The Witching Sort

This was my neighborhood; me and my family lived there.  On one particular day our family had many people mingling at the house.  We had company come over a fair amount and the neighbors had people over often.

In our house we had a painting canvas that we kept up to the side and we used it for doodling.  At one point several of my family and I was sitting in our living room and noticed that the painting canvas was losing the picture that was on it.  We could not fathom why.  I finally noticed that the picture was vanishing a stroke at a time as if someone were washing it away in long, steady swashes.  I knew then that it was the neighbor's fault.  When they cleaned their fireplace grate it erased our painting.  I decided it was time I talked to them about it.

I went over to the neighbors and talked to them about the fact that we had a problem with their witchcraft. I told them that I could prove my accusations if necessary.  I told them that I could have them clean a little bit of their fireplace and then have them over to my house and show them the painting canvas.  That would certainly prove the point I thought.  I told them in agreeable but stern fashion that we did not want to start a feud, but wow, you did mess with my paint canvas and that was unacceptable.

I told them that we had three witches in our house and that two of them were very strong. I believed myself to be one of the stronger ones.  One of their people made an accusation that the were sure that I had told them that I had not done the painting and I said yes that I did and I was coming clean with them in the spirit of compromise and cooperation.

I remembered then another time that the neighbors came over to our house dressed up as if coming to a formal occasion or having come from church.  It was unusual and I wondered what they had come over for.  I can only hazard a guess that maybe it was the painting canvas which was now blank because they had erased it.