Witches Sabbath with difficulties
Sometimes you really need to contact someone, but they just won't pick up the phone... luckily there are answering machines
It's the night of Walpurgis. The night of nights for all witches. Every self-respecting witch comes to the Blocksberg on this night to celebrate the witches' Sabbath with her sisters. They spend the whole year preparing for this one night of dancing, witchcraft, partying and receiving their blessing from Baphomet.
Weeks before Walpurgis Night, individual pyres are erected and the local witches bring in everything that is needed for the night. Lots of alcohol, ingredients for potions and spells, offerings for Baphomet. Everything has to be perfect. Nothing must be missing. However, the most important ingredient for this evening must be chosen wisely. A virgin for Baphomet. Ideally a witch, but usually a simple virgin will do.
She is not sacrificed, no. She is offered to the demon so that he may give her his blessing first. It is basically a kind of bait to lure the demon out. An honor that is bestowed on a different young woman every year. Many witches save their first time for a long time in the hope of being the virgin for Baphomet.
Once again this year, the whole crowd of witches has gathered to celebrate Walpurgis Night and dance the night away. The fires are lit and the flames blaze far into the sky. The witches are busy brewing their potions, which will allow them to push themselves far beyond the limits of a normal human being. Potions of endurance, potions of energy, tinctures of increased fire resistance. When all the potions and tinctures have been brewed, they make their way to the great fire. The queen of the witches, elected by the oldest and wisest of the witches, then steps forward and addresses the other witches.
"Sisters. It's that time again. As every year, you have come to celebrate the Sabbath. On this, the highest of our holidays, we will dance and celebrate. We will indulge in carnal delights and we will invoke our patron saint. Baphomet. May he give us his blessing again this year and may we accomplish our work in his name for another year."
She raises her hands and her clothes fall from her perfect body. Her flawless skin gleams in the glow of the fire and her red, curly hair frames her face like flames.
"Let the Sabbath begin..."
She shouts into the crowd and the witches answer her in chorus.
"Let the Sabbath begin..."
They throw off their clothes, infuse each other with their potions and rub their bodies with the ointments and tinctures they have brewed. Then the dances begin.
The witches dance wildly and freely around the fires. Their long hair billows in the wind and their pale bodies reflect the glow of the flames. They perform daring leaps through the flames and laugh and shout their joy loudly into the night sky. As the evening progresses, their feats become more daring and they cheer each other on to outdo each other. Some witches are not so keen on dancing, they have fun with each other in other ways.
The alcohol flows freely and there is witchcraft and bewitchment. While most witches enjoy themselves and have fun together, the Queen of Witches prepares the chosen maiden for her big night. After making sure once again that she really is a virgin, the young witch is anointed with all kinds of oils and tinctures. She is terribly excited. It is a unique honor to be the young woman who receives Baphomet's blessing. Her sisters look over at her enviously. Each wants to be in her place. Not that the others won't receive the demon's blessing, but to be first among equals is something else entirely.
It is late at night as the hustle and bustle draws to a climax. The invocation of Baphomet is imminent. The witches gather around the big fire. Their sweaty bodies literally glow in the light of the flames. The queen is among them and raises her hands.
"Sisters, let the round dance begin. Let us invoke our patron saint so that he may rise from hell and give us his blessing for another year."
She shouts solemnly to the crowd and the cheers of the other witches are accompanied by the crackling of the huge fire in their midst. The witches begin a wild dance around the fire, chanting the ancient formula they have used for generations to invoke Baphomet. Their queen begins the ritual and makes offerings to the demon. Exquisite food, alcohol, idols and trinkets are sacrificed to the flames so that the portal to hell may open. She draws runes in the air and calls upon the powers of hell to obey her. As she does so, the witches dance themselves into a trance. The specially prepared floor of the ritual site begins to bleed and the flames, fed with the witches' gifts, change color. The formerly red-yellow flames of the great fire now burn in the bright green of hell and a rumbling goes through the crowd of witches as the ground begins to shake. The clouds gather over the fire and the chanting of the witches builds to a shrieking crescendo. The queen has raised both hands and steps into the flames to welcome the demon who is about to enter this world.
The clouds circle over the Blocksberg in a huge swirl and lightning strikes the ground all around the ritual site. The witches shriek with happiness as the first cracks form in the ground beneath their feet. Soon the time has come.
Down in the valley, the citizens watch the spectacle in the sky and can see the feverish green glow of the fire in the clouds.
"Is it that time again?"
One of the farmers asks his wife. She nods.
"Yes, the herb witch from the forest came a few days ago and bought five chickens. Today is Walpurgis Night."
She answers and makes sure that the front door is well locked. Her husband looks through the window and shakes his head.
"Well, let's hope they're not up to any mischief up there. We don't need another rainy summer like 15 years ago."
He says with a worried undertone in his voice. His wife just nods silently.
On the mountain, however, the atmosphere is extremely exuberant. The witches hoot and shriek as the portal opens with a thunderous roar. In the midst of the flames, the gap between the dimensions opens and part of the great pyre falls down. The Queen of Witches stands at the edge of the abyss and rejoices.
"Yes oh Baphomet, patron saint of witches, greatest of demons, rise up and bless us with your presence."
She screams as her red hair is swept up by the heat of the fire and dances like flames on her head. And indeed, the rift opens wider and the heat of hell itself rises from it. The wailing of the damned and the screams of the downtrodden rise up and drown out even the flames and the witches' hooting. The queen takes a step back as a shadow looms in the depths. Slowly it rises.
When the demon finally appears from the crevice, the queen cannot believe her eyes. This is not Baphomet. Not even close. She was present at the last Walpurgis Nights and five nights ago she had been the young woman who had received the demon's blessing.
This puny figure standing before her now is not Baphomet. Admittedly, he has all the characteristics that a true demon should have. Horns, goat's feet, a tail, red skin. But he is far too small, far too meager, the horns are tiny and those nickel glasses? Who is that supposed to be?
"Baphomet?"
The witch queen asks, while her sisters are still jeering. The demon looks at her with narrowed eyes, adjusts his glasses and pulls out a notebook and pen.
"No ... well, basically yes, but not personally."
His nasal voice is incredibly nerve-racking and his dialect extremely annoying. The queen looks at him questioningly. He takes a deep breath.
"Listen, can we turn off this noise, I'm getting a migraine, and why is it so hot in here?
The demon asks, looking around as he carefully slides his glasses back and forth. The queen raises her hands and her sisters slowly fall silent. She leads the demon out of the flames and stands in front of a stunned crowd of naked women. Whispering can be heard immediately. Questioning whispers quickly turn into wild accusations about who has done what wrong over the past year to cause this to happen now. None of the sisters are aware of any guilt and the offerings were fine. Just like every year. This has never happened before. The demon tries to raise his hands in appeasement, but with his puny voice and inconspicuous stature, he has no chance against the storm of indignation that the witches conjure up. In the end, it is the queen who raises her voice and magically amplifies it.
"Shut the hell up, everyone!"
She shouts to the crowd and the witches fall silent. The demon thanks her politely and the queen massages her temples.
"So, where is Baphomet? Why isn't he here? We have a pact with him! We ... have ... an ... appointment ..."
Her tone is strainedly calm and she makes a great effort not to simply screech out every syllable. The demon nods and pulls out his pen.
"I'm his personal answering service. Baphomet is not available at the moment. You are calling outside office hours. Please try again during office hours. His office hours are as follows. Mondays from 6:16am to 1:37pm, Tuesdays from 11:11am to 6:18pm, Wednesdays from 4:44am to 11:47am, Thursdays from 6:23pm to Fridays at 3:12am, Saturdays and Sundays are closed days. However, you can also leave a message on the answering service. Please speak after the scream."
The demon's nasal pronunciation almost drives the queen to white heat. The scream she lets out after his announcement can probably be heard even in the village at the foot of the mountain. Meanwhile, the demon nods and puts his pen to paper.
"Well, I'd be ready then."
He says with a grin.
Concept and Idea by
El Poyo Diabolo
Written by
El Poyo Diabolo
Characters by
El Poyo Diabolo
Edit by
El Poyo Diabolo
Published by
El Poyo Diabolo