat and could not help notice how peaceful the Church was. I felt safe and that God would protect me and understand me. God knew that I was a witch, but he also knew that I could not be bad. Maybe God would help that I did not get a strange nose or green skin. This made me feel childish, as I thought that mom was pretty and the ancestor ghost I saw was pretty. They were witches.


    I could feel tears coming down my face. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why did I have to be a witch? What would happen to me? How would I cope with it? It was like finding out that I had a sickness, which meant that I was not like a normal girl.


    I also found out a church is a great place to feel sorry for yourself.


    A priest came and sat next to me. His name was Father Sullivan. He was an old man with white balding hair and a small beard. I heard people say that he was very holy and a true friend of Jesus. It was nice that he sat down next to me when he noticed that I was crying. He asked me what was wrong with me. He did not mean to listen to the prayers or my thoughts, but the only word he could hear was the word witch. He asked me in a serious voice did I know a witch and was the witch trying to hurt me?


    ¡° I am not a witch¡± I snapped at him.


    I would go to hell now as I lied in a Church. Still, I did not trust Father Sullivan. I did not want to tell him that I was a witch. It was best that I told no one!


    When I came home, Mom was waiting for me. She looked so worried. I apologized to her and said that it was a lot to accept. Mom gave me a hug and told me that it was a normal reaction. She told me that it was hard for any teenager to find out they were a witch. Mom told me we should talk about it over a cup of warm chocolate.


    ¡°It''s not that bad being a witch.¡± Mom explained, ¡°Being a witch does not define who you are. Your personality does this and I am so proud of having you as a daughter. This is not because our ancestors say you will be a legend as a witch, but I am proud because of the kind of person you are. You are kindhearted and think of others. You work hard at the things you do and try to do your best.¡±


    I don''t know if I liked so much praise. It was nice to hear and at the same time embarrassing.


    ¡°So being a witch does not define who you are.¡± Mom continued, ¡°It''s a bit being like Hermione from Harry Potter. She is human but also a wizard. She does not use her powers for evil or for selfish reasons. She uses them for good things. This is the same as the situation you are in!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± I started to argue, ¡°Harry Potter is just a book. It is not real. The situation I am in is real. What will happen to me when people find out that I am a witch. Would I still have friends? Will everyone fear me? Will they try to hurt me?¡±


    Mom agreed with my fears. She admitted she had the same thoughts when she was a child and told that she was a witch. She filled up my hot chocolate while she told me that it was probably best if I appeared normal to others. It was best to keep who I was as a secret and not even to let my best friends know.


    ¡°Today is different¡± Mom explained, ¡°There are no witch hunts and people really do not believe that witches exist. This will be an advantage for you. You will not go to any Hogwarts, Your ancestors will tutor you on your powers and how you can use them for the best.¡±


    I thought for a while as the TV was on. Why was there never any good news? So many children across the world were starving. So many families lived in poverty. There were wars and people hating each other. Even in our own country, families are divided on who likes the president or not. Looking at the news was distressing as if I did not already have enough problems.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I told mom that I was OK now about being a witch. The powers always came in handy when I had to tidy my room or do something I did not like. I asked was there any way my powers could help me with exams or homework. Mom had to laugh at this.


    The crisis about finding out that I was a witch was over. I accepted it although I did not compare myself to Hermione Granger. I led a normal life. At school and in public, I did everything a normal 13-year-old would do. I was careful never to do any magic or think about magic. The only time that I practised any magic is when one of the ancestors came and showed me what I could. I must have been a quick learner or just good at being a witch. Learning how to use the powers were quite easy.


    Despite my huge secret and double life, I was happy. I was still friends with Tina and often visited her at home. I loved baking with Tina and her mom. Tina was about the only friend that I had. This did not bother me. I figured that I would have to be a lot more careful if I had a lot of friends. I was sure that Tina could accept that I was a witch. This, however, would place a huge responsibility on her. She would have to keep it a secret.


    One day at school we had a visit from Father Sullivan. He was talking about Harry Potter. He was very stern as he told us that we should not read it. It was a demonic book that promoted dark magic and witchcraft. I did not say anything as I thought that he was an old man that must have been bitter. I never read the Harry Potter books, I just have seen the films. To be honest, I did not see anything bad about them.


    Father Sullivan noticed me and raised his voice as he said, ¡°Witches is not something Hollywood made up. They are real and they are evil. If you ever meet a witch, you should tell a priest and keep away from them. Witches are the devil''s children.¡±


    He looked at me and asked me if I agreed. I looked at him and remembered what one of my ancestors told me. I looked at the priest and said, ¡°Being a witch does not have to be bad. It is your morality that decides this. Many witches believe in God and are good Christians. The difference is that they can do things that others cannot. Witches are often like guardian angels, that help people where they can.¡±


    Father Sullivan told me that I was an example of what was wrong with the world. He said that either I was a witch, or I was too tolerant and naive. The teacher could see that the talk was getting too personal and politely thanked Father Sullivan for coming. I think he was warming up, so it''s good that he was stopped.


    Tina was joking as we walked home. She was very religious and told me that it was a sin to disagree with the priest. I laughed and told her that he was trying to scare us.


    ¡°You nearly sounded like a witch, the way you were defended them,¡± she joked.


    ¡°If I was a witch, I would glue his mouth together.¡± I joked back.


    Tina was in one of her moods where she was making one joke after another. She started crossing the road despite the that the little man was still red. I shouted for her to wait but she started skipping across the road. She joked that her friend was a witch. I could save her! This joke was so funny for her, that she lost all concentration.


    Tina did not see the car driving fast. When she did, she just froze and stood there. The car tried to stop, but it was obvious that the car could not stop before it was too late and for some unknown reason, the driver never thought of trying to use the steering wheel. I shouted at Tina to move. She just stood there.


    I started to panic. To be honest, I was not thinking too much. I stretched my hand out and used my powers. Tina was floating in the air as the car drove under her. I could see Tina was confused as she was floating in the sky. I could also see that she was looking at me. The car driver must have been afraid he nearly knocked a girl over, as he sped away.


    When Tina was on the ground again, she looked at me with a confused look and then ran as quickly as possible away from me.


    I tried messaging Tina and ringing her all night, The next day she did her best to avoid me. I really wanted to explain and wanted to tell her I only wanted to save her life. Tina refused to talk with me. She went as far as to say that she no longer wanted to be my friend.


    This went on for a week. I was becoming more and more desperate. I could not understand that the friend I had all my life would just ignore me because I saved her life.


    I spoke with mom about it. She was worried at first how many seen me using my power. I told her that was not the point and told her that Tina would not speak with me because I saved her life. Mom gave me a hug and told me that Tina must be in shock. Seeing magic on TV is not the same as seeing it in reality. Mom also said that she must be confused and afraid. Mom finished by saying that friendship is very powerful.


    The next day I visited Tina at her house. Her mom answered the door and said that Tina was in her bedroom and did not want to speak with me. Her mom closed the door.


    This was not enough for me. I closed my eyes and thought of Tina''s bedroom. The next thing I knew was that I was standing in Tina''s room. She just stood there and looked at me. She looked pale.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± she asked, ¡°How can you do these things? Are you a witch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am a witch. I can do strange things. This should not kill our friendship. I am still the same person as you always knew. I am a good witch. I saved your life. That is what I said in class. Witches can be like guardian angels!¡±


    I waited for Tinas reaction

 Chapter 3: The Hunt

    Tina did not accept that I was a witch. She warned me to leave or she would tell the world who I was. I was now in tears. I do not know if you ever tried losing a friend. It is not easy. It is like the worse thing that could ever happen to a person. I quietly left Tina''s home and went home and cried on the sofa.


    Mum came once again with some warm chocolate and told me that she could guess that it did not go well with Tina. I asked mom does she think that Tina would tell everyone that I was a witch? Mom tried to console me by saying that no one believes in witches anymore. I could see that she was also worried.


    I went back to being as normal as I could at school. I had no friends now, so I was very alone and just went from one class to another class. I tried speaking with others, but they would ignore me or walk away. I would hear people whispering as I walked by them. This was so hard for me. I never really had friends for some reason. I suppose it was enough for me that I was friends with Tina. She had the ability to make me smile and not to notice how others ignored me.


    Mom told me to hold my head high. I was a good girl that could be anyone''s friend. Mom did not understand what it was like at school. She could not understand the loneliness that was like a deep hole that I was in.


    My teacher called me after class one day. Her name was Miss Danube. She told me that she noticed that I had no friends and seemed to be depressed.


    ¡°I hate to say this,¡± she said, ¡°I think I know why everyone is ignoring you. Tina told everyone that you were a witch. I know this can''t be true. It is some fear that Father Sullivan put in your head. I hope that you will be proud of who you were and know that there is a friend there for you.¡±


    To make things worse, Miss Danube told everyone in the class that I was not a witch. She had a long speech that witches do not exist. Some people consider themselves witches but they had no real powers. She started asking my classmates if they thought it was Christian to alienate me and treat me as if I was something that I obviously was not.


    I slumped in my chair and wanted the ground to swallow me up. I did not like being the centre of attention. Now the teacher was asking my classmates if they would be a friend. I felt some anxiety and I started to sweat. There was silence in the class. Then the worse thing happened. My pencil went on fire. This made all the classmates look at my desk. It became worse when I looked around and some pencils on other desks started to ignite. This scared everyone and there was a stampede of people running out of class.


    I ran home and locked myself in my bedroom. I was mad at Tina. She was my best friend and yet she ruined my life by telling others. Miss Danube did not make it any better, but she was just trying.


    Mom came in and asked me what happened. When I did not answer, she told me there was a video of me igniting pencils on youtube. The video was going viral, I slumped in my bed thinking that things could not be worse. Now the whole world knew that I was a witch. Mom was also serious about it and told me that I was not going to school. We had to think about what we would do now, as Mom was afraid of my safety.


    This was something that I never thought about. Would there be a witch hunt? Would people try to harm me? Mom could see my anxiety and assured me that as long as I was home, I was safe as our ancestors protected our house.


    The next few days were at home. Mom tried going to work the first day but was sent home, as they told her the old people were afraid of her. Still. Mom tried to be positive and tell me that there is always a rainbow at the end of a storm. I found it hard to believe in it. Being home was like being locked up and it was so boring. Mom told me that the only solution was that we left Salem and tried starting over in a new town.


    I sent Tina a text message the night mom told me we would be moving. It was a blunt message that said that I hoped she was happy she ruined my life as we now had to move because everyone was afraid of us.


    I expected this message to be a goodbye, and really did not expect Tina to respond. However, she did. I got a message if I could not meet her at the Church, so we could sort things out. She would meet me later that night at 10 pm.


    I wanted to meet Tina and show her how she hurt me. I also knew that mom would not let me go out of the house. But this was something I had to do. I put on a hoodie so no one would recognize me while one of my ancestors appeared. She begged me not to go as it was not safe. She asked me could I even trust Tina? What could Tina even do? I could change her to a frog! The ancestor told me that it was too dangerous as It was strange Tina wanted to meet me at the Church. I would have no powers in a church.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    I knew that my ancestor would tell my mom, so I quickly rushed out of the house.


    When I came to the Church, there was no one outside. The door was open so I walked in. As soon as I was in the Church, two men held me and dragged me down in the Churches basement. They threw me in a cell in the basement.


    When they went, I tried using every power I could think of. I tried moving the door and even tried burning it. I tried to teleport myself out. Nothing worked. The ancestors were right. I had no powers in the Church. On top of that, I had to accept the fact that Tina deceived me so I was now a prisoner under the Church!


    The cell was dark and cold. It was also moist. There was only a mattress on the ground, a sink, and a toilet. The only thing I could do was sit on the mattress. I knew why I was in the cell. They did not like witches. The question was what they would do with me? I should have been comforted that I was on Church property. However, I did not feel safe.


    I will be honest and admit I was afraid. I was also mad at Tina for being part of this trap. I was so stupid. My ancestor tried to warn me and now I should not meet her. I sat on the moist mattress. I would just have to wait until they let me go. I was also sure my mom would be on the warpath. She was an experienced witch and knew how to save me.


    I had to wait for nearly 26 hours to be let out of the cell. They even put handcuffs on me which made me feel like a criminal. I was led to a dark room with a big cross. The room looked like a courtroom. I was led to a huge chair and told to sit on it.


    ¡°Let me out of here!¡± I screamed and pleaded, ¡°I did nothing wrong and it''s against the law to do this to someone. Let me go and I promise I won''t tell anyone that I was here.¡±


    Father Sullivan stood before me and told me that I was going nowhere. I was now the centre of a witch trial in which they will find out if I was a witch or not. I started crying and mumbled that I was only a teen. How could they make me go through this? I did not tell them that I was terrified. I did not tell them that I thought they were all evil and crazy!


    Father Sullivan did not care that I was crying and afraid. He asked in a very loud voice if I was a witch. I did not answer. He just kept on asking and asking. I knew that if I admitted that I was a witch, they would do something bad. So I just sat in my chair and tried to call my mum and ancestors in my mind.


    Father Sullivan just showed the video that was on youtube. He showed the so-called judges how I could make a pencil burn in flames. I must admit that it looked cool and impressive, The judges just looked at it with their mouths wide open.


    After people calmed after seeing the video, the priest called on some professor to testify. He explained that the Salem trials in 1492 did not finish the job. In fact, he said that today witches are celebrated and honoured, even though people do not believe in them. Hollywood had made witches something cool like they are doing with vampires and other demonic things.


    ¡°There is no such thing as a good witch¡± the professor testified.


    Father Sullivan thanked him and spoke with the judges, ¡°You have a hard job here. You are to say if you think that this girl is a witch or not. You must be sure that she is not innocent!¡±


    My teacher Miss Danube was there and shouted, ¡°You men hide in a church playing a game of life and death with a teenage girl. She is innocent. She has not hurt anyone and I know Julia for years. Maybe this girl is a witch, but should she not be judged on her actions and not our fears? Is this the love that Jesus taught us about? No. This is a group of men that likes power and making a teen girl afraid of them. It''s about a group of your screwed up puritanic views. It''s not a witch hunt, but giving this girl the worse experience a girl her age can have!¡±


    Father Sheehan told Miss Danube to sit down and called for Tina to come up and testify.


    Tina spoke in a low voice and never looked at me. She told the judges that she always knew that I was a witch. I showed her since I was a small girl about my powers. She told me that I tried to move her in front of a car and hoped that the car would run her over. She said that I planned to burn down the school. However, she persuaded me not to when everyone left the class after their pencils started burning. She also said I planned a spell on everyone that went to church with some sickness.


    I was no longer afraid or sad. I was getting frustrated and mad. Why did Tina lie? Not one thing she said was the truth. I saved her life. I was never so mad in all my life. It was just as good as I could not use my powers. I think I would not be able to control them. I never considered that I had a temper. The feelings of anger and frustration and wanting to get revenge was new.


    The priest stood up and told everyone that it was time for the verdict. He reminded them that they were not to be tolerant or politically correct. They were to judge on the facts that were presented. There was no room for tolerance.


    If they said I was a witch, I would not be burnt at the stake or drowned. I would be sent to a convent in the alps and locked in a cell for life. Father Sullivan told them that this was a much more humane sentence than death. The Church would control my powers and they would control me.


    I felt my anger build up as the verdict was announced.


    They said that I was a witch and dangerous for all humanity

 Chapter 4: Flower of God

    I should not have been surprised that the old men condemned me as a witch. They were old and they were bitter. They considered themselves as Christians and yet they put me through this ordeal! Who was more evil, the judges or the witch?


    Father Sullivan was smiling. He praised the judges for making the right decision. He reminded them that I would not be burnt at the stake or be drowned like they always have done. He reminded them that I was a teenager and my soul could still be saved.


    ¡°This witch will be transported to a convent far away from any civilization.¡± he explained, ¡°The convent is on holy ground, so she cannot use her devilish powers. In the convent, she will be confined to a small cell. However, outside the cell, the nuns will be constantly praying for this girl''s soul. During the day she will work hard to sweat any evil spirits from her. There will be a priest that will exorcise her. This will not be a happy life for the witch, but we can be assured that we will be Safe here in Salem!¡±


    I closed my eyes for a brief moment thinking of what it would be like to be in a cell with some nuns. The priest did not want to save me. He wanted to torture me. He wanted my life to be miserable. He was a priest and he wanted this. I could feel the anger building up in me.


    Father Sullivan was not finished. He praised Tina for the courage to tell him that I was a witch. He praised her courage to testify. He told Tina that he knew we were friends and this made it harder for her.


    ¡°I was her friend,¡± Tina explained, ¡°But when I found out that she was a witch, I was afraid. I did not want Julia to hurt me. I will miss her as a friend and think it''s very sad that she will be locked in a cell for the rest of her life.¡±


    I looked at Tina, I was now as mad as I ever been. If she felt sorry for me, then why did she lie? Not one bit of what she said was true. She could have told them that I saved her life when she was foolish enough to cross a street without looking.


    Father Sullivan looked at me and told me that he could make my life much easier. I just had to tell him that my mother was a witch.


    ¡°I am finished with this game,¡± I shouted. ¡°I never hurt anyone and was a good person. The same goes for my mom. She has helped the old people at the retirement home. She taught me how to be a good person. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Mom said that I may have powers, but love and kindness is the greatest power there is. A witch can be like a guardian angel and help people when they need it!¡±


    The priest laughed and said that I do not decide when this is finished. I will be punished for the rest of my life. He reminded me that I had no powers in a church.


    I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could feel the handcuffs they put on me become warmer and warmer. Soon they were glowing red and snapped off me. I was free and somehow I had powers. I stood up and told them that this game was over!


    Vines started pushing themselves up through the concrete floor. I could see that Tina ran out of the room. The judges and Father Sullivan also looked worried and began moving out of the room. I rose my arms and the vines grew faster and stronger. They grew thicker as they spiralled up in the air and formed a cage around the judges and Father Sheehan. They started to plead for me not to harm them. They made some excuses as to why they made me go through this trial and would want to lock me up in some convent.


    I walked out telling them that I did not hurt people.


    I did not see that one of the judges had a gun. Shaking his hands, he shot me. Luckily enough the bullet hit my arm. It hurt like hell. With tears and pain, I turned around, raised my healthy arm and seen these thorns grow out of the vines.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I was mad. I was mad that these men wanted to harm me. I was mad at Tina. I did not want to hurt the men with the thorns. I am sure if they did not move much, they would be OK.


    If I was honest with myself, I do not know if I wanted to hurt them. I looked at my arm, and the arm of my hoodie was red with blood. I was losing blood and feeling weak. I am sure that a part of me wanted to hurt the men. I wanted to show them pain as they have shown me.


    I arrived in the forest and collapsed under the big tree. I could not walk anymore as I lost so much blood. As my eyes were closing, I saw my ancestor. Was she here to take me to heaven?


    Everything went black


    When I woke up, my ancestor was next to me. She did some magic when I was asleep and I was healed. There was not even a bullet hole in my skin. I told her what happened and asked where my mother was. She told me that Mom was trying to free me, but could not. She was on her way now.


    The ancestor said that it was amazing that I could use any powers in a holy place. I told her maybe it was because I was so mad. The ancestor warned me that using powers when I was mad was very dangerous. She told me that people do not think straight when they were mad. I saw her smile as she told me it must have been because I had a good heart.


    My ancestor went and this made me think of what she said. The truth is that I was mad. I was mad that some people who really did not know me wanted to hurt me. This was bad enough that they wanted to lock me in some cell for the rest of my life, but they also wanted me to give evidence against my mother, so they would harm her. I had every right to be mad. However, I knew that my ancestor was right. My temper made me do things I did not like. Making the thorns grow in the vine cage was one of them. They could have hurt one of the men, and I did not like the idea of that. So I rested under the tree and hoped my anger would subside.


    I heard some rustling of branches and Tina appeared. She was in tears as she saw me. My former friend fell to her knees and cried, ¡°I heard a gunshot and you yell in pain. I had to find you to make sure you were fine. What I did was very bad. It was my fault that they kept you as a prisoner and was going to lock you up. Please forgive me!¡±


    I was once again as angry as could be. I did not trust Tina. Was this just a show so she would drag me back to town so I could be captured again? I Iooked at her and the only thing I could see was a friend that betrayed me and allowed others to hurt me.


    I rose my hand and made her float in the air once again. I floated in the air with her. We went higher and higher, so we were over the treetops. Tina was now crying asking me to have mercy and forgive her. When the woods were below us, we stopped.


    ¡°You were a friend!¡± I shouted at her, ¡°You were my best friend. You know me for years and know that I was not a bad person. Still, you told everyone my secret when I was trying to accept the fact that I am a witch. You allowed them to make me a prisoner and you even lied about me. Nothing you said was true. I saved your life!¡±


    Tina shouted that she was afraid. She was afraid that I would change. She was afraid of Father Sheehan. She was confused. Once again she asked me for forgiveness.


    I still not believe her. I told her that I can float back down to the ground and would not be hurt. What would happen if she no longer floated by my powers and fell to the ground? She would most definitely die. Tina was sobbing now so much that she could not talk.


    I began to lower my hand, as I was about to make Tina fall when I heard my mother''s voice. She shouted at me not to harm Tina. Once again I was told to control my anger and powers. ¡°I know you have every right to be mad,¡± she shouted, ¡° but this is not who you are. You are an angel! You do not want to harm others. You are better than the men who wanted to judge you! You are God''s flower!¡±


    I started crying and slowly Tina and were lowered to the ground. Tina collapsed while I gave mom a hug. Mom was proud of me. She was not proud because I could use magic in the Church and escape, She was proud because I did not fall into the trap of revenge.


    I sat beside Tina and told her that we were no longer friends. I no longer trusted her enough to be a friend. Tina was sobbing and could not respond. I told Tina that I would forgive her. This was best for her and me. I did not want to spend my life being mad at someone.


    Mom helped Tina up and told her. ¡°Julia may be a witch. She may have some powers. However, Jesus gave us the best powers that a human or a witch could have. Jesus taught us about love and tolerance. He taught us how to show compassion. He taught us how to forgive.¡±


    Mom took my hand. We were leaving Salem and were starting in a new town, where I could keep my secret and have a normal life.


    I smiled as we left Salem and did not even look back. I looked forward to the future and knew that everything would be great. After all, I was one of God''s flowers.


    The End