Out_of_the_Devil_39_s_Cauldron

the scene was electric, with a few hundred people all dressed out in crazy costumes and the dance
floor packed with bodies gyrating to the salsa beat. The atmosphere was right. I could feel the eerie
Halloween chill in the air, and I knew the spirits wanted to communicate with me. I didn’t know
whether to party that night or look for victims.
I saw her in the corner—a beautiful girl in a short, black, elegant witch costume with long
black hair and pale skin. She had the face of an angel, and instantly I knew I had to have her. Whoever
she was, she didn’t have a problem saying no, as I saw guy after guy get shot down when they asked
her to dance. But somehow I knew it would be different for me, even though I was shy about
approaching her.
Go to her, a voice in my head commanded. She’s yours.
I sauntered across the room and stood right next to her at the bar. Her back was turned to me
as she talked with her girlfriend.
“Would you like to dance?” I asked over the music.
She turned around, and a slow smile spread across her beautiful face. “I would love to,” she
said. As we danced on the dance floor, we kept gazing at each other and smiling.
“What’s your name?” I said, leaning my head down close to her ear.
“I’m Mari . . . I live in Brooklyn.”
“Well, you’re a long way from home, Mari, but I’m glad you decided to come to the Bronx
tonight. I’m John. I hope we can get to know each other better.”
“We’ll see,” she said, tossing her hair with a coy smile.
We kept dancing all night, and at one point I felt the spirits telling me to kiss her. Without
warning I leaned over and kissed her full on the mouth, and she went into shock—she even stopped
dancing for a few seconds, at a loss for words. I did it for shock effect and it worked. As I leaned
back I gave her a devilish smile.
When the club closed I walked Mari to her car. We stood there for a few moments, both
caught up in the mysterious night and not wanting it to end.
“How can I stay in contact with you?” I asked her finally. She wrote her number on a piece of
paper and gave it to me. I nodded, memorizing the numbers as soon as I read them. “I’ll stay in touch,
and thanks for the evening. I had a wonderful night.”
As Mari got into her car, I closed the door for her and watched her drive away. Walking on
my way home into the night, I felt mystical, excited—and I was already planning my next move.