Spiral Notebook

The Witch's Brew - In a quaint little village, nestled amidst rolling hills and verdant fields, lived a young girl named Anya. Anya was a curious child, with a penchant for the unusual and a love for the macabre. Her favorite time of year was Halloween, when the veil between the worlds grew thin, and the spirits of the night roamed free. - One Halloween, Anya stumbled upon a peculiar vintage card in her grandmother's attic. The card depicted a scene of eerie beauty, with a starry night sky, a crescent moon, and a young witch-like girl. The girl was surrounded by three grotesque creatures, carved from pumpkins and melons, their faces contorted into expressions of otherworldly delight. - Intrigued by the image, Anya began to research the symbolism of the card. She discovered that the creatures were believed to be guardians of the underworld, summoned by witches to protect their dark rituals. The girl in the picture, with her glowing eyes and sinister smile, was said to be a powerful sorceress, capable of bringing the dead back to life. - Inspired by the legend, Anya decided to recreate the scene from the card. She gathered pumpkins and melons of various shapes and sizes, and with a steady hand and a sharp knife, she carved them into grotesque and terrifying creatures. Then, under the watchful eye of a waning moon, she lit a small fire and began to chant an ancient incantation. - As the fire crackled and the wind howled, the creatures on the card seemed to come to life. Their eyes glowed with an eerie light, and their mouths moved as if they were speaking in a language unknown to man. Anya, filled with a sense of wonder and fear, watched as the creatures danced and cavorted around her, their movements graceful and yet menacing. - In the end, Anya's Halloween adventure was a success. She had not only brought the creatures from the card to life, but she had also learned the true meaning of magic and the power of imagination. And as the first rays of dawn touched the horizon, Anya knew that she would never forget the night she summoned the creatures of the underworld. - This work 1900-1916 is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1927.