司氏姐妹 第21章：巫婆

第21章 - 女巫

 

塔玛尼弄的那间房子的阁楼上亮着灯光。法妈在身后抓着菜刀的手柄， 她的​​影子延伸到天花板上，站在那儿显得高高的。戴连衣帽的影子慢慢地把经书卷起，把它放在桌子上。其欣长而苍白的手指揭开连衣帽的顶部，让它垂落在肩膀上，从而露出一头金发。它抬起头。

 

“晚上好，亨特夫人，”法妈说。 “非常......意外......您的光临。”

 

亨特夫人站了起来，她长长的黑色长袍披落下来，盖住了木椅子。蜡烛上的火焰摇曳着，看起来好像要熄灭。

 

“哇，谢谢你，”亨特太太说道，在阁楼上慢悠悠的走动着，不时拿起这样那样的物件，检查一会儿。法妈一动不动地站在门边，她的眼睛随着亨特夫人在房间里转动。 “我一直想来拜访。您知道，您和您的家人，让我很感兴趣...“

 

亨特夫人拿起用来珍藏四个玉石手镯的木雕盒子，啪的一声把它打开。里面，一个浅绿色的手镯躺在一端，而在另一端，是一个深绿色，几乎与森林相同颜色的手镯。中间的两个位置是空的。亨特夫人略微露齿一笑，啪的一声把它关闭，放回原来放置的橱子。 “您也拥有很有意思的玩意儿，”她说，“这么独特的物件，都隐藏在阁楼上！还有，这经书。这精美的书法......“

 

“这只是我们多年来收集的一些家庭物品。”法妈说。 “我不知道您还懂中文，夫人，”她补充说，对着经书点点头。 她的声音，就象市长夫人的声音一样，又温柔又有一种奇怪的愉悦感，但它是如此的细腻精致，听着它，似乎只要一点轻微的冲撞，它就会被粉碎成千百块碎片。

 

“啊，是的......”亨特夫人说。 “外表往往会欺骗人。现在，我敢肯定你们都对这已太熟悉了。“她转身面对法妈，使了一个眼色，眼角闪闪发光。

 

“是什么让您这么说？”法妈说道。

 

“我这样说，是因为我想我在某些方面懂得您。事实上，我越想越觉得我们是多么相似——我们是同类！例如，在这一刻，我们都在某种程度上，失去了我们的最爱——我们的孩子......“

 

法妈握紧刀子的手柄。一阵薄风在房子周围呼啸。 “你知道我的孩子们怎样了，亨特夫人？“

 

“哦，是这样，您知道...玛拉和格雷厄姆的那个惨局。对我们所有人来说是多大的悲剧！“和在葬礼或其他场合时不同，她的声音里没有了那种悲伤的气氛，仿佛只是在做礼貌的对话。

 

“但是，象我刚才说的...我们真的比任何人可以想象的更相似。是的，通过看到你的这些东西，我已越来越清楚。很多这些东西让我想起了我曾经有过的生活...

 

“你知道，就像你和你的女儿们，我也不是在安玫瑰出身的。事实上，安玫瑰对我来说一样象是国外......也许你并不相信！但我是在新英格兰长大的，在一个寒​​冷的叫塞勒姆的小镇。它与安玫瑰在某些方面有些相似，但对我来说，一个年轻的姑娘，从来没有在其他地方生活过...你能想象这是多么大的震动。哦，对，我们也都没有被马上接受，在一个从来没有见过任何陌生人的小镇，虽然我承认我们比你溶合的更好......对，没有人信任我们。

 

“你知道，我母亲就像你自己一样。。。是一个单亲妈妈。。。来到这里。很清楚她是因什么事情而逃亡出来的。在塞勒姆什么事情出了差错。。。我不想去追忆那太久远的丑陋回忆......但让我们暂且说，事情非常乱七八糟，对我们的声誉非常不好。。。那个一直是我们家的城市......“亨通夫人的脸变黑了一会儿，她转过身去，“与我们作对。你知道，我们也是被迫离开。而且，就像你们家，我们在这里，安玫瑰，这个想不到的地方找到了我们的新家园...

 

“我的母亲从塞勒姆的失败中学到了一些东西。我们重新开始...这次我们一切都没做错...我们融入社会，就像你试图做的，但我必须说我们要更成功一点点...你知道，我们象这里的人...或者说这次我们做得更微妙，然后我遇见了约翰，我们知道他能做伟大的事情，看看他做到了什么......虽然如果没有我的帮助，当然......“

 

这时法妈已等得很不耐烦。她想让亨特夫人继续说话而分散其注意力，而她在想着最好的办法靠近她身边，但她也希望尽快去寻找她的女儿们。什么办法更好呢？把亨特夫人赶出去，还是说服她让她说出女儿们在哪里？因为对于法妈来说现在已很明显，婚礼以来发生的这些事情都与亨特夫人有关。亨特夫人仍然以那种滑稽而缓慢的方式说着，就像她有点喝醉，就像她们具有世界上所有的时间，就像她们的孩子们安全地坐在楼下，在进行一个星期六下午的闲聊......就像她和法妈是最好的朋友或姐妹，在共享女人之间的亲密交谈。

 

“你母亲现在在哪儿呢？”法妈问道，把她的思路贸然切断。

 

在她抬头看法妈时，亨特夫人眨着眼睛，打破了那种友好亲密的错觉。“在很多很多年以前，她又回到了塞勒姆。她是一个高傲的女人，带着苦涩的遗憾，和一些......她不得不偿还的债务。我警告她不要去......这本来是可以避免的......不......她的结局很不漂亮...我发誓要从她的失误中汲取教训......你知道......这是另一个像我们一样的家庭——不同的，你知道——最后背叛了她...

 

“让我回到原来的话题......事情进展很顺利，约翰已经是一位资深的市议员，在镇里赢得大家的尊重和具有影响力，我们的儿子出生，格雷厄姆，如此美丽，如此可爱，像任何一位母亲，我只是想保护他，免受我所见过的遭遇，我真的相信我有能力做到这一点，作为一个好母亲，一个具有强大权力男人的妻子，而自己又有不同方式的强大力量......这时，你来了。

 

“我从一开始就知道你们家庭的怪异之处超出你们的外表。我为居民们担心，因为我看到过......巫婆......“亨特夫人低声说出了这个字，像是说出了最柔软的秘密，“有邪恶的巫婆，也有好的巫婆，但我怎么知道，作为一项预防措施，我让我的儿子离开学校，送他远走高飞，来到一所没有女性的寄宿学校，在那儿他很安全。是的，我说服我的丈夫，我的约翰竞选市长......当然，在我的帮助下，他赢得了全镇人民......是的，我知道你在想什么——我的答案是否定的，约翰并不知道，他怎么可能呢？ 但他对我的信任总是那么...动人...

 

“有着约翰不断增长的影响力和我自己的特殊影响...我们能够让整个城市与你们作对...原谅我，但是你必须理解...我们的终极目的是生存...我知道，不是你就是我...我不能担当这个风险，而自然地，我选择了保护我自己...我在这里已经建立起来的生活...“

 

 “我必须说，”法妈说道，一边非常缓慢地朝阁楼中心的桌子一寸寸移动。 “你做的相当不错。我从来没有怀疑过你的东西有猫腻。但对你的丈夫，却相反“

 

“嗯，是的......“亨特太太说，”你看......我已经学会去...偏转...人们的关注...这是最重要的，约翰也非常合作......这对我来说至关重要，我看到了我母亲所经受的...因为她的......过分高调 ...我总是把自己表现成一个在某种程度上...空洞愚蠢...不会施诡计......没有深刻的思想... 在某种程度上我也牺牲了自己......我为自己制造了一个愚蠢而快乐的女人形象...

 

“而约翰，我的约翰，我有他是多么的幸运...真的...他如此信任我......”，这时，亨特太太的脸颊泛起一片红晕，“是的......没有他将一事无成......这些年里，他成了我的手，我的脚，我的嘴...我被迫隐退为一个木偶操纵师，一个无形的口技师......“

 

“请稍稍原谅我的鲁莽一会儿，亨特夫人，”法妈说。 “当你说你在镇上的'影响'时，你的意思是你给他们下了一个咒吗？”

 

 

 

“是的，你知道，我们可以把它说成咒语......我想......但我更愿意认为我是为他们作出了明智的决定，可怜的乡亲们，他们什么也不知道......他们实质上是瞎子...

 

“是的......现在我开始讲到我是怎么知道的，甚至在有关你们家庭的谣言开始之前...虽然我不否认谣言与我有关......你知道，你所说的咒语只会对普通人有效...所以当我无法获得对你们家庭的影响力时.....我开始确信.....，当然，我不得不让我的调查保持最微妙...是的...那确实是一段...最...艰难的时刻。“

 

“让我不明白的是，”法妈说道，现在她决定，对她最有利的是在允许范围内尽可能多的了解亨特夫人的计划，“你为什么突然改变了自己的策略。据我现在所知，你所做的一切都是非常微妙和低调。为什么要在整个小镇的众人面前上演一宗谋杀案，把你的家庭放在聚光灯下？“

 

亨特太太的眼睛又眨了几下。 “你是一个聪明的女人......”她说，“或者至少...你明白在我内心的母性......，我绝对不会杀了我的孩子......是的......这确实是一个艰难的决定...

 

“你知道，当格雷厄姆决定娶玛拉后，一切都改变了。”亨特太太的声音变得僵硬，就像里面的空气被挤出。她已经从回忆的状态回到了现实中，面对着更迫切的问题。她说得更快，她的眼睛也在黑暗中闪闪发光。

 

“这些年来，局势已经得到控制。你们的家庭，虽然有潜在的威胁，但​​永远不会变成真实的威胁，因为我在乡亲们中播散的对于你们的臭名和恐惧。但是，如果玛拉嫁到我们家......连傻瓜也可以看到里面的问题。

 

“但请相信我，即使是那样，我也没有想到我自己。我主要是为格雷厄姆着想。我的时间也就这样了，如果只是把我的命运挂在天平上，我可能就会让它过去。但是嫁给约翰，并看到一个...娶了...巫婆的人的一生，我知道，我不能让格雷厄姆走相同的路。请不要误会我——我爱约翰，我也从来没有想过让他有这样的生活，我没想到会变成这个样子，我可以肯定。我只知道我必须把他作为一个载体，一种以保护我们全家的傀儡，当然命运对他也很好——看，他是市长，只是一个例子！但是对于具体情况的贴切了解，并作为一个母亲——我无法忍受看到我的儿子进入这样一种关系——这样一种婚姻——他将永远是下属，甚至还不知不觉——因为，相信我，约翰在他的心底里相信他是那个具有影响力和思想的那个人。

 

“总之，我不能忍受看到我的儿子娶一个巫婆，而他自己没有魔力。我知道，不管玛拉看上去如何善良——而我，是天性不相信外表的——她仍然最终会比他更有权力。我不能冒这个险。即使在最好的情况下，我也不希望他有这样的生活。他对此一无所知——而我又怎么能告诉他，而不用担心失去他作为一个儿子的信任呢？

 

“我承认，我确实为我们家吸引了很多不必要的关注。但我相信，经过这么多年，我已经对此获得了很好的掌控能力。我的计划是精心设计的，我也想让它万无一失。是的，它吸引了注意力，但需要低调的日子已经过去。我奋斗了一生建立起来的一切正处于危险中，比这更重要的是，请相信我，司女士，我会愿意让我的生活像我妈妈一样崩溃，只要看到格雷厄姆安全，幸福和独立——但是在这里，只要一场小戏，就可以拯救我和格雷厄姆俩人的生活。”

 

“那么你的辉煌计划是什么呢？”法妈问，试图让她的声音尽可能沉稳，与亨特太太的冷酷相匹配，甚至去欺骗她，让她认为法妈不太关心她女儿的命运，就象亨特太太对待格雷厄姆一样。

 

“是这样，你已看到大部分的计划付诸于行动。你的家人，显然必须被驱除。但请理解——我真的不是想伤害你们。我希望你或你家人都不受伤害，如果事情可以让每个人都很高兴的得到解决......但恐怕我不能冒这个风险。你的女儿们——对，你的小女儿们——我必须说，我会饶恕她们。但是，玛拉，我害怕玛拉必须为之而亡......

 

“格雷厄姆，就像你所正确地猜测到的，在我的保护下安然无恙。当然，他的死只是一种舞台效果，使玛拉成为不可否认的罪魁祸首。镇上的居民将审判玛拉，不幸的是她的罪名被发现成立，她被判处死刑。你的小女儿们也会被发现因帮助犯罪嫌疑人逃跑而判有罪，被发配到离安玫瑰很远很远的管教中心。事实上，我已经在俄罗斯找到了一个不错的寄养年轻女巫的家庭，我会安排送她们到那儿去。你自己，因为整个事件的耻辱而引起严重的健康问题，你会......不幸的是，去到那个好地方。“

 

“我明白了，”法妈说道，抓紧刀的手柄。她作了几个缓慢的深呼吸来镇定自己。 “当然，就像你所计划的，这都是必要的。”

 

“是的......”亨特夫人说，沉浸在记忆和思想的迷雾中。 “我是要道歉，”她继续说，快速转动着她的一捻头发。 “如果可能的话我可饶你一命......我承诺......我有一颗善心，我不喜欢不必要的流血......但在我的一生中，我看到了太多不必要的流血......你要知道，你一定要知道... 就像我的母亲为我牺牲了自己，你也会为你的女儿们牺牲自己。不过，我会让你有死得尊严的好处......你知道我的母亲是被烧死在火刑柱上的......因为她是女巫......那是很多年以前的事了......“

 

房间突然变得很黑。蜡烛上的火焰熄灭了，房子里的其它所有的灯也熄灭了。在黑暗中唯一发光的是一片银色刀刃。

 

刀刃也照亮了被它紧压着的一块白肉，和紧握住它的手。法妈拿着刀子架在亨特夫人的脖子上。她已经听够了。在一秒钟内，她熄灭掉灯光，迅速移动到她的对手站的地方。

 

“告诉我，我的女儿们在哪里，”法妈说道，把刀刃压紧了亨特夫人的脖子。

 

亨特太太大笑了起来，疯狂的笑声充满了整个房间。那个温柔，甜蜜，温顺的女人讲述她的故事的踪迹在黑暗中消失得无影无踪。法妈加重了刀刃压在她脖子上的力度。她说道：“我不是在开玩笑，亨特夫人！”。她按下刀刃恰好能划出一点点血滴，突然她屏住了呼吸，向后倒退几步，双手捂住她自己的脖子。

 

刀子哐铛一声掉在地上。鲜血从她的脖子上，她曾试图切割亨特夫人的相同位置，透过她的手指的缝隙而滴下。

 

房间被烧得滚烫而发出可见光的黑色火焰照亮，即使它仍然笼罩在黑暗里。亨特太太的金黄色头发在她脸上像狮子的鬃毛一样​​飞扬起来，她的眼睛闪着红光。

 

“一点从我母亲那儿学来的有用的雕虫小技，”她说着，向法妈鞭打出一圈黑色火焰。法妈挥舞着她的胳膊，一个花瓶里的水随之倾倒在火焰上。火焰被压低了一会儿，然后又汹涌而来，比原来更猛。

 

“哼，司法妈，”亨特夫人说道。 “可怜的被误导的女人。难道你真的认为你的家常魔术可以与我的匹配吗？ 我用我的一生来控制整个镇的人们，没有让任何人发现 。而你，你一直在做什么？开一家餐馆，管教你的女儿！“

 

亨特太太放下她的胳膊，黑色火焰随之慢慢退下。蜡烛的灯光重新闪亮起来，阁楼里有一会儿又感到了家里温暖的气息。她挥动着手臂，法妈脖子上的伤口随之愈合起来。 “现在，请记住，” 亨特夫人说： “我要你死......自然的......死亡。”

 

法妈试图移动她的身体，却发现身体僵硬。然后，她的腿开始移动，不受她的控制，她走到桌子旁边的椅子上坐了下来。她在默默地瞪着亨特夫人。

 

“因为你是个巫婆，我无法控制你的头脑，”亨特夫人说“，但这并不意味着我无法控制你的身体。魔力，司女士！魔力是一切。魔力，使人们去做你希望他们去做的事情。而现在......你会去死，根据你自己的......“

 

她向法妈慢慢地走去，她的红色的嘴唇弯起一个良性的笑容。

 

 

 

Chapter 21– Witches

 

In the house on Tamany Lane, a light was on in the attic. Fa Switch gripped the handle of the kitchen knife behind her back and stood tall, her shadow stretching towards the ceiling. The hooded figure rolled up the scroll slowly and set it on the table. Long pale fingers lifted the top of the hood so that it dropped at the figure’s shoulders, revealing a tress of blond hair. The figure lifted its head.

 

“Good evening, Mrs. Hunter,” Fa Switch said. “How…unexpected…for you to visit.”

 

Mrs. Hunter stood up, letting her long black robe fall behind her, draping over the wooden chair. The flame on the candle flickered, and for a moment looked as if it was going to go out.

 

“Why thank you,” Mrs. Hunter said, strolling around the attic, picking up objects here and there and examining them. Fa Switch stood unmoving by the door, her eyes following Mrs. Hunter around the room. “I’ve been meaning to visit for a while. You see, your family so interests me…”

 

Mrs. Hunter picked up the wooden engraved box that held the four jade bracelets and snapped it open. Inside, a pale green bracelet lay on one end, while on the other there was a dark, almost forest green bracelet. The middle two rings were empty. Mrs. Hunter grinned just slightly and snapped the box closed, placing it back on the armoire she had snatched it from. “What interesting things you own, too,” she said, “Such unique items. And all hiding up here in the attic! Now, that scroll, too. Such exquisite calligraphy…”

 

“Just some family items we’ve collected over the years,” said Fa. “I didn’t know you read Chinese, Madam,” she added, nodding towards the scroll. Her voice, like the mayor’s wife’s voice, was soft and oddly pleasant, yet it was so delicate that listening to it, one wondered if it would shatter into a thousand pieces with the slightest provocation.

 

“Ah, yes…” said Mrs. Hunter. “Well appearances can be deceiving. Now I’m sure you are all too familiar with that.” She turned to face Fa, the corner of her eye glittering in a wink.

 

“And what makes you say that?” said Fa.

 

“I say that because I think I understand you in a way. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize how similar we are—another one of those things! For instance, at this moment, we have both, in a way, lost those dearest to us. Our children…”

 

Fa gripped the handle of her knife. A thin wind whistled around the house. “What do you know about my children, Mrs. Hunter?”

 

“Oh, well, you know…that whole fiasco with Mara and Graham. What a tragedy for all of us!” Unlike during the funeral or her other appearances, the air of grief seemed to have lifted from her voice. She sounded almost as if she were just making polite conversation.

 

“But as I was saying…we are really much more similar than anyone could imagine. Yes, it’s becoming clearer to me as I look through your things. So many things that remind me of a life that I once had…

 

“You know, just like you and your daughters, I was not born in Ambrose. In fact, Ambrose is just as foreign to me…well, you may not think so, but I grew up in New England, in a cold small town called Salem, which is similar to Ambrose in some ways, but for me, a young girl, who’d spent all her life in one place…well you can imagine…it was quite a shock. Oh and we were not accepted right away either, to a small town that had never seen any new residents, though I do give you that we blended in better than you…no, no one trusted us.

 

“You see, my mother arrived a single mom—just like yourself—and it was clear she was running from something. Something had gone wrong in Salem…well I don’t want to go too far back into ugly memories…but let’s just say it was very messy, very bad for our reputation indeed…and the city that had been our home…” Mrs. Hunter’s face darkened, and for a moment she turned away, “…turned on us. You see, we too were forced to leave. And, just like your family, we found our unlikely new home right here, in Ambrose…

 

“My mother learned some things from our Salem debacle. We started again…this time we did everything right…blended in, just like you tried to do, but we were a little more successful I must say…you see, we do look like the people here…well let’s just say we were much more subtle this time…and then I met John, who we knew were capable of great things, and look where he did end up…though not my without help, of course…”

 

By this time Fa was getting impatient. She wanted to keep Mrs. Hunter talking and distracted while she thought about the best way to get around her, but she also wanted to get to finding her daughters. Which was more likely to help her? Getting Mrs. Hunter out of the way, or persuading her to tell her where she had put her daughters? Because it was clear to Fa by now that everything that had happened since the wedding had something to do with Mrs. Hunter. Mrs. Hunter was still talking in that droll, slow way, as if she were slightly intoxicated, as if they had all the time in the world, as if their children were sitting safely in the room below, chatting on a Saturday afternoon…as if she and Fa Switch were best friends, or sisters, sharing an intimate conversation between women.

 

“Where is your mother, now?” asked Fa, cutting abruptly from her thoughts.

 

Mrs. Hunter’s eyes flashed as she looked up at Fa, breaking the illusion of friendly intimacy. “She went back to Salem, many many years ago. She was a proud woman, with bitter regrets and certain…debts…she had to repay. I warned her against it…it could have been avoided…no…the ending was not pretty for her…and I swore to learn from her mistakes…you see…it was another family likeours—different, you know—that betrayed her in the end…

 

“Which gets me to where I left off…things were going well, John was already a senior councilman, gaining respect and influence in the town, and our son was born, Graham, so beautiful, so sweet, like any mother I just wanted to protect him from all I had seen in the world, and truly I did believe that I had the power to do it, being a good mother, the wife of a powerful man, and powerful in a different way myself…Then, you arrived.

 

“I knew from the beginning that the oddities of your family extended beyond your looks. I feared for the townspeople, because I had seen…witches…”—Mrs. Hunter whispered the word, like the softest secret—“who were evil as well as witches who were good, and how was I to know…as a precaution I took my son out of school and sent him away, to a boarding school with no women, where he would be safe. Yes, and I convinced my husband, my John to run for mayor…and of course…with my help, he won over the people of the town…yes, I know what you are thinking now—the answer is no, John doesn’t know, how could he? …But his confidence in me was always so…touching…

 

“With John’s growing influence and my own special type of influence…we were able to turn the town against you…forgive me, you must understand however…it was in the end, survival…I knew that either you or I…I couldn’t risk it…and naturally, I chose to save myself…the life I had built here…”

 

“I must say,” said Fa, inching ever so slowly toward the table at the center of the attic. “You did quite a good job. I’d have never suspected that something was fishy with you. Your husband, on the other hand—”

 

“Well, yes…” said Mrs. Hunter, “You see…I had learned that to…deflect…attention was most important…John has been ever so accommodating…it was crucial to me, after I had seen what my mother went through…with her…overenthusiasm…that I present myself as a person that was almost…vacuous…in a way…not capable of cunning, certainly…perhaps even of deep thoughts at all…I sacrificed myself, in a way, too…I created an image of myself as a stupid, happy woman…

 

“And John, my John…how lucky I have been to have him…truly…he trusts in me so…”—here a pink glow rose in Mrs. Hunter’s cheeks—“Yes…it would have been impossible without him…over the years he became my hands and my feet and mouth…and I…forced to recede into the position of the master puppeteer…the invisible ventriloquist…”

 

“Excuse me for being blunt for a moment, Mrs. Hunter,” said Fa. “When you speak of your ‘influence’ over the townspeople, do you mean that you put a spell over them?”

 

 

 

“Yes…you see one could call it a spell…I suppose…I prefer to think that I am…making an informed decision for them…poor folk, who cannot know everything…who are essentially blind…

 

“Yes…and now we get to how I knew, before the rumors even started about your family…though I won’t deny I had no part in the rumors…you see, what you would call a spell, it would only work over ordinary folk…and so when I was unable to gain influence over your family…that was when I was sure…though of course I had to maintain the utmost subtlety in my investigations…yes…it was…a most…trying time indeed…”

 

“What I don’t understand,” said Fa, now deciding that it would be most beneficial to hear as much of Mrs. Hunter’s plan as she would allow, “Is why you suddenly changed your strategy. As far as I can tell, everything you have done has been so subtle and low-profile. Why stage a murder in front of the whole town that would draw every spotlight to your family?”

 

Mrs. Hunter’s eyes flashed again. “A smart woman you are…” she said, “Or at the very least…you do understand the mother inside of me…that I would never actually kill my child…Yes…it was a difficult decision indeed…

 

“You see…everything changed when Graham decided he wanted to marry Mara.” Mrs. Hunter’s voice became harder, like the air had been squeezed out of it. She had drifted out of the zone of reminiscing into the present, more pressing issues. She spoke quicker, and her eyes glowed in the dark.

 

“For all these years, the situation had been controlled. Your family, though a threat, would never rise to be a real one because of the negative reputation and fear that I had spread in the townsfolk. But if Mara married into our family…well even a fool can see the problem there.

 

“But trust me, even then, I wasn’t thinking about myself. I was thinking, primarily of Graham. I had had my time, and if it were only my fate that hung in the balance I might have let it go. But being married to John and seeing the life of a man who is married to a…a witch—I knew that I did not want that for Graham. Do not mistake me—I love John, and I have never wanted this life for him, I did not expect that it would become this way, be sure of that. I knew I had to use him as a vessel, a puppet of sorts to protect our entire family, and certainly the life has served him well too—look, he is the mayor, for one! But knowing the intimate details of that situation, and being a mother—I just could not stand to see my son enter a relationship—a marriage—in which he would always be subordinate, even unknowingly—because, trust me, John believes in his heart of hearts that he is the one with the influence, the one with the ideas.

 

“In short, I could not stand to see my son marry a witch, being incapable of magic himself. I knew that no matter how good-hearted Mara appeared—I, who am naturally so untrusting of appearances—she would still ultimately have power over him. I could not risk it. And even in the best of circumstances I did not want that life for him. He could not know—and how could I tell him, without risking losing his trust as a son?

 

“I do acknowledge that I have drawn so much attention to our family that is truly unnecessary. But I do believe that after so many years I have gained the ability to manage it well. And my plan, well it is elaborate, to be sure, but foolproof. Yes, it draws attention, but the time for subtlety was over. Everything I had spent a lifetime to build was at stake—and more important than all of that, please believe me here Ms. Switch, I would have seen my life crumble to the ground like my mother’s, if only to see Graham safe and happy and independent—but here, with just a little spectacle, I can save both my life and Graham’s.”

 

“And what is this brilliant plan of yours?” asked Fa, trying to keep her voice as steady as she could, to match Mrs. Hunter’s coolness and even to trick her into believing that Fa was just as unconcerned about the fate of her daughters as Mrs. Hunter was about Graham.

 

“Well, you have seen most of it put in action already. Your family, clearly must be demolished. But please—I truly mean no harm to you, and would wish none on you or your family. If things could have been resolved with everyone happy…but I cannot risk it, I am afraid. Your daughters—well, your younger daughters, I must say—I will spare them. But Mara, I’m afraid Mara must be a casualty…

 

“Graham, as you have correctly guessed, is safe and sound, under my protection. His death was, of course, theatrical in nature, set up to make Mara the undeniable culprit. The townspeople will try Mara and unfortunately find her guilty, punishable by death. Your younger daughters will be found guilty of trying to help a suspect escape, and for this will be sent to disciplinary centers far far away from Ambrose. In fact I have found a nice foster home in Russia for young witches that I would arrange for them to be sent to. And as for yourself, the shame of the entire episode will cause severe health problems, and you will…unfortunately, pass on to a better place.”

 

“I see,” said Fa, gripping the handle of her knife. She took slow deep breaths to steady herself. “Of course, this is all necessary, as you put it.”

 

“Yes…” said Mrs. Hunter, sinking back into the haze of memory and thought. “I do apologize,” she said, twirling a strand of her hair. “I would spare your life if I could…I do promise…I am a person with a heart…and I do not like unnecessary bloodshed…but I have seen unnecessary bloodshed in my lifetime…you must know, you must know…you will be sacrificing yourself for your daughters just as my mother sacrificed herself for me. But I will give you the benefit of dying in dignity…you see my mother was burned at the stake…for the witch she was…it was many years ago now…”

 

The room went black. The flame on the candle went out, along with all the other lights in the house. The only thing that shone in the dark was a silver blade.

 

The blade lit up the piece of white flesh it was held against, and then, the hand that was holding it. Fa Switch held the knife up to Mrs. Hunter’s neck. She had heard enough. In a second, she had extinguished the lights and moved swiftly to where her adversary stood.

 

“Tell me where my daughters are,” Fa Switch said, the knife pressing into Mrs. Hunter’s neck.

 

Mrs. Hunter started to laugh, a maniacal laugh that filled the room. Any trace of the soft, sweet, and docile woman who had been recounting her tale vanished into the dark. Fa Switch pressed the blade harder into her neck. “I’m not joking, Mrs. Hunter!” she said. She pressed the blade in just enough to drag a little blood, and then gasped, stepping backwards and holding her own neck.

 

The knife clattered to the ground. Blood dripped through the cracks of her fingers, from the spot in her neck where she had tried to cut Mrs. Hunter.

 

The room lit up with black flames that burned hot and gave visibility even though they still shrouded the room with darkness. Mrs. Hunter’s blonde hair flew up around her face like a lion’s mane, and her eyes glowed red.

 

“A useful trick I learned from my mother,” she said, whipping a circle of black flames around Fa. Fa waved her arm, and a vase with flowers emptied its water around the flame. They died down for a moment and then roared up higher than it had been.

 

“Oh, Fa Switch,” said Mrs. Hunter. “Poor, misguided woman. Did you really think your household magic could match mine? I’ve spent my lifetime controlling a whole township of people, all without anyone seeing my hand. And you, what have you been doing? Opening up a restaurant and disciplining your daughters!”

 

Mrs. Hunter lowered her arms, and the flames died down. The candle flickered back on, and the attic felt homely for a moment. She waved her arm and the cut on Fa Switch’s neck closed up. “Now, remember,” Mrs. Hunter said. “I want you to die a…natural…death.”

 

Fa Switch tried to move her body but found it stiff. Then, her legs started to moving, without her control, and she walked towards the chair next to the table and sat down. She glared silently at Mrs. Hunter.

 

“As you are a witch it is impossible for me to control your mind,” said Mrs. Hunter, “but it doesn’t mean I can’t control your body. Power, Ms. Switch. Power is everything. Power to make people do things for themselves that you would like them to do. And now…you will die of your own accord…”

 

She walked towards Fa Switch in slow steps, her red lips curled in a benign smile.