Happy Halloween

It's Halloween, and I'm all alone at my brother's house in Philadelphia.  My brother, my son, and two cousins are at the World Series Game 3 in the rain <G>  Glad I'm all nice and cozy watching the game on a big screen TV, my diet soda and my computer.  What a life!

I wrote a cool short story in tribute to today's holiday.  Think I'll brave the rain and retrieve my story and write it here.

The sun had set behind the fall tapestry of colorful trees.  Gusts of wind blew through the piles of raked leaves, scattering them all around.  Bare branches creaked against the strain.  The sky was heavy with rain-laden clouds, ready to burst at any moment.

Bonnie duValle tugged the edges of her wool coat close around her throat.  The wind blew the ends of her plaid scarf into her face obscuring her vision.  She wiped the flapping end and tucked it inside her coat.  "Brrr, why did I think it would a good idea to walk to work today?" she muttered to herself as the wind fought to steal her breath.

She was angry with herself because she left the party at work early.  It was pretty hard to enjoy herself all alone while everyone else was paired off.  What she'd forgotten was that she'd walked to work, so the only way home was to walk as well.  There weren't any taxis in the small hamlet where she lived.

Increasing shadows along her path sent Bonnie's nerves into overdrive.  The tales of the Phantom of the Woods snuck out from their banishment in the recesses of her mind and pushed through her consciousness.  The rustling leaves skittered in front of her, their sound similar to chalk scraping on a chalkboard.

"There's no such thing as the Phantom," she announced out loud in the frigid air.  Yet, as the night advanced and the shadows deepened, Bonnie darted her gaze all around to keep vigilant.

While looking to her left, she bumped into something and came to a sudden, jarring stop.  "Oof!" She brought her gaze forward and jumped back a step.  The way in front of her was clear of obstacles.  Shaking her head at her imagination, that's all it could be, she took a step, the two forward.  To be stopped again by an unseen barrier.

She brought her hands up and reached toward the barrier.  Yes, something solid was preventing her from going forward.  Bonnie decided to retrace her steps and take another route home, yet when she took a handful of steps backward, she was stopped again.  Moving around with her arms outstretched, she touched a barrier all around her.

Trapped, her imagination took flight, flashing a myriad of scenarios through her mind.  A vision of unseen hands, strong and lean, caressing her through her coat made her breath catch.  As if spurred by the vision, she actually began to feel hands slide up her arms.  Tingles of electricity slithered along her skin, causing goose bumps to form on her flesh.

A warm puff of air breezed past her cheek.  A faint sound reached her ears.

"Free me."

Twisting her head to look in all directions, Bonnie searched for the source of that voice.  Nothing.

"Free me," the voice breathed again near her ear.

Yearning so fierce shook her.  It was like no othr feeling she'd ever experienced.  "How?" she cried out softly.

"Free me," was the only reply.

Frantic to find the source of the voice, Bonnie pushed at the barrier and felt it give slightly.  Using more pressure, she pushed again.  Each push grew harder and harder as she gained ground against the unseen walls.  Finally, one last shove and she broke through.

"Where are you?" she called.  Silence met her plea.

Before her, she saw the leaves blowing along the path into the woods.  Fear crept in, telling her to forget the voice and run home.  She tamped it down because the urge to find the voice was too great.  Taking another look at the leaves, she realized they were moving in a uniform pattern, not the usual whirling mess.

Were they telling her to follow the path?  Just as she decided to follow, she was propelled forward by a push on her shoulder.  She turned her head and saw nothing.  Nothing but trees and blowing leaves were there.

Slowly she walked toward the woods, following the path of the leaves.  As soon as she entered the tree line, a puff of air brushed her cheek.

"Free me"

"I want to," she whispered.  "Please tell me how."

Nothing.  Silence met her request again.  Even  the blowing leaves weren't making noise in the thick of the trees.  Cautiously, Bonnie continued forward.  Night had fallen, yet there was enough light around her to illuminate the path.  She didn't want to think about the source of that light.  Too many strange things were happening that night.  No use tempting whatever fate as at work.

Ahead there appeared to be a clearing in the trees.  It shown brighter than its surroundings.  Right in the center there was a glass box atop a stone foundation.  Knowing deep inside that this is where the voice is, Bonnie rushed to the box.

Empty.  The blasted thing was empty.  Or was it?

Remembering all that happened when she was caught in that invisible barrier, she looked over the box again.  She tried to move the top, but couldn't find any purchase.  There seemed to be no way to open it.

Warm air brushed her cheek again.

"Free me," it said; it's sound much stronger, more human.

A tear slid down her face.  "How?" she cried.

Something warm cupped her cheek and she felt her tear being wiped away  Her heart sped up, desire maing her breathing labored.  How can someone unseen make her yearn so much?

A loud "croak" broke the silence around her.  Startled, she glance around to find the source.  There near the stone foundation sat a toad.  It was small and cute, nothing like its big, ugly cousin the frog.

The realization that tonight was Halloween slammed into her.  All her memories of fairy tales and monsters crashed the floodgates of her mind.  One about a princess and a frog leaped out in front.  Taking a chance, feeling foolish as she did so, Bonnie knelt down and gently picked up the toad and kissed it.

A spark of electricity smaked against her lips and she cried out in shock.  A kaleidoscope of colors danced around her.  Faint strands of music reached her ears.  As soon as she regained her wits about her, Bonnie looked all around for the toad.  She must have dropped it when she felt the spark.

There were no signs of the toad, but what made her step back and gasp in surprise was the glass box.  A mass of swirling white and yellow fog filled the box as well as colors flashing like fireworks in the sky.

As the fog faded and the flashing stopped, a form could be seen to emerge.  A man, with long sable-colored hair that reached the collar of his crisp white tunic shirt, long legs encased in black leather pants that fit like a second skin was in the box.

Bonnie stared in awe as his image cleared.  His face was tanned, with defined cheekbones and a finely chiseled jaw  The hint of a beard shadowed it, competing with the full dark brow and long lush black lashes.  His chest rose and fell.  He's alive.

Rushing to the box, she tried again to open it.  Nothing moved.  She spotted a large rock from the corner of her eye.  Bending to pick it up, she was glad to find it wasn't to heavy for her to wield.  Hefting the rock over her head, Bonnie brought it down hard on the glass top near a corner by his feet.  She didn't want to hurt him.

A crack formed from the impact.  It was a small crack, but it was a start.  Hefting the rock up again, she used both hands to bring it down harder.  The crack grew, but still didn't break through.  Again and again, she crashed the rock down on the box until she broke through.

As soon as she breached the glass box, the man's eyes popped open and he smiled.  Pulling his legs up, he kicked out and lifted the lid of the box up and over to the side of the foundation.  He stretched his arms and back as he sat upright, then proceeded to climb out.  When his feet touched the ground, the box and foundation both crumbled into dust and disappeared on the night breeze.

"Thank you," he said, his husky voice filled with emotion.  "You freed me."

"You're welcome," Bonnie replied as she found her voice.  "Who are you?  How...?"

He touched her lips with his fingertips.  "No questions."

Her eyes mirrored her confusion, but she was powerless to voice it.  His touch sent a frisson of desire through her; it was so sharp to be almost painful.  His lips replaced his fingertips as he grasped her arms and drew her into his embrace.  Soon she was so lost in sensations that the forgot her questions.

Too soon he stopped kissing her and stepped back.  Her heart cried at the loss of his heat.  His clear blue eyes gazed deeply into hers.  She wanted him to finish what he started.

"Take me home," he whispered as he bent to kiss her below the ear.  The desire to do as he said was great.  She didn't even hear the voice in her head telling her an unequivocal 'no.'

Bonnie took him by the hand and began to walk home.  He dropped her hand to drape his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to his side.  As they walked, he dropped a kiss or two in her hair, at her temple, below her ear, wherever he liked.  She shivered with anticipation at the climax of this encounter.

Reaching her small cottage, he leaned in to whisper, "Do you believe in me now?" as they entered.  He chuckled at the surprise in her eyes as he shut the door on the night while her clock struck midnight.

Patti Mann 10/31/09

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