Long ago, witches were wise women who created remedies from natural materials like plants and salt. This is exactly what happened to Eefa and Luella during that time. They used natural remedies to create potions to give to people who are mortally sick or wounded, and they live with their extended family in a large cave in nature. I live in this family, obviously, but my other family members are Luke, Resus, Cleo, Six, Bluey, Bingo, Muffin, Socks, Mr Watson, Mrs Watson, Alston and Bella Negative, Niles, Bandit, Chilli, Uncle Stripe, Aunt Trixie, Dr F and Nana. We were all naked - save for Dr F, Mike and Nana, they wear glasses - and although Eefa worked hard for her living, we had no shame in living our lives freely with nature. While us kids played in the freedom of the countryside, the adults worked hard to cook, arrange our baths and gather the natural materials needed to create those potions for people who come to our cave.
Luella was always sent out into a flower field to collect rose petals for her aunt, so she could mix them into potions to give out to people in the village who come to visit far off. I love my extended family, and always turn to my big siblings for comfort, and they always played with me. We were at one with nature, and we always cared for it, making it part of our daily lives. Although people never live out in nature like they did in the stone age, we certainly live like it, we’re a tribe and we never had any place like it.
One day, the adults were resting on top of a large grassy hill. Luke, Resus, Cleo, Luella, Six, Bluey, Bingo, Muffin, Socks and I were rolling down the hill, free and happy. “Wheeeeeeeeeee!!” We laughed and squealed as the world spun round and our eyesight went dizzy as we rolled and rolled downhill. Eefa, watching, laughed to see us having loads of fun. Once we landed at the bottom, we all started laughing. All except Luella, who sighed. “What’s up, Luella? You’re not laughing.” I said. “I’ve been, like, having nightmares about demons carrying me off to Hell. I mean, I’ve been very good, but what’s the point of having demons eat you in your sleep? We have excellent freedom, and we roam like creatures.” I lay back in the grass. “Luella, those demons are just a figment of your imagination.” “Yeah,” said Bluey, “Nothing could disrupt your fun. After all, you are with us.” “Come on, Luella, nightmares are stupid. You know they are.” said Six. We all lay back in the grass and sighed. The fresh air filled our nostrils as we snuggled close and listened to the sounds of nature.
Later, it was lunchtime. We caught fish and hunted for goat meat and cooked them over a fire. It was such a lovely feast, we even had milk which we got from the cows grazing in a field somewhere in the countryside. While we were all eating, Luella told Eefa about her nightmare. “Those nightmarish demons will, like, take me to Hell someday. I mean, I’ve been good, but why should these hellish demons enter my nightmares?” “When you reach a certain age, demons come to haunt you. Unless I perform the rite on you, those demons cannot be tamed.” Eefa informed. “What rite?” “Tonight, we will perform a ritual that’ll seal the demons away in their own realm. Of course, your sister Violet has to be involved too.” “Me?” I said, almost choking on my piece of goat meat. Everyone began staring at me. “Yes, you.” said Muffin in an unusually low voice. Muffin was usually screamy and loud, but not this time. Everyone was looking. “Alright, fine, I’ll partake in this ritual.” I said.
Later, we worked off all the food we ate with a swim in the lake. I love swimming in the lake, even though it was very cold - we splashed each other and divebombed and lay back in the water to relax. Even the adults joined in, and Bandit couldn’t stop splashing Chilli, then Bluey and Bingo - well, they are the crazy family after all. I looked over the rocks and saw Luella by herself picking rose petals in the nearby field. I felt sorry for her then. Those demons must have been haunting her since she turned 9, why should Eefa perform the rite on me? Have I been seeing demons too? I decided to ignore it, and helped Socks learn to swim. “Arf! Arf!” barked Socks. She loved it when people helped her learn to swim. “That’s it, Socks, you’re doggy paddling!” laughed Bingo. Then suddenly, I heard Luella’s voice calling. “Sybil!” I swam up to her and my worry came back. “Have you been searching for rose petals?” I said. “Yep,” said Luella, “Aunt Eefa asked me to fetch them for the rite tonight.” “Yeah, well, apart from that,” I said, “I think I might have been seeing demons too.” “Are you faking it?” “No, I’m not. I keep having nightmares of people with huge black eyes and red, inflamed skin eating me for breakfast.” “Those are the demons I saw in my nightmare!” Luella gasped. “OMG, you’ve been having the same nightmares as me!” “Then this is why we need to perform this ritual.” I said, hugging Luella, “We need to do it together, just me and you. “Now, care for a dip?” Luella looked at the river. Then Eefa appeared in a puff of smoke on the banks of the lake. “You go ahead Luella, I’ll keep guard of the rose petals.” “Yay!” cried Luella, and she dived into the water to join us in playing in the water.
Later, it was time for bed, and that was when the ritual started. It was just me, Luella and Eefa, the rest of the family were somewhere in the middle of cave having dinner. The smell of cooked goat’s meat and fish filled the air as Eefa got the ritual items ready - a bowl of black ink, a basketful of rose petals and another bowl filled with fresh, clean water. Luella and I squeezed each other’s hands tight as Eefa got the black ink. She covered our skin with the smooth, black substance, feeling soothed by the ink all over our bodies. It dripped down our legs and formed puddles around our bare feet. “Now, girls, this ink represents the darkness that is the demons in your nightmares. But luckily, the natural items I’m about to use may well defeat the intruders of the underworld forever.” Eefa took the basket of rose petals, and a light wind blew through the cave. She held out some rose petals, and they flew all around us. “Oh, my dear ancestors, hear me now,” chanted Eefa quietly, “Vanquish those demons back to the underworld!” Luella and I were already giggling feeling the petals stick to the black ink. She took the bowl of water and held it over Luella, calling out, “With the power of the gentleness of nature…” Luella squealed as water was poured all over her, washing away the ink and petals. “...may these demons never haunt our children again!” It was my turn to scream as water was poured all over me. Eefa laughed along with us. “There. It didn’t hurt a bit, did it?”
But Luella and I were already yawning. Chilli looked over to us. “Looks like bedtime is here already. Oh well, a flower ritual did you good.” She had been watching this entire time and knew every single detail about Eefa’s rituals. Eefa used the rest of the water to put out the fire, and lead all the family to our comfortable bed, made out of the wool of the sheep in the countryside. Luella and I fell asleep straight away, freed from our nightmarish demons. “Ah, sleeping like babies.” cooed Eefa. She kissed us both goodnight and snuggled down on our sheep’s wool bed.
The next day, as us kids ran out to play, Luella and I felt more refreshed than ever. “So, did the rite work?” asked Luke. “Actually, it did,” said Luella, “I feel great - especially after these demons stopped plaguing my dreams.” “I do too - those horrible black-eyed inflamed people never want to haunt me ever again.” “Hooray!” cried Bluey, Bingo and Muffin. “Ruff-ruff!” smiled Socks. “Looks like someone’s carried the demons back to hell,” said Cleo, “I think you did well sleeping last night, especially when we all fell asleep too.” “At least, yes, but happiness comes from our home and not from our dreams. Okay, sometimes they do.” I reminded everyone.
We ran up to the top of the hill and rolled down it multiple times throughout the rest of the day, then relaxed in the soft grass. With Luella’s demons gone, and mine gone too, we lived our happy lives with our family once again, and forever through this time we claimed this valley and its nature as our own.
THE END.
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