It took a minute to recall why, suddenly, there might be about a dozen vultures perched around, on and flying above the house.

Turns out, I invited them.

A few days earlier I decided to cast a spell to ensure a good woodland harvest by burrying a pigs skull at the north west corner of our willow coppice.

I didn’t bury it deep enough which inspired a creature of the night to exhume the skull and strip it down. Once the sun rose and the creature of the night went home, the vultures were quick to pick up the morning strip shift.

In a blatant disregard for the magic energy that had been released during the exhuming and stripping, I chased away the vultures and reburied the skull. This time with a cinder block on top.

Incidentally, when I put the cinder block on top of the new grave, I wondered could that have been the original purpose of a grave stone? To keep creatures of the night from digging up what’s buried.

Anyway, the lingering vultures left and I went back to my desk. Less than an hour later — dozens of vultures were back.

Free from their usual occupation of stripping carcasses they busied themselves with harrassing the geese and projecting a super dark vibe over the farm.

They’re gone now and I’m not worried at all.