Present Day - Light Witch Village

Eden

The light of the lanterns cast shadows upon the dancing women, their laughter being carried by a gentle breeze in the crisp evening air.

Lively music is played on flutes and mandolins, voices join together to sing an old song about welcoming spring, and sending up prayers to the goddess for a good year ahead for our Coven.

"Come dance, Eden!" Kiana grabs my hand and pulls me up from the stump I was sitting on, dragging me towards the bonfire surrounded by women twirling with ribbons.

I smile brightly and lean my head back towards the sky, gazing at the twinkling stars that shine through the thick vined conapy that hides our village from above.

I clasp hands with Kiana as we sing and dance, the fire keeping us warm as the chill of winter still clings to the night despite springs approach.

We switch between dancing partners, enjoying the company of each other.

A familiar hand grabs mine as the music reaches a high note. Aries smiles brightly at me, my High Preistess and best friend.

She sings along to the music, her voice going off pitch as she twirls with me, slipping a ribbon into my hand to dance with as well. I release her hand and begin dancing on my own, enjoying the feeling of spring time magic in the air.

Tonight we celebrate the Spring Equinox. The forest comes back alive as the warm weather slowly returns. Animals coming out of long hibernations, birds retuning to their seasonal nesting grounds. The plants thrive and the water runs warmer.

The music slowly quiets down as food is placed on the table nearby, everyone quickly gathering to enjoy the feast we all helped make earlier in the day.

"A toast to the year ahead!" Aries shouts from the head of the table, raising her glass of wine.

We all join her in raising our glasses, drunken smiles already painting most of the faces around the table.

Lively chatter and loud laughter is shared at the table as we eat and drink the night away. The smell of rosemary chicken and honey bread fills the air, although I've had my heart set on the blueberry muffins ever since I smelt them being baked earlier.

I grab two and set one on my plate, taking a bite of the other one I keep in my hand.

"Aries, will you be needing company on your trip to the nearby town soon?" I ask before taking a long sip of my wine, the taste of sparkling berries filling my mouth.

"Not this time, it'll be a quick visit, as usual. You know I need you here to watch over our girls." She says around a mouthful of food.

"Finish chewing before talking." I say to her as I laugh.

Her face turns red as she quickly finishes off her mouthful of food. "I guess too much wine has me forgetting my manors."

I grab the bottle of wine sitting in the center and pour more into her glass. "To hell with manors, drink some more."

She laughs loudly and takes a drink of her wine. "You'll ruin my reputation before the night is over, I'm sure."

"Every knows you're a light weight when it comes to drinking, Aries." I state in a joking tone.

"I can't afford to drink often, someone has to keep their wits about them around here."

"I only drink on special occasions!" I protest.

"Every weekend is a special occasion?" Her lips quirk up into a lazy smile, her mouth stained red from the wine.

"Absolutely." I say with certainty.

She leans her head back and laughs, the sound warm and full of life. Soon my laughter joins hers.

"Aries! Come here for a moment!" I turn to see Brielle waving Aries over to where she stands.

Aries nods and turns to me. "Enjoy the rest of the evening, I need to see what Brielle needs, she's supposed to be on patrol tonight."

"Okay, let me know if I'm needed."

"I'm sure everything is fine. Go have fun, Eden." She touches my shoulder lightly as she goes to leave, following Brielle off into the distance.

"Did you hear that Tylin didn't return?" Though the words aren't spoken to me, I turn my head in Beth's direction, curiosity getting the better of me.

"What do you mean she didn't return?" Kiana asks in a hushed tone.

"I mean she said she was going to go visit her father and sister over two months ago. She said she would be back within a week. Aries is worried something is happening to the witches who leave the forest. They haven't been returning."

"There's only been a few girls within the last decade that have left, and some of them even said they might not return if they should find a reason not to." Kiana insists.

Beth shakes her head. "But Tylin was very clear about her intentions to return here. She left a lot of personal and valuable items behind."

"Stop gossiping, Beth. You're going to worry the other women if they hear." Kiana looks at me. "Eden here probably already knew, though."

Beth turns in her chair, realizing I'd been here the whole time. To be fair, I was here before they started their conversation. If they needed privacy they should have left the area.

"I actually had no idea Tylin had intended to return. She had been gone so long I had just assumed.." I shake my head. "Aries hasn't said anything."

"Because it's not cause for concern. Beth is overreacting. One woman not returning for a bit longer than expected isn't cause for alarm." Kiana insists.

"If you say so." Beth says before finishing off her glass of wine. "I'm off to the moon pools."

"Are you out of your mind? That water is going to be freezing!" I can't imagine why anyone would want to do it. In the summer the water is perfect, just right for cooling off on a hot day.

But the beginning of spring? It's just finishing unthawing from winter.

"Take another drink and join us! Most of the other women are already headed that way."

Kiana and I look at each other, she shrugs and gets up to follow, but I remain seated. I hate the cold.

"Come on, Eden! Have some fun! Weren't those Aries orders?" Beth says in a sing-song voice.

"Freezing my tits off doesn't sound fun."

"Come on, don't be such a whimp! It's refreshing!" She insists.

I shake my head, but stand up and go to follow my fellow witches to the moon pools. Our sacred waters.

"If I go into shock I expect you to drag my body to safety."

Kiana bursts out laughing and Beth waves her hand in acknowledgement.

"You'll be fine, we're all going to jump in together, right?" Kiana asks to no one in particular.

"Oh definitely, if we don't drag Eden in ourselves she'll probably run off while no ones looking."

"You two are the worst." I laugh.

We arrive and most of the other women are already submerged in the cold water. The surface rippling with their movements, the light of the moon shining down on the water making it look aglow.

Their laughter and screams carrying through the night. Laughter because they're enjoying themselves. Screams because the water is, in fact, freezing as I dip my toes in.

"You all are insane." I say as I strip myself bare, knowing I might regret this, but also wanting to join in on the fun.

Kiana and Beth are already waiting near the edge of the water, stripped down and waiting to jump in with me.

They stand on either side of me and we all grab hands. "No going back now." Kiana laughs excitedly.

"On the count of three." Beth begins to count. "One, two, three!" The women on either side of me yank me forward with them as we all jump into the water together.

The water seems to hit me all at once and I fight the need to panic at the shock of just how cold the water is. I swim upwards, chasing the light of the moon above. I break through the surface of the water and take in a huge lung full of air.

My limbs are stiff with cold and I can feel my lips trembling, but as I look around and see Beth and Kiana's faces I can't help but let out a startled laugh.

"Beth, your lips are turning blue! Get out of the water."

"Y-you f-f-first." She says through chattering teeth.

"I would be more than happy to!" I turn around and start heading towards the grassy land, already planning to make my way back to the bonfire to warm myself back up before going to my cottage for some rest. The sun will be up in a few hours, but I treasure these late nights with my fellow witches.

Kiana managed to beat me and Beth back to dry land, clothes already in hand. We grab ours and take off towards the middle of the village where the fire remains going with a few women still gathered around it.

No more music is played, no more dancing is done. Now the women rest and enjoy the peace that follows the fun.

Kiana, Beth and I dress beside the fire, letting it dry the water from our skin and warm our frozen fingers and toes.

"I'm excited for the year ahead, I'm leaving out an offering for the goddess tonight." I tell them as we sit by the crackling fire.

"Oh? Anything in particular you're going for?" Kiana asks.

"An attractive male, with a large-"

"Beth!" I shout, interrupting her. We all three break out into more laughter. "That's most certainly not what I've asked of from the goddess."

"No, it's what I'm asking for." She grins mischievously.

"Well, I hope the goddess grants such ridiculous requests for your sake." Kiana tells her.

I stand to leave, feeling exhausted from the events of the spring equinox celebration. "I'm heading to my cottage to get some sleep, I'll see you two at breakfast."

"Not me, I'll be sleeping the day away." Beth says as she waves.

"Goodnight, Eden. I think I might head to bed soon, as well." Kiana yawns, stretching her arms above her head.

"Goodnight, ladies!" I say as I walk towards the path that leads me to my small home in our village.

The sound of their voices and laughter slowly fades along with the light from the fire.

The sounds of the forest surround me as I walk through the darkness, my feet dragging, all the wine I've had tonight making my limbs feel heavier than they are.

I can see the soft glow of the lantern in the window of my cottage and smile to myself, ready to be cozied up in my warm bed to sleep off all the berry wine. I might have had two or three glasses too many tonight. I stumble through my door and remove all of my clothes before climbing into bed, exhaustion weighing me down like a heavy wave. Wrapping my blankets around me and snuggling into the soft warmth of my bed.

Although I'm exhausted sleep refuses to take me. Eventually I get up and stir together a quick sleep aid to help me rest. I brew it as a tea on the small stove inside my cottage. I barely wait for it to cool all the way before drinking the whole cup, the liquid hot on my tongue, but not enough to burn.

I finish off the tea and climb back into bed. I can feel when the drink starts working it's magic, and I smile to myself as I drift off.

Sleep does not refuse me this time.

This time it holds me close as it drags me into darkness.

(Added/Edited on 11/24/24)