Saturday, July 12, 2014

Excerpt From Early Draft Of Untitled Witch Story

This is an excerpt from chapter three, in which the nine-year-old character tries to gather more information about the witch[es] she believes must live in the spooky house.

If you want background, here's the first draft of chapter one: Untitled Witch Story, Part One, Draft One.




I asked my mother who lived in the spooky house. I cringed a bit as I asked, with a part of me expecting her to scold me for not paying attention to the reading materials supplied by my church – after all, if I had, I’d know it was the house of witches. Another small part expected she’d avoid mentioning the witch (after all, she’d never told me before, and keeping things from me to protect me was her way in many things) and just tell me to avoid the place. A part of me expected her to identify the resident.

All of me believed that she must know that there were witches in the house, and it was merely a matter of how much information she would impart.

No part of me expected her to say she didn’t know.

Our town’s population numbered in the hundreds, and among those who actually lived in town, rather than on the outlying roads and farms that had a Columbia address but weren’t in the normal walking routes, there were no strangers – or so I had always believed.

“I think she moved here from somewhere, a little while ago,” my mother said vaguely. “She hasn’t lived there long.”

“But you don’t know her name?”

“No, she’s not from here, probably. She might have come from Ohio or something.”

I knew where ‘Ohio or something’ was. That was the place that everyone came here from. It meant ‘up north where they talk strange.’ It meant ‘none of our concern.’ It meant ‘might as well be a different planet.’

Anyone who was from away was from ‘Ohio or something,’ and once they were discerned as coming from that foreign place, they could be dismissed: we would never really know them or understand them, and maybe if we waited, they’d go away.

“How long has she lived there?” I asked. I had a notion that maybe my reading the Halloween tract had caused her to exist.

“I don’t know, maybe ten years, or more. I didn’t see her move in.”


Somewhat insulted at the notion that a period of time longer than my own life could be dismissed as ‘a little while,’ I walked away and didn’t ask any more questions.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Dear Representative Walter Jones

Dear Representative Jones,

I’m contacting you today as one of your constituents, to make you aware of my position on the recent travesty of the Supreme Court decision in Sebellius v. Hobby Lobby.

It is a crying shame to support the rights of a corporation over the rights of an individual. It is sickening to see women continually marginalized and  reduced in rights, support, and value in this country.

I’m familiar with your stance on this and other issues, and I am asking you to stop prioritizing corporate rights and the rights of invisible men over the rights of human beings. I’m asking you to stop fighting against the legislation that might eventually (if our Governor will stop fighting it) allow me to purchase health care, despite being low-income. I’m asking you to support legislation that supports your constituents.

Today, I write to ask you to begin to work against laws where ‘religious freedom’ is a code word for taking away the freedoms of others. I’m asking you to work against policies that allow beliefs to trump law. I’m asking you to oppose legislation that would help religious extremists impose their Christian Sharia on America.

And, I am thanking you. Not for your efforts so far, which have worked in opposition to the needs of the people who voted for you, but thanking you in advance for taking the time to think about whether corporations are really more important than people, and whether Christians really deserve a higher level of freedom than the rest of us. Please support your constituents, so we can return the favor.

With great appreciation,

Steph Bazzle

PS- Y'all check this out- Congressman Jones invited me to discuss 'women's issues' when I sent him this message. Wonder if he's getting a lot of those.




Dear Senator Richard Burr

Dear Senator Burr,

I’m contacting you today as one of your constituents, to make you aware of my position on the recent travesty of the Supreme Court decision in Sebellius v. Hobby Lobby.

It is a crying shame to support the rights of a corporation over the rights of an individual. It is sickening to see women continually marginalized and  reduced in rights, support, and value in this country.

I’m familiar with your stance on this and other issues, and I am asking you to stop prioritizing corporate rights and the rights of invisible men over the rights of human beings. I’m asking you to stop fighting against the legislation that might eventually (if our Governor will stop fighting it) allow me to purchase health care, despite being low-income. I’m asking you to support legislation that supports your constituents.

Today, I write to ask you to begin to work against laws where ‘religious freedom’ is a code word for taking away the freedoms of others. I’m asking you to work against policies that allow beliefs to trump law. I’m asking you to oppose legislation that would help religious extremists impose their Christian Sharia on America.

And, I am thanking you. Not for your efforts so far, which have worked in opposition to the needs of the people who voted for you, but thanking you in advance for taking the time to think about whether corporations are really more important than people, and whether Christians really deserve a higher level of freedom than the rest of us. Please support your constituents, so we can return the favor.

With great appreciation,

Steph Bazzle

Dear Kay Hagan

Dear Representative Hagan,

I’m contacting you today as one of your constituents, to make you aware of my position on the recent travesty of the Supreme Court decision in Sebellius v. Hobby Lobby.

It is a crying shame to support the rights of a corporation over the rights of an individual. It is sickening to see women continually marginalized and  reduced in rights, support, and value in this country.

I’m familiar with your stance on this and other issues, and I appreciate your support.

Today, I write to ask you to continue to work against laws where ‘religious freedom’ is a code word for taking away the freedoms of others. I’m asking you to work against policies that allow beliefs to trump law. 
I’m asking you to oppose legislation that would help religious extremists impose their Christian Sharia on America.

And, I am thanking you. I’m thanking you for all you’ve done in this regard, and thanking you in advance for all you’ll continue to do. Please continue to support your constituents, and we will return the favor.

With great appreciation,

Steph Bazzle