Soul Catcher
Grandma was gone now, finally giving in to her opponent, cancer. I say giving in because she could have fought forever. I couldn't stand that, the cancer had limited her powers of recuperation, she could live but couldn't fight the pain. One night I held her hand, put my mouth close to her ear and whispered to her.. "go to sleep now nana, everything will be alright, you have done your time, go to sleep." Grandma gave my hand a little squeeze and exhaled for the last time.
The girl had lesions on her body, they were red whelps with black in the center, I recognized them, they were the oozing scars of "malspell" an evil spell. I chanted over her and prepared the potion she needed. She thanked me, kissed my hand and then crossed my palm. I put the money in the jar over the cabinet and went to bathe.
Grandma had taught me all about healing bad spells, she had taught me how to meditate, bring my body into harmony with the earth and the universe. She taught me the meaning of peace true inner peace, she told me to always use my abilities for helping those that needed help, never for selfish reasons. It went well like that, I studied grandmas teachings. I meditated every night, only ate healthy foods and focused my mind on the human condition, this is what I had been taught. There had been one book grandma had told me to burn, it was on "Astral Projection".. she had thrown it on the floor and screamed at me "MAL, MAL, BURN IT IN THE FIRE!!!!" it was the only time I could ever remember being afraid of grandma.
The woman came into my parlor, she was a rich Barbie with a brain..blond, blue, and in tears. Staring at her, I knew her problem wasn't illness, I didn't feel it, I knew it wasn't money, she had too many names draping her body. Love, a wave of emotion passed through me, she was hurting, but, it was for someone taboo, a married man, I felt one more thing, another life, she was pregnant. The impression was fleeting, I knew the baby would not be born.. it made me ill and in that moment I detested her.
It didn't matter anyway, I could not give her anything, no chant, no potion, nothing he was married. She cried and pulled his picture from her bag, she couldn't live without him, he was her soul mate, I put my hand in the air and she shoved his picture in it.
My whole world changed that day. I had given her the picture back but not before the brown eyes were burned into my brain, and not before every conture of his face had been etched on my heart. I knew where he lived and I began to watch him. He was feral..every movement was efficient, he was tall, he was handsome, he was whatever it was I wanted in a man, he was taboo.
The book lay open in front of me, I could still hear grandma screaming at me, but, my desire took away all sanity.
The feeling was incredible..light, euphoric.. I only traveled around my house the first three nights, I had to be able to control it.
Floating through the city, walking along beside people without them seeing me, feeling them, watching them look puzzled at a touch, I was drunk with my new power.
His house was dark, but I saw things in night vision, I ascended the stair case, I looked in each room, one was an office, there were books and papers scattered everywhere, the next, a bath, the next the children's room, another room with jars lining the wall and then him.
He was alone, I pulled the sheet back slowly, he was so perfect. I placed kisses on his lips, ran my hands over his body and watched the reaction. I placed myself over him and was astonished at how much I felt, he moaned and it drove me wild, his eyes opened and he looked confused for a moment, however, he closed them again and gave himself over to it.
Returning to my bed I was tired, drained but satisfied. I did this every night for a week, he was always ready, alone, asleep, naked... my powers were starting to weaken, I missed calls for help. I slept most of the day, but all I could think about was him.
Walking through the city this night was strange, it seemed as though people could see me, but that wasn't possible. There was a chill in my spine and I heard my grandma telling me to go back, telling me to stop,
He was ready as usual, and I reached out my hand to touch his hair, he caught my wrist..but, this wasn't possible, I pulled hard and he laughed. His eyes began to glow.. "Who are you?" He pulled me close to him, "I am the catcher of astral souls," I stared at him, he wasn't so beautiful now. "Catcher?" "yes" And then I remembered, in my haste to satisfy my lust I'd done it alone, no one there to wake me, just a wandering soul, on my own.. He laughed when he saw the light come on, "You understand now, your nana warned you, your powers were to be used, selflessly, ahh are those tears I see?" Finally I spoke.. "what will happen to my body?" "Someone will find it, it will be treated as all dead bodies are." "Can't you let me go, I've learned my lesson, please" "No child, I am bound just like you were." His eyes started to glow then, I felt a strange sensation, like fingers crawling over me, then he focused his gaze on me and held up the jar. It was like changing altitudes, when things became silent after the ringing in your ears, it didn't hurt really, there was just a huge amount of pressure as he tightened the lid on the jar, closing me in and placing me on the shelf next to the others.
So now grandma if you could see me, I wish I would have listened. I stared at him through the glass of the jar as he walked about the room.
It is a funny thing, the jar is no larger than a pickle jar, yet I float in endless space....
