The Bean Shith

A story about a girl getting everything she wanted.

They called her the Bean Shith. The witch of the north.

Whenever she was seen it was always in a gown of green. But before she could be approached she would disappear back into the forest.

Her name was Mairi McGayther, the youngest of 4 daughters. Born too early no one thought she would survive, but she came into this world small, healthy and without a cry. Mairi grew up on the shores of the river Carron. It was in this river the McGayther woman washed the laundry of the towns folk.

Without a father the McGayther women were left to fend for themselves in the woods outside the town. But they were not helpless, the mother was determind to give them strength and power in a world that was less than forgiving. With braids of sage and lavender, oils and ointments, whispered prayers and rhythmic chants the daughters were taught. But none excelled at their studies as well as Mairi did.

By the age of 12 her mother had taught Mairi all she knew. So Mairi began to teach herself. Late at night, guided by the moon Mairi would creep from the small house that she shared with her mother and sisters. It was this that saved her life.

It wasn't because of the power the McGayther women held that brought their down fall, but their beauty. The wicked will always try to prey on those that they see as weak and that is what happened that very night.

Mairi had travelled farther than usual to find a clearing in the woods under the full moon. By the time she knew something was wrong it was too late.

She rushed through the thick under brush and brambles, trying to get home as quickly as she could. The branches tore at her face and hair, the stone cut and tore her bare feet. The dim orange flicker told her how bad things had gotten before she broke through the line of the trees.

The first thing Mairi thought was, blood, there was so much blood. Looking around what had been her home the carnage seemed unreal. All she saw were the bodies of a few of the towns men. Then as her eyes traveled towards her home that was now blazing she could make out a blood coated figure sprawled in the doorway. The air caught in Mairi's throat. Slowly the figure raised it's head to look at her with a crimson smeared face.

"Mother!" Mairi rushed across the small yard to the house. She fell to her knees and tried her best to pull her mother into her lap. It was beyond hope and Mairi knew this so she held her mother close. It was during this time her mother told were of how a group of towns men had raided the house. Thinking the women helpless their intent was dark. But when they realized their prey was not helpless the desire turned to fear and outrage.

All 3 daughters were killed outright while trying to keep the house from being set ablaze. But when Mairi's mother had lashed out with her own power the remaining men had fled, but not before one had turned pulling a pistol from his coat. He aimed and pulled the trigger.

"Who? Who were the ones that got away?" Mairi's bitter tears fell onto her mother's face.

With her last breath Mairi's mother named the men who had gotten away. And in that last breath she damned them all.

They called her the Bean Shith. The witch of the north. It took her 6 years to come back, but she did.

They say when you heard her crying it was already too late.

So in the darkness she came, one by one. Extracting her revenge. Finally the last man was left, hiding alone in his house, cloaked in his fear, his trembling hand wrapped around the same pistol he had used against her mother. The wind was howling fiercely. rattling the window panes. Still through it all he could hear her cries as she came for him.

No one knows what happened that night. The report of the shot was heard clearly through out the town. But in the light of day when they felt safe enough to investigate neither the Laird of the land nor the Bean Shith were to be found.

Still at night you can see Mairi wandering her way through the trees near the Carron river in her dress of green. Weaping for those she lost.