SLEEPY HOLLOW VOTING THEN AND NOW

SLEEPY HOLLOW: VOTING: THEN AND NOW In a tragic and, many would say, a stupid, turn of events, Lieutenant Mills, and Ichabod Crane, would be called away, from a report, which alleged that a pale-faced woman, reported as having long, flowing, hair, and wearing a sweeping, white dress, had been reported, at a local playground. According to several eye-witnesses, who had been suspicious of the un-known womans actions, the "woman-in-white", would snuggle up to sad, and/or hurt children. Most of the time, this would happen while other parents went to inform the childs parents about the stranger, who seemed to be "making friends", with the lonely child. Although eye-witnesses said that the children left, willingly, with the un-known woman, child-abduction was suspected, especially after neither volunteer searchers, nor blood-hounds, could find any trace, of either the mysterious woman, or of the missing children. When the number, of missing children, increased to seven, over just a few hours, the sherriff's office went on full, tacticle, alert. Thanks to the Department of Homeland Security, even the Sleepy Hollow sherriff's department had the very latest, in crowd/riot control equipment. Station personnel were stunned, though, when a deputy called in, saying "I see her, and she has number 8 with her. Pursuing towards Brenkmans Meadow." When the sherriff ordered "Keep your line open, while maintaining pursuit", the deputy would say "Roger that", then a click, and the deputy could be heard running through brush, caling out "Miss, sherriff's department, stop where you are". More foot pursuit, followed and the deputy would, off-handedly, say "Damn, she must be an olympian", then paused for a breath, and added "Still headed for Brenkmans..." followed by "What the hell?" When the sherriff called "Whats happening?", the winded deputy would pant "I dont understand it". When the sherriff barked "Report!", the panting deputy would report in "I swear, she was no more than fifty feet in front of me. I was, almost, close enough to touch her". When the sherriff growled "Report!!", the deputy said "I swear, sir. One moment, I was, almost, on top of her, and now, nothing. Like she vanished. Nothing, anywhere". The sherriff looked at his staff and said "I want that park searched, NOW! Burn it down, if you have to. I want that kid FOUND". By the time Mills, and Crane, arrived, at the abduction site, Crane had a look on his face, as though remembering something. When Mills asked "What?", even as deputies rushed families OUT of the park, an out-of-breath deputy came, rushing, up, saying "Abby, another one, just before we arrived. Same description, same direction. The pursuing deputies swore they saw the woman, and gave chase, but she vanished, again". As Crane studied the area, Abby would ask him "What is it?" Crane would look about, asking "What did you say the name of this place was?" When Mils gave him the name, Crane asked "And, just what IS this Brenkmens Meadow? An ale house, or an inn?" Mills would say "Neither. For as long as I can remember, the meadow was rumored to be named after a church, which, once, stood on the location" This is when Crane would pull another of his "Lieutenant" "speeches", saying "For a modern, educated, officer, of the law, you seem willfully ignorant of the history, of your own town". This is when Mills would say "So, what have you got?", and Crane would say "I have been here, before". When Mills would add "According to you, you have been almost everywhere, in Sleepy Hollow. So, what else is new?" Crane would say "Sarcasm does not become you". When Mills would make an obvious gesture, of annoyance, then say "Just tell me what the Hell you know". Crane would mimic this by saying "What, the Hell, I know is that this place was neither religious, nor public, in my day. It was a place where accused witches were herded together, then doused with kerosene". When Mills would say "My God, why?", Crane would say "For refusing to admit to witchcraft". When Mills would ask "What happened?", Crane would say "Five squads, of imperial soldiers, incuding myself, were ordered to stand guard, and to shoot any witch, who might try to escape punishment". When Mills would say "So, the prosecutors had proof that the women were witches?" Crane would say "In my day, your modern forensics, D-N-A, and de-tec-tive units, did not exist. The church, and the crown, decided who was "guilty". When Mills asked "How many accused witches were burned, that day?" Crane would say "I have no idea. All that I am aware of is the fact that 18 women were burned, alive, after the "noble" church convicted them of witchcraft". "Okay", Mills would say "Whats that got to do, with this place?" Crane would say "Lieutenant, on their dying breath, several of the women said that, when the time was right, they would return to avenge themselves upon the families, of their murderers". Mills would ask "And you think this is them?" Crane would say "The most likely suspects, would you not concur?" The search was underway, for the missing chidren, when another call came in. This time, the crisis was the mayor of the town. When Crane and Mills reached the hospital, they received the news: A deputy told the pair that "Of those, involved, in the crash, most are dead. Including the mayors family, and some of his staff". When Mills asked "What happened? Gun-man? bomb? What?" The deputy inhaled a deep breath, then said "The driver, of the vehicle, which rammed the mayor, had a cell-phone in their hand. They were sending a text message, and not watching the road". When Mills asked "Where are they? I wil give then a lesson they wil never forget" The deputy would say "Down in the morgue". When Mills would tell Crane "Come on, I have some words, for them, and I want a witness". This is when the other deputy would say "Mills, they arent "visiting" the morgue". When Mills and Crane arrived, at the morgue, the ME showed the pair the body and, when Mills saw staff had pried open the victims hand, and she asked "What were they hlding? Do you know?", the ME said "Thats how I know what happened. They were focused on writing a text message, about dinner, but never finished the text". After this, when she had a moment, Mills would ask the current police chief what was going to happen, now that most of the city council was dead, and the mayor was in a coma? The chief could only say "Special Eection". When Mills inquired, the chief would say "Look, most of the city council is dead. All because someone could not spare the time to pull over, to send a text message. Do you understand me, lieutenant? Only a couple of members, of the city council, are left, alive. One is in bed, sedated, with a broken leg, and the other is seriously ill, and not expected to recover, for quite some time. The mayor has head trauma, from the collission, and will be in a coma, for who knows how long. Do you understand me?" When Mills asked The special election. "When will it be?" The chief would say "AFTER we bury the dead, and the grief has lulled." When Crane and Mills left the police chief, Crane would say "Atleast some things have not changed. The dead are, still, respected, in most cases". When Mills would stop him, asking "Just what does that mean?" Crane would say "In my day, we would, never, have built childrens play area's, over burial sites" When Mills would ask "Are you saying that the playground is built over dead bodies?" Crane would say "Nothing of the sort. I am, merely, pointing out that, in colonial days, we never let children play anywhere near the dead" When Mills would ask "Okay, if there are no grave sites, then what is wrong with a playground?" Crane would use his commanding voice, to tell her "Lieutenant! That was the location where women, accused of witchcraft, were burned". Then, in a more moderate tone, Crane would add "Some of the post holes, where childrens toys are anchored, now, were, once, the same post holes which held the posts, where suspected witches were burned." When Mills asked "Where are the remains buried?" Crane would, calmy, say "Just inside the present tree-line" Mills would say "Swell, Sleepy Hollows chidren are playing in a ancient gravesite. Wonderful". This is when Crane would add "There is more" When Mills would ask "What, was God in attendance, at the trials?" Crane would say "Hardly. The church presumed itself to speak as God's holy messenger, judge, and jury" Mills would quip "Convenient, but whats that got to do with missing children?" Crane would say "A meeting hall was constructed, for the trials." When Mills would ask "Why bother building a place? Why not just use a local church?" Crane would say "In MY day, as you so eloquently enjoy referring to it, there was a belief, which said that witches could not enter the Lord's house, lest they be struck down, by the Lord's wrath" Mills would conjecture "So, they built a place where people could be the "judges", right?" Crane would correct her, saying "The men, who held the power, in the community, along with the church, would appoint themselves to be the judges, of the actions, of others, yes" When Mills looked in the direction, which Crane had indicated, Mills already knew what was there. She would tell Crane "The only thing, which is 100 yards, that way, is Brenkmans Meadow. I have been there..." Crane would finish her sentence "Many times, I am certain. I have no desire to know the details". When Crane would take off, on the trail, he would fight his way through some tree's, and bushes, before Mills would suggest "Why not try the walking trail?" When Crane would say "This is the trail.", Mills would remind him "Maybe, 200 years ago, but lets try todays trail" When Mills lead the way up the trail, and noticed Crane side-stepping, most of the way, she would ask "Whats wrong with you? Its just a trail", Crane would say "Maybe, in todays world, it is "just a trail", but, have faith when I say that, in my day, you dont want to know what it was". Reaching the meadow, Crane would stop, in his tracks, as history clouded his vision, of the present. A history, of great darkess, and gallows, with corpses swinging in the wind. Their faces contorted in agony, while signs hung from their chests declaring, mostly: "witch", "thief", "cattle-rustler", but with the overwhelming majority labelled "witch". Beyond this gruesome sight lay the meeting hall. A simple affair, being a single-story buillding, painted in Earth tones. What Crane had found most unusual about the building was the fact that it was not guarded by soldiers. Instead of soldiers, with muskets, Crane would see monks, with large crosses, across their middles. In a flashback, to the modern day, Crane would tell Mills "This is where the condemned were sentenced" His eyes full of shock, and dis-belief. Then, Crane flashed back, to colonial days, as Crane would admit to standing guard, while the accused had their flesh burned off, with hot irons, when they would not confess to witchcraft. As Crane recalled, to Mills "The womens screams, of agony, and pain, filled the hall, and the night, beyond the building, like wailing banshees, even as the clergy cautioned the attendance, which was turning away from the attrocities "Only the un-righteous turn away from God's justice". "Night after night" Crane would say "The screams, of those, being tortured, pierced the night, as the condemneds skin was branded until the accused was left as little more than a whimpering, and huddled, mass, on the floor, begging for mercy, even as the clergy demanded she confess to witchcraft. The women were told, by the clergy, that only by their confessions would the pain be put to an end" "Well, Hell" Mills woulld say. "No wonder they got so many confessions. If someone was barbequeing my skin off, I would confess, to anything, just to stop the damned pain. Sounds just like Guantannimo Bay, Cuba, today, to me" When Crane would ask "Is this Guantanimo Bay place just another of your annecdotal comments, lieutenant?" Mills would say "I wish it was. A very bad joke. Truth is, our government has been torturing people, everyday, since 2001. Washington D.C. claims it is necessary, to protect the nation, from attack" Forgetting that he was in the 21st century, for a moment, Crane would say "General Washington would, NEVER, have done such a thing", Mills would remind him "Washington D.C. Strange city, founded sometime around 1800 I guess. The nations capital city" Crane would remind her "After my time" When Mills would ask "What happened to the victims, after the torture?" Crane would say "The accused were taken to cells, to consider their fate" When Mills would ask "For how long?", Crane would look upon the empty meadow, glassy-eyed, seeing the phantoms of past attrocities, from his own day, as he would say "Long enough for the construction of the pires. Strong tree's, which were required, to restrian the condemned, while the fire burned" When Mills reminded Crane "It wasn't your fault. You were under orders, just like modern soldiers" Crane would snap "I could have done some-thing! I just stood by, and watched people die, just because the clergy said the victims did not have "faith"". This is when Mills would re-direct Cranes anger, by asking "Why would the lady bring children HERE, and why NOW? Why wait 200 years?" This is when Katrina Crane would appear, as if out of thin air, saying "They needed to build their strength, anger, rage, and they needed a human, to do the casting. Someone, from your time. It has taken the victims this long, to build their strength, and to find the proper person, to summon them. Now that they have both, the victims will take our childrens lives, in return for our taking their lives, so long ago". When Mills would ask "Are the children alive?", Katrina would say "Not for long. When the moon has reached its Zenith, the children will be sacrificed. At that moment, the victims will have their revenge". When Crane would say "Makes sense. After all, for evil to prosper, all that is needed is for "good" men to do nothing". MIlls would no-sooner turn on Crane, and say "Focus, missing children", then turn back, only to find the spot, where Katrina Crane had been, just seconds before, as just thin air. Mills would, then, say "Okay, so we know WHAT they are after" "Yes" Crane would add "Those who aided, and assisted, in judging the accused, as well as those who stood by, and did nothing, but watch." "Problem is" Mills would say "Half of this town was not even HERE, in those days. The rest are just too large a number to protect" While working on the abductions case, funerals would come, and go, and a special election would get underway, while the mayor remained in a coma, and an un-finished argument, between Crane, and Mills, would be re-kindled. Abigail Mills had been raised on such distorted "histories" as "Roots", and had been raised to believe that, until the 1960's, or so, black people had NO rights, as human beings. As she had been taught, by other blacks, prior to the 1960's, ONLY white people were allowed to read, write, vote, and so on. Such beliefs had made Abigail Mills feel even empowered, until Sherriff August Corbin, a white man, had taken a young, black woman and, instead of taking her to jail, for robbbery, Sherriff August Corbin had given the young black girl a CHOICE, about where she wanted her future to be. Rot, in prison, or live a real life. A life where the truant girl could become a deputy sherriff. Until Ichabod Crane had come into her life, Abby Mills had satisfied herself that Corbin was a "unique" person, not like most whites, and that she had "stuck it to the man", by becoming more than a "street kid". Still, Mills had been comfortable in her belief, that when she arrested white people, that she was "striking a blow", for blacks, by reminding whites that blacks were just as good, and just as able, as whites were. Then came Ichabod Crane. A true piece, of LIVING, American, history. Ever since meeting Crane, though, Mills had wanted to prove Crane wrong, especially on things such as who had the right to learn how to read, write, and vote, in colonial America. With a special election coming up, Abigail Mills would turn to the only experts she trusted. The local, historical, society. Here, she would find the information, with which SHE would set Crane straight, on voting history (or, would she?) Under the premise of making sure that the coming election would not be questioned, Mills would turn to local authority, and part-time professor, of History, Malachi Olsen. To Mills, the man never seemed to change. For as long as she had known Olsen, his hair, what he had left of it, was white, and he was partially bald, wearing his granny gasses, and clothes, which never seemed to fail to be 50 years out of date. His salvation was his smile, and his personality, which, some said, could chase away a tornado, or a blizzard. Olsen was one of the few teachers, whom students liked, since he had a habit of bringing history to "life". When Mills brought her question, to Olsen, She phrased it as "Just a precaution, I need to know how elections MIGHT have been rigged, in the past. Hopefully, this information will be helpful, in preventing modern tampering." It was not long, though, before the intellectual, in Olsen, realized what Mills was, really, looking for. When Mills pointed out "I dont see any womens names, on this. Not even white womens names. Why is that?" When Olsen said "Dear girl, in the 18th century, women just did not vote" When Mills asked "Not even white women?" Olsen would smile as he said "Dear girl, women did not vote until the twentieth century" When Mills asked "Why not?", Olsen would say "Simple. Prior to the industrial revolution, all household work was done, completely by hand. Brooms, mops, dust pans, and so on. In fact, the saying "Womens work is never done" refers to the fact that women, incuding white women, spent their days making bread, from scratch, gathering vegetables, washing clothes, tending infants, and so on. In those days, there just was no time, for study". When Mills said "I thought that black slaves did most of the house work, FOR the white people" Professor Olsen would chuckle as he said "Dear, dear, girl, I promise you that "Roots" was just one mans version, of American history". When Mills asked "How many, other, versions, of history, are there?", Olsen would say "As many versions as there are people, to tell the stories". When Mills decided to ask "Isn't it true that white men voted", Olsen would say "My dear girl, how MANY history classes did you sleep through?" When Mills said "I guess, too many. Why?" Olsen would say "In the days, of colonial America, only the children, of the wealthy, and those, of government officials, learned to read, and write". When Mills asked "What about all the others?", Olsen would ask "What would farmers, backsmiths, and peddlers, need, with reading, and writing?" When Mills would ask "So, who DID vote, in the 18th century?" Olsen would say "Child, only people, who owned property, business, or slaves, voted". When Mills would say "But, according to "Roots", white people had all the power, and say" Olsen would, nearly double-over, with laughter, as he said "Child, you really fell for that t.v. show, didn't you. Hook, line, and sinker, you fell for it". When Mills asked "Whats so funny?", Olsen would gather himself, as much as possible, then say "Dear Girl, even in the twentieth century, white people were sold into slavery, just as blacks were. In fact, prior to the creation of collection agencies, creditors could sell white debtors just as easily as blacks. Children, of both races, were, regulary, sold to factories, and coal mines, just as men and women were sold. Usually, women, of both races, were sold, as maids, cleaners, child-care workers, and so on, while men were sold, to shipping companies, and mining, or logging, operations." Suddeny, overloaded with what she knew, but could not believe, was true, Mills would thank the professor, and leave the historical society, not knowing what to believe, anymore. If "Roots" was just one mans "embellished" story, of history, and NOT history, itself, then WHAT was Abigail Mills? If, in fact, whites were treated no better, than blacks, then what was the point, of the civil rights movement? If Crane was right, and Olsen said he WAS right, then the races had been "equal", for centuries. Both had endured servitude, and torture. Abigail Mills had to look at herself, long and hard, wondering "What IS the truth?", while staring into her trucks side view mirror, which gave no answers. August Corbin had been the best man, black or white, Abby had ever known. He had cared enough to show Mills that life could be MORE than what she knew. A life, beyond the dumps, that foster care had dumped the sisters into. Thinking back, Abby had understood why the white, social services, workers had not cared, about the black girls. Atleast she had THOUGHT she understood. At the time, Abbby had thought that the girls had just been dumped, anywhere, just to satisfy regulations. Ofcourse, in hindsight, when Abby thought back, at the black, social services, workers, and how their own race had treated them, Abby found no difference between the workers race. To social services workers, the Mills sisters were nothing more than case-file numbers, just ike white kids. Processed, placed, forgotten. Once again, Abby missed her friend, mentor, and former boss, Sherriff August Corbin. She even thought she coud hear his gravely voice, saying, promising, her "I will, always, be there, for you". Even this long, after his murder, Abby found herself wiping tears from her eyes, as she remembered the man who had shown her that she had OPTIONS in life. The message was clear: How Abigail Mills turned out was up to her. When Abby went to her sister, Jenny, for advice, concerning voting rights, and whether or not "Roots" was even "true", Jenny was able to verify that, in many places, people were, still, placed up, for sale, everyday. When Abby asked "What about "Roots"? Doesn't it mean anything, to you?" Jenny asked "Why should it mean anything? It was just a tv show" When Abby said "It was a doccumentary, of a mans search, for his past" Jenny would say "Yeah, right, and "The Ten Commandments", and "Jesus of Nazareth" were totally honest. No embellishments, or specal effects. Grow up, sister. Movies and tv are entertainment" When Abby asked "So you dont think that whites were treated better than blacks, throughout history?" Jenny would say "Look, sis, I have travelled the world, looking for some really weird stuff. I have seen things that you dont WANT to see. What I know is this: Money, and Power, talk. Then and now" When Abbby asked "Then, why show such a program if it were not true?" Jenny would grow annoyed as she asked "Why show George Reeves, as Superman, or Linda Carter as Wonder Woman? Why show Patrick Duffy as the Man from Atlantis? Sister, t.v. is about ratings. Grabbing audience attention. That is what "Roots" was. A ratings grabber. Not pure fact, but a ratings grabber". Jenny would, then add "Why are YOU, suddenly, so curious, about history? You didn't care about it, in school. Why now?" Abby would respond "In school, I didn't actualy KNOW anyone, who LIVED during that time. It was just back ink on the white pages, of textbooks. Now, though, I am working with a man who was PRESENT, at the Boston Tea Party, Declaration of Independence, and so on. I guess that it didn't matter, then, but it does, now that I feel that I am LIVING it." "So", Jenny would say "Because you can actually TALK about it, with someone who was, actually, there" "Kind of spooky" Abby would say "To be around so much living history". "Makes you wish you had paid attention, in class, doesn't it" Jenny would ask. Abby would respond "Yeah, I get reminded, everyday". "So", Jenny asked "What will you tell Crane?" Abby would say "I dont know. I was so upset, when he told me that whites weren't allowed to vote, that he decided to walk back to the cabin. I guess I didn't WANT his words to be true. That is why I visited Professor Olsen, at the historical society". Jenny said "And, you found out that Crane was right, all along" "Yeah", Aby said "Now, I dont know how to apologize. How do I admit that I was wrong? Not just to a man, but a man who was THERE, at the nations founding?" At that moment, Cranes voice would say "Forgive the intrusion, ladies, but it would seem that I, too, was most dis-respectful, as well" As he joined the ladies. When Abby would say "Im sorry, Crane but I realy believed the story. I wanted to believe in "Roots". I was such a sucker". Crane would suggest "As I was at a similar dis-advanntage, with your "reality" television shows?" "Point taken" Abby would say. "Exacty" Crane would say. "As Barnum would have said "Anyone can be mis-lead, with the appropriate stimuli" Jenny would say "Man, you love your fancy talk, dont you", Crane would say "If you mean that I prefer proper diction, then, yes, I am most in favor of propriety, of language usage". This is when Abby would break into the conversation, asking "Can we get back to the case, at hand? We, now, have nine missing children" When Crane would ask "Are you certain? At last count, I was, only aware of eight disappearances" Abby would say "We just got word. A ninth child was seen riding past the play area, and never made it home". When Jennifer would ask "Whats the connection?", Abby would say "Ask Crane" This is when Crane woud say "By your leave, lieutenant. Miss Jennifer, it would seem that a group, of women, who were accused of witchcraft, in MY time, and while burning, at the stake, vowed to return to Sleepy Hollow, to take vengeance on those who killed them" When Jenny would ask "Aren't they a bit late? Like 200 years?" Crane would suppress his annoyance, at the remark, saying "It is my belief that the intention, of the victims, is to exact their revenge on the descendants of those, who murdered them". When Jenny looked at Abby, Abby said "Short version. Women burned, vowed revenge, 200 years to gain strength enough, to carry out plans" "Got it" Jennny would say. "Now, how do we stop them?" When Abby mentioned "Holy Water?", and Crane would say "Please" Abby would ask "Too much television?" Crane would say "Holy water only works on evil. In MY day, I retained my suspicions, regarding the true motivations, of the presiding jurors. How much in favor they were of the application of intensely heated utensils, with which to scorch living tissue". When Abby translated, for Jenny, Jenny asked "Why not have a priest bless the area, like they were known to do?" Crane would say "Blessings, like Holy Water, work primarily on evil. If my suspicions hold true, then these spirits would not be evil, just angry. As a result, potions, blessings, etc would be to no avail". "Okay" Abby would say "So, what DO we do? Let them take Sleepy Hollows children?" Jenny would add "How many women were burned?" Crane would say "That I am aware of, perhaps twenty-four. Possibly as many as fourty-eight" Abby would add "So, with nine children vanished, so far, we are looking at atleast thirty-nine more vanishings. Maybe even more" This is when Jennny would ask Crane "Okay, hot shot. Time for a history lesson. In YOUR time, How would villagers have stopped these kidnappings?" Crane, sensing the sarcasm, would add, in almost a murmur "WE would have consulted a voodoo practicioner" When Jenny would ask "Seriously?", Abby would interrupt, telling Jenny "That was sarcasm. We are, still, looking for a way to deal with non-evil, yet vengeful, spirits". What all would find strange was what would happen after they watched some school buses drive into the school parking lot, and load with the children, most likey to be targetted, for kidnapping. While the Mills sisters would think that this measure would protect local children, by sending them away, Crane was un-sure, at best. His suspicions were confirmed when, once the buses were loaded, the motors, which had functioned, satisfactorily, not half an hour ago, failed to engage, once the children were on-board. When mechanics could find no prolem, under the hoods, the Mills sisters, and Crane, would find themseves "summoned", by another vision of Katrina Crane. Katrina would say "I cannot remain, long, however, I wanted to explain to you. I have spoken to the local coven, and they have agreed to aid your quest, in laying these spirits back at rest" When Crane would ask "What had disturbed their rest, in the primary instance?" Katrina would say "I do not know, but, perhaps the coven will know, when you contact them" After Katrina provided directions, then dissolved, and Jenny said "Weird", Abby added "Road trip?" and Crane would say "No, I believe that an overland excursion lies before us." Jenny looked at Abby, who said "Road trip". To Cranes surprise, the "nearest" coven was a three hour trip away. It would not be until their arrival that a young witch would greet them, by name, saying "Yes, Katrina has visited, with the elders, and we are aware of the situation". When Crane would ask "For what purpose is your coven now so distant from Sleepy Hollow?" The witch would say "We have been here since I can remember" Inside the walls, of magic, an elder witch would thank the youth for guiding the visitors this far. When Crane would mention "In my day, your coven was PART of Sleepy Hollow. For what reason has your coven settled so distantly, from the Hollow?" The witch would say "You can thank Washington Irving, for that. After he pubished "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", our coven has come to be implicated in all manner of ill-events. Mr. Irving even suggested, in an early version, of his work, that WE summoned the Horseman, to deal with our adversaries. By the time such passages were removed, from the story, our coven was forced to flee Sleepy Hollow. Our members re-settlled in this place, hoping we would be safe, from the un-enlightened". This would be when Abby would say "Nice trip,down memory lane, however we, still, need your help, in the present". The witch said "We are aware and, during your journey, here, we have discovered the cause of the problem". When Jenny whispered, to Abby "They talk just like Crane", the witch said "Quite correct, young Jenny. We have managed to retain the best of what was, before, including the old customs, to teach to a new generation." When Abby said "Please excuse my sister. She is new to all of this. Now, what caused this mess?" The witch poured a brew into her cauldron, and, in a cloud, of vapor, they a saw a "vision" of a young man, reading from a book of spells. The witch would say "It appears that the young fool wanted to use magic to re-kindle a romance, but, in his haste, he mis-caste the icantation. As a result, instead of resurrecting a dying romance, the incantation has resurrected the lost lives, of those who died, centuries ago" When Abby asked "How do we put them back to bed?" The witch looked un-certain, until Crane would ask "Which procedure avails itself, most amicably, to the proposition of returning the deceased to their eternal slumber?" The witch would say "Take this spell, and have the caster speak it, aloud, at the same location." As she handed the spell to Crane. The witch would, then say "Remember, the speaker must embue this incantation with the same passion with which the original incantation was spoken." With that, the witch dissolved into thin air. On the way back, to Sleepy Hollow, Abby would "watch" as Crane translated the words into modern English, (which would turn out to be the easy part of the task). Although Abby felt sure she knew the boy, who had spoken the original incantation, the problem would be getting him to own up to it, THEN getting him back to the site, and reciting the incantation. When the boys mother was told what he had done, the woman warned her son that there would be consequences, when the police were done with him. Getting the boy to the site was no problem, but the boy kept having to ask Crane what words meant. By the time the four were on-site, Crane was convinced that "modern" education left everything to be desired. When the boy began ad-libbing words, Crane had to warn him "Use the words as they are written, or all is for naught" When the boy looked at Abby, confused, she said "He means Get it right, the way it is written" Crane would mumble "I just said that" When the boy began reciting the words, there was little doubt that the words had real impact. Especially as the weather grew hostile, and shook the meadow, for all it was worth. After several minutes, of severe weather, a group, of women, appearred, before the boy, and Abby, and Jenny noticed that all of the women were dressed in the same type of clothing which Crane wore. When the boy said "Please forgive me for disturbing your rest", a woman came forward, carressed the boys face, then the women smiled and, in a flash, of lightning, the boy was a alone, in the meadow. Moments later, a group, of childrens voices, could be heard, calling out, and the group knew what their next task would be. While the Mills sisters were busy, returning the children, to their homes, Crane would return to the site, of the former, judgement, hall. Here, he would find himself looking upon the past, once more. He would wonder just how many innocent women were tortured into "confessing" crimes. For a few moments, he thought he even heard the womens cries, as their skin was burned from their bones. All the while, the judges would be saying "Confess, witch!" Like Abigial Mills, Crane would wonder how many innocent people confessed, just to end the torture. Later, after the children were deivered to their homes, Jenny and Abbby would agree it was a relief, to be rid of all of them. Jenny would be the one to ask "How do people put up with all of that? For up to twenty years?" Abby would say "I have no clue. Twenty minutes, with them, and I was ready to..." This is when Jenny would say "I dont know about you but I could use a pizza, and a drink." Abby would say "I'm with you". Crane would leave the Meadow, wondering how many such places might exist. In how hany more such meadows, had people been tortured into admitting to crimes? How many of them HAD been innocent? For that matter, how manny innocent people were still, being tortured, in the 21st century? Would we ever outgrow the need to torture our brethern? Whether at places, like Gitmo, or on school yards? When his phone chirped, Crane found Abby's message, asking "Up, for some pizza?" When he typed in "Yes", her mesaage said "We will be waiting". With that, Crane would shut out the "ghosts" of the past, and head off, to meet the Mills sisters.

Wiccan School

WICCAN SCHOOL Forward: With deepest respect, both to the late Pope John Paul 2, and Pope Francis, this work, of fiction, is based upon historical, not modern, church practices. Prelude: A sound, of running, through the woods, just outside of Wickersham Village. The thick, hand-made, shoes were created to give the wearer increased traction, even on rough terrain. Never did the wearer think that they would be running, for their life. As the runner continued to flee, they heard the sounds, of pursuit. The sounds of the hunting hounds. In later centuries, these animals would come to be known by the simple name: blood hounds. In this century, however, the reliable hounds would be known as "demon trackers". Although the runner had been trained, in eluding pursuers, the chase had been upon them so quickly that there was no time to think. No time to remember the old lessons. All there was, at this moment, was the thought of "self-preservation". As the runner continued to flee their pursuers, their arms, legs, and body, were scratched, and torn, by tree limbs, stones, and so on. None of the injuries were fatal, yet, as the runner tried to outdistance their pursuers, different scratches, from various objects, caused, at different times, by different angles, would begin to "form" what some would call "patterns". The runners only hope was to find a way to elude their pursuers. A task made even more deadly when the sounds, of horse hooves joined the pursuing racket. As a result, the runner would pray, silently, for mercy, from the "one, true, god". A prayer for the "god" to watch over their remaining family, once the runner was dead. Her name was Adriana, and her "crime" was to be blamed for the death, of a child. A young girl, whom Adriana had been called upon to care for. Being the daughter, of a local Healer, Adriana had asked, more than once, to be allowed to treat the child, while the child was, still, strong enough to be cured. The father, though domineering, over his family, was more like a scared puppy, when it came to his belief, in his religion. For so many years, the man believed whatever the church told him. The church was the "Almighty", as far as the father, and many other villagers, were concerned. In his family, the only reason for a member NOT to attend sunday services, was due to being deceased. When his daughter took ill, the local clergy held prayer vigils, and annointed the child, chanting for the Lord to work his wonders. Adriana knew what the child needed, and it wasn't prayer. The child needed a combination of herbs and roots (known, centuries later, as medicine), to "flush" the "bad presense" from her body. Adriana's own mother had been a village healer since before Adriana could remember. When Adriana began following, in her mothers "foot-steps", Adriana had been confused over why her mother let some people die, while curing others. When mother would say "Child, it is not our way, to force others to accept our healing. We may only heal, by permission. To heal, by force, would be very dark magic". So many times, during hard winters, had mother and daughter, watched people die, after prayer vigils, and annointing. The one thing, which her mother was thankful for, was the local clergy's understanding, of childhood curiousity,, when Adriana had asked a priest "Why did you not let my momma help them? Momma could have made them well. Why did you stop her?" Thankfully, the priest saw not a "challenge", to God's authority, but a simple child, asking a question. When the priest told Adriana "It is God's wil", then moved on, Adriana's mom had been thankful that the priest had seen the wisdom not to file a report, about the childs question. Over the following years, mother had taught Adriana to respect the beliefs, and rights, of others. "Not everyone WANTS our help, child. In time, you will learn who will accept our help, and who we must acknowledge would rather face destiny." For the past several years, her mother had been schooling Adriana in all manner of Healing. As Adriana was to learn, her mother was, also, a village mid-wife. What Adriana could not understand, though, was why her mother kept journals, of her activities, over the years. The woman had a husband, and a family, yet she kept a record, not only of those, in her life, but of everyone she treated, as well as all "fee's" received. Mother aso taught Adriana the "forbidden" gifts, of reading, and writing. Mother would say that, given time, Adriana would begin keeping her own journals. The purpose, mother had said, was to track what potions (later called medicines) worked, for which people. Take Mr. Bleeker, for example. A fine man, with a fine family. When Mr. Bleeker was sober, his family was well off, as he made sure all family expenses were covered, sometimes well in advance. It was when he had his "spells", that his family suffered. When Mr. Bleeker fell into the "sickness" (Known, centuries later, as Depression), the man "crawled" into a whiskey bottle, and stayed there, until the sickness passed. Mutiple times, during "sickness", Mr. Bleeker would be hauled away, to a place known as the "Place of Sickness" In this place, Mr. Beeker, and others, suffering a wide variety of ailments, would be left, either for "God's Healing", or to die, for lack of treatment. In Mr. Bleekers case, Adriana's mother had helped Mr. Bleeker to "escape" the "Place of Sickness", multiple times, due to a deal which the two had made, during their youth. While growing up, Mr. Bleeker had watched his own father suffer from the "sickness".. This is why Mr. Beeker had asked his friend "If I become as my father is, and I need help, I ask that you render aid" When mother had said "So mote it be", the young Mr. Beeker knew that his friend would come for him, if need be. The promise went into effect, about a decade later, when the "sickness" struck the man down, and his wife, fearful of church reprisal if she allowed the Healer to treat her husband, instead agreed to send Mr. Bleeker to the "place of sickness", praying for "Gods divine aid". Per Mr. Bleekers instructions, though, Mr. Bleekers wife informed Adrianna's mother, about the illness, begging the woman, discreetly, for her help. Since mother was a coven member, she knew, as did her "sisters", where the "secret" openings, for access to the "place of sickness" were located, and how to sneak people out of the place. The Healer snuck Mr. Bleeker out, of the "place of sickness", and took him into hiding, while nursing him back to health. When Mr. Bleekers health returned, Mr. Bleeker had given his friend a deep kiss, then took her to a place, where he dug up a bag of coins. This bag, he gave to his friend, for her healing services. As a result, of mothers Healing, Mr. Bleeker would live much longer than his own father had. Part of this was due to the fact that Mr. Bleeker, unlike his father, had LEARNED the signs, of on-coming attacks. When Mr. Bleeker could forsee attacks, he visited his friend (Adriana's mother), and she gave him a potion (Nowadays known as a prescription). It would be only those times when "sickness" hit, suddenly, that the man still fell ill. This is why mother kept journals. Mother tracked illnesses, births, deaths, and much more. Thanks to grandma, and great-grandma, Adriana's mother had a vast storehouse, of journals, to share with her daughter. Records which spanned centuries, of village life, back to the villages founding. Journals which contained even those secrets, which people would prefer the public NOT know about. Mother had, at times, said that such information was valuable, in treating repeated illnesses,, which is what Adriana thought the woman meant. Sure, there were some who would use such information, for blackmail, but such was not the Wiccan way. Then came the church caravan. A group of priests, claiming to be "on a mission from God", and who moved from village to village, seeking out the "un-righteous". When the local coven heard that the priests were "enroute", most of the coven fled, to avoid "enhanced interrogation". When Adriana's own mother suggested the women depart the village, the young Adriana, foolishly, thught that, because she did not practice the spells, and incantations, which her mother practiced, that Adriana woud be "safe", from the priests. Besides, by this time, Adriana would have a husband, of her own, and two, beautiful, daughters (Hopefuly, to carry on the line).. No way was she leaving her family. When the priests arrived at the village, months later, Adriana watched as her simple life turned into a living nightmare. One day, while Adriana was treating some minor injuries, and nursing some local, sick, people, all was well. The next day, Adriana was hearing her daughters shrieking "Mommy!", as the girls were hog-tied, and dragged into the village square. When a priest began telling villagers "These spawn, of Satan, are to be cleansed", over the girls screams, Adriana watched as her husband begged for "Gods mercy", for his children. The priests ignored the fathers pleas, and red-hot pokers were pulled from fire-pits, and pressed into the childrens flesh. The childrens shrieks, of agony, turned villagers stomachs, and many had to turn away, until the priests said "Any, who turn away, from Gods justice, are showing themselves to be the Devils servants". As his children shrieked, in agony, Adriana's husband gave up pleading, for mercy, and burst forth, trying to save his daughters. His attempted rescue was cut off, though, by five arrows, which ended his life, before the man hit the ground. As the childrens shrieks filled the air, the priest called out "Denounce Satan, and you will be spared. Embrace the Lord, and be saved". (Try explaining "denounce", and "embrace", to young children.). When the priest shouted "Denounce Satan, oh, spawn of evil!", over the girls shrieks, the irons seared the childrens flesh, right down to bone. When the girl's collapsed, in front of the crowd, Adriana thought her daughters were dead. This is when she made her mortal mistake. Acting as a human mother, Adriana cried out "Murderer", to which the priest just smiled as he said "Wife, of Satan, come forward". After a split second, of in-decision, Adriana realized her mistake, dropped her bundles, and ran. At this point, all that Adriana remembered, of her mothers teachings, was "Duck and cover. Become as though invisible". This lead the widow, and mother of two, into the woods, with the village ordered into "holy pursuit", by the priests.. When Adriana finally stopped running, it was not because of the cross held out, to "block" her path. It was out of fear of the man, who held the cross. One, of three men, apparently assigned to block the trail, should any "un-righteous" attempt to flee. It was at this moment that Adriana reaized that the rumors were true. The memership, of the church caravan, did "surround" villages, in case of attempted escape. Adriana, the Healer, just could not believe that she had been branded a "witch", just for practicing healing the sick. Bound, and tied, to a staff, Adriana was hauled back to the village, where she was re-bound, to a dunking stool. (Another form of "enhanced interrogation"). Despite the fact that Adriana repeatedly insisted that she was "gospel", and not in league with evil, the priests kept dunking her, in the water, as they said "Renounce evil. Denounce the Devil. Embrace the Lord". It was not until Adriana was half-drowned that her coughing, shivering, body wa removed from the dunking stool, and the priest said "Since you refuse to denounce your evil master, let the purifying fire cleanse you of your wickedness". When Adriana was re-bound, to a pole, with wood being stacked around it, she looked at the two poles, standing beside her own. There, she found her daughters eyes pleading for help. This, even as Adriana realized that her daughters were to be burned alive, as well. As the three females cried out, and shrieked, in agony, the priests ordered the villagers to watch, telling villagers "Only the un-righteous turn away from Gods justice". From that day, forward, the village would find itself being "haunted" for centuries, by the ghostly shrieks, of the two chilren, who were burned alive. That, and the insane laughter, of a mother, driven beyond reason, by watching her children dying, before her very eyes. As the bodies burned, and the death shrieks filled the air, outside the village, close to the protection, of the woods, a group, of cloaked figures, would watch the horrid scene. Although their faces were as stone, fear, guilt, and remorse, filled each heart, as tears filled eyes, and ran down cheeks. The group had watched Adriana run, for her life, but knew they could not interfere. If the group tried to save Adriana, the village, which lived in mortal terror, of the church, woud have burned them as well. The most senior member, of this group, was an elder, of the local coven. Twice before, in her long life, the elder had watched as terrified villagers burned innocent people, on church orders. The holy church never needed a reason, or to justify its actions. To challenge the church was seen as "mocking God". This is why the priests were never challenged, or questioned. If the church said that burning was "Gods will", then no one dared challenge this. The elder had her coven observe the brutal murders, to reinforce the reason why the coven had to remain secret. In this world, where the church was total, and un-challenged, power, Wicca would be seen as a threat, for centuries to come. Although, in time, the "witch hunts" would end, atleast in Europe, but the time the madness was over with, many villages were decimated, by holy order. It would only be the "discovery" of the "New World" which would lead the priests to believe that the "Old World" had been "cleansed" of this "evil". In fact, though, many covens saw the "New World" as a place to live, and practice, in peace. After all, Wicca is about improving life, while attaining knowledge. That is, atleast until the savagery, of "witch hunt mania" came to America's shores, and culminated in the settlement, of Salem Massachusettes nearly massacreing many of its own. After dozens, of innocent people were brutally murdered, the covens secreted their members away, again, and set up housing, in areas, beyond the reach of "civilization". Many covens did, in fact, set up shop, inside places, like caves, since European settlers brought age old fears, about "monsters" dwelling in such places, from Europe. Such legends were neither encouraged, nor dis-couraged, by the Wiccans. The legends were just something for the Wiccans to laugh at, during gatherings. The Wiccans thought the settlers to be fools, for not even thinking of reviewing the centers, of such legends. Never questioning. Just accepting what they were told, by the all-powerful church. In the years, and centuries, since the Salem massacres (witch hunts), Wiccans would review the lesson, among students, about how paranoid humans could be. As many a coven leader would say "Normal humans fear, and try to destroy, that which they do not understand. Their capacity, for intellectual growth, is stunted, primarily due to irrational fears, of an imaginery pit, of hellish fire. The church teaches the opposite of our teachings. While we teach knowledge, and enlightenment, the church teaches fear, and oppression". Many times, over the proceeding years, covens would stand by, and watch, learning how "mortals" treat those who are "different".. No Wiccan was, ever, happy, watching villagers being dragged out of homes, and tortured into confession, for crimes the person never committed. Such insidious "crimes" included people doing nothing more than questioning "How DID Jesus survive, without food, or water, in the desert?" or "How do we know that a storm, which wiped out parts, of the village, was God's vengeance, and not just nature?" Those, who asked questions, would be labeled "Servants of Satan", and burned alive, to "cleanse their souls of "evil"". The Wiccans, silently, watched, as the innocent were burned, alive, or were pressed to death. The Wiccans only watched, and learned, about mans in-humanity, toward man, while remembering that, to interfere in the lives, of others, is a violation of Wiccan law. Aid may only be rendered if requested. When not watching the innocent being tortured, Wiccan practicioners would study, and practice, in solitude. Some Wiccans took on students, who wanted to learn the ways of Wicca, but even these studies remained secretive. In time, and with proper education, advanced Wiccans could not only commune, with the departed, but, also, with high-level demons, as well. One of the main reasons, for this is that "white witchcraft" was not the only magick to travel, from Europe, to the American colonies. "Dark witchcraft" came along, as well. What many demons came to hate, and the main reason why the demons began making truces, with the Wiccans, was because, after centuries, of being conjured, just to scare, destroy, even kill, demons wanted MORE, out of their existence. Sure, officially, demons serve the "dark" forces, and, therefore, may not enter the light of day, however, as atleast one demon told a Wiccan, the demon wanted to come up, from the lower levels, just to see what the world was like. Not to kill, or destroy, but to see how the "other half" lived. Such conversations lead to a truce, between "good" and "evil". A truce wherein, as long as the dark forces behaved themselves, they would be wecome, in the world of man. Ofcourse, some "younger" demons, like some younger Wiccans, did, occassionaly, have to be disciplined, for actions taken, the truce, generally, held.. In return, the demons informed the Wiccans, when "mortals" tried to invoke, without proper training. The goal would be for "true" Wiccans to monitor the attempted spell-casters, and cast counter-spells, to avoid, or minimize, damage. This is a primary reason why, over time, legends, of "demon attacks", eventually died out, as educated Wiccans countered some of the dumbest revenge spells. As the United States developed, into a nation, with growing cities, Wiccans would do their best, to adapt to a changing world. Although, as times changed, and the publics thinking began to change, as well, the church remained steadfast, in its ancient beliefs. To the "holy" church, witches were, ALL, "evil", and had to be destroyed. This is why the church continued to train Hunters. In frontier America, though, it had been easy for Wiccans to elude the Hunters, just by monitoring Hunters movements. Ofcourse, it was, at times, just as easy for the Hunters to track alleged witches as well. In those, early, days, of America, Wiccans kept networks, of "spies", as did other groups. This is why, when Hunters were bound, for an area, Wiccans knew, in advance, to pack, and flee the area. Any students, who stayed behind, were cautioned to "play dumb", with the Hunters. One thing, which baffled almost everyone, was the origin of the "Witch Exposure" law. A law which claimed that only witches could not read, from the Bible. This law came to America at a time, when only the rich, and powerful, taught their children to read, via hired, private, tutors. For average Americans, reading was just not a priority. This was why, during many mass meetings, at churches, ministers would call out the words, of a verse, then congregations would repeat the ministers words. (After all, what use was reading, to coal miners, lumbermen, and so on?) As a result, when Hunters came to towns, and ordered people to PROVE "godliness", by reading the scriptures, almost none could read the pages. As time passed, the news no-longer mentioned such things, the Hunters continued to track, accuse, torture, and kill, anyone whom the Hunters suspected of witchcraft. (No one bothered to notice the fact that 99% of the Hunters victims were innocent). Wiccans had been warned, ahead of time, and had fled the area. The Wiccans did, often, leave behind scouts, who would report back, to the coven, on the final counts, of those killed by the Hunters. The scouts reported on what techniques the Hunters used, to torture people, into making confessions, and what tehniques the Hunters used, to kill those, who "confessed". Although the 20th century brought more knowledge, and awareness, to America, including the new concept, of public school education, for all of America's children, the problem remained a lack of variety of education. Even in "pubic" schools, children were taught only the official, Christian, version, of history. For Christianity, Christopher Columbus remained the official, Christian, discoverer, of America, and so on. Although Wiccans knew much better, the covens kept this knowledge to themselves. They reminded members, and students, of how dangerous "exposure" could be. Tell the public what the public does NOT want to hear, and have a very bad day, indeed. It would not be until television dared to bring real magick to light, with Samantha Stevens, and Bewitched, that the public began to wonder if witches were, truly, "evil". Following, in the 80's, with shows such as Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, and then, in the 90's, with the bold, modern, witches, of Charmed, and Wiccans found that the public was more willing to accept that "different" was not "bad", or "evil". Ofcourse, the 70's also brought forth the alternative lifestyle, of Kwai Chang Caine, and Kung Fu, which dared to teach peaceful alternatives to violence, and which would be followed, years later, by Kung Fu: the Legend Continues. Like Wicca, the Shoalin brought new ways of thinking, to America. As Americans began exploring their "spirituality", Wiccans came forth, to provide information, and teaching, for those with a sincere interest in learning.. Even as the public became more thoughtful, in the 80's, and 90's, the internet began drawing the world closer together, even more, thanks to inventions like e-mail, and "search engines". The good news was that people could track family, friends, and even goods, much faster than ever, yet, not always, more reliably. On the "bad" side, using the internet, the Hunters abandoned local gossip sources, for possible activity, and began tracking supposed witches, based upon suspected, "witchy", activities. One, terrible, example, of how flawed the internet is, was best explained when a Hunter kidnapped a senior, office, worker, from outside her work-place, then took her to a location, where the Hunter had a tank of water in waiting. The Hunter then just kept dunking the womans head, under the water, for longer, and longer, periods of time, until the woman "confessed", just to end the dunking. The flaw, in the Hunters "research", was that the woman, he was torturing was into astronomy, not astrology. Not thinking there was a difference between the two subjects, the Hunter coerced a "confession", out of the woman. After that, the Hunter let the woman dry off before securing her to a cross, dousing her with gasoline, and saying "Say hello to Satan, for me", just before tossing a lighted match at her gas-soaked body. As the womans shrieks, of mortal agony, died out, in the night, the Hunter whispered "God's justice be done". An actual Wiccan, who bore the same name, as the victim, had headed a call, from the coven, and "got out of Dodge", before the Hunter had time to consider his actions. Then, there was the fact that, in some areas, the police flatly refused to arrest, detain, or prosecute, Hunters, saying "The Hunters are just doing Gods work". Upon hearing this insanity, the covens began to meet, and decide how best to show humanity just who the real "monsters" actually were. One coven decided to buy an old factory site, which they would clean up, as well as possible, then hold classes, for those interested in the Wiccan way. The site the coven chose was large enough for what the coven had planned. 20 acres of land, including cracked, and broken, parking lots, and much of the site infested with weeds. There was nothing "magickal", about funding the site, either. Many Wiccans either owned businesses, or were successful business people.. Their success was about as "magickal" as low prices, at a discount store. As investment funds "poured" in, a group, of Wiccans, brewed pots, of a natural weed killer. This mix was then poured into standard spray bottles, normally used for spraying insecticide, around homes. A small "squad", of volunteers, then sprayed the property, and watched as weeds died out, almost immediately after having been sprayed. While the old, asphalt, and concrete, drive ways, and parking lots, were ground up, another issue arose. It was remarked that the buildings, including the main, assembly plant, looked about as "inviting" as a trash dump. Decades of rust, peeling paint, and windows, covered in so much grime, that it would cost less just to replace, than to repair. Then, ofcourse, there was the wiring, annd the plumbing. Both needed replacement much more than repair. Although the local covens had plenty of man-power, for the jobs, what they did not have was an adequate workshop, for the workers to operate from. For decades, locals had thought that the corporation, which had closed the plant, had left its equipment behind. No one had SEEN any equipment leave the site. It was not until the coven purchased the property, that the truth was revealled. The corporation had stripped the place, bare, of every usable piece. This is why the Wiccans craftsmen suggested that a good, first, step, would be to demolish the old, administrative, building, right down to the foundation. The craftsmen would, then, build a new, fully equipped, workshop, on the same spot. With the elders approval, the two-story, administrative, building was razed, with remarkable ease, by a group of pick up trucks. With minimal effort, the place fell in, upon itself. This shocked one Wiccan, who said "I cannot believe that I was considering that space, for sleeping quarters". With the administration building out of the way, though, another, new, challenge arose. The original, new, plan, for the Wiccans facility, called for a single floor warehouse, with a 25 foot ceiling, in case craftsmen needed extra space, to work in. This is before the glass workers joined the discussion. The Wiccan glass workers wanted a minimum of four ovens, for making glass, on-site, for the coven spaces, and to coven specs. This was followed by another request This one, from the crystal makers, suggesting that they should have a work-space, for themseves, as well. The original design, for the one-story, craftsmens workshop, soon evolved into a six story "arts" center, with reinforced floors, and exterior wall panels, which could be opened, so that parts could be lowered the outside of the building. Six months, it would take, just to build the workshop and, during this time, idea's were "growing out of the woodwork", about how best to remodel the factory. While one design committee worked on concepts, for the buildings basic re-design, the craftsmen were busy replacing antiquated plumbing pipes, and upgrading wiring, to new century codes. Some craftsmen were, also preparing models, of various projects, to show design committees how their ideas might look, when completed. This is why the process, of building the actual school, would take much longer than usual. Add to this the fact that many Wiccans had jobs, and families, to attend to, and this is why progress, at the site, seemed, almost, "glacial". Due to these factors, covens often held "morale building" parties, cook-outs, and camp-fires. A small way of showing appreciation, for members efforts. By the time the mechanical work was done, on the main factory building, about the only thing the design committee's could agree on was that the rusted plates, and greasy windows, which formed the buildings exterior, had to go. Since no one could agree on a color scheme, for the building (Some wanted bright, and inviting, while others wanted muted, and soft), the craftsmen "compromised", by installing grey, poly, panels, which could be replaced, at any time. The glass makers created prismodic glass. From the exterior, the windows would look like rainbows. From the interior, the windows would look clear.. While the design committees argued, even over whether the carpet should be green, blue, or grey, the craftsmen lay down thick sheets, of spongy linoleum. One design group ordered a large, white, neon, sign, which spelled out "WICCANS", in tall, stark, white, letters. The reaction, of the Wiccan assembly, was, all but universal: The coven could not be more opposed, if they tried. When the sign was hoisted up, just short of the roof, coven members agreed that it looked garish. Some said it even looked "corporate". When coven leaders asked for alternatives, the crystal makers asked for some time, for an idea, they had in mind. The leaders said "As much time as you need". The crystal makers then went to work, under the shadow of that terrible, neon, sign. Since the Wiccan way is to care more about quality, than about speed, or deadlines, the replacement sign would take twice as long to complete. Somehow, it also turned out to be even heavier than the other sign had been, as well. When the sign-shaped letters "W-I-C-C-A-N-S", were attached to the building, the crystals, which formed the letters, glistened in the sunlight, as though twinkling. The crystal shaped sign was met with howls, claps, and cheers, of applause. (Score another victory for the crystal workers). Although decorating decisions were, still, under review, many Wiccans moved into the new building, and set up shop, in the un-finished spaces. The problem the craftsmen still had to face was that, even with the remodelling, there just was not enough room for the growing population, which wanted to use the spaces. The workshop then went to work on another building, on the site, creating a new copy, of the first building, this time, with a neutral blue facade, instead of grey. Even with two buildings, though, there were, still, complaints, about people having to share spaces. More important, though, it seems that a new issue was the lack of sleeping quarters, on the site. It seems that staff, and visiting teachers, wanted quarters, on-site, where they could rest/meditate. With a bit of artistic creativity, and as much of a laugh, as anything else, the craftsmen chose an un-developed section, of the property, and created a ten story "monster", with plenty of space, for rooms, and dorms. The "artistic lunacy" was, primarily, the buildings exterior, which the craftsmen designed to resemble the dark castles, of classic horror movies. Athough dorm rooms would remain neutral, in all ways possible, the buildings plans callled for staff quarters to be customizable, for each persons tastes. With the living quarters, if the craftsmen achieved nothing else, beyond a good laugh, the craftsmen built enough space that only the bottom four floors were put into active use. Still, without conscious thought, the craftsmen crated a "focal point", for the campus. Now, the craftsmen could focus on other spaces. When local inspectors were sent, to review the property development, the Wiccan elders were not at all surprised to find clergy members among the inspectors numbers. Since this was expected, by the covens, staff, and students, were cautioned about discussing religion. The elders just did their best, during the inspection, to ignore the very pointed questions, posed by the clergy. Especially the questions about whom the Wiccans "served". About halfway through the tour, an inspector turned on a priest, who had kept, continuously questioning the Wiccan intent, and barked "Enough! Be silent, or leave!". The priest, although taken aback, by the inspectors words, went silent, for the rest of the inspection. When an inspector asked if there were any plans, for a "dark arts" facility, the Wiccan elder would point to a construction site, a short distance away, saying "That will be our laboratory building. It will be used for teaching proper brewing, of potions, and so on. Once the laboratory is completed, we, fully, intend another building, to house classes, to STUDY the dark arts". When the inspector asked "Dont you mean PRACTICE the dark arts?", the elder said "No, I mean STUDY the dark arts". When the inspector asked "What is the difference?", the elder said "To understand ones adversaries, to know how they operate. This is the best way to protect oneself from their influence. Wiccans have studied the dark forces, for centuries. This is why the dark forces cannot fool our senior members. We have studied, and understand the darkness. We believe that knowledge is true power". When the inspectors left the property, and thanked the elder, for the tour, the inspectors then hustled the clergy away from the property, admitting, only off of the property, that bringing the clergy had been a huge mistake. On the next inspection, the inspectors would leave the clergy behind. When the local school board heard that the "dark arts study center" was due for completion, soon, board members asked for, and were granted, an invite, to the center, once opened. Eight months later, visiting school officials were amazed at how many regular classes were being taught, at the Wiccan school. When a board member asked, a Wiccan elder would say "A knowledge, and UNDERSTANDING, of reading, writing, and math, are essential, in true magick. After all, one combination, of ingredients, may be good, even cure, while another can even kill. This is why we teach UNDERSTANDING. You teach students just to read, and memorize. We teach students to UNDERSTAND what they have read." What really surprised the educators, and gave the Wiccans a HUGE laugh, was when school board members entered the new study center and, while finding ambiance, in the lobby, board members were taken aback by the actual study spaces. What the board would be required to report, was to find regular classrooms. No skeletons, cauldrons, pointy hats, and so on. Students, and staff, wore regular, street, clothes, and lessons focused on UNDERSTANDING the dark forces. Recognizing the use of charms, and so on. Before school board members departed the property, though, they asked the elder how long it took, to graduate, and become a full-fledged "witch". The elder laughed, heartily, at this, as she said "Fools! There is no such thing, as a graduate "witch". Our lives are devoted to both learning the craft, and passing on our knowledge, to others. Graduation is for fools, who think that life, itself, is not a daily, learning, experience. Education never ends." One thing turned out to be for sure, and that was that, after the laboratory building was put into use, the local fire department always knew when the Wiccans "finals" week was, and the fire department kept this week marked on their calendar. The reason for this was simple. Without fail, every finals week resulted in atleast one, fire, call. The fire department came to count on this. In fact, it was not long before fire truck drivers knew the route, to the laboratory, so well that they no-longer needed directions. The only question the fire-fighters would have to ask staff was "What caused the fire, this time?" Thankfully, though, almost all of the fires were limited to finals week. When the Wiccans finally built their own library building, for some reason, locals expected new books, novels, and so on. What people didn't expect was for the library to house the centuries old journals, of Wiccans, long dead. It was a good thing the craftsmen built the library more than three times the original, intended, size, since once volumes began to arrive, shelf space rapidly disappearred. Still, even the largest, Wiccan, library, in three states, could not hold the volume of what this library was trying to store. The good news was that, by the time the library was completed, locals had realized that the Wiccans were no threat. Coven members shopped, in town, and even invited visits to the school. The coven members were part of the community, including home owners, and family people. This is why, when the Hunters descended upon the town, like insects, the town, and the school, did their best to ignore the Hunters, atleast at first. When a group, of Hunters, decided to use a municipal fountain, as a dunking pool, strapping people to planks of wood, and dunking the accused, until the victims "confessed". Local police were ready to make arrests, but only until the clergy said the Hunters were "Doing gods work", and had the churches blessing. With their hands officially "tied", by the church, the police turned to the Wiccans, for suggestions. Using traditional tactics, learned over millenia, the female Wiccans "drew off" the Hunters, in some merry chases, as the Hunters chased the broomsticks. Once the municipal fountain area was "clear", of Hunters, male Wiccans released the victims, and delivered them to the nearby hospital. Problem was that the closest hospitals were under religious control, and this meant that accused "witches" would NOT be welcomed. Not until the victims could PROVE no association with the dark forces. When one Wiccan asked "How do they prove this?", an administrator brought forth a Bible, and said "Evil may not touch this, or read from its contents". (Holy middle ages!) For the next hour, the hospital ordered that no accused witch would be treated, until proven not to be an "agent of evil". When the Wiccans agreed, they let hospital staff select passages, for people to read. Only after each accused read, to the churches satisfaction, was treatment allowed. The only time this stupidity ended was when word reached the hospital that an administrators relative had been taken, by a Hunter, under accusation. Suddenly, the hospital was left to turn to the Wiccans, as well, since the police were under church order NOT to interfere with Hunter duties. In what would, later, come to be described as the "Wildest rescue mission, in modern history", the Wiccans went "whole hog", using every myth, and fright, in the "book", to draw a determined Hunter away from the spot, on the local river bank, where the Hunter was determined to coerce a "confession" out of a local woman. Atleast one witness would say that the rescue looked like a "whacked out" version of "Night on Bald Mountain", with "witches flying all over the place, and at angles which no plane could match. The Wiccan females let out howls, hoots, and cackles, which seemed right out of nursery rhymes. Still, the lunacy worked, as the Hunter abandoned his position, and left his intended victim behind. The WIccans then had a big laugh even as they rescued the victim. Even in the 21st century, a "witches cackle" still scared the "righteous". What only the Wiccan elders suspected was the real motive, behind the "isolated" attacks. As the Wiccan elders reviewed recent events, its members realized what was happening. Since the Hunters had been un-certain, of the Wiccans united power, or of its numbers, the "diversionary" attacks had been staged, as a way for the Hunters to "feel out" the Wiccans power. After the "attacks", the Hunters had a better idea of what they faced. What angered the local police chief was when the local district attorney, a Catholic, would not even allow warrants to be issued, over the attacks. Not even for "suspicion". The police chief had to sit back, impotent, even as federal, and state, law enforcement sent information to the police, showing that the Hunters might have LEFT the city, but not the area. In fact, the Hunters had set up a "camp" just outside of town. Federal, and state, agents, who had "infiltrated" the Hunters camp, would send back regular reports, showing that the Hunters were stockpiling hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons, of gasoline. Crates, full of distress flares, were being stored, as well. One agent was even "lucky" enough to have himself assigned to a construction detail, which was building "dunking stools". Ofcourse, since most of the wood products, used centuries ago, to build such devices, were, now, forrested, to extinction, the Hunters could not use "traditional wood", which was cost-prohibitive. This is the main reason why the "enhanced interrogation" devices were built of more modern woods, including composites. When an undercover agent questioned this, another Hunter promised the worker that, since the PURPOSE was the same, the type of wood did not matter. Neither, apparently, did the fasteners, or the liners. While wooden pins would have been used, in the old days, to hold the devices together, while the interior would be coated with pitch, to prevent water leakage, modern builders used tongue-and-groove planks, marine adhesive, and swimming pool liners, to build the same devices. Even the dunking plank assemblies, to which the accused would be tied, were made of water-resistent, composite, materials, instead of the hardwoods, of the middle ages. The agents also reported in about how OFTEN prayer meetings were held. Some agents said that these "prayer meetings" slowed construction, by as much as fifty percent, since the carpenters, and builders, had to stop work, as much as five times, per DAY, to attend prayer meetings. One agent reported that, in some ways, this assignment was like "going home, again". Morning prayer, to thank God for the gift, of the new day, the food, and to ask divine provinence, in overcoming the "Devils Minions". Prayers, at each meal, at home, and in the camp, to thank God for the food. Evening prayers, and so on. The agent added that the leaders, of the group, acted little different than the agents own parents had, during the agents own youth. ALL questions, and ALL problems, could be answered with prayer. (Occassionally, it did work). What concerned the agents most, though, were the stealth helicopters, which began delivering cartes, of automatic weapons, C-4 explosive, hand grenades, and so on. When workers said prayers, over these W.M.D.'s terrified the agents.. What also concerned the agents was how LARGE the Hunters "camp" was becoming. What had started out, as about 50 tents, was, now, about as large, as a small city. The problem law enforcement had, with this (beyond the churches interference), was that even low-level flights, by U.A.V..'s, had problems picking out the Hunters camoflauge-colored tents, from the surrounding countryside. This meant that, getting video proof, which a judge would accept, for a warrant, would be close to impossible. When the undercover agents warned that the Hunters, and their supporters, were making detailed plans, for attacking the "servants of Satan", federal law enforcement DID try to secure search warrants. The religiously biased courts, though, denied such requests, under the convenient excuse "The Wiccans have not been threatened, by NAME. Untill we know whom the phrase "servants of Satan" applies too, no warrants will be issued". Local police were told the same thing. This, despite the fact that the Hunters kept the Wiccan campus under "round-the-clock" surveillance. Still, the courst remained adamant. NO intervention until the law was, actually broken. Prior to being jailed, for "trespassing", a federal agent had snuck into a work-site, and taken a peek inside the warehouse, which the Hunters had built, on-site. When the Agent reported in, about the assaut vehicles they saw being assembled, and which were, presumably, being made ready for battle, a Roman Catholic judge sentenced the agent to five years in prison, for "Violation of Privacy". (Local law enforcement were just thankful that the agent had sent them a copy, of the agents report, prior to sentencing.) By the time a federal judge informed a local judge, of the report, annd an investigator was sent to check out the rumor, of a copy report, in police custody, the copy had been downloaded, to a flash drive, and all trace, of its arrival, in the main computer, had been "scrubbed" away. All that the investigator could tell the judge was that there was NOTHING on the police computers. Before the investigator departed the police department, though, they smiled at the police chief, saying "Well done. Excellent job, of erasing the file". Ofcourse, law enforcement were not the only ones monitoring the Hunters camp. The Wiccans, themselves, sent out "undercover" agents, who were skilled at intelligence gathering. Although the Wiccans did not use U.A.V.'s, to scout the Hunters camp, they didn't need to. Using a variety of spells, the Wiccans bonded with local animal life, using natures "eyes and ears", to spy on the Hunters. No one paid attention, if local wild life walked through the warehouse, or the construction area. After all, WHO cared if owls, birds, rabbits, wolves, etc. saw what was being built? WHO were the animals going to "tell"? Thanks to the animals, even more than the human spies, the Wiccans had, nearly, front-row seating, of Hunters planning sessions. The Wiccans gave out wide smiles, as lead Hunters would say things like "To expose a witch, just douse them with holy water. It wil burn a witch like fire" (This person, the Wiccans realized, had watched The Wizard of Oz too many times). Some Wiccans almost laughed when a Hunter said "Show a witch a cross, and watch them turn, and run away". One Wiccan would remark "That guy is a walking cliche". Later, the police knew when the main attack, on the Wiccan campus was due since a group, of local priests, claimed that too many patrolmen had been pulled, from other service, to observe the witches. The priests wanted the police away from the campus, and assigned to more distant parts of town. The police chief, borrowing a trick, from dictators, past and present, sent out orders to "rotate" the force, around town. According to the sheriff's orders: "All officers are to make themselves as visible as possible, as they depart the campus area. Make sure the public sees patrol cars, on the streets, and officers patrolling neighborhoods. Check property, and be SEEN. Act like it is just another, normal, patrol." Sure enough, the chief was right. As soon as officers were routed around town, a look-out, at the Hunters camp, reported "A mass, of motor vehicles, including modified pick-up trucks, to things I only see, in sci-fi movies, are loading weapons, ammo, and personnel." An hour later, this "convoy", as the look-outs would call it, would proceed, remarkably quietly, from their camp, until the convoy reached the Wiccans property. While a tree-based observer would report that some persons had climbed to the ground, a ditch-based observer, even closer to the action, would report seeing a super heavy duty pick up truck backed up, to the campus front gate, and a thick, tow, chain, would be wrapped around the gate bars, then attached to the pick up. The ditch observer then had to "go silent" for a few minutes, as the officer watched some Hunters climb down a man-hole. After this, a cutting sound was heard, then the Wiccan property went dark. When a hillbilly yell went up, the pick up ripped the decorative gates from the property entry point, and, as the one truck hauled the gate, in one direction, eight, or nine, trucks roared onto the Wiccan campus. Atleast three fifty-calibur machine guns opened fire, on the Wiccans buildings, despite encountering NO opposition. This, while other, science-fiction looking vehicles crashed into various buildings, automatic weapons blazing at anything, which tried to move, or escape. Off, in the distance, some police got sick, and vomitted, at what they were seeing. Others stood, motionless, not knowing what to do. A half dozen officers, who stood guard over the bound, gagged, and watching, clergy, who, also, watched the nightmare play out. In an ice cold voice, the chief of police would ask "Are we recording this?", to which no less than four camera people said "Yes". The police chief, his face, seemingly, carved of stone, said "Remember, I want CLOSE-UPS. We cannot get convictions, if a judge does not see FACES". On the Wiccan campus, the Hunters howled, in laughter, as women, and children, were dragged into the open, under the glare of ultra-bright, halogen, headlights. The Hunters were so radically religious that they maintained that the reason why the "witches" turned away from the lights was because the headlights were embossed with crosses. (The Hunters ignored the fact that, looking directly into halogen lights causes headaches, and eye damage.) When the Wiccan elders stepped forward, telling the Hunters "You will leave, now. You are NOT welcome, here". The Hunters bound the elders, in metal wires, then dragged the elders to where the police had only HOPED the Hunters were building celebration fires. At the police observation point, one officer asked his pastor "If we condone this, HOW are we different from "evil", itself?" His bound, and gagged, pastor just shrugged. When the ditch observer reported "The Hunters have tied the Wiccans to posts, and are piling up wood, over the Wiccans feet. Wood which they appear to be dousing, in what smells to me like gasoline." The observer was surprised when they received no response. Inside the Wiccan campus, grinning Hunters held weapons, on the Wiccans, while the Hunters leader said some sort of prayers, about "banishing Satans followers". When the lights came back on, inside the Wiccans buildings, atleast one Hunter would call out "Satan has come to their aid". (To the Wiccan men, who had survived the initial assault, on the property, several just rolled their eyes, as they looked at one another, with a look of "Hasn't this moron heard of back-up generators?") It was not until the "prayers" were finished, and the massive torches, of the Hunters, were lit, to be carried over to light up the bound Wiccans, by Hunters, dressed in robes, and carrying large crosses, as a lead Hunter said "Let Gods justice be done". This is when, from out of the darkness, came an amplified voice, saying "Stop, right, there". When the Hunters turned to the darkness, and, foolishly, said "Satan? Show thyself", the chiefs voice said "I guess that means us", and a "sea" of red and blue lights came to life, as the chief said "Just to make it official, you are, all, under arrest". When the Hunter leader called out "We are Gods soldiers. We do not answer, to YOUR laws", three laser sites appearred on the Hunters chest, and the chief asked "What was that, again?" One machine gunner made the mistake of trying to put off a round, of ammo, towards the police. Thankfully, his fanaticism was much better than his shooting. He managed to get off just nine, rapid-fire shots, before three sharp-shooters made sure he would, never, fire a gun, again. When one, torch, wielding, fanatic, responded to the chiefs order, to "drop weapons", by throwing his torch at a bound Wiccan, the torch had just struck, and ignited the fuel-soaked wood, when four officers came forward, with fire extinguishers. The Hunter screamed "servants of Satan", as police muscled him, to the ground, then dragged him away. Soon after this, the lights, inside the Wiccan buildings, flickered, again, and returned to original brightness. (It seems that electricians had been part, of the police raiding party, as well.) When the elders asked how long statements would take, as students needed rest, the police chief said "No need. We have everything on recording. Sorry we had to wait so long, to come in. I wanted to be sure we had plenty of evidence." The elder said "Ofcourse, knowledge is true power". The police gathered up the Hunters, except for a few more, two of whom had to be shot, for using Wiccans as "human shields", and one, who had to be shot, repeatedly, while determined to "sacrifice" a child. The next morning, the students were allowed to sleep late, while the adults continued the clean up. The only, local, tow truck had been busy, all night long, removing Hunters vehices from the Wiccan campus. Soon after sunrise, though, an odd thing happened. As the Wiccans continued to pile debris, for removal, before starting repairs, local families began to appear, at the campus, offering labor and supplies. By mid-day, clean up was, well underway, as neighbors helped one another clean up the damage, to the campus. Inside the classrooms, teachers reminded students that the Hunters did NOT represent the general public. The Hunters were just another sub-group, just as dark magick, the rich, and others, were. When a child asked "They said they served the Lord. Did they?", the teacher would say "Many, very bad, people, claim to be in Gods service." When the student asked "Then who do we serve?", the teacher said "Knowledge and Understanding. Wisdom is our master. We learn, teach, and understand. Remember that "good" and "evil" cannot exist without one another". With the extra help, of local persons, what had been projected to be a six-week clean-up program, became a ten day clean up program. Supplies, and labor, were donated, for the repairs, even as local ministers vacated posts, over the Wiccan "issue". Most of these vacated after police video left judges no choice except to convict Hunters, of everything from "Destruction of Private Property", to "Attempted Murder". Although the media made several contacts, to the Vatican, about the incident, the Vatican issued no response, nor did the Papacy answer any requests, to aid Hunters defense. As for the Hunters camp "support staff", these people turned out to be far more intelligent than the Hunters, themselves, were. As soon as the camp received word, that the raid had gone "sour", the support staff packed up, and left the area. When a non-religious, federal, judge issued a search warrant, for the Hunters camp, the amount, of weapons, ammunition, and so on, which were seized, by agents, was withheld, from the media. All the media was told was that it would take "several" (30) semi's, to pack the camp up. Since it would be decades, before anyone dared try to attack, again, the Wiccans would, slowly, expand their campus, until it rivaled the size of any university in the state. What disturbed educators, though, was how the Wiccans did not follow the philosophy of "No Child Left Behind", or "Race to the Top". Instead, the Wiccans simply would not let any student practice magick, until the student had proven that they had basic skills. No student dared touch a book, of magic, until reading, writing, spelling, and math, skills were verified, to the elders satisfaction. "Boatloads", of book reports, on regular books, were required, before magick was allowed to be practiced. Eventually, the Wiccans even bought a plot of land, for their honored dead. Instead of burial, though, a large, and exandable, crypt was built. A place which would be filled with clear cases. What the community found odd was how the covens never erected statues, even of the campuses founders. With the passage, of the following years, religious-based attacks would, slowly die out, as the world accepted the Wiccans, and the world gained more knowledge. As Wicca spread throughout the "new world", the Hunters, and their sponsors, returned to the "old world", of Europe, where they blended into the masses, as best they could.

Truth About Sprinfield Housing Authority

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPRINGFIELD HOUSING AUTHORITY In a bold move, to consolidate even more power, over its population, the Springfield (Illinois) Housing Authority would make a bold move, which few, before this, would have considered making. In March, 2011, when a tenant was facing an upcoming court date, over a question, of rent payment, the Accounts Receivable Clerk, of S.H.A. would choose, of their own, free, will, to turn away an April 2011 rent payment, made via money order. The Accounts Receivable clerk would rationalize this action by saying that, "In my personal belief, the tenant was due to be evicted, in the upcoming court case". As a result, the Accounts Receivable clerk chose NOT to POST a rent payment, to Accounts Receivable. Six months later, when the tenant was facing another court date, for "refusal to pay rent", a Sangamon County judge would review the evidence, of the case, including money order receipts, then announce: "I dont care how many receipts the defendant has. I refuse to rule against management". In the two-plus years, since the tenants eviction, what S.H.A. has never even tried to explain is the reason why the Accounts Receivable clerk halted/stopped al collections actions, against the evicted tenant, for monies allegedly due the agency, after just two collections attempts. One out-of-state collections attempt One local, collections, attempt What was even more suspicious, about this case, is how no one, in positions of authority, wants to get involved, with this issue, especially once the authorities realize that the former tenant retains proof of attempted payment (money order receipts). This includes federal, state, and local branches of government. Once the existance, of receipts, is proven, no one wants to come near the case. What makes one wonder, about this case, is why Springfield Housing Authority has not pursued collections, as is their right, under law. WHY did the Accounts Receivable clerk stop all collections actions, after just two attempts? WHY wasn't the former tenant been pursued, for the alleged debt? WHY does the agency just let this "debt" lie, dormant? If the tenant was so "terrible", then WHY did management allow the tenant to maintain a unit on agency property, for over ten years? Especially when most "trouble" tenants are lucky to stay, on a property, for three, to six months. What is the truth about the agencies newest policy, which the Accounts Receivable clerk states is the following: "Delivery, of rent payments, in any form, do NOT matter. All that matters is whether or not I CHOOSE to POST the payments, to Accounts Receivable. If I choose NOT to POST a payment, then the tenant goes into late rent status, regardless of when original payment was delivered" The agency also, now, uses this new "guideline", to place tenants onto the BARRED list, as a result of management declining to POST rent payments. If S.H.A. chooses not to POST a persons rent payment, then the person is legally prohibited from approaching agency property. Truth? Depends upon ones point of view, doesn't it?