THE WITCH frolics in the forest, happy among the trees and at peace with her energy. However, she knows that this peace isn’t guaranteed for long, as THE PRIEST and his army are always nearby lurking. On the hunt for witches, (because it’s once again a crime to be one), THE PRIEST is considered by THE WITCH to be a devil she must always run from…
I am Persephone, preparing for my return to the underworld
Planting seeds for the ones I leave behind to harvest, as they realize spring will come again regardless of how I’ve grown
I need to be sure every move I make is intentional and deliberate, made from a place that is healthy and grounded
For I know they’ll perceive my choices how they need to, but never how I intended…
My death will mean something for the sake of our collective
You cannot kill a witch and not live to regret it
My life is meant to be a wildfire that you cannot quickly extinguish, so if they send me to hell, I’m going to be it
I’ve accepted that I cannot move or find a place for me in heaven, so I shall force them to confront and acknowledge hell’s liberation
The witch seems to detect THE PRIEST and his cronies, and makes haste to flee towards her last hope of safety. Now beyond triggered and becoming ready to start her true journey.
As she moves along her way, she weaves a spell into place that shall guide her as she continues along her path. She's visibly eager, and ready, to play her role on our stage, and beyond desperate for the day we acknowledge our role in the games we all play...
I will profit off my pain
I will transmute and create meaning out of the things I cannot change
I will erase memories by memorializing them on this stage
I will make sure the world remembers my name, and I will be damned sure my suffering wasn’t in vain…
There has to be a reason life can’t be explained
And I’m determined to learn 'em by letting my demons out to play...
END SCENE
THE PRIEST paces his living room, visibly stressed and afraid of how he'll be perceived under the honest light of the moon. He's got a secret that he's concealing by burying it deep within the recesses of his brain; and he knows that everything he does is in vain, but he cannot find the courage to unmask on stage-and therefore he shall always be in pain…
I spend far too much time chasing highs and fearing lows, only to hit rock bottom when I realize I never left my true hell...
My brain is the only thing keeping me alive, while simultaneously making me want to die. I can’t escape myself no matter how hard I try (and believe me, I’ve tried), so now I’m resigning myself to being trapped within my mind. It’s far too loud in my brain for comfort, too many thoughts and rabbit holes for me to chase after-but I have a role and demands to foster, so I must conceal and abandon any hope of love and laughter...
They say ”pride cometh before the fall”, but I know what it really takes to reach god’s hall.
I must keep them all in thrall, I cannot risk the witches escaping my wall...
END SCENE
THE NUN sits quietly at her desk, contemplating and listening, as the teacher's preach and encourage her to ignore both intuition, and what she's clearly witnessing while she journeys to find her place. She instinctively knows of her magic and the potential of her space, but willingly suppresses it all in an attempt to stay safe. However, there's a price to pay for being complicit and allowing things to continue on in their toxic way; THE NUN knows this, and yet she can't stop setting expectations for her judgement day…
What do we owe each other? Really? We’ve had countless philosophers, religious texts and leaders tell us their theories, but what is the true secret that could give my life meaning?
While I’d love to say I could detach myself from everything to achieve enlightenment, or care so much for the collective I’m an integral part of it, I know putting any of that into action is highly unrealistic. I can’t be the safe space for everyone I meet, I have to have boundaries to protect my own peace-and therefore I can’t be truly selfless in my contributions to society.
I have no survival skills, or ability to live independently. As much as I love the thought of being a true hermit, free of society, living solely for the pursuit of peace and what makes me happy-I know I would die within a week of that plan's happening.
My line between selfish and selfless has always been murky, with me people pleasing and not understanding how unhealthy selflessness can actually be when you’re left without boundaries. I know that I need mirrors to reflect and teach me, to help me to learn and grow, but I also know I’m not ready to face my true soul.
I live in extremes, and I've got quite a bit of fire inside me, longing to burn free. Balance is a challenge for everyone, but it seems especially difficult for me. I tend to swing from pole to pole, one end of the spectrum to another, completely bypassing the middle until some outside energy forces me to atone. I know I need balance. I crave the freedom that will come from me knowing myself so completely nothing can throw me out of alignment without my consent-and yet I cannot see the path to attain it...
The question “what do we owe each other” is driving me crazy. It’s in the back of my mind constantly these days as I struggle to figure out what my answer to that question needs to be. What do I owe the collective? What was I made for? What’s my contribution supposed to be? Do I owe people every part of me or are there parts of me that it isn’t selfish to protect? I see people baring their scars and using their pain to inspire others, while others inspire the collective with how protective they are over the things they love and admire. There is no right or wrong answer because every answer and choice I make will be wrong to some people and right to others. I’m doomed and blessed to both win and fail, to be loved and hated on every possible path I take, all while somehow finding and maintaining my version of balance and peace.
It annoys and frustrates me that the roller coaster of life is never ending (until we actually get to die). I hate that there is no magical solution, no fix, no guarantee, no finish line or long term peace. I know that I may find balance for some aspects of my life, only to lose them completely the next day while gaining balance over others. Monks are basically full time balance seekers, they dedicate their lives to finding “enlightenment” and peace and they work at it daily. If even the monks who get to dedicate their lives solely to finding balance and peace can’t fully master and permanently attain it, what hope is there for you and me?
I feel like I owe the collective my best attempt at finding balance. That I owe it to the collective to move through this world confident in my actions, because I know they come from a place of grounded balance. I know that I will not always be perceived in ways that are complimentary, that I will be a villain to some, and a hero to others, regardless of what I say or do and I’m all right with that. There is no “winning” in life, but I feel I can come as close to victory as possible by staying true to myself while focusing on maintaining balance as I fulfill my role throughout the course of my life. I will never be perfect, I will have to work constantly while learning to trust my intuition. I will have to be brutally honest with myself, while fully accepting others through my acknowledgement of the misconceived perceptions and lenses through which I see my world. I don’t know what the world owes me, but I think I finally know what I owe it; my best attempt at balance and authenticity, as I move through this ever changing world, in the hopes of surviving the collective's lack of empathy for all those who see through it, and insist on bringing awareness to the true victims of our hell...
END EPISODE
THE WITCH stands at the edge of the forest. Known as the heathens last remaining zone, the forest is the only place in this world THE WITCH can, and ever will, call home. Despondent, and yet still full of simmering rage at her people's predicament, she secretly watches as THE PRIEST and his army tear down the heathens sanctuary and the only eden THE WITCH has ever known at this stage of her journey. She knows that she must leave, in the same way she knows she won't be returning. For the wheel of fortune that rules our life, is always turning and yearning…
My childhood home has been robbed of its innocence
The walls that once felt safe, now bar me from their entrance
Arms that used to hold me, now deny me my deliverance
As the ones who claimed to love me, remain locked in mental prisons...
Do you know why I don’t put much faith in religion?
It’s cause I’ve sobbed and I’ve prayed but heaven won’t admit it
I’ve lain on my knees, I’ve sacrificed and committed
But the gods have made it clear, they’re only egotistic
And, I'm not narcissistic enough to expect the world to revolve around me, but I’m selfish and aware enough to admit I wish it.
THE PRIEST gleefully looks down on the group of heathens they've captured. Blinded by pride, arrogance, and the assumption they're all that's left for him to chase after, he fails to realize THE WITCH was the true prize he's been after…
She watches him as he kills the last of her remaining, (free), kin; frozen in place by the audacity and weight of his sin. As the heathens are irrevocably violated by the "Pure" once again, THE WITCH vows to be their justice, ready to avenge. She allows herself to feel the weight of the pain she's trapped in, before transmuting her feelings into a self made vow, to never allow THE PRIEST and the "Pure" steal from her again…
I want to scream
I want to screech until my throat bleeds, yell until I shatter my teeth
Whisper warnings until I fall asleep, and rage at the world that’s made me weak…
Am I the only one left who's still cursed to actually see?
I feel like I'm Cassandra, shouting my truth out into a void, only to be ignored, then blamed, when they burn down Troy
Complicit through my need for validity, I stand here the victim of my own anxiety
Petrified of my own reality, I stood by and allowed them to kill off my empathy
I've let them take and take from me, and unintentionally others, while claiming I'm the victim and hero everyone else should take after…
Let this be my warning and promise, my vow for hereafter, I shall do my best to embody the godly magic I'm after
I've been blessed and cursed to see how they've distorted our "happily ever after", if I continue to do nothing, I'll let them make me their monster…
They've forgotten the lesson of Midas and his gold
Consumed by capitalist greed, they'll kill every lover and child they could ever hope to hold
Filling their home with trophies in an attempt to feel less alone,
I'll spend my life chasing them until they're forced to atone…
END SCENE
THE PRIEST sits alone and stressed; gazing out of his window while secretly wishing he were dead. He watches life pass him by, knowing he is filled with regret, for sins he's committed but feels he can't repent…
I am selfish.
I’ll self destruct while seeking solace, burn bridges while searching for penance, blow myself and the world up just to claim innocence...
I feel like I’ve regressed to my toddler stage. All I want to do is throw tantrums, scream and question everything.
Why do my plans blow up in my face? Am I doomed to keep repeating every past mistake? Why isn’t there a way to quiet or fix my brain? And what’s the point of conforming at the end of the day?
I’ve sold my soul to exist within this space, and yet all I crave is an escape. I fear the ledge I cling to will become my true fate, just as I fear the pain and cost that would come with change...
I’d run to the ends of the earth if I could. I’d swim out into the sea until I drown. I’d do anything to escape my own sound.
If my brain would be quiet for just a second, if the world could pause for me to understand it, then maybe I could find a way, to create a life I don’t need to escape.
THE PRIEST sees THE WITCH arrive at the “shelter” across the street. He watches closely as she knocks on the door urgently, captivated by her instantly. He observes THE NUN and THE WITCH’s first meeting, but his focus is solely on this girl he’ll be pursuing. As THE NUN welcomes THE WITCH into her sanctuary, THE PRIEST decides she’s the woman he’s destined to marry.
Ignoring his intuition as it cautions him against the incoming addiction, THE PRIEST listens to his body and gives into temptation...
I’ll fill the hole in my head with her medications
Let her cleanse me of my every ailment
Let her be the source of my salvation
My martyr, my angel, my only amusement
Let her be the void I can lose myself in
Let her be the prayer and path of our delusion...
THE PRIEST is weaving a spell without even knowing it, too fixated on THE WITCH as she enters the establishment. He feels a spark of life he hasn’t felt for a while, a rush of endorphins and lust, which tell him to trust her mischievous smile.
He’s been miserable and lonely for far too long, as there were too many witches and heathens for him to hunt down. And THE NUN and fellow heathens he allows in his town, are too pure and good for him to enjoy their sound. THE PRIEST sees in THE WITCH an opportunity few would turn down; a chance to conquer another woman while making his fellow men proud...
Surely no witch of a woman, would be so bold as to walk around freely with no attempt at illusion
And surely I would be a fool of a human, to ignore an offering that’s clearly god’s doing…
If I’m doomed to bear the weight of my life while leading us through this, then I think I’m at least owed a woman of my choosing
And if this girl is half as good as she’s looking, then surely I’m the only demon she’ll deem worth pursuing...
I’ve earned my place in this world and know how to move through it
I’ve killed most of the witches and saved us from women
I deserve this reward, even my doubters can’t refute it
So I shall claim this girl, and no witch alive could prevent me or undo it
I may not be able to master my mind or forever stop those who’d pursue it, but I can master the bitches who remind us we’re human
END SCENE
THE NUN welcomes THE WITCH into the "shelter". It is now the last remaining place in existence where women, and nonbinary/nonconforming humans are allowed to gather and live in "peace". NO WITCHES ARE ALLOWED, as witches are fully outlawed, and the women deemed to be non-witches are only saved by the "Pure's" "Fertile Womb Law"; which states that: "All fertile women shall be allowed to live, provided they can prove they're not a witch, and are able to provide for the collective's enjoyment/humanity's survival. If at any point a fertile woman proves herself to be either a witch, or a creature who's incapable of performing her duties as promised, then she shall be swiftly prosecuted and dealt with, per the "Pure's" constitution which states that all heathens are subject to THE PRIEST's judgement and subsequent punishment.
THE NUN has always known that she’s actually a witch, but she’s desperate to conform and escape her perceived punishment. Upon meeting THE WITCH, she feels enamored, challenged, confronted, and confused. THE WITCH’s magic calls to hers, as does everything else she does and will do, however THE NUN is understandably intimidated by the confidence she so obviously exudes…
I'm dangling from a ledge I don't want to keep holding, forcing myself to endure while the triggers keep growing
My emotions consume me. Devour, burn, drown and erase-I'm suffocating while staring death straight in the face
My loved ones watch as my limbs tremble and shake. Unable or unwilling to decide which path they'll take, they're doomed to observe me meeting my fate…
All I'm longing for is the hand that will pull me into an embrace, that will chase after me even when I've spit fire in their face
I need a mirror that can hold me, and yet give me space
A mirror that grounds and balances me, the home where I feel safe.
And I know it's unfair of me to put so much into another, to set expectations they will inevitably fail to meet later
I know that I can't expect anyone to give me a reason for existing, but I need a reason to have faith that this pain still has meaning…
I was raised on Peeta and Katniss, Percy and Annabeth. If you're going to put me in Tartarus, then I need my Orpheus who'll chase me through it
I am chaos incarnate
Born with too much fire and air to be grounded on my own, you cannot look at me and tell me I'm meant to walk this life alone
The shadows appear easy and may be seductive, but there's an agony in feeling everyone's energy so deeply, and I've been impacted…
I need someone to balance me when I cannot find it within me to balance myself
Someone who sees the ledge as clear as I do, but who has enough light and fight left to guide us home when I fail to
I like the ledge and I like my shadows, but there's a part of me that doesn't want to die yet, my petty ego, so I'm fighting to grip with fingers that slip, while suffocating in the fears that I will be forced to commit…
Do you think she can hear the screams I'm keeping in?
They're so loud inside me, surely they're deafening and why everyone can only watch as I remain here dangling
Will I scare her away with the intensity of my feeling?
It's too much for me to bear so I'd understand her reasoning, but I hope she'll say something or leave, I can't handle any teasing
Her silent watching is luring me into a false sense of believing, and I no longer have the time or patience to risk anymore deceiving. I should ask her to speak up and give me a reason to stop fleeing, or beg her to find me someone who can give my life meaning; if not I should ask her to leave or at least to stop perceiving, lest I force her to watch my inevitable bleeding…
END EPISODE
THE WITCH's BLOG: inspired by "The Fool's" / "Hero's" Journey concept, along with the history/evolution of media, written portions of THE WITCH shall be released in chapter segments to THE WITCH's "blogging" platforms
stay tuned, more from THE WITCH shall be arriving soon...
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