The Coven

(1, 757 words)

England, October 31st, 1641. The three old hags - Magda, Miriam and Mary - sit in their cave, huddling round the fire. They are toasting a horny toad, what might be their last meal - Matthew Hopkins, the Witch Finder General, and his men are on their trail. The women are exhausted already from the chase, drained it seems of their magical powers. As they stare into the fire, watching the toad swell and char, they see themselves burning on the town bonfire to the delight of the jeering crowds.

But Magda, always the strongest, the most ruthless of the three, refuses to accept her fate. As she turns the toad on the skewer, its fat spitting and crackling in the flames, she murmurs a last Black Spell:

Horny toad on consuming fire
Cast us from this hopeless mire
Horny toad on burning flame
Deliver us from our funeral pyre.

She takes the toad from the fire and allows it to cool on the skewer. Miriam and Mary cackle with excitement, drooling like dogs on a leash, hungry for meat. Magda fights them off from tearing the toad from the skewer, hissing at them to wait. They cower back and watch her as she reaches into the pouch that's tied around her neck.

"Is it the Black Powder, you're using?" ventures Miriam.

Magda snarls at her to be quiet and takes a pinch of powder to scatter over the cooked meat. She takes up the skewer and holds the toad over the fire again. Miriam and Mary, now delirious with excitement and fear, rub their gnarled, bony hands, not knowing what to expect but willing to accept anything but their final end. Together they chant the spell as the toad starts to spit and crackle again, it's charred body ballooning to bursting point. The hags chant the spell over and over, more and more urgent and desperate.

Soon the pounding of hooves and the shouts of the witch finders echo into the cave. Miriam and Mary hesitate, despairing of redemption, but Magda leads them on - chanting louder, faster, and more intensely. And as their nemesis, Matthew Hopkins, strides into the cave with his men, they look up and burst into defiant laughter. Before the witch finders can rush them, the flames whoosh up into a fierce, hot fireball and consume the hags. The men fall back to the entrance of the cave, shielding themselves from the fierce heat and when the inferno subsides, they step back inside with some trepidation. What monstrosity might confront them? When they discover no trace of the women, they cheer their satisfaction but Hopkins shakes his head and curses to himself. His lieutenant does not understand.

"But Master Hopkins! They have been destroyed!"

"My good man, where do you see the charred corpses?"

His men gather round the dying fire and sure enough they see no remains.

"They have escaped us, Master?"

Hopkins nods, spits on the dying embers, and turns to lead them out of the cave. A blast of icy air whips around them as they mount their horses, carrying with it the triumphant, defiant cackles of their quarry.

******************

Matt's Bunny Ranch, Nevada, USA, 31st October 2007. The girls are up early to help get the place ready for the Halloween Party. Madame Magda coordinates the effort, consulting her party plan now and then to make sure everything is in order, every detail covered. She is a beautiful woman in her forties, with a head of auburn curls that tumble down around her shoulders. Her long silk robe rather disguises her gorgeous curves but tonight she will be front of house in all her sensuous glory. She is gentle but firm with the girls, scolding them if they get distracted from their tasks, praising them for the things they do well.

"Magda! Do you like my witches?"

Magda turns to a girl who is taking schoolgirl delight in hanging up seasonal decorations on the walls of the main lounge. She looks at her work and laughs.

"Miriam! They are fantastic!"

Miriam giggles, pleased as punch with Magda's reaction. She is the youngest girl at the Ranch and, not surprisingly, very popular with men of a certain age; or as Magda likes to say, just to tease Miriam, DOPs: Dirty Old Pervs. She is a slim girl, with short, jet-black hair, and the palest skin. Her oversized sweatshirt and bottoms smother a neat, tight body, but it is her playful, childlike simplicity that really attracts her regulars and a good number of casual clients. Magda goes to her and gives her an affectionate cuddle.

"Keep up the good work, sweetie."

Just then, a clatter and a yowl from the other side of the lounge brings proceedings to a sudden halt. Everyone rushes to the rescue of a poor girl who has just fallen off a stepladder. They coo and comfort her as they help her to her feet. Mary, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself, babe? Magda steps in, feigning irritation and wagging her finger at the poor girl.

"Now really, Mary! Can I not turn my back on you for one minute without you causing a big fuss?"

She looks up sheepishly, uncertain if Magda's being serious but when the other girls dissolve into giggles and laughter, she heaves a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay! Have your fun!"

They envelope her in a group hug and make her feel better but just then Magda intervenes to take Mary aside. Pretending to hug and comfort her, she whispers in her ear.

"You've cut your knee. Hurry! Get it fixed!"

Mary looks down to see the trickle of blood run down her leg and dabs it with some tissue paper. She looks up at Magda, fear and panic in her eyes. Realising the girl's helplessness, Magda marches her off to the medical room and sits her down. She checks that no one is in earshot before closing the door.

"Mary, we must act quickly when these things happen! No time for panic".

Mary nods submissively as Magda places a hand over the cut and murmurs a spell. Instantly, the cut begins to burn and suture, making Mary flinch with the pain. But she does not utter a sound and watches with satisfaction as the flesh wound heals to perfection. Magda looks up at her, solemn and unsmiling.

"Mary, we must be alert! One slip could mean disaster!"

Mary nods but Magda can sense she is troubled.

"Speak, girl."

"Why here?"

Magda sighs.

"Perhaps fate? Perhaps survival?"

Mary shakes her head, unsatisfied with this explanation.

"You cannot remember, can you?" says Magda.

"I'm sorry but no, I can't."

Magda gets up off her knees and goes to lock the door of the medical room. She retrieves a black, lacquered box from a secure cupboard, and brings it to Mary. Opening it, she takes out what looks like a bottle of black ink and gives it to Mary.

"Listen and listen carefully. I will leave you alone it this room and when I do, unscrew the cap and sniff from the bottle. Count to 3 and cap it again. You will see then why Fate has brought us to this time and place."

Once alone, Mary follows Magda's instructions precisely. The fumes from the bottle emit a strangely familiar odour - a primal animal smell, distinctly male. She inhales deeply, counting to three, and begins to experience a sense of euphoria. Her body falls back loose and limp on the medical bed and she spreads her legs wide to touch herself. A strange hallucination overwhelms her. She sees herself, along with Magda and Miriam, in a forest clearing. All three are naked in the centre of a large pentagram, and are being serviced by a large group of men, all naked but for white hoods over their heads, and all in extreme arousal. The women take every one of the men in a wild intense orgy until they are filled and covered with precious seed. As the men drift off, spent and sated, the women rub the youth-giving lotion into each other's bodies, making sure no part is left untreated and then collapse together in a tangle of arms and legs, kissing and fondling each other until they slip one by one into a deep and peaceful sleep. Aroused to an intense climax by this vision, Mary collapses on the bed, dreamily sucking on her wet fingers. Now she understands and tells Magda so upon her return.

"I am glad to hear that, Mary. And if tonight goes well, we will live for another thousand years - in different forms and in different places, maybe - but we will survive."

"Will tonight be like in my dream, Magda?"

"Yes, I will make sure of it!"

"And if it isn't?"

"The Black Spell will soon lose its power and we will age rapidly and disintegrate to dust."

"And does Miriam know all of this?" asks Mary with a shudder.

"Yes she does. I can tell it in her eyes".

Mary gives a sulky pout.

"Then I am the slow one", she murmurs.

Magda pushes the hair from Mary's face and kisses her forehead to give her comfort and assurance.

"No, that is not true. We each lost something when we used the Black Spell. You lost your memory and Miriam lost her guile, which might explain why she's so damned ditzy now."

Mary giggles.

"Yes! But I thought she was putting it on for effect. As a cover?"

"It's no cover, I can assure you", says Magda, trying not to laugh. "And we must watch her carefully. It's not her fault but she could put us in danger without being aware. I must take her aside and have a word."

"But I think I like her this way, Magda. She was such a bitch before!"

The two women dissolve into uncontrollable laughter, taking some time to recover their composure. Then Magda applies a sticking plaster to Mary's knee, where it was cut, so that the mortals ask no awkward questions.

"And what did you lose, Magda?"

Magda hesitates before answering her.

"I lost the Black Spell, Mary. It was a last resort and cannot be used again."

Mary searches Magda's eyes for some sign of hope but she quickly realises there will be no escape next time if things go wrong. But Magda snaps her out of her daze, refusing to let her wallow.

"Come on now, we have much work to do!"

*********************

The Coven - Part Two

(2,252 words)

By 10pm that evening, the Halloween Fancy Dress Party is in full swing. To the relief of Magda and the girls, the regulars show up in good numbers and enter into the spirit of the event, some of them arriving in very imaginative costumes. Then again, they had paid out $2000 for their ticket and, all things considered, it is a fantastic deal: "Eat all you can, drink all you can and fuck all you can!" was the motto on the ticket (Mary's bright idea). It was a ticket only event and casual clients were barred.

For their part, the Ranch Girls are all dressed variously as witches, fairies and pixies. Magda is The Fairy Queen, of course, and is dressed in a long, low-cut red satin gown that shows off her ample cleavage. Miriam plays to type, turning up in a just-about-decent pixie outfit and Mary decides to play safe as a traditional Halloween witch. But then Matt, the Ranch Owner, comes in an outfit that gives the three women a terrible fight: as a Witch Finder. Magda does a double take when she first sees him but she recovers in an instant and has a good joke with him. They have a drink together at the bar, Magda downing a stiff whisky in one, trembling at the eerie coincidence and wondering if this is a bad omen on this Halloween night. She orders another whiskey and looks Matt up and down.

"Well you look up for fun, tonight, Matt".

He grins and slides an arm around her waist, his hand sliding down to squeeze her firm ass.

"And why not, my dear?"

She nods, allowing him freedom to paw her, knowing how to keep him sweet.

"Just no bad puns about witches and big hot stakes!"

He guffaws and throws back a shot of tequila, smacking his lips and turning his hands to her breasts. Lifting them up in her gown, he bows and kisses their cleavage.

"Damn Magda, you are looking hot tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah" she humours him. "But I'm sure you're after some younger pussy tonight."

The last thing she wanted tonight was Matt's cock inside her - at least not with that outfit. It was just too close to home and gave her the creeps. Even having him maul her tits like this gave her a strange, icy shiver down her spine. He gives her a toothy grin and a leery, lustful look.

"Baby, I'm gonna have pussy all night tonight!"

She nods and then suggests they separate to mingle with the guests and the girls.

"What a great turn out!" she remarks. "Isn't word of mouth amazing?"

Matt nods. "So what time does the party start, babe?"

She winks at him leans to whisper in his ear.

"The witching hour of course!"

*****************

And the witching hour soon comes. The main lights dim down to darkness. Everyone in the room responds on cue with theatrical gasps and shivers and whooooos. Two spot lights illuminate a stage and there stands Magda, mic in hand, flanked by two well-toned, naked men, their cocks fully erect. Stage smoke begins to billow up around them, accompanied by the strains of an eerie gothic organ.

"Witches, warlocks, sprites and nymphs..." she intones darkly.

The girls all squeal and giggle. The men give out lusty hoots and jeers. The tension and the heat among them rise to fever pitch but they allow Magda to finish her performance and give the cue.

"Witch Finders, priests and mortal men..."

The crowd turn to Matt and other offending guests and boo and hiss at them.

"The dreaded night has come", announces Magda solemnly. "This is the night before the Day of the Dead."

The man on her right takes the mic from her hand, while the other man unclips her gown at the back and slips it over her shoulders. It falls to her ankles, revealing her in all her naked glory. The revellers cheer and applause wildly, hooting and whistling. She gives a lusty grin and takes the mic back.

"But Mother Earth has been good to us. She has given us our food and our drink. She has nurtured and sustained us with her bounty. Now let us enjoy her carnal pleasures."

With that she hangs up the mic and kneels between the two men, taking their cocks and pleasuring them with her mouth. Wilder cheering and whooping erupts but it soon subsides and the revellers begin to split up into couples, threesomes and foursomes. Soon the room fills with the heat and smell and sounds of uninhibited sex. Magda surveys the scene before her with great pleasure and satisfaction. She checks for Mary and Miriam and sees that they are fully, and quite literally, occupied. So she relaxes and allows her men free rein to do with her as they desire. They put her on all fours and begin to explore her full figure with their mouths and hands. She could not have hoped for better yet some eerie feeling nags at her and she finds herself distracted from her pleasure by the sight of Matt, nearby, roughly fucking one of the girls. It both arouses and appals her at once to see this, which is unusual for her because, sometimes, she enjoys being taken just like that. "Matt and that stupid outfit!" she curses to herself as her men make to enter her pussy and mouth. She stops them and apologises, explaining that she needs to attend to something urgently.

"Don't go too far boys. I will need you when I return."

They smile at her and split off to join other groups on the floor. She slips away to the medical room, still naked, and retrieves her potion from its secret store. She sits down on the medical bed and opens the bottle. Inhaling the fumes for three seconds, she murmurs an incantation for the gift of Prophesy. A vision soon forms before her and what she sees shakes her to the core.

There is a village square and at its centre is a large wooden structure. It is a gallows with three hangman's knots. A crowd gathers round it until the square is packed. Then there arrives a horse drawn cart with three women in light gowns, blindfolded with their hands are tied behind their backs. They are Magda, Miriam and Mary. A gang of men pull them off the cart, and drag them to the gallows, pulling them up onto the platform and lining them up under the knots. They rip their gowns to the waist, exposing their breasts, and push them down on their knees, forcing their cocks into their mouths, commanding them to worship them and beg for mercy. This goes on for some time to the jeers and whistles of the blood hungry crowd until the men orgasm, spilling their seed in the women's mouths and on their faces. The crowd cheers but then falls silent as the women are hauled up and noosed. An executioner in a black hood emerges from the crowd, provoking murmurs of fear and reverence. He steps up on to the platform, chases the other men off, and strides past the women to the lever that works the trap doors on which they stand. He waits and looks to the officer in charge, who slowly raises a hand to his hat to give the signal. It is the Witch Finder General.

Then all goes blank. Magda hisses and flinches back on the bed like a cornered animal.

"Matt!! You frightened me!!"

Matt, naked and half erect, steps closer, more cautiously this time, his hands outstretched, soothing and calming her.

"I'm sorry babe. I just wondered where you'd gone. Are you okay? You look like death!"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine! Just the day has caught up with me".

"Well you have excelled yourself! This is one hell of a party!"

She looks at him and smiles. Much better now without the costume, she thinks, as she slides off the bed and bends over it. She smiles at him and invites him to take her hard from behind, the way she loves it most of all.

***********************

Magda and Matt return to the lounge to find the Halloween sex party reaching its fervid climax, with costumes ripped open or cast off altogether. Magda notes with satisfaction that Miriam and Mary are still well attended to so she looks around for her two studs. They notice her return and come to her, running their greedy hands over her, squeezing and fondling and groping her all over. She surrenders herself completely to their male needs, letting them use her in any way they want as long as they give her their life giving seed. She looks over to see a group of men encircle Miriam and stroke themselves, wanting to orgasm over her. She provokes and taunts them all, stroking and sucking them, pleading for their cum. At the other side of the room, Mary is entangled with a group of men and women, enjoying the pleasures of both sexes, lost in the heat and fervour of the moment.

Suddenly, a girl comes running into the lounge, calling out that there is a police raid. The word soon spreads, causing panic as clients disengage and look desperately for their costumes. Magda curses aloud as her men desert her but she wastes no time in seeking out Mary and Miriam. They must escape at all costs. She soon finds them and leads them to the back of the ranch, stopping by the medical room to recover the precious potion. The police are so preoccupied with arresting girls and their clients in the lounge that it gives the three women time to get warm clothes and make their escape out into the desert towards the mountains.

By the time they reach the foothills, the sun rises and the women begin to age rapidly. They eventually find a cave but its darkness fails to offset the process. While Magda builds a fire and works to light it, the other two women curse their bad luck.

"We were so close!" hisses Mary in frustration.

"Maybe the police got hold of my leaflets?" wonders Miriam.

Her two friends eye her suspiciously.

"And how would they get hold of those?" asks Magda.

"Well, when I was in town the other day, I thought I would leave some around in the bars. I mean, why do you think we got such a great turn out?"

Mary howls with dismay. "Oh you stupid cow!"

But at the same time as she ages, Miriam also recovers her old bitchy personality and takes grave exception to Mary's insult. She pounces on her like a feral cat, scratching her face and biting her ear, almost tearing it off until Magda manages to pull her away.