The traveling preacher won the hearts and minds of the locals with his fire and brimstone rhetoric. He made a place for himself by making friends and giving them cushy jobs in his church organization.
Soon hehad a gang of loyal enforcers, but he needed something more to fully take over.
He explained one chilly autumn Sunday that witches were to blame for their faded rustbelt town’s troubles. Once he whipped up the crowd and they chose a victim, they’d be his forever.
But the Crones had protected the town for generations, and his cronyism was no match for them.

“DSC07252 – Our Lady Of Sorrows Chapel” by archer10 (Dennis) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

My first very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2024 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

Have a fabulous day!