Accursed Magic

Prompt #1

                                             

    “Wake up Angie! Oh my God! Oh my God!”

    My eyes flew open, and I sat up. The frantic cries of my maker filled the small apartment, and fear pulled at the pit of my stomach. As long as I’d known Nettie (a little over ten years) she’d never been anything other than calm, collected, and confident. I swung my legs over the side of the small mattress and slipped into my bunny slippers while pulling on my favorite terry cloth robe. I sniffed the air, but other than the musky scent of fear there weren’t any other aromas worth noting.

    Poking my head out of the doorway, hesitant to make my presence known, I studied the narrow hallway of our apartment. It was as non-descript as ever, the living room light at the end indicating that’s where I’d find Nettie. I tied the robe's sash to hide the Billy Idol shirt I’d worn to bed. I totally wasn't in the mood to listen to one of Nettie's lectures about music.   

    Rubbing my eyes and smoothing my wild curly hair, I entered the living room. Nettie was anxiously pacing around the coffee table. Bloody tears were running down her alabaster face, and her chin quivered as she sobbed. My heart broke the moment I laid eyes on her. I wrapped my small frame around her considerably bigger one and stroked her face lovingly while whispering soothing words in her ear. After several moments she calmed down enough to speak.

    “It’s Robert,” she exclaimed in-between sobs, her voice pitiful and small, “He’s been cursed!”

    My eyes grew wide and lips pulled down in a grimace. Granted, we’re vampires and have several abilities one might consider otherworldly, but magic, seriously? Nettie had never told me magic was real, and she had turned me over ten years ago. You’d think that’d be something worth mentioning to your progeny. I pushed aside my annoyance with being left out of the loop (something I simply cannot stand!) and spoke in the most assuring voice possible.

    “Tell me what happened. I’m sure we can fix whatever it is.”

    Nettie looked at me miserably, her eyes brimming with tears. With her head hung low and shoulders slumped she walked across the room and retrieved a small metal figurine that I hadn’t noticed sitting on the end table beside the couch. She came back to where I stood and held it at eye level for me to examine. It was silver and plain, the shape of a man, but other than that as unremarkable as could be.

    “Okay…” I began, unsure how to respond. “Did Robert buy that for you?” Nettie flinched at her lover's name and stifled back a sob, which is when I noticed its eyes. I gasped and my hand flew to my lips. Its eyes! They were alive and moving, looking around the room until they settled their gaze on me.

    “This IS Robert! Remember that guy I had been dating, the one with the red Ferrari?”  I nodded my head.

    “Well, I guess he took it hard when I broke up with him, and he put a curse on Robert! He must’ve thought I left him to be with Rob! I swear I didn’t know he was capable of doing something so cruel. Magic like this died out centuries ago. He must've hired someone to do it! Oh my god, Angie!” Nettie cried and collapsed on the couch, clutching the figurine to her chest. My mind was racing and I was shocked beyond belief.

    “How do you know it was that guy?”

    “He left this in an envelope taped to the front door. His scent was on it, and my name was written in his handwriting on the front of the envelope.”

    “Okay…so if this is a curse then all we have to do is find a book and un-curse him, right?” Nettie’s face lit up and she jumped off the couch.

    “There is a book, one that has a passage in it to undo curses. I remember it was pretty big news back in the fourteenth century! Usually you need to know the specific curse used in order to undo it, but this book is special, and kinda covers all the bases. A few years ago some historian found the original and published it! We could probably find it at the university's library!"

    Before I could protest she was putting her coat on and throwing a pair of jeans and shoes at me.
                                                ************
    My stomach growled and fangs pricked at my lips as I scanned the unusually large occult section. Nettie was downstairs looking through the history section. It would have made our lives a lot easier if she could remember the historian’s name. Nettie was a free spirit, and not one for detail. I kept thinking about Robert, unable to move or speak or feed. It made me shudder just thinking about him. I picked up a worn looking book with yellowed pages and began scanning it. While I was reading the book, a soft sound -- one that would have gone undetected by human ears -- roused me from my task. I looked up, scanned the darkness, and saw nothing. I was about to grab another book but saw something out of the corner of my eye. Intrigued and slightly hopeful (I hadn’t fed yet and was in dire need of a pick me up!) I left the book stacks and walked towards the back room. Cocking my head to the side, I sniffed at the air. An unusual scent bombarded my senses and I began to salivate. Nettie would be furious if she found me wandering around, but five minutes wouldn’t hurt, would it?

    The scent led me to the storeroom/ employee lounge. I looked around at the massive space, impressed. Thousands of books lined the walls, and a beautiful mahogany table with bench seats -- surrounded by vending machines -- took up a quarter of the area. Emergency lights cast the room in a dim red glow, and awkward shadows gave the room an eerie feel. Goosebumps covered my arms and my spine began to tingle. A girlish giggle pushed past my lips and I immediately silenced myself. I was actually freaked out! Thanks to being a vampire, I couldn't remember the last time anything had intimidated me. I felt like a kid riding her first roller coaster or something. Strolling along the books, running my fingers over the different textured bindings, and breathing in the musky scent of dust and old paper, it was easy to forget the unusual circumstances that had led to our nightly library visit. Suddenly, a loud bang reverberated throughout the silent room, causing me to turn around, fangs out and fists ready. The emergency lights flickered several times and then went out altogether.

    “Nettie?” I called out, my voice quivering. I definitely wasn’t enjoying this anymore. My vampire eyes could still see despite the all encompassing darkness, but not well. “Time to go.” I mumbled to myself, heading in the direction of the exit. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had the overwhelming feeling I was being watched. When the door came into sight I quickened my pace , but before I could make it past the table a cold breeze blew through the room ruffling my hair and burning my cheeks with its intense chill. A powerful force pushed passed me and a book flew from the wall and onto the table with a loud thud. I was frozen in place by fear and confusion. The book opened, as if someone was reading it, and the pages flicked one after the other in quick succession. I was scared and unsure what to do. Finally, the pages stopped moving and the book sat still and unchanging in the middle of the table. I tried running to the door but when I got within reach of it I was thrown back to the table by an unseen assailant. I cried out in fear and agitation, ready to fight but unable to. 

    The book flew from the table and into my hands, the pages still open. The emergency lights came back on making it much easier to see. I examined the room but everything was normal. I looked down at the book. It was written in another language, but there were handwritten notations lining the columns beside the passages. I strained to decipher the words. With each passing second I grew more and more excited, until a Cheshire grin filled my face and my hands were shaking with joy. This was the book we needed! The notations referred to an ancient spell used to wipe away a curse, no matter the origin! The passage was a mere ten lines long. I studied the odd words for a few minutes, trying to make sense of them. Without realizing it I began sounding them out as I studied them, in an attempt to make sense of the odd language . When I finished reading the last word the book dropped from my hands and flew back onto the shelf. I was about to walk over to retrieve it when the oddest sensation, like being submerged into a pool of ice, overcame me. Gasping in agony, I fell to the floor, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. A vortex of light opened up infront of me and quickly englufed my body. Gradually the blinding glare faded as did the pain. Cautiously, I stood up.

    “Hello,” said a gravely voice behind me. I spun on my heel and was face to face with a middle aged man with graying hair and bright green eyes that glistened with mischief.

    “Who are you?”

    “Please forgive me. I had no intention of harming you. You haven’t any idea how long I’ve waited for this unique opportunity! When you and that lovely young woman came here looking for a way to remove a curse I couldn’t believe my luck!”
I lunged at the man, arms extended; totally ready to feed from him, but when I reached him I passed right through him.

    “What are you, a ghost or something?”

    The man chuckled smugly and brought a finger to his thin lips, his index finger tapping at his upper lip while he thought.

    “I WAS a ghost. Now you are my dear.”

    My skin turned to ice and throat closed up with fear. I went to sit on the table’s bench but passed through that as well.

    “You’ll get used to it. And, perhaps, in a few centuries, like I did, you’ll learn how to move small things like books or pencils.”

    “But I’m not dead!”

    “You read from that book, and undid a curse, MY curse. I was cursed to be a ghost and when you made me corporeal again you took my place. That’s the way it is in magic, an eye for an eye, if you know what I mean.”

    Before I could respond he left the room. I stood there horrified and crying, unable to believe my stupidity!

    “Angie?” Nettie entered the store room, the figurine of Robert in her hand. I ran over to her and began speaking but she couldn’t see or hear me. She walked through the storeroom for a few minutes and then left. I stood in the doorway and stared after her, watching as her silhouette disappeared down the hall.

    “Well, I guess I better start practicing…”


WORD COUNT: 1,907
If I should win I’d like a badge instead of gift points. Thanks 