It was a strange day he thought, but most all Halloween days were for him ever since that fateful Halloween long ago. With each passing hour of every Halloween day he remembered more clearly the question She gave him to accept or reject.
He often wondered what might have happened if he would have said "yes" rather than the "no" that he spoke to Her. He sat down in his Lazy Boy, getting comfortable as he wrote something on the note. Standing he felt fully ready for it to begin .... once again.
The clock chimed 6PM and suddenly swirling visions of that long ago night unfurled before his eyes, just as it had for the last 8 Halloweens past, just as She said that it would. A shiver ran deep into his heart as his blood started to pump faster and faster, his mind remembering more clearly, his breath becoming deep, his eyes closing to the remembrance of those 8 long ago Halloweens, beginning once again as it was tonight.
And then it started ... for the 9th time.
The house was cold as he walked down the hallway. Little sounds of some far away liquid dripping steadily into a slowly filling basin. With each step that he took the drips echoed along with his footsteps, timed perfectly as if it were a clocks pendulum swinging back and forth. The door of the room ahead slowly opened as he turned into the darkness of the now open room, listening for Her, inhaling, searching for Her sweetness. Walking into the room the door slowly closed, pivoting on uncared for, ancient looking hinges. The latch found it's home, clicking silently secure. Darkness completely over powered his senses, listening only to his breath and the dripping of that far away liquid. Quietly he stood frozen in his tracks, waiting, listening, quietly inhaling while hoping to know that She was there with him.
The note he found on his desk, as he had found for the past 9 Halloween mornings said to be here in this very room exactly at 6PM or She would assume that his answer was again no. He was always puzzled at the similarities of the style of writing in the note today as he was the previous 8 Halloween notes before. It was mysteriously much like the style of his Wife who died 10 years ago on this day, leaving such an emptiness in his heart. Strangely he was so intrigued by this note. He remembered his Wife saying that She was raised in a "non traditional home life" but She said it was also very much filled with love and warmth so he never questioned Her. Why should he? He always felt so loved and such warmth, especially when enjoying Her smile and Womanly passions filled with love that they shared together.
He knew that She was very secretive of Her past but very intense about Her Wiccan religion. She never forced this on him and he always was curious of how She could easily calm his heart with Her soft little soothing songs. She told him that She practiced Her religion and believed that She would be with him always, even in death.
She had said many, many times that if something should ever happen to Her that She would somehow come to him on the day of Her death but would also always be there, living deep within his heart. Always smiling, always warm to his touch, always whispering of the delights that he would enjoy as they embraced passionately within the love they shared together. His heart ached terribly for Her now. His spirit never fully embraced again since that terrible day She left him so alone. So completely alone.
As it was the 8 past times before, the dripping liquid stopped suddenly, the new overwhelming silence deafened his ears as he waited silently, quietly inhaling, filtering the rooms stale fragrance, hoping to find that She was again finally there. Deeper and deeper he breathed, slowly exhaling through his mouth, refilling his nostrils, quietly screaming in his mind, praying to the God's there was much more than mere similarities of handwriting that brought him here again.
Suddenly he smiled, feeling Her warmth and love, adding to his courage with each beat of his heart. Deep inside She WAS with him as She had always been since that fateful day. Wiping a tear from his eye he turned to leave, retracing unseen steps but suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling that he again MUST stay and face this.
Stopping almost at the door, an odd mildewy like whip of air filled his nostrils, causing him to sneeze from it's wet staleness. Wailing sounds behind him filled his ears, calling his name as it had the many times before. intense blast furnace like heat singed the back of his neck, back and legs. Lights behind his form shadowed with each step towards the door, flickering light and dark much like fire light shadowing within the night. He felt his skin respond with goosebumps from the mysterious intensity behind him. Standing silent, frantically searching for his center, his calmness of strength then slowly he once again turning back to face who was there now calling his name.
With eyes widening, mouth opening with a silent, yet unspoken word he saw Her smiling at him. Her beauty perfect in all ways reflecting the memory of his Wife ... except for Her eyes. Hard, dark, cold, unyielding, nothing of the deep pools of the ocean that softened his heart so many times in their past. Looking downward, so hoping She was there, slowly turning his gaze upward , specifically looking for Her soft smile, wishing to believe it WAS Her. It MUST be Her! Please, let it BE Her, he prayed.
She walked slowly, almost gliding toward this now shivering man, softly smiling, whispering memories of passions shared, singing softly the little songs that his Wife once used to help him find calmness and then sleep within Her arms, Her fingers refreshed many pleasurable past memories in his mind as She touched his face, slowly lightly painting caressing strokes from his forehead to his chin then around the back of his neck, pulling his face downward to the deep shadow between the fullness of Her soft breasts, holding him close, stroking his hair lightly, exactly as his Wife had done so many times before.