The tarot reader is only a few blocks down. The cheesiness of her storefront makes me second guess coming here. A neon crystal ball flickers in the window. I open the door and I’m hit in the face with the scent of incense. She has floral tapestry hanging from literally everywhere. It’s so dark in here I’m surprised she can even see her cards.

“Hello?” No answer. What am I doing? I turn to leave but hear the faint sound of a woman talking from a distance. Miss Clara is walking a client out of her back room.

“Thank you so much.” A young woman sniffles while wiping away tears.

“You are very welcome, love and light.” The client leaves and Miss Clara stops when she sees me. The old woman wears a pair of small rectangular purple sunglasses. They match her black-and-lilac colored robe, which flows freely around her frail ancient body. Her white fluffy hair gives her a frazzled appearance that doesn’t match her sudden robotic tone.

“Izzy, I’m so happy you came to see me. That crystal looks great on you.”

“Yeah, well it doesn’t work. You should give my friend her money back,” I snap.

“Well, I think you know it isn’t instant magic. You must believe in things for them to work.”

I had a really hard day so far and I’m not in the mood to play her games.

“Oh my god! Will you stop? What is with you? Why did you tell my friend I’m a witch?” I get made fun of enough by kids my own age and don’t need some crazy old lady spreading rumors about me.

“Well, aren’t you?” she asks.

Let’s talk about ghosts! People have been reporting ghostly sightings since the first century. (I’m sure even before, but written documentation starts as early as the first century.)

Usually, these spirits, ghosts, or poltergeist have some sort of unfinished business to complete in our mortal world before they can move on, or rest in peace. That is exactly the case in Izzy Hoffman Is Not a Witch.

The ghost of Alice Young appears as a gruesome shadow, flashing a sinister smile whenever she gets the chance. She could be quite confusing at times, sometimes feeling like a peaceful energy but appearing as a hag. I believe any three-hundred-year-old spirit would be scary to encounter, relative or not. She isn’t anyone to mess with if you are on her bad side, because like poltergeist, she is strong enough to touch our world. Poltergeists are known to have the ability to move objects.

Some ghosts are said to be a “residual haunting” where their energy is just an imprint. Meaning they are unaware of their surroundings. Others are “Intelligent hauntings” where a ghost interacts with their environment.

It was important for Alice Young (Bony Witch) to be an intelligent haunting almost bordering a poltergeist like energy. She really wanted to get a message across to her family and the world that the women of the witch trials were victims. They were mothers, sisters, and daughters who were wrongfully murdered because of their independence and intelligence. Their free spirits and ability to think outside the box was threatening to men, and one man in particular, who would stop at nothing to keep sucking the magic from these women. Alice wanted to change the narrative and teach her ancestors to be strong and stand up for their power at all costs.

I think through a few hauntings and seances, she was successful at finding peace.