The Witch’s Grave

The moon shone brightly in the near midnight sky as we entered the graveyard.  This would be the second visit to the Hillside Cemetery in Skiatook, OK.  The prior visit was done just as darkness set in. Tonight we would be there as the witching hour set in on the graveyard. Would there be a difference? Would the witch show up this time? On the last visit, she was a no show.

According to the legend of the Witch’s grave, those who mess with her grave suffer dire consequences.  Haunted places report that the consequences go from ruination to demonic possession. One report of the witch’s curse tells the tale of a young man who disrespected the grave site. Driving home from the graveyard he ran off the road. The collision cost him his life.  Stranger things have happened. The question is, did the witch curse him?

Urban legends say that the witch is not buried in the graveyard; her husband is.  The tale says that the witch was very devoted to her husband. When he fell ill she tried all kinds of spells to make him better. When she failed and he died she used spells to bring him back to life. The townspeople would bury her husband, the witch would dig him up and cast more spells on him. After several attempts at burying the dead husband the town poured concrete over the tomb to keep the witch from digging him up again. There are words scratched on each side of the tomb, rumor has it the witch did it using only her fingernails.

My first visit to the graveyard we arrived about thirty minutes before darkness. It’s a beautiful graveyard. Well kept, peaceful. I enjoyed the energy. As darkness fell I had placed a blanket on the ground in front of the witches grave. Not wanting to disrespect any of the graves; I said a prayer as we entered the graveyard. I gave the spirits a heads up. Telling them why I was there, and what I was looking for.  We were all liberally sprayed with off, yet the bugs surrounding the witch’s grave became thick. One large bug in particular continually swarmed my husband the entire time we were there.

As I set in front of the grave, I asked the witch to talk to me. I told her I wanted her to tell her side of the story. So many tall tales; I wanted to be able to tell the truth. I knew she was there, yet she said nothing. After darkness fell, I stayed in front of the grave for another thirty minutes. Nothing happened. I decided it was time to move on.   I was more than a little stiff at that time. Hubby decided to help me up. As he grasped me and began to pull me up off the ground, I felt some kind of energy. I’m not sure what happened. Next thing I know I am laying on the ground, flat on my back, and nowhere near the blanket I had been sitting on.

I was either pulled down or my husband’s grip was broken. Hubby is a big, strong guy. Breaking his grip is no easy task.  It was certain either way that we had worn out our welcome. The witch was ready for us to move on. We gathered our belongings and headed back to the entrance, stopping along the way to take a few photos. It was still fairly early when we left just after 10 p.m.

I researched more about the legend and learned that the witch made more appearances after midnight.

The sky was dark and clear when we arrived this time. I decided to cast a cemetery-wide circle. I wanted to keep what was in the graveyard in and allow nothing else to enter while we were hunting and communing with the spirits.  This time, I decided to start at the other end of the cemetery before heading to the witch’s grave.  I made a beeline for the graves I knew dated back to the 1800’s. I had a feeling there would be activity there.

Midnight soon approached as I stood in the middle of the oldest graves in the cemetery I glanced at the sky. A large bank of clouds had rolled across the nearly full moon. Surrounding the moon was now a red halo. Was it a moon dog? Or was it a foreboding for things to come. I didn’t know, but a chill ran down my spine. Maybe I was a little freaked out wondering what the witch would do.  Hubs was playing with a new app on his phone. It suddenly started picking up pings and even a few words. Could this be a coincidence, or was it more?

The technology is a little distracting for me so I walked a few yards away while he explored the area.  I called out, “Does anyone want to talk?”  I distinctly heard the word home. At the same time, Hub’s ghost app picked up the word “home”.  “Is this your home, or do you want to go home?” I asked the question several times before I received an answer. It wasn’t verbally communicated so much as the feeling that someone was trapped and needed to be released.  I spent several more minutes standing in the same spot. I wanted to know who was talking, where were they trapped, and where was home, to them.

Silence surrounded us. There was no activity on the app. No bugs flying about us. The crickets stopped chirping. No wind blew.  I stood in utter silence listening intently for the answer from the spirit who felt trapped. Time passed, I received no answer. I finally gave up, moving further into the graveyard. The hubs app continued to sound off. Random names and dates blips indicating that there was energy presence. For the rest of the night, I didn’t hear anything from the trapped spirit.

We finally made our way to the witches grave. When we were several yards away I asked the hubs to keep away from the grave and to keep our dog Luna away as well. Something felt off. Maybe visiting her grave two weeks in a row had pissed off the witch. I approached the cement coffin embedded in the ground respectfully. I told the witch I wanted to tell her story. I wanted the truth behind the legend to be known.

The energy I first felt was angry.  The witch was hostile, and not pleased we were there. She didn’t like anyone around this grave. She gave no clue as to if the grave was hers or her husbands. Clearly, though, either way, she didn’t want anyone to mess with it. I stood my ground. “I want to know the truth. I want to tell your story. Your side of things.” I then asked her to use the hubs app if she wanted me to leave. Use the word go, leave, or something similar to let me know she didn’t want me around. The energy in the air shifted. Not enough that I wanted my husband or my service dog closer to the grave. The energy was now neutral.

I asked again for the witch to come forward. I asked her to tell me her story. I also once again offered to leave if she didn’t want me there.  No answer. I repeated all of the questions a half a dozen more times. Finally, we got a word: body. I wasn’t sure what she meant. Was she talking about her body or her husband’s body? Did she want to exhume his body and bring him back from the grave? Was she more powerful from beyond the grave?

She spoke no more that night.  We explored the rest of the graveyard, picking up random words and energy from the apps. No one else stepped forward to explain, or to talk.  I released the circle and we left. They mystery no further unraveled.