One Last Spell

ONE LAST SPELL

 Betsy leaned heavily on her wooden cane. The large hump on her back made it hard to walk. The cold breeze of the autumn night gave her chills. Her old body would never grow accustomed to this chilly Chicago weather. 

 As she rounded the corner of the dark street, she pulled her shawl up over her head. The little house at the end of the street was her destination. 

 She saw a dim light glowing from the upstairs bedroom window. She sighed and shook her head. She knew she had no choice but to do this. 

  Julie and Stephanie watched the old woman from underneath an old oak tree across the street. 

 "I knew she would come for them," Julie said softly. 

 "Yeah, no shit," Stephanie snapped as she rolled her eyes. 

 The two young women grew silent as they watched the old woman climb the outside wall of the house with nearly no effort. Once she reached the bedroom window, she waved her hands and the window opened. The light from the full moon gave off an eerie glow, but it made it easier to keep an eye on Betsy's movements. 

 The women watched Betsy enter the house. 

 "We can't let her take them. We have to do something," Julie said in a near panic. 

 "Would you please stop your blabbering?! I can't focus with your mouth flapping in my ears! Don't you think I know all of this?! I saw the same vision you did!" Stephanie said angrily. 

"You know as well as I do that we can't even enter that yard. Betsy has a protection spell cast all around it," Stephanie continued. 

 Julie let out a gasp as Betsy exited the open window with a sleeping young child in each arm. 

 Betsy dropped from the second floor and glided to the ground. She took off running at a high speed into the darkness, trying to get to her old cottage as fast as she could. 

 Stephanie and Julie waited until she was far enough away so that the protection spell Betsy cast around herself and the children wouldn't affect them. 

 The two young women took off after Betsy, staying as close as they could without being seen or sensed. 

 Betsy's fast speed wasn't a real shock to them. They knew she only used the cane for show. 

 Once Betsy saw her cottage in the distance, she waved her hand to open her door. She quickly made her way inside and put the two children in the small, dark  dirt floor basement. 

 She knew Stephanie and Julie were coming for the children. She'd known they were there at the house before she even got there. 

 Betsy got to work quickly, her wrinkled hands measuring and mixing herbs. She quietly chanted the youth spell as she worked. 

Betsy's heart ached over her dilemma. She didn't want to do this to those innocent kids. She knew this spell was going to be painful for them. 

 She finished the foul smelling  potion and took it to the basement, still quietly chanting. 

 She lifted each child from the floor, into her tired arms. 

 As gently as she could, she poured the liquid down their throats. She didn't have to worry about either of them waking up during this. The temporary sleep spell she put on them would keep them asleep long enough for her spell to work. 

 Stephanie and Julie approached the dark cabin and stopped. 

 "This is going to hurt like hell, but we are going to have to go into that protection spell. There is no other way. She's already begun the spell," Stephanie said quickly. 

 "The protection spell is weaker now. She can't focus her energy on both spells at the same time. The youth spell is taking most of her energy. I think we can make it," Julie replied, frightened. 

 "Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?" Stephanie asked sarcastically. 

 The woman took off running to the cabin. Both let out wails of pain as the protection spell Betsy cast ran through their bodies. 

 Betsy heard the screams instantly. She was shocked they'd been stupid enough to run into her spell. 

 Just as she made her way to the basement door, both young women made it to the top of the stairs. 

 "Give us the children. You can't do this," Stephanie said darkly. 

 "Go fuck yourself," Betsy said calmly. 

 Stephanie laughed loudly. "For an old woman, you sure have a foul mouth." 

"I'll be sure to eat a bar of soap later." 

 "Do you think you can win against us? An old, dried up witch against two witches like us in their prime?" Stephanie said in a deathly tone. 

Just then Betsy heard a whimper from the floor of the dark basement. 

 All three women peered into the dark. 

"My spell has been cast. You can not stop it," Betsy said. 

 Both of the young witches watched in horror as the black, burned skin of the children turned back to a healthy pink. 

 Betsy started to lose all of her energy and fell to her knees. 

 "You fool!," Stephanie screamed. "We needed that youth! We've been waiting a long time to take it! Our spell was working! But you ruined it! We were already getting younger! We sat outside that stupid house soaking up their youth and then you came along and ruined it!!" 

 "Why would you sacrifice yourself for two brats?!," Julie asked. "You knew that youth spell would take all of yours and give it to these kids." 

 "I couldn't let you kill them. I couldn't let them die. Good must triumph over evil." 

 Stephanie and Julie knew it was too late to get the youth their bodies needed to stay alive. 

 The evil inside them would slowly kill them. The youth they needed to live was gone. They couldn't wait another year to try to get more.  It was too late. They would both die well before then. 

 They ran from the house and into the dark night. 

 Betsy felt her life slipping away. A single tear rolled down her wrinkled cheek. 

 She felt a small hand touch her face. 

 "Grandma, what's wrong? What's happening?" the young girl asked. 

 "All is well, my child. Get your brother and go on home to your mom. And please give her a message. Tell her I love her and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't have time to tell her. Tell her she will be safe with me gone. You all will be safe. My heart has one last spell to cast, it will protect you always. It's the love of a grandmother." 

 The little girl cried as Betsy took her final breath. 

 She took her brother's hand and led him out into the darkness.