The legend of the Witch of Wookey Hole had always been a popular scary story to tell, especially for children. The story of evil witch who scared off one's true love morphed into a darker tale of murder and betrayal as we grew older.
I never believed in the legend, not even as a child. I never believed any of the legends and stories my friends would tell, trying to spook each other. They always sounded silly and unbelievable. As I got older, I developed a frustration with such tales. Why bother telling silly stories that weren't true? In my opinion, there was no point.
Even when my best friend was convinced, swore up and down until he was blue in the face, that it had happened to his uncle's cousin's nephew, I didn't believe him. Surely it was just an excuse to hide the fact that he'd been dumped. If witches were real, why would they bother themselves with the relationships of humans anyway? It wasn't until I met Lucille that I became a firm believer.
Lucille was amazing. She was gorgeous, she was funny, she was kind and caring, and she had a wild streak that only came out after I'd known her for a year, and it only made me love her even more. I was lucky enough that she felt the same way about me. We moved in together and spent another year in bliss before I finally gathered the couarge to ask her to stay with me for the rest of our lives, and she said yes!
It was during our engagement party that I discovered just how much Lucille loved old legends. I'd known before that she enjoyed them, as she was constantly searching for one that I would believe. After we'd had our speeches, Lucille suggested that we start a storytelling circle. Now I wasn't really keen on the idea, for obvious reasons, but for Lucille, I agreed.
We all gathered around, drinks in hand, and used "spin the bottle" to pick who went first. After a couple of mediocre stories, it was Lucille's turn. She smiled at me before she began her story. It was a tale of two lovers, whose love was powerful enough to break boundaries. When the Witch of Wookey Hole discovered their love, she worked a charm to destroy it. When the two next met and kissed, the man sucked the life from his love, and she shriveled away to nothing. The Witch cackled and laughed and vowed that any love that came close to theirs would be destroyed just the same.
There was silence after her story. I looked at her, expecting to see her eyes twinkling with laughter as she normally did, but her face was grave and serious. Someone laughed uneasily and said surely not! Lucille looked away, and told everyone that that story had been passed down through her family for generations as a warning, after her great great grandfather had lost his first true love the same way. After an awkward silence, Lucille spun the bottle for the next storyteller, who luckily chose a light-hearted and amusing tale to break the mood.
Something in the way Lucille had looked when telling the story had made me wonder if maybe there was a grain of truth there after all. Perhaps some legends were real...
After the party, we never spoke of the story again.
A year later, we were preparing for our wedding. It was the eve of the ceremony, and we were meeting family and friends out for tea. Lucille had been out all day hiking with her parents, a regular pastime that I prefered to stay out of. When she returned home, she was quieter than usual. I figured it was just nerves about tomorrow, and didn't want to say anything in case she was upset. I waited until she was about to shower before I caved and asked if she was ok.
She smiled slightly and said she was fine, they had just met with an old acquaintance during the hike and it had rattled her. Without another word, she jumped in the shower. I wandered through the house waiting for her, thinking about our plans for the future, and for tomorrow in particular. I truly couldn't imagine my life without her.
As I slipped into the bedroom to watch her get dressed, I walked up behind her and kissed her on the cheek. Smiling, she turned to face me, with her bathrobe hanging loosely around her, and reached up to stroke me cheek. She whispered I love you as her lips brushed mine softly at first, then insistently. As our passionate kiss left me breathless, I pulled back smiling, running my fingers through her hair.
Something was wrong. Her eyes were wide, face drained of colour, lips turning blue. She grasped at me hand as she stumbled backwards into the armchair, gasping and sucking in air. I gripped her hand and ran my other hand over her face, her throat, her chest, not knowing what to look for. I fumbled for my phone, calling for an ambulance. As I struggled to describe her symptoms, she squeezed my hand tightly, blue lips moving ceaselessly against my fingers.
I leaned closer and could only faintly hear her. She just kept saying I'm sorry, I'm so sorry over and over. She reached for my face, running her hand down my cheek to catch my tears as she cupped my chin. She took one last, ragged breath before nothing.
There was nothing.
I stared at her until the paramedics arrived. Though they worked on her for a while, there was never anything they could do. My darling Lucille had left me on the eve of our wedding, and I had no idea how I would continue my life without her.
It's all a blur after that. I know our familes and friends were informed by someone. I remember being at the hospital, signing some papers and filling in details for the funeral. Lucille's parents handled most of the details, which was good as I was a wreck. Something was niggling me, a tiny details that didn't seem right about the way she had died. Officially, it was suffocation, but no one could explain to me how it had happened.
It wasn't until the funeral that I discovered what had bothered me. The story Lucille had told at our engagement party, of her great great grandfather and his true love. And Lucille mentioning meeting an old acquaintance while hiking. Something clicked.
I waited until the wake had began before cornering to her parents. I demanded answers. After a while, they broke and told me the truth. That story was true. And the old acquaintance they met was the Witch of Wookey Hole. Apparently she'd always held a grudge against their family as she wanted their great great gandfather for herself.
I walked away from it all after that. Lucille's death had flipped a switch inside me and I knew I could never go back. I left town and went to an old monastery steeped in lore and legend. It was there I learnt the art of hunting.
For a year I was trained by their leader in everything I needed to know. I learnt not just about witches, but about other creatures that also existed. It appeared that all the stories were true. I learnt how to fight, and I learnt how to dispose of such monsters. I became a hunter. And I worked hard until my master deemed I was ready.
After that year, I finally journeyed back home. It was so much harder than I'd expected. Everything reminded me of Lucille. Instead of letting the pain derail me, I used it to fuel me. I would have my revenge. Lucille deserved to be revenged.
I travelled during the night through the woods, seeking out the caves. I knew I could have asked Lucille's parents, but I did not want to go there. Finally, I came across the caves. They were surrounded by trees and shrubs which had either by nature or magic entwined around the entrance to the cave, framing the doorway. The rocks above the doorway almost formed a grim face staring down. It was very intimidating, but I wasn't the same person as I used to be.
I entered the cave quickly, eyes and ears peeled for the slightest movement or sound. Suddenly, there was movement in front of me. A figure stood before me, dark stringy hair cascading around a wicked, pale face carved in an evil smirk. The Witch of Wookey Hole.
I immediately swung a blessed dagger at her, but she dodged and knocked it from my grasp. She knocked me back with a spark of blue fire. By the time I got to my feet, she'd disappeared. Cursing, I scrambled up and ran down the corridor. I came out in a large cave with a small lake glinting softly. I couldn't see a thing, but I could sense the Witch was there. I murmured a prayer and was directed to the far corner on the other side of the lake. My game plan changed.
I dropped a rosary in the lake and quickly blessed the water. Now, to draw her out. I unwound a coiled whip from my belt, and proceeded to crack it. It echoed loudly in the cave and the Witch screeched as the frequency pierced her eardrums. She staggered out into the lake, and her screams took on a new level as her skin began to melt from touching the holy water. She scrambled through towards me, hoping to reach me to curse me, but the water was too powerful.
As her skin dissolved first, followed by her bones, I began the last rites to ensure she wouldn't be able to come back again. When I finished, and the Witch of Wookey Hole was destroyed, I sighed. Somehow, I was not at peace. I turned around, only to be confronted by Lucille.
Her ghost looked exactly like her when she was alive, but was casting off a faint blue light. She smiled at me and reached out her hand. Thank you, my love. Tears ran down my face as she began to fade, finally able to move on to her next life. My love was gone, but at least she was able to move on.
Now, I felt at peace. One day I would join her, but for now, I was a hunter. It was time to save some people, and earn my rights to peace.