★城裡的月光★

血腥瑪莉

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她住在森林深處的小屋並且賣草藥維生。

隔壁城鎮的居民都稱呼她血腥瑪莉，而且說她是個女巫。

沒人敢經過這個老太婆，深怕他們的乳牛會擠不出奶、

食品店裡的食物在冬天前腐爛、小孩會生病發高燒，

或是任何憤怒的女巫會對她的鄰居所作的可怕的事。

接著村莊裡的小女孩失蹤了，一個接一個。

沒人知道她們去了哪裡。

傷心欲絕的家屬搜索整個樹林、當地的建築物、所有的房子和穀倉，

卻沒有任何失蹤女孩的消息。

一些勇敢的人甚至想到血腥瑪莉的家尋找是否是女巫把孩子們帶走

，可是她拒絕任何有關失蹤事件的事情。

不過，仍有些人發現她原本枯槁的外貌有了改變。

她看起來更年輕，更有吸引力了。

鄰居們感到懷疑，但他們找不到任何女巫抓走年輕孩子的證據。

一天晚上，磨坊主人的女兒玫瑰從床上爬起，並跟著一個令人入迷的聲音往屋外走，

這聲音除了她之外沒有其他人能聽到。

當玫瑰往外走時，磨坊主人的妻子因為牙痛，正坐在廚房用草藥治療她的牙齒，

她見狀大喊著丈夫，並且跟著女兒往屋外走。

磨坊主人飛快穿上他的睡袍。同時，他們試著阻止女孩，但她離開他們並持續往城鎮外走去。

磨坊主人夫婦絕望的哭聲吵醒了街坊鄰居，

他們趕來協助這對幾近瘋狂的夫妻。

突然，一個眼尖的農民大喊著指出樹林邊緣有古怪的光，

幾個村民跟著他走到田間，看見血腥瑪莉站在一個大橡樹旁，

手持魔杖指向磨坊主人的房子。

當她對磨坊女兒下惡咒時，全身正散發著神秘的光。

街坊們握緊他們的槍和乾草叉跑向女巫，

當血腥瑪莉聽到喧鬧聲時，連忙停下咒語逃回樹林。

視力較好的農民手槍裡填滿銀彈，避免女巫跟著他的女兒。

他瞄準並射中她，子彈擊中血腥瑪莉的臀部，她倒在地上。

憤怒的街坊紛紛跳到她身上並把她帶回田中間，

他們在那裡堆起了巨大的篝火，把她活活燒死在火刑柱上。

當她被火燒灼的那一刻，血腥瑪莉尖叫著詛咒所有的村民。

如果有人在鏡子前大聲提到她的名字，

她便會散播她的怨念，以報復自己死得那麼悽慘。

當她死掉之後，村民們跑到她在樹林裡的房子，

也找到了被女巫謀殺的小女孩們的墓堆，

她是用她們的血讓自己再一次地變年輕。

從此之後，

任何愚蠢的人在黑暗的鏡子前面唱誦血腥瑪莉的名字三次，

就會召喚女巫亟欲復仇的靈魂。

據說她會撕碎他們的身體和靈魂，這些不幸的靈魂會在痛苦中燃燒，

如同血腥瑪莉當年被火燒一樣，

而且他們的靈魂將會永遠的被困在鏡子裡。

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原文：Bloody Mary

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.

Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied  any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones.

Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear. The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out of town.

The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter.

The townsmen grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.

As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to  herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their blood to make her young again.

From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror.