She was moving before he reached her, holding her head and groaning, whimpering at the sight of blood when she brought her hand away.

‘You saw,’ she said, voice high as she clinged to him. ‘She moved the branch to trip me, it wasn’t there before, she used her witchcraft to do it. You saw, didn’t you, Daniel?’

Daniel looked from Molly, to the branch, to Sarah. Her face showed no trace of what she felt. Had the branch been there? He could not say. He did not know what he had seen.

‘I – I think it, it must have been an accident,’ he said, hearing the doubt in his own voice.

‘She put it there.’ Molly’s voice rose to scream. ‘I would not have run into it, I looked, the ground was clear. She moved it, to punish me. You know what they say of the Haworths, how they steal your children and boil their bones to make potions.’

Daniel helped her to her feet, glancing once again at Sarah. She stood as she was, did not take her eyes from them. ‘I think perhaps that’s just – ’

‘She has you bewitched,’ Molly said again. ‘She’s used her powers on you. You know it was the mam that conjured the storm and drowned their father, think what will become of you. Come back to yourself, Daniel. Please. Come with me.’

She reached up unsteadily, balancing on her toes and pressing her hands against him. Kissed him on the lips. He shook his head, and she ran off.

Daniel waited until Molly had gone, then made his way to Sarah. Turned her, afraid to see her face for fear it was transformed to that of the foul creature that had spoken through her, but it remained her own. White with cold, eyes wide and barren, but still Sarah.

‘What have you done?’

Her empty eyes met his. ‘It came,’ she said calmly. ‘It was here but it didn’t take me over, I shared myself with it. I chose.’

‘I – what came? You’re not—’

‘The dog. It was here and I chose to let it be. It is part of me. But not how I thought.’

He looked into her face, tried to see her as he always had. Tried to banish the mounting whispers of doubt.

Spike of Hope

Seth is a weighty burden, leaning on me as he does, but one I’m happy to carry. It is to him I owe all the happiness that begins now.

I had walked up the hill to the scent of henbane lacing the wind, and pushed the door open to see him splayed on his back, arms wide.