A Witch's Curse

by Paul Martin

  Caleb came to her immediately. He lay next to her on the bed and kissed her forehead. “Carolyn, my love. You are distressed?”

  “Not anymore, my dearest Caleb.” She gazed into his ice blue eyes and again, was touched by the heart wrenching sadness she saw in them. “Will you stay with me?”

  He answered her with a kiss that sent her pulse skyrocketing as their tongues sought each other. His strong hand glided down her side and under her shirt, making her happy she wasn’t wearing a bra. Carolyn fought an urge to giggle when she thought of this nineteenth century man trying to undo one.

  His firm hand slowly ran over her ribs ever so gently, eventually coming to her breast. His hand followed its curve, his palm brushing lightly over her hard nub. The room temperature rose as his kisses trailed down her neck, his tongue licking the hollow at the base of her neck, sending shudders of delight deep inside her. She ran her nails down his back, marveling at his solid muscles.

  Carolyn rolled over on top of Caleb and helped him raise her shirt over her head. While he undid her belt, she ripped his shirt open and ran her hands across his smooth chest. With her blue jeans unbuttoned, she stood, allowing them to fall to her feet with a seductive wiggle of her hips.

  Wanting to return the favor, she unbuttoned Caleb’s pants, but in order to take them off him, she needed to remove his boots first. Straddling his outstretched leg, she practically wet herself when she felt his other foot pushing on her ass, but was able to get both boots removed. Then, turning around, she tugged at his pant legs until she had them completely off. To her delight, he wasn’t wear anything under his clothes as his cock stood straight, hard, and erect, making her mouth water for its taste.

  Carolyn crawled back onto the bed, her hands sliding up his legs to his sculpted abs. She lowered her head and swirled her tongue around the purpled head on his thick, hard cock. Taking his length into her mouth, she bobbed her head up and down, licking and sucking as if tasting her first Popsicle of the summer. She cupped his balls in one hand and squeezed lightly. Unbelievably, his moaning turned her on even more. Caleb wrapped his hands in her hair and thrust his hips to the rhythm she set.

  Suddenly, he pulled out of her mouth, rolled her onto her back, and pulled her up alongside him. His hands played wildly with her nipples as his hot lips kissed down her breastbone, across her stomach, then continued along her inner thighs. Her juices began dripping from her slit, soaking her underpants.

  One hand released a breast, and with fingers curled, Caleb slowly dragged them down her body until they hooked the top of her panties and pulled them down. Spreading her legs with his hands, Caleb leaned in close to her mound and breathed fire onto her damp sex. The heat from his breath inflamed her need for him even further. A firm hand moved up and down her mound, rubbing with just the right amount of pressure, adding to her mounting orgasm.

  Sweat rolled off her brow when he parted her lips and found her engorged clit. He took the fleshy bud between his lips, his tongue lightly massaging the sensitive area. Reaching underneath her hips, he raised her higher so he could bury his mouth deeper into her heated pussy.

  Inserting two fingers inside her, Caleb continued to work his magical lips and tongue, driving her into a deeper frenzy. Carolyn’s orgasm exploded like fireworks at a rodeo on the Fourth of July. Her body bucked with each wave, sending his fingers further and further inside her. His fingers and mouth didn’t stop until well after her orgasm faded, starting a second one building.

  Pulling his fingers out, he fingered her areolas, covering them with her juice then licking them clean. He covered her mouth with his, their tastes mingling on each other’s lips. Carolyn couldn’t wait any longer; she needed to feel him inside her, so she rolled him onto his back, straddled him, and lowered herself onto him, guiding his shaft into her.

  Her vaginal walls stretched wide to accommodate his thickness, the pain excruciating and exciting at the same time. None of her former lovers had been so big or thick, yet she took everything he had inside her, filling her in more ways than just physically. She had fallen completely in love with this man-ghost. Whatever he may be, she was determined to keep him for her very own.

  Fuck off, Aunt Caroline. You had your chance. He’s mine now.

  Her orgasm built swiftly in her molten core while leaning over Caleb, her breasts dangling enticingly, inches from his mouth. He took a nipple into his mouth, alternately nipping and licking, his thumb lazily caressing the other. Rivulets of sweat trickled down her chest as she rapidly rose and fell on his shaft, sinking him deeper and deeper into her.

  Her muscles clenched his shaft, pumping him for everything he had. She felt his cock erupt, spewing his hot seed inside her, causing her orgasm to explode right on top of his, shaking her with the intensity of a six point five on the Richter scale.

  Caleb rolled her over onto her back and pumped harder. His orgasm lasting just as long as hers. Wave after wave of breath robbing euphoria hit her until Caleb finally collapsed next to her. When she was able to draw a breath again, Carolyn kissed Caleb tenderly then rested her head on his muscled chest.

  Bright sunlight streamed through the bedroom window to wake her, revealing that Caleb left her side sometime during the night. She hadn’t expected him to still be there, yet felt empty inside that he wasn’t lying next to her.

  “This has got to stop. I have to break the curse Caroline placed on him,” she vowed.

  Chapter Four

  The small, brass bell above Herbs and More’s door tinkled as Carolyn entered. Familiar scents of basil, sage, thyme and a dozen others greeted her like old friends. Inhaling the fragrant aromas of the fresh herbs did more than put a smile on her face; they helped settle her troubled mind.

  Maggie popped up from behind the counter. “Hey, stranger. Welcome back to the salt mines.”

  “Thanks Mags, good to be back. I am sorry for being away for so long, but the house needs a lot more work than I originally thought. I think I should hire a handyman.” Setting her purse on the counter, Carolyn saw a Band-Aid on Maggie’s forehead. “What did you do to yourself, or did you take up kick boxing?”

  Waving her hand dismissively, Maggie said, “Oh, you know, old klutzy me. I banged my head on a shelf the other day. So, you ready to get back to work?”

  “Just tell me where I should start?” Carolyn said with a smile.

  “There’s a grindstone in the backroom with your name on it.”

  “Oh, an order came in?”

  “Yep, a big one. Bags and bags of fertilizer.”

  Taking off her jacket and rolling up her sleeves, Carolyn said, “Then I better get started.”

  Going into the back, Carolyn saw three large pallets sitting next to the garage door. Cutting the straps, she carried the individual bags to a shelf.

  Odd that Maggie has a cut on her head right about the same place I hit the burglar, and she is about the same size as the woman who broke into my house. Don’t be ridiculous. Why would Maggie break in and try to scare me? Then again, she did tell me I should move out the day she helped me clean. Practically saying if I didn’t, something bad would happen to me. Maybe she had come inside and put the coffee pot on while I slept and went back out. She was also very curious about my inheritance. In addition, it was her house-warming gift that died so quickly.

  Throughout the day, her doubts about Maggie continued to fester in her mind, and whenever Carolyn would glance in her direction, Maggie would be looking back, smiling.

  What do I really know about her? I only met Maggie a little over eight months ago on a crowded bus going to work. Now, who started the conversation that day? Did I? Did Maggie? I can’t remember now. Had that been a chance meeting after all or had she planned to accidentally run into me on the bus? I do recall Mags first mentioned plants and herbs, and how this town needed a store that sold fresh herbs, spices, and organically grown food. If she hadn't been so gung-ho with us starting an organic food store, I don't think I would have dared opened this place
by myself.

  Carolyn’s suspicions grew by the minute. More than once, she was sorely tempted to confront Maggie and demand an explanation. She finally decided to wait and confide her suspicions to Chief Rose first. Leaving Maggie to handle the front while she worked in the back, potting herbs to sell as starter plants, allowed Carolyn the time she needed to calm herself enough to act nonchalant the few times she had to be around Maggie. The day's end hadn’t come fast enough.

  Carolyn stopped at the police station on her way home to talk to Chief Rose, only to find that he left an hour ago on a call. She left a message with Sally requesting him to call when he had the chance, and as she started to leave, ran into Herman coming into the station. Carolyn ran her suspicions about Maggie by him, which he in turn promised to pass on to the Chief.

  Chester greeted Carolyn at the door when she arrived home, doing his best to trip her by rubbing himself between her legs in a figure eight pattern as she walked into the kitchen, yowling pathetically, as if not fed in months. Knowing full well she fed him that morning before she left, and he was only vying for attention, Carolyn refilled his dish anyway and as an extra bonus, poured milk into a saucer for him.

  No sooner had she put away the groceries she brought home from work, someone knocked on her door. Sarah had come over with a plate piled high with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and her Book of Shadows.

  “Sarah! You’re going to make me fat, bringing me all these pies and cookies.”

  “Don’t worry your pretty head, sweetie. I use a special recipe. You won’t gain an ounce. Trust me.”

  “Well, since you’re thin as a rail, I suppose I can eat a couple.”

  Over coffee and cookies, Carolyn updated Sarah on yesterday’s events. When she finished describing the conversation she had with Caleb by the fountain, Sarah said. “You didn’t mention you spoke with Caleb when I came over yesterday. Or did you? I’ve been getting so forgetful lately. Oh well, no harm done. Now, until then, you say Caleb only came to you after midnight?”

  “I didn’t think it important to mention at the time. His other visits?” Carolyn shrugged her shoulders. “I wasn’t exactly looking at a watch, but yeah, I guess he did come after midnight those other times. Why?”

  “We’re getting close to All Hallows Eve, the one time a year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is the thinnest. Even the thin veil alone wouldn't account for his being able to change his visitation pattern. I’ve noticed your aura has grown a lot stronger and brighter since you've moved in. Am I right in assuming that you and Caleb formed a strong bond with each other? In combination, those two reasons would explain why he has been able to change his habit from appearing to you only at night and his coming to you in the day. A bond like yours will help us break the curse Caroline put on him.”

  “I have an aura, and you think mine will help us? How?”

  “The aura won’t help us, my dear, your bond with Caleb will. You, young lady, are in love. Love is the most potent magic there is.”

  Carolyn didn’t need Sarah to tell her she was in love. She knew she loved Caleb, although the words felt fantastic to her ears when said aloud. Carolyn picked up her story and told Sarah about her other late night visitor and what the police discovered so far. She also told Sarah about Maggie, the cut on her forehead, and the other odd coincidences with her.

  Sarah rubbed the bridge of her nose while mulling over Carolyn’s story. “I suppose this friend of yours may have been the intruder, but what would be her motive?”

  “That’s just it, as far as I know, she doesn’t have one. Unless she’s jealous of my inheritance? But I don’t think so.”

  “Hard to say. Money is a powerful motive. I say we leave the sleuthing to Eric Rose to discover your intruder's identity. He’s very good.”

  “I hope he figures out the who soon. You can't imagine how hard it was working with Maggie today, thinking she was the intruder.” Carolyn took another cookie from the plate and asked, “So, how are we going to help Caleb? Tarot cards? A crystal ball?”

  Sarah shook her head. “No, my dear. We need to prove his innocence, and the best way is to force, if need be, the maid to tell us how she managed to get into the locked library. We need her to confess her crime.”

  “How can we do that? She’s been dead about as long as Caleb.”

  “Exactly. We'll summon her in a séance and ask her.”

  “A séance? So we what…sit around in a circle with the lights off and call her on the psychic hotline?”

  The pained look on Sarah’s face made Carolyn instantly regret her flippant remark.

  “I see you’ve quite a few preconceptions, which I’ll need to eliminate before we can proceed with your training.”

  “I’m sorry, Sarah. I do have a lot to learn. Please, tell me how a séance works.”

  “To begin with, I’ll act as the medium. I’ve done quite a few séances with Ester over the years, I can guide you through the session. I’ll need at least two other people to complete the circle. You’ll be one, and if necessary, I can get one of the other members from Ester’s coven. And, yes, the lights should be off as bright light inhibits the spirits, we’ll use candles. They provide a warm, inviting atmosphere.”

  “Oh, I’ve found plenty of candles, they’re everywhere in the house.”

  “Good. Once we are ready, we will hold hands to complete the circle and draw energy from each other. There is a chant we can say to aid in clearing our minds for the task ahead, if needed. Then I will try to connect to the spirit world to summon the maid. Do you know her name?”

  “Yes. Her name is Ellie.” Carolyn said, happy to contribute something to the effort.

  “Ellie who?”

  With her patent pending, innocent schoolgirl, ‘I didn’t do my homework look,’ Carolyn said sheepishly, “Ellie the Maid?”

  “That won’t do. I need her full name, or I won’t be able to contact her. Who knows who, or what, I’d get using that moniker?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t think her name would be important. I’ll ask Caleb. I'm hoping he'll come tonight.”

  “I’m sure he will,” Sarah said with a mischievous smile on her lips.

  Carolyn’s cheeks turned a deep crimson. “Sarah!”

  “To be honest with you, child, I wish I had a friendly ghost like yours for my own. I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.”

  Giggling, Carolyn said, “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Always have been and always will be, it’s the only way to live. There may be snow on the roof, but the furnace still needs stoked from time-to-time,” Sarah said, pointing to her lap.

  “Want me to ask Caleb if he has an older brother?” Carolyn teased.

  “Who said he has to be older?” Sarah shot back.

  A knock on the front door interrupted their conversation. Carolyn opened the door and Chief Rose tipped his hat to her.

  “Good evening, Miss Waters. I thought I would stop by to give you an update on your uninvited house guest.”

  “Thank you, Chief. Would you like to come in?”

  Eric Rose stepped inside the foyer, removing his hat. “Herman told me about the suspicions you had concerning your partner.”

  Carolyn nodded. She hadn’t wanted to accuse Maggie, yet she didn’t believe she had a choice.

  “Good to know you’re taking this seriously and keeping your eyes open. However, in this case, I can tell you for certain that the perp wasn’t Maggie Wells. We tested the blood we found on the veil and the DNA came from a male. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a match in the system to make a proper identification.”

  Relief washed over Carolyn. “That’s great. I’m so relieved Maggie isn’t the intruder. I hated the idea that my best friend betrayed me. So, where do we go from here?”

  “There are several other clues we are still working on. In the meantime, I’ve beefed up patrols in the neighborhood and you make sure you lock up tight when you go to bed.”

  “Don’t worry,
Chief. I will,” Carolyn said, giving Chief Rose a jaunty salute.

  “That’s all for now. Good night, Miss Waters. You too, Miss Sarah,” he said with a nod to the older woman.

  “Night, Eric,” Sarah said.

  “Good night, Chief,” Carolyn said.

  * * * *

  With Chester walking beside her, supervising, Carolyn double-checked the windows and doors, making sure the locks were tight. In her bedroom, she laid a length of heavy pipe she found in the basement alongside her bed. Crawling under the blanket, she reached over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp. Closing her eyes, Carolyn prepared to rest, ready to sleep and dream of Caleb.

  For the first time since moving in, she did not fall asleep the minute her head touched the pillow. Instead, she tossed and turned, causing Chester to seek the quiet and safety of the rocking chair. The minutes crawled by. An hour after turning in, Carolyn heard faint noises emanating from downstairs.

  Grabbing the pipe, Carolyn felt comforted by the weapon’s heft and feel. She got out of bed, gently padded across the room, and slowly opened the bedroom door, cautiously sticking her head around the door Carolyn scanned the empty hall. Quietly as a cat, she crept to the top of the staircase. Peering through the banister rails, she saw a figure in a white dress standing in the foyer.

  Regretting she hadn’t called the police before leaving her bedroom, Carolyn slowly skulked down the stairs. The figure had his back turned to her, absorbed in finding something in a sack he carried, so she moved closer to the bottom step when she put her foot on one that creaked loudly under her weight.

  The figured spun around at the noise, dropped his sack, and charged at her. Carolyn swung her pipe, but he ducked under her wild swing and tackled her.

  His shoulder drove into her stomach. The pipe flew from her hand, as did the breath from her lungs, and Carolyn fought for her life as his hands circled her throat and squeezed.

  Unable to scream for help, Carolyn’s thoughts screamed for her. Caleb! Help me!”