Story 1 - Witch's Mirror

Taylor felt a cold chill run up her spine, for the day was unusually cold and breezy for October, especially in Los Angeles. Taylor Bradbury was a natural beauty with smooth, light colored skin, dark brown eyes, long dark blonde hair, and a smile that could light up a thousand rooms. Residing in Los Angeles, California, she works as an assistant director for a major television production company. Taylor quite literally couldn't remember the last time she had taken a vacation because she was always too busy with work, and she always kept promising herself that she would take one after wrapping up the latest movie project, or after the completion of whatever new TV show pilot just happened to be in the works. After too many years of promising herself a much needed vacation she finally got the opportunity, a month long break between movie projects, so she jumped on it. She wanted to get as far away from Los Angeles as possible, and she has always wanted to visit the New England states area. And, since it was October, she thought a great location to enjoy her vacation in would be Salem, Massachusetts. The entire town celebrated Halloween and the history of witches, making it a coveted tourist attraction this time of the year. Once her extended work day that Friday ended, Taylor went home to over-water her plants and immediately pack her bags before anything came up to prevent her from leaving. After gobbling down a late night dinner of take-out Chinese, she loaded up her car and hit the road, hoping to make it out of California before sunrise, thereby avoiding having to contend with the insane traffic of southern California.

 

Instead of traveling by plane, Taylor decided to add the adventure of a road trip to her vacation plans. Yes, it would be a very long drive, probably 4-5 days each way, but the long drive would give her mind plenty of time to relax and reflect. Plus, driving always afforded you traveling views and venues that you would never even be aware of via plane travel. She was also going on vacation alone, so there was no added pressure of needing to appease anyone else's itinerary demands. The second Taylor's car pulled out of her assigned parking spot at her apartment complex, she could already feel her body and mind start to relax. She popped in a relaxing Jazz CD to listen to, and took a sip from her travel mug filled with hot apple cider. "Salem, Massachusetts, here I come!"

 

Each day, Taylor stopped on average every 3-4 hours to stretch her legs, fill her car up with fuel and grab a drink and sometimes something to snack on. The diverse scenery that she was witness to as she drove through the various states gave her creative mind lots of location considerations for some upcoming movie projects for once she got back to work, although she really wasn't dwelling on work. However, she was surprised by how many inventive ideas effortlessly flowed into her mind during her many hours of driving each day. At the end of her fourth day of travel, Taylor entered the state of Massachusetts, and she became even more excited about being here during such a festive time. Halloween was just around the corner, and Salem is well known for all its tours and reenactments centered around the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Taylor couldn't wait to experience all of the activities, and her mind was already making a checklist of all the things she wanted to do.

 

Exhausted from her road travels, Taylor anxiously checked into one of the historical bed and breakfasts she had reserved a room for over the next couple weeks, and after completing her check-in, she took a long hot shower and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. The following morning, without any hard set itinerary, she spent her first day in Salem visiting a museum and watching a mock witch hunt. People in period costumes were pulling people from the crowd and putting them in the stocks. While Taylor wasn't presently wearing any period attire, her looks were not only alluring and captivating, but they also resembled that of a beautiful witch. Perhaps that is why Taylor noticed a number of people staring at her in a quizzical way. Was it her long, naturally wavy hair and tall statuesque? Was it her milky white skin and mysterious eyes? She wasn't sure, but she decided to have fun with it, and she allowed herself to be put in one of the stocks. Taylor was then further surprised when complete strangers started taking pictures of her. One of the other tourists even asked her if she had any family lineage to Salem, and several just boldly asked if she was a witch!

 

On her way back to the bed and breakfast that she was staying at, a lady in a bed and breakfast across the street was sweeping her porch and took notice to Taylor. She waved "hello", and looked at Taylor as if she could tell instantly that she was not from this area. Or, was she too questioning if the beautiful outsider's family roots were from Salem? After waving back to the woman, Taylor entered the downstairs area of the bed and breakfast she was staying at. The owner and manager of the establishment was in the foyer area arranging some Halloween decorations on the handful of small, round dining tables that were for her guests, and she eagerly introduced herself. Her name was Sylvia, an attractive older woman with long silver hair, laugh lines around her smiling eyes, and a short plump physique. She seemed like a very nice old lady who loved to chat up her guests, sharing with them the rich history and superstitions of Salem. Taylor was all too happy to listen to her, and her interest really peaked when the woman went on to explain an artifact about Taylor's last name.