by The Vampires
“ Mirror that shows things as they really are, show to me the man most perfect of all men,’ she said. And the mirror showed her this man.
“And who do you think it was?” asked Old Mozz.
“Uncle Walker,” said Rex excitedly.
“Precisely, the Phantom,” said Old Mozz.
“And the witch said, ‘He appears to be a fine specimen indeed, but who is he?’ And her familiar spirits, demons, and monsters told her, for between them, they knew all things. ‘Then bring him before me so that I may see him with my own eyes and decide if this will indeed be my mate,’ said the Gooley-Gooley witch.
“So her familiar spirit journeyed to the Deep Woods, not in the shape of a cat, but as a courtier in silks and satins. He was brought before this very Skull Throne and, with a deep bow, invited the Phantom to visit his mistress. Politely, but firmly, the Phantom refused. The courtier was shocked. No one refused an invitation from his mistress, he told him. ‘Then this will be the first time,’ said the Phantom.
“That sounds like him,” said Rex.
“The courtier returned to his mistress, becoming a cat again as soon as he was out of sight. The witch was furious. She hurled curses that shook the walls and withered flowers for a half mile around. But. this made her even more eager to behold this man. So she sent a second invitation. This invitation arrived with the same courtier and three camels loaded with gifts. These gifts were chests of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, pieces of gold, riches beyond belief.”
“Uncle Walker didn’t need that. He’s got all he wants in the cave.”
“Shh,” said Tomm. “Go on please, Uncle Mozz.”
“Once again, the Phantom refused the invitation, and when the caravan had left the Deep Woods and was out of sight, the treasure turned to dung and the camels to great creepy hairy things.
“Now the witch’s fury was even greater than before. She hurled curses that withered leaves from the trees and birds from their nests for a mile around. ‘Go back again,’ she shouted.
“Now came the third and last invitation. A caravan of milk-white horses drawing carriages, and in every carriage were the most beautiful women one could imagine. All in gold and lace and sparkling jewels. Their teeth were white and their eyes sparkled with unfulfilled love.
“ ‘My mistress begs you accept these handmaidens as a token of her esteem and asks that you visit her castle!’ said the courtier.”
“Now what would Uncle Walker do with all those women?” said Rex scornfully. “That was a silly gift.” “Shh,” said Tomm. “Go on, please.”
“Once again,” continued Old Mozz, “the Phantom refused and the milk-white horses and carriages departed. Once out of sight, the beauteous maidens and horses turned into demons and monsters, for that is what they really were, and the carriages turned into dung. And this evil host flew back to the castle, where their mistress awaited, and her fury was terrible to behold. Now she hurled curses that destroyed birds in the air and small animals on the ground for a mile around.
“ ‘Thrice he has refused me. Now shall I make no more offers. But let this be known. Unless he comes to me of his own free will, then shall the first born of the chief of each village sicken and die.’ And from her high balcony overlooking the Misty Valley far below, she hurled this curse. And that curse went like a bolt of lightning into all the villages of the jungle.
“The Phantom was told of the curse, but he laughed and said the old witch could not do that. But as time passed, the eldest son of the chief in each village did sicken and lose his strength. And the chiefs came to that Phantom and told him of this and said, ‘O Ghost Who Walks, if you do not visit the Gooley-Gooley witch, our eldest sons will surely die.’ And he saw this was true.
“Now the Phantom was angry, and he mounted upon his great white stallion Hero and raced through the jungle to the Misty Mountains. And all the jungle knew his mission, and prayed for his success.
“The witch, on her high balcony over the Misty Valley, saw him approaching with the speed of the wind, and she was prepared. He rode up the stairs, then burst into the great hall, ready to do battle with the evil witch as best he could.
“He was greeted by a woman wondrously beautiful. Her hair was black, her eyes dark, her skin pale, and she gleamed with magnificent jewels that hung from her long graceful throat, and encircled her waist, arms, and ankles. Though he did not know it, this was a woman of ancient times named Nefertiti of Egypt, in her lifetime queen of that place and acclaimed the most beautiful woman in the world. Her voice was soft and warm as she spoke, for she was happy with what she saw.
“ ‘Phantom, I have waited so long for you,’ said she.
“The Phantom was surprised. This was not the woman he expected. ‘I am told that through your curse the eldest sons of the chiefs sicken and die. Can this be true?’
“ ‘It was my wish to bring you here,’ said she.
“ ‘Why did you wish to bring me here?’ asked he.
“ ‘Can you not guess?’ she said, extending her arms to him. (Old Mozz acted out all these movements, extended his arms to the enthralled boys.) ‘I am lonely here. I yearn for a worthy mate. My mirror found you.’ The long mirror was now covered with a golden cloth.' The Phantom looked in astonishment at it, then at her, for nothing she might have said could have surprised him more.
“ ‘I thank you,’ he said, for he was always a courteous man. ‘But I have a girl whom I love.’ ”
“Diana,” whispered Rex.
“Shh,” said Tomm.
“‘I will make you forget all other women,’ said this beauty of the Nile.
“ ‘Free those eldest sons from your curse so they may live,’ he said. And she agreed, for she said, ‘I put that curse upon them so you would come here of your own free will, and so you have.’ And she stepped upon her high balcony over the Misty Valley and waved her beautiful arms and she uttered incantations. And in each village, the eldest sons were suddenly well and strong, and even in this castle high on the peak, they could hear the sounds of happiness below.
“ ‘Thank you. Now I will go,’ said the Phantom, and turned to the door.
“ ‘Wait! said she. ‘Did I not please you? Is this more to your taste?’ And he turned and was amazed to see that she was no longer Nefertiti of the Nile, but all pink and white and fluffy, a beauty in silks and satins from the court of the French king.
“ ‘I cannot stay, I must go,’ said the Phantom, for this transformation was confusing to him. But as he neared the door, a third voice spoke to him, and a tender hand touched his shoulder. And he turned to see the most beautiful woman of all. Her hair was long and blonde, her eyes the deepest blue, her skin fairer than any white cloud, her body a poet’s dream. For this was Helen of Troy of whom the poets sang, for whom men fought a war, for whom a nation fell. It is said that of all woman before and after her, none was as beautiful as this Helen of Troy.
“And now her soft hands touched his face, and her voice was sweet and gentle, and it must be said that no man, not even the Phantom, could resist this Helen. For a moment, a long moment, he was captured by her, ready to give up the world and all he knew for this most perfect of women. But as he embraced her and felt her rub softly against him, some little inner voice saved him, perhaps a friendly spirit, perhaps an ancestor. He held her by her perfect arms and took her to the long, covered mirror.
“ ‘Let me see you in your mirror that shows things as they really are,’ he said. “No! she pleaded, tears falling from her beautiful eyes, her perfect red lips whispering promises of eternal love. But he closed his eyes to shut out this tempting vision, this most beautiful and desirable woman who ever lived on this earth, and with one great sweep of his hand, he tore off the golden cloth to reveal the mirror.
“And there, in that mirror that showed things as they really are, he saw the Gooley-Gooley witch as she really was. A thousand years old, her living skeleton showing through her withered flesh. Now the creature at his side, no longer be
auteous Helen, shrieked curses and maledictions. The walls and ceiling shook, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the familiar spirits, demons, and monsters poured into the great hall.
“ ‘Kill him, kill him,’ she shrieked, and they went at him all together, the flying demons, and crawling things and monstrous shapes. And they bit and clawed and battered and slashed. But using all his mighty strength, he battled them. He battled his way through that howling mob of familiar spirits, demons, and monsters and reached the doors of the great hall. Down the stairs he ran, with the creatures after him. He leaped upon Hero, his great white stallion, and raced down the mountainside. But the creatures stopped at the bottom stair, for that was as far as they could go, “Now as the thunder roared, the lightning flashed, and the very earth shook, he raced down that steep slope. And above on the high balcony, the ancient witch stood, her arms stretched out to him crying, ‘Phantom, Phantom, come back to me.’ He did not heed, but raced on. Then as he neared the safety of the jungle, he looked back once more to see her on that balcony high above the Misty Valley, with her creatures swarming about her as she cried. And there was a tremendous explosion and flash of light and the entire castle disappeared into nothing as though it had never been there. It was gone, and all that inhabited that evil place were gone with it.
“But it is said,” concluded Old Mozz, “that each year on the night of All hallows eve, that night when the demons soar in the upper air, the castle appears atop the peak, and there upon the balcony one can see for a brief moment, the Gooley-Gooley witch, surrounded by her familiar spirits, her demons, and her monsters, as she stretches out her ancient withered arms and cries in piteous tones, ‘Phantom, Phantom, come back to me.’ ”
That was the end of it. “Did that really happen?” said Rex, dazed by this story.
“As I told you.”
“But what else?” said Tomm.
Old Mozz remained silent like a statue. The story was finished. There was nothing else to be said. At that moment, the Phantom himself rode slowly toward the Skull Cave on Hero. He dismounted, waved to them, and walked toward the Skull Throne. The two boys stared at him, for once in their young lives, speechless.