[Public Service Announcement]
To all witches on this and every Halloween: Please do not ride your broomstick whenever you are angry. We would certainly hate to see you fly off of the handle! :-)
***Trigger Warning*** This story contains descriptions of polyamory and the supernatural. Certain religious views expressed in this story do not follow scripture. Please do not assume that the religious context used in this story follows my own personal spiritual beliefs. Again, this is a work of fiction and a certain amount of writer's privilege and literary license was exercised to create a believable scenario. If these subjects bother you or cause you distress, then now is the time to hit the abort button or pull your ejection seat handles.
++++++++++Chapter One++++++++++
The girl contemplated the Cypress tree for a moment. It was really quite beautiful when you thought about it. Nature itself had created a wonderful work of art. She was perched upon one of the bottom branches, but as her eyes followed the trunk upwards all of the other branches circled the tree creating a natural staircase spiraling up to the top. She could easily climb up the tree simply by walking around it and following the limbs. Everything here was beautiful. The sounds of the wind gently blowing through the limbs of the Cypress and the cheerful chirping of the birds in the limbs provided the perfect background for the scene she was observing. She was reminded of the Walt Disney Classic
Snow White
by the setting. And then she giggled as she remembered the bluebird exploding in a puff of feathers from a scene in the first
Shrek
movie.
Her reverie was broken by the sound of an approaching automobile, the motor purring so gently that it was almost inaudible. Its tires crunched the gravel of the pink, decomposed granite driveway. She turned her gaze in the direction of the sounds and immediately recognized the blue 2018 Dodge Charger SXT owned by her best friend Amanda Pierce. The four door sedan rolled slowly through the cemetery before coming to rest about 50 feet away. The motor went silent just before both front doors swung open in nearly perfect synchronization.
As the driver stepped out of the car, she wasn't surprised to see Mandy's long straight naturally blonde hair. The girl had always envied the fact that Mandy could grow out her hair so that it reached beyond her ass all the way to her thighs. The best that she had ever successfully achieved with the length of her own hair was the middle of her back. Mandy had chosen a light green dress to wear on her 70 inch tall frame today. It complemented her golden tresses very well. She also cradled two bundles of peppermint-colored carnations in her arms, hiding her well proportioned 36-B breasts.
The gentleman that exited the passenger side of the Charger was very familiar to the girl in the Cypress tree too. They had been very close to each other for most of their lives. He was her beloved husband Roger Preston. He looked absolutely handsome, standing six inches taller than six feet. His 230 pound frame was the perfect match for his height. Roger had coined the phrase 'Nerd Chic' for his casual attire. The autumn air was cool, but not chilly, so his clothing choice was certainly appropriate.
Roger was wearing his khaki cargo slacks as he usually did. His shoes were the same slip-on camo colored deck style tennis shoes that he had purchased nearly two years ago. His favorite long sleeve flannel shirt was a forest green plaid that he wore unbuttoned and untucked. Beneath the flannel shirt, Roger wore a Jimmy Buffett concert Tee that had been a gift from his late father in law. Even though it was covered in the back by the flannel shirt, the girl in the Cypress tree knew that the phrase "I used to rule my world from a payphone..." was stenciled across the rear shoulders. Her father had purchased it during a concert at 'The Summit' in Houston, Texas during the 'One Particular Harbour' tour. It was one of Roger's most prized possessions and he had no doubt worn it to honor her father who was buried only a few feet away.
The couple approached a large polished headstone of pink granite. Roger went to his knees and pulled out a runner of crab grass near the headstone that the landscaping crew had missed. Mandy set the two dozen peppermint carnations on the top of the headstone then stepped back to regard the writing etched on its face. The girl drifted down from her tree limb seat to stand beside her best friend.
The top line of the headstone was emblazoned with "PRESTON" in large letters. It was a larger headstone designed to carry the names of two people, usually a husband and wife. The left side read 'Roger William' and beneath the name was the date 'May 19, 1995 - '. The right side read 'Carol Anne', 'Beloved Wife', 'April 17, 1996 - November 21, 2016'. Tears streamed down Mandy's cheeks as she reverently stood beside the grave of her best friend Carol. Her blue eyes were moistened by her tears. Today was November 21, 2018 marking the second anniversary of the day that an armed felon had shot and killed her best friend in a botched attempt to rob a liquor store. Carol had been simply walking across the parking lot returning to her car when she was struck by the stray bullet that killed her instantly. She never knew what hit her and felt no pain as she passed away.
Carol had been shopping next door at a bakery, buying her husband's favorite sugar cookies for their third Thanksgiving together as husband and wife. She had married her childhood sweetheart on April 21, 2014, just mere days after her 18th birthday. Roger had approached her roughly six months after their engagement because he had realized that Carol had never revealed any specific date for her wedding.
"I don't care," Carol said. "Actually, I haven't given any thought to it. You go ahead and pick a day."
Roger raised both hands out in front of himself, palms outward and rocked them back and forth. "Oh no, no, no. You're putting way too much power in my hands, darling!"
"No! I'm serious! You pick it!"
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Roger blurted out, "April 21st!"
"April 21st? Sweetheart, that's not my birthday," Carol giggled!
"No. I'm well aware that the 17th is your birthday honey," Roger replied. "But you know how much I love Texas, almost as much as I love you! I just thought that it would be great to celebrate our anniversary every year on San Jacinto day!"
And so it was that on that chosen day, the two lovers had been bound together in Holy Matrimony at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in The Heights. A year later on July 27, 2015, the happy couple had been blessed by the birth of their son Jeremy. Carol had been successful in getting pregnant a second time during the month of August in 2016 just before her murder. Her plan had been to give her husband a special gift by delivering their second child close to his birthday. The spirit of the little girl had crossed over peacefully, immediately after their death. But Carol had unfinished business on this side of eternity and she couldn't allow herself to rest peacefully until she knew for certain that her son and husband were properly cared for.
Over the last two years, Carol had been learning about the limitations of her new ghostly reality. After her father had died from a sudden heart failure, she had come here often to visit his grave. She just thought that it was her imagination when she had felt his presence during those visits. But his spirit was here waiting for her after she was buried. They hugged and kissed when they were reunited in this stage of the afterlife.
"I met Jesus," her father had said. "He suggested that I wait here for you because he knew that you wouldn't be ready to leave Earth anytime soon. Your daughter, my grand-baby is with him now. She's absolutely beautiful, Carol! It's so very obvious that you and Roger conceived her in love. That love just radiates out from her like sunbeams! Take your time and do what needs to be done here before you cross over. Be not afraid as all will be well."
"You met Jesus," Carol asked?
"Yeah," her father chuckled. "And get this! He sorta looks a little like Kenny Loggins!"
A tunnel of bright light appeared then and her father glanced briefly towards it. He gathered his daughter into his arms and kissed her warmly on her cheek. "I love you, puddin'! But can you see that light? It's my turn to cross over and that is the pathway that I have to follow." Then he walked directly into the light and was gone.
Carol learned through experimentation that her strongest source of power was here at her grave. She could feel the ectoplasmic energy flowing through her soul much like an adrenaline rush. She discovered that her power to travel was limited to teleporting to places relevant to her past life. It seemed like every minute lived at a certain location scored a power point for that area. She was nearly as strong at her parent's house as she was here beside her grave. Oddly enough, she was only a little less powerful at Roger's parents' home as well as the apartment where they had lived during their short but happy marriage. Her best guess was that because she and Roger were so closely bound in their love for each other that somehow his ethereal presence fed her with power when she was in those locations.
