Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color

by Sèphera Girón

  Dorothy looked enviously at Jessica’s tight trim body.

  She must weigh barely 100 pounds and that’s just because she has those huge biceps. And boy, her ass is something I’d die for. How does she get it so round?

  “You can look like this too, Dorothy, if you’d just put in the time. I’ll even help you. I’ve told you before.”

  “Yes, I know. But I’m working at the store so much and...”

  “Yet you are here now. You can come and do some training with me once you get changed.”

  “Oh... I don’t know... I just... so tired.”

  Jessica laughed.

  “I know you’re tired, I can see your face. You’re bursting with happiness but can barely stand. I’d recommend some gentle stretches, maybe some arm work, and then go home and sleep. You know, sleep is an exercise too.”

  “Haha. I’m all backwards and screwed up since that TV show came to town.”

  “You have the hots for Oscar, I know. He’s so cute. He’s in here all the time.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you think I should have a one-night stand with him? I’ve tried to flirt with him, but he’s so focussed on just coming in and working out and getting out.”

  “Maybe he’s trying to remember his lines,” Dorothy said. A pang of jealousy swept through her. What was Jessica thinking? Why would she try to home in on her Oscar? It hadn’t occurred to Dorothy that Oscar would see other people besides herself while he was in town. Now her guard was up.

  “Maybe... he has someone,” Jessica mused. “But I thought I read he’s divorced which is why I was hoping to seduce him. But enough about my crushes. Tell me, what are you doing that you look so good... not that you usually don’t, but you know what I mean.”

  “Just working hard. I got to work on that TV show a bit and that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”

  “Okay, now I’m super jealous,” said Jessica. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing, really. Just stood in a doorway, the first day. The next day I got to be a party guest. And the next day, I had to walk down the street. I’m a super star now!”

  “Still, very cool. I’ll watch for you when it’s on.”

  “I hope I make the cut! Anyway, I gotta get changed. I don’t have forever today.”

  As Dorothy walked on the treadmill, she watched Jessica flit around the gym. How dare Jessica try to go for Oscar? But of course, Jessica didn’t know about Dorothy and Oscar. And Dorothy wasn’t going to tell her.

  * * *

  The witches returned to A Hearse of a Different Color. This time the group consisted of Dorothy, Maggie, Madeline, Lily and Toni. They came carrying bags of tools and Madeline carried a big book wrapped in satin. They stood on the steps of the building, as they watched the shadows in the windows, the fog circling around the turrets, ghostly faces glimpsing out here and there.

  “Do you feel anything, Lily?” Dorothy asked the others.

  Lily nodded, her green eyes shining brighter than usual. “Most definitely. There’s something going on in here, no question. I mean, besides the usual essence that I’ve felt around funeral homes.”

  “What about you, Toni? Anything?”

  Toni put up her hands, as she looked up at the turrets. The sky was a kaleidoscope of setting sun orange and reds against blue. “Yes, of course. There’s lots here. I just hope we’re strong enough to deal with it.”

  “Shhh,” said Madeline. “You must stay positive. We can’t let them think we’re weak, even for a second.”

  “So, are we set? Are we ready? Is there anything else we need to do before I ring this bell?” Dorothy asked.

  “Ready,” Madeline said. The other witches nodded.

  “Let’s do this!”

  Dorothy lifted the heavy ring of the gargoyle knocker and let it hit the door. Within a few minutes, Aloysius answered.

  “Good evening, ladies! Thank you for coming.” He smiled. He was smartly dressed in a burgundy shirt embroidered with tiny gargoyles in black stitching across his collar and cuffs. His slim tall figure looked classic in black jeans and shiny black Doc Martens. His hair was combed, maybe even freshly washed. A pleasing fresh scent of aftershave wafted from him. He reached for Dorothy’s hand first and shook it. “Dorothy, how lovely to see you again. I’m delighted you’ve brought so many friends to help with this... issue.” Dorothy enjoyed his cool, firm grip. There was a buzzing vibration up her arm again.

  “I’m hoping we get some sort of solution or resolution tonight.” She smiled as she touched the fabric on his arm. “I like your shirt.”

  “Thank you,” he said. They locked eyes for a moment, slight smiles on both of their faces. Dorothy’s stomach fluttered. She breathed in his aftershave once more, enjoying the scent.

  As the women stepped through the door, Aloysius shook each hand. Dorothy introduced Toni and Lily.

  “I’m so pleased you can join us. This is fantastic,” said Aloysius. “Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?”

  “No,” said Dorothy. “Let’s get to work first and see what happens. Our best bet is the basement.”

  They went down to the basement.

  “Do whatever you need to do,” said Aloysius. “This place has been destroyed and put back together dozens of times since I’ve arrived so you really can’t do it any harm.”

  Madeline pulled a large piece of black material from her bag and draped it over one of the tables. She carefully placed the large book on it. The rest of the witches placed their bags onto another table.

  “First, the circle,” Dorothy said. She took a container of blessed sea salt from her bag and poured it into a huge circle that went around the room.

  The witches worked quickly setting up little pots of smoking frankincense at points of the star as well as various gemstones. Lily brought out a cauldron. Maggie filled it with liquid. Several jars and vials filled with potions and herbs were removed from a little case.

  The witches organized the items, preparing mixtures, moving items from vials to cauldron to the steaming incense pots. The room began to fill with translucent smoke and a vile smell.

  Madeline brought the book into the circle. Dorothy lifted one of her crystal balls.

  The room was suddenly dark as the lights all blinked off at the same time. The sound of the generator running stopped. Anything humming or buzzing ceased.

  Aloysius turned on his cellphone flashlight.

  “How long do you think power will be off?” he asked. “The refrigerators have... well... I just don’t want them to be off too long.”

  “Oh, no. Don’t worry. The power will only be off while we’re conducting the spell. We have to get rid of whatever’s happening in here once and for all.”

  The witches stood inside various points of the salt circle.

  “Where should I be?” Aloysius asked.

  “You can stay to the side until we call you. And you can turn off your phone now.”

  Madeline began to hum and soon the rest of the witches joined in. Toni threw several petals of various herbs into the cauldron that was in the centre of the circle.

  The cauldron emitted small bursts of steam. The smell of burning leaves, of pungent herbs, of strange ointments filled the room. There was a bit of light from the cauldron as it sparked and hissed.

  Lily led the opening prayer. The witches hummed softly under her words. When Lily was finished, Dorothy spoke.

  “We now call on Aloysius to enter the circle.”

  Aloysius made his way towards the cauldron. Although he was tall and intimidating, his nervousness was clear on his face in the shadows. He licked his lips nervously watching the witches.

  The witches chanting grew louder.

  Then, suddenly, they stopped.

  Toni picked up the bell and rang it. Lily and Maggie walked towards the cauldron. Lily put a large plate on the ground while Maggie added a piece of charcoal. She lit it on fire. The charcoal flamed up in a blue arc, dancing around the c
harcoal bit until it took hold and then burned. Maggie added several pieces of incenses. The pieces caught fire as well, bursting into flame and then smoldering, plumes of grey smoke mixing with the rest.

  Dorothy brought her ball into the center, placing it gently on a stand. Inside the crystal, shadows danced, light and dark, edges smooth and jagged.

  Something flew out of the cauldron then circled the room which caused whatever else was in the room to start screaming.

  There were shrieks so loud and so high, so deep and so tragic that Dorothy thought her mind would break.

  The room swirled as if a tornado wind had suddenly blown up mixing smoke and smells and spirits and items flying from the shelves into a whirling vortex. The witch’s dresses fluttered in the wind, their hair jumbled messes.

  “Hold hands,” Dorothy said. Dorothy went over to Aloysius and took his hand with one of her hands, and Maggie took her other.

  The storm raged through the room as the witches braced against it. The screams, the horrible cries, the smells, all echoed violently.

  “We have to perform the final incantation,” said Dorothy.

  The witches hummed and chanted. Aloysius squeezed his eyes tight against the creatures that were revealing themselves in their horrific forms. Shadows made flesh, faces mutated and condescending.

  Dorothy saw who else was there behind so many of the shadows.

  “You!” she said. “You’re the one that’s behind all this.”

  “I’m not behind any of this,” he said. “I was drawn in by your spells. You drew in everyone. I don’t know what you’re trying to do but you’re not doing what you need to do.”

  “No, you’re just tricking me as you do.” Dorothy said to the tall shadow with goat horns and goat legs.

  “You speak lies,” the shadow said.

  “We’ve always spoken lies,” Dorothy said.

  “No, that’s not true. Have you not been enjoying your time with the TV show people?” he sneered.

  “That’s nothing to do with what’s happening here. The dead need to stay dead when they’re in the funeral home. We can’t have them wandering around the city when they don’t know what they’re doing yet.”

  While Dorothy confronted her ex, spirits soared and screamed around them in swirling waves. The other witches stood firm, holding their hands, muttering their chants.

  “Everyone knows what they’re doing in Hermana,” he said. “The trouble is you want to control everyone in Hermana, and you can’t. No one can. We all have free will and my free will says I’m not going to listen to you and your spells. I brought you someone and yet you accuse me of horrors that were not my doing. Your protection is gone now.”

  And with that, he flew off.

  Dorothy felt as though a rope had been jerked through her stomach and then a big gaping hole was left. She took a deep breath.

  I can’t let him distract me from my job. He’s not relevant to what is going on here.

  The witches chanted together, holding hands. The cauldron crackled, illuminating the room when sparks spit up high and then settled back.

  “Bring peace to this home. Bless this funeral home. Let the spirits who come here rest peacefully or move on.”

  The witches sang a song, as the room hummed and swirled. As the energy in the room calmed, they finished their prayers and chants.

  “Blessed be,” They whispered.

  The power kicked back on.

  Aloysius stood, more pale then ever, his eyes wide as he looked at the witches in wonderment.

  “That was insane,” he said as he tried to compose himself.

  “We’ll see how it goes. I’m not convinced we’ve actually solved the problem...” Dorothy said.

  “Sounded like a jealous ex,” Maggie said to Dorothy.

  “Don’t we all have them?” Dorothy said. “Kind of goes with the territory.”

  “But the rest though,” Madeline said. “It seems like maybe they have settled a bit. Maybe a lot...”

  “We gave it our best despite the interruption,” Lily said. “It feels a bit better in here.”

  The witches gathered up their belongings while Aloysius stared around the room, as if he expected the refrigerators to fly open again. But everything stayed still.

  “We may have to come back again next month,” said Madeline. “We’ll have to see how it goes.”

  Aloysius looked around the room now that the lights had snapped back on. His face was relaxed. A small smile touched his mouth.

  “Certainly. And please, send me an invoice for this wonderful work. I’ll pay it right away,” he said.

  They all made their way back up the stairs. Dorothy looked at the shadows in the ceilings, the images in the wood paneling. Everything, everyone had calmed right down. There were merely flutters, ideas floating in and out of the rooms and nothing more.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Hermit: Find the inner truth.

  “What do you see?” Oscar asked Dorothy as she peered into the crystal ball.

  They were sitting in Dorothy’s reading parlor with all of her balls surrounding them on their various tables and pedestals. It was dark and late. The only light in the room was from the flickering of candles.

  Dorothy was using one of her medium-sized balls. Oscar sat across from her, comfortable in his jeans and a black T-shirt. He had been released early from the shoot and luckily, Dorothy was also finished working for the day, so they were able to meet at her house.

  “You’ve had a turbulent past. And yes, I know, that sounds so cliché and hey, haven’t we all? But let’s focus on the reality. You had some issues. Big ones.”

  “Yes, I have. I’ve had to battle some human monsters, I guess.”

  “Pretty horrific. Perhaps not like the rest of us.”

  “I don’t know. Abuse is abuse, right? Regardless of who it is and how old you are.”

  “You’ve made some choices you’re not proud of, and some of them likely are the reason your marriage ended.”

  Oscar sucked in a big gulp of air and then exhaled.

  “I don’t really like discussing past relationships with people I’m currently seeing, but of course, I’ve never dated a witch before. Though I’ve had many readings in my life.”

  “Well, let’s pretend that we’re not dating, and I’m just reading what I see. Maybe it’s helpful, maybe it’s not.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Oscar said.

  Dorothy continued to stare at the ball. She felt the energy in the room shifting, the Black Mass rolling in.

  This is not the time.

  The Black Mass was heavy and full, blocking out what little lights from the streets poured into her window. She focused even more on the images in the ball and ignored the nagging Black Mass energy.

  “You wanted to be an actor since you were a little kid,” she said. The Black Mass rippled. Oscar nodded.

  “You’ve worked very hard. Plays in school, acting classes even though some of the kids teased you, and even a year of ballet. Interesting.” Dorothy said.

  “So far, you’re correct.”

  “Once you got out of high school, you went to a great college. But I didn’t need the ball for that, I’ve read your bio. However, the ball certainly resonates with all of it.”

  “What is my future? Do I have one? Will I get to always be an actor or will it all fall apart?”

  Dorothy looked up at him. The Black Mass had nearly finished rolling through the room.

  “You know, fortune-telling isn’t set in stone, although, ironically I’m looking at stone to tell your fortune,” Dorothy said. “I can tell you all kinds of things but it’s up to you to use your free will. Every choice you make changes the direction of your journey. You may sometimes be presented with choices that don’t seem to resonate with the journey you hope for, yet that choice might be the perfect choice for whatever lies ahead.” Dorothy said.

  “No second-guessing allowed?” Oscar asked.

  “It
’s more about having an open heart and open mind... yet at the same time, trusting your intuition, trusting you’re on the right path.”

  “So simple and yet so complicated.”

  “These things always are!”

  “You’ve not answered the question though, do fame and fortune lie ahead?” he asked.

  “Fame and fortune are already here for you,” Dorothy said.

  “I’m at the beginning of what I hope is a many decade ride, but is it really going to be that?”

  Dorothy smiled.

  “Outlook looks good,” she smiled. “Signs point to yes.”

  “Hey, don’t you Magic 8-Ball me!” he said. “I’m here for a real reading from a real witch, not a novelty toy.”

  “Well, Mr. Dominion, your future is very bright. Not only TV, but many movies, a house or two, another marriage... lots of traveling, lots of good times.”

  “Another marriage...” Oscar said wistfully. “Hmmmm.”

  “Not for a long time. You need to get over your divorce and you need to get further on with your career. However, and this is not any indication of what I see in the ball, but just from years of reading for regular folk and superstars, get a pre-nup. If at all possible, get a pre-nup. You don’t want to work hard for 40 years of your life and then meet someone who claims to love you, but they are only in it for your money, to break your heart. We all see it everywhere. Don’t be that person.”

  “I’ve just been through that.”

  “Yes, but you are just beginning your magnificent career. You’re only three or four years into real celebrityhood. There’s so much more to come. Don’t let anyone destroy it.”

  “What about you?” Oscar asked. “Where do you fit into my future?” He leaned over the ball; his beautiful eyes wide with questions. The Black Mass had finally rolled from the room. Dorothy breathed a sign of relief.

  “I’m here right now. I’m your present,” Dorothy said as she peered into the ball. She didn’t look for herself in his future. She didn’t want to know.

  “When you get a couple of million together, buy property in New York, Toronto, and or L.A. Although I would say L.A. last because even though you live there now, and will do most of your career there, I’m not positive about how the real estate will be there. I’m no realtor, but with the climate change and extreme weather and the threat of more earthquakes, you may consider actually buying there last because you may have trouble making a decent profit. Unless, of course, you find a deal where it’s cheaper to own than to rent.”