WICCAN SCHOOL

WICCAN SCHOOL Forward: With deepest respect, both to the late Pope John Paul 2, and Pope Francis, this work, of fiction, is based upon historical, not modern, church practices. Prelude: A sound, of running, through the woods, just outside of Wickersham Village. The thick, hand-made, shoes were created to give the wearer increased traction, even on rough terrain. Never did the wearer think that they would be running, for their life. As the runner continued to flee, they heard the sounds, of pursuit. The sounds of the hunting hounds. In later centuries, these animals would come to be known by the simple name: blood hounds. In this century, however, the reliable hounds would be known as "demon trackers". Although the runner had been trained, in eluding pursuers, the chase had been upon them so quickly that there was no time to think. No time to remember the old lessons. All there was, at this moment, was the thought of "self-preservation". As the runner continued to flee their pursuers, their arms, legs, and body, were scratched, and torn, by tree limbs, stones, and so on. None of the injuries were fatal, yet, as the runner tried to outdistance their pursuers, different scratches, from various objects, caused, at different times, by different angles, would begin to "form" what some would call "patterns". The runners only hope was to find a way to elude their pursuers. A task made even more deadly when the sounds, of horse hooves joined the pursuing racket. As a result, the runner would pray, silently, for mercy, from the "one, true, god". A prayer for the "god" to watch over their remaining family, once the runner was dead. Her name was Adriana, and her "crime" was to be blamed for the death, of a child. A young girl, whom Adriana had been called upon to care for. Being the daughter, of a local Healer, Adriana had asked, more than once, to be allowed to treat the child, while the child was, still, strong enough to be cured. The father, though domineering, over his family, was more like a scared puppy, when it came to his belief, in his religion. For so many years, the man believed whatever the church told him. The church was the "Almighty", as far as the father, and many other villagers, were concerned. In his family, the only reason for a member NOT to attend sunday services, was due to being deceased. When his daughter took ill, the local clergy held prayer vigils, and annointed the child, chanting for the Lord to work his wonders. Adriana knew what the child needed, and it wasn't prayer. The child needed a combination of herbs and roots (known, centuries later, as medicine), to "flush" the "bad presense" from her body. Adriana's own mother had been a village healer since before Adriana could remember. When Adriana began following, in her mothers "foot-steps", Adriana had been confused over why her mother let some people die, while curing others. When mother would say "Child, it is not our way, to force others to accept our healing. We may only heal, by permission. To heal, by force, would be very dark magic". So many times, during hard winters, had mother and daughter, watched people die, after prayer vigils, and annointing. The one thing, which her mother was thankful for, was the local clergy's understanding, of childhood curiousity,, when Adriana had asked a priest "Why did you not let my momma help them? Momma could have made them well. Why did you stop her?" Thankfully, the priest saw not a "challenge", to God's authority, but a simple child, asking a question. When the priest told Adriana "It is God's wil", then moved on, Adriana's mom had been thankful that the priest had seen the wisdom not to file a report, about the childs question. Over the following years, mother had taught Adriana to respect the beliefs, and rights, of others. "Not everyone WANTS our help, child. In time, you will learn who will accept our help, and who we must acknowledge would rather face destiny." For the past several years, her mother had been schooling Adriana in all manner of Healing. As Adriana was to learn, her mother was, also, a village mid-wife. What Adriana could not understand, though, was why her mother kept journals, of her activities, over the years. The woman had a husband, and a family, yet she kept a record, not only of those, in her life, but of everyone she treated, as well as all "fee's" received. Mother aso taught Adriana the "forbidden" gifts, of reading, and writing. Mother would say that, given time, Adriana would begin keeping her own journals. The purpose, mother had said, was to track what potions (later called medicines) worked, for which people. Take Mr. Bleeker, for example. A fine man, with a fine family. When Mr. Bleeker was sober, his family was well off, as he made sure all family expenses were covered, sometimes well in advance. It was when he had his "spells", that his family suffered. When Mr. Bleeker fell into the "sickness" (Known, centuries later, as Depression), the man "crawled" into a whiskey bottle, and stayed there, until the sickness passed. Mutiple times, during "sickness", Mr. Bleeker would be hauled away, to a place known as the "Place of Sickness" In this place, Mr. Beeker, and others, suffering a wide variety of ailments, would be left, either for "God's Healing", or to die, for lack of treatment. In Mr. Bleekers case, Adriana's mother had helped Mr. Bleeker to "escape" the "Place of Sickness", multiple times, due to a deal which the two had made, during their youth. While growing up, Mr. Bleeker had watched his own father suffer from the "sickness".. This is why Mr. Beeker had asked his friend "If I become as my father is, and I need help, I ask that you render aid" When mother had said "So mote it be", the young Mr. Beeker knew that his friend would come for him, if need be. The promise went into effect, about a decade later, when the "sickness" struck the man down, and his wife, fearful of church reprisal if she allowed the Healer to treat her husband, instead agreed to send Mr. Bleeker to the "place of sickness", praying for "Gods divine aid". Per Mr. Bleekers instructions, though, Mr. Bleekers wife informed Adrianna's mother, about the illness, begging the woman, discreetly, for her help. Since mother was a coven member, she knew, as did her "sisters", where the "secret" openings, for access to the "place of sickness" were located, and how to sneak people out of the place. The Healer snuck Mr. Bleeker out, of the "place of sickness", and took him into hiding, while nursing him back to health. When Mr. Bleekers health returned, Mr. Bleeker had given his friend a deep kiss, then took her to a place, where he dug up a bag of coins. This bag, he gave to his friend, for her healing services. As a result, of mothers Healing, Mr. Bleeker would live much longer than his own father had. Part of this was due to the fact that Mr. Bleeker, unlike his father, had LEARNED the signs, of on-coming attacks. When Mr. Bleeker could forsee attacks, he visited his friend (Adriana's mother), and she gave him a potion (Nowadays known as a prescription). It would be only those times when "sickness" hit, suddenly, that the man still fell ill. This is why mother kept journals. Mother tracked illnesses, births, deaths, and much more. Thanks to grandma, and great-grandma, Adriana's mother had a vast storehouse, of journals, to share with her daughter. Records which spanned centuries, of village life, back to the villages founding. Journals which contained even those secrets, which people would prefer the public NOT know about. Mother had, at times, said that such information was valuable, in treating repeated illnesses,, which is what Adriana thought the woman meant. Sure, there were some who would use such information, for blackmail, but such was not the Wiccan way. Then came the church caravan. A group of priests, claiming to be "on a mission from God", and who moved from village to village, seeking out the "un-righteous". When the local coven heard that the priests were "enroute", most of the coven fled, to avoid "enhanced interrogation". When Adriana's own mother suggested the women depart the village, the young Adriana, foolishly, thught that, because she did not practice the spells, and incantations, which her mother practiced, that Adriana woud be "safe", from the priests. Besides, by this time, Adriana would have a husband, of her own, and two, beautiful, daughters (Hopefuly, to carry on the line).. No way was she leaving her family. When the priests arrived at the village, months later, Adriana watched as her simple life turned into a living nightmare. One day, while Adriana was treating some minor injuries, and nursing some local, sick, people, all was well. The next day, Adriana was hearing her daughters shrieking "Mommy!", as the girls were hog-tied, and dragged into the village square. When a priest began telling villagers "These spawn, of Satan, are to be cleansed", over the girls screams, Adriana watched as her husband begged for "Gods mercy", for his children. The priests ignored the fathers pleas, and red-hot pokers were pulled from fire-pits, and pressed into the childrens flesh. The childrens shrieks, of agony, turned villagers stomachs, and many had to turn away, until the priests said "Any, who turn away, from Gods justice, are showing themselves to be the Devils servants". As his children shrieked, in agony, Adriana's husband gave up pleading, for mercy, and burst forth, trying to save his daughters. His attempted rescue was cut off, though, by five arrows, which ended his life, before the man hit the ground. As the childrens shrieks filled the air, the priest called out "Denounce Satan, and you will be spared. Embrace the Lord, and be saved". (Try explaining "denounce", and "embrace", to young children.). When the priest shouted "Denounce Satan, oh, spawn of evil!", over the girls shrieks, the irons seared the childrens flesh, right down to bone. When the girl's collapsed, in front of the crowd, Adriana thought her daughters were dead. This is when she made her mortal mistake. Acting as a human mother, Adriana cried out "Murderer", to which the priest just smiled as he said "Wife, of Satan, come forward". After a split second, of in-decision, Adriana realized her mistake, dropped her bundles, and ran. At this point, all that Adriana remembered, of her mothers teachings, was "Duck and cover. Become as though invisible". This lead the widow, and mother of two, into the woods, with the village ordered into "holy pursuit", by the priests.. When Adriana finally stopped running, it was not because of the cross held out, to "block" her path. It was out of fear of the man, who held the cross. One, of three men, apparently assigned to block the trail, should any "un-righteous" attempt to flee. It was at this moment that Adriana reaized that the rumors were true. The memership, of the church caravan, did "surround" villages, in case of attempted escape. Adriana, the Healer, just could not believe that she had been branded a "witch", just for practicing healing the sick. Bound, and tied, to a staff, Adriana was hauled back to the village, where she was re-bound, to a dunking stool. (Another form of "enhanced interrogation"). Despite the fact that Adriana repeatedly insisted that she was "gospel", and not in league with evil, the priests kept dunking her, in the water, as they said "Renounce evil. Denounce the Devil. Embrace the Lord". It was not until Adriana was half-drowned that her coughing, shivering, body wa removed from the dunking stool, and the priest said "Since you refuse to denounce your evil master, let the purifying fire cleanse you of your wickedness". When Adriana was re-bound, to a pole, with wood being stacked around it, she looked at the two poles, standing beside her own. There, she found her daughters eyes pleading for help. This, even as Adriana realized that her daughters were to be burned alive, as well. As the three females cried out, and shrieked, in agony, the priests ordered the villagers to watch, telling villagers "Only the un-righteous turn away from Gods justice". From that day, forward, the village would find itself being "haunted" for centuries, by the ghostly shrieks, of the two chilren, who were burned alive. That, and the insane laughter, of a mother, driven beyond reason, by watching her children dying, before her very eyes. As the bodies burned, and the death shrieks filled the air, outside the village, close to the protection, of the woods, a group, of cloaked figures, would watch the horrid scene. Although their faces were as stone, fear, guilt, and remorse, filled each heart, as tears filled eyes, and ran down cheeks. The group had watched Adriana run, for her life, but knew they could not interfere. If the group tried to save Adriana, the village, which lived in mortal terror, of the church, woud have burned them as well. The most senior member, of this group, was an elder, of the local coven. Twice before, in her long life, the elder had watched as terrified villagers burned innocent people, on church orders. The holy church never needed a reason, or to justify its actions. To challenge the church was seen as "mocking God". This is why the priests were never challenged, or questioned. If the church said that burning was "Gods will", then no one dared challenge this. The elder had her coven observe the brutal murders, to reinforce the reason why the coven had to remain secret. In this world, where the church was total, and un-challenged, power, Wicca would be seen as a threat, for centuries to come. Although, in time, the "witch hunts" would end, atleast in Europe, but the time the madness was over with, many villages were decimated, by holy order. It would only be the "discovery" of the "New World" which would lead the priests to believe that the "Old World" had been "cleansed" of this "evil". In fact, though, many covens saw the "New World" as a place to live, and practice, in peace. After all, Wicca is about improving life, while attaining knowledge. That is, atleast until the savagery, of "witch hunt mania" came to America's shores, and culminated in the settlement, of Salem Massachusettes nearly massacreing many of its own. After dozens, of innocent people were brutally murdered, the covens secreted their members away, again, and set up housing, in areas, beyond the reach of "civilization". Many covens did, in fact, set up shop, inside places, like caves, since European settlers brought age old fears, about "monsters" dwelling in such places, from Europe. Such legends were neither encouraged, nor dis-couraged, by the Wiccans. The legends were just something for the Wiccans to laugh at, during gatherings. The Wiccans thought the settlers to be fools, for not even thinking of reviewing the centers, of such legends. Never questioning. Just accepting what they were told, by the all-powerful church. In the years, and centuries, since the Salem massacres (witch hunts), Wiccans would review the lesson, among students, about how paranoid humans could be. As many a coven leader would say "Normal humans fear, and try to destroy, that which they do not understand. Their capacity, for intellectual growth, is stunted, primarily due to irrational fears, of an imaginery pit, of hellish fire. The church teaches the opposite of our teachings. While we teach knowledge, and enlightenment, the church teaches fear, and oppression". Many times, over the proceeding years, covens would stand by, and watch, learning how "mortals" treat those who are "different".. No Wiccan was, ever, happy, watching villagers being dragged out of homes, and tortured into confession, for crimes the person never committed. Such insidious "crimes" included people doing nothing more than questioning "How DID Jesus survive, without food, or water, in the desert?" or "How do we know that a storm, which wiped out parts, of the village, was God's vengeance, and not just nature?" Those, who asked questions, would be labeled "Servants of Satan", and burned alive, to "cleanse their souls of "evil"". The Wiccans, silently, watched, as the innocent were burned, alive, or were pressed to death. The Wiccans only watched, and learned, about mans in-humanity, toward man, while remembering that, to interfere in the lives, of others, is a violation of Wiccan law. Aid may only be rendered if requested. When not watching the innocent being tortured, Wiccan practicioners would study, and practice, in solitude. Some Wiccans took on students, who wanted to learn the ways of Wicca, but even these studies remained secretive. In time, and with proper education, advanced Wiccans could not only commune, with the departed, but, also, with high-level demons, as well. One of the main reasons, for this is that "white witchcraft" was not the only magick to travel, from Europe, to the American colonies. "Dark witchcraft" came along, as well. What many demons came to hate, and the main reason why the demons began making truces, with the Wiccans, was because, after centuries, of being conjured, just to scare, destroy, even kill, demons wanted MORE, out of their existence. Sure, officially, demons serve the "dark" forces, and, therefore, may not enter the light of day, however, as atleast one demon told a Wiccan, the demon wanted to come up, from the lower levels, just to see what the world was like. Not to kill, or destroy, but to see how the "other half" lived. Such conversations lead to a truce, between "good" and "evil". A truce wherein, as long as the dark forces behaved themselves, they would be wecome, in the world of man. Ofcourse, some "younger" demons, like some younger Wiccans, did, occassionaly, have to be disciplined, for actions taken, the truce, generally, held.. In return, the demons informed the Wiccans, when "mortals" tried to invoke, without proper training. The goal would be for "true" Wiccans to monitor the attempted spell-casters, and cast counter-spells, to avoid, or minimize, damage. This is a primary reason why, over time, legends, of "demon attacks", eventually died out, as educated Wiccans countered some of the dumbest revenge spells. As the United States developed, into a nation, with growing cities, Wiccans would do their best, to adapt to a changing world. Although, as times changed, and the publics thinking began to change, as well, the church remained steadfast, in its ancient beliefs. To the "holy" church, witches were, ALL, "evil", and had to be destroyed. This is why the church continued to train Hunters. In frontier America, though, it had been easy for Wiccans to elude the Hunters, just by monitoring Hunters movements. Ofcourse, it was, at times, just as easy for the Hunters to track alleged witches as well. In those, early, days, of America, Wiccans kept networks, of "spies", as did other groups. This is why, when Hunters were bound, for an area, Wiccans knew, in advance, to pack, and flee the area. Any students, who stayed behind, were cautioned to "play dumb", with the Hunters. One thing, which baffled almost everyone, was the origin of the "Witch Exposure" law. A law which claimed that only witches could not read, from the Bible. This law came to America at a time, when only the rich, and powerful, taught their children to read, via hired, private, tutors. For average Americans, reading was just not a priority. This was why, during many mass meetings, at churches, ministers would call out the words, of a verse, then congregations would repeat the ministers words. (After all, what use was reading, to coal miners, lumbermen, and so on?) As a result, when Hunters came to towns, and ordered people to PROVE "godliness", by reading the scriptures, almost none could read the pages. As time passed, the news no-longer mentioned such things, the Hunters continued to track, accuse, torture, and kill, anyone whom the Hunters suspected of witchcraft. (No one bothered to notice the fact that 99% of the Hunters victims were innocent). Wiccans had been warned, ahead of time, and had fled the area. The Wiccans did, often, leave behind scouts, who would report back, to the coven, on the final counts, of those killed by the Hunters. The scouts reported on what techniques the Hunters used, to torture people, into making confessions, and what tehniques the Hunters used, to kill those, who "confessed". Although the 20th century brought more knowledge, and awareness, to America, including the new concept, of public school education, for all of America's children, the problem remained a lack of variety of education. Even in "pubic" schools, children were taught only the official, Christian, version, of history. For Christianity, Christopher Columbus remained the official, Christian, discoverer, of America, and so on. Although Wiccans knew much better, the covens kept this knowledge to themselves. They reminded members, and students, of how dangerous "exposure" could be. Tell the public what the public does NOT want to hear, and have a very bad day, indeed. It would not be until television dared to bring real magick to light, with Samantha Stevens, and Bewitched, that the public began to wonder if witches were, truly, "evil". Following, in the 80's, with shows such as Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, and then, in the 90's, with the bold, modern, witches, of Charmed, and Wiccans found that the public was more willing to accept that "different" was not "bad", or "evil". Ofcourse, the 70's also brought forth the alternative lifestyle, of Kwai Chang Caine, and Kung Fu, which dared to teach peaceful alternatives to violence, and which would be followed, years later, by Kung Fu: the Legend Continues. Like Wicca, the Shoalin brought new ways of thinking, to America. As Americans began exploring their "spirituality", Wiccans came forth, to provide information, and teaching, for those with a sincere interest in learning.. Even as the public became more thoughtful, in the 80's, and 90's, the internet began drawing the world closer together, even more, thanks to inventions like e-mail, and "search engines". The good news was that people could track family, friends, and even goods, much faster than ever, yet, not always, more reliably. On the "bad" side, using the internet, the Hunters abandoned local gossip sources, for possible activity, and began tracking supposed witches, based upon suspected, "witchy", activities. One, terrible, example, of how flawed the internet is, was best explained when a Hunter kidnapped a senior, office, worker, from outside her work-place, then took her to a location, where the Hunter had a tank of water in waiting. The Hunter then just kept dunking the womans head, under the water, for longer, and longer, periods of time, until the woman "confessed", just to end the dunking. The flaw, in the Hunters "research", was that the woman, he was torturing was into astronomy, not astrology. Not thinking there was a difference between the two subjects, the Hunter coerced a "confession", out of the woman. After that, the Hunter let the woman dry off before securing her to a cross, dousing her with gasoline, and saying "Say hello to Satan, for me", just before tossing a lighted match at her gas-soaked body. As the womans shrieks, of mortal agony, died out, in the night, the Hunter whispered "God's justice be done". An actual Wiccan, who bore the same name, as the victim, had headed a call, from the coven, and "got out of Dodge", before the Hunter had time to consider his actions. Then, there was the fact that, in some areas, the police flatly refused to arrest, detain, or prosecute, Hunters, saying "The Hunters are just doing Gods work". Upon hearing this insanity, the covens began to meet, and decide how best to show humanity just who the real "monsters" actually were. One coven decided to buy an old factory site, which they would clean up, as well as possible, then hold classes, for those interested in the Wiccan way. The site the coven chose was large enough for what the coven had planned. 20 acres of land, including cracked, and broken, parking lots, and much of the site infested with weeds. There was nothing "magickal", about funding the site, either. Many Wiccans either owned businesses, or were successful business people.. Their success was about as "magickal" as low prices, at a discount store. As investment funds "poured" in, a group, of Wiccans, brewed pots, of a natural weed killer. This mix was then poured into standard spray bottles, normally used for spraying insecticide, around homes. A small "squad", of volunteers, then sprayed the property, and watched as weeds died out, almost immediately after having been sprayed. While the old, asphalt, and concrete, drive ways, and parking lots, were ground up, another issue arose. It was remarked that the buildings, including the main, assembly plant, looked about as "inviting" as a trash dump. Decades of rust, peeling paint, and windows, covered in so much grime, that it would cost less just to replace, than to repair. Then, ofcourse, there was the wiring, annd the plumbing. Both needed replacement much more than repair. Although the local covens had plenty of man-power, for the jobs, what they did not have was an adequate workshop, for the workers to operate from. For decades, locals had thought that the corporation, which had closed the plant, had left its equipment behind. No one had SEEN any equipment leave the site. It was not until the coven purchased the property, that the truth was revealled. The corporation had stripped the place, bare, of every usable piece. This is why the Wiccans craftsmen suggested that a good, first, step, would be to demolish the old, administrative, building, right down to the foundation. The craftsmen would, then, build a new, fully equipped, workshop, on the same spot. With the elders approval, the two-story, administrative, building was razed, with remarkable ease, by a group of pick up trucks. With minimal effort, the place fell in, upon itself. This shocked one Wiccan, who said "I cannot believe that I was considering that space, for sleeping quarters". With the administration building out of the way, though, another, new, challenge arose. The original, new, plan, for the Wiccans facility, called for a single floor warehouse, with a 25 foot ceiling, in case craftsmen needed extra space, to work in. This is before the glass workers joined the discussion. The Wiccan glass workers wanted a minimum of four ovens, for making glass, on-site, for the coven spaces, and to coven specs. This was followed by another request This one, from the crystal makers, suggesting that they should have a work-space, for themseves, as well. The original design, for the one-story, craftsmens workshop, soon evolved into a six story "arts" center, with reinforced floors, and exterior wall panels, which could be opened, so that parts could be lowered the outside of the building. Six months, it would take, just to build the workshop and, during this time, idea's were "growing out of the woodwork", about how best to remodel the factory. While one design committee worked on concepts, for the buildings basic re-design, the craftsmen were busy replacing antiquated plumbing pipes, and upgrading wiring, to new century codes. Some craftsmen were, also preparing models, of various projects, to show design committees how their ideas might look, when completed. This is why the process, of building the actual school, would take much longer than usual. Add to this the fact that many Wiccans had jobs, and families, to attend to, and this is why progress, at the site, seemed, almost, "glacial". Due to these factors, covens often held "morale building" parties, cook-outs, and camp-fires. A small way of showing appreciation, for members efforts. By the time the mechanical work was done, on the main factory building, about the only thing the design committee's could agree on was that the rusted plates, and greasy windows, which formed the buildings exterior, had to go. Since no one could agree on a color scheme, for the building (Some wanted bright, and inviting, while others wanted muted, and soft), the craftsmen "compromised", by installing grey, poly, panels, which could be replaced, at any time. The glass makers created prismodic glass. From the exterior, the windows would look like rainbows. From the interior, the windows would look clear.. While the design committees argued, even over whether the carpet should be green, blue, or grey, the craftsmen lay down thick sheets, of spongy linoleum. One design group ordered a large, white, neon, sign, which spelled out "WICCANS", in tall, stark, white, letters. The reaction, of the Wiccan assembly, was, all but universal: The coven could not be more opposed, if they tried. When the sign was hoisted up, just short of the roof, coven members agreed that it looked garish. Some said it even looked "corporate". When coven leaders asked for alternatives, the crystal makers asked for some time, for an idea, they had in mind. The leaders said "As much time as you need". The crystal makers then went to work, under the shadow of that terrible, neon, sign. Since the Wiccan way is to care more about quality, than about speed, or deadlines, the replacement sign would take twice as long to complete. Somehow, it also turned out to be even heavier than the other sign had been, as well. When the sign-shaped letters "W-I-C-C-A-N-S", were attached to the building, the crystals, which formed the letters, glistened in the sunlight, as though twinkling. The crystal shaped sign was met with howls, claps, and cheers, of applause. (Score another victory for the crystal workers). Although decorating decisions were, still, under review, many Wiccans moved into the new building, and set up shop, in the un-finished spaces. The problem the craftsmen still had to face was that, even with the remodelling, there just was not enough room for the growing population, which wanted to use the spaces. The workshop then went to work on another building, on the site, creating a new copy, of the first building, this time, with a neutral blue facade, instead of grey. Even with two buildings, though, there were, still, complaints, about people having to share spaces. More important, though, it seems that a new issue was the lack of sleeping quarters, on the site. It seems that staff, and visiting teachers, wanted quarters, on-site, where they could rest/meditate. With a bit of artistic creativity, and as much of a laugh, as anything else, the craftsmen chose an un-developed section, of the property, and created a ten story "monster", with plenty of space, for rooms, and dorms. The "artistic lunacy" was, primarily, the buildings exterior, which the craftsmen designed to resemble the dark castles, of classic horror movies. Athough dorm rooms would remain neutral, in all ways possible, the buildings plans callled for staff quarters to be customizable, for each persons tastes. With the living quarters, if the craftsmen achieved nothing else, beyond a good laugh, the craftsmen built enough space that only the bottom four floors were put into active use. Still, without conscious thought, the craftsmen crated a "focal point", for the campus. Now, the craftsmen could focus on other spaces. When local inspectors were sent, to review the property development, the Wiccan elders were not at all surprised to find clergy members among the inspectors numbers. Since this was expected, by the covens, staff, and students, were cautioned about discussing religion. The elders just did their best, during the inspection, to ignore the very pointed questions, posed by the clergy. Especially the questions about whom the Wiccans "served". About halfway through the tour, an inspector turned on a priest, who had kept, continuously questioning the Wiccan intent, and barked "Enough! Be silent, or leave!". The priest, although taken aback, by the inspectors words, went silent, for the rest of the inspection. When an inspector asked if there were any plans, for a "dark arts" facility, the Wiccan elder would point to a construction site, a short distance away, saying "That will be our laboratory building. It will be used for teaching proper brewing, of potions, and so on. Once the laboratory is completed, we, fully, intend another building, to house classes, to STUDY the dark arts". When the inspector asked "Dont you mean PRACTICE the dark arts?", the elder said "No, I mean STUDY the dark arts". When the inspector asked "What is the difference?", the elder said "To understand ones adversaries, to know how they operate. This is the best way to protect oneself from their influence. Wiccans have studied the dark forces, for centuries. This is why the dark forces cannot fool our senior members. We have studied, and understand the darkness. We believe that knowledge is true power". When the inspectors left the property, and thanked the elder, for the tour, the inspectors then hustled the clergy away from the property, admitting, only off of the property, that bringing the clergy had been a huge mistake. On the next inspection, the inspectors would leave the clergy behind. When the local school board heard that the "dark arts study center" was due for completion, soon, board members asked for, and were granted, an invite, to the center, once opened. Eight months later, visiting school officials were amazed at how many regular classes were being taught, at the Wiccan school. When a board member asked, a Wiccan elder would say "A knowledge, and UNDERSTANDING, of reading, writing, and math, are essential, in true magick. After all, one combination, of ingredients, may be good, even cure, while another can even kill. This is why we teach UNDERSTANDING. You teach students just to read, and memorize. We teach students to UNDERSTAND what they have read." What really surprised the educators, and gave the Wiccans a HUGE laugh, was when school board members entered the new study center and, while finding ambiance, in the lobby, board members were taken aback by the actual study spaces. What the board would be required to report, was to find regular classrooms. No skeletons, cauldrons, pointy hats, and so on. Students, and staff, wore regular, street, clothes, and lessons focused on UNDERSTANDING the dark forces. Recognizing the use of charms, and so on. Before school board members departed the property, though, they asked the elder how long it took, to graduate, and become a full-fledged "witch". The elder laughed, heartily, at this, as she said "Fools! There is no such thing, as a graduate "witch". Our lives are devoted to both learning the craft, and passing on our knowledge, to others. Graduation is for fools, who think that life, itself, is not a daily, learning, experience. Education never ends." One thing turned out to be for sure, and that was that, after the laboratory building was put into use, the local fire department always knew when the Wiccans "finals" week was, and the fire department kept this week marked on their calendar. The reason for this was simple. Without fail, every finals week resulted in atleast one, fire, call. The fire department came to count on this. In fact, it was not long before fire truck drivers knew the route, to the laboratory, so well that they no-longer needed directions. The only question the fire-fighters would have to ask staff was "What caused the fire, this time?" Thankfully, though, almost all of the fires were limited to finals week. When the Wiccans finally built their own library building, for some reason, locals expected new books, novels, and so on. What people didn't expect was for the library to house the centuries old journals, of Wiccans, long dead. It was a good thing the craftsmen built the library more than three times the original, intended, size, since once volumes began to arrive, shelf space rapidly disappearred. Still, even the largest, Wiccan, library, in three states, could not hold the volume of what this library was trying to store. The good news was that, by the time the library was completed, locals had realized that the Wiccans were no threat. Coven members shopped, in town, and even invited visits to the school. The coven members were part of the community, including home owners, and family people. This is why, when the Hunters descended upon the town, like insects, the town, and the school, did their best to ignore the Hunters, atleast at first. When a group, of Hunters, decided to use a municipal fountain, as a dunking pool, strapping people to planks of wood, and dunking the accused, until the victims "confessed". Local police were ready to make arrests, but only until the clergy said the Hunters were "Doing gods work", and had the churches blessing. With their hands officially "tied", by the church, the police turned to the Wiccans, for suggestions. Using traditional tactics, learned over millenia, the female Wiccans "drew off" the Hunters, in some merry chases, as the Hunters chased the broomsticks. Once the municipal fountain area was "clear", of Hunters, male Wiccans released the victims, and delivered them to the nearby hospital. Problem was that the closest hospitals were under religious control, and this meant that accused "witches" would NOT be welcomed. Not until the victims could PROVE no association with the dark forces. When one Wiccan asked "How do they prove this?", an administrator brought forth a Bible, and said "Evil may not touch this, or read from its contents". (Holy middle ages!) For the next hour, the hospital ordered that no accused witch would be treated, until proven not to be an "agent of evil". When the Wiccans agreed, they let hospital staff select passages, for people to read. Only after each accused read, to the churches satisfaction, was treatment allowed. The only time this stupidity ended was when word reached the hospital that an administrators relative had been taken, by a Hunter, under accusation. Suddenly, the hospital was left to turn to the Wiccans, as well, since the police were under church order NOT to interfere with Hunter duties. In what would, later, come to be described as the "Wildest rescue mission, in modern history", the Wiccans went "whole hog", using every myth, and fright, in the "book", to draw a determined Hunter away from the spot, on the local river bank, where the Hunter was determined to coerce a "confession" out of a local woman. Atleast one witness would say that the rescue looked like a "whacked out" version of "Night on Bald Mountain", with "witches flying all over the place, and at angles which no plane could match. The Wiccan females let out howls, hoots, and cackles, which seemed right out of nursery rhymes. Still, the lunacy worked, as the Hunter abandoned his position, and left his intended victim behind. The WIccans then had a big laugh even as they rescued the victim. Even in the 21st century, a "witches cackle" still scared the "righteous". What only the Wiccan elders suspected was the real motive, behind the "isolated" attacks. As the Wiccan elders reviewed recent events, its members realized what was happening. Since the Hunters had been un-certain, of the Wiccans united power, or of its numbers, the "diversionary" attacks had been staged, as a way for the Hunters to "feel out" the Wiccans power. After the "attacks", the Hunters had a better idea of what they faced. What angered the local police chief was when the local district attorney, a Catholic, would not even allow warrants to be issued, over the attacks. Not even for "suspicion". The police chief had to sit back, impotent, even as federal, and state, law enforcement sent information to the police, showing that the Hunters might have LEFT the city, but not the area. In fact, the Hunters had set up a "camp" just outside of town. Federal, and state, agents, who had "infiltrated" the Hunters camp, would send back regular reports, showing that the Hunters were stockpiling hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons, of gasoline. Crates, full of distress flares, were being stored, as well. One agent was even "lucky" enough to have himself assigned to a construction detail, which was building "dunking stools". Ofcourse, since most of the wood products, used centuries ago, to build such devices, were, now, forrested, to extinction, the Hunters could not use "traditional wood", which was cost-prohibitive. This is the main reason why the "enhanced interrogation" devices were built of more modern woods, including composites. When an undercover agent questioned this, another Hunter promised the worker that, since the PURPOSE was the same, the type of wood did not matter. Neither, apparently, did the fasteners, or the liners. While wooden pins would have been used, in the old days, to hold the devices together, while the interior would be coated with pitch, to prevent water leakage, modern builders used tongue-and-groove planks, marine adhesive, and swimming pool liners, to build the same devices. Even the dunking plank assemblies, to which the accused would be tied, were made of water-resistent, composite, materials, instead of the hardwoods, of the middle ages. The agents also reported in about how OFTEN prayer meetings were held. Some agents said that these "prayer meetings" slowed construction, by as much as fifty percent, since the carpenters, and builders, had to stop work, as much as five times, per DAY, to attend prayer meetings. One agent reported that, in some ways, this assignment was like "going home, again". Morning prayer, to thank God for the gift, of the new day, the food, and to ask divine provinence, in overcoming the "Devils Minions". Prayers, at each meal, at home, and in the camp, to thank God for the food. Evening prayers, and so on. The agent added that the leaders, of the group, acted little different than the agents own parents had, during the agents own youth. ALL questions, and ALL problems, could be answered with prayer. (Occassionally, it did work). What concerned the agents most, though, were the stealth helicopters, which began delivering cartes, of automatic weapons, C-4 explosive, hand grenades, and so on. When workers said prayers, over these W.M.D.'s terrified the agents.. What also concerned the agents was how LARGE the Hunters "camp" was becoming. What had started out, as about 50 tents, was, now, about as large, as a small city. The problem law enforcement had, with this (beyond the churches interference), was that even low-level flights, by U.A.V..'s, had problems picking out the Hunters camoflauge-colored tents, from the surrounding countryside. This meant that, getting video proof, which a judge would accept, for a warrant, would be close to impossible. When the undercover agents warned that the Hunters, and their supporters, were making detailed plans, for attacking the "servants of Satan", federal law enforcement DID try to secure search warrants. The religiously biased courts, though, denied such requests, under the convenient excuse "The Wiccans have not been threatened, by NAME. Untill we know whom the phrase "servants of Satan" applies too, no warrants will be issued". Local police were told the same thing. This, despite the fact that the Hunters kept the Wiccan campus under "round-the-clock" surveillance. Still, the courst remained adamant. NO intervention until the law was, actually broken. Prior to being jailed, for "trespassing", a federal agent had snuck into a work-site, and taken a peek inside the warehouse, which the Hunters had built, on-site. When the Agent reported in, about the assaut vehicles they saw being assembled, and which were, presumably, being made ready for battle, a Roman Catholic judge sentenced the agent to five years in prison, for "Violation of Privacy". (Local law enforcement were just thankful that the agent had sent them a copy, of the agents report, prior to sentencing.) By the time a federal judge informed a local judge, of the report, annd an investigator was sent to check out the rumor, of a copy report, in police custody, the copy had been downloaded, to a flash drive, and all trace, of its arrival, in the main computer, had been "scrubbed" away. All that the investigator could tell the judge was that there was NOTHING on the police computers. Before the investigator departed the police department, though, they smiled at the police chief, saying "Well done. Excellent job, of erasing the file". Ofcourse, law enforcement were not the only ones monitoring the Hunters camp. The Wiccans, themselves, sent out "undercover" agents, who were skilled at intelligence gathering. Although the Wiccans did not use U.A.V.'s, to scout the Hunters camp, they didn't need to. Using a variety of spells, the Wiccans bonded with local animal life, using natures "eyes and ears", to spy on the Hunters. No one paid attention, if local wild life walked through the warehouse, or the construction area. After all, WHO cared if owls, birds, rabbits, wolves, etc. saw what was being built? WHO were the animals going to "tell"? Thanks to the animals, even more than the human spies, the Wiccans had, nearly, front-row seating, of Hunters planning sessions. The Wiccans gave out wide smiles, as lead Hunters would say things like "To expose a witch, just douse them with holy water. It wil burn a witch like fire" (This person, the Wiccans realized, had watched The Wizard of Oz too many times). Some Wiccans almost laughed when a Hunter said "Show a witch a cross, and watch them turn, and run away". One Wiccan would remark "That guy is a walking cliche". Later, the police knew when the main attack, on the Wiccan campus was due since a group, of local priests, claimed that too many patrolmen had been pulled, from other service, to observe the witches. The priests wanted the police away from the campus, and assigned to more distant parts of town. The police chief, borrowing a trick, from dictators, past and present, sent out orders to "rotate" the force, around town. According to the sheriff's orders: "All officers are to make themselves as visible as possible, as they depart the campus area. Make sure the public sees patrol cars, on the streets, and officers patrolling neighborhoods. Check property, and be SEEN. Act like it is just another, normal, patrol." Sure enough, the chief was right. As soon as officers were routed around town, a look-out, at the Hunters camp, reported "A mass, of motor vehicles, including modified pick-up trucks, to things I only see, in sci-fi movies, are loading weapons, ammo, and personnel." An hour later, this "convoy", as the look-outs would call it, would proceed, remarkably quietly, from their camp, until the convoy reached the Wiccans property. While a tree-based observer would report that some persons had climbed to the ground, a ditch-based observer, even closer to the action, would report seeing a super heavy duty pick up truck backed up, to the campus front gate, and a thick, tow, chain, would be wrapped around the gate bars, then attached to the pick up. The ditch observer then had to "go silent" for a few minutes, as the officer watched some Hunters climb down a man-hole. After this, a cutting sound was heard, then the Wiccan property went dark. When a hillbilly yell went up, the pick up ripped the decorative gates from the property entry point, and, as the one truck hauled the gate, in one direction, eight, or nine, trucks roared onto the Wiccan campus. Atleast three fifty-calibur machine guns opened fire, on the Wiccans buildings, despite encountering NO opposition. This, while other, science-fiction looking vehicles crashed into various buildings, automatic weapons blazing at anything, which tried to move, or escape. Off, in the distance, some police got sick, and vomitted, at what they were seeing. Others stood, motionless, not knowing what to do. A half dozen officers, who stood guard over the bound, gagged, and watching, clergy, who, also, watched the nightmare play out. In an ice cold voice, the chief of police would ask "Are we recording this?", to which no less than four camera people said "Yes". The police chief, his face, seemingly, carved of stone, said "Remember, I want CLOSE-UPS. We cannot get convictions, if a judge does not see FACES". On the Wiccan campus, the Hunters howled, in laughter, as women, and children, were dragged into the open, under the glare of ultra-bright, halogen, headlights. The Hunters were so radically religious that they maintained that the reason why the "witches" turned away from the lights was because the headlights were embossed with crosses. (The Hunters ignored the fact that, looking directly into halogen lights causes headaches, and eye damage.) When the Wiccan elders stepped forward, telling the Hunters "You will leave, now. You are NOT welcome, here". The Hunters bound the elders, in metal wires, then dragged the elders to where the police had only HOPED the Hunters were building celebration fires. At the police observation point, one officer asked his pastor "If we condone this, HOW are we different from "evil", itself?" His bound, and gagged, pastor just shrugged. When the ditch observer reported "The Hunters have tied the Wiccans to posts, and are piling up wood, over the Wiccans feet. Wood which they appear to be dousing, in what smells to me like gasoline." The observer was surprised when they received no response. Inside the Wiccan campus, grinning Hunters held weapons, on the Wiccans, while the Hunters leader said some sort of prayers, about "banishing Satans followers". When the lights came back on, inside the Wiccans buildings, atleast one Hunter would call out "Satan has come to their aid". (To the Wiccan men, who had survived the initial assault, on the property, several just rolled their eyes, as they looked at one another, with a look of "Hasn't this moron heard of back-up generators?") It was not until the "prayers" were finished, and the massive torches, of the Hunters, were lit, to be carried over to light up the bound Wiccans, by Hunters, dressed in robes, and carrying large crosses, as a lead Hunter said "Let Gods justice be done". This is when, from out of the darkness, came an amplified voice, saying "Stop, right, there". When the Hunters turned to the darkness, and, foolishly, said "Satan? Show thyself", the chiefs voice said "I guess that means us", and a "sea" of red and blue lights came to life, as the chief said "Just to make it official, you are, all, under arrest". When the Hunter leader called out "We are Gods soldiers. We do not answer, to YOUR laws", three laser sites appearred on the Hunters chest, and the chief asked "What was that, again?" One machine gunner made the mistake of trying to put off a round, of ammo, towards the police. Thankfully, his fanaticism was much better than his shooting. He managed to get off just nine, rapid-fire shots, before three sharp-shooters made sure he would, never, fire a gun, again. When one, torch, wielding, fanatic, responded to the chiefs order, to "drop weapons", by throwing his torch at a bound Wiccan, the torch had just struck, and ignited the fuel-soaked wood, when four officers came forward, with fire extinguishers. The Hunter screamed "servants of Satan", as police muscled him, to the ground, then dragged him away. Soon after this, the lights, inside the Wiccan buildings, flickered, again, and returned to original brightness. (It seems that electricians had been part, of the police raiding party, as well.) When the elders asked how long statements would take, as students needed rest, the police chief said "No need. We have everything on recording. Sorry we had to wait so long, to come in. I wanted to be sure we had plenty of evidence." The elder said "Ofcourse, knowledge is true power". The police gathered up the Hunters, except for a few more, two of whom had to be shot, for using Wiccans as "human shields", and one, who had to be shot, repeatedly, while determined to "sacrifice" a child. The next morning, the students were allowed to sleep late, while the adults continued the clean up. The only, local, tow truck had been busy, all night long, removing Hunters vehices from the Wiccan campus. Soon after sunrise, though, an odd thing happened. As the Wiccans continued to pile debris, for removal, before starting repairs, local families began to appear, at the campus, offering labor and supplies. By mid-day, clean up was, well underway, as neighbors helped one another clean up the damage, to the campus. Inside the classrooms, teachers reminded students that the Hunters did NOT represent the general public. The Hunters were just another sub-group, just as dark magick, the rich, and others, were. When a child asked "They said they served the Lord. Did they?", the teacher would say "Many, very bad, people, claim to be in Gods service." When the student asked "Then who do we serve?", the teacher said "Knowledge and Understanding. Wisdom is our master. We learn, teach, and understand. Remember that "good" and "evil" cannot exist without one another". With the extra help, of local persons, what had been projected to be a six-week clean-up program, became a ten day clean up program. Supplies, and labor, were donated, for the repairs, even as local ministers vacated posts, over the Wiccan "issue". Most of these vacated after police video left judges no choice except to convict Hunters, of everything from "Destruction of Private Property", to "Attempted Murder". Although the media made several contacts, to the Vatican, about the incident, the Vatican issued no response, nor did the Papacy answer any requests, to aid Hunters defense. As for the Hunters camp "support staff", these people turned out to be far more intelligent than the Hunters, themselves, were. As soon as the camp received word, that the raid had gone "sour", the support staff packed up, and left the area. When a non-religious, federal, judge issued a search warrant, for the Hunters camp, the amount, of weapons, ammunition, and so on, which were seized, by agents, was withheld, from the media. All the media was told was that it would take "several" (30) semi's, to pack the camp up. Since it would be decades, before anyone dared try to attack, again, the Wiccans would, slowly, expand their campus, until it rivaled the size of any university in the state. What disturbed educators, though, was how the Wiccans did not follow the philosophy of "No Child Left Behind", or "Race to the Top". Instead, the Wiccans simply would not let any student practice magick, until the student had proven that they had basic skills. No student dared touch a book, of magic, until reading, writing, spelling, and math, skills were verified, to the elders satisfaction. "Boatloads", of book reports, on regular books, were required, before magick was allowed to be practiced. Eventually, the Wiccans even bought a plot of land, for their honored dead. Instead of burial, though, a large, and exandable, crypt was built. A place which would be filled with clear cases. What the community found odd was how the covens never erected statues, even of the campuses founders. With the passage, of the following years, religious-based attacks would, slowly die out, as the world accepted the Wiccans, and the world gained more knowledge. As Wicca spread throughout the "new world", the Hunters, and their sponsors, returned to the "old world", of Europe, where they blended into the masses, as best they could.