A Story fit for Halloween 9 pages

Intro:

This is about using a Black list candle to invoke vindictive harm on your enemies.But the character pays a price. The story had some chilling similarities to my real life. One can actually buy the candle in the story from a Memphis shop "Tator Reds." One can find this candle in many head shops and Voodoo Stores i.e. New Orleans...

© 2007 Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die.(word count 2,365) “Shadows will die.” “Shadows will die.” I repeated to my conscious mind in an attempt to think logically. After all, every logical mind deduces that ghosts and the like are not real.

I came out on my front porch and lit my cigarette on the last flame of the Black List Candle.

As the flame went out and I exhaled the smoke, they indeed, let their presence be known. They came as shadows without anything to cast them. There were nine of them. Nine for those I had blacklisted, those I had wished harm to.

The electricity of the whole city had gone out. Their only source of light was by the moon. They followed me inside. It was unfathomable that shadows walked through walls and doors, but that is what they did. No matter how dark it is outside there was light inside the house. Therefore, the shadows were unstoppable. They surrounded me, like a closing sphere. I suppose, at this point, when you’re about to die you see flash backs of your whole life. Not me. I searched for answers about how this ordeal started and what happened. My only logics were to explore the scenes for clues to stop this-

About one month ago.

On Bill Street, in Memphis Tennessee, within seeing distance of the outsides of B.B. King’s joint, there was a store. It was called Mojo Magick-or something like that. As I entered the store the back wall caught my attention. It was decorated with celebrity photographs that were personally autographed and were for sale. One is of Stevie Ray Vaughn. He’s the first that I heard of who used to play his guitar until he had to glue his finger tips together with super glue. Then he’d play some more. Then there were the cabinets that had relics, candles, herbs, incense and instrumental new age c.d.s inside them. Toward the left, enclosed in a cubicle were Celtic decorated skulls and Jesus prayer candles. This was also where the eight inch high cylinder glass encased black candle decorated with skeletons, interpretations of hell and a list of nine blank lines with directions inscribed in Old English of how to get even with your adversaries can be found. It had cost, coincidentally I Should hope, six dollars and sixty six cents. Of course, I didn’t notice the entities coming by way of a fierce thunderstorm. Lightning even struck transformers and left Memphis in a black out briefly. I didn’t take time to notice the deafening approach of death. This was when the wicked spirits of the candle gathered in a mass entity and waited at the gate of their dimension. I didn’t notice how strange the scene was when the town lights came back on and all was right again as if nothing had happened. The townspeople and tourist alike gave a ‘so what’ shrug and continued on with their lives. Then autumn night became clear again, and the moon showed its first phase in the cycle that was just beginning.

I looked over my shoulder countless times as I got into my automobile but dismissed it as foolish paranoia. I went back to my apartment. And when I recalled the strangeness of the evening; and was asked by a friend I replied nonchalantly, “Nothing special.” I wouldn’t even dare to tell anyone about the Black List Candle because I couldn’t logically justify why I purchased such a thing. But eventually I justified it as being a neat Halloween decoration.

The mundane madness of the work week at the factory came with my co-worker, Herald, blaming me for something wrong that he did. He made me look like a fool in front of our boss. I was blamed by our boss and was forfeited for two days pay. For years he was getting promotions in the company at mine and others expense. I told my self that I didn’t deserve that. I knew I was better than him. All I needed was a chance. He was standing in my way.

The words ‘Get what is rightfully yours’ were haunting my conscious mind. I’d love for Herald to just get out of my way.

After work I drove all the way to my rat hole of an apartment cussing about him. I got so upset that my face turned red. Then I felt like someone was behind me again. I ignored my paranoia as I drank that bitter sweet red wine with my left over meatloaf. That damn candle in the corner of the room seemed to call out to me. The off white face of the biggest skull on the candle strangely changed with a shade of darkness and its hollow eyes lit up with golden rays. Then there was a knocking at the door and when I opened it up I realized why the skull face changed. It was because of the reflection of the god freak at the door. He was a Jehovah Witness with a sterling silver cross hanging from his belt loop.

Now I realize that he was my first clue. He was in his early twenties, clean shaven, tie and dress shirt on with soaked sides from the underarm perspiration. He had so much conviction and compassion in his eyes that I couldn’t turn away, “Have… you… accepted…Jesus Christ…as…your personal…” five second pause. “Savior.” His eyes revealed him to be possessed by something much older and wiser. He paused between his words and had strange annunciations in the middle of his words. It took all this time to realize, as I do now, that there were hidden sentences in his ‘Jesus is number One’ speech. Thank God, I let him have fifteen minutes of my time. These hidden words were: “A holy prophet (hand of God) will be sent to give a final warning… The casting of the spell effectively involves the alignment of the universe… during the lunar cycle.” Unfortunately, my attention span did not provide me with enough clues. I took the pamphlets of theological propaganda and kindly nodded him adieu. My resentments at Herald festered until I read the directions on the candle. The directions went something like this: place candle in the center of living area and away from items to avoid fire. For best results keep candle lit, don’t put out, for a full lunar cycle, also write nine names down in one setting.

But forget that. I was drunk off of the red wine and was very angry. Damn’t. I didn’t have a marker to write Herald on top of the list. With fantasies in my mind of how great it would be for misfortunes to happen to my co-worker I didn’t notice how strange it was that my glass filled with red wine mysteriously broke in my hand and cut my writing hand’s finger. In vindictive hope, like a child having joy in his or her finger painting, I quickly wrote my co-worker’s name on the list. I went to slumber complacently and I did not notice that the red wine had mixed with my blood and had made occultist symbols on the floor.

I woke up hung over, dizzy, and paranoid to my phone ringing. It was strange in that I felt the same paranoia I felt in Memphis. I was informed by my sister that a close relative had freakishly died of internal bleeding. I hung up the phone in great disbelief. I noticed that the Black List Candle was still burning. I lit my cigarette in vain hope of gathering enough composure to go to my job. Now I realize that my relative’s death was a sacrifice to the wicked spirits of the blacklist candle. I went to work out of my mind. I knew that if Herald got around me he would surely tell my boss that I was drunk and then I would get fired. Was my blessing coincidental when Herald got into a freakish accident and could no longer work? I was so joyful. He deserved it. At that point, I was so delighted that my paranoia and remorse had quickly subsided. I went to the funeral of my relative. Of course, it was raining because I have to have the melodramatic theatrics. I was too amused by Herald’s misfortune that I didn’t shed a tear for my own personal loss. I couldn’t wait to get back to my home and see if I could get sweet revenge again by supernatural means.

I entered into my home and smoke was at the top of the ceilings. I carelessly didn’t take it as a warning. Nor did I think it was strange that inside my apartment it was cold. Even when I tried to air out my apartment the smoke remained until about two days ago.

That night I ordered myself a pizza and ate like a king. I surely knew that my time was coming. Somewhere inside, though, there was this feeling I had. A feeling everyone has felt. A feeling of a broken heart cast onto me by Carry. I’d love, just love to get back at Carry. If it wasn’t for her I’d be happy. She cheated one me because I was not making enough money to support her partying. I tried everything to get her back. I even changed jobs. But that wasn’t good enough for her. Within a week after our break up she had already found herself a new man. After dinner desert: Budweiser beer and the saddest heartbreak song I could find. As my tears fell into my glass I thought ‘this blood’s for you’, instead of ‘this bud’s for you’ as I reopened the scab on my finger and wrote my ex-lover’s name on the second line. The next morning I felt strangely rejuvenated and ready to go to my job. Just like I knew it would happen. Somewhere in God’s green and beautiful world there was a loving couple holding hands. They were enjoying the sun. They pranced along like kids and laughed gleefully while sharing of how much they loved each other as they made their way to the swimming hole. Lover’s Lake was what many of the town called it and for decades lovers had been swimming out there without worry, without care, and without danger. But on this day the female lover jumped off of a five feet high piece of land into the water and was impaled in her genitalia by an unseen stick. It impaled Carry. Pieces of her flesh are said to still be there in the lake. The jagged edges of the stick were so sharp that it was as if someone had violently stuck a knife in and let out their perverse fantasy. Sure enough the media many times will saturate any evidence of Freakish Unfortunate Events. That was exactly what I saw, brought by CNN news.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ ¬It was midway through the lunar cycle of the Black List Candle’s magick. I was convinced a hundred percent that it worked. The news of those I had blacklisted getting theirs got back to me through radio, through T.V., and through gossip of circles of family and friends. Seven others fell to my vindictiveness. Number three was the grade school teacher who yelled at me. He was fired when he was caught extorting school district money. Number four was the financial provider who wouldn’t give me support when I was down and out. He was robbed at gun point for all his earnings. Number five was the religious leader who criticized me for my beliefs. His career ended when he was caught molesting children. Numbers six through eight were the ones who had bad words for me. They had strokes which paralyzed their tongues so drastically that they speak gibberish now. Number nine was the former boss who fired me unreasonably. His business went bankrupt. It didn’t take long after that for me to feel a group of shadows following me every place I went. Now I realize that the shadows were whispering temptations in my ears. These whispers came in the forms of black birds chirping, winds howling, and floors creaking. When they’re around there is coldness even in the hottest temperature. Also, there are strange silhouettes. Of course, I was blinded by my own malevolent desires as I comically referred to these ‘demons’ as my ‘Guardian Angels’. It is so dark now. I feel like I am trapped in a black sphere with fierce howling winds encircling me.

But maybe Just maybe Possibly- I would have had a chance. Maybe if I would have blown the candle out days ago the nine entities would not have come back. On the last day of the lunar cycle of the spell, the entities of the nine are at their peak strength. So now I sit here underneath a blanket repeating to my self, “Giving light to darkness and even shadows will die.” I’m waiting it out with the worst mental and emotional angst I have ever experienced. Scenes of all those who had harmed me sped through my mind and filled me with pain and fear. They keep telling me “KILL YOURSELF NOW!” Then a vision came to me that these shadows have had their way with persons before. This adds countless unfamiliar people committing suicide to my destructive mental collage. I have to just wait it out.

repeat: Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die. Giving Light to Darkness and even shadows will Die.

The Next Day