No one talked about it in our village. The preacher sure didn't bring it up in his sermons. But everyone knew it had been sixty-six years since the last offering. Another would need to be made this spring if we were to have a good harvest.

And if none of the young men volunteered, our fields would be cursed. Crops would wither on the vine and rot in the soil.

I'd turned nineteen that February. Unlike my older brothers, I was of little help on our farm. The year prior, I'd been thrown by a skittish horse, and my broken leg never did heal properly. Pain dogged me with every step. I felt all but useless to my family.

I understood the risk. Though the last offering had occurred over half a century before, stories got passed down from generation to generation. My great-grandmother told us her neighbor had been the one to venture into the woods that night. She swore he'd never been seen again. Yet my grandfather claimed the man had returned to the village. He was just different from when he'd left.

I told only my brother Jed that I planned to see the wood witch. Jed didn't want to take me to her hovel just beyond the village boundaries, for he knew the purpose of my visit. Everyone was aware that the witch would be the one to arrange the offering.

I finally convinced him, saying if someone didn't go, we'd all suffer. He helped me onto his horse, and we rode out of the village before first light.

It seemed the witch was waiting for us to arrive. A lamp glowed in her window. 

Jed wouldn't go near the place, so I limped to the door and knocked. The elderly woman greeted me with a smile.

"Silas," she said. "I figured you'd come."

I wasn't sure how she knew my name. My mother never had reason to seek out the witch's help. Ma once believed our family was blessed with good health, but I doubted she felt the same way since I'd been injured.

I stepped into the single room that made up the witch's abode. She wore a plain calico dress, and her silver hair was pulled back into a neat bun. I glanced around, expecting to see a cauldron somewhere, but while the dwelling was dilapidated, it seemed perfectly ordinary.

"I'll be the offering this time." My voice threatened to give out before I finished saying those words.

The witch lifted an eyebrow. "You sure? Did anyone explain what's required of you?"

"Uh..." I wished I could sit down. My bad leg had begun to ache something fierce. "Not really. I only know I need to go into the woods on the first night of May. I'm supposed to wait there... for her."

"You may as well acknowledge who she is, boy." The old woman must have sensed me struggling, yet she didn't invite me to sit in a nearby chair. Instead, she peered up into my face. "You'll be meeting the daughter of Old Scratch himself. In those woods, you'll lie with a creature the devil sired."

My lips trembled so hard that it was difficult for me to speak. I finally managed to say, "I know that. I'm willing."

The witch smiled again. "Well, it ain't as simple as that. Not just any man will do. You have to be equipped to satisfy her."

"I... I believe I am." Despite the chilly air seeping into the hovel walls, my face flushed hot. "I mean, I ain't ever measured it."

"I'll be the judge." The witch stepped back, eyeing me critically. "Drop your pants."

I knew better than to argue. My hands shook until the simple task became an ordeal. When I finally completed it, the woman leaned forward to inspect my member. 

Straightening back up, she said, "I need to know how big it gets when you're stiff. Go on and show me."

I tried to obey her order, I really did. But my body refused to cooperate no matter how much I stroked. I caught a whiff of my sour sweat; nervousness made my prick as lame as my leg.

The witch let out an impatient huff, then grabbed my free hand. My eyes widened as she placed my palm against her breast.

"Get a feel of it," she said.

I'd never before touched a woman in such a manner. Part of me wanted to yank my hand away.

But another part was content to squeeze and knead that mound of flesh. A groan wrenched free of my throat while my hand moved faster at my prick.

Even after I was fully hard, the witch didn't tell me to stop my fondling. Studying my length, she nodded.

"I'm certain she'll be pleased," the old woman said. "You'll make a fine offering, Silas."

*****

Word quickly spread around the village. Neighbor women regarded me with both gratitude and pity. Because of my sacrifice, their men would be spared.

Ma cried for days, but neither she nor Pa tried to dissuade me. If I wasn't to be the offering, some other son would be required to fill that role.

On the first evening of May, I said goodbye to my parents and other kinfolk. I promised I'd return. Then Jed again helped me onto his horse. We left our village and journeyed to a forest beyond the wood witch's dwelling. She'd given me directions to the site where I was to wait.

We had only lantern light to guide us at first. But then we reached a clearing, and in the center of it was a roaring fire. I had no idea who had started it. Either elders from the village or the wood witch herself.

I could tell Jed didn't want to leave me there. Ma had given me one of her handmade quilts, with a red and pink wedding ring pattern. It reminded me of a Valentine. I now held it close while forcing a smile for Jed's benefit.

"I'll be alright," I told him. "Come back to fetch me tomorrow at dawn."

My brother hugged me so fiercely that my ribs ached. Without a word, and without looking back, he departed.

Once I was alone, I set about following the wood witch's instructions. She'd told me I must strip naked by the fire. I was grateful for its warmth as I removed my clothes. From my pants pocket, I withdrew a dark strip of fabric. 

"Blindfold yourself," the witch had said. "You'll go mad if you see her."

I soon lay near the fire, wrapped in Ma's quilt. It smelled of home. Minutes accumulated into an hour, and then another. Though I shivered until my teeth threatened to chatter, I didn't dare move. Several times, I lifted a hand to check the blindfold. I was terrified the cloth might slip.

A chill seeped through the quilt and beneath my skin, right into the marrow of my bones. I had no idea how much time had passed when I heard the rustle of dried leaves. Someone was approaching the clearing. 

I held my breath until my lungs burned. I counted a full second between each footstep.

Her tread was quieter once she entered the cleared area. I now panted in fear.

I sensed more than heard her presence to my left. I jolted as something sharp raked along my cheek. Was it the tip of a knife?

Or was it a claw?

She didn't cut me; I felt no pain, only the possibility of it.

She drew back the quilt until my naked body was exposed. Beneath the blindfold, my eyelids were squeezed shut. I began to mouth a silent prayer.

Those holy words fled my mind when the creature grasped my prick. Her skin wasn't that of a human's. Its texture was rough.

Scaly, I thought before I could stop myself. Panic rose like bile in my throat. I had to fight back a scream.

Her breathing sounded thick and moist. Almost consumptive. The noisy rattle grew muffled as I felt a wet warmth all around my member.

My God, she was taking it in her mouth!

A layer of sweat formed on my skin. While I remained terrified, I was also grateful that the creature remained gentle. If she had any teeth, I didn't feel them.

As my fear ebbed, my body responded to her efforts. I groaned with pleasure, for she eagerly sucked my entire length.

My hips gave an involuntary thrust. Right afterward, I froze, afraid I'd angered her. But she didn't pull away or even slow down. By the time she allowed me to escape her mouth, I was achingly hard.

She wouldn't hurt me, I told myself. Not after treating me so tenderly.

I didn't resist when the creature straddled me. Her body was cool upon mine. Now, I easily discerned her scaled skin. Breathing in, I caught her scent. It made me think of damp earth.

She fumbled with my prick. Though I'd never lain with a woman, I understood what she meant to do.

Once I wrapped my fingers around the base of my hard member, she had an easier time. I felt something warmer and much tighter than her mouth lowering onto me.

I gritted my teeth, trying not to cry out. It was shameful, I knew, but I enjoyed the start of our coupling. I wanted more.

The creature settled all the way down, then remained there for a long moment without moving. I twitched inside her.

And when she began to slide up and down the length of me, I made no attempt to hold back my moans. However rough her outer skin felt to the touch, the inside of her was soft and slick!

She grunted as I bucked my hips to give her every inch. I was soon pumping away. My prayers had turned to filthy curses. I'd never spoken such words aloud!

I lasted no more than a minute, possibly less. As my muscles tightened and I strained to thrust deep into my lover, her body squeezed me until my seed shot forth. Even after I was spent, I felt her flesh milking me dry.

I hadn't yet caught my breath when she lifted herself off of me. I flinched to feel her grazing my thigh. She pressed on the spot that still afflicted me so, and I couldn't help but whimper.

Then she rose and retreated into the woods. I listened until I could no longer hear the leaf litter crackling beneath her feet.

After waiting a few more minutes, I lifted my hands and removed the blindfold. Immediately, I looked all around for any sign of her, but I was again alone.

And when I climbed to my feet, I discovered my leg no longer ailed me. I could put all my weight upon it now. It was as if the bone had never been broken.

I quickly dressed. With Ma's quilt wrapped around me, I sat beside the fire. I held no fear of the night pressing in on all sides. In the distance, I heard a screech owl. I figured it was calling to its mate.

When Jed arrived in the morning, the fire had died down to ash. My brother searched my face; he asked me many questions. I merely shook my head, refusing to answer.

Yet I easily mounted his horse without any help, and that seemed to give him all the answer he needed.

*****

The following spring, I was up before dawn to milk the cow. Carrying a lantern, I made my way to our barn. The pain I used to feel with each step was now only a memory.

While the air was still cold, the season's last frost was behind us. The village had one of its best harvests the previous year, and I felt confident we'd have another.

In the barn, I sat down to milk Bertha. I could feel the cow's warmth as she stood patiently, waiting for me to complete my task.

Before I finished, I heard a strange sound from the woods beyond our field. At first, I believed it was an unfamiliar bird making its spring journey.

When I heard it again, I rose and stepped outside the barn. Standing there, I glimpsed a deeper shadow between the trees.

The cry traveled to me, sounding more like a caterwaul than the wail of a human infant. 

It was then that I realized my past lover had sought me out. She'd waited in the dark for me to appear that morning.

And though I'd committed a grave sin by lying with her, I now smiled in the hopes that she would see.

I knew I'd given the devil's daughter a child of her own.