The Encounter

never seen figures like those ones. On the figurine of the man, a large deer's horn sprouted from his head and he was holding a wooden cane. On the woman's head sat a half moon. Both of them were sitting in thrones and the figures had an air of authority about them. They must have been gods but, of what religion? Luna looked at the wood they were resting on. It was a five pointed star inside a circle. That was the sign of the Devil; she had seen it on a television program.

  She felt very nervous and afraid; she didn't like any of that at all. Her aunt was very nice and all that but she was mixed up in things that Luna wanted nothing to do with. Maybe her mother had always suspected she was a witch and that was why she had never let Luna visit her. She thought about leaving the room at once, but a black book in the centre of the altar caught her eye. She would have a quick look at it and then leave, she would act as if nothing had happened and the next day she would tell her aunt that she wanted to go home because she missed her family.

  She opened the book carefully, scared that she was going to break it. The cover was rough and heavy, made out of some sort of old skin. The pages were yellowed and seemed really fragile, not so much due to the years passed but by use. Luna softly touched the first page. It was handwritten, with black ink. The side was full of drawings that represented the different moon phases. In the middle, written in large letters, she could read "The Book of Shadows". She glanced at the following pages. It was her aunts' handwriting; she had no doubt about that. But, what did it all mean?

  She began to read the second page. It seemed to be a poem or a chant. Luna concentrated, trying to understand its meaning:

  Hear the word of the witches

  Our secret hidden in the night

  When the path is going out of sight

  We'll reveal it in this moon if you listen

  With the water flowing and the flames,

  By the earth and blowing breeze

  And the quintessence of the spirit

  In a timeless circle we celebrate.

  For the Candlemas and the harvest

  In the May Fair and the Saint's

  When both day and night are the same

  When the sun is born or highest.

  Passing down through the years

  From man to woman and to their kind

  Throughout the years and the time

  Since the first souls began to exist

  Sat upon two mystic stones

  Night shadows follow daylight

  Forever and eternity on opposite sides

  The God and Goddess are shown.

  Horned God, Lord of the shades,

  Rider of the wind he is in the night

  King of the forest in the morning light

  Inside the valleys and the deepest caves.

  At whim Old maid or young child

  In her cloudy boat she's always riding

  Spherical lady silvery brighting

  Pale matron of the darkest night.

  Lord and Lady of ancient Art

  In the depths of the spirit they live

  With will to enslave or set you free

  reborn and immortal from the start.

  Drink the wine of Goddess and God

  In their honor, love and dance

  Until the day to meet them comes

  In the peace at the end of your path.

  Do as you wish, cause no harm

  That's the challenge you have to face

  The only rule you should embrace

  for God and Goddess in this land.

  Luna flicked through the pages of the book, not believing what she was reading. What was all of that? Witches? Horned Gods? The pentacle on the table kept catching her eye, forcing her to look at it continuously as if it were calling her. She grew more and more nervous, but didn't want to leave without finding something that brought sense to everything. However, each page she looked at made her nerves grow even more: protection rituals, invocations, astral projection, clairvoyance... And to think that she had believed that her aunt was an adorable healer, a woman who was maybe a tad eccentric but who helped others. What she had in front of her proved that she practiced witchcraft, black magic...

  Just then, the creaking of one of the stairs floorboards made her jump. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed the silver knife that was on the altar and she turned around. Her aunt was looking down at her from a few steps above. She looked huge, powerful and terrific.

  — Put that down before you hurt yourself— her voice sounded angry and showed an authority that Luna had not heard until that moment—. And come upstairs. It's dangerous to play with things you do not understand.

  Luna bowed her head and, not saying a word, left the knife on the table, closed the book and headed towards the door. Her aunt remained still on the stairs watching her walk up. When she passed next to her, Luna couldn't help feeling her legs shake. What was going to happen? She didn't believe in witchcraft, so she didn't think that her aunt could put a horrible curse on her but, what if she really was as crazy as she seemed? What if she decided to get rid of Luna so she couldn't tell anyone anything?

  Her aunt followed her closely, closing the door behind them. Luna thought about running away from there but, where would she go at night, with no money or phone...? Scenes from horror films that she had seen in the past began to flash through her mind. That was stupid; it was her aunt she was thinking about. She might be angry but she wasn't going to harm her.

  She felt her aunts' hand on her back, softly pushing her towards the kitchen. Luna let herself be led, while thinking about what to do. Her aunt pointed at one of the benches, signaling her to sit down and walked over to the stove.

  — Would you like a hot chocolate? — she asked, putting milk on the stove to heat.

  Luna wasn't sure how to answer. What did that question mean? Was her aunt just pretending that the scene a few minutes ago never happened, that she didn't have all types of objects to practice black magic hidden in her basement? Or was she going to try to poison her with a cup of hot chocolate?

  — No, thank you— Luna whispered, with her head still bowed—. I don't feel like it.

  — You're shaking. It will make you feel better— Emma said while she continued to heat the milk—. And you don't have to worry. I have no intention of poisoning you.

  Luna shuddered. Could she read her mind? In that case nothing she thought of would work to be able to escape from there. She remained silent while Emma finished making the chocolate. Then, her aunt placed the cups on the table and sat in front of her.

  — I guess you have a lot of questions to ask me— she said after taking a sip from her cup—. Start wherever you want.

  — I don't know what to say... I don't understand— Luna murmured, lifting her head slightly.

  — You could start by saying sorry for going into a private place— her aunt’s expression was still stern, but she didn't look like a vengeful witch preparing to turn someone into a toad—. It is going to take me days to fix the mess you have caused down there.

  — But I didn't break anything. I hardly even touched anything down there...— Luna defended herself.

  — I didn't say you broke anything. But you have been handling things you don't understand, contaminating them with your fear and negative thoughts— the woman rubbed her temples and sighed deeply, as if trying to calm down—. I am not angry with you, Luna. It's really my fault for having forgotten to close the door. Well, the damage has been done now.

  — I'm sorry, I didn't know...

  She sat looking at her aunt, not quite believing that there weren't going to be any consequences and not really knowing what to think. Her aunt didn't seem dangerous. Once again, the woman sitting in front of her looked like a normal person. She stared at her for a long time. Her aunt seemed tired again and she had a look of worry in her eyes. She dared to ask, after all her aunt had said that she could.

  — But, what was all of that down there? Are you a... a...

  — Yes, I'm
a witch. My job is in healing and fortune telling, as I already told you this morning. I also carry out other types of rituals and I would have told you about them when you were ready to understand. You must be thinking so many odd things about me right now...— she explained with a bitter-sweet smile— For your peace of mind, I don't do deal with the devil, I don't practice necromancy, nor do I curse people.

  — But then, what were those satanic symbols I saw downstairs? — Luna asked, not very convinced.

  — Satanic symbols? — Emma laughed openly while she shook her head—. Dear God, Hollywood is giving us worse publicity in twenty years than what the Catholic Church has given us throughout its entire history. The pentacle you saw downstairs is not a satanic symbol. In fact, it's an ancient amulet used to protect against evil.

  — And the statues? The man with the horns...

  — The statues are the God and Goddess that I worship, the source and reason on everything that exists. They are present in everything around us and are the reason the Earth moves, of the circle of life and of death... But they are not demons, they do not represent any type of evil force— Emma's expression grew soft, as if she liked telling Luna about those things—. In truth, we don't believe that demons exist, that there is an evil that counteracts good. Good and evil are within each and every one of us, it makes us who we are and one cannot exist without the other. But I must be boring you...

  — No, not at all— Luna told her, interested—. You said “we don't believe”. Are there a lot like you? Do you belong to a cult?

  — Cult? What a horrible word to undervalue those who don't follow