by Stuart
“Kit Eisley. I should have recognized the name. Yes, now I remember. Ten years ago, two kids went into the cemetery and one came out. Nobody ever found the boy. Now you say Silas took him because the curse forced him to. This is strong magic, Kit Eisley. This is not something to play with.” “I don’t mean to play with it. I mean to find some way, any way to send Silas Coulbourne to Hell where he belongs so Dane can cross over!” Kit pounded her fist against the arm of the chair. “I will have to do some research on the curse and on the manor. I will contact you soon. Leave me a number to reach you.” Kit pulled her notepad from her purse and wrote down her phone numbers on it. “Please hurry. I hate seeing Dane caught in limbo.” “If I can find out what kind of magic was originally used in the curse, I can try to make a spell to reverse it. I will call you.” “Thank you.” Kit stood and left. She had a gut feeling that the old woman was the real deal and not a charlatan. If her instinct was wrong, Dane would pay the price and Kit would feel even worse for it. Kit napped early so she could stay awake for Dane. He came at night and she did not want to miss him. The ticking of the clock almost put her to sleep several times with its metronomic drone. She drank more tea, hoping the caffeine would keep her up. The drapes wavered slightly, though the window was not open. “Dane, are you back?” She sat up straighter in the chair. “I’m here, Kit-Kat.” The apparition came into view. “Is he after you? Or can you stay awhile?” “I’ll stay as long as I can, Kit-Kat.” His reply did not really answer her question, but Kit let it slide. “Your parents love you and miss you.” “I love them and miss them, too. Mostly I missed you, Kit.” “You missed me more than your family? That’s kind of weird.” “I think this situation is weird, Kit. It is true. Maybe I am a bad son for saying so, but it is the thoughts of you that make it all worthwhile to me. Do you remember our first kiss?”
Kit blushed. “Of course I do. We snuck behind the bleachers after fifth period gym class. You said you wanted to show me something. I was scared as hell because I didn’t know what you could have been hiding in your gym shorts to show me besides, well, yourself.” Her cheeks darkened even more. “You puckered up and planted one on me. It took me by surprise.” Dane laughed at her admission. “I knew we wouldn’t have time the rest of the day. It was my one and only opportunity to finally kiss a girl; not just any girl, my girl.” Kit shifted position in the chair, getting more comfortable. Now that Dane was here she was wide awake. “Do you wish I could be there with you?” “No! Don’t say that, Kit!” “I’m sorry. I just missed you so much these years and now that you’re able to be here, sort of, I—” She stopped short, unable to finish the sentence. “No, Kit. I want you to be alive. I want you to be happy. I want you to live a good, normal life.” “My boyfriend is a ghost. That is far from normal.” Dane looked away. “I am sorry, Kit. I should not have interfered with your life. I couldn’t help myself. When I had the strength to come back, I had to see you.” “Dane Grissinger, don’t ever apologize for wanting to see me. I am not sorry for one moment that you came to visit me. I pined for you for almost ten years now. To have you here with me, even as you are, is better than not having you at all. If I have you as a ghost for a boyfriend for the rest of my life, then I will be happy.” Kit knew that wasn’t going to happen. She was already engaged in plans to set Dane’s spirit at rest. How could she say that to him without sounding dismissive? How could she tell him she was working on a way to put him at peace and get rid of Silas Coulbourne once and for all without the risk of Silas finding out? She had to keep her scheme secret from him. It wrenched her heart to withhold the truth from Dane, but it was necessary. It was for his own good. “Some boyfriend I am. I can’t even kiss you.” “You never tried.” Dane paused, caught in an introspective expression for a moment, then glided toward Kit. He leaned down and pressed his non-corporeal lips to hers.
Kit closed her eyes in anticipation, but opened them quickly at the moment of contact. The sensation of Dane’s icy lips upon hers was not what she expected. Dane drew back. Sadness filled his eyes. “I am sorry, Kit.” “I am too, Dane. I wish—” What did she wish? That he was still alive? That they could kiss for real? That she hadn’t let him go that night in the cemetery? “I wish for it too.” Dane nodded, seeming to know what Kit was thinking. “Aren’t you tired? It’s late for you.” “I napped earlier. I didn’t want to miss you if you came back tonight.” “Thanks,” the specter smiled weakly. “Tell me more about yourself. What is your life like now?” Kit thought about her answer for a moment. What should she say – that she was a weirdo outcast in town because she saw a ghost kidnap her boyfriend nearly ten years ago? “I’m an accountant. I have a little office in town where I do bookkeeping and taxes for some of the local people and businesses.” “What ever happened to your dream of becoming an artist?” “That was just a pipe dream, Dane, something I said as a kid before I really knew what I was good at. I can’t draw worth beans.” “I always thought you were good at it.” “I was good at it, for a kid. Too bad I never got any better at it. If I try to draw now, it still looks like a child’s work.” She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Do you like being an accountant? I always thought that sort of thing would be boring, sorry.” “Sometimes it is, but I like the mental challenges that come with it.” “You were good at math, so I guess this is right up your alley, too.” “Yeah, it suits me.” Kit didn’t mention Dane’s wish to become a fire fighter when he grew up. She remembered the conversation perfectly. They sat under the large mulberry in his backyard, talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up. She had wanted to become a famous artist. She wanted her works to endure for centuries like the famous masters. As time went on she realized that it had been nothing more than a childish fantasy, so her dream remained relegated to the past. Dane’s dream never even had a chance.
Dane’s head whipped around, as if looking at something behind him. Kit saw nothing there. “I have to go, Kit. I’ll come back whenever I can. I promise. I love you, Kit-Kat.” “I love you too, Dane.” Kit struggled to tamp down the anguish in her voice. He was in trouble again. He had to go before Silas caught him and did something to him. Kit knew that whatever Fermina helped her do to banish the curse would cause her to lose Dane forever. It was best for Dane, but was it really best for her own heart? Would she ever survive the pain of losing him all over again? She walked to bed and curled up under the covers. Tears dotted the pillowcase as she tried to put her thoughts at rest. * * * * * Kit picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hello?” “I have news for you. Come see me now.” Fermina instructed, then hung up before Kit could reply. Kit hurried to the old witch’s home. Fermina opened the door before she could even knock. “I have learned something,” the woman said, foregoing any greeting. “What?” “I know who worked the curse on Silas.” “Who? How did you find out?” “My grandmother showed me the answer.” Kit raised an eyebrow. Fermina was very old. Surely her grandmother wasn’t still alive? “Your grandmother?” “She is still full of piss and vinegar, even on the other side. She cannot cross over. She haunts the living and has fun doing so. She visited me and directed me to her journal. It was hidden inside a recess in the wall that I never knew was there before. My own grandmother cursed Silas Coulbourne.” “She worked the curse? Why?” “Silas deceived her and she sought revenge. Her soul pays the price now by remaining in flux between worlds. She chooses to make the most of her afterlife, such as it is.”
“So the curse was detailed in her journal?” “Yes, and I can reverse it. It will take a ritual, but since the last incident of the curse happened on Halloween night, so must the reversal.” “What must be done?” “You must participate since you were there when Dane fell prey to the curse.” Kit shuddered. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the thought of going back to the cemetery. After her scare a few days prior, it was the last place she wanted to be. “The thought of going back to that place creeps me out, but I swore that I would do whatever I could to help Dane. I’ll do it.” “Meet me in the cemetery o
n Halloween night. Be ready for anything.” “I will.” Halloween was two days away. Kit had until then to mentally prepare herself to face Silas Coulbourne once and for all.
Chapter Eight Sundown on Halloween seemed portentous as Kit paced her house. She’d withheld the plan from Dane just in case Silas was somehow listening in. If Silas controlled his ability to cross over or not, then he quite possibly had control of Dane’s communication, right? “Oh, shit. What if it’s been Silas all along? What if he was lying and said he was Dane?” Nervous butterflies crept into Kit’s stomach and not the kind she used to feel when Dane kissed her as a teen. She waited until it was closer to midnight. Nobody ever tried to trick-or-treat at the Coulbourne Castle, but Kit took no chances. She did not want anybody discovering what she and Fermina had planned. The less involvement from the town, the better off she’d be. Fermina was waiting outside the manor when she arrived. Kit wasn’t sure how the old witch had got there, as there were no other cars parked outside. “How long have you been waiting?” “Not long,” Fermina shook her head. “I knew you would know the right time to arrive. Let’s go.” The witch strode toward the broken gate with confidence that belied her advanced years. Kit followed her, mimicking the witch’s determined gait. She showed Fermina to the exact spot where she and Dane had performed the original séance. “Are we too late?” Kit whirled around to see who spoke. Dane’s parents were at the gate, along with her mother. “What are you doing here?” “I asked them to come for you, Kit. You need emotional support to get through tonight. This will not be easy.” “Are you sure it won’t mess things up with so many people here?” “No. Everybody here cared about Dane. The positive energies that we’ll all pool will only help to break the curse.” “What do we need to do?” Frank Grissinger asked. “Stand here with me. You may clasp hands if it would make you feel better. Kit should be as close as possible to the place where she was during the original ritual.”
Kit remembered exactly where she had been. The image has been burned into her mind for a decade. She moved over to the spot and stood there. Her mother gripped her left hand. Sheila Grissinger took Kit’s right hand. Frank stood next to his wife and Fermina filled the gap between Frank and Thelma Eisley. Fermina placed a censer on the ground in the center of their circle and placed some items in it. Kit didn’t recognize everything the witch put in the bowl and didn’t want to disturb her by asking. Fermina lit the concoction and stood upright. She closed her eyes and began chanting. None of the other four understood the archaic words the witch was speaking, but all of them could see that the spell was having an effect. The loud whoop-whoop of a police siren broke the witch’s concentration. “What’s going on over there?” a voice boomed as a burly deputy emerged from the vehicle. “Deputy, stay back, please,” Fermina entreated. “We’re setting Dane to rest.” As the deputy came closer, shining his flashlight, the group could see that it was Deputy Kaminski. “Mr. and Mrs. Grissinger? Is that you? Mrs. Eisley? Kit?” “Yes,” Frank answered. “Dane’s spirit is not at rest. I ask you kindly, Deputy, please let us do this for my son. It’s the final act of kindness we can give him.” Deputy Kaminski walked back to the patrol car and turned off the flashing red and blue lights. He returned to the cemetery, but stood back away from the five, content to watch. It had always stuck in his craw that Dane’s case was never solved. Maybe now it could finally be put to rest. Fermina resumed her cant. Wind stirred around the five in the circle. The flame in the censer fluttered but did not extinguish. The witch did not falter in her recitation. Soon Dane came into view. He gave a mournful expression to his parents. Sheila Grissinger nearly broke down. Frank slid his arm around his wife to support her. Kit kept firm hold of the woman’s hand. “Dane, forgive me, please. I never meant for this to happen to you.” Frank whispered. “I forgive you, Dad. Don’t worry, Mom. I love you both. I’m going to be fine now. Thank you.” “I love you, Dane,” Sheila sobbed. Dane’s specter flew backward, just as he had ten years before.
“Dane!” Kit cried. “Not again! Silas, let him go! Unhand him!” “You cannot break this curse!” Silas Coulbourne’s ghost appeared full form in front of Dane. Deputy Kaminski stood back, watching the scene unfold. “My bloodline cursed you,” Fermina stated firmly. “So shall it release you, Silas Coulbourne.” “They are mine! All mine!” Another apparition appeared above the group. This one appeared as a young woman. “You wronged me, Silas Coulbourne, but I have bestowed a greater ill upon you and your descendents. I was wrong for working this curse against you. I release you, Silas.” “Grandmother…” Fermina whispered. Fermina’s grandmother looked at Dane’s parents. “I am sorry.” “It matters not. They are mine!” Silas refused to relent. “Why isn’t it working?” Kit cried. “Silas has become too twisted by the curse,” Fermina explained. “It may not be reversible after all. I’m sorry.” “No, it must be! There has to be a way!” Kit protested. “You meddling little—” Silas’ words cut off as he leapt toward Kit. Despite the non- corporeal visage, the force was enough to knock her out of the circle. Fermina chanted wildly, throwing every spell and incantation she knew at the attacking ghost. Her grandmother’s spirit joined in the assault against the malign ghost. The others watched in abject horror, helpless as to what they could do to aid Kit. Fermina threw something else into the censer. A deafening bang accompanied a huge flash of light. Kit’s eyes were blinded by the flash, then everything went dark.
Chapter glyph1197ine Everybody was coughing, gasping for breath. Smoke filled the cemetery. “Is everyone alright?” Deputy Kaminski asked. “As soon as this smoke clears I will be,” Frank answered. “I fell down, but I’m alright,” Thelma replied. “Same here,” added Sheila. Kit sat up slowly. “I can’t see yet. It’s all spotty.” “Whatever she threw in there flashed right up at you,” the deputy explained. “Just close your eyes for a few minutes until it passes.” “Where is Fermina?” Kit asked. “Fermina?” Deputy Kaminski asked. “Fermina?” No answer. Everyone waved their hands around, fanning the smoke away. The diminutive witch lay motionless on the ground. The deputy rushed to her side. He knelt beside her and checked for a pulse. “Nothing.” He called for an ambulance and started CPR. A rustling came from behind the huge gravestone. Everybody stiffened. Frank tentatively went to check since the deputy was still trying to revive the elderly witch. “Oh, my God,” he whispered. “What? What is it?” “It’s Dane!” Kit opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry, but it was better now. “Dane?” She got up and stumbled around the gravestone. Dane lay on the ground, unconscious. His body was back full form. There was no sign of Silas Coulbourne. “No more, Deputy.” An ethereal voice lilted above. The deputy looked up and saw Fermina’s ghost hovering above. “It was my time. Let me go. The curse is broken. Dane was never truly dead, only trapped by Silas between this world and the next. Silas will trouble you no longer. Live a long and happy life. I am crossing over now.” She grasped the hand of her grandmother and together they faded from view, both smiling brightly.
The ambulance arrived. The paramedics could do nothing for Fermina, but they took both Dane and Kit to the hospital. Dane woke up briefly in the ambulance. “Kit-Kat? Is that really you?” “I’m here Dane. You’re back.” “How did that happen?” “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.” As the duo were checked out at the hospital, Deputy Kaminski spoke with their parents. “I have no clue what to say.” The large deputy scratched his head. “I’ve seen some crazy things on Halloween, but this takes the cake. Not finding your boy ten years ago never sat right with me. I don’t know exactly what I am going to put in my report, but let me take care of that.” “Thank you, Deputy. We know you did everything you could back then. We never faulted you,” Sheila reached out and touched the deputy’s forearm gently. “You just take your boy home when the doc clears him for release. You’ve got a lot of lost time to catch up on.” Dane and Kit were both released in the wee hours of the morning. Dane’s parents took him home and Kit’s mother took her home with her. * * * * * The followin
g afternoon, Kit’s mother drove her over to the Grissinger home. Kit’s eyes were still affected by the flash though the doctor said it should not be permanent. He told her to keep out of bright light for a few days and to seek more help if it didn’t clear up by then. She didn’t care. She had to see Dane. Kit knocked on the door. Frank answered. “Come on in Kit. Dane’s awake now.” He led her to Dane’s room. Frank and Sheila had kept it the same as it was before Dane disappeared. Kit peeked inside, blinking. “Kit-Kat,” Dane smiled. “You came.” “Of course I did, you goofball.” She walked inside and Frank closed the door behind her. “It’s been a long time since we were in here together,” Dane mused aloud.
