The Z Club: A Witch's Love Story

By Shawn Hunter

"The Z Club" met when they were young girls in Fort Worth, Texas looking to form a garden club for fun. They remain friends for 50 years, and the garden club turns into a coven of witches who would do anything to help each other. Breaking code, one of the witches becomes enamored with a man. Can the Club save her from being swindled?

This Texas comedy is about the love of a group of friends. With touches of humor and horror throughout, this is a great read for any book lover.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098322465

Book preview

© 2020 Shawn Hunter

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. ISBN 978-1-09832-246-5

Table of Contents

PART I BELTANE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

PART II LUGHNASADH

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

PART III IMBOLC

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

PART IV SAMHAIN

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

PART I

BELTANE

1

Beltane is a time for witches to celebrate with their orgies of fire and intimacy to complete the Great Rite, a time for the Almighty Mother Goddess in all Her glory and creativity to impregnate and reproduce all things Divine, and it is a fertile time of lust for Satan…

It was Wednesday, the first day of May, and time for the Texas heat and humidity to make itself noticeable. Betty Jane Alcott loved to step into her back yard and admire all the gifts of nature the Almighty Mother would bestow year after year. It was just after seven in the morning and bundled up in her pink, terry-cloth robe, liked to watch the rising sun give a glistening sparkle to the blanket of dew covering the plush, green St. Augustine grass. The cherished oak tree she and her husband had grown over the years was now a towering giant with a single mocking bird sitting atop singing his song in search of a mate, calling over and over for everyone to enjoy.

She saw her husband, Homer, standing next to the tree with his usual grin, and cheerfully greeted him, Good mornin’, sweetheart! And Homer greeted her back lovingly with a gentle smile, even though he passed away over thirty years ago.

She looked to her left at a little garden where she had only days before planted several jalapeno plants, and pleased they were doing well looked to her right to the flowerbed situated close to the house. The soil was tilled and bare, and full of nature’s nourishment as the witches’ past bestowments to Mother had composted and made the soil rich and ready for the zinnia seeds to be planted. On one end of the flowerbed was a hole, ten inches wide and six inches deep she had dug the previous day and in the middle of the flowerbed was a small, neatly manicured grave covered with red mulch and outlined with little seashells.

Good mornin’, Rosie! Betty Jane hailed. And how are you this mornin’?

Barefooted, she stepped onto the wet grass with an empty Mason jar in one hand and liked to feel the moisture seeping up between her toes with each step. She looked up into the sky and graciously chirped, Thank you, Mother, what a fine day You’ve given us for our celebration!

She had just turned eighty but was still in good health, spry and active due mainly to the things she learned as a Registered Nurse for forty years. She lived a simple life, one consisting of nature, memories, and prayer, and treasured her role as ‘Miss Betty’, Priestess of her Coven, and in a few hours the other four witches would arrive and together they would have a feast and a ritual to celebrate one of her favorite Sabbats, Beltane.

She slowly walked across the grass, her long, gray hair falling past her shoulders, and breathed in the fresh morning air, big breaths, as much as her lungs could hold. It felt like it was cleansing her soul and preparing her for another day of life, and another day of battle to defeat her innermost demons.

She knelt down just enough to scoop up some dew into the jar, and admiring the contents, smiled her usual sweet smile, and muttered, This will do just fine!

With jar in hand, she strolled back to the patio but stopped short as she noticed a big, fat, green hornworm inching his way across the concrete patio floor, and heading for her freshly planted jalapeno plants.

Oh, are ya hungry, my little pest? she said to the worm, smiling kindly.

As the worm crawled towards its future meal, her eyes became angry and her facial expression changed as if filled with hate. She took her right bare foot and placed it over the worm and slowly pressed down, squishing the worm to a slimy mush, pushed the remains off the porch into the grass and wiped off the mess by rubbing her foot on the wet grass.

Looking at the unrecognizable glob, she smiled a devilish grin as if admiring her kill and jested, May the birds feed upon your gruesome mess, and my garden will have one demon less, and with a little wicked chuckle, set the jar on the patio table.

She picked up the end of the garden hose neatly coiled next to the patio, turned on the faucet and washed the remaining insect off the bottom of her foot. She held her thumb over the end of the hose causing the water to come out in a spray pattern and gently sprayed the jalapenos and her waiting flowerbed, moving the spray in different positions until the rays of the sun broke up the water drops and formed a rainbow. It was a trick her mother taught her when she was a little girl in Hillsboro, and wherever she could make the rainbow appear would be a place of magic, and at the end of that rainbow she would stand, close her eyes and make a wish and if her belief was strong enough, that wish would come true.

In her voice that had grown slightly rough over the years, she began to sing, Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, and stopped as the rainbow’s end was near the small grave in her flowerbed.

She turned off the water, neatly coiled the hose back in place and stood at the foot of the grave, closed her eyes and intensely wished for a glorious Beltane, one that not only brought happiness and smiles to her Coven, but to dear ole Homer and Rosie.

Satisfied everything in her yard was in order, she stepped back into her house, slipped on her house shoes, set the precious dew on the kitchen table and poured herself a cup of coffee, strong and black with a pinch of sugar, just the way Homer liked his coffee. The chocolate chip cookies in the oven were nearly done and afterwards her own recipe of meatloaf would begin cooking. Soon, her four closest friends would come over and together they would celebrate with prayer and a feast, and even enjoy a little cocktail. Each friend would bring a homemade dish of food to share made with all fresh ingredients and Betty Jane’s meatloaf was the main course. It was one of Homer’s favorites, and one she never got tired of making.

She met her four friends over fifty years ago, and for fun they started their own garden club, The Zinnia Garden Club. Zinnias were Betty Jane’s favorite flowers and she taught the other girls how to grow them since it was such an easy task. They would gossip, giggle and develop a strong friendship while putting something beautiful in their yards, not to mention get away from their husbands for a while. They always met at Betty Jane’s house as she was host and mentor to the girls who respected her for all she had done for them over the years.

Today was the day to plant the zinnia seeds and she had everything needed to make Beltane a joyous occasion. She had bought fresh celery, onions, carrots, and garlic for the meatloaf, and of course, strawberries and tequila for their cocktails. The chocolate chip cookies were for her good friend, Doris, who always had to have some of the sweet treats no matter what the occasion was and Betty Jane wasn’t about to disappoint her.

Singing and humming jubilantly to herself, she spent the remainder of the morning preparing for the feast and by ten-thirty the meatloaf was ready for the oven. She lit five dark green dinner candles which were placed in a row on the fireplace mantel in the living room beside Homer’s urn. On the coffee table was a clay pot incense burner crafted into the shape of an eagle’s head she had bought while on her fifth wedding anniversary trip with Homer to the mountains of New Mexico. The top of the head was open for incense to be placed inside and on this day she put a mixture of jasmine oil, sandalwood and even a few sprinkles of mugwort to make sure the air was free of any blood-thirsty demons that may be lurking with plans to spoil Beltane.

At eleven, the doorbell rang. Betty Jane answered the door and standing there were two members of the Coven, Francis Taylor and Katie Wilson, both carrying a small Tupperware plastic container tightly sealed, Katie’s with homemade cornbread and Francis’ with homemade potato salad.

Katie was short and petite with long hair she kept dyed black and always wore a little gold necklace with a gold heart pendant, and at seventy-two years of age looked quite harmless in her black horn-rimmed glasses but was perfectly capable of taking care of herself no matter what difficulties crossed her path. Her fingernails were long, painted black and filed to an impish point and though she was only four feet ten inches tall and weighed eighty-two pounds, was full of spunk and the baddest witch in the Coven, and damn proud of it.

She had been a widow for the past forty-seven years after her late husband, Frank, was killed by a burglar and never had any desire to marry again, but like Betty Jane, still wore the wedding ring her husband had given her. She was practically deaf in her right ear and sometimes didn’t hear things correctly which would make the Coven laugh but only because she would laugh with them. Originally from Phoenix, Katie didn’t have the Texas accent in her talk even though a good deal of it developed over the past half-century.

Francis was the same age as Katie but much taller at five feet eight inches who liked to dress stylish, complete with elegant gold jewelry, extravagant perfume and trips to an upscale salon to make sure she looked her best. She was blonde and attractive with huge breasts and in her younger days boys constantly chased after her like wolves chasing sheep for she had an addicting sex appeal and was known to occasionally let herself be devoured when she found one of the wolves desirable. That burning desire stayed with her and she developed a keen sense of humor that was usually of a sexual nature and sometimes shocked the Coven but always made everybody laugh. Her late husband, Phil, developed a drinking problem and unfortunately was killed in a horrible accident twenty-four years earlier, and like Katie, never remarried.

Howdy, howdy! Betty Jane cheerfully greeted them.

Stepping into the house, Francis remarked, Howdy yerself and Happy Beltane! and gave Betty Jane a warm hug.

Katie followed Francis and gave Betty Jane a very strong hug and a kiss on the cheek, and cheerfully said, Happy Beltane, sweetie!

Just put your dishes on the table, I’ve got the meatloaf in the oven, Betty Jane told them.

Francis and Katie placed their containers on the kitchen table, and while continually taking in deep breaths, Katie said with delight, Umm, I love the way your house smells.

Yeah, smells good and witchy! Francis said with a chuckle.

Pretty soon you’ll be smellin’ the meatloaf and you’ll forget all about my incense, Betty Jane joked.

The doorbell rang again. There’s the rest of the crew! Betty Jane cheerfully said, knowing who it was.

At the door this time were two sisters, Doris McKenzie and Edna Mason, born and raised in Fort Worth, with Doris holding their dish of Caesar salad and Edna holding a covered bowl of freshly-made pinto beans. Doris was the older of the two at seventy-eight and had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for the past two decades and depended completely on her younger sister and the Coven to take care of her. She was very thin and frail, gray-headed and always seemed to have a friendly smile on her face, but her eyes held a distant, mystified look, one that revealed she wasn’t in her right mind, and even though her medications helped to keep her vivacious, needed constant supervision.

She began having health issues just before her late husband, Lester, was electrocuted in a freak accident, and fortunately Edna managed to keep her out of a nursing home. Her mind had diminished to the point of no longer being able to comprehend who everyone was and thought of Edna as ‘the nice lady’, Betty Jane as ‘the nice lady with cookies’, Katie as ‘the nice little girl’ and Francis as ‘the nice lady with big milkbags’, though none of the other witches actually knew what she might be thinking or what she might say.

Edna was four years younger than Doris, plump, meek, jovial, and like her sister, had the same gray hair, cut short and styled with a permanent that made it easier to maintain. She suffered from depression and paranoia and took a variety of medications including anti- depressants which made her sometimes jolly and sometimes gloomy, and often depended on the Coven to help her make decisions including ones related to Doris. She would often amuse herself in her mind as a way of dealing with mental stress for she was too timorous to reveal any thoughts that could cause confrontation with the other witches, but could openly express her opinions to Doris when they were alone and nobody else could hear.

Her late husband, Tom, was also killed in the same crazy accident that killed Lester one fateful July day, but with the help of the Coven, managed to move her sister in with her and the two siblings have lived happily together ever since. From the time they were little girls Edna called Doris ‘Sissy’, and Doris called Edna ‘Sis’, and they continued with these names until Doris could no longer identify Edna as her sister.

C’mon in, girls, Betty Jane greeted as each sister gave her a hug, and took the salad dish Doris handed her.

It’s been so hot lately we almost stayed home, but we’re not gonna miss Beltane! Edna responded.

Nope, we need y’all here, Betty Jane replied.

Looking at Edna as she entered the living room, Francis remarked, It has been hot! So hot it makes ya wanna run around naked! and giggled which made the other witches giggle, too.

Even Doris giggled, uncertain what the joke was but because everyone else giggled knew she also needed to laugh. She sat on the sofa with Francis and Katie and on the coffee table was a platter of chocolate chip cookies which she immediately picked one up and began munching. Katie had already eaten one cookie and now that Doris was here felt free to pick up another one. Edna took a seat in an old recliner beside the sofa, joyfully watching her sister chomping away on Betty Jane’s confectionery.

Betty Jane placed the salad dish with the other dishes and flicked on the blender that contained ice, strawberries and tequila, and with Francis helping her prepare the cocktails, commented, I hope the heat doesn’t damage our flowers like it did last year.

So what if it does? Who cares? Jist pull ’em out and throw ’em away. Here today and gone tomorrow, jist like my dear old Phil, God rest his soul, Francis said, glancing at Katie and grinning playfully.

Betty Jane laughed a weak laugh while Katie grinned, winked at Francis and reached for another cookie. Edna just smiled and said, The weatherman said there wuz a thirty percent chance of rain later on today!

You know what that means, Katie commented. There’s a seventy percent chance it won’t!

We’ll deal with whatever Mother thinks we should have, Betty Jane asserted.

With four glasses filled with strawberry margaritas and one glass full of white grape juice mixed with strawberries for Doris, Betty Jane reached into an old, red, metal canister with ‘SUGAR’ painted on it in white letters. She removed a pinch of sugar, as much as her forefinger and thumb could pick up, and sprinkled it over the top of the drinks, then Francis poured a small amount of 151 rum on top of the sugar. Using Betty Jane’s barbecue lighter, she lit the rum to produce a flaming cocktail, placed all five glasses on a platter and took them into the living room where each witch carefully picked one up.

With the blazing drinks in their right hand, they held them high in the air and Betty Jane toasted, Here’s to the Z Club! Sláinte!

The other four witches followed with a shout of, Here, here. Sláinte! and blew out the fire. They cautiously felt the rim of their glasses to make sure they wouldn’t burn their lips, and once satisfied it was safe to drink, took a big gulp.

It was their custom to begin each meeting with the tasty drink, for it not only lightened the mood but was good for their health. Betty Jane had taught them strawberries were good for their diet and tequila contains probiotics to help maintain a healthy immune system, and with both of them being products of Mother’s nature, a strawberry margarita was a wise choice for witches to enjoy. The sugar would make the day pure, sweet and happy, while the fire was a reminder that if you betray the Coven you will be burned.

Years earlier Betty Jane advised to give Doris a virgin margarita using white grape juice, just in case tequila might have an ill effect on her medications. They never told her about the change and Doris never noticed the difference as long as a few drops of rum could be tasted.

As the witches took a seat and continued to sip their drinks, Betty Jane casually asked, Anything new with anybody?

Francis perked up excitedly and said, I’ve gotta tell y’all ’bout my new yard man! His name is Benny, and boy is he a looker! He looks a lot like Paul Newman with those baby blue eyes!

How’d ya find ’im? asked Edna.

Well, he jist knocked on my door last Saturday and asked if I had any yardwork he could do. He looked really clean and nice so I let ’im clean my front flowerbeds jist to see if he’s any good. He did a really good job so he’s comin’ back Friday to clean my back yard flowerbeds, Francis answered.

Just out of curiosity, how old is this guy? Betty Jane asked with an eyebrow raised.

Oh, I guess he’s in his late-forties or so. Jist a little down on his luck right now and needin’ some work, Francis innocently replied.

Uh-huh, Edna responded teasingly.

I watched ’im work on his hands and knees through the curtains without ’im knowin’ I wuz watchin’! Francis bragged with a devilish grin.

With a questionable look on her face, Katie asked, Good god, Sister, did that give ya some kind of cheap thrill?

Francis looked at Katie, grinned and replied, It wuz better than cheap, it wuz free!

The witches burst into laughter, the best laugh of the day so far. With a cookie in her right hand, Doris laughed, then cupped her left hand, placed it next to her mouth, looked up at the ceiling and let out, Ah-ooooo! trying to mimic a wolf’s howl and causing the ladies to laugh even more as they understood why she would do such a thing.

Francis, Francis, you’re gonna get yourself in trouble, Betty Jane warned.

I certainly hope so! Francis joked.

As the witches laughed, Katie responded, Have you forgotten, Sister, we’re just a bunch of old fuddy-duddies!

Let me tell ya somethin’ honey, I may be old but I can still dance! Francis joked.

I don’t think dancin’ is what yer thinkin’ about! Edna kidded.

The witches laughed again, and with a precarious look in her eyes, Betty Jane told Francis, Keep me updated, I wanna keep an eye on you, young lady.

Only Francis knew why Betty Jane was giving her such a look. It was a little secret between the two of them and in an effort to ease Betty Jane’s mind, Francis said, Don’t worry ’bout me, I’m jist foolin’ with y’all.

Then Francis eyes lit up with excitement again and she teasingly took out of her purse a paper bag that was folded shut. Wait till y’all see what gift I brought Mother today! she taunted.

Eager to hear what Francis brought, Katie asked, What’s in there?

Francis smirked, and replied, You’ll see!

With her curiosity highly aroused, Katie pleaded, Aw c’mon, can’t ya give me a little hint?

Francis maintained her smirk, and coyly answered, Course not!

Being on Francis’ left, Katie thought she heard something different, and with a disgusted look, responded, Horse snot! You brought horse snot?

The Coven burst into laughter and Francis slowly repeated, Of…course…not!

Oh, Katie replied, happy she had said something to make the Coven laugh.

As the laughter died down and their drinks finished, Betty Jane announced, That bein’ said, let’s proceed to the den.

The witches followed Betty Jane, purses in hand, down a hallway where she opened a clothes closet, took out a wooden hanger that was holding a long, cardinal red, polyester robe with a hood and lined with black satin, and with the help of Francis, put it on over her clothes and tied a gold-colored rope around the waist. Each of the other witches took out their personal robes, which were identical except black in color with purple lining and a red-colored rope, slipped them on and followed Betty Jane into the den.

In the middle of the den was an old, oak, round table that once belonged to Homer’s grandfather, still in pristine condition. Betty Jane had covered the table with a white sheet, not wanting to damage Homer’s table in any way. In the middle of the table was a black, antique, cast-iron cooking pot which had Betty Jane’s incense mixture already burning and sending smoke into the air, filling the room with its exotic fragrance, and beside the pot were five silver pewter candle holders, each with one large, dark green pillar candle sitting atop and already lit, providing the only light in the room as the curtains on the window were closed. Surrounding the pot were five three-foot long branches from the oak tree, all neatly trimmed and placed in the form of a pentagram bordering the table, and at each apex waited a nicely padded folding chair that showed signs of usage over many years.

Each witch stood at her designated position of the pentagram with Betty Jane standing at the top apex, Edna to her right, Doris to Edna’s right, Katie to Doris’ right and Francis to Katie’s right, all focused on Betty Jane and waiting for her commands. Placed on the table in front of Betty Jane were five sandwich bags tightly zipped closed as they contained the zinnia seeds, a shot glass filled with 151 rum, a barbecue lighter and the Mason jar partially filled with dew. A large eagle feather in near perfect condition and an old, faded, turquoise bandana were placed neatly beside the jar.

Betty Jane folded the bandana and tied it around her forehead and pulled her robe’s hood up over her head. Francis picked up the eagle feather and inserted the shaft into a specially-made slot that had been sewn in the back of the hood, giving Betty Jane the appearance of an old Indian squaw, with feather sticking up and ready to conduct a pow-wow. The witches followed, pulling their hoods over their heads and the meeting was ready to begin.

Now prepared, Betty Jane held her hands out to her side and announced, Sisters, let us connect.

The witches joined hands, with Betty Jane holding her right hand on top of Edna’s left hand, Edna’s right hand on top of Doris’ left hand, Doris’ right on top of Katie’s left, and Katie’s right on top of Francis’ left who completed the connection with her right hand on top of Betty Jane’s left hand.

The Sisters bowed their heads and closed their eyes as Betty Jane looked up to the sky and began, Mother, Queen of the Divine, this Coven is gathered here to honor Your glory and on this Beltane please accept our gifts, as we strive to please You. We stand here, proud and strong, only because of the guidance You have shown us, and today we will celebrate the beginnin’ of the fertile season that only Your powers can provide. In Your name we pray, amen.

The Sisters responded, Amen, raised their heads and let go of each other’s hands.

They held their hands in front of themselves, clapped them together one time and turned their palms upwards thus opening the Circle, and then were allowed to sit. Doris had to be shown what to do by Edna and knew the next hour would be spent sitting bored and restless, but if she did what Edna told her to do then there would be good food and more cookies afterwards.

I hereby declare this Circle is open! Betty Jane announced, and the meeting began.

With a glowing smile, Betty Jane picked up the sandwich bags, and said, Sisters, I have your seeds ready, and passed four bags to Edna who took one and passed the rest to Doris who seemed to think they were all for her but Edna politely took two from her and passed them to Katie who passed the last one to Francis.

Now that all the zinnia seeds were distributed, Betty Jane held up her jar of dew and cheerfully announced, Let us offer our gifts to Mother, and as you can see, I had the good luck of retrievin’ some mornin’ dew! She gazed at the dew as though it were made of gold and proceeded, This dew came from my yard this very mornin’! Isn’t it lovely? So pure, and full of magick!

She passed the jar to Edna, who examined the liquid as if really interested, and simply commented, It’s beautiful, hun!

Edna passed it to Doris, who put her nose inside the jar and took a whiff, and not noticing anything unusual about it, smiled approvingly as Edna passed it to Katie.

Looking closely through her glasses, Katie seemed greatly impressed, after all, this was a gift from the Priestess, and she remarked, Mother will love this for sure, Miss Betty!

As Francis took the jar, she swirled it around and said, What a jewel! I rarely git to see dew. I don’t git up early enough!

The Coven chuckled, and as Francis set the jar on the table, Betty Jane looked at Edna and asked, Sister Edna, what have you brought for Mother today?

Edna removed a small paper bag from her purse and pulled out a large, white flower, held it up and said. I brought this flower from my magnolia tree. It smells so sweet, I know Mother will like it!

She handed the flower to Doris, who smelled it, raised her eyebrows with delight, and simply responded, Yeah!

She handed it to Katie who took the flower and also smelled it, then remarked, Mmmm, it is kinda sweet.

Francis pretended to take a big sniff of the flower, and with a pleased grin joked, Ooh, I wish I had some bubble bath that smelled like this and a tubful of dew!

She handed the flower to Betty Jane, who took more time admiring it before smelling it, and praised, It’s almost like smellin’ Mother herself, sweet and natural. She set the flower on the table in front of Edna, and told her, Good job, Sister!

Betty Jane looked at Doris who was eagerly looking at her and anxious to show her gift. Sister Doris, are ya ready to reveal your gift, my love? she tenderly asked.

Yeah! Doris replied, and excitedly took out of a paper bag a peach pit with some of the peach still attached. It was very obvious that the peach had been eaten that same morning which brought a smile to the other witches, but it didn’t matter. Doris glanced at Edna who nodded her approval, and with a big smile, Doris held the pit up and said, I brought a peach! and merrily handed the still sticky pit to Katie.

As usual, Doris was treated with the most love and understanding from the Coven, and Katie gawked at the pit as if it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, and appearing elated, remarked, Wow! Sister Doris, this is so beautiful!

Doris smiled, flattered with Katie’s remarks, and liked to think her gift was the best, and the Coven always made sure that it was. Katie carefully handed the pit to Francis who studied it for a few seconds then gleefully added, Yes, Mother will appreciate this and be happy today!

Betty Jane took the pit and held it close to her eyes for a moment, then, with Doris eagerly waiting for her response, proclaimed, Sister Doris, you’ve done it again! Mother will take this pit and plant it into the earth for a new tree, and we’ll all enjoy it! Great job, hun! and continued to smile an extra affectionate beam to Doris who recognized the loving passion Betty Jane had for her.

Edna seemed a bit amused by Doris’ gift, but nonetheless, pretended to love it, set it on the table in front of Doris and told her, Good girl, Sissy!

Okay, Sister Katie. What did you bring today? Betty Jane asked.

Pulling out of her purse a napkin, and grinning mischievously, Katie revealed a small briquette of used charcoal, held it up as if it was very important and said, Last night I splurged and cooked a filet mignon on the grill. The charcoal made it so delicious that I decided to share some with Mother and maybe She can enjoy a meal flavored with it.

Francis took the briquette from Katie, smelled it and sarcastically said, Mmm, I might use it to cook my next boyfriend and maybe he’ll taste better than the last one! The Coven giggled, with Katie laughing the hardest.

Betty Jane, still snickering, took the charcoal, smelled it and beamed, I think Mother will be pleased to receive one of Her own creations, especially with the scent of a good steak still on it! And with a giggle, added, Good job, Sister Katie!

Leaning back in her chair, Betty Jane exhaled a breath of excitement, knowing the Coven was dying to see what Francis had brought. And now, it’s your turn, Sister Francis.

With all eyes open with anticipation of something astonishing, Francis raised her paper bag and held it in front of her, smiling grandly as she slowly reached inside. I went outside and found this on my patio yesterday, she gloated.

She stood up and meticulously pulled out the head of a snakeskin that had been shed and continued to slowly pull it out of the bag until a three-foot long sheath was revealed. Each witch gasped with delight and marveled at the size and condition of the skin. Francis held it with both hands as if holding a newborn baby and relished the sight of the Coven gawking at such a splendid gift on Beltane.

What better gift for Beltane than a freshly shed snakeskin, the sign of a new beginnin’! she proudly boasted.

Betty Jane stood up as Francis delicately handed the skin to her. Studying it closely from head to tail, she could see through the light gray, transparent membrane that only a day earlier had covered the body of a live snake as it slithered through Francis’ yard in search of a meal. Observing the pattern of the scales and shape of the head, she revealed, I believe it’s a bull snake. I can feel the energy and power left by this divine creature! This is a glorious sign and Mother is gonna be so pleased! Great job, Sister Francis!

Edna stood up for the skin to be passed to her, but Betty Jane warned, Now be extra careful, Sister, it’s easily broken.

Edna held out her hands nervously, as she and Doris were both afraid of snakes, but convinced they possessed magickal powers forced herself to accept the skin as Betty Jane cautiously laid it across her palms. Trying to sound impressed, Edna managed to utter, It’s very beautiful, and thought about handing it to Doris but could see she was terrified of what was once a snake and quickly handed it to Katie.

With the snakeskin in her hands, Katie’s face lit up with the thrill of getting to hold the prized gift and believed she was feeling something sacred for a witch. Her eyes filled with awe as she scrutinized every inch, and for a moment closed her eyes and let the powers of the snakeskin saturate her soul and transfer its energy into her.

She opened her eyes and joyously exulted, I can feel it! I can feel its energy enterin’ my body!

Francis looked at Katie, pleased with her reaction, and told her, Don’t git too attached to it. Ya can’t take it home and sleep with it. It’s ‘my’ gift!

Feeling gratified, Katie handed the skin back to Francis who gently laid it on the table in front of her, satisfied she had exhilarated the Coven. She knew her gift was the best one today and believed Mother would bless her more than the other witches and allow her provocative thoughts to be tolerated without any threat of being chastised.

Pleased with her Coven’s gifts, Betty Jane cheerfully announced, You have done well today, Sisters! Bequeath your offerings and prepare for transmission!

Edna placed her magnolia flower inside the cauldron on top of the smoldering incense and motioned for Doris to do the same. Doris instinctively set her peach pit on top of the flower and looked at Edna for approval which she received with Edna praising, Good girl!

Katie deposited her briquette beside the pit, certain Mother would soon enjoy the tasty aroma her filet mignon left behind. All eyes focused intensely as Francis picked up her snakeskin by the tail with one hand and slowly lowered it inside the cauldron using the other hand to coil the fragile, dried membrane until it was completely out of sight and positioned properly for its sacred journey.

Betty Jane stood up, looked into the heavens with her eyes radiant with bliss and her face glowing with adoration, and beseeched, Our Coven has contributed gifts of the earth for Your pleasure, includin’ one of great spiritual significance. Please accept this sacrifice knowin’ it comes from our hearts, for it is You and Your Kingdom that has made this day glorious.

She then picked up the shot glass of 151 rum and gradually emptied it into the cauldron, making sure to spread the liquid evenly over the contents. She took the barbecue lighter, clicked on a medium-sized flame and touched it to the freshly poured rum which erupted into red and blue flames flailing wildly out the top of the cauldron. A light crackling sound echoed as the snakeskin began to crumble into ashes and sending a grayish smoke rising up among the flames.

She picked up her jar of dew, held it up and affirmed, You have given us the mornin’ dew and now we bless our gifts with it knowin’ You will be pleased!

She poured the dew over the flames extinguishing the fire, and the smoke became thicker and darker, rising upward and carrying the essence of their gifts to their Creator. She breathed in a deep breath, and blew the smoke, causing it to swirl. The other witches began to blow and enjoyed seeing the smoke dance around as it exited the cauldron, as if playing a game of good- bye before leaving for eternity with Mother.

As the smoke rose away from the table and hovered near the ceiling, Betty Jane called out, Happy Beltane, Mother! Hallelujah!

Watching the smoke ascend, Francis, Katie, and Edna gleefully followed with shouts of, Hallelujah! and, Happy Beltane!

This was Doris’ favorite part, for she could lay back, laugh, cheer and shout, Hallelujah! as much as she wanted and feel she was a part of the ceremony.

With traces of the smoke still lingering in the room, Betty Jane extended her hands to her sides, signaling the witches to connect. With all of them hand in hand, she instructed, Sisters, give your thanks to Mother on this Beltane, and pray Sister Francis’ gift will bring us a splendid season ahead! Witches, begin!

It was a custom Betty Jane had taught the Coven the very first time they gathered together and for ten minutes each witch had to meditate about something positive and blissful that would create a loving flow and channel into each other, leaving all of them content, uplifted and with a good karma. It provided comfort, and a distinctive energy developed between them over the years that strengthed their friendship and fortified their loyalty to Mother, and this Coven of witches was able to survive what many witches could not. Each of them could silently say anything they wanted without being judged or ridiculed by the others and on this day they needed to thank Mother for one more Beltane they could celebrate together.

As they closed their eyes, Edna began nervously thinking, Oh gosh, of all things, a goddamn snake! Mother, please let that be a good sign ’cause Ya know how much me and Sissy hate snakes, even their skin, but Miss Betty sez it’s a good sign and she’s way smarter than me! Anyway, thank You for helpin’ take care of Sissy, and no matter what, I’ll always love Ya, snake or no snake! Hahaha!

Her feelings of love for Mother flowed into Doris who kept her eyes open while watching the other witches and hoping the meeting will be over soon. All she could think was, Here’s the part where we gotta hold hands for a long time while everybody sleeps. I’m startin’ to git tired, but if I don’t act right then the nice lady’s gonna yell at me! No positive energy was added to the flow from Doris, and it gushed straight through her unchanged and into Katie.

As always, Katie received Edna’s flow and knew she had to concentrate hard so the Coven would receive her sentiments more than anyone else. Deep inside, she feared the other witches were becoming soft and would hesitate to take action should something atrocious invade their tightly bonded society and it was up to her to add a touch of wickedness to the flow as she excitedly thought, Wow! Sister Francis found a snakeskin, Mother! Somethin’ good’s comin’ ’er way, the lucky dog! Damn, I wish I would’ve found it and somethin’ good would come my way, somethin’ that’s gonna need killin’! Hahaha! I gotta tell Ya, Mother, that snakeskin told me to get ready, I could feel it! It’s been a long time since we’ve had any fun, but I think it’s on the way, thanks to You. That’s one of the things I love about You, Mother, You always keep us entertained!

All Francis could feel was the glory of finding the best gift for Beltane and could tell the other witches were envious of her rare find. Even after receiving Edna and Katie’s flow, all she could do was wallow in her own splendor and ignore any other perceptions as she wondered what was ahead in her future as a reward for giving such a powerful gift, and thought, Mother, did Ya see the look on their faces when I pulled out the snakeskin? I showed ’em today! Thank You for lettin’ me find it, and one more thing, Mother, I’ve been awful good for a long time now. Maybe it’s time for somethin’ special to come into my life, You know what I mean.

Betty Jane normally would be ecstatic with a snakeskin, especially on Beltane, but as she received the flow from Edna, Katie and Francis, a slight glitch could be detected that deviated from their normal custom of meditating and sensed another attempt of Satan to infest these elderly witches, thinking they were too old to go to battle. She tried to disregard the notion as being nothing more than suspicion, but her gut instinct as Priestess told her to keep a close watch on her Coven as she diligently thought, Oh Mother, I pray to You to please let that snakeskin bring us joy and not misery. There’s somethin’ not right with the flow today and I’m pretty sure it’s comin’ from Sister Francis. She’s weak and needs guidance, and I pray for Your assistance to lead her in the right direction, and if that means ‘me’ to take command of her, then so be it. I know You’ll make the right decision, just like You always have, and I thank You on this Beltane.

After nearly ten minutes it was time to end their reflecting, and even though Betty Jane didn’t receive the kind of vibes from the other witches she had hoped for, she calmly called out, Síochán leat!

They opened their eyes and released their hands, and knowing it was time to end the meeting, Betty Jane casually asked, Is anybody hungry?

Francis, Katie and Edna quickly held up their hands and Doris figured she better do the same thing, bringing a smile to Betty Jane. They were always glad to end the meeting early on a Sabbat, as good food was waiting, even better than Luby’s.

Wearily, Betty Jane stood up and announced, Sisters, connect!

Gladly, the witches stood up and connected hands around the Circle, and Betty Jane again looked to the heavens and with the same vigor of the past fifty-two years, affirmed, By the power and glory of our Almighty Mother, I hereby declare this Circle is closed! Amen!

Together the Sisters followed with, Amen! They let go of their hands, clapped them one time and turned their palms down, and the Circle was closed.

It was always Doris’ job to blow out the candle. For whatever reason she enjoyed it and looked at the other witches as if she had completed a job well done. They filed out of the den, more inspired than when they entered, and helped each other remove their robes and neatly placed them back on a hanger in the hallway closet.

I can smell yer meatloaf! Edna cheerfully told Betty Jane. I’m starvin’ for some homemade vittles! Francis commented.

But before eating, the Coven had to plant the seeds and the Sisters followed Betty Jane out the back door to the patio. On a cast-iron patio table were twenty-five two-inch peat pots, a bag of potting mix and a plastic half-gallon watering can with a spout and nozzle. The witches gathered around the table, and like an assembly line, took turns carefully pouring out the potting mix into the peat pots before taking out their baggies with the zinnia seeds. Each baggie contained five seeds and each witch would take out one seed at a time and poke it one-half inch down into the rich potting soil and cover the seed with more soil.

Edna had to make sure Doris planted her seeds just right, and when she did, all the other witches praised her with compliments and Doris would grin happily with a sense of achieving something important. But as she planted her last seed, a slight sound was heard coming from her rear end and a naughty smile crossed her face, followed by her playfully mumbling, Uh-oh!

Edna looked at her suspiciously and asked, Sissy, did you jist poot?

Doris giggled then grinned proudly, thinking her gaseous emission was funny and replied, Yeah!

Excuse you! Edna snickered, and the witches giggled out of respect for Doris.

Once all twenty-five seeds were planted, the watering can was passed around and each peat pot was gently watered just enough to make the soil good and damp. Since there was a chance of a storm later that day, Betty Jane wanted to leave the freshly planted seeds on the patio where they would be protected should a hard rain happen to fall. She could plant them the next day easily as the flowerbed was already prepared, and enjoyed the solitude where only Homer and Rosie could be with her and make her laugh.

The entire process only took about twenty minutes, a far cry from when they first began planting flowers years ago and got down on their hands and knees and dug holes in the ground so they could plant seeds in all of their flowerbeds at home. Then it was more fun, but over time the witches lost interest in digging and getting dirty, except Betty Jane, and now they only planted seeds in the yard of their Priestess. Zinnias were her hobby, taught to her by her mother, and she maintained that love of gardening just as she maintained her love for the Coven.

Satisfied all the seeds were properly planted and knowing the other witches were eager to go back inside where it was cool, Betty Jane gushed, Well done, Sisters! Now, let’s go in and enjoy our feast!

As she pulled out her savory meatloaf from the oven, Francis, Katie and Edna prepared the kitchen table with two chairs on each side and one chair at the head with all their dishes of food placed in the middle. With Katie and Francis seated on one side, Edna and Doris on the other and Betty Jane seated at the head, they all bowed their heads and Betty Jane prayed, For all we are, for all we have, we thank You, Mother! Amen!

The Sisters responded, Amen!

Betty Jane raised her head and merrily commanded, Okay Sisters, dig in!

Like so many times in the past, the Sisters passed the food around and stuffed themselves. They complimented each other on their culinary skills even though they had tasted the same recipes scores of times before, but Doris acted as though this was her first time to chow down on such a succulent feast and continuously devoured the goodies while everyone else talked.

When through, Francis, Katie and Edna helped to clean the dishes and made sure the kitchen was spic and span before they left, and as always, divided up the leftovers so each would have a little snack later that night and be thankful to have it, thankful on this Beltane, and thankful they were able to celebrate one more time with each other.

With the seeds planted and their stomachs full, it was time for a good-bye hug and kiss, and the Sisters went home, leaving their Priestess to take a much needed snooze in her recliner. Later, when the moon was out and the temperature cooler, she would bury the Coven’s gifts in the hole she dug the previous day and Mother would bless her flowerbed with zinnias more beautiful than the year before.

She carefully removed her eagle feather and placed it back in its display case on the fireplace mantel and eased herself into her recliner. Just before dozing off, she looked at Homer’s urn with heavy eyes and softly uttered, Happy Beltane, sweetheart, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

After resting a couple of hours, she awoke and could hear the wind starting to blow. She glanced out the window and could see dark clouds moving in rapidly and wanted to transfer the Coven’s offerings into her garden before it started to rain. She retrieved the cauldron from the den and carried it outside expecting to complete the process in less than five minutes, but the wind had increased in intensity, blowing her hair wildly and she struggled as she walked, careful to hold the cauldron tightly with both hands.

She would need to hurry before the storm hit and began walking swiftly to the hole but a strong gust of wind emerged suddenly and the force nearly knocked her down. Straining to keep her feet, the gust became stronger and stronger making the limbs of her oak tree sway and crack as if starting to break.

A huge explosion of thunder erupted and lightning flashes discharged dangerously close accompanied with one more violent flurry of wind, stronger than before and howling as if sent from Satan Himself, and Betty Jane knew she better get inside the house where it was safe. Leaves, dirt and debris were flying in the air, limbs snapped off her tree and with each step she fought with all her might to keep from being blown to the ground. Big drops of rain began falling and quickly turned into pea-sized hail that stung Betty Jane’s fragile body like a swarm of hornets but she gritted her teeth and fiercely battled her way back inside, relieved to have escaped without serious injury.

She stumbled to a kitchen chair laboring to catch her breath and watched the hail grow to the size of golf ball chunks of ice, ripping the leaves from her oak tree and pounding the roof as if Satan was dropping bricks from the sky above. The loud pop of windows being struck by the frozen rain frightened her as she feared the storm would enter the house and destroy her precious home, the home she had lived with Homer. She worried a tornado was coming and for a brief moment wondered if this was the end and soon she would be united with Homer.

After several minutes, the hail stopped and only a light rain fell. The wind diminished to a paltry breeze and Betty Jane knew the brief hailstorm was over. The yard was covered with white orbs of hail, looking as if a heavy snow had just fallen. Leaves and tree branches were strung about everywhere with numerous shingles ripped from the roof as if a monstrous demon was trying to claw his way into her house and devour the blood of an old witch.

Just another stormy day in Texas, she thought, but it was a real ripsnorter! She survived, and everything damaged could be repaired, and with the weather starting to settle, glanced down at the cauldron she was still holding. It was empty! While she was in the yard the wind had sucked all the contents out, keeping the offerings for its own and never returning them.

Angered with the loss, she set the cauldron on the kitchen table, stood up like a Celtic warrior ready for a fight, and in a fit of rage shouted, Damn you, Satan! You’ve stolen our gifts to Mother!

The prized snakeskin’s ashes were gone, and she worried it was an omen. Satan was about to invade the Coven disguised as a snake and she needed to use her powers as Priestess to protect the only family she had.

She paused, panting from her fiery outburst. Then her eyes narrowed with a fiendish glow and she grinned wickedly, and composing herself as the Priestess she was, huffed a warning to the dark force who had just attacked her, You’ve messed with this Coven before…and remember what happened?

2

Benny Campbell wasn’t an early riser. At nine-thirty in the morning he was still in bed sleeping when he was awakened by the movements of another body. As he opened his eyes he could see his girlfriend, Maria, get out of the bed they shared and walk naked to the kitchen. He liked watching the tall, slender, dark-skinned Latina with her long, black hair falling down to the middle of her back, and felt lucky to have her, especially since she waited on him hand and foot. She had a cheap tattoo of a Playboy Bunny on her left breast and proudly displayed it whenever Benny took her out on the town as she thought it made her look chic and sexy, and Benny loved to see other men looking at it, drooling and wishing they were walking in his boots.

Maria was from Mexico’s eastern coastal town of Tampico and was twice divorced with two kids who lived with their father back in Mexico. In her mid-thirties, she ran away to the United States after her husband had beaten her when he caught her cheating with another man, so she stole his favorite turquoise and silver ring, rode a bus to the New Mexico border and late one night slipped into the land of the free. With very little money, she rode a bus to Fort Worth where she moved in with one of her cousins, her husband and their five kids.

With no papers, she had to be careful not to be arrested or she would be deported back to an abusive husband, and within a few weeks found a job working in a tiny tacqueria for bare minimum wages. She bought an old, beat-up, maroon Camaro and had to make a sixty dollar payment on it every two weeks just so she could drive back and forth to work. The car’s ignition was broke and would start without using a key so she had to keep it locked at all times so nobody would steal it. Hanging from the rearview mirror was a rosary with beads and a cross made of wood that was given to her by her parents when she turned fifteen and celebrated La Quinceañera, and Maria believed she would be protected from Satan as long as she had that rosary.

Her dream was to make a lot of money in the United States and go back to Mexico where she could live comfortably on the beach and never have to work again. She figured a couple hundred thousand dollars would be enough and the only way to get that much money was to find a gringo somewhere, someone she could manipulate with her sexual prowess and make do whatever she wanted to get that money.

Six months later she met Benny who was infatuated right away with the sexy señorita and filled her with stories of how he was going to be rich one day by using his landscaping skills. Benny was a good talker and had Maria convinced he would start his own business, then sell it for a nice profit and the two of them could retire in Mexico, simple and easy. Soon, the two became lovers and moved into a small, cheap apartment together while he scrounged for work in a nearby neighborhood that was filled with wealthy retirees.

Money was tight but Benny assured Maria it wouldn’t take long and in a few years they would be leaving the hustle and bustle of America for fun in the sun on the beaches of Mexico. To show her devotion of love for Benny and keep him from straying away, Maria gave him the silver ring, telling him that her grandfather had given her the precious piece of jewelry while on his death bed and he had better wear it till death do they part!

Benny stayed in bed thinking, and waited for Maria to bring him his morning cup of coffee and his blood pressure pills which he had to take daily. At forty-seven years of age he had just been released from a federal prison in Fort Worth only three months earlier where he served a five year sentence for smuggling illegal aliens from Mexico into the United States. It was the second time he was sent to prison as being a coyote was his business and he chose making fast, easy money over working a regular job. It was risky, but the money was good and all he had to do was lead some poor souls into the country after taking all their savings then leave them to find their own way to survive.

But a third conviction would put him behind bars for a very long time and he had to find another way of making a living, and he had to be careful not to let his parole officer know about sweet, sexy, illegal Maria. In prison he was assigned to work in landscaping and learned how to mow the grass, trim the shrubs and work the flowerbeds on the prison grounds and thought he could find a few rich homeowners in the area and eventually build a big clientele with his keen ability to exploit people.

As Maria brought him his coffee, Benny propped himself up on two pillows, still not ready to get out of bed. His high blood pressure and his medication made him dizzy if he stood up quickly so he routinely drank his coffee in bed before slowly getting up. While Maria was in the bathroom getting ready to go to work, he started thinking about his plans for the day. He had to work as a condition of his parole and his parole officer was keeping tabs on him making sure he didn’t go back to his old profession. Work had been hard to find and Benny only managed to make a few bucks doing yard work for some homeowners, but it wasn’t near enough and the Texas heat was brutal.

He started thinking about his latest customer, Francis Taylor. Four days ago he had knocked on her door and asked if she had any yardwork he could do while in the neighborhood. She let him clean her front yard flowerbeds and out of the corner of his eye noticed she was peeking through the curtains and watching him work. While digging on his hands and knees he intentionally positioned himself to give Francis a good view of his rear end and took two hours to finish a thirty minute job.

When finished he asked for forty dollars but Francis gave him fifty and invited him to come back Friday and clean the back yard flowerbeds. He sensed something about her. She was lonely, classy and rich, and had eyes that seemed hungry for affection, and today he would return to her house to pursue what he hoped was an opportunity of one sort or another.

A week earlier he had spied Francis in a nearby grocery store and noticed how elegant she looked, nicely dressed, beautiful hair and wearing a gold necklace with a large ruby pendant dangling in her huge cleavage for everyone to admire. That necklace and all the rings on her fingers weren’t cheap costume jewelry and his interest in her intensified. He focused in on her left hand and noticed she wasn’t