Fact1: witch named in fictional Massachusetts town of was burned at stake Whitewood, Fact2: opening story is dramatization of lecture on witchcraft, Fact3: Professor Alan Driscoll lecture on is giving to history students witchcraft, Fact4: Nan Having settled in begins to study history of town Raven 's Inn, Fact5: basement of hotel gets captured by Newless and members of coven
Output: In 1692, in the fictional Massachusetts town of Whitewood, a witch named Elizabeth Selwyn was burned at the stake. However, before her death, she managed to make a deal with the devil: he gave her eternal life in exchange for a promise eternally to create only evil. This opening story is in reality a dramatization of the lecture on witchcraft Professor Alan Driscoll is giving to his history students at university. One of his students, Nan Barlow, is particularly interested in this subject, so the professor advises her to visit Whitewood, where she can find many interesting things on the topic. Nan goes there on vacation. Having settled in The Ravens Inn, a hotel owned by eccentric Mrs. Newless, Nan begins to study the history of the town. She gets acquainted with the only normalseeming local resident, Patricia, and upon borrowing a book on witchcraft from her, soon learns that the very night she is thereFebruary 1stis also Candlemas Evethe day when the witches sacrifice a young girl. Nan is eventually lured down to the basement of the hotel, which is actually a satanic shrine, and gets captured by Mrs. Newless and members of her coven. Newless says that she is actually the immortal Elizabeth Selwyn. To sustain her immortality, virgins must be sacrificed to the witch every year—and this year, the student is the chosen victim. Two weeks later, having not heard from Nan, her brother Richard is persuaded to check up on her by her fiance Tom, and discovers that not only does Whitewood not exist in any phone directory, but when the police are summoned to join the search, that Nan abruptly left The Ravens Inn without informing anyone. After Patricia herself travels to Nans school to meet Professor Driscoll, inquiring where she could find Nans family, she visits Richard and Tom and shares her concerns with them. Richard then travels to Whitewood himself, encountering the formidable Mrs. Newless and reconnecting with Patricia. Tom must overcome witches machinations on the way when he takes off after Richardcar crash, and the mystery deepens when Nan appears to have vanished without a trace. Richard meets the Reverend Russell, Patricias grandfather, who tells him about the demonic cult ruling over the town. Soon, Patricia is kidnapped, and Richard finds her in the same basement where Nan died. The girl is ready to be sacrificed. To his great surprise, Richard learns that the leader of the satanic sect is Mrs. NewlessElizabeth Selwyn and that Professor Driscoll is himself a centuriesold member of the coven, who deliberately sent Nan to her death. Richard is also captured and is soon to be killed. At the last minute, the greatlyinjured Tom gets involved and, with the help of the cross, burns the witches, although he himself is killed with a knife in the back. Newless escapes, but she is dying as the time of sacrifice is missed. Later, Richard and Patricia find her burnt body in the hotel.