The Rowan and The Birch - Part 2 - Tell you the story

Aug 26, 2026

A young couple, Bea and Barnaby, prepare for a wedding while powerful witchcraft and family rivalries threaten to ruin their plans. After the circus witch defaces the marriage proposal tree, Bea reveals she was harmed by her, including a scar and stolen powers. Charisma and Griselle respond with poison-warding rowan berries and a protective circle, while a fake wedding and woodland animals set the stage for the witch’s defeat.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

The Wedding Plans

The Defaced Tree and the Circus Witch

Bea’s Scar and Lost Powers

Griselle’s Trap with Rowan Berries

The Fake Wedding and the Witch’s Capture

The Rowan and The Birch Oh, but listener, the path of true love never runs smoothly, especially when your mothers-in-law are super-powerful witches. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Twit-twoo. So, listen carefully and I will continue with part twit-twoo, and tell you the story of the rowan and birch. Now, the young couple’s time was taken up with preparing the family home for the wedding, or rather trying to plan the wedding they wanted without interference from their mothers. Charisma made a miraculous recovery as soon as Bea came home, and she and Griselle often spent many hours discussing – well, bickering – about the type of flowers, who should make the cake, make the dress and who should and shouldn’t be invited. It was also harvest time, so the couple were glad of the distractions and spent from dawn to dusk out in the fields avoiding them both. It wasn’t until three months later they were finally free to go for a walk in their beloved Cromers Wood and visit their Will You Marry Me Tree. Bea was teasing Barnaby, telling him he needed to spend some time leaning against the other side of the tree to straighten it when she gasped. ‘What is it Bea?’ asked Barnaby. She pointed above his head. Barnaby turned and gasped too; some kind of frenzied beast had scratched out the YES to the marriage proposal and drawn a crack through the heart. And in huge letters was a large N and O. ‘It is her. The circus witch,’said Bea, spinning around in a panic as if she was hiding in the trees. ‘It is just someone jealous of our happiness, or one of my siblings messing around. Wait until I get my hands on them...,’ said Barnaby. ‘No, Barnaby, it is her!’ Illustration by Meg Metcalf ‘How would she ever find you?’ ‘The same way you found me with grandma’s broomstick. I’m so stupid. I told her all about Charisma and Griselle...and you.’ ‘But why would she come here when she knows of Charisma’s powers.’ ‘Because she promised my hand to an old conjurer. If you hadn’t come when you did, I would be married to him. She was so kind to me when I found her, saying how she’d grieved forme, nearly died of a broken heart. She even showed me what happened in her crystal ball. How when I was six months old, asleep in the most beautiful crib covered in white lace and silk, Charisma came in and stole me. She told me Charisma and her were old enemies and how no-one would ever want a child with her and how Charisma, bitter with envy, killed her husband, my father, so she would never have another child as beautiful as I. Oh, Barnaby, I’m such a fool.’ Bea threw her arms around Barnaby, sobbing. ‘I promise she won’t come near Charisma and Griselle. They are too strong for her.’ ‘She may be stronger, Barnaby. You don’t understand. The conjurer gave her an eighth of his magic to secure my hand, another eighth was to be forthcoming once we were married. Nothing will stop her getting what she is owed.’ ‘But you are strong too, Bea. I’ve seen you! Mother said you’ll probably surpass Charisma’s power when you turn 24.’ ‘You don’t understand. She stole my powers,’ said Bea, pulling down the top of her dress to show a fresh pink scar running across her collarbone. ‘I was stupid to think she’d ever leave me in peace and let me marry you.’ ‘I will marry you whatever happens. She will have to kill me,’ said Barnaby. gently tracing the scar with his finger. ‘Then we will both die,’ whispered Bea. *** To anyone outside the family circle, the wedding plans went ahead happily and without much fuss. However, tensions ran high once Bea and Barnaby told of the hateful witch defacing the beech tree. Charisma wanted instant revenge, swearing she’d hunt her down and kill her, while Griselle pleaded for caution, telling her sister it was better that the powerful witch thought them so weak they could only use rowan berries against her. One or two berries alone would do nothing against her, but in larger numbers they were highly poisonou

FAQs

What happens to the marriage proposal tree?

The circus witch scratches the YES out and draws a crack through the heart, adding huge letters. Bea and Barnaby realize it is her.

Why is Bea afraid the circus witch will target Charisma and Griselle?

Bea believes the witch is owed her due magic and has stolen her powers, so nothing can stop her from taking what she is owed.

How do Charisma, Griselle, and the family plan to defeat the witch?

They collect rowan berries, create a protective circle around the home, and lure the witch in using a fake wedding with a known time and location.

Aug 26, 2026

Upload by Quinn Holloway