司氏姐妹 第21章：巫婆

第21章 - 女巫

 

塔瑪尼弄的那間房子的閣樓上亮著燈光。法媽在身後抓著菜刀的手柄， 她的​​影子延伸到天花板上，站在那兒顯得高高的。戴連衣帽的影子慢慢地把經書捲起，把它放在桌子上。其欣長而蒼白的手指揭開連衣帽的頂部，讓它垂落在肩膀上，從而露出一頭金發。它抬起頭。

 

「晚上好，亨特夫人，」法媽說。 「非常......意外......您的光臨。」

 

亨特夫人站了起來，她長長的黑色長袍披落下來，蓋住了木椅子。蠟燭上的火焰搖曳著，看起來好像要熄滅。

 

「哇，謝謝你，」亨特太太說道，在閣樓上慢悠悠的走動著，不時拿起這樣那樣的物件，檢查一會兒。法媽一動不動地站在門邊，她的眼睛隨著亨特夫人在房間里轉動。 「我一直想來拜訪。您知道，您和您的家人，讓我很感興趣...「

 

亨特夫人拿起用來珍藏四個玉石手鐲的木雕盒子，啪的一聲把它打開。裡面，一個淺綠色的手鐲躺在一端，而在另一端，是一個深綠色，幾乎與森林相同顏色的手鐲。中間的兩個位置是空的。亨特夫人略微露齒一笑，啪的一聲把它關閉，放回原來放置的櫥子。 「您也擁有很有意思的玩意兒，」她說，「這么獨特的物件，都隱藏在閣樓上！還有，這經書。這精美的書法......「

 

「這只是我們多年來收集的一些家庭物品。」法媽說。 「我不知道您還懂中文，夫人，」她補充說，對著經書點點頭。 她的聲音，就象市長夫人的聲音一樣，又溫柔又有一種奇怪的愉悅感，但它是如此的細膩精緻，聽著它，似乎只要一點輕微的衝撞，它就會被粉碎成千百塊碎片。

 

「啊，是的......」亨特夫人說。 「外表往往會欺騙人。現在，我敢肯定你們都對這已太熟悉了。「她轉身面對法媽，使了一個眼色，眼角閃閃發光。

 

「是什么讓您這么說？」法媽說道。

 

「我這樣說，是因為我想我在某些方面懂得您。事實上，我越想越覺得我們是多么相似——我們是同類！例如，在這一刻，我們都在某種程度上，失去了我們的最愛——我們的孩子......「

 

法媽握緊刀子的手柄。一陣薄風在房子周圍呼嘯。 「你知道我的孩子們怎樣了，亨特夫人？「

 

「哦，是這樣，您知道...瑪拉和格雷厄姆的那個慘局。對我們所有人來說是多大的悲劇！「和在葬禮或其他場合時不同，她的聲音里沒有了那種悲傷的氣氛，仿佛只是在做禮貌的對話。

 

「但是，象我剛才說的...我們真的比任何人可以想象的更相似。是的，通過看到你的這些東西，我已越來越清楚。很多這些東西讓我想起了我曾經有過的生活...

 

「你知道，就像你和你的女兒們，我也不是在安玫瑰出身的。事實上，安玫瑰對我來說一樣象是國外......也許你並不相信！但我是在新英格蘭長大的，在一個寒​​冷的叫塞勒姆的小鎮。它與安玫瑰在某些方面有些相似，但對我來說，一個年輕的姑娘，從來沒有在其他地方生活過...你能想象這是多麼大的震動。哦，對，我們也都沒有被馬上接受，在一個從來沒有見過任何陌生人的小鎮，雖然我承認我們比你溶合的更好......對，沒有人信任我們。

 

「你知道，我母親就像你自己一樣。。。是一個單親媽媽。。。來到這裡。很清楚她是因什么事情而逃亡出來的。在塞勒姆什麼事情出了差錯。。。我不想去追憶那太久遠的醜陋回憶......但讓我們暫且說，事情非常亂七八糟，對我們的聲譽非常不好。。。那個一直是我們家的城市......「亨通夫人的臉變黑了一會兒，她轉過身去，「與我們作對。你知道，我們也是被迫離開。而且，就像你們家，我們在這裡，安玫瑰，這個想不到的地方找到了我們的新家園...

 

「我的母親從塞勒姆的失敗中學到了一些東西。我們重新開始...這次我們一切都沒做錯...我們融入社會，就像你試圖做的，但我必須說我們要更成功一點點...你知道，我們象這里的人...或者說這次我們做得更微妙，然後我遇見了約翰，我們知道他能做偉大的事情，看看他做到了什麼......雖然如果沒有我的幫助，當然......「

 

這時法媽已等得很不耐煩。她想讓亨特夫人繼續說話而分散其注意力，而她在想著最好的辦法靠近她身邊，但她也希望儘快去尋找她的女兒們。什麼辦法更好呢？把亨特夫人趕出去，還是說服她讓她說出女兒們在哪裡？因為對於法媽來說現在已很明顯，婚禮以來發生的這些事情都與亨特夫人有關。亨特夫人仍然以那種滑稽而緩慢的方式說著，就像她有點喝醉，就像她們具有世界上所有的時間，就像她們的孩子們安全地坐在樓下，在進行一個星期六下午的閑聊......就像她和法媽是最好的朋友或姐妹，在共享女人之間的親密交談。

 

「你母親現在在哪兒呢？」法媽問道，把她的思路貿然切斷。

 

在她抬頭看法媽時，亨特夫人眨著眼睛，打破了那種友好親密的錯覺。「在很多很多年以前，她又回到了塞勒姆。她是一個高傲的女人，帶著苦澀的遺憾，和一些......她不得不償還的債務。我警告她不要去......這本來是可以避免的......不......她的結局很不漂亮...我發誓要從她的失誤中汲取教訓......你知道......這是另一個像我們一樣的家庭——不同的，你知道——最後背叛了她...

 

「讓我回到原來的話題......事情進展很順利，約翰已經是一位資深的市議員，在鎮里贏得大家的尊重和具有影響力，我們的兒子出生，格雷厄姆，如此美麗，如此可愛，像任何一位母親，我只是想保護他，免受我所見過的遭遇，我真的相信我有能力做到這一點，作為一個好母親，一個具有強大權力男人的妻子，而自己又有不同方式的強大力量......這時，你來了。

 

「我從一開始就知道你們家庭的怪異之處超出你們的外表。我為居民們擔心，因為我看到過......巫婆......「亨特夫人低聲說出了這個字，像是說出了最柔軟的秘密，「有邪惡的巫婆，也有好的巫婆，但我怎么知道，作為一項預防措施，我讓我的兒子離開學校，送他遠走高飛，來到一所沒有女性的寄宿學校，在那兒他很安全。是的，我說服我的丈夫，我的約翰競選市長......當然，在我的幫助下，他贏得了全鎮人民......是的，我知道你在想什么——我的答案是否定的，約翰並不知道，他怎么可能呢？ 但他對我的信任總是那么...動人...

 

「有著約翰不斷增長的影響力和我自己的特殊影響...我們能夠讓整個城市與你們作對...原諒我，但是你必須理解...我們的終極目的是生存...我知道，不是你就是我...我不能擔當這個風險，而自然地，我選擇了保護我自己...我在這里已經建立起來的生活...「

 

 「我必須說，」法媽說道，一邊非常緩慢地朝閣樓中心的桌子一寸寸移動。 「你做的相當不錯。我從來沒有懷疑過你的東西有貓膩。但對你的丈夫，卻相反「

 

「嗯，是的......「亨特太太說，」你看......我已經學會去...偏轉...人們的關注...這是最重要的，約翰也非常合作......這對我來說至關重要，我看到了我母親所經受的...因為她的......過分高調 ...我總是把自己表現成一個在某種程度上...空洞愚蠢...不會施詭計......沒有深刻的思想... 在某種程度上我也犧牲了自己......我為自己製造了一個愚蠢而快樂的女人形象...

 

「而約翰，我的約翰，我有他是多么的幸運...真的...他如此信任我......」，這時，亨特太太的臉頰泛起一片紅暈，「是的......沒有他將一事無成......這些年裡，他成了我的手，我的腳，我的嘴...我被迫隱退為一個木偶操縱師，一個無形的口技師......「

 

「請稍稍原諒我的魯莽一會兒，亨特夫人，」法媽說。 「當你說你在鎮上的'影響'時，你的意思是你給他們下了一個咒嗎？」

 

 

 

「是的，你知道，我們可以把它說成咒語......我想......但我更願意認為我是為他們作出了明智的決定，可憐的鄉親們，他們什麼也不知道......他們實質上是瞎子...

 

「是的......現在我開始講到我是怎么知道的，甚至在有關你們家庭的謠言開始之前...雖然我不否認謠言與我有關......你知道，你所說的咒語只會對普通人有效...所以當我無法獲得對你們家庭的影響力時.....我開始確信.....，當然，我不得不讓我的調查保持最微妙...是的...那確實是一段...最...艱難的時刻。「

 

「讓我不明白的是，」法媽說道，現在她決定，對她最有利的是在允許範圍內儘可能多的了解亨特夫人的計划，「你為什么突然改變了自己的策略。據我現在所知，你所做的一切都是非常微妙和低調。為什么要在整個小鎮的眾人面前上演一宗謀殺案，把你的家庭放在聚光燈下？「

 

亨特太太的眼睛又眨了幾下。 「你是一個聰明的女人......」她說，「或者至少...你明白在我內心的母性......，我絕對不會殺了我的孩子......是的......這確實是一個艱難的決定...

 

「你知道，當格雷厄姆決定娶瑪拉后，一切都改變了。」亨特太太的聲音變得僵硬，就像裡面的空氣被擠出。她已經從回憶的狀態回到了現實中，面對著更迫切的問題。她說得更快，她的眼睛也在黑暗中閃閃發光。

 

「這些年來，局勢已經得到控制。你們的家庭，雖然有潛在的威脅，但​​永遠不會變成真實的威脅，因為我在鄉親們中播散的對於你們的臭名和恐懼。但是，如果瑪拉嫁到我們家......連傻瓜也可以看到裡面的問題。

 

「但請相信我，即使是那樣，我也沒有想到我自己。我主要是為格雷厄姆著想。我的時間也就這樣了，如果只是把我的命運掛在天平上，我可能就會讓它過去。但是嫁給約翰，並看到一個...娶了...巫婆的人的一生，我知道，我不能讓格雷厄姆走相同的路。請不要誤會我——我愛約翰，我也從來沒有想過讓他有這樣的生活，我沒想到會變成這個樣子，我可以肯定。我只知道我必須把他作為一個載體，一種以保護我們全家的傀儡，當然命運對他也很好——看，他是市長，只是一個例子！但是對於具體情況的貼切了解，並作為一個母親——我無法忍受看到我的兒子進入這樣一種關系——這樣一種婚姻——他將永遠是下屬，甚至還不知不覺——因為，相信我，約翰在他的心底里相信他是那個具有影響力和思想的那個人。

 

「總之，我不能忍受看到我的兒子娶一個巫婆，而他自己沒有魔力。我知道，不管瑪拉看上去如何善良——而我，是天性不相信外表的——她仍然最終會比他更有權力。我不能冒這個險。即使在最好的情況下，我也不希望他有這樣的生活。他對此一無所知——而我又怎么能告訴他，而不用擔心失去他作為一個兒子的信任呢？

 

「我承認，我確實為我們家吸引了很多不必要的關注。但我相信，經過這么多年，我已經對此獲得了很好的掌控能力。我的計划是精心設計的，我也想讓它萬無一失。是的，它吸引了注意力，但需要低調的日子已經過去。我奮鬥了一生建立起來的一切正處於危險中，比這更重要的是，請相信我，司女士，我會願意讓我的生活像我媽媽一樣崩潰，只要看到格雷厄姆安全，幸福和獨立——但是在這里，只要一場小戲，就可以拯救我和格雷厄姆倆人的生活。」

 

「那麼你的輝煌計劃是什麼呢？」法媽問，試圖讓她的聲音儘可能沉穩，與亨特太太的冷酷相匹配，甚至去欺騙她，讓她認為法媽不太關心她女兒的命運，就象亨特太太對待格雷厄姆一樣。

 

「是這樣，你已看到大部分的計劃付諸於行動。你的家人，顯然必須被驅除。但請理解——我真的不是想傷害你們。我希望你或你家人都不受傷害，如果事情可以讓每個人都很高興的得到解決......但恐怕我不能冒這個風險。你的女兒們——對，你的小女兒們——我必須說，我會饒恕她們。但是，瑪拉，我害怕瑪拉必須為之而亡......

 

「格雷厄姆，就像你所正確地猜測到的，在我的保護下安然無恙。當然，他的死只是一種舞台效果，使瑪拉成為不可否認的罪魁禍首。鎮上的居民將審判瑪拉，不幸的是她的罪名被發現成立，她被判處死刑。你的小女兒們也會被發現因幫助犯罪嫌疑人逃跑而判有罪，被發配到離安玫瑰很遠很遠的管教中心。事實上，我已經在俄羅斯找到了一個不錯的寄養年輕女巫的家庭，我會安排送她們到那兒去。你自己，因為整個事件的恥辱而引起嚴重的健康問題，你會......不幸的是，去到那個好地方。「

 

「我明白了，」法媽說道，抓緊刀的手柄。她作了幾個緩慢的深呼吸來鎮定自己。 「當然，就像你所計劃的，這都是必要的。」

 

「是的......」亨特夫人說，沉浸在記憶和思想的迷霧中。 「我是要道歉，」她繼續說，快速轉動著她的一捻頭髮。 「如果可能的話我可饒你一命......我承諾......我有一顆善心，我不喜歡不必要的流血......但在我的一生中，我看到了太多不必要的流血......你要知道，你一定要知道... 就像我的母親為我犧牲了自己，你也會為你的女兒們犧牲自己。不過，我會讓你有死得尊嚴的好處......你知道我的母親是被燒死在火刑柱上的......因為她是女巫......那是很多年以前的事了......「

 

房間突然變得很黑。蠟燭上的火焰熄滅了，房子里的其它所有的燈也熄滅了。在黑暗中唯一發光的是一片銀色刀刃。

 

刀刃也照亮了被它緊壓著的一塊白肉，和緊握住它的手。法媽拿著刀子架在亨特夫人的脖子上。她已經聽夠了。在一秒鐘內，她熄滅掉燈光，迅速移動到她的對手站的地方。

 

「告訴我，我的女兒們在哪里，」法媽說道，把刀刃壓緊了亨特夫人的脖子。

 

亨特太太大笑了起來，瘋狂的笑聲充滿了整個房間。那個溫柔，甜蜜，溫順的女人講述她的故事的蹤跡在黑暗中消失得無影無蹤。法媽加重了刀刃壓在她脖子上的力度。她說道：「我不是在開玩笑，亨特夫人！」。她按下刀刃恰好能劃出一點點血滴，突然她屏住了呼吸，向後倒退幾步，雙手捂住她自己的脖子。

 

刀子哐鐺一聲掉在地上。鮮血從她的脖子上，她曾試圖切割亨特夫人的相同位置，透過她的手指的縫隙而滴下。

 

房間被燒得滾燙而發出可見光的黑色火焰照亮，即使它仍然籠罩在黑暗裡。亨特太太的金黃色頭髮在她臉上像獅子的鬃毛一樣​​飛揚起來，她的眼睛閃著紅光。

 

「一點從我母親那兒學來的有用的雕蟲小技，」她說著，向法媽鞭打出一圈黑色火焰。法媽揮舞著她的胳膊，一個花瓶里的水隨之傾倒在火焰上。火焰被壓低了一會兒，然後又洶湧而來，比原來更猛。

 

「哼，司法媽，」亨特夫人說道。 「可憐的被誤導的女人。難道你真的認為你的家常魔術可以與我的匹配嗎？ 我用我的一生來控制整個鎮的人們，沒有讓任何人發現 。而你，你一直在做什么？開一家餐館，管教你的女兒！「

 

亨特太太放下她的胳膊，黑色火焰隨之慢慢退下。蠟燭的燈光重新閃亮起來，閣樓里有一會兒又感到了家裡溫暖的氣息。她揮動著手臂，法媽脖子上的傷口隨之癒合起來。 「現在，請記住，」 亨特夫人說： 「我要你死......自然的......死亡。」

 

法媽試圖移動她的身體，卻發現身體僵硬。然後，她的腿開始移動，不受她的控制，她走到桌子旁邊的椅子上坐了下來。她在默默地瞪著亨特夫人。

 

「因為你是個巫婆，我無法控制你的頭腦，」亨特夫人說「，但這並不意味著我無法控制你的身體。魔力，司女士！魔力是一切。魔力，使人們去做你希望他們去做的事情。而現在......你會去死，根據你自己的......「

 

她向法媽慢慢地走去，她的紅色的嘴唇彎起一個良性的笑容。

 

 

 

Chapter 21– Witches

 

In the house on Tamany Lane, a light was on in the attic. Fa Switch gripped the handle of the kitchen knife behind her back and stood tall, her shadow stretching towards the ceiling. The hooded figure rolled up the scroll slowly and set it on the table. Long pale fingers lifted the top of the hood so that it dropped at the figure』s shoulders, revealing a tress of blond hair. The figure lifted its head.

 

「Good evening, Mrs. Hunter,」 Fa Switch said. 「How…unexpected…for you to visit.」

 

Mrs. Hunter stood up, letting her long black robe fall behind her, draping over the wooden chair. The flame on the candle flickered, and for a moment looked as if it was going to go out.

 

「Why thank you,」 Mrs. Hunter said, strolling around the attic, picking up objects here and there and examining them. Fa Switch stood unmoving by the door, her eyes following Mrs. Hunter around the room. 「I』ve been meaning to visit for a while. You see, your family so interests me…」

 

Mrs. Hunter picked up the wooden engraved box that held the four jade bracelets and snapped it open. Inside, a pale green bracelet lay on one end, while on the other there was a dark, almost forest green bracelet. The middle two rings were empty. Mrs. Hunter grinned just slightly and snapped the box closed, placing it back on the armoire she had snatched it from. 「What interesting things you own, too,」 she said, 「Such unique items. And all hiding up here in the attic! Now, that scroll, too. Such exquisite calligraphy…」

 

「Just some family items we』ve collected over the years,」 said Fa. 「I didn』t know you read Chinese, Madam,」 she added, nodding towards the scroll. Her voice, like the mayor』s wife』s voice, was soft and oddly pleasant, yet it was so delicate that listening to it, one wondered if it would shatter into a thousand pieces with the slightest provocation.

 

「Ah, yes…」 said Mrs. Hunter. 「Well appearances can be deceiving. Now I』m sure you are all too familiar with that.」 She turned to face Fa, the corner of her eye glittering in a wink.

 

「And what makes you say that?」 said Fa.

 

「I say that because I think I understand you in a way. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize how similar we are—another one of those things! For instance, at this moment, we have both, in a way, lost those dearest to us. Our children…」

 

Fa gripped the handle of her knife. A thin wind whistled around the house. 「What do you know about my children, Mrs. Hunter?」

 

「Oh, well, you know…that whole fiasco with Mara and Graham. What a tragedy for all of us!」 Unlike during the funeral or her other appearances, the air of grief seemed to have lifted from her voice. She sounded almost as if she were just making polite conversation.

 

「But as I was saying…we are really much more similar than anyone could imagine. Yes, it』s becoming clearer to me as I look through your things. So many things that remind me of a life that I once had…

 

「You know, just like you and your daughters, I was not born in Ambrose. In fact, Ambrose is just as foreign to me…well, you may not think so, but I grew up in New England, in a cold small town called Salem, which is similar to Ambrose in some ways, but for me, a young girl, who』d spent all her life in one place…well you can imagine…it was quite a shock. Oh and we were not accepted right away either, to a small town that had never seen any new residents, though I do give you that we blended in better than you…no, no one trusted us.

 

「You see, my mother arrived a single mom—just like yourself—and it was clear she was running from something. Something had gone wrong in Salem…well I don』t want to go too far back into ugly memories…but let』s just say it was very messy, very bad for our reputation indeed…and the city that had been our home…」 Mrs. Hunter』s face darkened, and for a moment she turned away, 「…turned on us. You see, we too were forced to leave. And, just like your family, we found our unlikely new home right here, in Ambrose…

 

「My mother learned some things from our Salem debacle. We started again…this time we did everything right…blended in, just like you tried to do, but we were a little more successful I must say…you see, we do look like the people here…well let』s just say we were much more subtle this time…and then I met John, who we knew were capable of great things, and look where he did end up…though not my without help, of course…」

 

By this time Fa was getting impatient. She wanted to keep Mrs. Hunter talking and distracted while she thought about the best way to get around her, but she also wanted to get to finding her daughters. Which was more likely to help her? Getting Mrs. Hunter out of the way, or persuading her to tell her where she had put her daughters? Because it was clear to Fa by now that everything that had happened since the wedding had something to do with Mrs. Hunter. Mrs. Hunter was still talking in that droll, slow way, as if she were slightly intoxicated, as if they had all the time in the world, as if their children were sitting safely in the room below, chatting on a Saturday afternoon…as if she and Fa Switch were best friends, or sisters, sharing an intimate conversation between women.

 

「Where is your mother, now?」 asked Fa, cutting abruptly from her thoughts.

 

Mrs. Hunter』s eyes flashed as she looked up at Fa, breaking the illusion of friendly intimacy. 「She went back to Salem, many many years ago. She was a proud woman, with bitter regrets and certain…debts…she had to repay. I warned her against it…it could have been avoided…no…the ending was not pretty for her…and I swore to learn from her mistakes…you see…it was another family likeours—different, you know—that betrayed her in the end…

 

「Which gets me to where I left off…things were going well, John was already a senior councilman, gaining respect and influence in the town, and our son was born, Graham, so beautiful, so sweet, like any mother I just wanted to protect him from all I had seen in the world, and truly I did believe that I had the power to do it, being a good mother, the wife of a powerful man, and powerful in a different way myself…Then, you arrived.

 

「I knew from the beginning that the oddities of your family extended beyond your looks. I feared for the townspeople, because I had seen…witches…」—Mrs. Hunter whispered the word, like the softest secret—「who were evil as well as witches who were good, and how was I to know…as a precaution I took my son out of school and sent him away, to a boarding school with no women, where he would be safe. Yes, and I convinced my husband, my John to run for mayor…and of course…with my help, he won over the people of the town…yes, I know what you are thinking now—the answer is no, John doesn』t know, how could he? …But his confidence in me was always so…touching…

 

「With John』s growing influence and my own special type of influence…we were able to turn the town against you…forgive me, you must understand however…it was in the end, survival…I knew that either you or I…I couldn』t risk it…and naturally, I chose to save myself…the life I had built here…」

 

「I must say,」 said Fa, inching ever so slowly toward the table at the center of the attic. 「You did quite a good job. I』d have never suspected that something was fishy with you. Your husband, on the other hand—」

 

「Well, yes…」 said Mrs. Hunter, 「You see…I had learned that to…deflect…attention was most important…John has been ever so accommodating…it was crucial to me, after I had seen what my mother went through…with her…overenthusiasm…that I present myself as a person that was almost…vacuous…in a way…not capable of cunning, certainly…perhaps even of deep thoughts at all…I sacrificed myself, in a way, too…I created an image of myself as a stupid, happy woman…

 

「And John, my John…how lucky I have been to have him…truly…he trusts in me so…」—here a pink glow rose in Mrs. Hunter』s cheeks—「Yes…it would have been impossible without him…over the years he became my hands and my feet and mouth…and I…forced to recede into the position of the master puppeteer…the invisible ventriloquist…」

 

「Excuse me for being blunt for a moment, Mrs. Hunter,」 said Fa. 「When you speak of your 『influence』 over the townspeople, do you mean that you put a spell over them?」

 

 

 

「Yes…you see one could call it a spell…I suppose…I prefer to think that I am…making an informed decision for them…poor folk, who cannot know everything…who are essentially blind…

 

「Yes…and now we get to how I knew, before the rumors even started about your family…though I won』t deny I had no part in the rumors…you see, what you would call a spell, it would only work over ordinary folk…and so when I was unable to gain influence over your family…that was when I was sure…though of course I had to maintain the utmost subtlety in my investigations…yes…it was…a most…trying time indeed…」

 

「What I don』t understand,」 said Fa, now deciding that it would be most beneficial to hear as much of Mrs. Hunter』s plan as she would allow, 「Is why you suddenly changed your strategy. As far as I can tell, everything you have done has been so subtle and low-profile. Why stage a murder in front of the whole town that would draw every spotlight to your family?」

 

Mrs. Hunter』s eyes flashed again. 「A smart woman you are…」 she said, 「Or at the very least…you do understand the mother inside of me…that I would never actually kill my child…Yes…it was a difficult decision indeed…

 

「You see…everything changed when Graham decided he wanted to marry Mara.」 Mrs. Hunter』s voice became harder, like the air had been squeezed out of it. She had drifted out of the zone of reminiscing into the present, more pressing issues. She spoke quicker, and her eyes glowed in the dark.

 

「For all these years, the situation had been controlled. Your family, though a threat, would never rise to be a real one because of the negative reputation and fear that I had spread in the townsfolk. But if Mara married into our family…well even a fool can see the problem there.

 

「But trust me, even then, I wasn』t thinking about myself. I was thinking, primarily of Graham. I had had my time, and if it were only my fate that hung in the balance I might have let it go. But being married to John and seeing the life of a man who is married to a…a witch—I knew that I did not want that for Graham. Do not mistake me—I love John, and I have never wanted this life for him, I did not expect that it would become this way, be sure of that. I knew I had to use him as a vessel, a puppet of sorts to protect our entire family, and certainly the life has served him well too—look, he is the mayor, for one! But knowing the intimate details of that situation, and being a mother—I just could not stand to see my son enter a relationship—a marriage—in which he would always be subordinate, even unknowingly—because, trust me, John believes in his heart of hearts that he is the one with the influence, the one with the ideas.

 

「In short, I could not stand to see my son marry a witch, being incapable of magic himself. I knew that no matter how good-hearted Mara appeared—I, who am naturally so untrusting of appearances—she would still ultimately have power over him. I could not risk it. And even in the best of circumstances I did not want that life for him. He could not know—and how could I tell him, without risking losing his trust as a son?

 

「I do acknowledge that I have drawn so much attention to our family that is truly unnecessary. But I do believe that after so many years I have gained the ability to manage it well. And my plan, well it is elaborate, to be sure, but foolproof. Yes, it draws attention, but the time for subtlety was over. Everything I had spent a lifetime to build was at stake—and more important than all of that, please believe me here Ms. Switch, I would have seen my life crumble to the ground like my mother』s, if only to see Graham safe and happy and independent—but here, with just a little spectacle, I can save both my life and Graham』s.」

 

「And what is this brilliant plan of yours?」 asked Fa, trying to keep her voice as steady as she could, to match Mrs. Hunter』s coolness and even to trick her into believing that Fa was just as unconcerned about the fate of her daughters as Mrs. Hunter was about Graham.

 

「Well, you have seen most of it put in action already. Your family, clearly must be demolished. But please—I truly mean no harm to you, and would wish none on you or your family. If things could have been resolved with everyone happy…but I cannot risk it, I am afraid. Your daughters—well, your younger daughters, I must say—I will spare them. But Mara, I』m afraid Mara must be a casualty…

 

「Graham, as you have correctly guessed, is safe and sound, under my protection. His death was, of course, theatrical in nature, set up to make Mara the undeniable culprit. The townspeople will try Mara and unfortunately find her guilty, punishable by death. Your younger daughters will be found guilty of trying to help a suspect escape, and for this will be sent to disciplinary centers far far away from Ambrose. In fact I have found a nice foster home in Russia for young witches that I would arrange for them to be sent to. And as for yourself, the shame of the entire episode will cause severe health problems, and you will…unfortunately, pass on to a better place.」

 

「I see,」 said Fa, gripping the handle of her knife. She took slow deep breaths to steady herself. 「Of course, this is all necessary, as you put it.」

 

「Yes…」 said Mrs. Hunter, sinking back into the haze of memory and thought. 「I do apologize,」 she said, twirling a strand of her hair. 「I would spare your life if I could…I do promise…I am a person with a heart…and I do not like unnecessary bloodshed…but I have seen unnecessary bloodshed in my lifetime…you must know, you must know…you will be sacrificing yourself for your daughters just as my mother sacrificed herself for me. But I will give you the benefit of dying in dignity…you see my mother was burned at the stake…for the witch she was…it was many years ago now…」

 

The room went black. The flame on the candle went out, along with all the other lights in the house. The only thing that shone in the dark was a silver blade.

 

The blade lit up the piece of white flesh it was held against, and then, the hand that was holding it. Fa Switch held the knife up to Mrs. Hunter』s neck. She had heard enough. In a second, she had extinguished the lights and moved swiftly to where her adversary stood.

 

「Tell me where my daughters are,」 Fa Switch said, the knife pressing into Mrs. Hunter』s neck.

 

Mrs. Hunter started to laugh, a maniacal laugh that filled the room. Any trace of the soft, sweet, and docile woman who had been recounting her tale vanished into the dark. Fa Switch pressed the blade harder into her neck. 「I』m not joking, Mrs. Hunter!」 she said. She pressed the blade in just enough to drag a little blood, and then gasped, stepping backwards and holding her own neck.

 

The knife clattered to the ground. Blood dripped through the cracks of her fingers, from the spot in her neck where she had tried to cut Mrs. Hunter.

 

The room lit up with black flames that burned hot and gave visibility even though they still shrouded the room with darkness. Mrs. Hunter』s blonde hair flew up around her face like a lion』s mane, and her eyes glowed red.

 

「A useful trick I learned from my mother,」 she said, whipping a circle of black flames around Fa. Fa waved her arm, and a vase with flowers emptied its water around the flame. They died down for a moment and then roared up higher than it had been.

 

「Oh, Fa Switch,」 said Mrs. Hunter. 「Poor, misguided woman. Did you really think your household magic could match mine? I』ve spent my lifetime controlling a whole township of people, all without anyone seeing my hand. And you, what have you been doing? Opening up a restaurant and disciplining your daughters!」

 

Mrs. Hunter lowered her arms, and the flames died down. The candle flickered back on, and the attic felt homely for a moment. She waved her arm and the cut on Fa Switch』s neck closed up. 「Now, remember,」 Mrs. Hunter said. 「I want you to die a…natural…death.」

 

Fa Switch tried to move her body but found it stiff. Then, her legs started to moving, without her control, and she walked towards the chair next to the table and sat down. She glared silently at Mrs. Hunter.

 

「As you are a witch it is impossible for me to control your mind,」 said Mrs. Hunter, 「but it doesn』t mean I can』t control your body. Power, Ms. Switch. Power is everything. Power to make people do things for themselves that you would like them to do. And now…you will die of your own accord…」

 

She walked towards Fa Switch in slow steps, her red lips curled in a benign smile.

 

 

 

 

• [11/04]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 18 - The intruder
• [11/11]司氏姐妹 第19章：姐妹們
• [11/11]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 19 - Sisters
• [11/25]司氏姐妹 第20章：銀色鑰匙
• [11/25]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 20 -- The Silver Key
• [12/03] 司氏姐妹 第21章：巫婆
• [12/03]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 21 - Witches
• [12/16]司氏姐妹 第22章 - 廢墟下
• [12/16]The Switch Sisters：Chapter 22 – Under the Rubble
• [12/23]司氏姐妹 第23章：土氣火水
• [12/30]司氏姐妹： 尾聲
• [05/16]司氏姐妹Kindle版在Amazon出版

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