Which is which is which is.
Just beyond the edge of life. From the deep
a doc knows no living being has ever walked come the terror of those who have given
their soul depo. This is the story of one such creature.
This is the story about we. Across the pages
of history look the Army said those were the sorcerers the witches.
Through the ages man has known the evil that walks in the shadows of the night. And
his fear the dark spirits of the unknown. What lies behind these months of the
spheres that is chilled the hearts of men from the beginning of time. To these
sinister creatures live only in the superstitious minds of ignorant people.
Those who have studied the history of the ages and who know the dark secrets locked
in the vaults of time. To bend the word which is brings up
friendly fear and the shattering terror.
Great minds have sucked with babies things and then the great museums of the world
hang the work of the master artist of another age giving new testimony to the
horrors of sorcery and witchcraft as they saw it in their day. To tell you this
hideous tale. And to better help you understand these murderous creatures Let's go
back five hundred years that will bring us back to the time known as the duck ages
when the witches hild much of Europe in their black grip of fear and let us study
some of the paintings by the great master artists who lived in the age of
witchcraft and through their eyes and the genius of their art let us try to
understand these strange creatures and the evil forces behind them. In the old
books we read that
a witch is one who has given his soul to the devil to do that they must renounce
God and all other things that are decent and good it is said that they make
a pact with Satan written in their own blood. In return for this evil deed the
devil gave them supernatural powers of magic and evil they could make their bodies
disappear or change into any kind of beast or animal that will they were given the
power to cast their ominous shadows across the lives of others they could cast evil
spells upon their victims causing them to go blind or lose the use of their limbs
or even lose their mind. They could turn the victims' lives into manners of.
All the devil is their master and they must go froth upon the earth serving only
the powers of evil. The witches with meat in the night at
a prearranged run table usually an old secret dungeons or in the black death of
a forest. These meetings were called Separate. And were always held during the
night all the devils greatest power was believed to be from sundown to cock crow
and many of the finest paintings by the great artist
a bad period tell the story more eloquently than words of the strange and evil
things that took place at the seven. Which is what appears at this sinister ritual
in the form of all kinds of hideous creatures such as beasts birds beast and half
human. They would begin by celebrating what was known as the black mass. Which was
always conducted by some excellent or of the church who had renounced God to serve
the devil's black mass will live in infamy forever or hear
some of the most terrible criminal acts took place such as the slaying of children
whose warm blood was offered up as
a sacrifice to save. Then the bodies were thrown to the dogs or roasted and
by that which is following this ritual the entire gathering would throw themselves
into the most depraved orgies of ill and obscenity conceivable to the human mind.
These evil perverted creatures it was all terribly exciting and it provided an
excuse for their unbridled lust and perverted sex the fact that it
had to be carried out in the most secrecy made it all the more thrilling. Yet those
same evil murderous creatures changed their body isn't all sorts of hideous beast
and engaged in those unbelievable rituals by night lived by day as ordinary human
beings such as shopkeepers Housewives or farmers and as the years went on.
The bitches continued their murderous assault upon the people and it is said that
they called all the legions of the dead back the souls of the living. This is the
goal of the devil. From the beginning about thirteenth century through the
eighteenth century witchcraft ran rampant through Europe and was practiced with all
of its blasphemous and obscene rituals. So the Middle Ages exam but.
The age of witchcraft. Age of the. Men
and women who still had the courage to fight did so with all the weapons they knew
and after five centuries but the tide of battle turned. In many European countries
the practice of witchcraft was made
a capital offense. Rumors decreed that their countries must be freed of this
terrible scourge and that girl convicted of practicing witchcraft must die. Armies
were called out to hunt down the which is. The fear was so great that I'm tired
villages said to be infested by which is put to the talk the old records tell of
flames rising high into the night sky and hideous creatures streaking across the
burning heavens screaming all obscenities. When confronted with death many of
the treacherous which is confessed to the most hideous crimes even the hardened
soldiers who were trained to kill turned away sickened by some of their terrifying
confessions one group of which is alone confessed to the murdering of about two
thousand babies and small children booked from the brothels and slums of the big
cities at last which is where no more old
superstitions and taboos had yielded to the powers of light and knowledge.
We who live in the light of the twentieth Century see the witch only in fantasy as
a hideous old woman sailing through the night sky on her broomstick. We are certain
that these murderous creatures who walk the world in the dark ages committing their
atrocious crimes and casting their evil spells never really existed except in the
twilight zone of the mind. But I we mistaken.
From deep beyond the edge of liked to from somewhere out there beyond the grave and
beyond the dimensions of life. Do these ominous creatures still exist
you see.
The very witching time of night when churchyards is gone and hell itself gives up
contagion to this world. Old.
Old.
The all.
The what the.
World. Verse.
If I could have known of the strange and haunting experience that was waiting for
me I never would have driven any further into the hill country of central Texas.
There are those who say that it was all
a dream and that it didn't happen at all nor could it happen in the twentieth
century but I tell you it happened.
Perhaps you'll be able to believe it if I tell you about where it happened and the
people who live there to begin with It was early spring and there are few places in
the whole world as lovely as central Texas in April but this is not the Texas of
cowboy lore for here snug in
a green valley rammed by evergreen hills are crim clannish early German
villages the German settlers came in eight hundred forty six thinking religious
asylum in America the green hills the rocky slopes and clear rushing streams
reminded them of the hills beside the Rhine from limestone outcroppings and the
encircling hills they built their thick walled homes most of them still standing
mellowed to Amber by the sun still occupied by descendants of the settlers
and they have kept the face that made their grandfathers brave sickness isolation
and Indian raids so that it be kept alive
a characteristic of the valley is the great number of bells church bells they are
been blocking with the evening bells and there are the school veils which have rung
for
a hundred years calling the children to school houses that were built by their great
grandfathers though English and German are spoken interchangeably German is taught
in the schools and is still the language of social contact and of the home.
And I sing in German.
Yes this whispering the time of slang or. The singing festival
I was trying to get to the village of Lucan vaquero singing festival was in
progress.
You can joke all you want to about how far a sports car can go on
a gallon of gas but when they're out they'll sit there like any other.
I was already late so I decided to leave the car and walk into the village this was
the last day of the thing in festival and the last day I could take away from
college I was writing
a thesis on the early Germans and taxes and the festivals were important to my
research as I walk through the countryside toward the village I thought to myself
how lucky these people were to live in such peace and unspoiled beauty and yet as I
approached the O'Byrne mill on the outskirts of the village an ominous feeling
crept over me it seemed as if in the dark shade trees about the mill rain or about
to swallow me up and take me back
a hundred years as indeed they soon would. Follow
their. The H.
I'm looking for
a place to stay for the night I wonder if you could help me. Improve Your Hunch
good beer eaters this all sounds good enough for me.
First though her name was scarce guess it was
a pity that such
a lovely creature would be the one to tell me that I was too late for the festival
she was dressed in
a costume of the old country and had taken some village children to the festival
she said that her grandfather would be glad to have me at the end.
As we turned to go I couldn't help thinking that the old miller could help me in my
search so I turned to him. He seemed pleasant enough
as I asked him if he could help me but when I mentioned the words superstitions and
witchcraft he simply turned them continued with this guy may.
Dismiss the old miller for my mind is overly sensitive and we started walking for
the village store then I tried to ask your school questions about the village but
she was interested in what she called the outside what it was like at college what
kind of clothes were being worn by girls her age. Suddenly I realized that I was
out of place in this village with
a century old homes and clean swept walks. But
as we approached the end her mood changed it was as if she wanted to help me but
couldn't find words to explain how you must be careful the old ones do not like to
speak of the Spirit sent to hex their grandfather's friends are probably glad to
have you in our house he would talk of anything you wish as much of what you don't
. That
evening after
a good German dinner by the fire. Keeper. And tried to
find words to answer my question.
They are afraid of those. Especially.
The look in which I talk Surely after all these years I would be nothing if you
told I would help you. But I promise you I'm not going to say
anything to anyone I'm just not. Just about given up hope of any help from
anybody.
On the way. Thank you. All
what do you have to go I mean well I'm not having too much luck with the
others and I thought someone younger might be able to help someone like you. With
my thesis I'm doing research for
a thesis they want to help you if they could be sure it was
a German immigration you were writing about but. OK so it's not just about the
immigration story so it's also about customs and legends and strange oddities that
we hear about and witchcraft and I didn't say anything you want to be honest with
me all right so I'm interested in witchcraft and the sorcery and the all calling
the harm in that folks do not take these things like me I didn't mean to upset your
folks the way I did but what can be the harm in
a guy researching something that happened over one hundred years ago you would have
to live here to know it to understand. What we call friend from the outside.
Are they trying to hide something do you use the word. It's
just an academic hobby with me I know there's
a lot of talk about witches and warlocks and stuff like that and
a lot of people actually believe it but I've done
a lot of research on witchcraft and I actually believe it can be boiled down to
a simple mathematical and economic formula how do you mean look and any history
book any age where there was widespread famine sickness want you find an outbreak
of women being denounced as witches in the late Middle Ages. People were executed
in Europe and England in Massachusetts twenty witches were put to death all of
these were times of widespread disease and hunger but when your people first subtle
in this country they had not only disease and hunger to contend with they had the
Comanche Indian raids as well Little wonder then that the ugly word witchcraft was
heard in the new colony but what pleasure can you get from studying about all this
to better understand the which ones we have today which you would think that after
the delusions of New England in early Texas the urge to hunt which is would have
disappeared from the Western world but nothing of the kind of medieval idea
witchcraft was replaced with things like race nationality can I do to help your
grandfather mention the Luke and Bach which but call themselves when I try to find
out more about it. I heard of this case before and you tell me something about her
there was a woman called
a looking back which grandfather and grand uncle will not talk of it because it
was their grandfather Sharni could announce to the settler that built this in.
This very room.
Only now have an old book. Which will tell you all about it but you must not tell
the others about the book you have my word just in that it.
The sweetest smile. Like
a college voices telling all the country girls this you know I really mean it I
believe it's just that I don't ever really notice anyone until I get
a little bothered lined up like
a camel you know with your German good looks set up with something simple and black
you look like
a little cameo I better hurry. As
I finish my packing I actually felt that my luck was changing for the better.
Just how much better I couldn't describe it have to see or.
That's something simple and black I did. Yeah I
did I did shouldn't you close the door yeah of course.
I'm not sure I've got you figured cuz I asked you to close the door Well yeah
I knew when one grandfather to know we were alone. Wouldn't think I want to be
alone you know to tell the truth I'm not sure what I thought at the moment.
You didn't think the country girls ever thought of being. The wife but who knows
more about life as things and being alone than. People don't talk about it
too much too much.
I better give you your book. And go. Back to giving your book I have no
reason to stay cept on one condition I
can be saved you.
Know.
Well.
The early Germans in Texas to understand properly know how witchcraft and suspicion
raised its ugly head in the early colony remember that in the first year of the
supplements type sleeping sickness and other bitter hardships were climax by an
epidemic that took the lives of two hundred of the six hundred settlers the
villagers looked for someone on whom to blame the troubles what brought her subject
than the widow who walked by moonlight the widow who was too
a loop to speak to the women of the village the one who caused the whispers about
a clandestine
a prayer with the in people trying to get the word know what they called her with
it must be remembered that this was a time when
a man of power could conveniently denounce as well with any woman discovered with
him in his bed such young man was our whole showing.
Well after.
What excuse is it this time or what excuse can you give me more. Giving you the
time. You must decide between.
You with my will and. The villages the talk I hear
them nodding when I pass their door what are they saying is saying that I
have taken the bed of an invalid why they need for their ministry.
Is no spoiling of but. It is
the curse of the widow which. I want you woman tells me that on
Sunday best the preacher read from the Old Testament I shall not suffer
a rich to live you must take me away from the I cannot but I charge you with my
woman watches and for. You have broken checking with me.
In the chapel to be used when convenient to function where
your wife cannot. Read but not to morrow.
Keep your time. Besides.
Write this talk of witches was born with you if
you who have wealth in this web of spectral evidence about me
you would have called me
a witch your face the lies
you what would you have me good.
Yes yes yes which is
there. Your shocking woman yet make.
Me.
The elders and how you cast your doom money X.
Spell over this house. I. Have
told him how you passed you
a span of my life to make I answer that. He has learned with the devil
so why go is there
a way. That same night under cover of darkness like took the widow to the
graveyard there are those who said that she waited probably without fear and that
she whispered over and over to talk oh all right make sure the death to all shining
I will return. And with the self-same spire I will kill
all who bear the name of. How convenient for auto Sharon eg that there could be
no trial there would be by post oak spire a barrier not
a hundred yards from where she had landed where the woman to set the auto Sharon.
The the.
There it was. A mummy fied face of the widow with eyes sockets staring
among the common bones the stake now petrified stone.
If I could but take the stake and the temptation was too much.
The same.
The.
Will
rule
a role.
The Ood.
Her Oh we.
I have.
No will all
go will
go. The
OR. So.
Low.
Over.
Thank.
You.
The No.
One PI Why do. You.
Reroll.
But X.
Morning the elders came to the end they had fished the body of the Miller out of
the blood soaked mill pond there was no question of what had happened where they
had also discovered the empty grave of the witch I tried to speak up but words
wouldn't form in my mouth this was all
a dream I wanted to tell them this thing didn't happen as the elder
continued to talk the sudden realization came to me that it was true
I hadn't covered a grave of
a witch and now after one hundred years she had returned
to
a venture self. The
elder warned that no one should leave or enter the village until the Witch be found
and return to her grave surely the which would not stop at one death where
would she strike next only to the ledgers with the name of Sharon egg or the end
keeper hons and care skin as the moon rose we
did all we could do both the shutters and wait.
The the.
One by five.
I was the guilty party just as surely as if I had held
a stake I had killed them. I could no longer contain my guilt
and yet some kind of power kept me from speaking up it was as if I was
next by the witch yourself I made up my mind to find the witch and stop the killing
the librarian must have wondered at my strange questions under the guise of
research I asked her if there were some place people could hide in the hills by day
maybe some place where they went to during the Indian raids yes she could help me
there were some caves downstream from the mill I had my information.
And so that night as the Moon Bay the hills with wind across the mill race and
headed toward the caves down stream.
To know.
Him.
As I watched fascinated by this beautiful creature I couldn't believe that here
was a vengeful witch who had murdered two and was sworn to kill
a third member moment I felt sorry for this lonely.
Friends were water snakes on the moon. And she seemed to know every sound of the
night.
As her eyes met mine all her punishment her which drained from my mind I was
hoping. For power and beauty in me and I found myself completely vain or well.
I followed quietly as she pick up again.
Her.
The old.
You you. You.
But. I thought.
That the the.
Old. The Wall.
And say.
Hey.
This is.
The fifty.
Fifty. Third two thousand.
The fact.
That.
One fire but one by.
Shout down by the same for.
The. The
the over the last.
World.
The.
The. The
the
the you.
The I'm.
The
of the
Orwell
the the the.
The
the.
The the.
He.
Later in the cold gray light I spread the dirt over the widow my feelings were
mixed here was
a woman who had taken to know. Yet she had been denounced maliciously and killed by
the same state but she which are wrong the widow.
Is not for me to say. I am only glad that Tempest is over and she has returned
to our hundred years.