Prom Failure

         It was a darky and stormy night. Literally! It was very dark and extremely
stormy. Ashley had spent the last several hours crying her eyes out. Matt, the
boy she's had a crush on for so many years, turned down her invitation to prom.
He was her last chance. Now it was gone.

         She sat in her room, staring out the rain-streaked window at the blurry
street below. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. The more
she thought about it the more upset she seemed to get. But that sadness quickly
turned to anger. How dare he turn her down? It wasn't like he could get any better.

         She had an idea. Why not curse him? She had collected books of witchcraft and wicca secrets for years, never thinking that she would have any use for them. They were just a collection. It was just now that she thought she might open one.

         She grabbed the first book on her shelf, flipping through the pages
for something that could fuel the idea she had set in her mind. She stopped.
The page before her was all about potions and curses. Combine a curse and potion?
The ingredients were simple, the chant even easier. It was perfect.
         
         She ran down the stairs and gathered all the items to make the potion.
She poured them in a bowl and began to chant. 10 times she repeated the curse.
The combination she chose would cover Matt's face and body with puss-filled
boils. Painful and embarrassing. Just the right thing for revenge.

         When she finished she went down stairs and plopped down on the couch.She flipped on the television, satisfied now that her revenge was taking effect.
That was when the phone rang.
         
         She picked it up without a second thought. "Hello?" No reply. Only the
faint sound of rain in the backround. Then a dial tone. It scared her but she shook
it off.
                   
         Then it rang again. She picked it up. "Hello?" No reply, only rain. "This
isn't funny!" she shouted into the mouthpiece. She got no response, just a dial
tone.

         Now she was a little scared. This wasn't normal. So she went to the kitchen to fix herself some popcorn. She thought if she watched a movie she could shake off the fear.
         
         The doorbell rang. It's faint echo mingling with the sound of the popping
popcorn. Ashley's eyes narrowed, her body shook. She decided not to open the door, but she was curious. So she ran to the window, throwing back the curtains, and looked outside. Standing the doorway was a hooded figure.

         "Just a raincoat." she thought to herself. Reassuring the frightened half
of her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

         The bell did not stop ringing. She shivered. She did not have a good feeling about the visitor, but she wanted to open the door.

         She walked through the hallway to the door, resting her hand on the door
handle. She hesitated. Again the bell rang. Finally she turned the knob.

         The hooded figure burst into the room, forcing her back. She could see
nothing of his face or body. It was all concealed by the hood. Her mouth was open,
her body was shaking, and it appeared to her that she had lost her voice.

         The hooded figure moved forward approaching slowly, but surely. AShley
tried to move, but found that she had no control over her legs. They were rooted in
place.

         The figure finally reached her, extending a hidden hand. Ashley looked down.The hood fell off exposing a boil-covered, puss-stained hand. She shuddered, but couldn't scream. The hand turned over and slowly cracked open. In the hand was a small sheet of paper. Ashley looked down and her eyes widened. She couldn't handle it anymore. She fell backwards, fainting on the spot. In the grotesque, puss-covered hand sat a prom ticket, the one she had given to Matt that very same day.