The Ladies of Horror
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The Hourglass
by Kathleen McCluskey

The interloper was unaware of her critical mistake laying the mythic genius’ tarot cards beside the cursed hourglass.  The mystic had been destined by blood to protect the ancient curse that lay inside of the hourglass. The ancestral women of the priestess were ordained with the task of sealing the wraith inside the glass tomb. The sand itself acted as a buffer between the real world and the underworld.

The witch now lay dead on her shop floor. Her solemn promise to the past generations was now broken. The world will soon be in the hands of a very powerful wraith.  Her dead eyes stared up at the hourglass. She could only watch from the afterlife as the murderer donned her necklaces and headdress as if she were the psychic reader. She adjusted her clothing and smiled in the mirror.

As she turned the sign on the door from closed to open she heard the sound of cracking glass. Not being familiar with the cluttered fortune teller shop she had no idea what was out of place. She looked around trying to see where the noise had come from. She walked over to the window and pulled open the curtain. The executioner had a large chill run down her spine and knew instantly that there was a presence behind her. She spun around ready to defend herself. The wraith grabbed her around the neck with his icy skeletal hands. She tried to scream but no sound would come. He pulled her close to his boney face and hissed in her face. The last thing she saw before he took her life was a pile of sand with broken glass on the floor.

The wraith took the deck of tarot cards and placed them in a large cloak that hung on the back door. He now was ready to take the world by surprise. His black skeleton would be nearly impossible to see in the darkness and he counted on it.

Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!