The Real and Wicked Wethersfield Witches
by Leigh
Goff
I’d like to introduce
everyone to a little American witch history. The first American witch trials
took place in Wethersfield, Connecticut, a historic Puritan town near Hartford,
in the sixteen-sixties. During this time, the Puritan population of
Wethersfield was suffering from bouts of sickness and mental fits, for which
they blamed the devil, who was surely acting through powerful female vessels
who had succumbed to his evil charms.
Neighbors spied on one
another and casted blame on women like Rebecca Greensmith. In 1662, several
witnesses spied her dancing, drinking, and making merry in the woods with other
accused witches. Then a neighbor afflicted with fits of blasphemy accused
Rebecca of bewitching her. The Wethersfield witch hunts were followed by trials
presided over by the Reverend Increase Mather (his son, Cotton, grew up to be
just like dad and, a few decades later, had his own hands bloodied with the
Salem Witch Trials). Rebecca, who was not afraid to hide her wicked side,
admitted to having conversations with the devil, claiming to form a pact with
him, as well as colluding with other witches in the woods. Her shocking
confession along with, in the Reverend Mather's judgment, her lack of fear for
God, her familiarity with the devil, and her involvement in unnatural events,
was enough for him to condemn her to death by hanging.
The historical event left
me to wonder…what if Rebecca's story did not end there? After all, she admitted
to having an alliance with a powerful figure and she had a reputation for
hexing neighbors. Who is to say she did not have time to take her vengeance on
the Mather bloodline before the noose slipped over her neck?
This question along with
the Wethersfield history inspired my newly released YA fantasy,
Disenchanted, where Sophie Goodchild, my curious and
impetuous sixteen-year-old half-witch protagonist, is a modern-day descendant
of the aforementioned Rebecca Greensmith.
As Sophie struggles with
her emerging magic and deals with a group of full-blooded witch frenemies, her
impatience and curiosity lead her into trouble. She meets the mysterious
Alexavier Mather, a descendant of Increase Mather who had a hand in hanging
Sophie's ancestor at Gallows Hill. When he reveals his name, she immediately
hates him, but senses he is hiding a dark secret and there’s nothing Sophie
loves more than uncovering a good secret.
Danger finds her as she
delves into the mysteries from both their families’ pasts. Then she begins to
fall for the forbidden Alexavier who reveals that his bloodline is hexed with a
true love curse that could destroy them.
Alas, there is hope. If
Sophie can learn how to tap into the mysterious power of her blood-red diamond
charm and find an ancient book of dark spells, she might be able to disenchant
the Mather bloodline and save them both.
However, she must first
deal with the deadly threat that is Alexavier’s father, Judge Mather, and he
has a nasty secret of his own that will drive Sophie to make an impossible
choice, one from which she may never return…
EXCERPT
As the vision wore off,
the glass jar tumbled from my fingers and smashed into tiny shards against the
porcelain of the sink. I crumpled to the bathroom floor. The vision of
Elizabeth’s last night was her final message. I cradled my face in my hands. My
hatred for the judge was no different from Rebecca’s in its depth and darkness.
I hated that it was, but I was going to need it. It would carry me through the
ritual necessary to save Alexavier. I gripped the edge of the vanity and pulled
myself to standing.
I touched my hand to my
bloodcharm and dressed in the uniform then took a deep breath as I slid the
ceremonial black robe off its hanger and tied the satin belt around my waist. I
smoothed my hands against the front panels of fabric, feeling the cold silk
against my fingertips. An icy trickle of darkness, the same liquid black ice I
felt before listening to Judge Mather and Laney, traveled the length of my arm.
This time, I invited it
in.
I felt the darkness tame
my impetuous nature, allowing me to feed slowly on the hatred and control it.
The coldness flowed through my veins and to the lengths of each limb. The icy
darkness pooled in my chest and chilled my heart.
The change was beginning.
“Elizabeth, I hope you’re right about the magic in me being able to change
black hearts ’cause I’m going to need it for my own.”
The doorbell chimed,
startling me to a more alert state. “Hold on,” I shouted. I opened the duffel
bag and removed the knife and vial before tossing the robe in. I stuffed the
small items in my skirt pocket and carried the bag with me downstairs, setting
it in the foyer. I clenched my hands tightly together before opening the door.
“Cal? What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked to see him on my doorstep.
“I was worried about you,”
he said abruptly, entering the house and grabbing me by the hand.
“I don’t have time for
this right now. I have a meeting with my aunt tonight,” I implored impatiently.
“A meeting?” He noticed
the gray skirt and white shirt. “Not yet.” He led me to the kitchen and pulled
a chair out.
He studied me and
grimaced. “Sophie, I don’t know what’s going on, but I get the feeling you’re
in trouble.” Perhaps it was his connection to tribal magic, but beyond his
tough guy exterior, he was surprisingly intuitive.
“Cal, I’ll be fine. I’m a
little stressed and tired, that’s all.” I blinked, feeling a strange weight on
my lashes. I glanced at my hands, turning them over. My skin looked
luminescent. Flawless. I smacked my lips together, feeling their plumpness.
He scrunched his face up
as he eyed me. “Tired? You don’t look tired. Are you wearing makeup?”
I raced to the foyer
mirror, out of Cal’s view. My heart-shaped lips bloomed a blood red, my lashes
thickened and bowed upward like the arms of a goddess, a dewy glow radiated
from my flawless ivory complexion, and as I watched, the messy knot unrolled
down the length of my back into a wavy sea of glossy sable hair. My mouth fell
open.
“I wasn’t finished.” Cal
marched toward me. “Whoa. What is going on?”
I turned to him, having to
act like I normally did. “Nothing.”
His eyebrows arched.
“Something. Did you get a makeover in the last thirty-seconds?”
I gathered my silky hair
and draped the long smooth tresses over one shoulder. “I’m trying something
new. Don’t make fun.”
He shook his head,
stupefied. “Whatever. I came here to give you something.” He took a breath as
if to say something else, but he stopped. Our friendship had evolved and
deepened into a mutual love for each other; a love between friends, but
nonetheless sacred and forever.
I shook my hands at him.
“Cal, don’t. It’s not...”
He reached into the pocket
of his jeans and extracted a tangle of black leather string. Angst crossed his
bronzed brow. “I want you to wear this.”
I glanced at the object
resting in his open palm; a small wood carving attached to leather strands. The
amulet was the size of a postage stamp.
“It’s a talisman carved
from eucalyptus wood. It wards off evil spirits and will protect you.”
“Is this a white magic
token?” He smiled without explanation. “Cal, it’s incredibly thoughtful of you.
I love it. But I can’t take that.” I didn’t deserve to wear it at the moment,
not as the darkness spread through me like the poison Romeo drank, silencing
the warmth in my heart. My lips tingled. “Your mom wouldn’t like it.”
His lips twisted to the
side and his expression was one of rejection. “I think she would be okay if she
saw it on you.” He smiled, a hint of sadness seeped into the corners of his
mouth. “Here...” He took my hand and looped the leather around so the talisman
dangled delicately from my wrist. I could feel his gentle touch on my skin as
he secured it. He placed his large hands on my shoulders and looked at me.
“Promise you’ll be okay?”
A laugh cracked through my
stress. “Promise.” Cal’s sentiment was deeply appreciated. He never failed to
make me laugh, even as the temperature of my heart dropped.
He leaned in and kissed my
cheek as a small tear escaped from my eyes. “You better be.” The doorbell rang
again. It was too late to stop him. In one long stride, Cal turned the knob
before I could move.
Alexavier stood in the
doorway, glaring at Callum with disapproval and irritation. “Callum, what a
surprise to find you here,” he said gruffly, sarcasm saturating his voice.
“I’m trying to take care
of my girl.”
I didn’t want Cal to mess
this up. I still needed one thing from Alexavier. Alexavier spoke directly to
him. “Callum, I know you care about Sophie, but I can take care of her. She
doesn’t need you.” He kept his voice low, but his tone was protective and
threatening.
Callum stepped closer to
him.
“Callum, this will not end
well for you if you insist on challenging me,” Alexavier warned. His voice
remained even, but his body was poised to fight if Callum insisted.
I wiped my cheek and
stomped toward them. “Please, stop this. Please! I care about you both, but
Callum, you need to go,” I pleaded, fearing Cal would snap. I pulled on
Alexavier’s arm roughly to break the defensive eye contact he maintained with
Callum.
“I’m not afraid, Mather. I
also don’t need my fists to prove I’m the better man. Sophie will see that one
day,” he snarled ferociously.
I flashed my eyes wide. My
jaw jutted out. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was the last thing
I wanted to deal with or could deal with and I feared what I would do under the
influence of my choice. “Callum... leave now!” I didn’t care about hurting
anyone’s feelings at the moment. My emotions were shifting beyond that.
He pushed past Alexavier
in a huff to leave. Alexavier ignored the action, focusing his attention on me.
I was relieved he didn’t engage Callum in a fight. He stood before me,
astoundingly handsome in a blue button down shirt. He grasped my hands and
looked deeply into my eyes. “What was that all about?”
My blackening heart
skipped a beat. “I’m sorry about Callum. I don’t know what got into him.”
“Jealousy, I would say. I
warned you.”
“I don’t want to believe
that’s it.”
His fingers gently pressed
against my hand and wrist, lifting them to inspect the talisman. “Did he give
you this?” A combination of regret and jealousy lined his voice.
“It’s to keep evil spirits
away,” I replied as I touched the wood carving with my fingertips.
He sighed. Our future was
under a black cloud from the past where Rebecca’s curse and his father’s
mistakes affected us in the present. And after tonight, even if the ritual went
according to plan, there was no guarantee things would be the same or better
for us. I was risking my life and my soul. Even if I survived breaking the
curse and the reconversion, I would be different, changed, tainted from the
black magic I had already invited into my heart and it might all be for
nothing.
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Leigh
Goff loves writing young adult fiction with elements of magic and
romance because it's also what she liked to read. Born and raised on the East
Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area's great history and
culture.
Leigh is a graduate of the
University of Maryland, University College and a member of the Maryland
Writers' Association and Romance Writers of America. She is also an approved
artist with the Maryland State Arts Council. Her debut novel, Disenchanted, was
inspired by the Wethersfield witches of Connecticut and was released by
Mirror World Publishing. Leigh is currently working on her
next novel, The Witch's Ring which is set in Annapolis.
