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Short Stories from Wing's Authors.
Lucinda's Secret by Ralph E Horner
On one side of the property was farm land with corn fields, and on the
other a forest. Tom entered the large barn to the sound of “Buffalo
Gals” being played by a country band partially blocked by people square
dancing. Other guests bobbed for apples, tossed bean bags or enjoyed
refreshments at a large table. The barn was decorated with orange and
black streamers, cardboard skeletons, black cats, vampires and witches.
Tom spotted his friend Bob wearing a red devil’s suit, sipping cider and
talking to a young lady in a witch’s costume. He wondered if she was one
of the “Hot babes,” Tom told him he’d meet there.
“Hey, Tom,” Bob said when he saw him approach. “I want you to meet
Mary.”
“Nice to meet you, Tom.” The blonde beauty smiled and extended her black
gloved hand.
Tom shook it. “Are you the wicked witch of the east or west?”
“The south,” she said with a drawl, “I’m from
“Is Steve here?” Tom glanced at Bob.
“Yeah, he’s been here from the start, but I haven’t seen him for a
while. I sent Larry and Jim out to find him.”
“What’s he wearing?” Tom asked.
“He’s dressed as Elvis.”
Two young men hustled toward Bob.
“We couldn’t find him,” a thin blonde man said. “When was the last time
you saw him?”
“About ten after seven, when he left the barn with a girl dressed like a
vampire.”
“Knowing Steve, he probably took her home.” Tom laughed.
“No, his car is still here,” the short man said.
“Why don’t you two guys cover the area more thoroughly,” Bob suggested.
“He might be hiding because he’s making out with this chick.”
The two men left the barn and Mary took Tom’s arm. “Let me show you some
of the goodies.”
“You’re leaving me?” Bob pouted, as Mary led Tom to the refreshment
table.
Tom saw a punch bowl surrounded by plastic cups, two plates with fried
chicken, hot dogs, and all kinds of sweets.
“The popcorn balls are great.” Mary picked one up and took a bite.
Tom tried one. “Very buttery.” A beautiful brunette wearing a vampire
costume caught his eye.
She approached from the other side of the barn and seemed to be flirting
with some of the guests. She said something to a man dressed like Darth
Vader as she passed. Another man in a werewolf suit spoke to her when
she strolled by. She turned to him with an answer and a smile. The bride
of Frankenstein, standing next to him, slapped his hairy shoulder. The
young woman continued to the food table where Tom and Mary stood.
“How’s the cider?” the brunette asked.
“I haven’t tried it yet,” Mary said.
“I was talking to Icabod.”
“You try it and tell us,” Tom replied with a smile.
She dipped the ladle into the punch bowl and poured herself a glass. She
took a sip, then licked her lips and rolled her eyes.
“An expression like that’s worth a thousand words.” Tom grinned. She put
the cup to his lips and he took a sip. “Nice and tart.” Mary left with a
sigh. “So how do you know Bob?”
“She wasn’t your date I hope.” The brunette gave him a look of concern.
“No, I just met her a few minutes ago.”
“My name is Lucinda.” She raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“I’m Tom.” He tipped his three cornered hat.
“I just love the vampire fantasy.”
“I’m a fan of any kind of Gothic horror.”
“So how do you know Bob?” She took another sip.
“I met him in junior college. How do you know him?” Tom asked her again.
She bit into a taffy apple and raised her index finger to signal she
couldn’t speak. Grinning at him as she chewed, Tom thought her smile was
bewitching. Her black hair contrasted her milky complexion. Ash colored
shadow framed her dark eyes, but she didn’t wear a hint of lipstick.
“So where are you from?” Tom was trying to get some information about
this girl.
“Transylvania.” She flashed him a sly smile.
“And what do you do for a living?”
“Feed on the blood of the living.” No smile this time.
“I walked right into that one.”
They both laughed, but Tom thought it strange that she wouldn’t tell him
anything.
“Let’s step outside,” Lucinda said.
Tom wondered why she wanted to talk to him alone, but followed her out
of the barn. She took him past the other guests to the edge of the
woods. Tom felt uneasy when he remembered Steve was missing and was last
seen with a woman in vampire attire.
“Why come all the way over here to talk?” Tom asked.
“If I bit your neck in front of the others they’d know I was a real
vampire,” she said without the hint of a smile.
Before he could respond she reached up to his face and caressed his
cheek. Her hands were cold, even though it was still a warm evening.
“Your hands are freezing.” Tom backed away.
“If I didn’t know better I’d think you were afraid of
“Right, a beautiful girl like you.”
She put a hand to her face. “I am cold. I’m going back into the barn to
get something to warm me up. Can I get you anything?”
“Why don’t I come with you?”
Lucinda put her hands to his chest.
“I’ll be right back. Now don’t go away.”
Tom watched Lucinda slink back to the barn. Why did she want him to stay
there? Hearing twigs snapping in the woods just behind him, he turned to
see who it was, but no one was there. Tom wondered if it could have been
Steve, or someone searching for him. Listening to the faint sound of
“Spooky,” being sung by a country singer, Tom felt uneasy so he walked a
few yards closer to the barn. He heard fluttering behind him. He turned
as a bat dive-bombed his head. He hit the dirt just in time. Tom’s first
thought was Lucinda.
“Tom.” It was Lucinda’s voice. From the ground he saw her shoes and
black cape just in front of him. He gazed up at her. “It looked like
that bat attacked you.”
“I think it did.” Tom pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off.
How foolish of him to think Lucinda could change into a bat, but was
that blood on the corner of her mouth?
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What’s on your lip?”
She wiped her mouth with her finger tips. “Ketchup. I ate a hot dog on
the way back.”
She put her fingers to his lips. It was ketchup.
“Why it would have been rude of me to have bitten someone while I was
away.”
She put her arms around him. He felt her frigid lips on his throat. Then
came her icy breath. Tom pulled away.
“Now what’s wrong?” She seemed annoyed.
“Your breath is cold.”
“That’s because I’m the undead,” she said in a thick eastern European
accent.
Tom turned in a crouch, retrieving his wallet from his back pocket to
peek at Lucinda in the trifold’s built-in mirror. She had no
reflection–until she bent down to see what he was up to. The mirror was
only at a bad angle.
“What are you doing?” She tried to see around him.
“Nothing.” He put the wallet away. “Why is your breath so cold?”
Lucinda raised a frosty wine cooler to her lips.
“I never drink–wine,” she said imitating Bela Lugosi. “Except when I’m
chilly.” She laughed. “I’ve got you freaked.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Then let’s go into the woods. I’ve got a secret to share with you.”
“The woods?” Tom felt panicked. He noticed she had vampire fangs. He
hadn’t seen them before.
“Your fangs look real.”
“Don’t they?”
“Do me a favor. Take them out.”
“Then how am I going to bite your neck?” she asked matter-of-factly. She
reached into her mouth and forced the false fangs out. “It’s like a
partial plate. I had these made by a dentist.” She put her teeth back
in. “Follow me.”
Even though she had explained everything away, Tom didn’t want to go
into the woods alone with her. “Why can’t you tell me your secret out
here?”
“Because it’s something I have to show you.”
Tom trailed behind Lucinda into the forest. He couldn’t imagine what her
big secret was. Continuing deeper into the woods he grew worried.
“How far do we have to go?”
“Tom, what I wanted to show you was Steve. I was the girl with whom he
left the barn. As a Halloween prank he wanted people to think I was a
real vampire, or more likely a psycho case. I know I had you going.”
“Where is Steve?”
“He was hiding at the edge of the woods. I even saw him watching us. He
was laughing at you.”
“I knew I heard someone behind me after you left.”
Lucinda put her hands over her mouth. “Steve. Steve!” She continued to
yell in all directions.
“Steve!” Tom hollered.
“Maybe he’s playing a joke on me now.” Lucinda shook her head in
frustration.
“You can come out Steve.” Tom glanced about. “I know about your gag.”
“His plan was to have you hide with him so people would think you were
missing too. Then I’d go back to the barn and take another guy out, so
it would appear I was racking up victims. I was going to continue until
people confronted me. Then I’d bring them to the edge of the forest and
all of you would jump out at them at once.”
“It’s a nice plan, but not if we can’t find Steve.”
“Now I’m worried.” Lucinda put a hand to her temple. “Let’s go.”
They started back through the dark forest, when Lucinda stumbled and
fell in front of Tom.
“Lucinda, are you all right?”
Suddenly she screamed. Tom saw Steve’s bloody, half mutilated body lying
on the right side of the path. Tom helped Lucinda to her feet and
without a word grabbed her arm and they sprinted back towards the
clearing. Her sobbing stopped when they heard a sound that was a cross
between an enormous dog and a hot-rod engine. They ran to the end of the
forest, as the growling became louder. Tom didn’t slow to look but kept
focused ahead. When they were out of the woods, Tom turned to see a
large, black wolf, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt still coming
towards them on all fours. It was getting close to the clearing and Tom
feared it would over take them before they could reach help. Its teeth
were bared and its eyes were a piercing red. Tom and Lucinda continued
to run toward the people standing outside.
“Help! Help! A man’s been murdered!” Lucinda yelled.
Tom turned to look back, but the monster was gone, so they stopped.
“Did any of you see the wolf?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.
“What wolf?” inquired a man in a space suite.
“Someone was killed?” a young woman dressed like a black cat asked.
“Yes.” Tom was till panting. “We’re calling the police. Lucinda, do you
have a cell phone on you?”
“No, it’s in my purse in the car and yours?”
“In my car. Let’s see if Tom has his.”
When they entered the barn they found Bob square dancing. They took him
outside to tell him about Steve.
“You’re sure it was a wolf?” Bob dialed 911.
“Yeah, and it was wearing a shirt and jeans,” Tom said.
“That sounds more like someone wearing a costume. I want to report a
murder.” Bob said into the phone.
~ * ~
After the police and coroner examined the body, other officers arrived
and began a manhunt. Soon two policemen questioned Tom and Lucinda just
outside the barn.
“You two didn’t actually see the attack?”
“No,” Tom said. “Just the wolf.”
“You didn’t have a recent disagreement with the victim?”
“No!”
“And all your friends will agree with that?”
“Of course. What are you insinuating?”
“There are no wolves or any wild animals around here,” the officer said.
“Do you own a dog?” the other officer asked.
“No!”
“How about you?” He turned to Lucinda.
“Just a cat.”
“Don’t either of you leave town,” the first officer said. “We may want
to question you further.”
~ * ~
After the officers left, the party ended. Only a couple of curious
guests remained to gape and gossip.
“This is a nightmare.” Bob rubbed his forehead and gazed towards the
ground. “I would never have had a party here had I known there were wild
animals in that forest.”
“You heard the officer, Bob. No one knew it.”
“This night didn’t exactly turn out the way I planned.” Bob was on the
verge of tears.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Tom rested his hand on Bob’s shoulder.
“See you around, Bob,” Lucinda said.
“You guys be careful now.”
Lucinda and Tom strolled towards the gravel road, where their cars were
parked.
“Would you think I was forward if I asked you to stay at my apartment
tonight?” Lucinda asked. “I live just a few blocks from here.”
“Are you propositioning me?”
“No, I’m not that kind of girl, as they say. I just met you, but I’d
really appreciate your company tonight. I live alone.”
“You’ve got a cat to protect you.” Tom grinned.
“Stop teasing.” Lucinda showed him a pout.
“It’s only fair. You had me going with that vampire stuff. Of course
I’ll stay with you. How could I resist a face like yours?”
She smiled at him, took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Tom was
infatuated with Lucinda’s vampire-like beauty.
“Follow me in your car.” She walked away to a late model Dodge sports
car, while Tom went to his Escort.
~ * ~
Lucinda led Tom to the edge of town, where they parked on the street in
front of her apartment.
She led him inside. “Have a seat on the couch. Do you want a drink?”
“Sure. After the night we had.”
When she returned with cocktails, she had removed her vampire’s cape.
Tom noticed a tear running down her cheek. She sat next to him and took
a sip.
Tom gazed into her eyes. “You really are shook up. You didn’t know Steve
before tonight, did you?”
“No. He just sort of picked me up and before I even got to know him–.”
She put her hand to her mouth and began sobbing.
Tom put his right arm around her while holding the drink in his left
hand. She collapsed in his arms.
“I can’t get the picture of poor Steve out of my head.” Lucinda held the
bridge of her nose and shook her head. “And then to be chased by the
creature that killed him.”
“How come you didn’t say wolf?”
She gazed up into his eyes. “You know the answer to that.”
“I don’t believe in werewolves,” Tom said, “but it still bothers me that
the wolf was wearing human clothes.”
“I can still see those horrible red eyes.” She shut her eyes and shook
her head.
“And on top of all that we’re the prime suspects.”
When they were done with their drinks, Lucinda said, “Let’s try and get
some sleep now. I’ll make a bed for you here on the couch.”
Tom knew, for at least tonight, he wasn’t going to get lucky, but felt
after the shock of the murder maybe they’d have a real relationship.
She returned with blankets and a pillow and Tom stripped down to his
underwear. As he laid his head back on the pillow, Lucinda bent down and
kissed his lips.
“Thanks for staying, Tom. I do feel safer. Let’s spend the day together
tomorrow.”
“I’d like that.” He smiled at her.
“Now shut your mind off from tonight so you can sleep peacefully.” With
that, she left the room.
Tom fell right to sleep, but was awakened an hour later by the smell of
smoky incense. He faintly heard Lucinda’s voice from another part of the
apartment. Who was she talking to? He crept down the hall until he was
just outside of her room. He heard her recite a chant. The words rhymed
and he heard her say Goddess and earth, fire, air and water. He peeked
into the room and there she stood, wearing her black cape again, but
this time her hood was up over her head. She stood in front of a
dresser, waving her hands over a small smoky cauldron. Her face was
turned to the ceiling as she continued her incantation.
Oh my God! Lucinda’s a witch!
He wondered if she had anything to do with the werewolf and Steve’s
murder. Tom felt he had been lured to her place for his own death. He
sneaked back to the living room, and put his clothes on as fast as he
could. Bending over to tie his shoes, he was startled by the black cape
that suddenly appeared in front of him. He gazed up into Lucinda’s pale
face and dark eyes.
“Going so soon?” She grinned. “I’m sorry if I woke you. It was supposed
to be a surprise.”
“What are you talking about?” Tom stood.
“I’m conjuring another werewolf, but here this time.”
“So you were responsible for Steve’s death?”
“Duh!” she said leaning right into his face. “I can make people turn
into werewolves through witchcraft. It’s my specialty.”
~ * ~
Tom threw on his jacket and left her apartment, while Lucinda laughed at
him. His first instinct was to run to his car, but he decided not to
give her the satisfaction. When he reached his car he was horrified to
find his keys missing from his jacket pockets. They weren’t in his pants
pockets either. Now he was on foot with a possible werewolf after him.
Tom watched Lucinda step out onto the porch.
“Tom.” She held up his keys. “Did you forget something?”
This had to be another trick. The keys didn’t fall out of his pocket.
She obviously lifted them when he was asleep, but what was she up to?
Why was she doing this? Could her demon be inside her apartment at that
very moment? Should he get his keys or continue to walk the two miles to
his place? Tom didn’t know why but he decided to go back for the keys.
She stood holding them out as he approached. When he was on the porch he
reached for them, but she pulled the keys back as if playing a game.
Then she smiled.
“Before I give you your keys and you drive away like a frightened child,
I want to apologize for another joke. I don’t believe you fell for it
when I told you I conjured a werewolf.” She put her hand to her mouth
and laughed.
“Then what was the cauldron and incantation for?”
“Because I am a witch, but that doesn’t mean I have magical powers. No
one does.”
Even with her explanation Tom had a bad feeling about her now. Not so
much because she was a witch, but because she could quickly go from
being teary-eyed to a devilish prankster again. The crying had just been
an act. She was either evil or more likely mentally disturbed. He’d have
to ask Bob where he’d met this chick.
After a minute of peering at each other without a word, she dropped the
keys into his hand. She leaned forward with a pucker. Tom turned away,
walked off the porch, and headed for his car again.
“Pleasant dreams,” she said as he climbed in.
~ * ~
Ten minutes later Tom pulled up to his apartment, never happier to be
home. When he put his key into the lock to open the door, he felt
foreboding. Had Lucinda sent her demon to his place? He slowly opened
the door, then stepped one foot in and glanced around. The apartment
wasn’t thrashed by any beast so he went in and locked the door behind
him.
Taking off his clothes he looked at the clock on the bedroom wall. It
was three-twenty.
“That crazy chick,” he couldn’t help saying aloud. This was a Halloween
he’d never forget. He sat on the bed and took off his socks. To his
horror he had extra hair on his foot. It ran the length of his leg! The
other leg was the same. If he wasn’t mistaken even his arms were more
hairy. He froze. Suddenly he sprang from the bed and ran to the bathroom
mirror and peered in. It wasn’t his face anymore! There was hair
everywhere, even on his forehead.
“When Lucinda said she conjured a werewolf to her apartment this time,
she was referring to me! There must have been something in that drink
she gave me, that and her incantation.”
In shock Tom watched his facial hair continue to grow. Fangs descended
from his mouth. The urge to hunt started to come over him. He tried to
suppress it, but failed. He went into the living room and flopped in the
lounge chair. Putting his fingers to his temples he scratched the side
of his face. Claws were now where his human nails use to be. Throwing
his head back in despair, he moaned but it sounded more like the growl
of an animal. Everything around him turned to a hazy red. The urge to
kill was taking over. He had to kill, anything! He sprang from his chair
and flew out the front door. With his new infrared vision he could see
clearly in the dark and his sense of smell was keen. While he crept in
his bent posture, searching in all directions for prey, it felt more
like a dream than reality. The feeling of his feet on the ground grew
increasingly faint. His human awareness was fading. Noticing the bright
full moon, he was compelled to stop, turn his face skyward and howl,
just before losing his human consciousness.
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