Völva

by Martin Murray

Oein awaited the Witch on the grounds where his slaughtered army lay.

She promised him their return in exchange for his daughters.

The Witch appeared from the shadows, her face the color of the moon.

She took the girls’ hands, leading them towards the darkened woods; her purpose for his children, Oein did not know. Eir, his youngest, looked back- her cheeks flushed with worry.

An owl cried, and his risen brothers stood amongst the fog. Their eyes were milky-white, with rotten jaws hung slack. The Witch’s voice caught the wind: “I return the bodies. I cannot retrieve the souls.”

Martin Murray

Martin Murray is a writer based in New York City. He received his MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. His short fiction has appeared in Deathcap & Hemlock, Microfiction Monday Magazine, and Flash Fiction Magazine. He is a screenwriter currently working on an original project for Troma Entertainment.