a bonfire blazed.....

orange and violet.....
ultra violet ACTUALLY.......
down on the beach.....
and three old women huddled together
in some kind of ceremonial
 'circle'...
there was something 'ominous' about these three, old crones....
  a vigil-like quality to the scene...
nonetheless...
she could NOT remove her eyes  from them....
they didn't know that she was watching.....(DID THEY ???)
they would have surely given here the AXE......

clearly.....
this 'circle' was some kind of SECRET....
black smoke arose from the fire.....
and she could hear them chanting a kind of 'hymn'....
an eery sound.....
they were 'TONING'....

the REALLY fascinating thing about this scene....
is that NOBODY ELSE COULD SEE THEM !!!
only she !!

there was a cauldron.....
they were boiling some kind of creature...
she had the impression that it was a small dog !!!
my GOD !!
a small dog !!

what happened next would stay with her for the rest of her life.....

the three women suddenly became young girls !!!
beautiful, young girls !!
and their black, drab rags were transformed into sheer, silken gowns...
there were delicate, pearl necklaces at their throats.....
no more skulls !
and golden ringlets replaced the gnarly,
 grey, hives of hair
from just the moment before.....

and then....
just like that...

THEY WERE GONE....

she scratched her head.....
HAD SHE IMAGINED THEM ?