I am writing this experience here because I can not live this life without sharing my story.
It was my birthday. Another fucking trip around the sun. My wife manage to not forget about the actual day this time. There was an obvious last minute excuse for a cake. It looked like no present was par for this course again this year. My two sorry excuses of children even manged to pry themselves away from their inwardly focused lives for the occasion. Their faces buried in their phones the whole time but they were at least there.
Someone played Happy Birthday on their phone because it would be labor intensive to actually sing. My wife lit the little six and five shaped candles with a sigh. "Don't forget to wish for lots of money. Then we could turn that frown upside down," her nasally voice rang out.
Lots of money? I would never wish for that. You fucks would spend before I finished the wish. In a bitter spite filled moment I wished that I could be free from the burden of living in this dreadful existence. I wished for no obligations and the freedom to be who I choose. Not my families puppet. I wished to forget about this life without remorse. Then with a sharp puff I blew out the candles.
The lights flickered.
"Great! Add electrical work to the list of thing dad has to fix," I muttered under my breath.
"The kids and I got you this." She places a book on the table. it was bound in deep grey leather with the title embossed on the cover.
"The Bargain," I read aloud.
Holy shit an actual thoughtful gift. I picked it up and thumbed it open. The book was blank it appeared to be a journal of some sort. As I looked it over, my son drew out the large kitchen knife I use to cut cake.
"Can you at least cut this cake before you nerd out?" He held the knife with the blade pointed out. Me being distracted, I reached out at the same time. I drew a sharp breath as he nicked my thumb.
"Damnit!" I exclaimed as I pulled back my hand. That drop of blood slipped off my thumb and landed right on the embossed title of my gift.
"Nothing stays nice around here for long," I snipped as I grabbed a napkin to try to wipe the blood off the cover. "Babe, cut the cake I'm getting a band-aid for this thumb."
I grabbed the book and stepped away to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I held my hand clinched so the blood would stop flowing. It was producing a good amount for a little slice. I dropped the book on the counter under the medicine cabinet. It landed splayed open with the spin facing up. I rinsed my thumb off in the sink and dabbed the nick with some toilet paper. Then clumsily retrieved a band-aid with my left hand and managed to open it. Right when i was about to apply it, I noticed the book over turned.
With little thought I reached out and grabbed the book to close it correctly. As I did this the nicked thumb pressed onto the first page of the book leaving a very distinct bloody thumbprint on the lower portion of the page. The whole book began to vibrate and glow. I dropped the book and stepped back in shock.
The book floated in the air directly in front of the mirror. Centered around the thumb print words began to fill the page. The words glowed a florescent pink. The pages of the floating book began to flip rapidly and the pink glow enveloped the entirety of the book. Words filled the pages and the book seemed to be ringing out with vibration. Suddenly it snapped shut and fell towards the counter. I reflexively snatch it before it struck the counter.
"Everything ok down here," came a woman's voice from the hallway. "The lights were flickering a whole bunch just now. Did you notice, Jack?"
"No...I...I didn't. I'll have a look in the morning," I replied distractedly.
As the woman spoke she rounded the corner of the bathroom. She looked familiar but I couldn't place her. What was I doing here anyway, the book.
"You ok? You look pale. Was the cut that bad?"
"No. It's fine. I'm gonna go to my office and read a bit of this," I said while holding up the book and pushing past the woman.
"How can you read it? The kids and I could not even figure out how to open it. That woman that gave it to us at the store wouldn't even take any money for it. She said it was the only proper gift for you. How did she know that?"
"I don't know," I said over my shoulder as I walked through the kitchen towards my office. There at the table were the kids the woman had mentioned. They were eating chocolate frosted cake. I never cared for cake.
The woman entered the kitchen as I was stepping out towards the office on the backside of the house. "Kid's lets go get some dinner. I don't think Jack wants to spend time with us today," she said in a nasally voice.
I paused to look back at the woman and her kids. I just could not place them. How did I know them?
There was a round of goodbyes that followed. Were these people family to me? That must be it. I gave polite hugs as they gathered to leave.
"We love you, Jack," was the last thing said as they walked out the backdoor onto the deck.
Preoccupied with the book I barely acknowledged the leaving and continued to my office to examine the newly found words written in this strange and seemingly magical book.
I sat on the sofa in my office and opened "The Bargain" to the first page. The words of this book were now written in a pink ink. The pages seemed to thrum and pulse with energy. I began to read what seemed to be a copy of a contract between the reader and the writer. I thought that was strange but before I could think it over my phone rang. Not my cell but my actual land line, it startled me. I have not heard an actual phone ring in years.
I walked over to the desk under the window and answered it. "Hello?"
"Jaaack," came a woman's voice. She drew the a out longer than normal. "You act surprised to hear my voice.'
"Well yeah, that's cause I don't know you this is," I replied.
"Now Jack! Is that anyway to treat an old friend? Look up Jack," the woman demanded.
Compelled to obey I involuntarily looked up. standing outside the window was an absolute gorgeous woman. She was dressed in a very short flared skater dress. it was yellow gingham with a white ruffled tutu underneath it. The rounds of her ass had to be showing. She wore thigh high white socks topped in yellow rings and platform Marry Jane style shoes that were white and black. Her hair was done up in pigtails of curls down the sides of her face. Her pale skin glowed and it highlighted her freckles across her slightly turned up nose. Her dress was doing its best to contain her pert tits. She could not have been older than twenty-one with those perfectly shaped curves in all the right places.
"Are going to drool all day or will you invite me in?"
I stammered, "Yeah, yeah of course come in."
She tossed the receiver she was holding over her shoulder. Strangely it was not attached to an actual phone. raised a hand and snapped her fingers. A cloud of pink smoke rose from ground and obscured the woman from view. As the smoke blew away the woman was gone.
"Boo," came a breathy whisper in my ear. I startled and dropped the phone receiver to the floor. and whirled around to face the woman.
"Who are you? How did you do that?" This woman smelled like candied cherries.
"I'm really more of a what. I'm the spirit of LUST. You see Jack, you have been dealing in some pretty heavy magic today. You made a wish out of malice and spite. You did so on the day of your birth. You did so under a full moon. You did so on the day of your death."
"Wait what? death, am I dead? This is about that dumb birthday wish?"
