Jorinda

by Nickie Anderson

  The ring...you all still have the ring in evidence, right? You've seen what it looks like. I pulled it off of my pinky, and the thing went from white as the moon to black as night. I never took much stock in magic or miracles, but I think the ring absorbed all the evil in that place. I don't want it back. I'll find something else for my Jorinda.

  The girls-well, you've interviewed them. They said that the lady was making them sing for her. Something about the magic in music. I always thought there was something special about a beautiful song, but that teacher lady must've been off her rocker. If you had seen those poor girls...

  I guess that's why she took Jorinda. If there's magic in a voice, it's in Jorinda's. She could make anything happen with a song.

  ****

  That's it, that's the story right there, detective. I know there were some wild bits, some things that are hard to believe. Talk to those girls again. Some of them might be scared of what they saw, but that blonde-headed girl, she'll tell it like it was. She'll tell you how weird and scary that house was, how evil that little professor lady was.

  And then I guess I'll let God take judgment from there.