The Ritual

Be careful what you wish for

Day 1 Prompt: “It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus.” — Hocus Pocus (1993)

Carolyn pushed her way deep into the inky blackness of the dense woods. Pushing aside low-lying tree branches and stepping over hitch-hiker bushes that snagged hungrily at her jeans. The air hung heavy, scented with wet leaves and pine needles. The woods this late at night always gave her the creeps, but also a sense of adventure and excitement. Off in the distance, she heard the chatter of Susan and Diane, before she saw the warm orange glow of the fire that they had already started. Running late as usual, she chided herself. She tucked the heavy leather book more snugly under her arm and broke through the screen of oak trees into the clearing.

"Well, if it isn't our fearless, come-lately leader," Susan teased. Her silhouette illuminated by the flickering flames.

"Sorry, guys, I had a deadline I had to meet at work. You know how the corporate grind is. Anyway, I have it!"

Diane squealed excitedly, "No way! That's incredible! Where did you find it?"

"In an old metal iron-striped chest that belonged to my grandmother. It was in a small, secret lock box near the bottom. I copied it down in our spell book. So, I guess we'll gather the few supplies we need and meet back here once we have them all, and finally find out if all this is real, or just a bunch of hocus pocus!"

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. What all do we need?" Susan asked.

Carolyn took a deep breath and held it, savoring the moment, while she opened the book to the bookmarked pages. "Grandma had written down everything in detail." Adjusting her glasses, Carolyn began to read. "We need a tail feather from a raven, a raw egg injected with at least six drops of human blood from each participant, and that should be done at least three days before the ritual, a bat's wing, and hair with the root from each participant. We also need a big abalone shell, corn husk hair, and matches." She closed the book with a satisfied thud. "We can get most of this stuff down at 'Wings and Tails True Magic Shop'. So, why don't we meet up on Saturday, pay a visit to the store, and if all goes well, the following Saturday, we can do the ritual."

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Susan exclaimed, a wide smile flashing in the firelight as she dramatically flipped her long, shimmering blonde hair back over her shoulder. "It's going to work, I know it is! I can just feel it, deep in my bones!"

"Yes, it is!" Diane and Carolyn echoed in perfect unison. Carolyn gave her friends a fierce, confident look. "Positive thoughts, positive results," she beamed.

The fated Saturday finally arrived. With anticipation, they scrambled through the depths of the forest underbrush. The monstrous, obsidian shadows from the centuries-old oaks slashed through the pale light, their long limbs waving and snatching to and fro in the moonlight's eerie glow. Once they reached the clearing, Diane strode to the opposite edge and, like magic in itself, unmasked a pitch black culdron, complete with metal lion paws. Susan had arrived with a generous haul of bone-dry oak limbs and brittle brush, the fuel that would start their fire. Carolyn, meticulous and quiet, had already arranged the precise rock perimeter and positioned the stones that would elevate the cauldron in the center. Using charcoal and crushed herbs, she then carefully etched a series of complex symbols into the earth to the North, South, East, and West of the fire pit. Finally, she laid out each ingredient with care, the last being a single, pale egg. She secured it safely in a cushion of soft, emerald-green moss, the silence of the woods amplifying the simple, yet profound, act.

"Okay, Ladies," Carolyn bristled with excitement, "Are ya'll ready? Here, each of you take a copy of the spell. We'll begin reading, adding each of the ingredients when it's time."


From the shadows deep where ravens roam, A tail feather brings the knowledge home. Into the shell, this truth is cast, Let the visions of the future last.

The egg, prepared in secret dark, Holds the life-force, leaving its mark. Six drops of blood from souls entwined, For three days held, to bind the mind.

A leathery scrap from a creature of night, The bat's wing grants us power and flight. To pierce the veil and see what's true, A path to secrets, old and new.

From every head, a root, a strand, The hair of all who take a stand. In the abalone shell, they meet and merge, A unified fate, a sudden surge.

And from the earth, the final touch, Corn husk hair, we need so much. To weave the magic, tight and fast, Let this shared moment ever last!

By feather, blood, and hair we swear, To know the truth that lies out there! So mote it be! The spell is done, Our sight is merged, our battle won!


The spell cast. The final words faded into nothingness. They sat unaware of any changes. Their eyes wide, their breathing shallow, almost afraid to speak. Then just when they started to deflate, disappointed that the ritual didn't take, a sudden flash of blinding light erupted from the culdron, and filled heir eyes. The shock threw them each flat on their back, while visions of the past, present and future seemed to merge and tear through their minds. Each one slowly lifting themselves from the ground, where they're met with a swirling thick mist of black and hazy gray emanating from the center of the circle. The fire had been extinguished. Staring at the pulsating lifeforce where the fire once stood, was Carolyn's grandmother. The same grandmother who had died after a long illness over a year ago. The air grew cold, and the woods went silent.

"Girls, your souls are now forever intertwined. You are now eternally connected, a tapestry of shared destiny and dread. The past bends to your command; the present will yield to your wishes; and the unwritten future lies exposed, a luminous path to be walked with wisdom and clarity.

The Veil is not merely drawn—it is shorn, leaving your sight unbound. But know this, my brethren daughters this profound gift, is a blessing that casts a shadow deeper than any darkness. The gift is a magnet for the depths of all that hides in the blackness.

Go forth, then, into this newly bared world, but never forget: eyes wide open is an invitation to both wonder and eternal damnation."


The women parted in silence, wondering if they had just made the biggest mistake of their lives.


1,127 Words