"Thirteen chapters for thirteen characters and thirteen letters begin them..."

A bad location: if you have triskaidekaphobia The 13 letter clue, page 77, The Witch 13 Symbols of the Cimaruta: Neville Rolfe Collection www.sacred-texts.com Infamous Friday 13th, in October 1307 when The Knights of Templar were attacked read the article The 13th Arcana www.thevesselofgod.com Aztec calendar www.thevesselofgod.com The Eiwaz Rune www.thevesselofgod.com The Mayan Calendar www.religionfacts.com The Celtic Wheel: 13 Moons of the Witch shadownews.com The 13 Runes: Witches Magick Moonstones castastone.com

Fair warning if you suffer from triskaidekaphobia - the fear of number 13. I do not know if Thomas Middleton, who wrote his work The Witch in 1613, encountered similar synchronicities, but the number 13 has charmed this little tale throughout.In finding yourself here, you are aware of those thirteen letters and wise to figure out the puzzle and the theme of the book. I must admit, there was a subtle clue -- the unscrambled word is directly above the riddle for "Readers" on page 77. After a few parables were drafted, I settled upon a number of characters to strive for, each comprising its own chapter. The number 13 and witches seemed only too obvious a match. So the synopsis was penned: Thirteen characters cross the path of a witch. Some carry on, some meet their demise. Each brings their own attributes and failings. This is the tale of those occurrences.The start of that passage began a numeric theme which I continue to document. Incidents of the number thirteen in The Witch: 13 characters 13 chapters 13 letters - one to begin each chapter 13 letter theme word: unconditional 13 symbols on a sprig of evergreen or cimaruta (rue) see Cimaruta page Some other interesting number combinations: The copyright of the story was designated 12/21/07: 1+2+2+1+0+7=13 The copyright date is exactly 5 years from the end of the Mayan calendar: 12/21/12 There are five limbs on the cimaruta, 5 letters in witch Last page of story: 69, astrological sign for cancer - the author's birth sign, thus ending the chapter: Myself ISBN barcode of 13 digits: 978-0-9809201-0-9 Dewey decimal number assigned: 813,6 Author pen name, B. Gregory Lewis: 13 letters Start of chapter one: page 13 The original first edition books were wrapped in paper and sealed with a wax "W", upside down it is "M" the 13th letter of the alphabet. There have also been little chance happenings that may not be too significant but are fun to document... One evening, I met my wife at a small pub to talk about the book. We sat at a quiet table beneath a large sun and moonwall mural of a solar eclipse. When the bill came the waitress commented, "Funny, thats exactly thirteen dollars." I explained the purpose of our meeting and the little mysteries that seemed to follow the book. She said she would like to read it, so I asked her name. "Diana," she responded. Who knew? We had been served by the namesake of the goddess of ancient witchcraft herself! - B G L comments l