It was a perfect day in the Florida Keys. The sun shimmered off the turquoise waters, pelicans soared lazily in the sky, and the gentle breeze carried the scent of salt and fresh coconuts. Three teenage friends—Sam, Diego, and Kelly—had ditched their mundane high school lives for a weekend of adventure on the islands.
"Come on, Diego," Sam called from the bow of the boat they had rented for the day. "You’re not really gonna believe all that stuff, are you?"
Diego, who was frantically flipping through a book titled Ancient Curses of the Florida Keys, gave Sam a wide-eyed stare. "I'm just saying, these islands have a spooky history! Pirate curses, witchcraft, and—"
Kelly rolled her eyes from the captain’s seat. "Dude, it’s just a tourist trap book. Witches? In the Keys? I think they’d melt in the sun."
But Diego wasn’t convinced. "You guys laugh now, but I heard some old lady talking about it at the bait shop. There’s this stretch of islands—small, barely on the map—and people say there are witches living there. They’re immortal. And get this, they made some sort of deal with a demon hundreds of years ago. Creepy, right?"
Sam stretched out lazily, completely unbothered. "Witches or no witches, I’m here for the sun, the fish, and the key lime pie. So let’s keep it moving."
"Seconded," Kelly agreed, adjusting her sunglasses. "If there were witches, don’t you think the internet would’ve found them by now? Witches always trend on TikTok."
As they continued on, the boat slowly approached a small, uninhabited island. Diego squinted at it, feeling an eerie chill in the air despite the blazing sun. "Guys, this is it. I swear, this is the island."
Sam and Kelly exchanged a glance. "Okay, okay, let’s check it out," Sam said, more to shut Diego up than out of curiosity.
As they anchored the boat and stepped onto the beach, they immediately noticed something off. The island was quiet—too quiet. Not a bird chirped, not a wave broke. Only the wind seemed to move, rustling the palm fronds in a strangely menacing way. Diego, ever the superstitious one, clutched his book of curses tightly.
"Spooky," Kelly mocked, wiggling her fingers in front of Diego’s face.
"Ha-ha, very funny," Diego mumbled, but his eyes were darting around nervously. "I don’t like this."
They wandered inland a bit and soon stumbled across a small clearing. In the center stood a dilapidated shack, practically hidden by overgrown vines. "Looks like something straight out of a horror movie," Sam said with a grin. "Diego, this must be your witches’ hideout."
Before anyone could stop him, Sam knocked on the old wooden door. "Hello? Anybody home? We’re here for the evil potions and hexes!"
"Idiot!" Diego hissed, smacking Sam's arm. "What if they’re real?"
Just then, the door creaked open. The three friends froze, peering into the darkness within.
Out stepped the last thing they expected to see—a short, round old woman in an oversized floral muumuu, wearing sunglasses bigger than her face and flip-flops that slapped loudly against the floor. She had a margarita in one hand and a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"Oh, for heaven’s sake, another batch of tourists," she muttered in a thick Southern drawl. "You here to gawk at the ‘evil witches of Key Largo,’ right?"
Sam, Kelly, and Diego stared, dumbfounded. Was this... the witch?
Kelly burst out laughing. "You’ve got to be kidding me!"
The old woman sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "Name’s Maude, and no, I don’t eat children or turn people into frogs. Now, can I help you, or are you just here to take selfies for Instagram?"
Diego was the first to regain his voice. "Uh, we, uh... We heard stories. About witches living on this island."
Maude took a long drag from her cigarette and exhaled slowly. "Honey, I am the witch. Well, one of them. And let me tell you, it’s not what it used to be. Immortality, demonic deals, black magic—yeah, that’s all real. But honestly? After three hundred years, it's boring. You have no idea how hard it is to keep a decent wifi connection out here."
Sam snorted, "So, what’s the deal? Are you supposed to be, like, cursed or something?"
"Not cursed," Maude corrected, taking a sip of her margarita. "Made a deal with a demon. We’d get eternal youth, endless power, all that jazz. But the fine print? Ugh, never trust a demon’s contract. Turns out, we’re stuck here. Can’t leave the island."
Diego blinked. "You’re telling me... you’re an actual witch, but you’re stuck on this tiny island... forever?"
Maude shrugged. "Yep. Me and my two sisters. They’re out right now, probably at the tiki bar we set up on the other side. Listen, I can whip up a mean love spell or hex an ex for you, but honestly, the whole ‘wicked sorceress’ thing is overrated."
Kelly, still grinning, said, "This is the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me."
Maude tilted her head and looked them up and down. "Eh, you three are harmless. What are you, high schoolers? College freshmen? Whatever. Here’s some advice—don’t make deals with demons, and if you do, read the fine print. Now, unless you’ve got something interesting, I’ve got a mai tai with my name on it."
Sam stepped forward, amused by the absurdity of it all. "So, no curses? No, like, spooky warnings for us?"
Maude squinted at him. "Well, now that you mention it, how about this—you leave me and my sisters alone, and I won’t hex your phone to only play country music. Forever."
Sam’s face went pale. "You wouldn’t."
Maude smirked. "Try me."
Diego, ever the believer, pulled out his phone and started backing away. "Alright, guys, I think we’ve seen enough. Let’s go."
Kelly winked at Maude. "You need any company? I could go for a margarita."
Maude laughed. "Girl, you’d fit right in. Come back when you’re old enough to appreciate a good drink."
The three friends headed back to the boat, the wind picking up as they reached the shore. Sam turned back to look at the shack, still half-expecting something more dramatic.
"Can you believe that?" he asked. "Actual witches, and they’re... chilling in flip-flops."
Diego shook his head, both relieved and slightly disappointed. "I guess not all witches are what we think they are."
Kelly grinned. "Hey, at least we didn’t make a deal with the devil."
From the island, Maude’s voice called out after them. "And remember—country music. Don’t make me do it!"
The three friends jumped into the boat, started the engine, and sped off, laughter echoing across the turquoise waters as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
As the island faded from view, Kelly leaned back with a sigh. "Best weekend ever."
Diego, still clutching his book of ancient curses, couldn’t help but smile. "Yeah, maybe witches aren’t so bad after all."
But as they sailed back toward the mainland, none of them noticed the faint, almost imperceptible hum of a country tune creeping into Sam’s phone...
