Witch Hazel - Tumblr Posts
The Phantom Rabbit (Black Butler x Rabbit Reader)
Prologue
Trigger warning : blood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in the forest on the outskirts of London was a hidden cottage. Within it, lived a 'witch'.
Hazel Jane was her name. She appeared to be just as average as every other middle-class, young adult. But behind closed doors, she secretly practiced 'witchcraft'. The reason why? To have whatever she wanted.
Hazel was never satisfied with anything in her life. Although she had a roof over her head and plenty of food to eat, she dispised being 'poor'. Hazel was better off compared to the people who lived on the streets or in workhouses, but Hazel only cared for her own selfish self. Also, nobody from the higher class would ever notice or marry her.
Hazel believed for a long time that marriage into a noble house was the only way she could live the lavish lifestyle that she desired. But all her efforts to snag a rich man were in vain.
Hazel also grew disenchanted with Christianity when God did not heed her prayers like a genie would. And so she decided to use witchcraft instead. Hazel then obtained her 'magic' by making a deal with a devil.
After sealing the deal with a contract mark on her lower back, the demon gave Hazel a strange device. He told her that it was a 'magic wand' that could conjure anything out of the 'holes' she would slice in the air with it. All Hazel had to do was will with all her heart, mind, and soul for whatever she wanted, and it shall fall out of the hole.
It looked nothing like a magic wand in Hazel's opinion. It was large and heavy, she had to yank a string on the shorter end a few times to get it working, the noise it made was extremely loud, and the device had several, jagged ends that rotated swiftly. Hazel was quick to discover that the device could also cut through anything it touched!
But just as the demon had promised, Hazel was able to conjure items out of the air she sliced with the device.
She supposed it truly was a magic wand, and she didn't mind at all- taking the demon's further advice to separate herself from society and hide in this cottage (lest they find out, burn her at the stake, and take away her 'magic wand'). She would need nor want for anything anyway now that she has 'magic'!
It's been a year since she struck that deal, and Hazel was happily practicing her 'magic' when it happened: a sudden, burning sensation in her lower back. It felt like she was being branded!
At first, Hazel thought she slept wrong. But how could she, when she has the most comfy bed with silks and furs that she conjured with her 'magic'?
Perhaps she pulled a muscle?
No way. The only time she strains herself physically is when she does 'magic' for hours on end, with no breaks. Plus, she was far too young to be having severe back pains.
It was at that moment that she realized it was the devil's mark. Hazel had totally forgotten that she sold her soul in exchange for the 'magic wand'.
It was that time already?!
But there was so much more she wanted to do!
Frantically, Hazel 'conjured' a ticket for a one-way trip to America. But the burning contract mark prevented her from taking one step out of her room.
Hazel then conjured a large barrel of salt. She spilled it sideways, and then she conjured a broom so that she could spread the grains all over the carpeted floor.
She drew crosses on every wall with chalk, conjured 'holy water' to sprinkle at every corner (and to drink), and Hazel even conjured a lamb with no blemishes.
She slaughtered it (after conjuring a dagger) and dragged its corpse across the sides and top of the door frame to spread its blood.
Hazel refused to pray to God for deliverance. Instead, she figured that if the blood of a freshly-killed, spotless, white, lamb could make the Angel of Death pass over whole houses in the Book of Exodus, surely it would keep a hungry demon out of her room, right?
Wrong.
Hazel Jane forgot several key points:
For one, she did not place her faith in God.
Two: she's not an Israelite in the story of Moses during the reign of King Ramses II.
Three: this demon is not the Angel of Death.
Lastly, to back out now would be a breach of contract. The demon has every right to her soul.
Even if Hazel cried out for God, nothing would happen because she would have gone back to how things were: living her life fulfilling her greedy, covetuous, desires with the 'magic wand' rather than living a life glorifying God.
And so, the demon broke through the door- causing Hazel to scream and jump backward. In doing so, she slipped and fell- getting blood and salt all over herself.
The demon laughed at the sight. It was a jeering, distorted laugh in several different pitches. As he did so, the room got dark, and Hazel was paralyzed with fear and pain from the contract mark. It burned more than ever!
"I see you took the time to marinate yourself in salt and lamb sauce. Very creative! But most unnecessary." The demon taunted as black tendrils encircled Hazel.
"I quite like the decor, too. Most befitting for our little dinner party~" the demon snickered.
"P-please, d-d-don't kill me-e." Hazel begged through her sobs before she gasped in pain. The tendrils were squeezing her tighter.
"That's not how it works, Ms. Jane. I provided your 'magic', you used the 'magic', and now you must fulfill the contract requirements."
"B-but I-"
"If you didn't like the contract, you shouldn't have signed it." The demon flashed Hazel its own mark on a humanized arm before liking its lips and opening its mouth impossibly wide.
"WAIT! I can conjure a soul for you. One even better than mine!"
This made the demon pause.
While it is true that he supplied Hazel with the 'magic wand', he could not actually use it.
To use such a device, the wielder must have a soul. And he, being a demon- does not possess one.
The ability to even conjure a soul by itself is impossible. It must always be attached to someone (or something). However, Hazel displayed an aptitude for conjuring things- be it alive or inanimate, as evident by the freshly slaughtered lamb. Surely, she could manage to conjure a soul by itself. If not, a human would do- he’d just have to kill that person once they arrive.
Now, a soul even better than Hazel Jane's would not exist for at least two centuries. The reason why is due to ancestral sin. The more sin that an individual inherits from the generations before, the more potent the taste, and the more power it gives the demon.
Due to this, it is impossible and forbidden for demons to time travel and devour souls from the past or future. But the forbidden factor would make this soul much more delicious! The demon drooled at the thought.
"Very well. Get me that soul!"
The demon placed Hazel down and shoved the 'magic wand' into her arms.
She huffed at the sudden weight but quickly regained posture and revved up the device. Hazel sliced a wide arc into the air above her with all the strength and 'magic' that she could muster, whilst willing so hard with all her mind and heart that this soul would be better than hers. Perhaps the demon would take it instead and leave her alone.
A bright, green light and mighty wind erupted from the portal - something that has never happened before due to the breaching of time and space. The human and demon both watched with bated breath for what would happen next.
Suddenly, something flew out- landing on the bed with a THUMP! Simultaneously, the portal imploded on itself in a flurry of sparks and stardust, sending Hazel to the other side of the room and making the demon stumble!
When the wind died down, the demon inhaled deeply in search of the soul. Smelling nothing, he creeped closer to the lump beneath the blankets.
It was very small. An infant human, perhaps?
The demon pulled back the covers with a clawed, shadowy hand and peeked inside. Shortly afterwards, he snarled and shot some tendrils at Hazel. They grabbed her by the neck and yanked her over to be face-to-face as he roared at her.
"IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?! I EXPECTED A SOUL AND INSTEAD YOU DO A PARLOR TRICK!"
Hazel could only gasp incoherently as the thing on the bed squeaked in fright and bounded out the door.
It was not a soul. Not even a human! It was a rabbit. Hazel had conjured a white rabbit!
She could have sworn it was a soul that she conjured. Hazel had never messed up her 'magic' before! The nerves and pressure she felt must have interfered somehow.
But Hazel couldn't voice these thoughts, and she couldn't even scream before the demon devoured her.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Hazel truly has conjured a person from the future. And that poor, unfortunate soul is now stuck in a different dimension as a rabbit.
Ozark Witch-Hazel
Hamamelis vernalis
This fragrant species of witch-hazel requires a winter freeze to bloom and is endemic to the Ozarks in Missouri, Arkansas, and parts of eastern Oklahoma.
Feb. 14th, 2024
St. Louis County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Ozark Witch-Hazel
Hamamelis vernalis
This species of witch-hazel requires a winter freeze to bloom and is endemic to the Ozarks in Missouri, Arkansas, and parts of eastern Oklahoma.
Feb. 6th, 2023
Augusta, St. Charles County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline