excerpted from
Spooky Pennsylvania
retold by S.E. Schlosser
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She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies
for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary,
and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that
their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their
children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an
angry witch could do to her neighbors.
Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No
one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched
the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there
was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody
Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but
she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that
her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more
attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof
that the witch had taken their young ones.
Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed
and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear.
The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen
treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the
house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the
door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to
restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out
of town.
The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They
came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a
shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A
few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary
standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed
towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as
she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter.
The townsmen grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the
witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and
fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun
with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now
he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and
she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried
her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her
at the stake.
As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone
mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to
revenge herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the
villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves
of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their
blood to make her young again.
From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name
three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of
the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip
their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate
ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will
be trapped forever in the mirror.
Bloody Mary Returns:
When her evil stepmother kills both her brothers, a young girl must
fight for her life using every resource she has at her disposal.
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