The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Veni Ad, Mi Amor
by Naching T. Kassa

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Lucy asked.

I placed the last candle and glanced up at her. “It’s what I read in Mom’s spellbook. Place the pumpkin, place the candles, stare into a mirror on Halloween, and you’ll see your soulmate.”

Lucy shivered. “I’m a little scared, Mena. What if I don’t like the guy?”

I stared at her. Sometimes, the girl could be a real dunce. “He’s your soulmate. There’s no way you’ll dislike him. He’s the perfect guy.”

“You thought Jason Meyers was the perfect guy. Look what happened there.”

This time, I shivered. The biggest mistake of my life had been arrested two years ago for murder. As far as I knew, he was still an inmate at Bellingham Correctional.

“Oh, Mena. I’m so sorry,” Lucy said. “I didn’t mean to bring him up. I’m so nervous, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“It’s ok. I never saw Chad in the mirror. Thank God.”

“Who did you see?”

I didn’t answer.

“Mena, who?”

“If you must know, Lucy, this is the first time I’ve actually done this ritual. But I’ve watched Mom do it. Some of her clients wanted to know before they signed the prenup.”

“This is your first time? What if you do it wrong?”

I lit the candles. “It’s impossible to get this ritual wrong. You light candles around a pumpkin and look in a mirror at midnight.”

Lucy squinted at me; her face scrunched in the candlelight. “What about incantations? Aren’t you supposed to say some magic words or something?”

“Only if you want the guy here now.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

“I don’t recommend it. If he isn’t a believer in the craft, teleportation could drive him insane.” I checked my watch. “Two minutes to midnight. You’ve got the mirror, right?”

“Right here.”

“Good. Now we w—”

I heard it then. The soft shuffle of footsteps through dry leaves. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun. I scanned the cemetery, searching for a shadow that didn’t belong.

“What is it?” Lucy asked. She’d gone pale, even beneath the glow of the moon.

“I thought I heard something.”

“Mena Murray, you stop it. Stop it right now.”

“Stop what?”

“Trying to scare me.”

“Lucy, I’m not—”

The alarm on my watch sounded. Midnight had arrived.

I took the mirror from Lucy’s hand and tipped it so both her face and the full moon were reflected. The image rippled, and a young man’s face appeared. His brown eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

“Wow!” Lucy breathed. “Who is he?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like he comes with a nametag. Just remember what he looks like. You’ll meet him one day.”

“Wish I could meet him now.”

“No way. I’m not endangering his sanity just so you can introduce yourself.”

“Fine,” Lucy sighed. “Ok. Your turn.”

My heart sped up as I turned the mirror. My face and the moon were replaced by a ripple and then the face of a boy I knew well. Lucy gasped.

The boy with blue eyes and midnight-black hair stared up at me. His smile was melancholic, as it had always been when he’d been alive. We had only spoken of our love once. It had been our secret, shared a few days before my ex-boyfriend, Jason Meyers, had killed him.

“Your soulmate is—was Larry Talbot?” Lucy whispered. “Oh, Mena. I’m so sorry.”

I took a deep breath, hoping the tears wouldn’t color the tone of my voice. “It’s ok. Lots of people never even meet their soulmate. At least I met mine.” I handed her the mirror. “That’s it for tonight. You go ahead and go home.”

“What about you?”

Tears blurred my eyes. “I want to stay here. Just for a bit. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Before she could say another word, I extinguished all the candles, save one, and turned away. As I moved deeper into the graveyard, I heard her Honda pull out of the parking lot.

The leaves rustled about my feet, reminding me of the sound I’d heard earlier, but I pushed the fear away. I was far too depressed for that.

A tombstone, still fresh and white, stood near the back of the graveyard. I paused before it and set the candle on the ground. The moon illuminated the name on the stone. The candle flame drove the remaining shadows away.

“Hi, Larry,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

The first time I’d met Larry, was at a party. Jason Meyers’s party. I had come to know Jason as a terrible boyfriend and even worse human being. I’d tried to break up with him, but he’d asked for one more chance, and because he was the only warlock in town, I’d agreed.

Larry was Jason’s cousin and everything he wasn’t—including a warlock. But I loved him almost at once.

And now I knew why.

I touched the cold stone, the words trembling upon my lips. If I called him, would he return? Surely, being dead, he wouldn’t be subject to the loss of sanity. And what if he did return? Would he be a ghost…or a zombie?

Suddenly, it didn’t matter. I pressed my forehead against the stone and whispered, “Veni ad, mi amor.”

Silence filled the night. Had I said the incantation wrong? I was sure I’d said it right.

And then, the leaves rustled behind me. It sounded almost as loud as the frenzied beat of my heart. He was here! I turned just as a shadow fell over me and two hands wrapped about my throat. My smile faded as I stared into the face of Jason Meyers.

“I knew you’d come here,” he said, squeezing my throat. “You couldn’t stay away, could you!”

I struggled against him as darkness crept into my vision. He leaned in, close to my ear.

“Finally, Mena. I can finally tell you. Two years ago on this very night, I saw your image in Larry’s mirror. That’s why I had to kill him. I thought his death would end it all. But it hasn’t. Don’t you know, Mena? You’re mine! Mine!”

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t defend myself, not even with a spell. I stared into his hate-filled eyes and watched them as they slowly…

Died?

The expression on his face went from loathing to astonishment. He released me and clutched at his heart before falling into the dirt.

Mena?

I wanted to rush to the man who called my name. But his ghostly form made him impossible to touch. My throat was sore, but I still managed to call his name.

“Larry!”

***

Did you know that when a ghost takes over a human body, the soul inside is expelled? I’m not sure where it goes, but I hope the one in question finds the fast track to hell.

We left that very night. We had to. Unfortunately, Larry’s body escaped prison, and he’s a wanted man. He assures me a little plastic surgery will fix that right up, but I want to be careful. I lost my soulmate once. I don’t ever want to lose him again.

Fiction © Copyright Naching T. Kassa
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

More from Naching T. Kassa:

Sherlock Holmes and The Arcana of Madness: A Horror Mystery

Discover the untold mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes and the Arcana of Madness, a trilogy that unveils three captivating cases intertwined with the mystical allure of tarot cards, designed by the renowned, yet infamous artist, Richard Dadd.

A collection of manuscripts, meticulously penned by John H. Watson M.D., is unearthed in 2019 amidst the restoration of Broadmoor Hospital, found inexplicably in the grave of Richard Dadd. The manuscripts’ concealed journey and their remaining unpublished raise a myriad of questions, enveloping them in a veil of mystery.

Available on Amazon!