The Calling Witch

"The Calling Witch by Meredith Laye.

Dedicated to Edward and Virginia.

Stay out of the woods.

There once was a little boy who lived with his mother

on the edge of a very large forest.

'Aren't you afraid?'

Parents would ask the mother at the village store.

'You know that's where she lives,

don't you?'

Children would tell the little boy at school.

And whenever they did this,

the boy would reply the way his mother had told him to.

He'd straighten his spine, stick out his chest,

and confidently say, 'I'm not afraid.

And if you had a mother like mine,

you wouldn't be either.

My mother will protect me.'

But the boy couldn't help being a little afraid.

He did know that the very large forest

was the home of the calling witch.

And when she called, mostly on dark, windy nights,

children would wander out of their homes and into it,

where they would become her dinner.

The boy could tell his mother was afraid, too,

though she'd never let on.

Some nights she'd grow so upset

that all she could do was sit on the floor of their basement,

hugging her knees and mumbling into the darkness.

On such nights,

the boy would have to make his own dinner,

draw his own bath, tuck himself in bed."

"Then he'd lie awake."

"Then he'd lie awake listening for the witch's call.

When it came,

he'd clutch his blanket, lock his legs,

and try his best to resist the urge to wander outside.

But of course one night..."

"The urge was just too strong."

"And so, the boy wrapped himself in his winter coat

and wandered out of his home and into the very large forest

where, to his great astonishment,

he found..."

"His very own mother."

"But of course,

the calling witch was a good mother

and would never eat her own child.

And so, she went without her dinner

and took the little boy home, safe and sound.

Now, mostly on dark, windy nights,

the little boy makes his own dinner,

draws his own bath, puts himself to bed.

Then he lies awake, listening for his mother's call.

When it comes,

he straightens his spine, sticks out his chest,

and reminds himself he's not afraid."

Mary Mary Elderberry?

Not tonight, Edward.

(ON RADIO) Next up is,

we've got an update now on Allison Kemp,

the writer-singer woman who disappeared from Balti...

Teddy won't stop meowing.

Someone's outside.

Is it Greg?

Listen up, you inbred townie assholes.

Leave her goddamn house alone.

(ON RADIO) You've written dozens of stories

with all manner of horrifying creatures,

ghosts and goblins.

Why The Calling Witch, why of all your stories,

do you think this is the one

that struck such a chord with readers around the world?

(ON RADIO) Eventually,

with enough experience, we begin to suspect

that mommy and daddy are no angels.

(ON RADIO) Uh, they may be no angels,

but are they all child-eating monsters?

(ON RADIO) They're all human.

(ON RADIO) Tonight on Open Air,

we replay our interview with artist

and author, Meredith Laye,

on the one-month anniversary of her tragic sui--

Just me.

Saw the typewriter out again.

Mm-hmm.

Got a new idea?

Maybe.

Not ready to talk about it, though.

How'd the interview go?

The job's eleven weeks.

So, we'll have to get someone for the last part of it?

I said end of summer, dad.

That's what you said, yes.

-But... -(SIGHS)

Go ahead.

I thought given what Edward just lost,

what we've all just lost,

you might be willing to give him,

us, just a little more time.

After high school, when Edward was still a baby

and mom was in a rough patch, I gave you more time.

We've asked a lot of you.

And after college,

not a single class of which I attended in person,

back when mom was still promising to get help,

I gave you more time.

None of it's been fair.

And now there's a diploma for a master's degree

hanging on my wall,

and the first summer of my adult life,

like my real, actual professional life,

it's over in eight weeks.

We need you.

I need you.

Just one more time for three more weeks.

Someone was outside messing with mom's studio tonight.

Broke the lock on the door.

Greg Dupray?

Who else?

When do you need a decision?

I can start Monday.

You know, if you keep leaving Teddy outside,

he's gonna get eaten by a bear.

No, he's good at hiding.

Remember he meowed all night

when that homeless man was living in our cave?

Not our cave, Edward.

I assume you're reading mysteries,

because you're done with your unit?

It's a reading homework, so I'm reading.

It's not just about reading.

It's about finishing your unit,

so you can get done with school and get out of here.

Maybe I don't want to get out of here as bad as you do.

We live in a wooden house.

Sound carries.

I'm gonna go to town.

You wanna go?

Hey, is this a gemstone?

-Edward, you gotta keep up. -Hey.

I'm not buying you candy if you can't keep up.

I think it's a gemstone.

Hey, wait up.

Wait up!

Let me get on.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

-Sure. -She knows, you know,

there was like, some squeaking going on.

Mm-hmm.

Why are you guys messing with our place?

What?

We heard you, Greg.

You broke the lock on the studio door.

Doesn't matter.

Nothing in there means shit to us.

Well, it doesn't mean shit to us either.

Somebody was in your place last night, it wasn't us.

Might want to report that to the police.

We're going to the store.

Is your grandma working today?

How the hell should I know?

Do you know you're day-drinking in public?

Even for your family, doesn't look very good, right?

Stay away from our place.

How do we know who's telling the truth?

Because we'd never voluntarily contact you

unless we had a good reason to do so.

Little thin.

Now you say that you think that Greg and his friends

have been trespassing.

Have you any proof?

They've done it before.

Have you any proof of that?

And no proof that he took your bike.

Well, who the hell else would take it?

Virginia.

You have anything else to add here, Warren?

If she says your kid took her bike, he did.

Greg, one more time, did you and your friends

take Virginia's bike?

No, sir.

Did you cause any damage to it?