The night of October 31st, 2001, A girl named Monica was in danger. The day started off cold and dreary. It had been raining the night before. When Monica woke up, she decided to step outside on the porch to sip her dark roasted coffee. Looking up at the light grey sky covered by clouds, she caught something lurking in the distance out of the corner of her eye. 

“What could that be?” She asked herself. 

She set down her coffee and went in the direction of what was thought to be seen. As Monica was walking, a sloshing sound started at her feet, mud was seeping into her skin. Something told Monica to keep going, even though she hated getting dirty. Monica had been walking for about an hour, without a phone and miles away from home. 

To her surprise, a woman was sitting on a tree stump with a blazen red hood over her head. Her legs and arms crossed- like she was waiting for Monica. 

“Excuse me- who are you?” Monica asked her quietly. 

The woman got up swiftly and pointed at the stump. 

“What?” Monica yelled. “What do you want?”

She turned turned towards the tree stump, crossed her arms and then jumped in.

Monica ran toward the stump and looked into it, baffled. It looked like a black hole. She then felt compelled to do the same thing, like someone was controlling her. 

She crossed her arms and jumped in- full force. 

A pile of something broke Monica’s fall. She looked around at what seemed to be a field of corn and a dark purple sky. 

She picked up one of the things that broke her fall and realized it was the head of a baby doll. Her brows were furrowed in confusion, “Where could I be?” she thought to herself. 

As Monica climbed down the pile of beheaded dolls, she saw the woman again. “Who are you, why’d you bring me here?” Monica inquired. 

The woman unveiled her face. She had deep wrinkles and light blue grey eyes- piercing into Monica’s soul. “My name is Matilda, and you brought yourself here. You found us,” she said assertively. 

“Who is ‘us’?” 

“The coven silly, you are our sister. We’ve been waiting for you,” Matilda said with a grin that was a little too wide and in a tone that sounded a little too excited. She then started to inch towards Monica, touching her face. 

Oddly enough, Monica felt a connection to Matilda, like she had meant her before. 

“Come now, let’s go visit the other sisters, they would love to meet you,” she said with her brittle voice. 

They walked through the corn field, and dark purple skies. A storm was brewing up ahead. 

“Why do you guys hide here?” Monica asked. 

Matilda chuckled, “We don’t hide dear, we simply live here because this is where our power is heightened. This is where we are… comfortable,” she said, now glancing at Monica. 

As they walked in, there was a large cauldron with bubbles and steam coming up to surface. 

“What are you guys brewing in there?” Monica asked, worried and suddenly feeling unsafe. 

“You, silly. Each year we have to sacrifice the sister that shows up the latest. Go ahead, jump in,” she said, grinning.

“But, why? I thought we were sisters,” Monica said, crying hysterically. 

All of the sisters started cackling and surrounded her and then all of a sudden- Monica heard the sound of an alarm. 

“Wake up Monica, you’re going to be late for the ACT,” Monica’s mother said. 

“Oh, thank God it’s you. I had a terrible nightmare,” she said feeling on edge. 

“You’re probably just stressed,” her mom said. 

“But it felt so real,” Monica thought to herself. 

Monica walked to her window and took a look at the light grey sky covered by clouds. She then looked down and saw Matilda- grinning a little too wide. Crossing her arms, waiting.