The Hanover Witch

Missy Baker knocked on the familiar door of the green cottage. The little house sat just five doors down from her own. Backpack and sleeping bag in hand, the young girl glanced over shoulder and thought about how much she loved the way the evening sky cast a deep blue glow onto the little lane. It was the oldest street in town, and it had been her home all her life.

Just before she was lost completely to her thoughts, Missy heard girls giggling and the thud-thud-thud of sneaker-clad feet running on hardwood floors. Half a second later, the door swung open; warmth and light spilling out onto Missy as she stood on the porch.

"Well, come on! " exclaimed one of the girls who stood there to greet her. With a big grin and friendly roll of the eyes, the girl reached out and grabbed Missy's hand, yanking her into the house. "You're too polite, why do you even knock? You practically live here!" said the freckle-faced, red-headed girl to Missy. Her name was Lori, and she and her twin, Amanda, had been Missy's closest friends since Kindergarten.

"Take your stuff out to the tent!" Amanda yelled as she ran down the hall towards the bathroom. The two girls headed through the kitchen, and as Lori stopped at the fridge to grab sodas and snacks, Missy continued on alone; down the back steps and into the backyard towards the familiar blue tent. As she stepped inside the tent, Missy gasped, startled by the face of a dark-haired girl sitting inside.

"Oh! Geez! You scared me!" Missy gasped as she caught her breath. Just then, the back door slammed shut and Missy heard Lori and Amanda happily stampeding through the grass towards the tent.

"That's Josie " Lori explained. "She's new at school. She has P.E. with Amanda and me."

"Oh. Well then, hi. I'm Missy".

"Hi" Josie answered quietly, eyes down, as she sat cross-legged on her unrolled sleeping bag. Missy glanced questioningly at the twins, unsure of why this unfamiliar girl seemed so displeased to see her. The sisters plopped happily down onto their own sleeping bags, long red braids bouncing around as they dropped sodas and bags of chips and candy onto the tent floor.

"Don't mind Josie " said Amanda, smiling and giving an unconcerned wave towards the pale girl. "She's just afraid of the Hanover Witch."

Missy saw Josie direct her gaze at Amanda, her eyes wide with fear at the mere mention of the legend. Missy dropped to her knees and began unrolling her own sleeping bag, determined to quell the girl's fears.

"Ah, don't worry about that! The Hanover Witch died a hundred years ago! Lori and Amanda just tell that story to get attention. They have to live next to her house and they figure, if they make a big deal out if it, then everyone will think they're cool instead of the weird, freckle-faced kids that they really are!" she said with a big grin and amused chuckle.

"Hey! Don't ruin my fun!" said Lori playfully as she tried to hit Missy with a peanut M&M. Missy and the twins laughed and played, pretzels and Hot Tamales flying through the tent. Just as a pillow fight ensued, Missy noticed Josie curled up in the corner of the tent, looking particularly miserable. She held up her hand, signaling the twins to stop.

"Oh, come on, Josie," Missy said. "You really don't need to be scared. I've camped out here dozens of times. There's nothing wrong with that house. It's been empty since my mom's grandma was little!"

Josie sounded near hysterics as she answered.

"You mean, when the last two kids were murdered in there? Lured inside by the witches nieces, and then found dead the next day on the sidewalk, their eyeballs missing and their flesh ripped to shreds by razor sharp teeth!" She was practically screaming her words as she finished her panicked summary of the Hanover Witch Murders.

"Um, well...yeah. I..I..guess so, " answered Missy awkwardly. This girl is really high strung, she thought to herself. "But like I told you, it happened a hundred years ago. The witch was hanged or something".

"But they never found her nieces!" Josie retorted, almost in tears.

"Well, okay. But still, they're dead by now, anyway, " Missy assured the nervous girl.

"Hey! I know!" cried Lori, her eyes lit up with excitement, "let's go over there!"

"Yeah! Come on!" Amanda agreed, enthusiastically.

"Are you nuts?" Missy asked. "This girl is practically hyperventilating just talking about the witch. You can't drag her over there!"

Josie looked positively horrified.

"Well....." Lori began, her gaze set on Josie, "I happen to know that you have a big, fat crush on Mike Devereaux!" Josie looked bewildered.

"How could you know that?" she asked, nervously.

"I have my ways, " Lori said amusedly, as she glanced slyly at her twin. Both girls snickered. Missy didn't like where this was going.

Five minutes later, the group of girls were stepping through the back door of the long-abandoned house of the Hanover Witch. The threat of the twins telling Mike Devereaux about Josie's crush had forced her to agree to the excursion. Missy was angry with the twins for their cruelty, and as the quartet stepped into the dilapidated kitchen, she entertained the thought of telling them both off, right here; right now.

But she never got the chance.

The door slammed shut, and Missy heard the most horrifying sound behind her; like the growling laughter of demons. She and Josie turned around to see two terrifying figures with murderous eyes, razor sharp teeth, and long red braids.

And then they knew no more.