By day the little town of Hamlet was full of small town folk doing small town things. Three old men sat in front of Lucy’s Diner on wooden chairs and reminisced. Four ladies gossiped in Cherie’s Salon, two in curlers and two in aprons. And the mayor’s son got out of another day of detention.

As the evening draws the day to a close and all the children are called inside, some folk are just beginning to stir. Lady Violetta wraps herself in silk scarves and opens the back door of her massage parlor. Mark’s pub is lined with trucks around three sides and neon glows on their polished hoods and reflects off the chrome.

But most interesting of all is Mama Maggie who prowls the deep forest with her pouch of bones tinkling around her waist, her walking stick for protection and support of her stooped over body.

Two children have snuck out this night looking for the ‘witch’ of the dark forest. Their flashlights shake as they place their offering on a tombstone. Then they wait.

Yes, the world is a different place under the moon. It is colder, darker, and less inhibited.

"You sure this is how we see the witch, Cal?" whispered JoAnn.

"Yes, just leave a dead cat on the unmarked tombstone and she will come after it."

JoAnn shuddered. Cal took it to be a shiver and he put his arm around her shoulders. She shook him off. Cal was undeterred.

"Look, Cal, just because it's dark, doesn't mean you can put the moves on me."

"I thought you were cold!"

"Yeah, right."

"Are you scared?"

"No."

"Liar!"

"Shut up! She'll never come with you yappin!"

Cal shut up. They sat in the dark for a long time. They jumped at every twig snap, and a coyote's howl. They looked every which way into the dark, which is why they never saw her coming.

Cal felt a hand grip his arm and he turned to see JoAnn staring intently at the tombstone. Behind it a dark stooped figure stood. The moonlight made her wrinkles deeper and her white hair glow.

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