I want to tell you about a time when I was out hiking in Yorkshire. Now, if you know me from

listening to me on the Renaissance English History podcast, you know that I love hiking along the coast

near Scarborough and Whitby, but on this occasion, I was actually headed up past Harrogate

to a little village called Nairnsborough. It was a cold day. It already seemed really wintry,

considering it was only October. I left the station and I walked down to the 14th century castle

where I poked around in the ruins for nearly an hour. I didn't notice that the sky was starting to

turn an ominous shade of gray. Even more gray than Yorkshire in October

usually is, which is saying something. I headed back up towards the town and crossed the

river Nid when the sky opened up and started pouring. I ran across the bridge looking for shelter

and I couldn't find anything and that is when I saw a light in the cave.

It was surrounded by trees and forest and the cave itself was very dark, but that light shone

almost supernaturally. I had to go and check it out. Anyway, it was still pouring. I was soaking

wet and I figured that it would provide shelter if nothing else. So I stepped inside the empty cave, and I looked for the light, which was still shining from the back.

I wasn't the least bit afraid, though, and looking back on it, I suppose I should have been.

I just felt this serene sense of calm and peace, like I was being led.

As I walked back towards the light, which by now was clearly a fire with flames dancing,

I could make out the silhouette of an old woman leaning over a kettle. Every part of her looked

like the traditional picture of witches that I had seen in storybooks growing up. She had a crooked

back, a crooked nose, warts, all of it. My brain wanted to run, but my feet were firmly planted on the

ground. The woman looked up and made eye contact with me, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

Hello there, Heather, she said. What? How did she know my name? I looked around thinking for a

moment that there might be another Heather in the cave, but there was just me.

...