The Weekly Word Publications

--------------𖤝

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔚𝔢𝔢𝔨𝔩𝔶 𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔡

𖤝--------------

𝔈𝔡𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 #001
»»————-　𖤝　————-««

TRANSFIGURATION: THE MUGGLE WAY

-------------------------------------

---

𝕿ransfiguration, considered by many as the hardest discipline in the Wizarding World schooling, is one of the few subjects with a Muggle counterpart, which is pretty much similar in many ways, except for the wandwork. Shocking? Well, let me tell you, as a Metamorphmagus, I found both Transfiguration and Science easy, at least when I was in Muggle school. There are way more similarities than most care to admit and I’m here to expose the better part of them to you.

FIRSTLY, as everyone knows, Transfiguration requires precision with wandwork. Muggles don’t have wands, but they certainly need precision to excel in science! You need to use the instruments precisely or the result will not turn out to be accurate, as is the case in Transfiguration. SECONDLY, Transfiguration has different branches: Conjuration, Vanishment, Transformation and Untransfiguration. All are of the same discipline but give an entirely different procedure and result. The same is the case with science. It is divided into three branches, Physics (basically, the study of why things move, or happen with matter), Chemistry (study of atoms, and how and why they behave that way) and Biology (the study of living things). Each of them are science, true, but are different in the way their experiments are performed. THIRDLY, Transfiguration comes with a set of laws and recognises the fundamental unit of an atom. Though mainly applicable to physics, it comes with its rules too, only a bit different from the wizarding ones. The atom concept is same in both, though, and it has to be understood that it can’t be changed through physical means, only by wandwork or by using a particle accelerator (Muggle breakthrough invention), or even through chemical reactions.

---

LASTLY, Transfiguration is difficult, I think everyone can agree on that. Maybe easier for me, but still harder than most. Science is also widely said in the Muggle world that it is so very difficult and I think my Muggle-born friends can relate. FINALLY, the Wizarding World and Muggles one aren’t so very different in many ways. Some people might say Muggles are like animals, but I strongly disagree. Muggles progress in the world too, and if they can develop the particle accelerator, the oven, robots (Muggle machines that do a human’s job), why should them and their subject be considered inferior? So long, till my next article! ℭℜ𝔈𝔇ℑ𝔗𝔖 WRITER: Anna Wang----- EDITOR: Brookline Quinn CODER: Denise Yarbrough EIC: Avery Gray

--------------♡

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔚𝔢𝔢𝔨𝔩𝔶 𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔡

--------------♡

Edition #002

>>---------- ♡ ----------<<

MAGICAL MENAGERIE: OWLING THE WAY

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Owls. In the muggle and wizarding world, they are used different ways. In the wizarding world, owls are used to send out our mail. Sending a letter to a parent, a sibling you haven't seen in a while, or your best friend who doesn't go to the same school as you. In the muggle world, they aren't used at all! Some breeds of owls are actually considered endangered.

So, while we are sending off all of our love letters to our special someone, you don't know how far it is for an owl. An average owl could fly about 30-40 miles per day uninterrupted. Now what its further than that? What if our guy or girl is 200 miles away? Well our owls here need some rest. Unless you want it to start raining owls. So, what do we do then? Especially if the letter we just sent out is super important?

Well let’s go to the muggle’s techniques for mailing things. Muggles use a system called the postal service. Instead of owling a letter, they send out a mailman to go deliver letters! Across thousands of miles, the postal service ships and flies, (using a muggle machine called a plane) to deliver these letters! So, someone would say that perhaps instead of using owls to deliver mail, to use the muggles way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand, owls might be more reliable and trustworthy. After all, you don’t know who your trusting your mail to. They could be for all you know a mail stealing criminal that’s wanted across three different countries. Also, not only will you have an owl as your trusty mail service, they make terrific pets and companionship! Creating a special bond with them makes the even more reliable. So, you choose, should us wizards continue to use owls to deliver mail or should we do it the muggle way? Owling the way or ‘Muggling’ the way, it’s up to you.

Credits: Writer: Bree Grey Editor: Julia Evans Coder: Avery Gray EIC: Vladislav Gunther -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

Ask any witch or wizard to name a sport, and you’ll probably get answer Quidditch. It’s good, but there are other sports out there. For example, Broom Racing.

Broom Racing is where teams try to beat opponents to a finishing line, dodging obstacles, and casting spells, testing both their flying and magical capabilities.

This game doesn’t have as many fans as Quidditch, but there is still a World Cup every four years, and Wadha League One, the most dangerous competition ever!

You don’t have to join a team to get the excitement. Go, watch a match, and if it does tempt you go for it, no matter your age! We have interviewed a broom racer from each of the house teams. Let’s see what they have to say!

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

Pyce Rotanski - 1st year Gryffindor How long have you been on the team? I've been on the team since late-ish October! I joined just before the fall race! What is the best memory you have made so far? I haven't made many memories yet, but there is something about the first time I raced. I wasn't the fastest, but I was still high up there, feeling the wind. I got bit by a Swooping evil. But, I had never seen one before! Do you have any broom-racing related plans for the future? I don't actually know. I've barely been in one race. I suppose my current plans are just to practice and get better! I want to be able to truly be a part of this team. I'm the only first year among us, so I definitely have a lot to work towards Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring racers? My advice would be... It's not nearly as scary as you think it is. You're high up there on a fast broom, but you've got your team! They'll have your back. You should also have confidence in yourself. Then, you can have your team’s back too!

Ellie Randensmith - 2nd year Hufflepuff How long have you been on Hufflepuff’s team? I have only been on the house team since around September, pretty much just for this season. What is your best memory from it so far? Let's see, my best memory of the sport. Well, out of the two games, getting second place on my first game has to be my best memory since it was my first game I guess and that was pretty exciting! Do you have any plans about sport for the future? As for plans in broom racing in the future, I really want to stay on the team for my years at Hogwarts since I really enjoy it. But I think it might be a possible job opportunity for sure. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join the team? For anyone wishing to join the team, I would say put in your best effort, it's a fun sport but you definitely have to put in work for it.

Kaitlyn Connor – 3rd year, Slytherin Hello Kaitlyn. The first question is, how long have you been on your house team? Since the end of my second year, so just a mere few months. What is your best memory from the races so far? As I don't have too much to go off of, it would have to be my contributions in my first race. I know I was far behind, but I was proud of how I performed. What are your plans, if you have any, concerning Broom Racing for the future? Train. I need to do better overall. I think my flying is pretty solid. So, yes, train... and maybe learn a few of those fancy flying maneuvers! What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join Broom-racing? Don't be afraid to try new things. While it is easy to get caught up in how well you're flying, this is also a team sport. Help out your team to win!

Beatrice Forsyth - 5th year Ravenclaw co-captain Hello Beatrice. How long have you been on the Ravenclaw team? I've only been on my house team for a short while! Since the start of the school year, which ironically is when I became captain. They must have seen something in me then! What is your best memory from racing? Since I've only had one race, I can't say much. But the last race I moderated had a person going backwards! Which was an exciting shock for me! What are your plans concerning the sport for the future? Hopefully to continue racing with my team, and working with the captains to better the sport. We have some fun things planned! What advice would you give to any first years wanting to join? I'd say, just join! Even if you're scared. I remember my first year, and it was nerve wracking to join all of these other, older people. But it turned out great! I've made some amazing friends by joining sports!

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

✿

Credits

Writer: Mirada Johnson
Editor: Julia Evans
Coder: Denise Yarbrough
EIC: Avery Gray

HOW DOES WIZARD NEWS ━━━━━━━━━━━━

━━━━━━━━━━ DIFFER FROM MUGGLE NEWS

_{- weekly word edition #004 -}

The Daily Prophet, The Daily Mail, The Hogwarts Headliner, The Guardian, The Weekly Words Newspaper. These newspapers all report on news however, they are two sides of the coin. Half in the wizarding world and the other half in the muggle world. This interested me as in Hogwarts there is a mix of half-bloods, Muggleborns, wizardborns, purebloods and half-breeds and which newspapers did they grow up reading. Was it the one with the moving pictures and bold headlines about magical events or was it the one about that same old train strike up in London for the 5th week in a row?

For Muggles, their typical newspaper consists of a large box title, an image to catch the eye of the reader and lots of small print to read later. They had that weird texture of too thin paper that easily got wet and ruined in the rain. Some of the more luxury brands of Muggle newspaper had a glossy sheen over their paper so it didn't get as wet when it rained. The Muggle newspapers also seemed to have a smell of old books. A controversial smell for some. Some swear it’s one of the best smells while others believe it’s just a bad smell altogether.

i

i

For wizards or any other magical being who has access to the Daily Prophet, their newspaper is a bit more fun. They have moving pictures, bold font and more interesting stories. They don't focus on why trains might be delayed, they focus on the magical side like the new dragons born or the most recent quidditch match results.

As a half-blood, it was interesting to see which media I was influenced by. And I have to admit until Hogwarts, I'd never seen a picture move on a newspaper. I nearly dropped my paper! I asked around and I found out others had similar experiences.

I asked two questions:

1. In your household, did you only have wizard/muggle newspapers or did you have/know about wizard/muggle newspapers?
2. If you knew about other wizard/muggle newspapers, how often would you/your parents buy them?

The results were very mixed but really interesting!

Julia Evans is a wizardborn first year and she said:

"No, I didn't have any muggle newspapers around in my house. Only wizarding press, but my grandparents talked about muggle newspapers as they are half-bloods." [second question asked] "Nope, never even seen a muggle newspaper, but I've been told the pictures don't move. Crazy right?! My house does get daily delivery of The Daily Prophet by owl though..."

i

This is sort of expected, why would someone need to know all about the muggle world when they live in the wizard one?

Ari Gwild is a fifth year and his parents seemed to disagree about just reading their magical newspaper, as he said this:

i

"We have both! Wizard newspapers are a more prominent source of table talk than muggle papers, though. My parents are the type that prefers to be aware of anything that may be of importance in both worlds." [second question asked] "My mother frequently purchases and reads muggle newspapers due to her working in the Muggle Liaison Office at the Ministry. Dad reads them sometimes."

This is different as he is a pureblood but reads both magical and normal newspapers.

Despite these many different backgrounds, breeds, species and blood-type we all read a similar thing. Just from different media outputs like The Daily Prophet, The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Weekly Words Newspaper.

writer Emiline Hunter editor Brookline Quinn coder Lyanna Oak eic Vladislav Liam Gunther

--- ---

Valentine's Day is traumatic. You heard me correctly, there is little to no benefit to seeking out a woman or a guy just for them to turn around and play you for a fool or to use your deepest and darkest secrets as leverage to extort you! I should be glad that the holiday is over!

– Nessie-o-nomymous

--- ---

Dear Nessie-o-nomymous,

Let me be real with you, as a man who has been around the block a few too little times: Valentine's Day is a minefield. Even more so if you continue with your narcissistic and uninspiring outlook on life. It isn't a minefield because love is bad, but because people can be reckless with it. You are not crazy for feeling burned. You are not dramatic, nor are you too sensitive.

From what you wrote to me, I think that you are just someone who trusted the wrong person. That stings your heart and your soul in a way that no heart shaped candy can fix. However, here is what you did not see hiding on the other side of your cloudy and obscured view: your dating life isn't ruined, all that happened is, it got bruised. Look at it this way, bruises are not permanent, nor does it mean you are broken. All it means is that you survived the pain.

Being played does not make you a fool, Nessie-o-nomymous, it makes the other person a coward! Those who weaponize vulnerability, especially yours, aren't strong. They are terrified of something, perhaps of being seen, being known, or of being held to the same standard that they demand from others.

You are not naive. You did not get played for that. Something inside you scares people, and if it scares someone, they must find it safer for them to play you instead of committing.

Anyone who threatens to use your secrets against you is telling on themselves. They are admitting that they have nothing else to offer, no loyalty, backbone or character. They are a liability on you, and they are not someone you should have as a partner. You need to cut them loose right now. You need to forget about them like the cockroaches found in the basement.

Nessie, do not swear off love. I am asking you to avoid swearing off men and women and to not swear off Valentine's Day forever. I know you'll find love and this holiday will serve a special purpose to you when you find it. You need to spot the difference between someone who wants you and someone who wants access to you.

Next Valentine's Day? Walk into it like a man. Put on your big boy pants and toughen up. You can do this. Do not let pain ruin your life. Do not let those leeches destroy you mentally and physically.

So Nessie, one last thing before I sign off, you are not done. You are not defeated, and you are not unlovable. You are just in the chapter where love thickens, as crazy as that seems. Look, trust me, bro to bro, those are the chapters that make the ending worth reading.

– Tommy

--- ---

Ask Tommy: Got Something to Get Off Your Chest?

If Valentine’s Day isn’t the only thing giving you heartburn or if life has thrown you a curveball that you’re not sure how to swing at, Tommy’s inbox is open, whether it’s love, friendship, betrayal… god so many emotions, how does the world survive, bro just talk to me man to man. We’re all dudes here. Send your letter to Tommy’s Owl Post and get it answered in a future column. Your identity stays anonymous, your honesty doesn’t.

Send your owl to: Tommy’s Owls

Ask Jessica: A Softer Touch When You Need One

Not every problem needs a bro to bro breakdown. Sometimes you want insight with a gentler edge, a different perspective or a voice that sees the emotional angles that Tommy bulldozes past. That’s where Jessica comes in. If your heart’s tangled, your friendships are messy or you just need someone who reads between the lines, send your letter to Jessica’s Owls and she’ll take it from there.

Send your owl to: Jessica’s Owls

--- ---

Credits

Writer: Vladislav Liam Gunther

Editor: Avery Gray

Coder: Denise Yarbrough

EIC: Avery Gray

xISSUE NO. 006

xxxxxxxxxxxxxWIZARDING CAREERS!

XXXXXXXXX15/3/26.xx.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

xxx

This week in the non-magical world is “Careers week.” This means that in school, the children discuss the careers they want to go into when they graduate. To commemorate this, I have asked multiple Hogwarts students to complete a survey, to find out what the top 5 magical careers are. From the people that answered, all of them were in first to fourth year. 43% were half-bloods, and there were 29% of each Muggle-borns, and people from wizarding families. There were 3 Ravenclaws, 1 Slytherin, 1 Gryffindor, and 2 Hufflepuffs. Four people asked to be mentioned in this article – they are Emiline Hunter, Nick Jameson, Julia Evans, and Lotus Lively.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐒
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxx

𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫 An Auror is the magical version of a police officer. They are highly trained dark-wizard catchers, and they work for the Ministry of Magic. Three famous Aurors are Harry Potter, Alastor Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 Athletes in the wizarding world generally play Quidditch for regional or national teams. Two famous athletes are Ginny Weasley, Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and Viktor Krum, a Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team.

xxx

xxx

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 Teachers work at Magical Schools such as Hogwarts, Beauxbâtons or Durmstrang. They educate young witches and wizards in magical subjects. Some famous teachers are Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and Filius Flitwick.

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞–𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 A curse-breaker searches for ancient magical sites for treasure, and they remove any curses from them. A famous curse-breaker is Bill Weasley

xxx

xxx

𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 A Magizoologist studies magical creatures, learning how to protect them, and often write books about the creatures they study. A famous Magizoologist is Newt Scamander, who wrote the famous book “Fantastic Beasts, and Where to Find Them”.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Those are the top 5 careers in the Magical World! I hope you enjoyed the article, and that it has given you more ideas for your future jobs! Writer – Mirada Johnson Editor – Brookline Quinn Code – Julia Evans EIC – Vladislav Liam Gunther

xxx

Mother's Day, the day given to mothers all around the world. In Britain, mothers wake up to a nice cup of tea, scrambled eggs, and a few gifts. In France, schools help children create small poems, songs, or gifts. In the United States, families will often host brunches or dinners with cards and a few gifts. In Japan, they gift red carnations, which symbolize love and endurance, along with cooking traditional meals like omelets, giving thoughtful gifts and helping with chores to give mothers a day of rest, to have the day off.

This day is universal with every nation giving gifts, cards and some sort of food towards the maternal figure of the families. Mothers worldwide are woken up early despite telling their young children they need to stay in bed. Handcrafted cards are placed within their mother's hands and wrapped gifts are offered only to be carefully opened. Teen children may give their mothers a gift of a longer lie in, but they still come baring gifts, nonetheless.

This one day is spent celebrating and supporting mothers. It helps to connect and engage families worldwide. The mothers are showered in gifts, meals and a break from housework. The feeling of the celebration is warm and loving, to focus on demonstrating gratitude, spending quality time with, and making sure the mother feels valued and cared for.

Credits

Writer: Emiline Hunter

Editor: Vladislav Liam Gunther

Coder: Denise Yarbrough

EIC: Avery Gray

xISSUE NO. 008

xInternational Magical & Muggle Sports

X28/3/26.xx.

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

xxx

Sports. Whether magical or not, they bring people together. Today, I will be showing you a few of the most popular sports for wizards and Muggles alike around the world! At the end, there will also be a survey on which Muggle sports do magical folk like best. For the best results we will ask half-bloods and Muggle-borns only.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

▬▬▬▬▬

𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚

▬▬▬▬▬

xxx

𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐝𝐩𝐨𝐭 A variant of Quidditch, Quodpot is the most popular game in North America. It was invented in the 18th century by Abraham Peasegood. The Quod, which is the main ball in this game, is explosive. And the goal of the game is to get the Quod in the pot before it explodes.

𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 You might know everyday football, but have you heard of American football? It’s known as the most popular sport in America. It’s a sport that evolved from rugby. Teams score points by getting the ball in the other team’s endzone or kicking the ball in the other team’s goalpost.

xxx

xxx

𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 Football is the most popular sport in South America. Played by two teams, you score points by kicking the ball into the other team’s net.

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 ▬▬▬▬▬▬

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 Asia has some promising Quidditch teams like those of Japan.

xxx

xxx

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 Cricket is especially popular in South Asia. A game consisting of a batter and a bowler. You’re supposed to hit a ball with a bat as far as you can, while your opponents are supposed to get you out by getting a ‘wicket’.

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 ▬▬▬▬▬▬

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 Quidditch obviously! What did you expect? Duelling and broom races are also popular, but none quite as much as Quidditch. Gobstones, Wizard’s Chess and Exploding Snap are also popular games, though mostly for kids. (J.K. Rowling capitalizes games like Exploding Snap and Quidditch, so we should too! The same goes for Muggles, she treats them like a proper noun.)

xxx

xxx

𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 Though football is also the most popular sport in Europe, I thought we could show a more traditional sport, tennis. One of the oldest sports, it is a game composed of a racket, ball and net. You’re supposed to make the ball go to the other side of the net and your opponent hits it back at you. and (it’s just an unnecessary “and”, kinda like an run on sentence).The game goes on like that.

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 ▬▬▬▬▬▬

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 Guess it’s popular everywhere. 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 Also popular everywhere it seems.

xxx

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 ▬▬▬▬▬▬

xxx

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 It is still in full swing! Guess everybody has to love Quidditch. 𝐑𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐲 A sport related to American football, it’s a game in which the objective is to score points by - Grounding the ball in the opponents goal area, kicking a ball to the try line and other methods.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐘
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

What is the most popular muggle sport at Hogwarts?

23 people were asked on this survey and the most popular sport voted is…Drumroll please!...

𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐍 Some runner-ups are football, swimming and cycling! Writer – Natasha Blackwood Editor – Brookline Quinn Code – Julia Evans EIC – Vladislav Liam Gunther

xxx

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────

THE WEEKLY WORD

EDITION #009

--- ---

STORYTIME: THE BELL WITCH

This story is not for the faint of heart, but rather for those who left their bedwetting days back to when they were five.

The story begins in Adams Tennessee with the Bell family living peacefully on their farm. It was typically quiet and nothing was out of the ordinary, as it was the kind of place where the loudest sound at night was usually a cricket or John Bell's old rocking chair creaking on the noisy porch.

But one evening, John rocked in his rocking chair watching the cornfield sway. There was a strange creature that stepped out between the rows, not a deer or a dog, but something unnatural, something wrong. It was shaped like a dog but with a head way too small, shrunken like a rabbit. It's eyes glinted under the moonlight as it stared at John and he blinked, a little startled. Shortly thereafter, he bolted back into the corn as if he had not been there at all.

---

John Bell only went back into the house, closing the door behind him as if to shake off the weird sight that he had seen. But that night was only the beginning of oddities for the Bell family.

Soon, the Bell house began to stir in the dark, bedposts being scratched, walls being knocked, something being gnawed and chains being dragged across the floorboards when no one was awake to drag them.

---

At first, the family tried to ignore it, but the noises grew louder, closer, until the unseen visitor finally found its voice. The children would soon fall victim to whatever chaos was unfolding under their eyes. They would be woken up in the mornings with their blankets pulled off the bed. Betsy Bell, the youngest daughter, felt invisible hands tugging at her hair. All of the doors opened on their own and the family's enslaved workers reported seeing a massive two headed dog lurking near the property line.

Over time, the entity disturbing the Bell family spoke, giving herself a name it would seem: Kate.

Kate didn't stay silent after revealing her name. No, she made certain the Bells would hear her name again and again, speaking freely, whatever crossed her mind.
She spoke in what was described to be a sharp and mocking woman's voice, often muttering insults or shouting scripture and laughing at the family's fear as if the haunting was a joke.

Kate seemed to have a special hatred set aside for John Bell as she would curse him, threaten him and call him 'Old Jack' in a tone that seemed like an insult, even if it was a nickname. Whenever John would try to pray, she interrupted him, shouting louder than he could speak.

John's health began to deteriorate, slowly at first but then rapidly as if some unseen entity was sucking the life out of him day by day.

Meanwhile, Betsy Bell became the spirit’s chosen victim, enduring the worst of Kate’s cruelty. The torment escalated until her engagement to a local boy, Josh Gardner, collapsed; each meeting between them disrupted by Kate’s relentless chaos.

The haunting was reported far beyond the Bell farm and neighbors and ministers and even the seventh president of the United States, before he became a president, Andrew Jackson, all stopped by and all of them left pale faced and in horror. Kate frightened Andrew Jackson’s horses so severely that they refused to enter the property, eventually forcing him to turn back and leave.

---

By the late 1820, John Bell's condition had worsened and one morning, the family found a strange vial of dark liquid in the house. No one knew where it came from or recognized it.
But when they asked Kate about it, Kate proudly declared, "I gave Old Jack a big dose of that last night. He'll never get up again!". And surely, John died shortly after.

---

At his funeral, Kate's voice rang out one last time to laugh and sing and celebrate his death as if she accomplished some planned victory. Then, just as suddenly as she arrived, she vanished. Or.. she was mostly gone, at least. Some say she promised to return in seven years, some say she did and some say that she had never left.

The story itself featured horrors on John and Betsy, as if she had a personal vendetta against them. However, in this take on the story, I cut out the worst parts.

I want to cover the history of the Bell Witch now. I know the story sounds like something pulled straight from a horror novel, but it is a legend that is rooted in real people and a real place. The Bell family lived in Adams, Tennessee in the early 1800s, which was a small farming community along the Red River.

---

John Bell, his wife Lucy and their children were well known and respected in the area, which made the reported strange events even more alarming to the neighbors.

The earliest disturbances were said to have begun around 1817 and it did not take long for the word to spread. Unlike many ghost stories that grow quietly in the shadows, the Bell Witch became a public haunting as neighbors were invited to witness the strange noises and ministers came to pray over the family. Some visitors claimed to hear the voice themselves, answering questions and quoting scripture or mocking the Bells in a tone that was far too human for comfort.

The legend grew even larger when stories circulated and put Andrew Jackson into the legend. By featuring Andrew Jackson and his horses into the legend, it cemented the Bell Witch as one of the most famous hauntings in American folklore, whether it was a fake fact or not.

The events continued until 1821 when the spirit declared she was leaving, but allegedly Kate promised to return in seven years, and by that time, some claim she did before disappearing again while others claim that she never did leave at all. Strange things, allegedly, continued happening in the area long after the Bell family was gone. Over time, the story got passed down through generations and it was eventually written into books and retold in newspapers and was even shared as a piece of Tennessee's frontier history.

I feel happy to have shared a piece of my birth state's history with you all, but I have to say, if you're still scared while reading this article, I really think you should put this article down. Let me introduce myself. I'm Vladislav Liam Gunther, and I am the Editor in Chief for the Weekly Word Newsletters. I was born in Tennessee, then moved to Russia and now I live in Wales. I have family that live down in Tennessee and I wanted to share some historical folklore with you!

---

Let me start with mentioning some of the legacies or things that continued to this day, even if it wasn't directly connected to the Bell family in the 1820s.

---

Long after the Bell family was gone, the legend would not fade. Instead, it had grown and spread from stories being told orally or through paper or in documentaries. One of the most enduring places of the legend is the Bell Witch Cave, which is a small cave on the old Bell property that became tied to the story in the early 1900s. Visitors claimed to have heard voices or have seen shadows or felt sudden cold spots when exploring the cave's narrow passages. It became a popular tourist attraction even if the experiences were supernatural or perhaps the power of suggestion.

The Bell Witch also lives on in Tennessee's cultural identity with local festivals, historical tours and school projects revisiting the story and treating it as a tale of caution and of pride to have tale that was a bit spooky, knowing Salem, Massachusetts wasn't the only spooky place. The haunting has inspired a variety of written products such as An American Haunting as the retelling adds its own twist to the mystery of the Bell Witch.

What makes the Bell Witch so enduring is that the story sits at the crossroad of folklore and history as it is strange enough to feel supernatural yet grounded enough in real features that it refuses to be dismissed entirely. Whether Kate was a spirit, a misunderstanding, or something else entirely, it didn’t matter: her story continued to be told across Tennessee more than two centuries later.

For many, that's the scariest part. It isn't that the Bell Witch once haunted a family but that she might have never left.

--- ---

Credits

Writer: Vladislav Liam Gunther

Editor: Tes Cadell

Coder: Denise Yarbrough

EIC: Avery Gray