SAMHAIN

Darkness and fog covered me like a blanket. I could barely see my pale hand in front of my eyes through the gloom. Heavy clouds blocked out any sign of light from the moon and stars above casting the worlds into an eery shadow. A raven cawed out in the night close by. Its wind flutter into the night as it took flight.

I step forward cautiously. Trying to make sense of where I was.

The only noise could be heard was the crunching of twigs and dry leaves beneath my feet as I find my way through the darkness. My hands outstretched as I felt for obstacles.

I eventually make my way out of the tree line and into a large clearing, a fire burning bright in the middle of the open space. Stepping towards it, I began to recognise where I was. It was the clearing that my coven used for ceremonial rituals.

The raven sat on a stump off wood that had been cut up to be used a seat, its beady eyes watching me, fire dancing in their reflection. It cawed at once again, taunting me with its high-pitched calls.

The fire burnt bright, roaring up into the dark sky. Smoke filled the air and settled onto the ground. The fog around me wasn't fog at all. It was smoke.

It began to settle into my lungs, depriving me of oxygen. I cough, trying to clear my airways as it felt it start to suffocate me.

My vision began to blur, as a figure stepped out of the fire. I reached out a hand for something to steady myself. Only to be caught by the man before me.

"Melinda!" The voice called at me through the smog and buzzing in my head. "Melinda, you must be careful."

I look at the figure confused. His face was shrouded by a heavy black hood, giving him the appearance of a reaper.

"They are coming for you, Melinda." The voice came again.

"Who? Who is coming for me?" I tried to question the hooded man, but my throat felt thick and the words stuck in my mouth.

"Beware of the man with the tear shaped scar." The voice spoke again, before it started to step back towards the raging fire. "Melinda!"

I shake my head trying to clear the fog settling there. My tongue feeling fuzzy and a headache pounding behind me eyes.

The hooded man had all but disappeared into the night, yet the voice kept coming...

"Melinda!"

The fog and smoke began to draw me under its spell, and light began to penetrate the through the clouds. My vision came back into focus as I force my eyes open only to find my Aunt Tibby stood directly in front of me, a scowl plastered to her face as she shook me until my teeth rattled in my head.

"Melinda Walker!" She shouted, her voice stern and her expression exasperated. "How many times do I need to call your name before you wake up? Honestly Mel, anyone would think you are still a child!"

"Aunt Tibby? I just had the weirdest dream." I rub my eyes trying to clear the last reminisce of clouded vision that still lingered in the corner.

"Oooh." She cooed, "I love a good dream story. Perhaps it's a foreshadowing? Common then, what did you dream about?" She asked settling down on the edge of my bed and staring at me with anticipation. She grabbed a cushion off of the floor and cuddled it as she settled in to listen.

I laugh at her. Only Aunt Tibby could be cross one moment and then act like my best friend the next. At the age of 38, she had never really truly grown up. My mum was always the sensible one of the two. Tibby, well she just wanted to be everyone's friend.

She was two years older than my mother, and about ten years younger in metal attitude. My mum, Cassidy Walker had me when she was 18. She was the best. She was a calm motherly type. She never cross, well not that I can remember. And she loved getting involved in all the "mumsy" type things. Like school projects, cooking, fun crafting activities. Aunt Tibby called her super mum. She was a Water witch, and with it she was graceful and allowed like to just wash up around her.

Aunt Tibby? Well, she was the exact opposite. As I say, she never really grew up. She left Echo Falls straight out of school and moved to Bath where she set up her own organic herbal remedy company. She created cosmetics and creams which tourist lapped up. She was actually quite business savvy. But she also enjoyed a carefree lifestyle and above all things... she loved to have fun!

When she wasn't making lavender face masks and rose hip lip treatments, she was out partying and finding a gazillion different men to take home for the night. So, I'm sure you can imagine her joy when my mother passed away and she was left as my soul guardian.

For once, she had responsibility. Which meant selling up her cosmetic shop and moving back to our sleepy little tourist town in middle of absolutely nowhere. And for 13 years she had tried to be a responsible adult for me.

On the whole, she was great, but on the rear occasion she was pissed off, let's just say you knew about it. My God you did not want to get on the wrong side of Tabitha Walker.

Her power stemmed from the element of fire. And with her power, her temperament matched perfectly. She was feisty, easily angered and blew up when got going. But overall she was pretty chilled out. Not a lot fazed her in general, and she was easy going with what I did in my own personal life. That was as long as I wasn't late for work.

"Common," She pushes impatiently, "lets be having it then."

I reel off the details of the dream. How I felt suffocated and that the strange man with no face told me to be aware of the stranger with a tear shaped scare.

"A tear shaped scar? That's very specific?" Tibby said, her top lip curling up as she thought over what I had said. Oh, by the way, Aunt Tibby was legendary when it came to dream interpretations. Some called her a seer, she even read tarots. The tourists that passed through Echo falls loved it. But this time, I seemed to have stumped her.

"No words of wisdom for me Aunt Tibby?" I ask her sarcastically. She knew that I was always a little dubious of her "gifts". We may me witches, but even witches were renowned for exploiting their abilities and profiteering from them.

"Well, actually yes I do." She replied, with her tongue sticking out at me. "Firstly, the raven is an omen, generally a bad one. It can mean that evil will soon be crossing your path. Secondly the man without a face. Well, I would have said that he is someone who is either in your life, or that you will soon meet, but he is not yet ready to reveal himself. All in all, I think its pretty obvious that the dream was a warning, even to those of us that don't believe." She said with a roll of her eyes and cushion launched in my direction.

I laugh at her, rolling back into my bed as the cushion hit me in the face.

"Gee, thanks Aunt Tibby, I feel supper better now."

"Just get up, lazy bones! You have 30 minutes until the store is due to open and it is the start of the October half term, so its gonna be a busy one." She scolds me as she jumps up off of the bed and heads for the door.

"What do I look like to you? It's you turn to open up this morning anyway!" I respond with foe annoyance.

"Nuh-huh, I opened up last weekend. Its your turn Mel." She stops at the door and turns back to me adding with a smile. "Oh, and don't forget to stay away from strange men with weird scars." She gives me a wink and disappears, shutting the door behind her.

I roll back with a sigh and pull the covers over my head.

"I hate working weekends!" I moan into my duvet, before forcing myself to get up and start getting ready for the day.