“The Girl From Blood Coven”, a short story by Brian Moreland, brings us the origin story of the Blevin’s House. As Sheriff Keagan tucks into a cold beer at his local restaurant, a young woman covered head to toe in blood appears in the doorway of the restaurant. As we follow Sheriff Keagan and the young woman, Abigail Blackwood, through their night, we learn the story of Lenora Ravenmoon Blevins.
Abigail explains that she has been living at the Blevins House, which is better known in the small community as a hippie commune. Abigail corrects Sheriff Keagan by telling him that they prefer for their family to be referred to as a coven. To reveal much more would be a disservice to this taut and concise story. We are given just enough information to be drawn into the story and feel compelled to move directly on to “The Witching House”:the novella which follows up this short story and goes into greater detail about the history of the Blevin’s House. This is a 19 page story that manages to pack a lot without being overwhelming or confusing. Truly, I started immediately on The Witching House after finishing this short story. This is not the kind of story that you put down at the end and walk away from if you have the follow up waiting in the wings.