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The Magic Window, a story by Danielle Grady

“There is something strange about that window, “ said my best friend Jamie.
“What do you mean,” I said while I tried to paint her toenails.
“I don’t know, I just get a strange feeling when I go near it.” She leaned toward me confidentially. “Like something is watching me.”
I shivered. “You’re giving me the creeps Jamie!”
“Well, I do!” She looked serious.
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Oh yeah, like you don’t feel it. Claire, I see you shiver when you go near it.”
“Look, it’s just a stupid window! If someone—”
“Or something”, she added.
“Whatever, anyway you’d be able to see it if it was staring at you; besides I’ve lived here my whole life and nothing has EVER happened.”
“Well then I dare you to open up the window.”
“No!”
“So you have noticed there’s something strange.”
“No I havent.”
“Then do it.”
I hesitantly stepped toward the window.
“Open it,” Jamie whispered I slowly opened the window and peered outside. Suddenly something pushed me and I was falling—falling into a vast darkness.
“Claire, Claire!” Somebody was shaking me. I opened my eyes slowly.
“Jamie,” I croaked. “Jamie!” I sat up. “You pushed me!”
“No I didn’t!”
“Well then, how did I fall,” I questioned haughtily.
“You just fell,” Jamie answered.
“I felt something push me,” I yelled.
“Let me finish! You fell and I screamed and ran to the window and while I was leaning searching for you, something pushed me and now we’re here!” She gestured around us. Suddenly I became aware of our surroundings. We were in a vast meadow full of daisys. “Wha—” I said in confusion.
“This is bad…this is so bad,” I said. I started pacing.
“What are we going to do? Where are we? Claire!” Jamie shouted.
I looked at her. “Calm down. We need to look for food or civilization.” I turned on her, “This is all your fault,” I yelled.
“My fault?”
“Yes, who dared me to open the window in the first place?”
“Well, you didn’t have to open it!”
“What? You practically made me,” I screamed.
Silence.
Then I heard a sniffling noise. I looked down to see Jamie crying. “Oh Jamie you know I didn’t mean that! You know I always speak before I think.”
Her tears were flowing freely now. “It’s okay,” I sat down next to her to comfort her. “It’s alright, it’s fine,” I said soothingly. Soon she stopped.
“You’re right we do need to find food.”
I led her into the nearby forest. As we were searching for food I noticed a path. A well worn path.
“Look,” I cried.
“A path,” Jamie exclaimed.
“I bet it leads to a town!”
We started along the path feeling hopeful and happy. After an hour of walking we reached a hut. Jamie strode toward it confidently.
“Wait,” I yelled.
“What?” said Jamie.
“Are you going to just barge in that house,” I asked.
“No, of course not,” said Jamie.
I sighed, “Oh good.”
“I’m going to knock first.”
“Hey, wait Jamie!”
Jamie didn’t listen. She strode up to the door and knocked sharply. The door opened and Jamie just stood there with her mouth open. I walked timidly to where Jamie was standing. I gasped.
“She looks like your mom,” I whispered to Jamie. The woman also had her mouth open. Her eyes filled with tears and in one swift motion hugged us both. We were both stunned.
“How did you— But you were dead. I saw the bodies.”
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“Don’t you remember, the plague struck the city. You two were deathly ill and… and then…” her eyes filled with tears again.”
“Listen, we don’t know who you are or where your from but we are not your daughters and we were never dead,” Jamie said.
“We live in America,” I added.
“I’ve never heard of America,” said the lady. I looked at Jamie. Wherever we were we were definetly not in our world anymore.
“Never,” asked Jamie.
“Never,” the lady replied. Her eyes suddenly narrowed.
“Witchcraft,” she whispered.
“Wha— no!” we both said at once.
Jamie ran. I followed.
“Witches,” the lady yelled.
“Help, witches, catch them!” A nearby hut’s door opened. A man ran out and started chasing us. They were both running after us and yelling “witches”. Others joined them and soon a mob was chasing us. Jamie and I were running out of breath. We wouldn’t be able to lose them. I looked ahead of us. Uh-oh. We were running straight into a town with another mob right in front of us.
“Augggggh,” I screamed. We ran right into the mob. They engulfed us. I felt something hard descend upon my head. Everyting went black.
“Claire, Claire.” I was for the second time today being shaken awake by Jamie. Once again I croaked out, “Jamie.”
“Good you’re awake.” My hands were chained to a stake of wood. “What happened,” I asked.
“They dragged us to this place and tied you up and chained my foot to a wooden stake.”
Suddenly my memories flooded back. The window, the lady, and the huge mob. “Do they really think we’re witches,” I asked.
“Yes, one of the men was talking about putting us on trial.”
“Jamie,” I whispered.
“What?”
“Where do you think we are?”
“My guess is tha window was a magic time portal and it transported us to a time before America was discovered where they,” she gulped, “hung witches,” Jamie finished.
“Oh my gosh! What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, Claire. I dont’ know.”
Just then a guard barged in. He unlocked our chains and led us outside. The place was filled with people. A lady spat on us; one girl threw a rock but thankfully, missed. We were led into the biggest building around. We entered what was evidently their courtroom. A man stood at a podium staring at us sternly. he must be the Judge.
“I don’t like the looks of this,” I whispered to Jamie. The people hissed at us menacingly.
“Order in the court,” the judge demanded.
“Bring forth the first witness,” he bellowed. The lady who looked exactly like Jamie’s mother stepped up to another podium.
“Speak,” the judge commanded.
“I was churning the butter as usual when somebody knocked. I answered hoping it was Judith with the latest news. Instead these…witches—,” she gestured toward us, “were there.” The judge nodded, urging her to go on. “They cast a spell to look like my daughters who died of the plauge. They almost convinced me but luckily they let slip that they had come from ‘America’ which must be their cult. I yelled whitchcraft and ran after them and soon more people joined me.”
“Thank you,” said the judge. He turned toward us, “Can you deny these claims?” My anger bubbled over.
“We are not witches! America is our country and not a cult and it’s not our faults we bear a strange resemblence to her dead daughters,” I yelled.
“Do you have proof,” the judge asked.
“Does she have proof,” I asked haughtily. He smirked at me.
“In fact she does. Bring frorth the second witness,” the judge bellowed.
“What second witness,” Jamie whispered to me.
The man who had been the second person to chase after me stepped up to the podium. The judge nodded at him to begin.
“I’ve been a good neighbor to Mrs. Pruit over the years,” he began, “and I too had been churning butter when I saw these two witches approach her door. I heard the whole conversation. I happen to know from my research of witch cults that America is, in fact, a name of a cult. After Mrs. Pruit caught their slip they indeed turned and ran. Thankfully though I chased them also.”
The judge nodded his consent and the man stepped down from the podium. He looked toward us and said, “Lock them up again. Tomorrow they will be hanged.”
I gasped! Hanged! We were going to die. The place erupted into cheers and Jamie and I were led, stunned back to our prison. We spent our evening in silence. No food was brought to us. We didn’t sleep all night. In the morning the same guard burst into our door. He smirked at us and shoved a stale piece of bread and water in front of us.
“Eat up. It’ll be your last meal. When youre done I’ll come for you.”
He shut the door. Jamie and I ate our bread grimly. Exactly as we had eaten the last crumb the guard burst in again and led us outside. In the distance we could see two nooses and an executioner.
“Claire,” said Jamie.
“What?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We looked at each other. We had reached the stand.
“See you in heaven,” said Jamie.
“Same to you,” I answered. The townspeople stared at us eagerly. The executioner slipped his noose around our necks. I chocked back tears. It tightened. Suddenly I couldn’t breath. Then everyting went black for the third time. I opened my eyes. I sat up. I was laying on my bed. Next to me was Jamie, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Are we dead” she asked.
“No.”
“No?” she opened her eyes. “We’re not dead!” she cried.
“Did it really happen,” I asked.
“Had to,” replied Jamie. “How else could we both remember is and you can still see where the noose was around your neck.”
Jamie moved to open the window.
“Don’t!” I cried.
“I just want to see.” As she opened the door I braced myself. Nothing happened.
“I guess the portal closed,” Jamie said.
“I’ve already had enough of adventure anyway for today,” I sniffed. We walked out of my bedroom and headed for the kitchen when we got there my mother was waiting for us.
“Where have you been,” she yelled.
“In the woods,” I lied. “We were playing witches,” Jamie added. I glared at her. She flashed me a smile. My mother arched her eyebrows disbelievingly. “Witches?”
“Old habits die hard Mom,” I said while reaching for a cookie. She turned around muttering to herself about being responsible. When her back was turned, Jamie and I looked at each other, we would take this secret to the grave.

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