The Cauldron

The Cauldron is a sequel to my Halloween story, Don't Answer the Door, and continues the adventures of Alec and his daughter, Allison, six months after the fantastic events of the earlier tale. However, while it shares characters and details from Don't Answer the Door, the Cauldron has been written as a standalone story so new readers hopefully won't feel lost if they haven't read the first story.

This is also an entry to the Earth Day Contest so, in addition to appreciating the time you take to read this story, I also greatly appreciate any votes and/or comments!

All characters involved in sexual situations in this story are 18 years of age or older.

* * *

Thump thump thump. Three knocks at the door.

Ken glanced at his watch -- 11 pm. He knew anyone banging on the door this late had to be looking for his daughter.

"Kaylee! The door's for you!" he yelled.

A second later, his wife, Grace, shouted from the bedroom, "Kaylee's out with Allison!"

"Chris! The door's for you!" he yelled, calling for his son now.

Thump thump thump. Three knocks at the door.

"Chris! Get the door!" He leaned over to try to see up the stairs. His son's bedroom door was closed, and he knew he was probably playing his computer with his headphones on and couldn't hear him.

Ken grumbled as he grabbed the controller and hit pause. He wasn't upset because he now had to answer the door. He was upset because he'd been watching this movie for an hour and a half, waiting for the "occasional scenes of nudity" the warning had promised, and hadn't even seen a boob yet.

Thump thump thump. Three knocks at the door.

"Get the goddamned door!" his wife shrieked from the bedroom.

"I'm getting it!" he yelled. He was stunned when he opened it and saw who was waiting on the other side.

Three breathtakingly beautiful blondes were standing there, and they weren't just blondes -- they were triplets. Every inch of their flawless faces and bewitching bodies were identical, right down to their clothing. At least, if you could call what they were wearing clothes. All three were dressed in diaphanous green gowns that were thigh-high, sleeveless and completely transparent.

Ken's jaw dropped as his gaze drifted down their nubile bodies to their sweet little breasts, and he noticed their tiny pink nipples poking against the delicate fabric. And as his eyes wandered lower he could clearly make out the downy blonde mounds between their legs.

"Umm...hi, can I help you?" he asked, as he nervously licked his lips.

He assumed they were looking for his daughter; there was no way his son had friends that looked like these three lovelies.

They had an uncanny beauty and fine features framed by long, golden-yellow hair that swept back over their pale, delicate shoulders. Their bright blue eyes sparkled like stars and their red lips, the same shade as roses, were slightly parted, revealing flawless, crystal-white teeth.

One of them stepped toward him, and as she reached out her slender hand to touch his face he instinctively ducked back out of reach. "He has been blessed," she said.

Ken definitely felt blessed as he eyed their slender, youthful bodies; they were essentially naked. Figuring them to be the same age as his daughter, he said, "You girls are looking for Kaylee, right?"

The second one stepped forward and said, "We seek that which must be found."

The third walked in behind the other two and soundlessly headed up the stairs to the second floor.

"Hey! Kaylee's not up there," he said.

He was confused as he looked at their outfits. They weren't wearing wings, but it was like they were dressed up as Tinker Bell for a Halloween party and had shown up six months too late.

He barely remembered the party his daughter had thrown, as he and his wife had passed out early on from too much wine, but it must have been wild as the house smelled like sex for a week after.

However, he did remember there was one cute teen there dressed like Wonder Woman, and for weeks after he had the most vivid dreams of pinning her naked body to his bed while he fucked her senseless.

He sheepishly told his wife about them and she was embarrassed to admit she'd also had naughty dreams after the party. Except in her dreams their daughter's ex-boyfriend Billy was fucking her from behind in the backyard. They were taken aback when they realized that, in both of their dreams, the kids had the same golden glowing eyes.

But there was nothing wrong with these girls' eyes; they were blue and indescribably beautiful. Ken felt a tinge of guilt as he eyed their tantalizing tits, and he glanced over his shoulder to make sure his wife wasn't watching.

He was just turning back to tell them he had no idea when Kaylee was going to be home, when the closest one suddenly reached out and rubbed his stiff cock through his pajama bottoms.

Ken froze at her touch and felt the warmth of her hand as she squeezed his swollen shaft.

"He is ready," she said.

Ken swallowed in nervous anticipation, wondering what they thought he was ready for. And then she reached out and touched his cheek and he felt himself falling away as if he were in a dream.

Upstairs in his bedroom, Chris put his headphones down on his desk. He'd heard the banging at the door and his dad calling him to answer it, but he knew it had to be Kaylee's friends; all his friends were online.

He went into the hallway to see who it was and his mouth fell open when he looked down toward the bottom of the stairs. Two scantily dressed blondes were standing in front of his father, who was taking off his pajama bottoms.

"Dad? What's going on?" Chris said.

All three of them turned their heads to look at him at the same time, and Chris felt a chill run down his spine when he saw his father's eyes. They were glowing golden, just like in his dream. The dream where four of his sister's friends broke into his room and held him down as they took turns riding his cock.

He heard a footstep behind him and spun around. His eyes went wide with fear when he saw the uncannily beautiful blonde reaching out to touch his cheek. And as her fingers brushed his skin he felt himself falling away as if he were in a dream.

Downstairs, Grace was still sitting on her bed trying to finish her book. When she heard footsteps coming down the hallway, she said, "Who was at the door, honey?"

Her husband slowly pushed the bedroom door open and she was surprised to see he was naked from the waist down. But a cold fear crept over her skin like a spider when she noticed his golden glowing eyes.

"Ken," she whispered, "you're scaring me. What's going on?"

But her husband didn't answer, he merely moved aside and she gasped when she saw her son step through the door. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and was now completely naked. She didn't even notice his golden eyes; she was too busy staring at his stiff cock, jutting in front of him and aimed right at her.

"Oh my god, I'm dreaming...I have to be dreaming," she said, as her husband climbed on the bed and pinned her arms down while her son reached underneath her nightie and pulled her panties off.

And as the three ethereal blondes strutted down the street away from the house, they paid no heed to her cries as they echoed from the open doorway.

* * *

Alec closed the lid on the cardboard box, wrote "kitchen" on the top with a black felt marker and looked at the empty room around him. He still couldn't believe that at this time tomorrow, the first of May, the house he'd called home for the last twenty years would belong to someone else.

But even though he'd lost his home, and lost his wife, he still had his daughter, Allison. And that was enough for him.

He grabbed another empty box, put it on the counter and grabbed a wine glass from the cupboard. He was wrapping it in newspaper when the doorbell rang.

Alec started at the sound, the glass tumbled from his hand, and he swore as it shattered on the linoleum floor. Of all of the things he was going to miss about this house, the doorbell wasn't one of them. He used to love the sound of its chime, but now it only filled him with fear.

He crept to the living room window and peeked out from between the closed curtains, wondering who could be at his door this late. A redheaded woman he'd never seen before was standing there, and when she suddenly looked up at the window he instinctively ducked back.

Alec shook his head in frustration.

Quit being so jumpy, it's over. The cauldron's hidden, Allison's safe. You've got nothing to be afraid of.

He peeked out the window again and saw the woman looking up at him. When she smiled and waved -- and he saw her eyes were normal -- he let out his breath and waved back.

Alec opened the door and she nodded her head in greeting. "I saw the light on. I hope it's not too late," she said.

He smiled and shook his head. "No, it's not a problem. How can I help you?"

As she started to talk, he glanced over her shoulder and noticed three girls crossing his neighbor's lawn. There was something about the way they moved that was eerily familiar, and he heard them knock on the far door -- thump thump thump. The door was just opening when he saw a hand waving in front of his face.

"Excuse me? Did you hear what I just said?"

Alec blinked his eyes and focused on the woman on his doorstep. "Shit. Sorry, I was, I mean...what did you need again?"

She smiled patiently and started over, and as he listened he couldn't help noticing her piercing green eyes. "I said that my name is Moira Breckenridge. I phoned a neighbor of yours because she bought something of mine from an antique store...something that shouldn't have been there in the first place. She remembered buying it but she said she didn't know what had happened to it, and said your daughter might know."

"Allison? What is it that you're looking for?"

"A cauldron. An old iron cauldron."

Her words sent an icy chill down Alec's spine. "I -- I don't know anything about that, and neither does my daughter."

"Are you sure?" Moira said. "Your neighbor said she thought your daughter might have taken it home after a Halloween party?"

Alec started to close the door. "Honestly, I wish I could help you but I don't -- "

He froze, his fear escalating as he stared over Moira's shoulder.

She turned to see what he was looking at. Across the street, three women were standing near an open doorway. And as soon as she saw them she knew she'd seen them somewhere before. But they weren't what had caught Alec's attention.

A beautiful dark-haired girl was walking across the lawn. She was completely naked and her eyes blazed with a golden light. And as they watched she lifted her hand and pointed right at Alec's house.

"Oh god, not again," he whispered.

"What's wrong with her eyes?" Moira said. As she watched, the three women turned as one to see where the girl was pointing.

When Moira saw their faces and the luminescence of their skin she realized with a shock of recognition where she'd seen them before. They stepped off the porch and walked across the lawn, their weight not even bending the blades of grass. And as they moved closer, she felt a growing sense of unease.

"Get inside!" Alec cried, and pulled her through the door. As she stumbled past him, he quickly turned the deadbolt and ran to check the window.

"We can't let them catch us," he said. "If they do, we'll be just like them."

"We could never be like them," she said, and ran to the kitchen.

She desperately threw open the doors on every cabinet and realized they were all empty. "Oh my god," she cried. "Where are your pots and pans?"

"Packed...we're moving. Why?"

She ran to the living room and tore open every box she could find marked "kitchen." As she looked out the window, she saw the three otherworldly blondes crossing the street.

Moira tore open one box and triumphantly pulled out an iron skillet.

While Alec looked on in confusion, she ran downstairs and crammed the handle of the heavy frying pan through the mail slot, leaving it stuck in the front door.

He looked out the window and was surprised to see the three strange women stop, and slowly back away from the door.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Iron," Moira said. "They won't go near iron."

"They? You know them?"

"I know

of

them," she said, and pulled a small, leather-bound notebook from her purse. She flipped through the book until she found a folded piece of paper, and unfolded it and handed it to him.

The paper was a print of an old painting, probably a hundred years old. But in the painting the exact same three women were pictured walking hand in hand from a forest glade. The painting was titled, "Sisters of the Sidhe -- John Duncan 1911."

"

Sid-hay

?" Alec said.

"It's pronounced

Shee

," Moira said.

Alec looked at the image again. "This painting is dated 1911. Does that mean they're a hundred years old?"

"They are far older than that," Moira whispered. "They are part of a supernatural race older than Man. Have you ever heard of the faerie folk?"

"Like Tinker Bell?"

Moira smiled and shook her head. "Not quite. The Sidhe are an ancient race that are said to dwell beneath the earth in fairy mounds. Did you know that tonight is known as Beltane, and that the barrier between our world and the spirit world is said to be at its weakest tonight?"

Alec nodded; he knew that word. "Beltane -- it's written on the cauldron."

Moira blinked in surprise. "The cauldron? I thought you said you didn't have it."

"I have it -- it's hidden."

"But...the cauldron doesn't have writing on it."

Alec, who remembered the glowing letters as if they were seared into his brain, simply nodded and said, "Yes, it does."

She was just about to ask him where it was when she glanced out the window and realized the front yard was empty.

"Oh my god," she whispered, "they're trying to find another way in!"

Moira raced past Alec into the kitchen and threw open the cupboards, thankful that he hadn't packed the food yet. Grabbing a box of salt she ran to the back door just as the Sidhe were reaching for it. But before they could turn the handle she poured a line of salt across the threshold. They stared at it as if mesmerized and slowly backed away.

Alec looked at her in amazement. "How did you know how to stop them?"

"I'm a professor of history at the college," she said. "I specialize in ancient and medieval pagan beliefs."

"Wow," Alec said. "I could have used you last Halloween."

Moira narrowed her eyes in confusion, not sure what he meant. Movement from the balcony caught her eye, and she saw the three Sidhe step back and join hands. As she watched, the three women turned into three glowing balls of light and drifted away into the darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Alec said, blinking in disbelief.

"Just one of their many forms, that of the Will-o'-the-Wisp," Moira said. "They're gone."

Alec slumped against the wall in relief as he watched them disappear, and said, "It isn't over. This is just the start."

"What do you mean?" Moira said.

Alec pulled her to the front window and pointed across the street.

The neighbor's curtains were open, and Moira could see the young girl with the glowing eyes. She was straddling someone on the couch, and from her motions and the look on her face it was obvious that she was riding his cock.

Moira was confused as she looked back at Alec. "What did they do? Cast a spell on her to make her have sex with her boyfriend?"

"That's not her boyfriend," he said. "There's only one other person who lives in that house -- her father."

Moira's eyes went wide with shock as she looked back across the street and watched the golden-eyed girl humping up and down enthusiastically on her unseen lover's lap.

Alec shut the curtains, and said, "The same thing happened last Halloween. The cauldron caused all of the kids in the neighborhood to turn into sex-crazed zombies."

Moira blinked in surprise. "My cauldron? How?"

He told her about the Halloween party. Told her how his daughter Allison's best friend, Kaylee, had thrown the party, and how her mom had found the cauldron in an antique store and bought it as a harmless prop for the bash.

But when Kaylee accidentally touched the cauldron as her boyfriend fucked her she released an ancient magic that had lain hidden in the iron vessel for centuries. A golden glow poured forth from the cauldron and Kaylee and anyone she came in contact with became golden-eyed sex zombies.

His daughter was trapped in the house and Alec had to brave a horde of fuck-crazy college kids to rescue her. And it wasn't until long after they'd made their escape, with the help of a few other friends they'd met that night, that Alec had finally been able to break the spell and save his daughter from the curse of the cauldron.

Moira was spellbound as she listened to his story. If she hadn't just seen the three Sidhe trying to get into his house, she would have never believed it. "Oh my god," she said. "You must have been terrified. Is that why you're moving? Because of what happened that night?"

Alec shook his head. "No, I'm moving because my wife and I...we just divorced."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

And so was Alec. Last Halloween he'd fought all night to save his family, only to have it torn apart the next morning.

His wife, Andrea, had been one of the first to fall to the curse, and he'd discovered her at the side of their house being fucked by Steve, the twenty-year-old who mowed their lawn.

When the cauldron's evil spell was finally broken, the only ones that remembered what had happened were the ones who'd helped break it: Alec, his daughter Allison and their friend Gabriella. Everyone else who'd been consumed by the magic of the cauldron, everyone else who'd become golden-eyed sex zombies and taken part in the frightful fuckfest, had no recollection of what had happened. Everyone except his wife.

The next day Andrea told him how embarrassed she was that he'd seen her getting fucked by Steve. But no one had told her about Steve.

And then Alec realized the truth. The reason she remembered was because they'd already been fucking

before

the cauldron's magic had been activated.

When confronted with the truth she admitted the affair, and then she made another admission -- she didn't love Alec anymore.

The divorce had been quick, and she hadn't even asked her daughter whom she wanted to live with; she knew how much she loved her father.

But Andrea did want her half of the house, her half of the home she'd torn in two. Alec had no choice but to give it to her, and now he was one day away from taking his daughter to their new home.

Moira could tell by the pained look on his face that she'd hit a sore spot, and she tried to change the subject. "What did you mean when you said this is just the start?"

"The cauldron, it warned me about tonight," Alec said.

"My cauldron? What do you mean it warned you?"

"The writing on the side. It said that it would reawaken at Beltane. But with the move, and everything else going on, I forgot that it was tonight."

"But I keep trying to tell you, my cauldron didn't have any writing on it."

Alec sighed; he could never forget those cryptic words. "You can only see the writing when the cauldron is activated, golden runes appear on the side."

Moira's jaw dropped. "Do you know what they said?"

Alec closed his eyes and recited the words he would never forget:

"

When the sacred time of Beltane is nigh

The vessel fills with the goddesses' eye.

Run 'round the Maypole and run to the fields

Reseed the Mother 'til the darkness yields.

When Beltane is done and Baal-fires lie cold

The cauldron will sleep; the earth will turn gold."