Thursday 9 October 2008

The makings of a witch


I was, for once, doing the dusting and not playing Word Twist on dratted Facebook. I'd already done the washing up and hung a load of washing out to dry, fending off Beaky while I was at it. He had another go for my eyes, you know. Oh, yes. Swooping down out of the cherry tree with not even a warning screech! I instinctively brought my arms up to fend him off, somewhat like Tippi Hedren in The Birds, but was too late. However, the evil little bugger had failed to notice that I was still wearing my reading glasses so his sharp little beak was deflected and he went careening off towards the rose bush shrieking in rage. The right lens is ruined - There's a big chip in the middle of it, much like a stone chip in a car windscreen.
Anyway, back to the dusting. I'd dusted everything except the sideboard, so I cleared the top, removing the lamp, vase and crystal ball, placing them on the dining room table. The crystal ball shimmered momentarily as I put it down. Now, not being one to ignore a quick shimmy, I sat down in front of it and booted it up.
A seated figure coalesced in the crystal depths. It looked remarkably like me and was reading a large, ancient looking, hardback book. I quickly became subsumed in the vision...

~ ~ ~

A small black shape flickered into existence near the inner spine of the book. Another flicker and it was gone. Thinking his mind was playing tricks on him, he continued reading but the corner of his eye kept tabs on the spine. Another shape formed and disappeared. Then another. More and more flashed into existence radiating out from the spine, random shapes, ink black, momentarily blocking out the text, overlapping each other as they appeared faster and faster and in greater numbers. Within seconds, the pages were completely black. Yet, in the blackness were words. These words, although as black as their surroundings, were easy to read. Far too easy. They practically leapt from the page and into his head, forcibly entering his mind. He stared in stifled shock as the inky darkness flickered over his fingertips where they rested on the pages.
His mind screamed at him to drop the book but his nerve impulses ignored the directive. his body wasn't listening to his brain's instructions. The irregular shapes fluttered across his skin, swarming up his arms and across his chest. He felt the tickle of them, like dry leaves, as they passed over his lips and into his mouth, drying it instantly. A final breath through his nose was tainted with an odd smell, then his vision faded and died. There was nothing but penetrating black, darker than shadows and even more silent. Even his thoughts were quiet and still.
Watching, as if from afar, he began to perceive something amidst the darkness. The thing stirred.

"Ah, good" it said in familiar voices. "You're in. Surprise! You've got guests!"

Whatever he once was put down the book and got up to get a glass of water.


~ ~ ~

I gasped and withdrew from the scene in the crystal ball. I'd just seen a past I didn't remember leading to a future I wanted to forget! I should have known not to look into the damn thing today, the third anniversary of my arrival in the 21st century.

Yes. And your arrival in me!

Oh, hush.


15 comments:

  1. Do I assume congratumalations are in order?

    So you lurked on teh interwebz for almost six months before the Coven was complete. It's like the early years of Batm- Robin.

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  2. You assume correctly.

    About the congratumalations, not dressing up as Robin! Hummph!

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  3. Hurrah Beaky is back then ?

    Sounds like a normal reaction to reading a Jackie Collins novel

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  4. Oh, yes, BEAST. The Demon Bird has returned - I really should have done a post about it. There's still time, I guess.

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  5. Beaky? Welcome back Beaky!

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  6. Welcome back!? Are you mad, Snooze? That little git has been making my life Hell.

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  7. Congrats!

    I'd dress up but I can't find my Carmen Miranda outfit. Did you not return it?

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  8. I stopped at "reading glasses".

    A pic of you with reading glasses perched upon your nose is in order.

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  9. CyberPetra: Oops! I think it's still at the dry cleaner's - I forgot to collect it.

    MJ: Perhaps once I've got them fixed. Which will be soon, as I use them to glare over at people while I'm at work.

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  10. Oh well, I'll just have to wear my regular clothes.

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  11. Congratulations to you. Too bad Beaky came back to ruin it for you. Bah.

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  12. How very Trill! Congrats on the anniversary and the return of the demonic bird.

    To fix your lens, ask a wizard. I saw that Hermione chick fix Harry Potter's glasses with her stick.

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  13. Yeah Bingowings. It was something tedious like reparo or something rather.

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  14. Bingowings .We dont want IVD waving his warty wand about thank you very much!

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  15. Late congratulations on your anniversary.

    "Your arrival in me" sounds like a classy way of saying something dirty...

    Sort of like that classy British porn from Family Guy.

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Tickle my fancy, why don't you?