By the silver stream
Endlessly flowing
She descends to the Earth
From Her home in the Moon.
Her name’s Lady Luna
She’s Queen of the Heavens.
With the magic of Starlight
She sings Destiny’s tune.
*
Throughout the night-time
She walks with the Mysteries
Casting Her spells
To which none are immune.
Charming, enchanting
Bewitching, beguiling.
With the magic of Moonlight
She casts Destiny’s rune.
From September 2015, https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/lady-luna/
It’s the day of the Bramblesgrove Village Fair and Andromache Jones is giving away free tarot readings. However, she woke that morning recalling she had dreamt in purple. And that can only mean one thing…something quite extraordinary is going to happen.
Dreaming in Purple is the first Andromache Jones Mini Mystery. If you’ve yet to read the other Andromache Jones Mysteries, this very short story will serve as a great introduction to the witchy sleuth.
To read this free short story, click the cover above, or follow this link. And if you do read it, don’t forget to let me know what you think!
The Crystal Ball by John William Waterhouse (picture credit: Wikipedia)
When the silence falls about you
When the darkness is complete
When you’re lost and know no other
Knock on my door and take a seat.
*
Holding hands we’ll light a candle
Cast a charm, a spell, a rite
Draw a card and see a vision
Working magic all through the night
*
You won’t remember what brought you hither
When day breaks, so bold, so bright
For the Moon has fled with all your worries
And the Sun’s filled your soul with light
When darkness descends
The candle does light
By it’s illumination
I work ritual and rite.
*
The flame flickers and dances
To my circle I will
Spirits and Guardians
My spell to fulfil.
*
Time-honoured enchantments
Witchcraft of old
Ancient raw magic’s
A sight to behold.
*
When night’s precious darkness
Gives way to the sun
The spell is all over
And my will be done.
*
So, if you’ve a problem
Come visit me
And by the light of my candle
I’ll amend things for thee.
This was one of the first poems that I actually posted on this blog, back on the 1 July 2015.
She grasped the candle
In both hands
Spilt melted wax
Upon the land
Whispered words
Of magic past
Closed her eyes
Home at last
The air it tingled
In colours bold
Keep it close
To have, to hold
In light of moon
In light of stars
That which she seeks
Is not that far
Giving voice to
Her intention
Brings forth change
A new dimension
The cauldron was ancient. I didn’t know how old it was, but you could tell it was very old from just looking at it.
It had been passed down from mother-to-daughter for generations. So the story goes.
I had never used it before. But then, I had no need to. Until now.
Yesterday I had rummaged through the spare room where it had been carefully stowed away since I had inherited it some ten years ago. I knew I had found the right box as soon as I laid my eyes upon it. Unlike all the other dusty cardboard boxes clogging up the room, the cauldron was stored in its own dusty wooden box, complete with iron clasps and lock, painted black.
But that was as far as I had dared to go. Finding the box. When the box was in my hands, I talk myself out of needing to open it, out of needing to get out the cauldron, out of using magic to fix my current predicament. I told myself I would sleep on it and make the decision in the morning.
But I didn’t sleep. Couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about the cauldron. I kept thinking that the answer to my problem was only a matter of a few feet away, in the room next door.
Getting out of bed, I was drawn to the wooden box, to the cauldron. I walked out of my bedroom, and along the landing. I heard the clock at the bottom of the stairs chime the hour. It was midnight. I recalled my Grandmother had always called it the ‘witching hour’, which was apt, given what I was about to do.
I took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the spare room. The box was sitting on the floor, just inside. I had forgotten to close the curtains in the empty room, and now the moon was shining through the window, bathing the box in silver light.
It looked magical. It looked powerful. Yet I felt safe as I approached it. Like I was supposed to use it.
Crouching on the floor, I lifted the lid and carefully pulled out the cauldron. Sitting in the bottom were two items: an ornately decorated wooden spoon and a little old book. There was no writing on its cover. I turned to the first page where in a spidery script words announced what was apparently the most important rule when using the cauldron. Stir clockwise to attract. Stir anticlockwise to banish.
It sounded simple enough.
I took up the spoon and held it suspended in the space inside the cauldron. I closed my eyes and concentrated on what I needed to do. Then I began to stir…
This piece was originally written and posted on this blog back in June 2014. It is also one of the thirteen stories / chapters to be found in Chronicles of the Craft which can be read here, for free, via Wattpad.
I am either late with this, or very, very early…don’t worry; things will become clear in a moment…
I have some exciting Christmas-themed news to share. I have had another short story published in anthology. A Christmas anthology, whose very cool title is Jingle Spells. Now everything makes sense! 😀
The anthology has been put together and edited by the very talented Heather Marie Adkins, who runs CyberWitch Press. This is the press’s first anthology, and I owe Heather a big thank you for all her hard work. I didn’t make things easy for her as she not only had to edit my story but change my spelling from British English to American English so that all the stories in the collection are consistent. Isn’t the cover pretty 🙂
I am honoured to have my story feature in such an amazing anthology, alongside such amazing authors.
Here’s the book’s description:
Jingle Spells
Jingle Spells is a feel-good holiday collection of witch-themed tales, from a witch hunt at the winter solstice, to a Christmas dinner in danger of being ruined by an imp. Here you will find a sparkly pair of shoes holding one woman’s destiny, and a magical, mystery-solving cup of latte. Meet a broken young woman unaware of the powers she possesses, and a teenage boy with the fate of the world on his shoulders.
Featuring short stories from veteran authors J. Laslie, Sidonia Rose, and Heather Marie Adkins, and introducing Sammi Cox, Brittany White, and K. Laslie. Sit back with a steaming mug, light up the fireplace, and enjoy these six tales of magic, mayhem, and love.
Solstice Flames by J. Laslie
A Midwinter Manifestation by Sammi Cox
The Witch’s Shoes by Sidonia Rose
Molly by Brittany White
Holiday Dreams by K. Laslie
The Witch’s Brew by Heather Marie Adkins
My own short story, A Midwinter Manifestation is about Maeve Featherstone, a modern-day sorceress whose presence is required when Evie Whitworth dabbles in magic when she’s been repeatedly told she shouldn’t. So, if you like stories set around the Winter Solstice, if you like imps, if you like all things magical and witchy, please have a read.
Currently, Jingle Spells is available to download for FREE from Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iBooks. It is available from Amazon, but we are waiting for it to go free before we start sending people that way – though feel free to keep checking 🙂 A print edition will follow soon. I will keep you updated!
Links for the Jingle Spells anthology:
