Blue Moon Cemetery

During the bright, sunny afternoon, I let my brother know that I would be gathering herbs and such for a spell. He knew that I would be back. I told him not to worry about me.

Brother’s gruff voice breaks through the silence, “Please, just be careful.”

“I always am. I never know where I am going, but you know I am always safe,” I assure him as I begin gathering things at home that I may need. A bag of warmer clothes, along with black tourmaline, clear quartz, a trowel, some small jars, and a sachet for my herbs and whatever else I may gather on my outing.

“Do you know where you’ll end up?” Brother asked, I could hear the worry in his voice.

“I normally end up at the cemetery in the middle of the forest. That’s just where the wind takes me.”

The blue moon was the biggest I had ever seen, which was perfect for the farmers who were harvesting the rest of their crops, and was perfect for me as I was gathering the things I need for my protection spell. As I walked by, a few of them waved to me, but neither of us had time to talk. They had their crops to harvest before the frost and I had to perform a spell. Leaves crunched under my feet as I made my way to wherever the wind took me.

I wound all through the outskirts of the town gathering things I needed for the protection spell. Holly, pine, mugwort, garlic, lavender. After asking if I could borrow their powers to protect me and the herbs agreed, I still didn't feel like I had everything. I kept walking. The blue moon lit my path, a cool breeze moved past me, telling me to follow. With my sachet of herbs securely in hand, I followed the breeze across a winding path, filled with thorn bushes and low branches. I had to dodge and duck my way through the forest, but I knew the breeze would lead me to where I would need to go. It always does.

I hear a yowling on my way, the breeze stops and so do I. Meowr? I follow the sad cries to a small, grey kitten. It looks at me and I see it is missing an eye. I reach down to pet the kitten, it cowers away from me, but I just stay still, hoping he will warm up to me. It is a cold night and I know he needs something to warm him up. I pull off my scarf and toss it near the kitten, hoping it will keep it warm. The breeze picks back up and I am on my way to find the last thing I need for my spell.

This is an important spell for me, most of the town knows that I am harmless, however, a few townspeople think I killed a boy. They have never liked me, they have thrown rocks and rotting vegetables at my house. The other full moon that passed this month, I was gardening in my backyard. During that time, a small boy had come to my front door, but I didn't know. That boy died on my porch. I would have done anything in my power to save him, but I was too late.

When I came around from gardening, there was blood on my hands and I had a shovel. A few townspeople thought I had killed the boy due to the blood and shovel. Those townspeople were always looking for a reason to make me leave town, but I had never done anything to them to where they wouldn't like me. Maybe they found the boy dying and put him on my porch in hopes that he would die. Perhaps the boy did something wrong and got beat to the end of his life, then the one who beat him placed him at my porch. I don't want to think that I was framed, it feels wrong to think that, but I don't have any other ideas. Did they want me gone so bad they would harm a child?

No matter how many times I told them I would never kill anyone, they wouldn't listen to me. I told them the blood was from my roses, I had the shovel because I was digging up some of my plants to move them inside for the winter. I would never hurt anyone. I don't know what happened to that boy, but no one would listen to me. I was called a murderer because I was strange and a boy came to my house for help. I let him down. I should have listened to my surroundings more instead of listening to the garden.

There were townspeople who knew I was harmless. Some of them would come to me at night asking for herbs to help them with something. I always helped them, I told them what herb to use for what, and I told them if they needed anything to come to me. I would do anything I could to help the people of my town.

Because of this boy who died on my porch, the few people who were looking for a reason to be rid of me were harassing me. They have thrown things at me, shouted at me, and they have broken one of my windows.

The cool breeze has led me into a cemetery, but it took me through the forest instead of on a path. I saw a path, but the breeze did not want me to go that way, I did as it wished. The breeze swirled around me, rustling up a tornado of red, brown, and yellow leaves around me. I spun around with the leaves, letting them get caught in my hair, letting them accept me as part of nature. As the breeze calmed down, the leaves began to settle, and once again I heard a small, muffled meow. I looked around to find the one-eyed kitten with my scarf in its mouth. I reached down to pet it and the kitten closed it’s only eye, smiled, and purred. I scratched the grey kitten’s little head for a few minutes, letting my fingers get warmed up before I got to work.

I wasn’t sure what exactly it was that I needed, but I knew I was in the right place as the wind had stopped. I began to walk around the small cemetery. I had been here before, but never in this part of it. I didn't know it went on this far. I passed large, mossy graves along with some small, sunken graves. The kitten followed me throughout the cemetery. The kitten and I eventually stopped. We were at the only headstone that had words on it. “Felix”.

I dropped to my knees at Felix’s grave and dug out my trowel. I knew that the dirt here was what I needed for my protection spell. I began to dig up a small amount of dirt when I heard a stick break. My small kitten friend was not in my sight, so I just assumed the noise was the kitten and grabbed one of my small jars.

I heard another stick break, only it was a lot closer than the last. Looking around, I saw my small kitten friend. I assumed that this branch breaking was a larger animal. I began to gather my dirt faster so I could finish my spell under the midnight light of the blue moon.

I put out all of my herbs, the crystals I had brought with me, and some of the dirt that I didn't put in a jar, the jarred dirt would be for later, and I began my spell. Before I had gotten halfway through the spell, I was struck on the back of my head.

I fell towards the ground, getting a mouthful of cold, cemetery dirt when I began getting kicked. There were too many legs and places for it to be just one person. I rolled onto my side and brought my arms and legs closer to my middle. I caught sight of one of my attackers, it was one of the men who wanted me out of the town because they thought I had killed the boy. Were they following me? Another kick. I rolled over, trying to get to my feet. One of the men grabbed me by my leaf-tangled hair and brought me to my feet, only to start punching me. I began to cry, my vision began to fade, my breathing began to shallow. I felt blood run down my face, I tasted it as it went into my mouth. I knew that I was about to die. I promised my brother I would return home.

The men left. I saw my body, crumpled and bloody on the cemetery floor. How was I seeing my own body? I looked around. Everything was hazy. Was I dead? What do I do now? There was blood all over my vacant body. Would I rot here or would Brother come to find me? The one eyed kitten was not looking at my body, but was looking at me. Meooow? The kitten asked excitedly.

I spent the night wandering around the cemetery. I tried to leave at various places and it was as if there was a barrier keeping me in. Once morning came around, and there was frost on my body, I heard shouting.

“SISTER?”

It was Brother! I tried to yell back to him to tell him where I was, but I couldn't. When he found me, he sunk to his knees and his tears cleaned a path of my blood from my face. He found my trowel and began to dig a hole. It took a long time, but he eventually buried me. A few days later, he returned with a headstone with only one word: “SISTER”.

~~///~~

I’m not sure how long I have been in this cemetery. Days, weeks, months? Maybe even years. I think I could have gone towards the light, but why would I? I get to see so many people all the time. Someone wandering the night, a family on a picnic, I have seen spotted fawns taking their first steps. Sometimes Brother comes and sits on a mossy limb near my headstone. Sometimes he cries, others he talks. Occasionally he just sits in nature. Does he know that I am still here? I wonder if he can feel my presence.

The one-eyed kitten keeps me company. On cold nights he sleeps under the mossy limb. During the day, he likes to scamper around the cemetery, when he needs a nap he will hop on top of my headstone and sleep for hours. Does he feel me pet him?

There are wonderful things I see in the cemetery since my death, but I miss things too. I miss the feeling of the sun on my skin, the breeze through my hair, and the way a soft cat feels against my cold, dry skin.

I try to keep the cemetery safe. There is nothing scary about them, in fact, I have always found them peaceful. Even before I died. This cemetery doesn’t have any other spirits that I have seen. This is my cemetery and I will keep all passerbys safe.