Mountain Witches

Great Aunt Eliza used to pass along lots of mountain "witch stories" to the children. My mother in law remembers one short tale of the witch who was visited by a local girl who wanted to have a "fortune tellin." The witch told the girl that she would find her fortune, but that she must not pick up anything from the woods during her journey home. Along the way home, the girl passed up blackberries, pretty flowers, and all sorts of forest treasures. As she neared the edge of the woods, she saw a beautiful white broach on the path. She felt that it should be okay to pick this up and pin it on her dress since it probably didn't belong in the witch's woods to begin with. She proudly wore the broach all the way home. When she entered her house, she ran to show her mother her treasure. As her mother approached, the broach melted and turned into bird droppings ruining her nice dress and earning the girl a switching.

The moral of the story?

Don't go a witchin, for you might get a switchin.