[CookingwiththeCobra]

[Elvira Alioth]
Stepping outside her family’s cottage Elvira picked her black dress up from dragging in the muddy street. She headed into town where the folks of the village were gathering wood for the large bonfire that they would light for the duration of the night. Most of the town was already there enjoying some of the festivities early. Young woman around her age were gather together looking in mirrors and laughing. One of them spotted her and called out, “Elvira come here. We’re trying to foresee who our husbands will be in these mirrors.”

“I’m good,” she called and continued past them over hearing them mumble about how she would never get a husband. She didn’t want a husband and she definitely didn’t want to participate in any of the women’s silly festivities.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

All Hallows Eve was the one night of the whole year that would blur the realms of the living and the dead. As the other townsfolk would using the energy to foresee their futures Elvira would be doing something far more important. She knew that All Hallows Eve held more power than just seeing what your husband would look like. She made her way past the town and the large bonfire into the woods. Taking a large stick she started to trace sigils into the ground in a large circle. Once she finished drawing the last line the wind let out a large gust sweeping away any leaves in the area leaving her inscribed circle completely clear. Standing back up straight Elvira looked up to the sky to see the dark clouds threatening to pour and a murder of crows lift up from the tops of the trees and fly off.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

The townsfolk believed that on this day ghosts would come to this realm and that’s why they would dress up and disguise themselves. Elvira knew though that more traveled through realms, ghouls, goblins, and witches. People would set out foods and treats outside their houses for the ghosts to keep them from entering their homes but she wanted to do the exact opposite. A witch is what she searched for, she needed one and that night would be the only chance she had until next year. Walking back into the center of the village she headed to get ready. Dressing up in a disguise so she could join in on the festivities that revolved around the spiritual bonfires.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

The sun was setting as she finished the last bits of her costume. She wore a very modest black dress that ran all the way to the floor and matching black veil that cover most of her face. The long sleeves of her dress ran all the way down covering half her hands. Her fingers were covered with many rings and jewels matching the same dark colors of her outfit and hair. Stepping outside for the second time that evening she found that the sun had almost set. Only the tip of the sun was peeking behind the forest. Its light making the reds and oranges of the fall leaves on the trees glow as it set.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

She joined her parents and the rest of the village around the fire and enjoyed the foods and entertainment. As the night drew late and the fire dimmed into a smolder the people carried their foods and left them outside their homes warding from ghost before heading inside for the rest of the night. However Elvira’s night was just beginning. As her parents were heading in she slipped away and back out into the forest. Even though the night was quite windy the circle in which she inscribed with symbols stood bare except for right in the middle there stood two pointed boots that had silver buckles right on the front. The tops of the boot hid underneath a poofy black dress that was cover in deep metallic green lace and frill. A hand that had boney fingers and extremely long nails reached up and pushed back a main of green almost black curly hair behind an ear. A creepy wide smile stretched across the face of a witch as she let out a cackle that unsettled the birds in the trees into flying away.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

Elvira’s head shot up as she watched the birds fly away before looking back down at the witch. She breathed out, “it actually worked.”

“Of course sweetie, what do think you would catch in this trap?” the witch asked as she bit on one of her long fingernails. After a moment of silence the witch continued when she saw that the girl was to speechless to talk, “so now that you have me what do you plan to do?”

After another moment Elvira shook out of her reveries, “I need you to do a spell.”

The witch lifted a thin wiry eyebrow, “what kind of spell do you have in mind?”

[CookingwiththeCobra]

“I want you to turn me into a witch,” she said with her hands on her hips.

The witch barked out a laugh, “you?! You want to be a witch? That takes a little more than a wave of the hand.”

Elvira looked at her confused, “but you can do it?”

“It’s more along the lines of not wanting to than being able to,” the witch pressed her lips into a thin line.

The girl's face turned into outrage, “why not. You have to, I have you trapped!”

[CookingwiththeCobra]

The witch cackled, “please I only stayed to humor you. People who are brave enough to capture one of my kind only want petty things like a husband or more beautiful hair. Stuff that I could conjure with a wave of my hand. But something you don’t know is that witches run in covens and that where one witch is more are close.” With a snap of her finger and a whirl of the wind Elvira was surrounded by group of similarly dressed witches. “Do you want to all hear something funny? This girl wants to be a witch,” she finished in a cackle that was followed by the others.

“What is so funny about wanting to be a witch,” she asked offended.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

One of the witches that had deep red hair leaned down to get real close to the girl's face, “it’s only that the only witches around are one that have been cursed that way. To be a witch you must truly be a wicked person and then be cursed into the realm of the dead.”

“Yeah little girl, what have you done that could deem you as wicked?” another witch chimed in as she brushed away the lines that kept her friend trapped.

“I’ve murdered five of my villagers. I’m considered a freak in my town and some of them took it too far to tease me of it so I killed them late at night,” Elvira spoke deathly calm.

All the witches stood completely still and stared until the original witch that she captured spoke, “now that my little child changes things.”

“So why do they consider you a freak?” another asked. She had flaming orange hair and eyes to match.

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“I like dark things, and always being on my own. They think that it weird that I don’t want a husband or try looking for one. Honestly I see more important things in life than being a wife,” she told them.

Several glances were given before the original witch stepped forward and held out a boney hand, “hello my name is Imelda Tempest and I am the covens head witch. Now I have never created a witch but I do remember seeing a potion recipe that could do the trick. Sadly though we would have to head back into the world of the dead.”

Elvira face glowed with happiness, “Alright then let’s go.”

“There’s only one problem mortals such as yourself can only survive in the underworld for two weeks,” another witch spoke up.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

Silence stretched between the group before Elvira made up her mind, “I willing to do anything even if this means I die if it doesn’t work. Anything is better than pretending to enjoy this life.”

Imelda turned around and swirled her hand until a purple portal appeared before her. Turning around she faced Elvira, “after you milady.”

Elvira hesitated for a moment before grounding her teeth and determinedly stepped through the tear in between realms. One by one the witches stepped through and once Imelda was one the other side she waved her hand and the rip sewed itself back up.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

The moment Elvira stepped onto the other side she looked around. The sky was completely black and there wasn’t a cloud insight. The moon was whole and illuminated the ground. They were on a muddy trail that led out of the wood that’s surrounded them. The trees were grey with chard leaves.

“Follow me,” Imelda stepped in front of her and led the way through the forest. Coming out of the trees they walked into what seemed to be a village.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

Elvira lifted up her dress to scrape off the mud from the bottom of her shoes on the uneven cobblestone that they now stood on. Walking past buildings, Elvira noticed that most of the structures looked far more advanced than anything she had ever seen.  Passing on of the shops she read Wickedest Whirls and Swirls. The small sign that hung on the door read, closed for All Hallows Eve. Imelda walked over and turned the sign around to say open. She stepped inside and beckoned everyone else in.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

Imelda walked around the store and lit candles so it gave the creepy room an eerie glow. The other witches all walked over to a cupboard and entered it one by one. Elvira gave Imelda a confused look, “how did they all fit in there?”

“Oh that isn’t a real cupboard, it a gateway to our home that sits on the tallest hill that looks over the village,” she explained.

“Are we going through there,” she asked as she spied the cupboard suspiciously.

“Not yet,” Imelda said slightly distracted as she scanned a long finger over many different books that sat on a bookshelf that stretched across a complete wall.

[CookingwiththeCobra]

As Imelda searched through the books Elvira gave the room a better look. The shop had many shelves that held different bottles of all shapes and sizes. Walking slowly through the aisles she leaned in close to one of the jar that held some strange goo. Getting her face really close the thing inside the jar it moved suddenly and bonked into the glass making Elvira jump back into the shelf behind her. The shelf teetered and one of the jars closer to edge fell off. The long necked bottle shattered on the ground spilling its thick purple liquid all over the floor. It fizzed and sizzled until it burned into the floor. Looking around with wide eyes making sure no had seen her she hurried back to where Imelda was.