It was a cold winter’s night when I returned back to my hometown of Ringling, Oklahoma. It's a small rural town with a population of less than two thousand, a town where everybody knows everybody. The thing is, they used to know me. I was the quiet one in school, the goody two shoes that did nothing wrong. Well, I grew up and married a guy and had four lovely children, then he cheated on me with his cousin's wife, that's when my life went to hell. Except now I'm back to get what every scorned woman has always wanted REVENGE!

You know that old saying, "I am the granddaughter of the witch you couldn't burn"? Well, that's me. I am a descendent of Mary Parker, one of the accused during the Salem Witch Trials. So it's no big surprise that I keep up with the family tradition. I practice my craft just about every day and try to learn as much as possible. I also don't follow the Three Fold Law in the Wiccan Rede. I believe if someone harms your family or friends, you have a right to help karma out a little bit.

So anyway, that's why I am back in my hometown, to get justice for what my ex has done. He took my kids and my life, so now, eight years later, it's my turn to rise up above the ashes to take his life. I did leave a few remnants of myself in the house when I left, you know, called upon some favors from friends and family that had long passed on. Now it's time for me to do some hands-on work and destroy him once and for all. Then, and only then, will I be able to put my past behind me. First things first, I got to get in good with the psychotic man again. Not to worry, they won't recognize me—nobody will—I have changed my appearance and my name. All anyone will know is that a new person has moved into their quiet little town. Sunday evening, while the whole Christian town is in church, is the perfect time to get down to business and hide some cameras inside Ellis's house so I can hear and see what is going on at all times. I pull up into the church parking lot that is catty-corner to Ellis's house. I wait until the church patrons file into the big brick building, before sneaking over to the yellow house on the corner.

"Surprised it hasn't fallen down yet," I whisper to myself. I head to the back of the house where I know the wood is still being eaten by termites so it's easy to break in. I place my first camera up on the shelf in the corner inside one of the empty laundry boxes. Next, I slowly open the door of the laundry room and make my way to the master bedroom. Not surprisingly, it has clothes from one end to the other, with spit cups laying all over. I climb up on the bed and place the second camera in the air conditioning vent, then I turn around and place a camera in the air conditioning vents in the kid's rooms as well. Last but not least, I place one of the cameras in the living room on one of the curtain rods, and I make my way into the kitchen to the china cabinet and place one on the top by the silver cups, which look like they haven't been touched since I left. I look around the house. How can a person live in such filth? I used to keep this house spotless so if you had a white glove and rubbed it across a piece of furniture, there wouldn't be even a single speck of dust; it would still be a clean white glove. I glance out the kitchen window that faces the church, where I see that the church is letting out. I head back to the laundry room and out the back door, then I hide beside the storage shed until it is safe to head back to my car. I head back to my motel room in Ardmore, which is about 40 minutes away. When I get to my room, I open my laptop to watch Ellis and my three youngest children watch a little television then head off to bed. Monday morning, I wake early to go buy the house that is for sale right beside my ex's place. It didn't take much bargaining after I offered to pay with cash. It seems if you have the right amount of money, people are willing to help you out in any way. The next order of business is to open up my own little café in town, just like Ellis and I had talked about years ago. As I walked down the street towards the grocery store, I notice that no one recognizes me, even the people that have known me since I was little. I give myself just a little smile at that thought as I walk up to the real estate lady.

"Hello, you must be Joy Grant," the woman dressed in a cowgirl get up asks.

"I am, and this must be the place you were telling me about over the phone?"

"It is, and the bank is only asking twenty thousand for it! I think it's a steal. It was once a flower shop, so there is a lot of room in the back for storage."

"I'll take it," I reply. "I'll have the funds wired to the bank later today."

"Ok, then thank you for your business, Mrs. Grant! I'll have the papers written up immediately," She says, then she says her goodbyes and heads to her car. I smile to myself as I look at my new building and think, "My plan is slowly coming together." I head back to my newly purchased home to order the things that I will need for my cyber café.

A little while later, I gather some needles, chicken bones, and some herbs and place them into two black bags, one for Ellis's house and one for his pickup. There is no need to check the video feed from his house because it's one o'clock in the afternoon. I already know he is at work, my youngest boy has also gone to work, and the girls are in school. I grab one of the hex bags, then head over to Ellis's house an enter through the laundry room like I had last night. Then I cautiously make my way to the kitchen, where I tie the hex bag to the pipe underneath the sink, but as I finish tying the knot, I hear a car pull into the driveway and what slides out of the white car is the whale I had considered my friend so long ago.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts, "Concentrate, you can't let her catch you in here." I make a break for the laundry room just in time to hear her open the door. Thankfully I had left the back door open just in case this type of thing happened. I quietly closed the door, hopped over the half-assed fence he had put up, and walked like nothing happened to my yard. As I'm about to unlock my front door, my realtor calls me to tell me that the paperwork has been written up and that she has my keys to my new business property, so I quickly go change into my business attire, then rush over to my new building. The things that I had ordered will be arriving in the next two days, and the Wi-Fi will be hooked up tomorrow, so that is coming along nicely—so are my plans for Ellis.

The next morning I made sure that Ellis noticed me moving into the house beside him. I have my music up loud and the tightest pants on with the tightest shirt I own. Of course, my plan worked. I noticed him watching me as I unloaded the U-Haul truck.

"You look like you could use some help," he asks as he comes over.

"Yes, I could, thank you," I say with a smile. He climbs in the back of the truck and starts helping unload it. Before we knew it, the U-Haul was all unloaded.

"Thanks for the help," I said. "My name is Joy Grant."

"No problem, and I'm Ellis Carter," He answered. "And if you need help in any way, just ask." Then headed off toward his house. I head into my own house then open up my laptop to check the video feed from inside his house. I'm shocked along with grossed out to see him head into his room to jack off. I slam my laptop shut, disgusted after what I just saw but also amused that I got his attention. While he is busy, I go and put the other hex bag I had put together in his Chevy Avalanche. People should lock their car doors, they are too trusting here.

I then sneak back to finish getting my house together while I listen to what is going on next door, which isn't a whole lot until his girlfriend Amanda shows up, then all hell broke loose.

"Where the hell have you been!" He screamed at her. "You have been gone all night long!"

"We're not married. I can come and go as I please!" Amanda yelled back. "And on top of that, this isn't my home. I don't live here, and let me get one thing straight: you can't control me like you did Crystal!" Then she stormed out of the house and drove down the road to her trailer house. That's when I realized that I needed to put cameras and hex bags in her house, also a hex bag in her car. I gather up my things to make two more bags for Amanda's house while I listen to Ellis fume about what had just taken place. I just laugh. My daughters arrive home a little after three from school, so I grab my flyers and head next door to pretend that I had lost my tacks and subtly tell the girls to come apply for a job at my café. When I knock on the door, my oldest daughter opens the door. For a moment, I can't speak, then I ask if her father is home. I couldn't help but laugh when she looked behind her and yelled, "Dad, some lady wants to talk to you!" Then she turns her attention back to me, "You look really familiar, what's your name?" She asks.

"My name is Joy. I just bought the place right next door and the old flower shop down the road. I'm turning it into a cyber café. If you're interested, I'm hiring help." I say as I hand her one of the flyers.

"That's so cool. Can my sister apply to?" She asks.

"I don't see why not. I'm fixing to head over there. I was hoping I could borrow some tape or tacks from your dad." I say as Ellis walks to the door.

"Come on in." He gestures as he opens the door wider for me to enter. "Now, I know I have some tape you can use somewhere." He says, going to his computer desk." I hope you don't mind, I told your daughter that she and her sister are welcome to come by and apply for a job at my café," I advised.

"That's fine. Where is it at, because they don't have a car?" He drawled.

"It's just down the road where the flower shop was beside the Mexican food place, so it's in walking distance, or if it's cold out, I can give them a ride." I quipped.

"Well, that's fine then," Ellis said as he found the tape. I told him thanks and told the girls that I would see them later as I headed for the door. As I walk to my new place, I put my hiring flyer on the grocery store window, along with one on the hair salon, along with one on my window. A few hours later, my girls show up. Once again, I had to take a deep breath so I wouldn't spill my secret. For all they knew, I was dead. I already knew that this was going to be their first job, but I had to have them fill out an application and told them that where it asked for prior work history, they could just leave it blank. Then I had them fill out the other important papers. I had officially hired my daughters Kaylee and Laura to work for me without them or anyone knowing who I am. After the internet guy finishes setting up the Wi-Fi, I head back home, where I find Ellis waiting outside for me when I pull into my driveway.

"Hi," I say cheerfully as I climb out of my pickup. "Just wanted to say thanks for hiring the girls," Ellis said.

"There's no need to thank me."

He smiles and nods, "Either way, thanks. I'm glad they're getting out of the house and earning their own money. It'll be good for them."

"Yes, it will, and they are very bright girls. They won't have a problem learning the ropes."

Laura pops her head out of her house and yells, "Dad! Ma is on the phone for you!"

"Well, I better go see what she wants. I guess I'll see you around." "Sounds good," I say with a smile. He then walks off toward his house, and I head into mine, but as I open my door, I see Ellis's girlfriend Amanda pull into his driveway. I head inside my house to grab one of the hex bags that I had made earlier, then I wait for her to head inside the house. After a while of watching her text someone, she finally gets out of her car and heads inside. I quickly but quietly slip over to the passenger side of her car and open the door. Then I stick the bag underneath the seat and ever so quietly shut the door back.

As I was heading back to my yard, Amanda comes out of the house yelling at me, "Who the hell are you, and why are you in my yard?"

I could feel the anger rising up inside of me, but I knew I had to hold it back for the time being, so I take a deep breath and reply, "I'm sorry, I was chasing my paper that had blown into the yard." I showed her the receipt from the AT&T guy that had put in my Wi-Fi at the café. "Also, I thought this was Ellis's yard, and to my knowledge, he isn't married," I add.

Amanda stands there staring at me with a look of shock mixed with anger all over her face, which I find funny, but I try to hide my smile.

"Well, he isn't married yet." She huffs. "But I'm his girlfriend, so that's just as good."

"Well, I'm Joy. I just moved in next door." I said ever so sweetly.

"Oh, you're the one who hired my daughters."

"Yes, I am," I reply with my jaw clenched shut at her calling my daughters hers. "I got a lot of things that I need to finish, so see ya." Then, I turn on my heels and head for my house before I end up doing something that I will regret. I end up having to do some meditating so I can sleep that night, but I know it will all be worth it in the end.