Midnight Moonlight

vii. burned alive

"Refira les brenir..." She whispered. The three men after her immediately fell down on their knees and started vomiting uncontrollably.

As the witch stared triumphantly at her work, a fourth hunter appeared behind her. The hunter looked around for a rock, and before the witch could react, he launched one at her head. She slumped down, unconscious.

He gazed at the dark hair, long and beautiful, at the smooth hot-chocolate skin.

I've done it, he thought. He smiled and whistled as he took out some rope.

*

When Kerina woke up, she noticed a stiffness about her body. She weakly opened her eyes and was barely surprised to see that she was tied vertically on a long wooden pole, logs and sticks on the ground near her. A crowd was gathered, staring at her. She wriggled around and realized her bindings were tight, her mouth gagged.

They're going to burn me alive. Rage built up inside her like a stoked fire. How classic.

It was hopeless to struggle. She could not utter a curse, even. She glanced at each face despairingly, looking for a kindly one.

She could find none.

"Finally awake," a voice said. She looked to her right. Stepping up the platform was a tall, handsome man with long black hair and blue eyes. He was the hunter that captured Kerina, and somehow she knew it.

Kerina spat out her gag. Spears and knives and arrows were immediately lifted. Villagers stepped back. They all thought she would say a spell. Only the hunter looked calm.

"You filthy-"

"Ah, ah, ah," the hunter interrupted. "Foul words will not help you, my dear." Kerina stared at him, thinking of various curses she could use.

Before she could use a very bloody spell, the hunter grazed a knife across her cheek. Although powerful, Kerina was human. It was normal for humans to fear death. And Kerina was desperate, though she was not desperate to live. She was desperate for change.

"It will always be like this?" She spat. He recoiled, expecting a curse. She turned her head, addressing the crowd.

"It will always be like this," she concluded. "Difference will always be a threat. Anyone who is different will always be 'burned at the stake' or at any other equivalence."

The crowd was listening, eyebrows crinkled.

"We pose as a threat to you, because we are not like you. That is your logic, is it not?" She turned her harsh gaze to the hunter.

"I will be spurned, because I am a witch. I am a witch! I am different. I am more than human. Yet I can help your people! I want to help your people! But you will not let me! You will not accept the fact that being like you is not a rule! You, yourselves, made that rule. And those who break it...well..." She looked down at herself, bound, about to be buried in flames.

She was angered. Angered by the fact that just because she was not like everybody else, she will die because of it.

She was not angered by the fact that she was going to die. She was angered that people naturally opposed difference. They want everyone and everything to be exactly the same, and those who are not will be their downfall.

It has been like that for years. And it will continue to be like that, whether with witches or warlocks or even just people who are more than just ordinary.

"Go ahead," she lifted her chin. "Burn me alive. I will be ash. When you die, you will be ash, bones, as well, no? You think I am a threat because you have seen what I have done to your people. But did you ever consider that they were threatening me?" With that, silence reigned.

*

"Kerina was a woman of virtue. She was given a gift. A gift of magic. And because of that, because she was different, she was punished. She was different, and that scared them." I closed the book and looked into the faces of these eleven- to fourteen-year-olds.

"She died, then?" A child asked. I nodded. She looked sad. Everyone looked sad. But they were all thinking hard about the message of Kerina's story.

"Just because she was a witch, she was killed for it?"

"Yes," I answered. "People are daunted about people who can think for themselves. People who want to break the status quo - the expectations. They are different." The parents at the back of the room looked outraged. Some of them looked like they wanted to speak up.

"When you grow up," I addressed the group. "I want you to become who you want to be. Do not succumb to the wants of society. Be what you want."

"Aren't we going to get punished for it?" A boy at the back asked. I pursed my lips.

"I'm homosexual." I admitted. "That means I like boys instead of girls."

"I get punished for it all the time. As Kerina said, people opposed difference. She would be glad to see that the world is changing their views, albeit not as fast as I would want it to." I looked towards the back of the room. Some parents were angry, some looked guilty, and some just looked plain uninterested.

"You are the next generation. Think about it. What will you do?" I leaned back on my chair and watched as they processed it.

A girl at the front raised her hand.

"We will become who we want to be. And we will not spurn those who are different from us...even though I have no clear idea what 'spurn' means." I smiled.

We are different. That does not make us any less human.

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Don't be afraid to be different!!! Thank you all for reading. As usual, let me know what you think!

This isn't as well-written as I wanted it to be. But I tried! :)