A Girl Between

by Marjorie Weismantel

  Sam added with an evil smile, “In fact, two of them are swinging from up there.” He pointed to the hanging bodies swinging from the tree.

  Will suddenly shouted, “What’s that noise?”

  We turned around. It was the diaboles. There were hundreds of them encircling the Tree, standing right up to the perimeter, pounding ice spears against the ground. Screaming something; a chant, getting louder and louder. “What are they saying?”

  “THY BLOOD SHALL RUN

  THY BLOOD SHALL RUN

  THY BLOOD SHALL RUN”

  68. Dawn

  “Tess, they plan on rushing the tree. Something’s gotta be done. There’re so many of them. They may be able to get through.”

  I stared at the diaboles, while answering Will. “I know what to do, even though I don’t exactly know why. I just know that we have to do this.”

  I walked over to the crowd of luminars. By now, everyone was standing up, watching the diaboles with great trepidation. “Everyone, please listen to me.”

  Immediately, complete silence fell over the group. They all turned toward me. As soon as I saw their eyes, a feeling of déjà vu came over me. I realized I had seen many of them before, not just around town, or in school. No, I had seen them the last time this conflict came to a head, when the good witches were fighting for their survival. It was in the woods of France prior to the Karmic Apocalypse of the Wiccans in 1345. Many of them were the same souls that were with me 666 years ago. I could feel the magic in them.

  “I am very grateful for your presence here today. I know it was difficult to get here. All is not lost. Please do not be discouraged.”

  A young woman with long red hair asked, “What do you mean? There are so many of them.”

  “That does not matter. We have other things in our favor. You must do as I ask.”

  The chanting of the diaboles and the pounding of their spears was getting louder. I knew they were just trying to drown me out. “You must position yourself around the tree as closely as you possibly can. While you are there, you must rub your hands together to generate static electricity. Do not stop rubbing until everything is over.”

  “How will we know when it is over?” An old man with a gray beard asked.

  “You will know,” I answered.

  So, we all crowded around the base of the Tree of the Living Spirits and started rubbing. I’ve never seen the aural color of different shades of purple swirling in such abundance. It indicated the presence of sensitives, intuitives, and visionaries and, of course, the magic that was building in its intensity. They continued with their rubbing.

  The diaboles chanted: “THY BLOOD SHALL RUN, THY BLOOD SHALL RUN”

  As the intensity of the rubbing increased, I begin to sense a rhythmic pulsing in the ground. There was a shower of sparking which morphed into circular arcing between the luminars and the branches of the tree. The wind around the tree picked up its own intensity, further increasing the rapid movement of the swirling branches.

  The diaboles continued, “THY BLOOD SHALL RUN”

  “NO EVIL WILL HAPPEN TO THE JUST”, an unearthly shriek that sounded like it came from the bowels of the earth. Did I imagine it? It reminded me of the haunted voices I had heard sitting under this tree that very first night a short while ago, only those voices were filled with terror. These voices were filled with wrath.

  The diaboles, again, “THY BLOOD SHALL RUN”

  “I WILL POUR MY FURY UPON THEE”, the screaming voices emerged from the ground around the Tree with the howling wind. Under the branches of the tree, the sparking around the luminars was so intense it appeared to be filled with dense iridescent light.

  “THY BLOOD SHALL RUN,

  THY BLOOD SHALL RUN,

  THY BLOOD SHALL RUN.”

  The frenzied diaboles started running across the field, huge ice spears in their hands, heading directly at us.

  By that time, the pulsing felt like a vibration running from the roots of the tree through the trunk and the branches. It was shaking the earth around us.

  “THOU SHALT DIE THE DEATH OF DEMONS”, the screeching voices yelled into the wind at the approaching diaboles. A massive streak of lightning crossed the sky and made a direct hit on the Tree of the Living Spirits. Every branch of the tree stood straight out, sparks spraying from the tips. Thunder CRACKED from the instantaneous collapse of the air.

  And then, an ear splitting . . . . BOOM. . . . the long, sharp branches of the Tree of the Living Spirits exploded from the mother tree, flying toward the center of the life force. Directly towards the hearts of the approaching diaboles.

  69. Aftermath

  “She’s still out, Mom. Let’s go.”

  “I don’t want to leave her.”

  “Mom, you need to eat.”

  “I’m just so glad that Tess didn’t die. There were some who froze to death in that field.”

  A gentle hand smoothed back my hair.

  Quiet. They’re gone. Opened my eyes to be stung by brightness. Closed them.

  A light touch on my hand. A flood of warmth, sunshine, sweet smell of new woods.

  I opened my eyes. It was a little blurry. I now see Miss Cassie with her light gold haze watching over me.

  “Hello, Tessie.”

  “Hi”, I whispered. “Was Auntie, Annie and Eve here?”

  “Yes, and Rainy also, and your grandma. They went to eat.”

  “They OK?”

  “They’re fine. Just worried.”

  “I know I’m in the hospital,” I sighed.

  “Yes, dear, but you’ll be all right.” She patted my arm and I felt a momentary tingle of relief.

  “What happened, Miss Cassie? Last thing I remember was being under the Spirit Tree and feeling an explosion.”

  “You were electrocuted, along with everyone else under the Spirit Tree. Good witches can handle electrical power, but that explosion was quite severe. A normal being would have died, but you were merely knocked unconscious.”

  “How about Will and everyone else that was with me?”

  “They were also stunned by the power of the blast, but otherwise they are fine.”

  “Are you sure that Will is OK?”

  Miss Cassie smiled at me, “Yes, in fact, he’s down the hall. I suspect you will be able to see him later.”

  “What happened to all those diaboles? I thought they would kill us all.”

  “Most of the diaboles who were at the Spirit Tree are dead. They were pierced through the heart by the flying branches from the Tree of the Living Spirits.”

  “What? How did that happen?”

  “You see, the tree is alive with the spirits of the previously murdered witches. The tremendous power of the lightning strike combined with the spirits’ fury caused the living branches to seek out the hearts of their enemies. They became heat seeking missiles you might say, for the heart is the warmest spot on the human body.”

  “But, all of the diaboles did not die? Why is that?” I was secretly thinking of Ian.

  “Only the diaboles who were standing in the open field were killed. The tree could not find the hearts of those who were lying on the ground, probably because of the coldness of the snow. It has also become apparent that some diaboles were suspicious and became afraid, so at the last minute they managed to escape into the surrounding woods.

  “How do you know that?”

  Miss Cassie answered, “There were several trees on the periphery of the field that had burned to the ground. That tells us that the heat seeking spears landed in the trees while seeking the hearts of the fleeing diaboles. The trees burned due to the heat of the high voltage electricity that followed.”

  “Do you know what happened to Tonya and her pals?”

  She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. “Yes, Tonya is among the living. She and all her friends, including Ian, are still with us.” I noticed that Miss Cassie made a point to look at me with raised eyebrows while mentioning Ian’s name. “It is because they were a
ll lying down in the snow during the deadly volley from the tree. By the way, do you have any idea why you and Tonya can communicate through mindspeak?”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I just know, dear. I think it’s important that you understand. You are inexorably tied to Tonya because you are responsible for her mother’s death.”

  “What are you talking about?” I gasped.

  “During the first apocalypse in the 1300s, her mother was the unpleasant wife of the lord that you lived under. You gave her a very nasty disease, lockjaw I believe, through the laying of the hands. Do you remember that from your regression?”

  “Yes, I do,” I answered thoughtfully. “For some reason, that life was very memorable. Are you saying that Tonya was there and that she was one of her children? I distinctly remember them. The lord and his wife used to bring his children to whippings and burnings. They were horrible because they used to smile and laugh while commoners and the good ones suffered.”

  “I will tell you, Tess, that the cause of a mother’s death is never forgotten. Ever since that time, Tonya has been following you over the centuries, from one lifetime to another, looking for payback. I would say that all in all, her actions have turned out badly for both of you.”

  That was all shocking news for me. I knew Tonya hated me, but I always thought it was because she was a diabole. It turned out to be more personal than that.

  “The telepathic link between you and Tonya occurs through the common interaction between two people who share many successive lifetimes. That means that you may also experience telepathy with others.”

  “There’s one more thing don’t I understand, Miss Cassie. Why was it so important for the luminars to go to the Tree of the Living Spirits? After all, so many of them died and it was all for naught. My friend, Mercy died. I saw Abe’s frozen body under ice in a pond. I know others must have died because they didn’t make it to the Tree. It was all because I told them to try and get there.” I choked.

  “Tessie, dear, don’t you know what you did?”

  “No,” I exclaimed.

  “You and the other luminars were the cause of that tremendous lightning strike. Remember, you told them to increase the electricity under the tree with the rubbing of hands. Instinctively, you KNEW that was necessary, and so that’s what brought the strike. Fortunately, because you led them to the Tree, there were enough luminars to create the power that was absolutely essential.”

  “How about all of those dead diabole bodies around the tree? Doesn’t that look really strange? What do people think?”

  “When the diaboles were speared with the tree, they were burned with successive jolts of high voltage electricity. Their bodies simply burned to ash, which blew away in the wind.”

  “Mr. Kenney said that there may have been thousands or even tens of thousands of diaboles gathered in the area in order to initiate all the horrible weather. Are they still around?”

  “The diaboles who were concentrated in and around Woodley, particularly those who were involved in the battle at the Tree of the Living Spirits, were the leaders of the evil ones. They have been the most destructive and the most hated of the diaboles. When most of the leaders perished at the tree, the rest of the diaboles simply took off. You see, the diabole followers felt no loyalty to the leaders. Diaboles don’t instill loyalty in anyone because they are totally selfish beings. As soon as the followers saw that things weren’t going well, they returned to their own domains.

  Tess asked, “If they didn’t feel loyalty to the diabole leaders, why did they come in the first place?”

  “Because the followers were commanded to come. They also knew that if the diabole leaders had won a great victory and they hadn’t been there for support, they would eventually be held accountable. With many of the leaders gone, it doesn’t matter, at least for now.”

  A sense of relief came over me. “So is this battle over? With the worst of the diaboles gone, does that mean that the tide has turned? Will the good witches be able to practice their craft? Will we be free from their constant torment?”

  Miss Cassie answered gently, “This has been a big victory, and you will be safe, at least for now. But you are mistaken when you say that the diaboles are gone, for they are not gone. The most evil have merely died and passed on, but they will come back again, as angry and spiteful as ever. This fight has been going on for hundreds, if not thousands of years. History tends to repeat itself, especially with those who are vengeful.”

  “But, what can we do to stop the cycle? Why don’t they just want to live in peace?” I cried.

  Miss Cassie looked at me with her knowing eyes. “How do we stop them except to defend ourselves? They only want to exert power. They care nothing about living in peace.”

  I stared back at Miss Cassie. “But, you are talking about a lifetime. It will take at least one lifetime, perhaps more, for them to come back.”

  “A lifetime is nothing in the whole scheme of things, my dear.”

  “It is enough for me,” I answered quietly.

  I turned and looked outside at the lines of water running down the window. Sunshine, the most glorious gift of all, was causing the ice and the snow to die, drip by drip. For now, however, I will not worry about another lifetime. I will only think about what I have before me today.

  Noteworthy Last Words

  The present day events in the story of Tess and A Girl Between take place in the state of Connecticut, one of 6 states in the New England region of the United States.

  The town of Woodley and other local references are fictional. Descriptions of landmarks may or may not be based on actual locations, although if they are, those names have been altered to protect their confidentiality so that their enjoyment will forever be the personal and private experience of those local residents.

  Many of the events described in Tess’ regressions, and their locations, are based on real events that have taken place in past times. The persecution of witches throughout the ages is true and an unfortunate casualty of history. Many women and men who were non-conformists, independent, and often true healers, were victims of unjust accusations and terror. Many of those bringing the accusations had done so in order to profit from the property of the accused.

  Mr. Kenney’s explanation of the sun’s solar activity, the earth’s magnetic fields, and the shield these provide in protecting the earth from cosmic radiation, is all correct. The additional explanation of cosmic rays acting as a catalyst in cloud formation is also based on emerging theory that is being developed in cosmic science.

  The resulting weather phenomenon described in the story is simply an artistic license for dramatization. However, it is noteworthy that very similar weather circumstances were in fact experienced on October 29, 2011, known as the The Great Halloween Blizzard, a storm of record consequence in southern New England and New York State. By the time the storm had ended, over 3 million people were left without power, many for 10 days or even more, as a result of 1 foot to 20 inches of heavy snowfall at a time when most trees still had retained their leaves, resulting in massive tree damage and downed power lines. Such an event had never come close to occurring so early in the New England autumn season. Those who blame the storm on supernatural and paranormal causes are not limited to just a few.

  Afterword

  The author hopes the reader enjoyed Tess’s story. A written review on the Amazon eBook website would be greatly appreciated!

  Acknowledgements

  I am truly grateful to everyone who read various drafts as I was writing, as well as those who encouraged me with positive praise and constructive criticism. Their words enabled me to continue plugging away for the last several months. For that reason I thank the following people: Alicia and Stephanie Baver, Hannah McCluskey, Linda Hammontree, Virginia Cizman, Janet Weismantel, and Laura Weismantel. In addition, I would also like to express my appreciation to Laura, Alica and Stephanie for all of the editorial work they did. It was especiall
y helpful to me since I am notoriously comma challenged.

  I would like to thank my daughter, Laura Weismantel, for helping to design the book cover.

  I would like to thank my son, Doug Weismantel, for using his expertise to help market the book.

  I would like to thank my Siamese cats, Tootsie and Buster, for giving me feline inspiration.

  And lastly, I would like to offer my most profound thanks to my husband, Steve, for all of the hours of work he put in, reading, correcting, editing, offering ideas, reviewing, and more reviewing, and finally, reformatting the final version. He’s a very smart man, even if he is an engineer.