S,HWC: Conjuring the Spirit

[strangetomato]

"Did you hear anything?"

"I don't think so."

"Is it working?"

"I don't know. Can you feel a presence? I think I can."




Lucy nodded, solemnly. "Yes, I think so."

Beau made a motion to her to be silent and began reading from the sheet of paper he'd printed from the internet at Lucy's house. Together, they lit the remaining candles and performed the rest of the ritual as described by the witchcraft website. When they had completed the procedure, he spoke.

"Are you there, Dad?"

Lucy waited. She didn't want to be the first to discredit the entire process. She knew it was important to Beau. They waited. They sat with thoughtful looks on their faces, and waited.

"Not as dramatic as I imagined," he finally said.




"I don't know," she said, "I think I felt some sort of presense."

"Yeah, but... you know. I think I just thought there'd be something more to it than that. Something dramatic."

"Like the Grim Reaper?"

"Hey, don't make fun! People actually do see him!"

"Maybe. Some experts say that it's probably just the mind's reaction to the trauma of having a loved one die."

"Do you believe in it?"

"I don't know. Do you?"




"Yeah, sure. Why not? I don't see any harm in it. What's wrong with a little belief in things we can't see?"

"No, I guess not. Like Santa Claus. Or alien abductions."

"Well, we KNOW that's real."

"Santa?"

"No, aliens. Silly."

"Well, I've never heard of anyone who's seen one or witnessed an abduction." There had been rumours about the Caliente sisters, but Lucy always taken those rumours with a grain of salt.

"Hey Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"




"What?" She hadn't seen that one coming.

"I'm serious. I want to see... you know. See if anything happens."

She froze. She'd already gone through having a crush on Beau and had arrived back to where she'd started again. She'd dealt with it. And now he suddenly wanted to kiss her. What if he liked her now and she'd already moved on? Why was the timing always so off?

When she looked up, Beau had his eyes fixed directly on her.




"So... yeah?" he asked, moving closer.

"Yeah..."






It felt pretty good. Pleasant enough, but no fireworks. He tasted the way he smelled and he kissed the way he did just about everything else. It was at once new and completely familiar. It felt like kissing her best friend.

She was relieved.




But in the moments after they draw apart, she felt a sudden sense of loss. A real, definite longing, of never being able to have a moment back, once passed.




"How do you feel?" he asked, after a moment..

"Okay," she said. "You know... it was nice. Nice enough." He remained silent.

Another moment or two passed, but it felt much longer.

"You?" she asked




"Nothing," he said. "The same. You know, not bad, but nothing... dramatic. I mean, you're a girl. I think this just confirms it."

She smiled. "What if it's just me?"




"Are you kidding me? You're not my TYPE?! Oh please! If I can't get it up for you, then I can't get it up for anyone, trust me."




"Stop it!"

"Well, it's true!"

Lucy shrugged and rolled her eyes, then promptly changed the subject. "Want to head back to my place to help Mom and Dad hand out the candy?"

"Yeah, sure."




"And hey, why don't we swing by the Goth Manor to see if Alexander wants to hang out?" he added, with a sly grin.

Lucy laughed. "Now that's more like it. You were starting to scare me there for a minute."

"Maybe it was demonic possession?"

"Well, it IS that time of year."

Comments

[skellington7d.livejournal.com]

Lovely. Thank you for this!