Hello All you Cute Bats & Mittens!
I have a new short story coming out, just in time for Halloween! It's part of a Wolfsinger Publications anthology titled Never Cheat a Witch.
The prompt for the anthology revolves around the idea inherent in the title: cheating a witch is a bad thing to do. I took that idea and wrote a story about a village that needed help in dealing with a witch they had wronged. Titled Isabella the Eldridge, the short story is filled with magic, werewolves, magical trees, faithful villagers, loving grandparents, and witches that hold grudges.
Here is a piece:
Amidst the waste, slop, and vile run-off, wrapped up in old rags, looking like nothing more than another pile of refuse. The Old Blind Woman. They say she gave up her sight to punish someone who wronged her. A last, desperate trick. What-ever the truth was, it was plain to see she was a witch with nothing left to lose.I crouched down beside her. A rat screeched nearby, annoyed at my presence no doubt. “Megarith?”
The pile of rags shifted. Moved. Muffled, a coarse voice whispered, “She needed the babe. Powerful magic in a babe.”
“What?” I asked.
“You were about to ask me what she needed the baby for. Or have we reached that part yet?” The Old Blind Woman yawned, stretched. “Dark magic.” She unfolded her legs and lifted a rag off her head. I saw the stories were true. Deep scars surrounded empty sockets. What a mess. The patchy remains of her thick eyebrows danced like hairy warts as she grimaced and scrunched her face. “After being roasted in an oven, together with a few other savories, and then ground to powder and ashes, she would use the material in certain spells and potions.” She sounded as if she recited a treasured family recipe for pot roast. “Or she could have wanted to transform the baby into something else.” A wrinkled hand reached up and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
I fell back on my butt, stunned.
The rat chittered and squeaked.
“Yes. He should know better. Never cheat a witch,” she cackled. “They will make you rue the day and the night for the rest of your short, pitiful, life. Trust me, I should know.”
There are a lot of other talented writers in the anthology as well. I'm looking forward to reading their stories. The titles look intriguing. Below is a table of stories and authors:
Acts of God, by Ian Kitley
Skulls on a Shelf, by Jodi Rizzotto
Better than Gold, by T.W. Kirchner
Law of Spells, by Lea Storry
Subscribed, by Louise Zedda-Sampson
No Age Restrictions, by Danielle Mikals
Fair Trade, by Dominick Cancilla
Dream Weaver, by Wendy Harrison
Can’t Be Done, by Elle Hartford
Dwarves, Donks, and Death, by Brian MacDonald
Mike and His Three Lives, by M.A. Lang
Book and Key, by J.L. Royce
Isabella the Eldridge, by Frank Montellano
Hex, by Clark Sodersten
Paper Mage, by Sandra Unerman
Controlling the Kudzu, by Bailey Finn
The Friar and the Turnip, by Christopher Wortley
How to Steal a Spell Book, by Mirabelle Poppy
The Frog and the Princess, by Jean Martin
Marigold at Midnight, by Tyree Campbell
Learning Something Useful, by Joyce Frohn
Night Work, by Rose Strickman
Breaking Down a Cursed Sandwich, by Ray Daley
Paybacks a Witch, by Harriet Phoenix
For those interested, my title has a deeper meaning not mentioned in the story. Isabella the Eldridge is a mangling of Isabella the Elf-Bridge. The title witch is friendly to elves, functioning as a sort of connection between our world and theirs. If I ever write more of the tale, there is plenty to work with.
All for now,
Frank
