Mary scowled as she flipped through the pages of the scuffed book.
"Guys, this book is full of spelling mistakes. And most of the 'potions' chapter is just recipes for soup and chili."
Sean poured the last line of flour onto the living room carpet as straight as he could, completing the pentagram.
"C'mon, Kaitlin said she only paid 50 cents. What do you expect?" He stood and dusted his hands. "How does this look, you two?"
Mary stood staring at the design, clearly uncomfortable. The satanic symbol was in bizarre contrast to the tasteful opulence of the rest of the room.
Kaitlin got up from the couch to inspect it. "Excellent, Sean. The lines are mostly straight. The circle is perfect. Though I still don't think flour is an approved substance."
Sean shrugged. "Chalk would be hard to get out of the carpet. This will vacuum right up. Anyway, I'm sure scented candles aren't approved either, but it's all we have." He placed a candle at each point of the star.
Kaitlin grinned. "Good enough to summon a boyfriend for Mary."
"The book calls it a love enticement," said Mary. "Isn't a summoning when they appear out of thin air? Anyway, it doesn't matter. You don't believe in this garbage any more than I do."
"Oh, sure we do," teased Kaitlin. "We do the spell, the doorbell rings and instead of trick-or-treaters, it'll be a shirtless millionaire with great abs, ready to sweep you away. Though really, showing off your boobs a little more is all the enticement you need, Mar." She glanced down at her own B-cup breasts and sighed.
Mary pursed her lips. "That's just the type of guy I don't want, Kat. You know that."
Big boobs, blonde hair and a sunny, innocent face made her a target of drooling idiots from an early age. She learned to be wary of all men.
Except for Sean. Her best friend since kindergarten, they shared secrets and adventures, once even playing doctor. Mary longed for it to be more, but she was torn: He was so outgoing and athletic. How could he ever be satisfied with a shy, curvy homebody like her?
Kaitlin was more his type: bold, funny, and exotic. Her Japanese mother and Spanish father gave her an enticing 'can't quite place it' loveliness with a lean frame, tawny skin and lively almond eyes. Her outgoing personality had guys at their college drooling over her, as did some women. To Mary's surprise, Kaitlin dated both.
Mary couldn't picture what two women did together. Yet she had recurring thoughts of stroking Kaitlin's cheek and running her hand along her lovely body, thoughts that sent unexpected warm tingles through her.
When they met Kaitlin during Frosh Week, Sean was enamored. They started dating, but it didn't last—Mary never heard why. Still, the three of them stayed friends and hung out constantly both on campus and off.
That night she invited Sean to her house to help hand out treats, eager to have him alone. Her parents were at a costume party at a downtown hotel and were staying there overnight. It was the perfect chance to tell him how she felt, if she could find the courage this time. As she watched Sean adjusting the pentagram and candles, she felt her heart surge with love and desire.
She glanced at Kaitlin. When she learned Mary's parents would be away for the night, Kaitlin invited herself along. It was her suggestion to liven up the evening by trying the 'love spell' in the book she found. Mary didn't like it, but maybe it would help set the scene for later with Sean. If she could get Kaitlin to leave when it was time.
~~~~
Sean noticed Mary frowning at the thick lines of flour he had drawn on the carpet and the worried glance she gave him.
"Don't worry," he said, "We won't leave a mess. I'll stay here all night if needed."
Sean saw Mary's lips part as she flushed and turned away. He could never read her, or any woman for that matter. Many times when they were alone it seemed like she wanted to kiss him but when he made a move, she withdrew into sullen silence.
He knew why. Mary was smart, caring, always cheerful, and never swore. She went to church. Her parents were rich. Meanwhile, Sean struggled in school, ashamed of his unemployable drunken father and their rundown bungalow. He could only afford college because of a sports scholarship. Someone so angelic could never love a mongrel like him.
At one time he fantasized they would be each other's first—discovering each other's bodies then locking eyes as they joined. That dream died when Mary slept with Billy Morris after Senior Prom. Since then, Sean started dating and sleeping around, but it was empty. There was never a connection.
When Mary invited him over to help with Halloween, Sean was determined to try one more time to express his love, that it would not be like every other awkward time they were alone. He asked Kaitlin to come along.
She protested. "I think Mary wants to be alone with you. Maybe you two will finally stop circling each other like stray cats and get down to it."
"Yeah, but I get nervous. Can you help break the ice? Maybe smooth things over in case I say something stupid?"
Kaitlin laughed. "Guys always say something stupid. Okay, I'll come. I have some ideas how to get things going."
~~~~
The ringing of a timer came from the kitchen, quickly followed by a bing-bong from the front door.
"Oh!" said Mary, "That's the last batch of cookies. Kat, would you get the door?" She ran to check the oven.
Kaitlin exchanged a glance with Sean. "Little miss homemaker."
Sean smiled. "Yep. Little miss homemaker."
"Trick or treat!" Three small kids held out pillowcases as they clustered on the front step. Their parents hovered out on the sidewalk.
Kaitlin dropped double handfuls of treats into each kid's sack and complimented their costumes. There was a Pikachu, a Wonder Woman and a skeleton.
Kaitlin closed the door just as Mary arrived carrying a tray of ghost cookies. Her frilly pink apron looked like it came straight out of the 1950s.
"Darn, I missed them," said Mary. "They were probably the last kids too. It's getting late."
Kaitlin eyed Mary's apron and bit her tongue. "Good," she said. "Then we get to eat them." She snatched one from the tray and bit off the head. "Mmmm. They're great, Mar. Don't know why you bother, though."
"It's fun," said Mary. "The kids take the time to dress up for us. They deserve something special, along with all the regular junk."
When they returned to the living room, Sean had lit the candles. Aromas of vanilla and mulberry filled the air.
Kaitlin said, "Looks like we're ready. Let's do this!"
Sean opened the book of spells. "One 'love enticement' coming up! Okay, Mary. It says you kneel in the middle of the pentagram while we chant. Don't smudge the flour."
Mary shuddered. "I don't know about this, guys. It's Halloween. The spirit world is closest to us now."
Kaitlin said, "Mary, loosen up. We're just having fun."
"Bobbing for apples is fun Carving pumpkins is fun. Performing a black magic ritual on All Hallows Eve? What if we... what if something happens?"
Sean gave a half-smile. "Like what? We open a portal to Hell?"
Mary nodded. "Yeah. Exactly like that." She fingered the silver crucifix hanging at her throat.
Sean walked over and hugged her, enjoying the feel of her luscious body and smell of her hair.
"If we wind up in Hell, Mar, I'll be Virgil to your Dante, okay? We'll go to the center, climb down Satan's legs to Purgatory and then on to Paradise."
In first year they had written a paper on Dante's Inferno—a bowl-shaped world of descending concentric rings, each ring a unique torture for a specific sin: howling winds for the lustful, boiling pitch for corrupt politicians.
At the bottom was a frozen lake with a giant Lucifer towering waist-deep in the ice. Mary and Sean laughed to discover that part of hell was already frozen over.
Mary clung as Sean hugged her, thinking paradise would be him holding her the way he was, but in love, not friendship. She forced herself to pull away.
