The Secret of the Locket
Chapter OneThey all arrived at the house ten minutes to midnight and each of them brought with them a warm, glowing, feel of togetherness. This was the first time that any of us had met outside of an internet chat room or instant messenger window. While we had at various times spoken over the phone, it was an entirely different sensation to have these three women standing in my living room, together, after so many years of talking about it and making plans. Finally it had happened, finally we were together, and it was going to be by far, the best weekend ever.
Cherie was the first one who'd actually reached my sleepy little town. She'd driven herself down while Donna and Lisa had taken a bus. Once here, Cherie drove to the bus station to wait for the others and then they all drove in together. To say I was excited was an understatement. We'd been planning this little rendezvous for four months, waiting for the weather to be perfect and then saving up the money needed for travel. I'd offered to help them financially but all three ladies adamantly refused to take my money.
That was fine, I told them, as long as they would allow me to cover the expenses for food and accommodations while they were here to which they all agreed. For this little excursion I'd booked us rooms at a small bed and breakfast just outside of Fairfield county on March road. It was a good hour and a half from my place but it would be well worth it. The B&B wasn't a well known little place but the people who had stayed there only had wonderful things to say about it. The atmosphere was supposed to be very peaceful and cozy with a country cabin type of feel. The place was a little ways out in the country and surrounded by a vast wooded area with a hiking path and a huge lake to one end of the property.
My mom had agreed to take Autumn over the weekend and my sister Stacey was keeping Alex so that raven and I could enjoy a child free weekend from the kids. We'd specifically planned to do this on an alternate weekend when Raven didn't have visitation with his children. It worked out rather well since we usually get his kids for two full weeks each summer but this year he and his ex wife agreed that he would take them more towards the end of summer which was when we had planned to take all the kids, including my oldest son Nicky and his boyfriend, to Ceder Point for the day.
With everything carefully planned and the weekend events mapped out, we were ready to start our adventure. We decided to stay at my place for the night and then head out in the morning. Cherie stayed in Nicky's room while Lisa and Donna camped out in the living room on my fold out couch. I had offered to let them use the kids rooms since they were with family over the weekend but each declined. I can't really blame them, I wouldn't want to sleep in Autumn's bed and the ladies were scared of all the reptiles and creepy crawlies in Alex's bedroom.
Five am came early, a little too early for me but I could manage it for one day I supposed. Lisa was the first one up. The smell of fresh coffee and rolls wafted through the house and into the bedroom that I shared with Raven. As if in a trance I awoke and drifted from my bed down stairs. I was just in my boxers and nothing else but modesty wasn't one of my strong points.
Lisa was standing in front of the stove lifting cinnamon rolls off a baking sheet with a spatula and placing them in a neat little circle on a serving platter. She turned with a smile when she heard me enter the room but the smile immediately faded once she saw me.
"Oh My God Sess!" She squealed. "Go and put some clothes on, geez."
I looked down at my sponge bob boxers and sighed. "It's too early for clothes." I walked over and sat at the table and lit a cigarette, yawning, as I tried my best to wake up.
"Here..." Lisa handed me a steaming cup of coffee. "Wake up."
"Um..." I inhaled the scent of the equate brand of bean and closed my eyes as if savoring the moment like one of those people in a Folgers commercial. "Pass me the french vanilla creamer?" I asked sweetly.
Lisa handed it to me and I smiled brightly at her. "You're an angel." I cooed.
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're not!"
Moments later Raven and Cherie came stumbling down the stairs. Cherie was complaining about being woken up at the crack of dawn.
"Hey it was your idea to leave early." Raven told her.
"This isn't early." She retorted. "This is insanity!" She walked over to the fold out couch and gave the side of it a swift kick.
Donna shot up in the bed and looked around with wide, wild eyes. "Don't shoot!" She screamed. "I had no idea the shit was stolen!"
Silence had fallen over the room as Donna looked around at the startled faces staring back at her. She grinned impishly and and yawned, stretching her arms high above her head. "Man was that a crazy ass dream." She quipped.
"Sure you were dreaming..." Cherie shook her head. "Get your convict ass out of that bed. If I can't sleep in no one else is either."
"Man are you a bitch in the morning." I had to laugh when I saw the look on Cherie's face. The night before when we had met for the first time in person she was a totally different woman. I had opened the front door and stared at her with tears in my eyes and her reaction was pretty much the same. The four of us immediately fell into one massive group hug followed by squeals of excitement over finally seeing each other in the flesh.
I invited them in and even more squealing erupted followed by more hugs when they met Raven for the first time.
Cherie was all smiles then. She's the oldest of us and a paragon of motherly love. She was dressed in a smart looking light pink pant suit with a low cut and ruffled white blouse. A baby blue and soft pink silk scarf was wrapped around her neck and her hair fell in a beautiful wave of deep red. But, what stood before me now was a thing of nightmares. Her hair was a tangled mass of unkempt rats. Her make-up was smudged and the look on her face was a warning to sea captains to turn the ship around.
Cherie glared at me. "Get dressed you perv!" She sneered.
Donna stumbled out of the make shift bed she'd previously occupied and nearly tripped over the end of blanket that was wrapped around her foot as she struggled to walk into the kitchen. Raven wasn't quite as frighting or hilarious as the a fore mentioned women were though he wasn't much of a morning person either and greatly resembled a zombie as he dragged his near lifeless form to the kitchen table and sat down beside me.
Honestly, Lisa was the only one out of the five of us who actually looked human. She was fully dressed in a clean pair of jeans with a light cotton T-shirt on that depicted three kittens in a basket with a ball of yarn. Her hair was recently washed and pulled back into a neat little pony tail. Her bright eyes and chipper mood was a bit annoying at first but it's something that tends to grow on you so I was able to deal, especially with the mug of hot coffee before me. The smell of the cinnamon buns filled the room and lightened the mood of everyone as Cherie and Donna joined us at the table.
It was a nice change of pace for me. Normally during the week I would pour a couple bowls of cold cereal for the kids before school but during summer I alternated between captain crunch and eggs and bacon. On weekends they usually got a treat of french toast or pancakes if I was feeling up to it. On bad days they got toaster treats. Today though I was seated at the table with my adult friends, no kids, no messes, and no screaming and fighting as I frantically tried to feed everyone while attempting to keep the blood shed to a minimum. I welcome the reprieve from my normal duties and also it was nice to have someone else do the cooking for a change. Not that Raven didn't cook sometimes, but he wasn't good at doing more than making oatmeal and occasionally scrambled eggs when the urge hit him.
I don't mind cooking but I get frustrated when the house is a mess and I have to clean the kitchen before making the food. For the last few days I had gone over board cleaning the house and getting it ready for the arrival of my three friends. I couldn't very well have them learn the truth, that my family is composed of a bunch of lazy ass slobs, Autumn being the biggest messer-upper, but I digress.
After we'd finished breakfast we started to load up the van. I drive a gold dodge caravan, a seven seater with a large space in back for storage as well as many more little secret cargo compartments. The three ladies were mostly packed other than what clothes and items they'd used to get ready that morning. Raven piled the bags up into the back while I stood against the side of the van reading a map. Raven cocked an eye-brow as he walked passed me.
"You don't even know how to read a map dip shit." He laughed. "Just use the GPS."
I shrugged, folded up the map, and stuffed it back into the glove box. "I just wanted to see how far away this place is from us."
"It's far." Raven said as he lugged another bag past me. "Take my word for it, it's in Lancaster." He threw the bag into the back of the van then wiped his brow and heaved a sigh of relief. "What the hell is in that thing, a dead body?"
"Of course not." Cherie smiled as she came out of the house. "I left that at home, it was stinking up my car. That bag you just threw in there so carelessly though contains a few odds and ends I thought we might need on our little vacation. Namely, my tarot cards, some candles, runes, my crystal ball, and different herbs and incense. It's probably the crystal ball that makes it so heavy."
"Seriously?" Raven stared at her in disbelief. "Are we going on vacation or holding a seance?"
Cherie shrugged. "Ya never know when you might come across some friendly ghosties, especially me. They seem to come out of the wood work."
"The ones I encounter usually aren't so friendly." I told them.
"Just don't introduce them to me." Cherie said. "I don't need something like that attaching itself to me and following me home."
"Don't worry about that." Raven frowned. "They usually just follow Sess home."
Moving past the friendly banter, we managed to get the rest of the stuff loaded into the van and after multiple trips to the toilet, we were ready to shove off around seven am.
With me driving, Raven beside me and the ladies taking up the rear, we all piled into the van and were on our way. A universal excitement surrounded us as we anticipated our three day get away. It was Friday morning and I told my mom and sister that I would pick the kids up Monday afternoon. Cherie and the others were planning on leaving Monday evening as they all wanted to stay long enough to meet the kids. Donna was particularly thrilled to be meeting Nicky for the first time. It was something that she'd been waiting on for a very long time.
As the sun rose up over the trees and tops of the building near my home, we held our breath in anticipation of the fun that was sure to come. This was going to be a weekend that none of us would soon forget!
We arrived in Lancaster around 10 am. It wasn't hard to find since I was using the GPS to guide me. Lancaster was a beautiful little town with many old and historical buildings, one of which being the B&B that we were headed for. It was located on the far end of town near Lake Hope. Lake Hope was a hot spot for tourists with a state park, camping, a beach, and a golf course. The part of the lake that we would be at was located on the property of the bed and breakfast. According to the flyer I'd found online there was a small dock that you could swim off of and there was a spot for fishing as well. I was really looking forward to doing some fishing but I wasn't sure if any of the ladies had any interest in it. Raven personally wasn't into fishing so it was usually something that I did with my youngest son Alex.
I had already planned out so many fun things for us to do. A picnic by the lake, maybe a cook out at night or a bonfire where we could all sit around and tell each other ghost stories. There were a couple of nice looking restaurants that I wanted to check out, and Raven and I were anxious to try out the golf course. Cherie had mentioned doing some antiquing while we were there. raven wouldn't be interested but I told her that I would go along with her. I liked shopping for antiques, especially if they had a dark or tragic history attached to them.
As we approached the bed and breakfast the girls were in awe. I could tell by the looks on their faces that I had done good in choosing the venue for our getaway. The house was a small Victorian cottage aptly named "The Old Victorian". It reminded me of a gingerbread house with the steep A framed gables and wood lace trim. The stone foundation and pillars attached to the porch gave it a very vintage and romantic appearance.
Beside the cottage was a guest residence that was used by the caretaker and his wife and a boat house was located by the lake. There was a pavilion and gazebo in the back that could be used for group events such as weddings, receptions, family reunions, or parties. The gazebo was open for anyone to use unless it was previously reserved but the pavilion had to be specifically reserved and it cost extra. That was fine with us, we had no use for the pavilion since there were actually picnic tables available down by the lake as well as an outdoor grill. I figured that the gazebo might be a nice spot for pictures or a romantic place to sit and watch the sun go down with Raven. All in all I think I had planned this vacation perfectly with many things that we could do which would cater to the tastes of everyone involved and using my mother's travelers points I was able to book the rooms for half the cost.
I'd booked a couples suite for Raven and myself, complete with a four poster desk and antique furnishings. Cherie had her own room as well, smaller than ours but equally as beautiful. Donna and Lisa unfortunately were sharing a room. It was a nice room with two twin beds but it didn't have a private bathroom as ours and Cherie's did. My choice for giving Cherie the private room was out of respect for her being the eldest of us all and plus I didn't want her ghostly friends to disturb someone else in the middle of the night if she'd had a roommate.
Neither Donna nor Lisa seemed to mind sharing a room, I think each were just thrilled to be getting a great vacation and a room at such a great rate-free!
Personally I was looking forwards to some alone time with raven sans kids, cats, and crazy neighbors. We had all day to spend with the ladies but during the night, it was our time to enjoy the peace and quiet of the country side and the serenity of the lake.
I parked the van around the back of the cottage and we walked around to the front of the building, each carrying one bag. We decided that we could unload the rest of the mess after we'd gotten our room keys. I was tired and ready to lay down for a short nap but as we were walking up the cobble stone walk way, Cherie and Lisa were remarking about all the things that were apparently going to do as soon as we'd checked in.
Cherie claimed that she would absolutely not be swimming because she wasn't about to let anyone see her in a bathing suit, but she wasn't opposed to sitting on the dock and letting her feet dangle in the water. I could swim, in fact it was one of my favorite sports. I felt alive in the water and was ready to jump in at every given opportunity. Hell, I'd go naked if I didn't think the ladies would complain. Maybe Donna wouldn't, but I was pretty sure that skinny dipping would cause Lisa and Cherie to faint on sight. Both had probably forgotten what a wiener looks like by now.
Listening to the girls giggle and discuss the plans of the day was already starting to wear me out. I couldn't believe the energy they all had. I was ready to just veg out in a beach chair but they were wide awake and rearing to go. Of course they hadn't been the one driving for the past two hours so it was more understandable that I was worn out. Besides being sleepy, I was also getting a little hungry. That's when my inner voice suddenly popped up and suggested that after we check in we go out and eat something. I could tell them about the restaurants that I'd researched and let them chose one. I hoped they would choose the Greek restaurant that I'd had my eye on though I knew that the prospect of that was not good. Cherie hates Gyros and Lisa was practically a vegan.
Donna, raven, and I apparently were the only really carnivorous ones in the group and for some reason I had a sinking feeling that the healthy choice veggie lovers would win out in the end. You would think that being three of us and two of them that the meat lovers would prevail, but that's just not the way we roll. Donna might have been more outspoken and let the others know what she wanted to do but as for me and raven, we are push overs. I'm constantly wanting to please everyone and will "take one for the team" if it means keeping my friends and family happy. Raven is just too shy to really speak out.
He tends to put a wall around himself that you couldn't break through with an AK-47. In time he would start to take down that wall, one brick at a time, but usually it took some major trust on his part. The good thing was that he basically already knew these women from our chats online, but meeting them in person had caused him a little anxiety along with the joy and excitement that we of course felt. It was amazing, it really was. Seeing these woman face to face after 3+ years of just hearing their voices or seeing their names on a screen, but it was also scary at first.
I had no idea what they would think of the real me. I didn't want to lose them as friends and that was a huge fear that I had when they'd finally meet me in person. What if they didn't like what they saw? What if they were too scared to be around me? I know that Raven has similar fears though he wasn't quite as apt to express his emotions as I was, he was more of the silent brooding type. That doesn't mean that he isn't a great guy when you get to know him, because he is. He's honestly the kindest, more caring person I've ever met in my life. The problem is just getting him to let you in. He chooses those he allows into his heart with delicate care and anyone who does get in, should feel honored that they were chosen to be his friend.
Once again I find myself diverting from my intended path while regaling this tale. I have so much to say about each of these people that I have chosen to bring with me, so many good things about them, but at some point this story has to have an end and if I indulged myself I could write forever. So, back on track. We checked in and split up to check out our respective rooms. We'd missed breakfast which was served promptly at 6am every morning. The menu for the meals were listed on the wall as you enter the dinning room. There were snacks and drinks set up in the dinning room that guests could help themselves to, mostly cookies, donuts, some finger sandwiches and then a small refrigerator with yogurt and other small containers of foods that don't necessarily make up a meal but certainly were good for staving off hunger.
We decided to forego the snack bar and head straight upstairs. I wanted to take a dip in the enormous pool of a bathtub in our room but I knew that would come much later. The ladies were eager to go exploring.
I entered the room that Raven and I would be sharing over the next three nights, dropped my bag in the middle of the floor then did a sprint across the room before jumping onto the bed and stretching my arms and legs out across the queen sized mattress.
"This is heaven." I moaned. "Do I really have to move?"
"Probably." Raven said as he sat down on the side of the bed. "Cherie will probably drag your ass out by your feet if you don't move pretty soon."
"Tell her I died." I joked.
"How about no?" Raven winked at me. "If I did that she might kill ME."
I laughed out loud. "I doubt she'd go that far but you would definitely be in pain the entire weekend."
"No doubt in my mind." Raven grinned. "I'm not going to let her control this whole expedition though." He crawled across the bed until he was leaning over me. I drew my legs up on either side as he leaned down to kiss me. "I have other plans for the two of us."
I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck and he slid his hand up my shirt. Things were starting to get a little steamy when the door suddenly flew open and I heard Cherie's voice screeching across the room in surround sound.
"Oh My God dude! Can't the two of you go one damn day without fucking?!'
Raven sat up and turned to look at her, slightly annoyed. "Well thank the Lord you're here to keep us celebrate."
"That's right!" She quipped. "Now come on, Donna and Lisa found something they want to check out if it's open to the public. You can see it out their bedroom window."
The window from the girls room looked directly out over the lake. As Raven and I entered their room and made our way to the large bay window they were looking out it didn't take me long to realize what they had found, an old lighthouse on an island not far from where we were staying.
"Do you see it?"Lisa chirped. "The lighthouse! off the starboard bow!"
"Port bow." I corrected. "Starboard is the right side, port is left, assuming your window is the bow."
"The bow is the back of the boat right?" She asked me.
"Nope..." I shook my head. "The bow is the front, stern is the back."
Lisa shrugged. "I used to know that, It's been a while since I've gone sailing though."
I smiled at her. "Know any sea shanty's, do ya?" I asked.
"Maybe one." She blushed as she spoke. "But it's kind of naughty."
I grinned. "Most of 'em are."
"Alright." Cherie chimed in. "Enough of the nautical talk. They want to know if we can go visit it."
I shrugged. "I'll ask the hostess, she may know if it's open to the public. They might even give tours."
"Oh, that would be awesome!" Donna clapped her hands and smiled a wide, happy smile. "I would love to go on a tour of that lighthouse."
"Well, let me go check." I told them. "if nothing else maybe we can swim out to it."
"You can!" Lisa laughed. "It's a bit too far for me."
"Land lover." I winked at her. "Okay, I'll be right back."
The lady that ran the front desk, also the caretaker's wife, was a woman of many talents. Not only did she check guests in and out, but she was also responsible for all of the cleaning and cooking. She was an older woman, in her late sixties, but she was slender and more energetic then I would have thought a woman of her years would be. In all honesty, her energy level put mine to shame.
She was dressed in a pair of cream colored capris with a black shirt that had the name of the B&B stenciled on the left breast. She was wearing a pair of thin, flimsy, flip-flops, and had her blondish-grey hair pulled back into a pony tail that had a slight curl at the end. Other than her wedding ring and simple gold cross, she didn't have any jewelry on, though she did wear a thick pair of pink, plastic framed glasses with large, round lenses. I laughed to myself when I had first seen her because immediately my first impression was that she was stuck in a time warp and of course the song "Time Warp" began to play in my head.
Her name tag read Carrol and I could recall her telling us that that was her name. It suited her. I'd always associated the name Carrol with someone who was friendly and jolly, someone that you just couldn't dislike no matter what and she certainly fit the bill. One of the things that prompted me to make reservations at this particular bed and breakfast was because it said that it was LGBT friendly. I could tell that they weren't lying about that. When I had come in and introduced Raven as my husband Carrol gave us a huge, friendly smile, welcomes us and our friends and didn't seem put off in the least at having a gay couple sleep in her establishment. This left me feeling more at ease like I could be myself and not have to censor myself in order to escape criticism.
When I had come down stairs, Carrol was in the dinning room wiping down the table. I had learned earlier that there were three other guests registered at the B&B for the weekend. I was glad that I had made reservations in advance because the B&B was now full and there was a waiting list to get in.
Two others had arrived the night before, a young couple celebrating their first anniversary. The third guest had arrived this morning just two hours before us. Breakfast was served as it was each morning and then cleared away at 7:30am. This then left the hostess time to clean any rooms that had recently become vacant before the next guest arrived.
By this time, Carrol was just doing the normal chores of the house. Straightening up the dinning area and cleaning spills from the self serve station, vacuuming and dusting, and what ever else needed to be done in order to make the guests more comfortable.
When I entered the dinning area Carrol looked up and smiled that warm, welcome smile that I had seen earlier.
"Hell." She greeted me. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Nope, everything's fine." I told her. "I just had a quick question."
"Oh Okay, shoot."
"Well, I was wondering about this lighthouse we saw out one of the windows."
"You mean old Widows Watch lighthouse?" She asked.
I blinked. Widows watch lighthouse seemed an ominous name for something so beautiful. I shrugged. "I guess. That's an interesting name though."
"And and interesting story." She told me as she continued to wipe down the table and then the counter tops. "Have a seat, I'll get us some coffee and tell you what I know about it."
I nodded, sat at the table and waited as she put her rag aside, poured two cups of coffee and joined me at the table. I loved a good story, especially a ghost story, and I had a feeling that with a name like "Widows Watch" that was just what I was going to get.
I was so excited as I made my way back up the stairs and to Lisa and Donna's room where everyone was still waiting for me. As I pushed through the door, out of breath from my hike up the steps, I nearly collapsed onto the closest bed i could see and looked up at my friends, a huge grin stretching across my face.
"You're in luck." I panted, looking right at Donna. "That old lighthouse has been abandoned for years. They don't do tours or anything but the lady down stairs says that people, mostly tourists, go there all the time. You're not supposed to go inside because it's unsafe, but she told me that the cops rarely patrol that area, in fact, most of the locals won't even go near it."
"Let me guess." Cherie rolled her eyes. "It's haunted. Just what we need, more ghosts."
I Shrugged. "I don't know that you'd call it haunted per say...more like it's cursed. At least that's what the locals think."
"Cursed how?" Raven asked. "A water witch or something?"
I shook my head, still grinning. I was loving this. I had all eyes on me now, they were hooked and looking at me to spin the tale I'd been told downstairs. "Cursed by love." I told them, "Or rather the loss of love. The little island that the lighthouse sits on is said to be cursed by a girl who died of a broken heart."
"Yep, a ghost story." Cherie sighed. "Figures. I'll be in my room when y'all are ready to go eat." She turned and left the room. I frowned. I could understand her reluctance to get involved with anything paranormal but this was a great story and I really wanted to hear her thoughts on it but i wasn't going to push her. Maybe in time she'd come around. The others were glued to me though as I began to explain the sad circumstances of the forlorn lover who lost her life when her true love abandoned her.
"Her name was Breanna." I told them. "She was the daughter of an Irish immigrant and she fell in love with a sailor whom her father disapproved of most vehemently. Her old man even went so far as to arrange a marriage for her to the son of a wealthy merchant who her father was in business with. Breanna didn't love the merchants son and he wasn't much of a man by her standards. He'd never worked a day in his life and was horribly spoiled. She knew that he would be able to provide for her financially but she wasn't interested in money, Breanna wanted adventure and romance.
She dreamed of one day taking to the sea with her sailor and visiting far off places. Her father thought that she was full of fancy and that she would one day grow out of her childish ways. The best thing for her, in his opinion, was to marry the merchants son right away and start a family. His idea was that once she had children of her own she would give up her dreams of sailing the world and concentrate on her material duties. back in this day that meant cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, and spreading her legs anytime her husband demanded it of her. It wasn't the life that she wanted at all.
fearing her impending marriage to the merchant's prissy little son, Breanna and her lover made plans to meet the next time his ship docked and he would hide her aboard the ship and they would leave together, getting married at the next colony that they arrived at. Unfortunately, before their plans could reach fruition, all the available ships were called into service to help stave off an invasion from the south as the enemy was spotted coming up the Ohio river eventually making their way to Buffington and then Kelly's Island which sat in the middle of lake Erie were one of the worst battles in Ohio's history was fought. Nearly all the union soldiers who fought in it were killed.
Breanna stood on Hope Island, by the old lighthouse, waiting for her sailor to return to her but he never did. Locals assumed that he was probably killed in the battle but no one really knows for sure because no one really knows what his name was and most of the records and ships manifests from that era were all lost. The point being Breanna never knew what happened to her lover, or else she believed that he had just abandoned her and never came back. She became consumed with grief and sorrow and eventually she died. The circumstances around her death are hazy though. According to Carol, the woman at the front desk, most people believe that Breanna slipped into a depression, stopped eating, and eventually just wasted away. Others say that she actually killed herself by jumping to her death from the lighthouse.
Either way, her sorrow somehow cursed Hope's Island which gave the lighthouse the nickname of the Widow Watchers lighthouse. People say that when a woman went to the lighthouse to await the return of her husband she would become so overcome with sorrow and despair assuming that her husband had died at sea that she would throw herself into the lake either drowning or dying on the rocks below the island.
There were actually a rash of suicides in the late 1800's so bad that the local authorities had declared the island off limits. About a decade after that the lighthouse which was no longer in use, was abandoned and the curse of Hope's island mostly forgotten."
"That's so sad, that poor woman." Lisa wiped a tear from her eye as she looked down at the floor sadly. "I bet her spirit still haunts the island, waiting for her lost love to return to her."
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Carol didn't mention anything about people seeing or hearing a ghost on the island, just that when you go there you're supposed to be over come with a heart breaking sadness. She told me that she's known people who were perfectly fine before going to the island then afterwards falling into a deep depression. She advised against us going there but if you guys want to go, I'm game."
Raven frowned. He looked out the window and I could tell that he was contemplating the risks of actually going. I didn't know whether or not he believed in old curses but I could tell that he was seriously weighing the risks involved, just in case it was real. "I don't know." He said finally. "I can't tell you all what to do, but honestly, I don't think it's that great of an idea. Especially for Sess. He has enough problems with depression without going to a cursed island."
I gave him a dirty look then stuck my tongue out at him. " Seriously? I doubt that I'm going to commit suicide just by going to an old lighthouse. Besides that, curses only have power if you believe that they do. At least that's according to Sandra Bullock in Practical magic." I winked at Lisa and grinned.
She laughed at my joke but I could tell that she was a little worried as well. Lisa wasn't the type of woman who wanted to mess around with things paranormal or supernatural. She believed in magic and ghosts and demons and that was mostly why she chose not to mess around with that kind of stuff. She didn't want to leave herself open to something scary happening which was totally understandable. I, on the other hand, loved that sort of thing. I chased the paranormal and invited it to mess with me. I wanted an experience so badly that I was known for walking straight into a place rumored to be haunted and taunting any spirits there to scare the shit out of me.
For the most part I've never really encountered anything that I would consider seriously dangerous, discounting the time that my friend Sean was possessed, but that's a tale for another day. I was raised around ghosts and spirits. The entire allotment that grew up in was haunted as well as the house we lived in. The farm house that we later moved to when I was a teenager and young adult was also haunted and we lived on the other side of a cemetery. All I had to do was walk through the woods behind our house and I came out on the other side facing an old run down church and many many dead people. It never seemed to phase me, but not a lot of friends liked to visit me.
I turned then and looked at Donna. She was my last hope to get someone on my side. "What do you think hotness?" I asked her. "It sounds like fun don't it?"
She shrugged and looked at Raven then looked at me. "Yeah I think it sounds awesome." She told us, "But I kind of agree with what Raven said. We don't need you getting depressed and then having to spend the entire weekend on suicide watch."
"Oh for fucks sake." I grumbled. "Nothing is going to happen to me if we go to that island! Have a little faith in my guys. I may be nuts but I'm smart enough to know if something isn't right. If I start feeling anything, any effects at all from the lighthouse I will tell you and we can leave. Besides that, if anything is there that is potentially dangerous, I have Erros here to protect me."
Lisa frowned. "You brought your demon on vacation with us?"
Raven sighed and rubbed his temples. "Erros is always with him, he never leaves his side."
Erros is a spirit that I conjured up years ago. I don't know for certain if he was ever once a human or if he was born a demon though I do know that he has human descendants. When I had first conjured him he wasn't all that strong but I allowed him to feed off of my energy and eventually I cast a bonding spell to him which basically made him my magical servant though we have more of a love/hate relationship than that of master and servant.
He is pretty loyal to me though and has helped me many times. He has a dark personality but can be pretty funny at times too. When he cares for someone he will move hell and high water to protect them and that makes him a very powerful alley to have. I know that I can put my trust and my life in his hands without any fear that he would betray me. Mostly because harming me would cause harm to him as well thanks to the spell that I cast. His life force is now attached to mine but on the positive side that means that we can utilize each others energy any time we want without repercussions.
"Pretty much." I agreed. "I mean, he pops out now and then but he always comes back to check on me and we're connected on a spiritual level so he would know if I'm in danger."
Donna shrugged as she looked at Raven. "Well, we don't have much of an argument left."
Raven turned to me, hands on his hips, and he starred at me with authority. "One iota that anything is off and we are gone, agreed?"
"Totally!" I jumped and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"I know I'm going to regret this." He sighed.
We stopped by Cherie's room and I gently knocked on her door. When she came to it she looked at us and frowned. "So I suppose you're all going to that lighthouse."
"We'd like you to come along with us." I told her.
"What about going out to eat?" She asked. "And then I thought we were going to shop for antiques. This is supposed to be a relaxing, ghost free-vacation, no offense to Polly (Erros's poltergeist girl friend), but I just want to spend a quiet weekend pretending we're all normal and not spiritual magnets."
"Come on Gyps." Donna winked at her, using her online handle. "We have the entire weekend to be normal. Besides, you and Sess always get to have the ghostly adventures. I just want to be the one to see a real ghost for once."
"There may not even be a ghost there." I reminded her. "Carol didn't mention an actual ghost, just that the island and lighthouse were cursed. We may go there and find nothing but an abandoned lighthouse and a bunch of sea weed."
Cherie took a deep breath, sighed, then reluctantly agreed to come with us. "We're going out to eat right after though. I'm starved and I swear to God Sess, if I get possessed by some love sick ghost I'm coming after your ass mother fucker!"
I snickered at bit and nodded. "Understood."
"I can't believe you guys talked me into this." Cherie shut and locked the door to her room and followed us down the stairs and into the main foyer of the B&B. Carol was at the desk talking to someone on the phone about reservations or something. She smiled and waved at us as we walked past her.
"She seems nice." Lisa smiled.
"Yeah she is." I told her. "I had a cup of coffee with her while she told me about the lighthouse." I had to admit, I took an instant liking to Carol. She reminded me in many ways of my mom who would have adored this place. My mom was an avid ghost hunters fan and loved reading historical novels, especially those which involved romantic ghost stories. This lighthouse would have been right up her ally. I made a mental note to tell her about it when we got home.
We all piled back into the van. Cherie was texting someone on her phone. Lisa looked slightly nervous like she wasn't too sure about all this. Raven seemed indifferent, he was sitting in the passenger seat looking out the window and commenting on how beautiful the lake was while Donna exclaimed how excited she was at the coming adventure.
I wasn't quit as excited as Donna because well, let's face it, I live in a haunted house. When you have ghosts coming and going daily like I do, the idea of visiting a cursed island doesn't really seem all that unusual. I did like creepy old abandoned buildings though, much like my mother. Something that I inherited from her I guess. She has absolutely no special sense for spirits (or so she claims) but she's always been fond of cemeteries and creepy old houses. My father was more like me. He was the only one in our family who actually saw my "imaginary" friend. It was at that point that they realized my friend was a ghost.
My father was sensitive to other areas as well, like Mary Jane's grave. A once popular haunted cemetery rumored to be the burial spot for a woman who was hanged for witchcraft. He and my mother had gone there in the sixties and while my mother never had an inkling that anything was amiss, my father had had an experience that he would never forget. Unfortunately, what did happen to my dad he took to his grave with him. All I know is that something happened that scared the shit out of a man, who was six foot one and well over 300 pounds, so badly that he vowed never to return.
I got severely reprimanded once for going there as a teenager. My father, often joking or being somewhat silly, was stern and commanded very emphatically that I was NOT to visit that cemetery and when he found out that I had, he was furious. I've had my share of freaky things happen there, I won't lie. It's not a place you want to go if you are a sensitive person, but for those who walk unseen in the spirit world, it's fairly safe. My only advice to would be ghost hunters is don't fuck with her grave. That's when bad things have been known to happen. Witch or not, show her respect and she will leave you alone.
Most of my adult life I've encountered displaced energies, full bodied apparitions, and various things that go bump in the night but with the exception of my pet demon and his sweet but frightening poltergeist girl friend, I haven't had the pleasure of encountering anything super powerful. To say, nothing has walked up and tapped me on the shoulder and said "Hi, I'm dead, how are you?"
So, with each of us having our own personal views about the spirit world and our own personal reasons for going (Raven's was to protect me and Lisa was more or less just coming along as the voice of reason to keep us all in line), we headed out for the mysterious, cursed, lighthouse on Hope's island.
Chapter Two
Widow watchers lighthouse was an impressive building even despite it being in disrepair since being abandoned. It was 50 feet in height and had an expanse of 20 feet at the base. It was constructed in 1801 using mostly limestone and oak. The island was a small offshore piece of land at the end of a pier or breakwater with a revetment of stone preventing the tide from eroding the base of the house.
The keepers house which once sat behind the actual lighthouse was gone now but the foundation of where it stood remained as a distant memory of what once was. The shallow waters surrounding the structure was perilous to ships coming in and dangerous to fishermen who dared to walk across the slippery rocks that made up the foundation. When in use, the lighthouse would have directed the ships into a near by harbor, but now the harbor was used to house fishing boats and other sea bearing recreational vehicles.
It was definitely a sight to be hold and as we pulled up into the empty lot across from the pier, I got a sense of nostalgia as though I were looking at a scene from the past. I could remember coming up to Marblehead with my father, towing his boat behind him, ready for a weekend of fishing and cook outs. I was a young boy at the time but my dad would allow me to back the truck down the ramp and lower the boat into the waiting lake. Once the boat was in the water, my dad would unhook it from the trailer and I would park the truck.
"Marblehead Lighthouse".
I could remember walking across the dock to my dad where he waited aboard the boat. He'd reach out his hand and help me to step off the dock and then he'd untie the boat and take his seat at the helm. In a few short minutes we'd be underway. With the land to my back and nothing but the lake before me, I'd lean back in my seat, close my eyes and let the wind whip through my hair and the water spray my face. It was an amazing feeling. I can remember the way that the boat felt as we sped over the water, the boat felt like it was flying. The water reared up and beat against us in the wake of our motor.
Schools of fish swam out of of our path. Sea gulls flew above us and the sun beat down on us, some days, so hot that the water splashing into the boat was the only thing we had to cool our arms and faces. I missed those days and longed for them with a deep ache in my heart but as we exited the van and walked across the pier, I looked down at the waves rushing the break and it was almost like being there again. I could almost hear my fathers voice calling to me, telling me to grab the polls and tackle and come to the dock. I actually looked around once to make sure that I was only imagining things and that he wasn't actually there. Of course I knew that he wasn't, he'd been dead nearly ten years now, but at that moment the memory of him seemed so real.
The ladies had gone on ahead as I hung back to relieve my youth looking out over the lake. raven must have known what I was thinking about because he walked up beside me, smiled, and took my hand in his.
"I miss him." I said.
Raven kissed my cheek. "I know." He whispered.
Just as Carol had told me, the island was pretty mush deserted. There were no other cars when we arrived and no one was guarding or patrolling the area. We looked all around the lighthouse for some way to enter it but the doors and windows were boarded up and No Trespassing signs were posted on the outside of the building.
"That bites big monkey balls." Donna Pouted. "I really wanted to have a look inside."
"Sorry." I shrugged. "I'd be willing to go inside if there was an opening but I'm not too keen on breaking and entering."
"Yeah," she sighed. "Let's not got arrested on our vacation."
We all kind of laughed at that even though we were disappointed that we couldn't enter the house. Still, we decided to look around anyway. It was beautiful just standing on the break wall looking out over the water. I could tell that Lisa was impressed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back as the wind brushed over her face. The sounds of the water rushing the rocks and gulls overhead was soothing and the smell reminded me once more of being on the boat with my father.
We were quite a ways from Marblehead but we could have easily gotten there by boat. Lake Erie wasn't that far off from where we stood. Just being this close to the lake brought back so many old but good memories. The idea of this island being cursed was beginning to seem like local fantasy to me rather than actual fact. I couldn't imagine anyone coming here and feeling anything but pure delight in being so near to the lake. It reminded me of why I loved the water so much.
Cherie didn't seem quite as impressed as the rest of us. She stood back away from the edge of the break and wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. I didn't understand how she couldn't just fall in love with the lake the way the rest of us had but I figured that maybe there was a reason which non of us were privy too. Still, I tried to get her to come closer, to look over at the wall at the water crashing into the walls and the ripples in the lake coming from the wake of passing boats. She refused, instead backing up closer to the van.
"I'm ready to go." She told us. "I'm hungry, and I don't like it here. Something about this place just feels...wrong."
"You're imagining things." I told her. "There's nothing here. If there was, Erros would have warned me to stay away."
"I don't care what you say." Cherie argued. "I feel something and it feels bad. I don't like it here and I don't want to be here anymore."
I Sighed. "Alright, just give us a few more minutes. I want to get some pictures before we go."
Cherie threw her hands up and defeat and told us that she'd meet us back at the van. I waved her on as I fished my phone out of my pocket. "Go stand by the rocks!" I called to the others. "I want to get a picture of you all with the lake behind you." They did as I instructed and I snapped a couple pictures of them by the water and another of them in front of the lighthouse. I would have liked to have had a picture of Cherie as well but she was having no part of it. It was okay though, I figured that I would get other pictures before we left Monday morning. I was about to put my phone
away when Donna told me that she wanted to get a picture of her on the rocks, closer to the water. I was a little reluctant at first to let her crawl down over the break wall to the rocks below but she assured us all that she'd be perfectly safe so I agreed to get the picture of her. She walked to the edge of the wall and started to climb down when we suddenly heard a voice from behind us warning her against it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." We all turned, stunned, and saw a young man with a fishing rod and tackle box walking towards us. He looked to be in his Mid to early thirties, was dressed in a striped button-up shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans, and brown work boots. "If you slip on those rocks you could be in some real trouble. They're a lot slicker than they look."
"And who are you?" I asked him, a little suspiciously.
The man smiled, sat his tackle and poll down and outstretched his arm in a friendly gesture. "I'm Joshua." He told us. "I was fishing on the other side of the bluff when I heard your van pull up. I thought I'd come over and say hi. Don't see a lot of people over here, well mostly tourists but even they have been scarce lately."
I shook his hand and smiled. "Yeah probably scared of the curse." I laughed. I went on to introduce him to Raven and the girls, then pointed out Cherie in the van. I told him that we were there vacationing and that Donna wanted to see the supposed haunted lighthouse. Joshua seemed slightly amused at that. He told us that he never believed the stories and he didn't really believe that ghosts even existed let alone curses.
"So do you fish here a lot?" I asked him.
He nodded. "Ever since I was little. Used to come here with my dad before he died. He taught me everything I know about this lake. We used to have some good times out there. We'd spends a week or more out on the boat, just us and the open water. It was the best time of my life."
"Yeah I can relate." I glanced towards the water as another wave of nostalgia crashed over me.
Joshua smiled. "You have a sailors heart." He said. "I can see the longing in your eyes."
I Looked down at the grass and dirt and scuffed the toe of my shoe against the rocks. "Yeah." I said, barely mouthing the word. "I used to go boating and fishing with my dad too before he died. I miss him a lot and I really haven't been on a boat since he passed."
"It's tough." Joshua told me. "But it does get better. My dad's been gone a long time and I still feel bad when I think about him but I try to just remember the good times we had. If you can keep his memory alive then he'll never really be gone."
"True..." I smiled half-heartedly. "I just wish that he were still here with me now. I never really got the chance to say good-bye."
"Say it now." Joshua said. "I promise you he can hear it."
Joshua seemed like a really nice guy and I was glad that we'd run into him. Talking with him made me feel a lot better and I really truly believed what he'd told me. I believed that my father could hear me and that he was looking down on me from heaven, watching over me and my children. That thought gave me more comfort than anything else.
I told Joshua that we were staying at the old Victorian and said that he should stop by later and hang out with us if he wanted. I said that we were planning to have a cook out later that night down by the beach. He said he might stop by if he wasn't busy. He thanked us, then picked up his gear and after waving good-bye took off back the way he'd come. Raven, the girls, and I headed back to the van where Cherie was waiting.
"Who was that guy?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Some guy that was fishing on the other side of the island." I told her. "His name's Joshua. I invited him to our cookout later on."
"Really?" she narrowed her eyes as she looked at me. "You don't really even know that guy."
"So? He seemed nice enough to me."
"You're too trusting." She turned and looked out the side window in the direction that Joshua had walked off in but by now he was over the side of the hill and out of our view. "He could be an axe murderer for all we know."
"Paranoid much?" I snickered. "He's just a local that likes to fish." I didn't want to say it and make them think I was going soft but I liked the guy because he reminded me of myself. He'd lost his dad and I'd lost mine and so he understood how I felt, especially when near the water. He understood the longing that I felt and the pain that still lingered in my heart when I thought about all the missed fishing trips and boats rides that I would never gain go on with my dad or that my kids would never have with their grandfather.
We found a local restaurant that had awesome sea food. It wasn't my favorite Greek place with Gyro's but I was rather fond of clams and shrimp so I was happy. Raven ordered the fisherman's platter with two pieces of tilapia, shrimps, clams and scallops and fries. Lisa got a cod salad with watercress, Donna ordered a filet and some fries, and Cherie had Beer battered perch with fries and calamari.
We had a good time eating and talking. Cherie even seemed to come out of her stupor a bit once we were far enough away from the lighthouse. I didn't really think that her mood had anything to do with the curse but more to the fact that she was reluctant to deal with anything paranormal on her vacation. Once the ghost talk and lighthouse curse was forgotten, we were back on track with all the things we'd planned to do that weekend.
After we ate, Raven and Donna decided to go to a local bookstore and hang out while Cherie, Lisa, and I checked out a few antique shops. before we left Raven handed me fifty bucks and then took away my credit card. Cutting off my funding was the best way to avoid future arguments about my over spending. I was a shopaholic. I freely admit that. The worst is when I get depressed. I have a habit of buying tons of craft related things when depressed, most of which sit around unused for months until I decide to work on something new. My jewelry supplies I do use quite a bit but I have a large collection of things that I've probably yet to take out of their packages.
I also have a love of buying large and expensive antique furniture that we can't really afford. I like to decorate my house in old fashioned decor to look more Gothic. raven learned this about me when we were first together and instead of getting angry, he's found way to limit how much I can actually spend at a given time. It works for us, we're both happy with that arrangement and it saves us from having any huge fights over money.
One of the shops that we went into was called "Yesteryear's Treasures." This place had everything from furniture to old journals written in the 1800's and early 1900's. I looked through some of them seeing if I could find anything pertaining to the old lighthouse but wasn't able to. I did however, find a dusty old clock that would look just perfect on my mantel and it was relatively cheap for being as old as it was. It was dark copper with sculpted Ravens on the side and a face with roman numerals. I knew raven would love it so I bought it.
Lisa found a tea set that was hand painted porcelain. It was beautiful. white with purples flowers and it all came in a wicker box. I would have gotten it myself if it had looked a bit more Dracula and less Little women. Cherie was still looking around while Lisa and I went up to pay for our purchases. I knew that she didn't have a lot of money so I'd offered to lend her some if she found something that she wanted but she seemed reluctant to take my money. Each time that she'd find something which interested her, she would look at the price tag and then put the item back down and move onto something else.
"If you want something just let me know." I told her. "I still have some money left over, I have no problem giving it to you." In fact, besides the fifty that Raven had given me, I had about thirty-five left in my wallet that he didn't know about and the clock only cost me forty.
Cherie dismissed me claiming that she didn't want to impose. As if helping a friend was imposing but I respected her choice. I would still loan her the money though if she found something that she really wanted.
Lisa and I waited around looking at other things and commenting on how beautiful everything was while Cherie scouted out a clothing rack. She turned and looked at us, shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Okay I'm done," and headed back our way when she suddenly stopped. To her right was a glass case that had various pieces of jewelry displayed inside. Lisa and I had both looked over the contents of the case but didn't really find anything of any great interest.
Cherie seemed to have found something which caught her eye though. She was leaning over the case and peering in at an item that almost seemed to have put her in a trance. The look in her eyes was one of wonder and amazement but also a hint of sadness. She put her hand over her heart and let out a long deep sigh. "It's beautiful." She whispered.
"What did you find?" Lisa asked her.
She waved us over to look for ourselves then pointed out a gilded, rose gold, locket that was situated in the center of the case among a row of other, less impressive, necklaces. The face of the locket had a crescent moon etched out in gold leafing with a row of tiny diamonds along the curve of the moon. Beside it, was the north star with a small diamond directly in the center of it. Cherie looked over at the clerk and motioned for her to come over. "How much is this locket?" Cherie asked the woman.
The clerk, a stout older woman with short curly blond hair, waddled over and looked in the case through her bifocals. "That old thing?" She asked. "That's been here for ages. I did have one-sixty on it but I'll let you have it for eighty."
Cherie opened her wallet, looked in and frowned.
"How much do you need?" I asked her.
"I'm not going to take your money." She sighed.
"Don't worry about it." I told her. "I'm offering to loan it to you. You can pay me back when you have the money or just owe me a reading or two."
"Are you really sure?" She asked.
I nodded as I took out my wallet. "I'm sure, how much?"
She looked at the locket again and I could really see the longing in her eyes. It was paining her to ask for help but she really wanted that necklace. "Could you afford forty?" She asked timidly.
I didn't even take time to answer, I just reached into my wallet, pulled out two twenties and handed them to the clerk. Cherie gave her another forty and the clerk unlocked the case and handed her the necklace. Cherie's eyes lit up as soon as the locket touched her hand. She wrapped her fingers around it, held it close to her heart and smiled as she thanked the clerk, and then me.
"No problem Hun." I smiled back, just pleased to make her so happy.
As we left the shop Cherie and Lisa were gushing over the locket.
"I love the moon." Lisa remarked. "The star too is lovely, I've never actually seen one like that before."
"It's the north star." I told her. "Sailors believed that if they painted it on their ships, or had it tattooed on their bodies somewhere, that they would always be able to find their way home. It was kind of a good luck symbol to them."
"That's really neat." She smiled.
Cherie turned the locket over in her hand and looked at the back. "There's an engraving." She said suddenly.
"What's it say?" Lisa asked.
Cherie squinted to see the tiny words. "No matter where I go, I will always find my way back to you."
"Oh my God." Lisa put her hand to her mouth and cooed. "That is so beautiful!"
I looked at Cherie and watched as a single tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek. "Who ever owned this locket must have really been loved. I wonder if they ever found their way back to each other."
I shrugged. "Too bad we don't know who the previous owner was. I bet there's a good story behind that locket."
"Or a sad one..." Cherie whispered. "I feel it in my soul. Whatever story is attached to this locket, ended in heartache."
We stopped by and picked up some stuff for the cookout. There was an open fire pit with a metal grill attached to it. We had to buy wood for the fire pit and lighter fluid, and then we picked up some hamburger, hot dogs, buns and other odds and ends like chips, soda, and potato salad. By the time we got back to the B&B it was getting late and we were ready to start our bonfire and relax.
"You ladies going to dance naked around the fire for us?" I asked them.
"You wish." Cherie winked at me.
"The boys might run away screaming if they saw me naked." Lisa joked.
Donna grinned. "Sure." She said. "But you and Raven have to get naked too."
"Alight." I gave her a mischievous grin. "That can be arranged."
"Please don't." Cherie laughed. "I seen enough of your cock shots online I don't need a refresher."
I blushed but laughed out loud. It's true, I had a habit or randomly showing her pics of my cock just to get a rise out of her. Raven wasn't overly thrilled by my actions but he wasn't really angry with it either. He knew that I was totally devoted to him and besides that, even though I did have children and have obviously been with women, I wasn't really that interested in them. Every once in a while I might get slightly turned on looking at a pretty girl but it didn't really happen all that often and usually only happened with girls who had extremely large chests. If anything, I was a boob man, but I still preferred cock to pussy.
We headed down to the beach and Raven built the fire. He didn't trust me with matches and flammable material. There was a picnic table not far from where the fire pit was so while Raven and I cooked the food (he cooked it, I took the plates with the cooked food to the table) the girls set the table and got everything ready for us to eat. I was itching to get in the water and I particularly liked swimming at night, so after we ate I decided to go for a swim, waiting the recommenced thirty minutes before getting in the water. It wasn't my choice but all those present refused to let me near the lake until I'd waited so I was more or mess out voted and strong-armed on that one.
Sometimes I felt that Raven and the others were a little overly protective of me. I whole-heatedly believed that if I died my life would be more interesting. Either that or I'd come back to life anyway as I always seemed to do. I jokingly say I'm immortal but how much of a joke that really is remains to be seen. I was the self proclaimed vampire of our group. I also dabbled a bit in magic and was a skilled necromancer. Raven I refer to as my angel and for all intents and purposes is a total spiritual being. He crossed over and was brought back when he was younger and when he came back he brought something back with him. Call it a divine light or spiritual radiance, whatever it is, it's powerful and wholly good. He balances out my darkness which is why I think we work so well together.
Cherie is a witch and medium. She has a good knowledge base of magical working and some bad ass skills and psychic abilities. She's helped cross-overs before (displaced spirits searching for the light) and can communicate with the dead. That and aided with my knowledge and help of Erros, my personal demon, she is one bad-ass witchy.
Lisa is what I call a hedge witch, or a kitchen witch. She's motherly which, to me, means that she is strongest when invoking the mother aspect of the triple Goddess. When I think of Lisa, I think of someone who is pure, innocent, and very caring. She's natural and really down to earth, literally. Hedge witches are earth worshipers and tend to have a deep respect for the earth and animals and other people.
Donna doesn't do much as far as magic is concerned but she's bad-ass in her own right. Her online handle for years has been hotty and she wears the title well. To me she invokes the spirit of the phoenix. She's fiery and fierce, but also loyal and very loving and kind to those she cares for. She's the no nonsense type who will embrace you if you are good to hear and bite your head off, chew it up, and spit it out if you fuck her over. Like the others, she is a true friend and someone whom I adore.
I'd lay my life down for anything of these people, they are more than friends, they are family. Our own private little coven and we can be fucking powerful when we all come together.
Maybe I should have explained all this earlier on, but it seemed relative to explain it now, when we had all gathered around the fire pit, because that's really where this story truly began.
The girls had set up lounge chairs near the fire and had vegged out after eating. Raven sat with them a while talking, then eventually joined me in the lake. We were the only two who had worn swimming attire, so we were the only ones brave enough to get in the water. I loved spending the weekend vacationing with my friends but in that moment I honestly wished they had gone in for the night or something.
I seriously wanted to make love with Raven in the lake under the moon light but of course we couldn't do that in front of an audience. As much as I joke around I'm actually not that brazen and I know for a fact that Raven wouldn't go for it either. We'd have to wait till later when we retired to our room for the night and then, all bets were off.
After a while, Raven started to get a little cold and wanted to go back in. I'll admit that I was starting to get cold too but it felt nice. There was a fan in our room which I could point on myself but I knew that Raven wouldn't allow me to turn on the AC. He was someone that liked to stay warm and I was the one who had the fan on me all winter. I got hot easily and it made me extremely uncomfortable. I tend to kick the covers off a lot which isn't too good to do when you have nosy kids that don't knock. I normal prefer to sleep naked but since the kids have gotten older I've had to start sleeping in boxer shorts.
When we came out of the water and walked back up to where the girls were I was surprised to see Joshua sitting there talking to them. I wasn't so much shocked that he showed up because I had rather hoped he would, I was kind of surprised that I hadn't noticed him arrive. I figured he either rode a bike over or walked but I don't know because I wasn't really sure where he lived. He seemed to be having a good time though in our absence. He and the ladies were laughing and I could tell that Donna and Lisa were enjoying his company. Donna had a boyfriend but that didn't stop her from looking.
Hell, I was married and I looked. Joshua wasn't hard on the eyes, I'll give him that. He had a nice physique, and pretty features. His hair was light colored and longish but not really too long. He had a hint of a beard that I normally didn't care for but it looked good on him. His eyes were a blue-green, like the sea, and they looked really deep and thoughtful when he looked out over the lake.
Raven and I walked up, grabbed the towels from our chairs, greeted Joshua, and then sat down. I told him that we still had some food left over that he was welcome too but he said he'd already eaten. He thanked me anyway and asked us how our day had gone. He was really kind and polite and spoke like someone who was pretty well educated. I liked that about him. I was always told that I had an old soul, I felt out of place in this century, and I had a feeling that Joshua was the same. He did seem out of place the more I talked to him. He was more respectful than you would expect a young man his age to be.
When he spoke to the girls he called them 'ladies' or 'Ma'am.' Moe than once when answering my questions he responded with 'Yes, sir" or 'No, sir.' I had to laugh at that. "I'm old." I told him. "But I'm not THAT old. You can call me Sess."
He smiled and nodded. "Sorry." He apologized. "It's just a force of habit. I was raised to show respect to everyone I meet, especially my elders, so that's how I address most adults."
"Man, I wish my kids observed that level of respect. Especially my son Alex. That kid has a mouth on him and he thinks he rules the roost."
"You need to nip that in the bud, Sess." Cherie told me. "Before he gets to be a teenager otherwise he'll walk all over you."
"Yeah..." I sighed. "Other's have said that too and I try. He just gets so nasty sometimes I don't really know how to handle him."
"Kids today have so much just handed to them." Joshua said suddenly. "Make him do chores and work for the things he wants. Hard work will teach him to respect himself and others. It will also keep him out of trouble."
"That's true." I laughed. "You don't see Amish kids running around holding up drug stores or doing drive-by's."
We all laughed at that, even Joshua even though I noticed a look of confusion cross his pretty features. I shrugged it off and figured maybe they didn't get a lot of drive-by's in Lancaster...or Amish.
As the night dragged on I could tell that Lisa and Donna were getting sleepy. Lisa was the first to head off, she normally was the first to bed and the first to rise, unlike me who was used to staying up until the wee hours of morning. Donna was pretty much a night owl as well though she was the second to go in for the night, leaving raven and myself, Joshua and of course Cherie.
I yawned and stretched my arms above my head, feigning sleepiness. I didn't want to go to bed so much as I wanted to go to BED, with Raven. I turned and winked at him and he got the hint rather quickly.
"Well, I think it's about that time." He said to Cherie and Joshua. "Sess and I had a long day and we're about to crash."
"Have fun." Cherie gave us a quick, knowing, little grin.
"You staying up?" I asked her.
She nodded. "For a little while. It's nice out here. I like the quiet."
I shrugged. "Well, we'll see you in the morning I guess."
Again she nodded. "Night you two."
We wished her a good night as well, said our good-bye's to Joshua and then headed in. Once we had reached our room, Raven quickly kicked the door closed and locked it. He walked over to me, cocked an eye-brow and smiled a sly, impish smile. I knew what that look meant and it excited me.
I put my hands around him and smiled back at him seductively. "What should we do now?" I asked.
"Oh, I have a few ideas." He grinned.
"I bet you do." I kissed him then and he slid his arms around my waist, letting his hands slide down my back and resting on my ass. He gave it a squeeze then sharply pulled my entire body against him. He was already hard and I could feel his cock pressed up against me and oh my God did that turn me on! I wanted him so bad just then but he continued to kiss me and squeeze my ass playfully, tempting me but keeping what I wanted just out of reach.
Now, I know you have a pretty good idea about where this is headed but I'll stop you right there. I'm not really the kind to kiss and tell so I'll just leave what happens next up to the imagination. I'll just say this, it was nearly morning before we did actually get to sleep.
The down side to this is that since I was in my room with Raven for the rest of the night, I didn't really know what Cherie was doing, or when she went to bed. I mean, I kind of assumed that she stayed on the beach for maybe another hour or so and then came to bed shortly after us but I didn't know for sure, so the next half of this story is going to be mostly hearsay, that is, what she told me had happened later.
I'll try and keep it as factual as I possibly can but I'll also take some liberty with the presentation of the story, just to add effect. Not that Cherie isn't a great story teller, she is, but I like to think I have a real way with words and like to utilize a more unique method for regaling my tales.
At any rate, after Raven and I had left the beach, Cherie stayed behind to visit a while longer with Joshua. According to her, there was something about him that really touched her in a way that she didn't think was even possible anymore. She noticed the same sort of sadness in him that I had noticed earlier and in a way, she felt that she understood him because of that sadness. Cherie was recovering from a bad breakup, someone that she felt was her one true soul mate, someone whom she'd once thought that she would spend her life with. When things ended between them, it broke her heart.
That was the last straw for her. After years of broken promises and heartache, she'd finally given up any hope of ever being with someone and had resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. The real tragedy to this was that the man who'd left her was missing out on the love of a wonderful woman. He literally didn't know what he was losing when he chose another woman over Cherie. If he'd given her the chance and just made that leap to be with her, I truly feel that he would have been the better for it. He was a fool in my eyes, and someone that could never be trusted again, but that's a tale for another time.
The reason I mention this though is because while Cherie sat on that beach she connected with Joshua in a way that I don't think she'd even ever connected with me and we were as close as twins. She opened up to him and told him everything about her past, about her breakup and about how she felt discarded and abandoned by the one who was supposed to love her forever. Joshua told her that he understood her pain all too well. He'd also lost the one he loved though not through a break-up. He'd left town on business and was gone for a long time, longer than he'd originally thought. His fiance told him that she would wait for him but when he came back, she was gone.
He searched for her of course but she was no where to be found. She'd apparently given up hope that he would ever return to her and left town. At least, that's what he assumed happened because no one else in town could tell him anything. He was at a loss. He still loved her a great deal and everyday he missed her more and more but he made the choice to stay in town, near the light house where they were to meet, in hopes that she would one day return to him. His father had even urged him to move on, but Joshua refused. He believed in his heart that his fiance still loved him as much as he loved her and that they would one day be together again.
Hearing his story broke Cherie's heart. She wished that she could do something to ease his pain but what could she really do? He wasn't willing to forget and move on anymore than Cherie had been the many times that her lover had lied to her and abandoned her. She knew exactly how Joshua felt though and her heart went out to him. When he looked at the lake, she could see the pain in his eyes. It looked as new and fresh as if he'd just returned home and realized that the woman he loved was gone. That's when Cherie made the decision that she was going to do all that she could to help him. She wanted to find out what happened to his fiance and maybe, if she was still around, reunite them, but she didn't know where to start.
Joshua wasn't all that forth coming when she asked him questions about the woman. He just smiled sadly and said that it didn't matter anymore. It was a long time ago and that she was probably remarried somewhere with children and living a happy life. He'd hoped that she had a happy life. If he knew that for sure then maybe he could move on.
"I wanted to give him that." Cherie told me later. "I wanted to give him closure, help him find out what happened to her so he could be at peace."
I hadn't realized at the time what she really meant by that but as she continued with the story, it all started to make sense. As Joshua was sitting there beside her, they both kind of fell into a silence. They watched the lake become still and quiet. There were no swimmers in the water now, the boats had all gone in for the night and the lake was deserted, alone. The moon was high and bright and its radiant beams of light shone down illuminating the water in an almost ghost like glow. Cherie was thinking about how to help Joshua move on and was absently fingering the locket that she'd bought earlier.
Joshua looked over at her and his eyes became fixed on the locket. "Where did you get that?" He asked her. His voice was a bit strained, slightly alarmed when he saw the trinket around her neck.
She looked up at him and smiled. "I bought it today at an antique shop, it's quite old."
"Antique?" He looked surprised for a moment, then slowly nodded in understanding. "May I?"
"Of course." Cherie took the necklace off and placed it in his hand. "It's very beautiful."She remarked. "I imagine that the man who gave his girlfriend this locket loved her very much."
Joshua nodded as he looked over the locket. "Yes, he did." He said softly. "Very much."
Cherie watched as a tear slipped from his eye and down his cheek. He sighed, then quickly wiped the tear away and handed the locket back to her. "I assume anyway." He said matter-of-factly. "We can't really know for sure."
"No..." Cherie said, "I suppose not."
Another few minutes of silence passed between them when Cherie suddenly stood up, and offered Joshua her hand. "Come with me." She told him.
He stood slowly, taking her hand and together they walked down the beach, back up towards the lighthouse. It was dark so Cherie took her phone out and used it as a flash light. It took them maybe a good twenty-minutes to reach the lighthouse but Cherie said that the walk was nice. They barely spoke along the way, just listened to the waves crashing against the rocks and the howl of the wind. When they finally reached the light house Cherie turned to look up at it.
"I bet this was really beautiful once." She said.
"It was." Joshua agreed. "Ships could see the harbor light for miles and it lead them into shore."
"Some ship never made it back though did they?" She turned and looked at him. "The ones lost in the battle?"
"A lot of men died." Joshua said. "So many lives were ruined back then. It was a real tragedy."
"Oh I bet." Cherie squeezed his hand. "You can imagine the pain of the women that were left behind, wondering where their husbands and fiance's were, if they were alright, if they would ever return."
"I would assume it was really hard on them." He agreed.
Cherie nodded then looked at the light hose again. "Some of those women never knew what happened. They must have assumed that their men had died in battle, but it wasn't the same as knowing for sure. I bet they waited for a very long time, losing hope over time that they would ever see them again. Some of the women probably moved on after a while. They might have remarried and had families, but I'm sure that there were a lot of women that couldn't let go of the past, or couldn't give up hope that their love would return to them. I think eventually those women probably died of a broken heart."
Cherie let go of Joshua's hand and walked towards the lighthouse. "Is that what happened to you?" She called up at the building. "Did you finally just lose hope? I know you're here, I felt you earlier watching us. I felt your pain. You've been here the whole time havn't you?"
Joshua narrowed his eyes as he watched her. "Who are you talking to?" He asked.
"Just wait." Cherie instructed. She took off the locket and held it up, high above her head. "This is yours isn't it Breanna? This is what he gave you before he left. He promised that he would always find his way back to you but then he never returned. I can only imagine what you must have been feeling, anger, betrayal. You thought he abandoned you but sweetheart he didn't. He never came back because he died in that battle, along side so many others. He never stopped loving you though, not even in death, and he's been searching for you. You just have to let go of your anger and forgive him."
Cherie waited, hoping that her words had not fallen on deaf ears. She took a deep breath, lowering the locket to her side as she waited. Slowly, a light began to shine inside the very top of the lighthouse. It was a very subtle glow at first, like a soft bluish hue and it grew deeper and brighter until the entire island was basked in its luster. Cherie smiled as she watched the look of fear and confusion on Joshua's face turn to wonder as the light surrounded them both. "She's here." Cherie whispered to him.
"Who...what...?" Joshua stopped as a figure emerged from the light and walked towards them. His eyes grew wide and he lifted a shaky hand to his mouth as he began to cry. "Bre...Breanna?" He whispered.
"Joshua..." The ghostly figure of the woman spoke his name as she stretched her arms out to him. "I've been waiting for you, for so long."
"I'm here." He said as he ran to her. "I'm sorry that I didn't return when I said I would, but I'm here now."
Cherie took a step back and watched as the two embraced. her heart was pounding in her chest and her eyes were filled with tears of happiness.
Joshua turned to her, his face wet with tears and his whispered, "Thank you."
Cherie nodded. The light engulfed the two, swirling around them and lifting them high up, so far that Cherie could no longer see them and then that light vanished. Cherie slipped the locket back around her neck and turned her phone on again. "Good luck guys." She smiled.
She walked back alone, but feeling great. She'd helped two lovers find their way again after so many years apart. "This was the type of ghost story I like." Cherie told me that morning. "The kind with a happy ending."
To say that I was amazed was an understatement, but one thing still had me a little confused. "How did you know?" I asked her. "How did you know what Joshua was?"
"I didn't until he showed up at the cookout." She told me. "But as soon as I saw him I knew who he was." She took off the locket and handed it to me. "Open it." She said.
I did and when I looked inside I gasped. Inside the locket were two pictures one I assumed was Breanna, and the other was Joshua dressed in his navy uniform. I turned the locket over and looked at the engraving on the back again. 'No matter where I go, I will always find my way back to you.'
He had, over a century later, he'd finally found his way back to her. They were together again and now, hopefully, their rekindled love had ended the curse on Hope's Island.
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