The Ghost of the Red Witch by Naomi Montana Walsh

The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft —the Devil's magic—and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. This story is a ghost story... but it is also a tale about a beautiful witch and it is a love story...

There is a body of water in Salem that is said to be haunted...The locals call it Witch Lake. They say that a heavy unnatural fog that rests upon that lake is where she hides. She is the ghost/witch. Her name was Sara and she lived in those horrible times.

Sara was only 17 at the time of her death and was accused of being a witch. You see, the young woman was born with rather striking features; hair as red as blood and skin as white as a dove and yet to behold her was to sense some deeper darkness- Some say a kinship with old Scratch himself.

Her mother, Margarette, died giving birth and it was said her mother had golden hair and pale blue eyes, not the unnatural grey that the child peered through. Sara’s father Samuel was a plain man with a ruddy complexion and his hair a rather nondescript sort of brown. The story most often told was that Margarette was not the mother at all and that her father had met with a Witch by the name of Helsa who indeed had blood red hair and unnatural grey eyes...the two it was speculated engaged in an unholy union and bewitched poor Margarette into believing she was about to bear a child when indeed the child belonged to Helsa.

Sara had been warned by her father that as she got older the fear would grow and that to be safe they would have to find a way out of Salem and that it did not much matter whether or not the story was true {he never denied nor confirmed it}- it only mattered that the persecutors believed that it was and that sooner or later the whispers would grow louder and become screams in the night and then .. the worst! The trial- of which was not at all a trial- for they had made up their mind long before it had begun.” What is worse,” said Samuel “is we both shall hang...as I shall be finally punished for the sin they have assigned me.”

Sara knew he was right she saw it in their faces, how they quickly grabbed the hands of their children when she walked by. How they muttered insults and prayers and turned their gaze , how a wife would slap at her husband should he dare to glance at the red headed beauty. But there had always been one refuge, one believer. His name was Seth.

Sara and Seth met on the banks of that aforementioned lake. They were both 13 at the time. Sara had gone to forage and he had gone to fish and I believe at that time there was no dark fog at all when they met, just the sudden blush of love. And it was sudden, for now each day they would repeat their meeting. At first it was so innocent, just kids with a crush and then suddenly it was everything and yet both knew the same secret that they would not even voice to one another. They could never be seen together. Because the voices were getting louder …

One her 17th Birthday he asked her to be his bride and she accepted. That same night Samuel told her that it was time for them to leave that he had heard they both would be tried very soon, that people had talked about her daily trips to the water's edge and some had spied.

“Sara, they say that you have been seen there talking and laughing and there is no one else, they say it is the Devil you have met ..” said her father. Sara rushed to her father and screamed, “it is not true I have met with someone father and he is flesh and bone and these are lies..lies”, she cried as she fell to the floor in tears. Her father lifted her and held her for a moment, “it does not matter my dear, it only matters what they believe”, he reminded her.

Sara pulled from her father’s arms and ran as fast as she could to the Lake’s edge where she waited. Something in her spirit told her to call out to Seth, she did and for the first time she noticed the fog roll in as he walked toward her. She ran to him, ” It is true then, that you are the Devil?, That only I can see you?” “No Sara, I am not the Devil, but I am a ghost” he said. Sara looked at him in silence. After all what do you say?

He continued, “I have haunted this body of water for many years and I’d see people come and go and yet no one ever saw me until you. I was so afraid to speak at first and then I knew you were not like the others.” Sara screamed, “What do you mean?” “You know what I mean Sara, it’s always been true you are special.” She wanted to let it sink in and yet it had and maybe she knew all along that she was what they said

Her father had wronged Margarette or maybe, yes maybe Margarette was a Witch as well. She had no kinship with the Devil, but with the earth and all its elements and now it seems, a ghost.

“But I don’t understand it all,” she asked, “If you are a ghost then how did we both grow together from children?” He held her so that he could look into her eyes. “Of all the things, you ask,” he laughed, “We are not bound to time beyond the earthly realm, and that is why I asked you to marry me. They will come soon Sara and they will take you and your father, you will not survive it, come with me now” he begged. “Trust me”, she said, I will be back”. And with that she left.

When she returned she was dressed in white and as she walked she filled her pockets with stones. At the water's edge again she lowers a black veil over her eyes and walks in.

The townspeople never got their witch. Sara had warned her father to leave as soon as possible and she told him not to worry, that she knew what she was and that it was time for her to explore another realm. And it is said that she wore black and white to keep her tied to both this world and one beyond and that if you go to that particular lake you just might see a red headed witch and her beloved ghost dancing in the fog.

Relics and Artifacts Inspired Writing.

The moment I laid eyes on the Artist Model piece I loved the paleness of it and frankly it looked rather ghostly to me.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when asked to create a haunting work of fiction inspired by Relics and Artifacts. Wow! My first love is writing and spooky writing is my favorite.

How the inspiration happened:

I imagined my Witch / Ghost with blood red hair to contrast with the pale paper poly material of the Artist Model.

Let me take a moment to tell you one of the great features of paper poly is that you can gently file it and in my case I did a wee bit of that on the cheeks and nose area to give her a gaunt look then brushed over it with a dark water wash to make the features stand out.

So, the process on my ghost/ witch is super simple should you be inspired to create one

Step one is the hardest The Hair. I bought regular strip doll hair, however I can think of a million other ways and even covering the head with a cloak will work.

I cut and glued the strips to the head and layered them.

Next, I told you this is simple yet beautiful. I found an antique napkin for her dress.

I simply warped it around and glued it on leaving it long and flowing.

Finally, the black Halloween cloth draped over the shoulders and a black veil with lace crown..

Now, how to display? A small hanger of any kind can be attached to the back.

I hope you will be inspired to create a ghost of your own…