O – Origins

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story – M – Mother’s Fault. https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=5059

When last we met, Clara was visiting the city after her father reluctantly let her go. Her father was very clear that she should make good decisions. Clara came prepared with some items, including a pocket knife. After leaving a store called The Magic Castle, she was followed by a strange masked woman. Realizing this, Clara went to a cafe to hopefully hide. But the woman followed her and sat down at Clara’s table. Clara clutched her knife in her hand as the woman revealed herself. It was Clara’s mother, whom she thought was dead.

In this part, we will take a step back in time to discover her mother’s story.

(part 3 of 4 – Clara’s Tale)

O – Origins

Sam and Winnie met in college. It was love at first sight. He was a strong, somewhat opinionated man, with wavy brown hair, a short goatee, and brown eyes. She was a quiet, but knowledgeable woman, with long black hair and deep blue eyes. Their contrasting lives gave them much to talk about. They complemented each other perfectly, or so they thought.

They married right out of college. He found work as a salesman for a tech company. She worked at a local library as a research librarian. In addition to doing things together, they each had their own outside activities that they participated in. 

Sam had a group of men that he met with regularly at a local pub or at the golf course. 

Winnie had her local book group. They had regular meetings, usually at each other’s houses, except for Winnie’s. Sam never understood why, and Winnie always had an excuse, claiming that one of the women was allergic to something that was in their house. 

As time went on, Sam became a bit more insistent about Winnie’s attendance at these meetings. He was convinced that something was going on that might not be legal. 

And then came the pregnancy. Sam so wanted a son. He was convinced that that was what they would have. Sam had big plans for him.

And then Clara was born. Winnie was elated, Sam was distraught. 

Winnie spent all her time with Clara. She had so much to teach her. Sam kept a watchful eye on them both. 

Clara grew up fast in her first three years. She learned to walk and talk well before anyone should have at her age. Her mother took her to many places, while her dad went to work. Clara learned about the different plants that were in nature, what to call them, and how they could be used. She learned about different seasons and how they could be celebrated. Though Clara didn’t understand most of what her mother was teaching her, she listened well.

Sam could see changes in Winnie’s behavior. She became more assertive when it came to Clara’s care. She certainly was doing things that were kept from him.

Then Joseph was born. It was all that Sam could ask for. Sam was his son. As much as Clara had become Winnie’s prized possession, Joseph became Sam’s.

And that’s when their lives changed. While Winnie was nice and supportive of Joseph, her main goal was to make Clara one of her own kind.

Sam couldn’t care less. Joseph was his. As far as Sam was concerned, Clara was just someone who lived with them. Sam became more strict with Clara and more lenient with Joseph. 

Sam also became more abusive with Winnie, though he was always careful enough not to do anything in front of the children. They were completely ignorant of what was happening with their parents. 

Sam’s suspicions of Winnie’s activities came to a head when he followed her to one of her women’s group meetings. This was no book club. This was a cult. Spying through the window at the house where the meeting was held, he saw the women, with their heads bowed, lighting candles, placing them in particular positions, and circling them. He heard them chanting words that he couldn’t quite understand. Following their chants, he could see the flames of the candles changing colors. They appeared to be doing something with a deck of cards. He could see some of the names and pictures on the cards. He saw pictures of women with swords and wands on cards. He saw cards named Justice and Judgement. And then he saw a card labeled Death. This was not a deck of playing cards. It was then that he heard his wife’s voice. He didn’t catch what she was saying; however, he did hear her say the name, Clara. 

When Winnie got home, Sam confronted her with his findings. All these years of knowing her, he never realized that she was a witch. He wouldn’t even listen to her try to explain. He told her to leave. He demanded that she never return, see, or talk to either of their children again. In his eyes, she was dead. 

With a knowing eye, she left their family that night while the children were sleeping. 

All Sam told the kids was that their mother had died and moved on to a better place. He never explained anything else. Clara was only 5, and Joseph was 2.

Joseph didn’t remember much of his mother; he was too young when it happened. Clara, on the other hand, did remember. She remembered all the things that her mother had done with her. She took the brunt of all her father’s anger at her mother, for Clara looked exactly like her. Clara was convinced that it was her fault that her mother died. 

To be concluded in P – Perceptions