by Paul Martin
Carolyn gasped as his iron hard penis impaled her, his thrusts coming hard and fast, intensifying the smoldering fire inside her to inferno levels within seconds. He reached one hand around to her inflamed clit, rubbing with an intensity that quickly drove her back to the edge. His other hand slid to a breast, twisting and pulling on her nipple. When he released her nipple and stung her butt with a sharp slap, Carolyn’s core erupted like a volcano; lava hot juices flowed swifter than the Colorado River in spring. Caleb continued pumping until his cock erupted in wave after wave of pulsating euphoria.
Falling onto her side with Caleb still inside her, his arms wrapped lovingly around her, Carolyn never felt safer or more loved. She wanted this night to never end, to share her bed with Caleb for the rest of her life. A single tear fell to her pillow as she knew her dream would not come to pass. There would be no fairy tale ending for them.
* * * *
All Hallows Eve dawned with long peals of thunder rattling Carolyn’s windows. Last night’s wispy black clouds were now thicker than thieves were and promised to let loose with a deluge not seen since Noah. Carolyn didn’t need to roll over to know Caleb had left her side, gone forever.
Chester jumped on the bed, sat down, and stared intently at her. Carolyn patted the bed alongside her to coax him closer, and when he settled next to her, Carolyn stroked his sleek hair, saying, “You’re always here for me when I need you the most, aren’t you, my dear Chester? It was right after Mom died when I found you sitting by my front door, and you’re still here for me when I’m losing Caleb.”
Chester watched Carolyn intently, almost as if he understood every word she said. His tail curled and uncurled, his soft purring helping to soothe her shattered heart, giving her strength for what she had to do today. Carolyn lay there for a few minutes, absorbing Chester’s love before getting up to take a much needed shower.
At the store, she went straight to her workshop and buried herself in seeding rosemary starter pots. She had been looking forward to freeing Caleb, and now, she dreaded going to the séance, for what she would do to the man she loved. Telling herself that she was doing this for Caleb didn’t make her pain any easier to bear.
After what seemed like only an hour, Maggie came to say she had locked the store and was ready to go. The eager look on Maggie’s face caused her heart to plummet. Reluctantly, Carolyn put away her potting tools and the two drove to her house for dinner. Carolyn threw a chicken in the oven to broil, rice on to boil, and then prepared a three-bean salad. She tried to show an interest in Maggie’s story about the infamous costume party she attended the previous night, nodding occasionally and laughing when Maggie laughed. Her mind however, was hours from then.
Adele and Sarah showed at ten as the storm outside started to let loose its fury. Once Carolyn introduced Maggie, Sarah took Maggie into the library to test her potential as a witch while Adele and Carolyn talked in the kitchen. “I sense you’re still troubled.”
Carolyn stood and began pacing. “I keep trying to find a way around this. I don’t want to lose Caleb, but I can’t doom him forever like Caroline did. There must be a way around this. Don’t you have any ideas?” she asked, pleaded, and begged, hoping for a last minute reprieve.
“I’m sorry, Carolyn, I don’t. Magic has its boundaries, and I’m afraid what you’re asking for is beyond its limit.”
Carolyn sat next to Adele, resigned to her fate, “Then I guess I’m left without a choice. I’ll let Caleb go if that is the price I must pay. I only hope I can summon the strength to go through with the séance now.”
Adele remained silent, for which Carolyn silently thanked her. She knew Adele and her other sisters in the coven would support her no matter what decision she made, but she thought she would scream if she heard any worn out clichés or platitudes, no matter how well intentioned.
Sarah and a grinning Maggie emerged from the library. “Carolyn, I’m pleased to tell you your cousin shows a definite potential for the craft. In time, with the proper training, she may become a very proper witch.”
“That’s great, Mags. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Cuz. Hey! We can go to witch school together. You know? Spells 101 or whatever they call it.”
“Just as long as you don’t turn me into a frog,” Carolyn quipped, trying hard not to let her sadness show.
Adele stood, smoothed the wrinkles from her dress, and said, “I’m happy for you too, Maggie. Ladies, midnight is almost upon us, shall we prepare for the séance?”
Carolyn got up, opened a cupboard, and pulled out a small box filled with candles and incense. “I gathered everything Sarah said we would need.”
Adele took four small candles from the box and said, “I think we’ll use the kitchen, easier for us to hold hands. Why don’t you and Maggie place the candles and the incense around the room? After you light them, turn out the lights, please.”
Adele placed the candles at the north, east, south, and west positions on the table. Sarah took a clump of sage grass and wiped the table to cleanse the bad spirits away. Sarah then walked around the table saying, “Let it be known the circle is being cast.” After a complete circuit, she moved closer to the table and lit the east candle saying, “Guardian of the East, I call upon you to protect the rights of the Wexford House Coven. Watch over all who enter this circle in perfect love and trust.”
Moving clockwise, Sarah repeated the chant at all four corners, calling on each Guardian to protect them from harm. “The circle is cast,” she said. Then, pointing to Adele, she asked, “How do you enter the circle?”
Adele answered, “In perfect love and trust.” Adele took her chair and sat.
Sarah repeated the question to Carolyn and Maggie who answered the same as Adele. Before taking her seat, Sarah said, “I, Sarah Burns, High Priestess of Wexford House Coven, enter in complete love and trust.” She sat and extended a hand to Adele and another to Maggie.
Carolyn hesitated before sitting. There’s no going back now. Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she took Adele’s and Maggie’s hands in hers. Goddesses? This is your last chance to help me. I hope you’re listening.
Sarah closed hers eyes and began humming softly. Soon, her eyes started rolling rapidly back and forth under her closed eyelids, and in a loud voice, she said, “Caroline Wexford Harrison, we respectfully call upon you to join us in this circle. It is very important we talk with you.” The third time Sarah called to Caroline; a stiff, chilling breeze sprang to life in the room. Candles flickered violently in the wake and a bright, shimmering form of a woman appeared, floating serenely above the table.
“Thank you for coming, Caroline. We are forever grateful. We called you here to rectify a great wrong. Caleb Harrison, your husband, is innocent. He never cheated on you and did not deserve your wrath. We intend to prove his innocence.”
Suddenly, Maggie slumped to the table. Slowly, she lifted her head and said in a shrill hiss, “I do not believe you. I saw Caleb and that bitch, Ellie, with my own eyes. Naked they were. Fornicators they are. Cheater he is.”
Carolyn couldn't believe what she heard. Maggie’s voice didn’t sound anything like her; the timbre was higher, almost screeching. The reality of what they were attempting hit her like a charging bull elephant. It’s really happening! Caroline is speaking through Maggie!
Sarah spoke again, “Caroline, Ellie discovered the secret passage leading from the upstairs to the library. Ellie drugged Caleb with his nightly tea in order to set the scene for you to discover in the morning. She wanted you to catch them so you would leave Caleb. She wanted him for herself.”
The wind picked up again, and Carolyn heard the storm outside the house matching the one inside. Huge raindrops pelted the windowpanes, threatening to break the thin glass.
The intense anger on Caroline’s ghostly face matched her words. “You lie!” she screamed. “Caleb cheated on me and nothing you say will change my mind. He will remain cursed for the rest of time.”
&
nbsp; Carolyn had enough. Giving Caleb up was hard enough, but to stomach listening to her dead aunt call her a liar was beyond her limits. “Aunt Caroline, I do not lie. Caleb has always been true to you.”
All of the doubts and questions nagging her suddenly fell into place as Carolyn realized the whole story about what really happened on that long ago night. “Caleb wasn’t the one who had the affair. You did,” Carolyn accused her. “You hired Ellie and her husband so your lover would be close to you. Your guilt made you accuse Caleb of what only you were doing. Don’t deny it.”
Caroline’s ghostly form turned into a small tornado, whirling frantically above the table. Maggie’s eyes rolled up in their sockets. “How dare you accuse me!”
Carolyn's entire body blazed with a blinding aura, sparks flying from her fingertips. A new wind picked up, creating a rainstorm inside the house, matching the tempest outside. Carolyn stood with such force her chair flew against the wall, shattering into a hundred pieces.
Pointing her finger at her aunt, Carolyn screamed, “I dare because I know the truth. You grew up in this house. Only you would know about the passageways. You encouraged Ellie to go after Caleb, showing her the passages. You wanted both Ellie and Caleb out of the way, so you could marry Ellie’s husband. You didn’t love Caleb. Your father forced you to marry him. You wanted Ellie's husband. Why else would you hire an incompetent gardener like him? Tell me I'm wrong,” Carolyn shouted above the raging storms.
The anger on Caroline’s face faded. “You are right,” she confessed, cowering from Carolyn's fierce glare. “I loved Derrick, and I did whatever was necessary to hold on to him.”
As I will do anything to keep Caleb.
“Even to the point I falsely accused my own husband of what only I was guilty. For his sake, I did try to drive him away, and when he refused to leave, I grew more and more desperate. Caleb did not love me; he loved his garden more than he loved me. Nor did I love him. My father forced me to wed a man I had no attraction for to benefit our families' social standing. At long last, an answer to my prayers, I discovered Ellie’s secret attraction for Caleb. She was such a simple girl, easy to manipulate into my unwitting accomplice in my plan to discredit Caleb.
“Yes, I showed her how to get into the study and gave her the leaves for his tea to put him into a deep sleep. Then, when all was finished, I could not live with what I had done. Now you know why I drank my tea.” Caroline drifted over to stare at Carolyn. “I know you love Caleb and he loves you. You are blessed with what I had been too blind to see. I envy you, Niece.”
Maggie went limp, saying nothing more. Carolyn would not stop at Caroline’s admission. She had come too far, and her aura blazed brighter. “So what’s it going to be, Aunt Caroline? Will you set Caleb free or not?” she demanded.
Caroline’s spectral form stretched thin above the table, her arms wavering in the air, as if casting a spell. Caleb’s ghostly form joined her. “Caleb, I am sorry for what I did to you. I was wrong in what I did and I set you free.” Caroline said nothing more as she faded to wisps of nothing.
Caleb called to her vanishing spirit, “I forgive you, Caroline.” Then he looked down at Carolyn and said to her, “Thank you, my love.” Then, he screamed, “No!” as he too vanished in a violent, twisting whirlpool of black smoke.
The storm inside the house abruptly stopped, and Adele jumped up to catch a falling Carolyn, helping her into a chair. Maggie, previously slumped to the table, raised her head again, her eyes looking normal, as was her voice. Maggie shook her head and asked, “What happened? And why am I so wet?”
Carolyn, her aura now a faint glow, answered in a choked voice. “We succeeded. Caroline released Caleb.”
“We were? Fantastic! Where is he? I want to meet him.”
Carolyn buried her face in her hands in an attempt to dam the flood of tears. Adele explained to Maggie how with the curse broken, nothing bound him to this Earth, and Caleb moved on. Adele then checked on a limp Sarah, obviously drained from the experience. Handing Maggie a small pouch, she asked her to make tea for them with the special leaves inside the pouch. Adele went to a listless Carolyn, guided her upstairs, and put her to bed.
Adele sat on the bed next to a semi-conscious Carolyn, and said, “You are even more powerful than Sarah thinks you are. I’ve never heard of anyone with the ability to call upon all the Goddesses and tap into their powers as you did. You, my dear Sister, are a witch beyond any to come before. I only hope this won’t also be your curse.”
Chapter Eight
Carolyn felt numb and hollow inside, existing in a perpetual fog. For weeks at a stretch she'd arrive at work, not remember leaving the house, or the drive there, and vice versa. Her skin lost all color and turned pale as death itself. Her life became a meaningless blur. Nights were even lonelier for her as insomnia once again ruled her. Not even able to rest, Carolyn wandered the empty house at night, calling his name. She refused all attempts Sarah and Adele made to train her in the art of witchcraft. The price she paid so far cost her everything; she had nothing left.
Winter came and passed with her barely noticing. The last snow finally melted, the birds returned with their cheery songs, and small buds on the trees and flowers poked their heads out to sniff the warm air, yet Carolyn didn’t care. Her world died when Caleb vanished, and she continually prayed to join him, to take her from this empty life.
After another twelve-hour day at work, Carolyn drove home to find what she thought to be old clothes someone stacked on her front porch. Then the pile moved. A leg stretched out, then an arm. The pile rose and spoke to her.
“I’m sorry if I scared you, miss. You are Miss Waters, aren’t you?”
Close enough now to see his face, Carolyn stopped dead in her tracks. He had Caleb’s ice blue eyes, except a mischievous twinkle replaced the sadness in them. Under a three-day growth, she recognized the same chiseled jaw and the full lips she had kissed and craved so often. Her Caleb had come back to her.
Carolyn ran to him, threw her arms around his neck, and exclaimed, “Caleb!”
The man extricated himself from her embrace and held her at arm’s length. “I’m sorry, Miss. My name is Carl. Carl Harris. I don’t know anyone named Caleb. I heard in town you were looking for a handyman, and I sure need the work.”
Embarrassed, Carolyn backed away. “You must forgive me, Mr. Harris. You remind me of a man I used to know.”
“I understand. People are always telling me I look like somebody else. About the job? Is the position still open?”
Her heart still beating rapidly, Carolyn swallowed and said, “Yes, the job is still available if you want to apply. As you can see, this is a very old house and something always needs fixing. Are you handy with tools?”
“Yes ma’am, I can fix just about anything. If I may? This is a fine-looking home. I appreciate the love and care someone put into the construction of this house. For some strange reason I can’t explain, I get the impression I've lived here all my life. Almost as if I've came home after a long absence.”
You are, Caleb. You are home. “Thank you. I’m extremely proud of my home. This house has been in my family for over three hundred years. How are you with gardens?”
Carl laughed. “Even better. Ever since I was a little sprout, people kept telling me I had a green thumb. Horticulture is a passion of mine.”
“Excellent. Carl Harris, you are hired. Come with me. I want to show you the garden.”
Carolyn led Carl around the house to the back. As they strolled down the path deep into the maze, she explained. “I had plans to renovate this garden and I would like your opinion.”
Carl brushed back an unruly mop of hair from his forehead while he surveyed the garden. “The hedges are completely overtaken with weeds and ivy. They’ll need taken out, which will allow the sun in to breathe new life into what can be a marvelous garden.”
Carolyn nodded, “I was thinking along the same lines. I do want them taken out. All except for these
,” she said as they reached the fountain, and Carolyn pointed to the recalcitrant hedges encircling the courtyard.
“Hmm? May I make a suggestion?” Carolyn nodded. “Why not replace the hedges with rose bushes? Perhaps build a gazebo over there? I think those would add a certain amount of romance to the ambiance.”
Carolyn smiled for the first time since Caleb abruptly left her the night they lifted Caroline's curse. “Yes, I believe you're right. They would make this place almost perfect.”
“Almost?”
“Yes. I would still need the right man to share all this with to be completely perfect.”
Carl rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. “Has anyone applied for that position?”
Carolyn smiled coyly, clasped her hands behind her back, and asked teasingly, “Why? Are you applying for both positions?”
“I might.” Shifting his gaze from her, Carl turned to face the fountain. “I’ll fix this for you too. The place wouldn’t be the same without a proper working fountain.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” Carolyn said. Nor has my life been the same without you, my love. Thank you, Goddesses. Thank you for bringing my Caleb back to me.
* * * *
Spring changed into summer, summer into fall. A year passed since Carolyn’s inheritance. She and Carl married three months ago and still act as they did on their honeymoon. Making love in every room in the house at least once amazed them at how well the antique furniture held up under the pounding given them.
Carolyn and Maggie sold their store in order to pursue their individual interests. With Sarah's and Adele’s help, Carolyn delved deep into the art of witchcraft and devoted herself to being the best wife possible for Carl. Maggie went on a world cruise with the money Carolyn gave her from the inheritance, and having the time of her life, bewitching every handsome man she encounters.