“The Coven of the Antelabbit” — FWG Flash Fiction for 10/18/2025
Some folks will just believe anything. BTW, I figured I'd add a few words to my vocabulary this week.
The prompt is:
THE COVEN OF THE ANTELABBIT
When the woman wearing a black robe with its hood up and pulled forward to hide her face stepped out of the forest into the clearing, Jenny couldn’t help snickering. That earned her a poke in the ribs from Ron’s elbow.
“You said you’d behave,” he hissed. “This is important.”
“To you, maybe,” Jenny hissed back.
The black-clad woman at least pretended not to hear their tête-à-tête. She knelt among the candles and pumpkins that were set precariously on the moss, leaves, and twigs that covered the forest floor.
“Hope she doesn’t burn the place down,” Jenny mumbled, then dodged another elbow jab.
“On this, the first full moon following Beltain,” the woman intoned, “we gather to test these new initiates into our ancient coven.”
She raised her head to face Ron and Jenny, although her face was still shrouded in shadows.
“These rites have been handed down through the generations, and the knowledge they contain must be held secret against the outside world. Do you swear to never bear witness of tonight’s events?”
“I do,” Ron solemnly responded.
“Ah, sure,” Jenny said, then added sotto voce, “No one would believe me, anyway.”
Ignoring Jenny’s snidery, the witchy woman turned away from the meager candles and opened the large satchel slung over her shoulder. She slowly drew a tall object from it as Jenny strained to see what she was holding.
“Once you gaze upon the impresa of our coven, you will be bound to us as sisters to brothers.”
Brothers and sisters? I guess Ron won’t be getting anymore from me then, Jenny thought.
The witch turned back into the candlelight holding the skull of a small animal with antlers that projected high into the air.
“Behold the embodiment of—”
“Oh, my God,” Jenny cried. “Jackalopes are real!”
THE END
The contrast between Jenny’s skepticism and the seriousness of the ritual gives the story a fun tension, especially because the strange details gradually become more believable rather than simply frightening. The use of unfamiliar terms such as “Beltain,” “tête-à-tête,” and “impresa” also fits the idea of a secret tradition while giving the short piece a slightly theatrical feel. The final revelation works because Jenny spends most of the scene treating the ceremony as ridiculous, only to discover that one part of the folklore is actually real. That kind of reversal is also a useful reminder that storytelling can make unfamiliar ideas easier to engage with when they are introduced through character reactions rather than lengthy explanations. In educational settings, the…
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