A Love for the Ages

Have you ever wondered if Love... could ever survive an eternity of only one night per year?

-=-=-=-=-=-

Hello, and welcome to my first attempt at trying this writing thing. Hopefully my little tale will be one that you enjoy. If you do,

PLEASE VOTE

for me

. I probably shouldn't be making my first try at writing a story as a Literotica contest entry, but I figured, what the hell! Go big or go home, right?

For a little background, this tale came to my mind after I created a Halloween image of two ghosts in a cemetery with Halloween jack-o-lanterns, old trees, haunted house, etc... Unfortunately, I used an online AI generator to create them which I then blended and merged into a single Halloween image I wanted using the Paint-Shop Pro program I own. Since there's no way to prove that I created all the images, I cannot show it here. Once I get my computer upgraded, and my own AI image generator program, I'm hoping that the attached metadata will allow me to prove I created it, and hopefully I'll then be able to share the images I create in the stories I have planned.

While I do try to do my own editing, a second set of eyes never hurts, so I'd like to thank my friends over at BiscuitHammers' BlackShack for taking the time to go over it for me before publishing. Oh, and one last thing. Since I obviously have NO idea how people spoke a thousand years ago, I'm just writing this normally. It's not like we're not use to people from ancient times and various countries speaking '

Modern English'

thanks to Hollywood and their movies, and for that (to any 'purists' out there), you have my apologies.

Please note that the characters here in will not be having sex, due to it being a "coming of age" story, but I will be trying to work in some eroticism where appropriate as it

IS

a "coming of age" story. I think you may enjoy it anyway. At least, I hope you do. There's just been too many 'using a costume to get sex' stories out there every Halloween, and others that have simply become waaaay too cliché.

I'd love to see any comments you may have, so please... let me know what you think, and if you like it,

Please Vote for me

! If you hate it, well, thanks for reading it anyway.

Kerrion

-=-=-=-=-=-

1001-AD:

It was late evening when Gwendolynn cried out. "Rory! Rory, come... Come here child! Come at once!"

It was a small house. Just a main room with a table and rough cabinets off to one side of the hearth, a bed of straw and blankets on the opposite wall (where she currently lay), and an area along the back wall for what few belongings they had, as well as a back door. Being no more than 12 steps across from one wall to the other, it was clear to her that Rory had to be outside somewhere.

"RORY!", she yelled out again just as the boy who couldn't have been more than 10 years of age came running in through the front wooden door. He was dressed in old, ragged clothing, and a lot of it, as the air outside was quite chilly this day. "I'm here Mistress, I am here.", he said as he came to a halt next to her. "What dost thou need Mistress?"

It was obvious that the boy had been doing some work outside from the fresh dirt on his hands, face and breeches. He was a good boy, and one that Gwendolynn hoped her son or daughter would be like. She was lucky that her friend Eleanor, the village midwife, was able to leave him here during this late time of her pregnancy. "Rory, I need you to run and fetch thine mother, the midwife! My child is co... coming!"

With that, the boy turned and ran out of the house. "Right away Mistress!", he yelled back as his feet carried him out the door, no doubt in search of his mother. Gwendolyn clinched her teeth and grimaced as another contraction struck her, followed quickly by a scream that would have had half of the men in the village come running if they'd only been within earshot, but the men of the village were out hunting this time of day, while the women were preparing for this evening's celebration.

While it wasn't long before the midwife arrived with three other ladies of the village in tow. It felt like it had taken them forever, and she was just about resigned to giving birth to her child alone.

"Gwen", she said as she reached out and put her hand on Gwendolyn's forehead. Feeling the sweat break across her brow. "Let's see where you're at my child, just breath now like I showed you."

Moving down to the end of the bed, she dropped a small leather wrapped packet containing any birthing tools she may need on the bed and then lifted Gwen's skirt up over her hips, pulling Gwen's knees up so she could see. Not seeing the baby's head crowning yet, she reached in and slowly slipped two fingers up inside of her. Feeling carefully for the baby's head. "Yes, my child. The baby will indeed be here before long, but there's still some time yet".

Turning to the other ladies, she quickly told them what she needed them to do. Getting clean blankets, rags and so on. Turning to Rory, who was standing in the doorway, she told him to take the small pot, get it filled with water and put it over the fire.

Over the next two hours, the ladies prepared for the birth and took care of Gwendolyn. Water was kept fresh and hot, Qwen was cleaned, bedding was changed, the two windows were opened and both front and back doors were propped open. Children too young to go out on the hunt brought things from here or there, whatever was needed. One was even sent out to find the men and bring the village priest back with him. All in all, the ladies were showing all their years of learned skills and knowledge of what was needed for a birth.

The village Priest had arrived and given his prayers for the soon to be mother and her child just after the ladies had finished 'preparing' the small home for Gwen's and Jacob's ancestors. It was one of the few things that persisted from the old Gaelic beliefs, and one that the church generally couldn't fight against. After all, if they were preaching that a person's soul went to Heaven or Hell after death, and that a persons' loved ones who had passed into Heaven were 'watching over them', then how could they deny the belief that those same spirits couldn't be there when their living family needed them?

They couldn't. So what did they do? A century prior, Pope Gregory established 'All Saint's Day' and 'All Souls Day' for Nov.1

st

and 2

nd

. Backing up right against the Samhain festival of Oct.31

st

. In time, he knew that the three would most likely be celebrated together and become one festival. So for now, he simply accepted their belief that they were opening the house for their ancestors, while he simply saw it as opening the home for God.

When the time came for Gwen to give birth, everything was ready. All the villages' men had returned with not only gotten a deer (which she was told her husband had killed), but a wild pig as well. Both were currently being cooked over open fires for everyone while the ladies of the village finished preparing various breads and vegetables. The village elders, with the impending birth, had even authorized the opening of a second barrel of mead for the celebration, giving the festival a dual purpose.

"Okay Qwen, it's time." Looking over at the other ladies, "Helien, go inform Jacob that his wife is fine, and we'll call upon him once the child is born.", Looking back at Qwen, she smiled. "When I tell you, push."

That evening, everyone celebrated not only their past ancestors, but the new life which had been brought into the world as well... Celeste MacBrandonea, daughter of Jacob MacBrandonea, born on All-Hallows' Eve, in the year of Our Lord 1001.

2021-AD:

Silvia wiped her tears from her eyes as she carefully closed the old leather-bound book she had just finished reading. It was hard to do because from what she had just read, the thing was over a thousand years old and was on the verge of literally falling apart on her. She knew she'd have to get it into the city where the museum there could properly preserve and take care of it, but that was for later. They were closed for the weekend.

"I'll get you to the museum as soon as I can.", she quietly told the book. It was a journal really. A diary of sorts. Just some pages wrapped by an old soft leather cover and tied together with a leather strap that was deteriorating so badly that it might as well be non-existent. The cover had been preserved well, but the strap; that was practically gone. The pages within faded to the point where she could just barely even make out the words.

On the cover of the journal seemed to be an emblem etched into the leather, but she couldn't make out what it might have once been.

"I can't believe I found this thing. And today of all days!"

Quickly, Silvia grabbed up her phone and called her best friend Tiffany. "Hey chickie-chick, what's cook'n?", Tiffany said as she answered.

Silvia took a deep breath and gently touched the leather cover again. "Hey girlfriend. I need you to grab the guys and meet me out at the old cemetery tonight at sundown. I have something to tell you."

"Yeah, what's that?" Tiffany asked excitedly.

"I can't. I need to tell you all together, but it has to be tonight."

"What? Not even a clue? Come on girl, I gotta give everyone a reason to meet there at night. Especially on Halloween night! You KNOW they're not going to want to give up the parties!"

"Tiffany.... Let's just say that I think I just met my great, great, great, great, I don't know how many generations ago grandmother!" A slight chill ran through Silvia as the words came out of her mouth, causing her to shiver a bit. "Just get everyone there. I have to call my dad. I'll tell you when I see you there."

With that, Silvia ended the call and looked at the diary again. "Now, what to do with you grandma". She knew that the odds on this being the diary of an actual relative from over a thousand years ago was slim, but it just... felt right. She couldn't explain it. Looking around, she saw what she needed and walked over to her closet. "This should do nicely", she said to herself as she pulled a white silk blouse from its hanger. "Yes... this should do very well indeed."

Stepping over to her desk, she opened the center drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. She didn't know about taking care of old things like the diary, but she knew they were usually wrapped up in something, and she knew silk probably wouldn't damage it anymore while helping to protect it at the same time.

"Let's see if we can't get you over to the museum intact, shall we?", Laying out the shirt, she began cutting out the seams. Once done, she looked at what she had. Two panels of silk (the front and the back), and two small tubes (the sleeves).

Laying out one of the sleeves, she set the book on it to see if it would fit within. "Close, but it should work." She said to herself as she carefully picked up the diary and worked it inside the sleeve. "Yes, perfect." She then took one of the panel pieces and laid it out before setting the diary on it and carefully wrapping it up width ways. Laying out the other panel piece, she turned the book so this one would wrap it length ways and repeated the process before slipping the whole thing inside the second sleeve to hold it all together. "There. That's the best I can do grams. Now for dad." She said to herself before grabbing up her phone again.

"Dad? Yeah, it's me. I have something really really important to show you!", she listened for a minute.

"Yes, it can wait till tonight, but it can't be too late. I'm meeting my friends at the old graveyard at sunset. Can you meet me there?", she listened again.

"No dad, you need to meet me there at sunset too. I need to tell you about it before I give it to you, and I'm telling my friends about it as well.", again she listened.

"Dad... (she sighed a little) ... I don't ask much of you and you know it. This is REALLY important to me! Just Be There. I gotta go. I'll see you tonight, sunset at the old cemetery."

With that, she hung up her phone and sat down on her bed, picking up the diary again, checking its wrapping. "Don't worry grams, once he knows, I'm sure he'll make sure you're taken care of."

With that, Silvia checked the time and saw that she had 4 hours left until she had to be at the cemetery. "I better call Peter and get ready."

Setting the diary on her dresser, she made her next call as she started pulling out clean panties, socks and a bra before heading back to her closet. "HIYA PETE! Listen, I gotta big favor to ask of you. Ya got a sec?"

Three hours later, Silvia stepped out of her door dressed in blue jeans, a knit sweater, boots and her white down jacket with the fake furred collar. It wasn't that cold out yet, but once the sun went down, she knew that it would be rather chilly and sitting out in the open cemetery she'd need it for warmth. The diary was tucked safely into her coat pocket, she knew it, but she found that her hand was constantly patting it through the coat to make sure it was still there.

Walking up to the cemetery, she smiled to herself. "Now to figure out where to do this."

With a smile, she walked up the old cemeteries gate and opened it. The aged, rusted, metal hinges complaining loudly at having been moved for the first time in what had to be years at least before stopping short, only half-way open. Silvia then leaned into the gate and gave it a shove, almost tumbling through as the gate gave way to the force but managing to catch herself before hitting the ground.

Looking around, she noted that this gate was on the edge of a row of gravesites. 'Great', she thought to herself. 'That will make it easier'.

With that, and the quickly fading light of the day, she started walking down the graves. While none of the graves in this cemetery were new by any stretch of the imagination, they weren't old enough for what she needed and after about 20 minutes she realized the dates were consistently getting older. "I must have come in on the most recent graves. I need the other end."

Looking around, she saw her friend Tiffany walking towards her from the gate she'd opened. "Phummph frsgge asapn?"

"WHAT???", she had no idea what Tiff had said, but she waved to her nonetheless, stopped and waited while Tiffany jogged over.

"I said, 'What the Fuck'n Shit?' What are we doing in a cemetery for?"

Silvia giggled at her friends' little catch phrase she said anytime anyone ever asked her what she said. "I told you; I'm going to tell everyone at once. Are they coming?"

"Yes, they said they'd be here, but what are we doing out here in the middle of this place?" Tiff asked as she looked around at all the gravestones, markers and statues. "Geeze, this place is old."

"Yeah, well, if I'm going to find a thousand-year-old grave, it will be older than all these around here. It's got to be over on the other end.", pointing over by what had to be the ruins of an old run-down family crypt.

"A thousand years old? Why would you want that?" she asked, seeing the others arrive and waving them over.

"I just need the right place to tell you all about this... and keep an eye out for my dad. He should be here soon too.", turning back towards the crypt, Silvia started walking quickly.

By the time everyone caught up to her and her dad had arrived, she'd found the perfect place. A little stone marker laying on the ground that wasn't more than 12 inches square just laying down on the ground carved so long ago that any words that may have been on it at one time were totally worn away. What few carvings still remained only resembled scratches in the stone, though the scratches could be the number 1019 if you were liberal with the way you saw them.

The only reason she figured that the stone was still visible on top of the ground instead of being buried itself over time was that this old cemetery, as unused and unvisited as it is, was still maintained by the town and had been since the place was founded some 1300 years ago.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Silvia indicated that everyone else should sit around the grave marker as well, with it taking the place of honor between them all. Just as she was about to begin telling everyone about what she'd found, a flashlight beam shone in her eyes.

"Hey! Turn that thing off!", she said as she raised her hand to block the light from her eyes.

Stepping up to the group, Officer Peter Lonette turned off his flashlight and put it back into the ring on his holster belt. "Hey Silvia. Thought I'd come out and see why you wanted permission to come out here for. It's not often that kids today actually ask permission, and you weren't really forth coming over the phone earlier"

Next to him stood Rene Germaine, the primary caretaker of the grounds. "Hello Mr. MacBrandon", she smiled. "Having a little family time this Halloween?", her voice was light and flirty when it came to talking to Silvia's dad. Then again, most single ladies tended to talk to her father that way ever since her mother had passed two years ago.

"Yes," he said, reaching up to shake Officer Lonette's hand. "We're just going to tell a few ghost stories and head back home before it gets too late."

"Oh, that's fine by me.", Rene said. "Perhaps your presence will even help cut back on the tricksters who like to come out here on Halloween and deface the place.", again, she was all smiles. You'd think she'd be a little more subtle, considering the man's daughter was sitting right there.

"Okay," Pete said. "Just be sure you leave by midnight. We wouldn't want any of the ghosts and goblins getting you.", he chuckled to himself at his own joke before turning and heading back to his squad car, Rene quickly in tow. "Good night!"

After a brief moment of watching them walk away, the group turned their attention back on themselves.

"What's this all about Silvie? And it had better be important. I told you I have a very important meeting in the morning I have to get ready for.", her dad said as he too sat down on the ground... nodding a brief hello to her friends who sat without a word.

Marcus, Steve, Tiffany and Pax all smiled at him before turning their attention to Silvia who was pulling something from her pocket. "Dad", she started, "I found this diary today under the house."

Laying the silk wrapped diary carefully down on the grave marker, she looked at everyone in turn. "It's what was in it that I need to tell you about." Taking a deep breath, she shivered a bit as yet another cold chill seemed to come out of nowhere as her fingers gently ran over the white silk.

"Patryk? Who are these people, and why are they here?"

No one could hear the ghostly voice of Celeste MacBrandonea as she stepped through the veil into the realm of the living. No one could see her, and no one ever would... at least no one ever had in the thousand years since she'd died.

"

I do not know my beloved. I've never seen them before, though I feel as though I should know

."

Patryk

said as he too stepped from behind the separating veil. "

And what is that which has been placed upon our grave?

" Looking down upon the living people sitting around their grave,

Patryk

knelt before the one who had been called 'dad'. An odd word, but as the man appeared to be the oldest by far,

Patryk

assumed that he was the father of the girl that was speaking. "

He holds the look of familiarity to me, yet place him, I cannot."

Silvia looked around at her friends and smiled. "It's a book. A diary really, and it's very, very old." Looking at her dad, she smiled. "I was down in the basement of the house this morning after you left for work, and I noticed that a small section of the cement flooring was all cracked up. It was only a little 6-inch square section, but when I went to touch it, that whole thing crumbled."