LOST CITY

LOST CITY: Which is a Witch

Now where did we leave off at. Hmm. That’s right Nimue and Niam were just starting to read the Malleus Maleficarum, hoping to determine the amount of potential danger their family may be in. With the new lander beliefs having infiltrated the land the Waymakers way of living was now under speculation and perhaps even believed to be witchcraft. This is the part of the story that always caught my attention when mama would tell it. The suspense of how the Waymakers manage always has me sitting on the edge of my chair. So, let’s get on with the story.

It is 1621, and Nimue and Niam are rapidly trying to understand the new landers beliefs. The Waymakers have long spread out across the land and have grown through many generations now, but this is the first time since the very day of creation that the way they live have been brought to question. As far as Nimue and Niam could understand, from what they have read in the Malleus Maleficarum, the new landers feared the Waymakers because they respected the earth and lived by its provisions for them. The new landers seen the Waymakers way of life as some sort of witchcraft with the intention to harm others. Across the land the Waymakers were telepathically communicating the dangers they were facing for their beliefs. Many of the Waymakers that lived afar decided to make their ways to the safest place they could think of, where their roots began in Lost City, Oklahoma.

As Nimue and Niam contemplated in devising a defense for their families, way of life, members of the Waymaker family made their way in and joined them in planning. It seemed the more members of the family that showed up the thicker the tension in Lost City became. The Waymakers were not going to change what they knew to be true just because others had different beliefs. According to the gossip in the new landers old land a savior was born to the earth, and this is who they worshipped. They also believed that anyone participating in any acts that did not include the worship of their lord were witches and had made a pact with the devil. Nimue and Niam discovered in the Malleus Maleficarum, that in the new landers old land, if one was suspected of sorcery they would stand, what was deemed a trial, in reality numerous acts of torture, until a confession was made. After one confessed to being a witch punishment was death. The concern the elders had now grew much stronger since they had been here since the beginning of creation and had ensured each generation born thereafter gave praise to the earth, as it deserved for providing so plentifully for their people. This alone cemented in stone the fate of some of the Waymaker people if they did not have a defense plan.

With each Waymaker that made their way to Lost City, there were a hundred more that did not. Nimue and Niam tried to always account for each of their bloodline, however times were so chaotic with the hysteria of witch hunts now in full effect, that it was completely impossible to keep count. The younger generations had tried to help with staying connected with each of the Waymakers, but the fear of the witch hunts had brought a new anxiety to most throwing the whole lot of the Waymakers into a massive confusion.

On the sixteenth day since the witch hunts began near Lost City, word had spread that right on the cusp of the Oklahoma territory they had found a couple of witches in which were in trial. The Waymakers got wind of this and Nimue and Niam left their eldest children in charge of the home and the people as they set out to put an end to this ridiculousness. The two rode all day and into the night, following direction that they were given by the town folk. As they were nearing the small territory of Watts, they could see flames as bright as a marigold flower, far into the night sky. The closer the two drew to the town they began to see a huge crowd, for such a small place, gathered in the center of town, around this massive fire. They rode clear up to the edge of the crowd, to discover they were entirely to late. These witch hunters had claimed the lives of their great-great- granddaughter and her mate.

This my friends was the very first witch trial on what was to be American soil. Somehow historians just left this out when they were writing the history books. I didn’t understand how something this life altering could be forgotten when my mama told me and I don’t understand it now. All I do know is the truth is the truth, no matter how many ways you try to rewrite what has already happened. Well, until next time, ponder on that.

Stay tuned for the next part of the series to see what the Waymakers' do next. Do they seek revenge or let dead dogs lie?