Swampy Hauntings

The Everglade Enchantress

A Haunting Halloween Tale From the Swamp

A A McRae
6 min readOct 30, 2023

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mysterious 1900s drawing of indistinguishable swamp woman from the back with glistening black hair finger waved and pinned loosley and with shimmering alligator scales covering her arms and torso connected to a metallic mermaid tale in a cypress swamp at night with the moon in the background
Author Prompted Image Generated with DALL-E 3

Violet, “Vi,” first heard of the Everglade Enchantress when Gran fell ill. Fearing it was her last opportunity, Gran pulled the girl close and whispered the secret of the swamp woman:

Born on the River of Grass, a young girl learned the secrets of the plants and animals and in turn was taught how to shape shift with the landscape. She made powerful medicines, kept death at bay, spoke with the departed, and helped her village until she lost her sister and protector among the mangroves. She was cast out but escaped deep into the glades, where she continues to make medicine and search for her sister. Those pure of heart may be able to find her, but only if they are able to pay a soulful price of silver or sight.”

Gran died, but Vi never forgot the story.

Author Photo

A cold sweat makes her shiver despite the swampy night air on the edge of the river.

A snake slithers along the water’s surface searching for supper.

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A A McRae

I am a teacher, parent, cookie-baking experimenter, library enthusiast, and all-around bookworm. Twitter and Instagram: @aamcraewrites