The Spell

By Bulmachan

It was cloudy, windy and cold, very cold. Let’s say it was unusually cold for a winter day in New York. But in spite of the weather conditions Susannah had accepted Claire’s invitation to go out and see the city. Claire was an old time friend from school of the former actress and upon hearing about her horrible accident, she was like a sister to her. If Susannah wasn’t spending time with Terry, then Claire was with her. As the daughter of a wealthy family that had known the Marlowe’s for years, Claire had no worries for money and didn't need to work to make a living. This tight friendship could’ve changed the moment Susannah got married with Terry – and Claire was willing to sacrifice it for the happiness of her friend - but seeing the way the relationship of the newly weds had "evolved" Claire was closer to Susannahh than ever.

The former actress was always sad and depressed, and the last days had not helped at all to improve her mood. For this reason Claire had insisted that she was going to take her out shopping, and even it wasn’t easy to carry the wheelchair out in the slippery streets, the girl was doing it anyway.

Claire had been wise and had advised Susannah before she tied the knots: ‘don’t do it, you know he doesn’t love you. You’re just an obligation to him’, but Susannah always replied with dreamy eyes ‘time will change that, you’ll see’. But in spite of the time that had passed, one year and a half to be more accurate, things continued the same.

Going out shopping had been a great idea, the girls were talking and chatting, and filling the car that was waiting nearby with new dresses and things with which Susannah wished deep inside, would help her to conquer the heart of her husband.

‘Do you think you can get a chocolate bar for me’ ? Susannah asked to Claire seeing that her favorite store was too crowded and it would be almost impossible to enter with the wheelchair. She could be Susannah Marlowe but with this cold weather people wouldn’t care much for who she is, all they wanted was to go home soon. Claire agreed and while her friend went for the chocolate something called Sussie’s attention.

A rusty, old sign that was hanging from the wall read "Do you want to be lucky with love? Or recover a lost one? Madame Louise can help you" and some esoteric signs were drawn on each side of the sign.

She sighed ‘if only was that easy’ and tried to dismiss the sign but she couldn’t. It just sounded too tempting to let it pass.

Susannah managed to move her wheelchair to the entrance of the place and with some difficulties she entered. It smelled funny, a mixture of incense and something else she just couldn’t describe. A bit scared and with wide eyes passed some black and red curtains, and saw a dark room with candles and too many unknown things to her. In the center she could see a table covered with a red velvet cloth and a deck of cards on a side, and in its center a crystal ball. The strange smell was stronger in there and she started to wonder if she had done the right thing… maybe it was better to leave before somebody sees her?

Suddenly, she felt the grip of a hand on her shoulder and she screamed. When she turned her face to see who had done it, she saw an old lady with long and white hair looking at her.

‘My child don’t be afraid, I’m going to help you,’ she said with a humble voice.

Susannah being Susannah replied ‘I don’t need your help, I was just leaving. Goodbye’ and made and attempt to take the chair out of the place but she was still too scared and nervous and her hands hardly replied to what she wanted to do.

The old woman looked at her face in detail and smiled warmly. ‘Well that’s not what I see. Is the memory of that other woman still so strong in the heart of your husband that it doesn’t allow him to love you?’

Susannah was perplexed and the woman knew she had hit the sore spot.

How could she know about it? Not many people knew about it. ‘I said goodbye.’

‘Listen to me my dear,’ the woman said caressing Susannah’s face with a thin and wrinkled hand ‘I know your husband has never said a word of love to you and I want to help you. See this? I’m going to give it to you. It will only work once so don’t mess with it ok? Here, put it in your clothes and when you’re all alone spill one tear together with a drop of your favorite perfume in it. You will get a better result if that tear is the product of a discussion with him because the emotions are stronger. Shake this little recipient and mix all the contents and when he is not at home, spill it on his pillow and his side of the bed, especially on the mattress. Oh and don’t forget to wear some of your perfume that night.’

Susannah was listening very carefully looking at the little recipient in the woman’s hand. ‘And what effect will it have on him?’

The old woman smiled. ‘You will see.. and once you see it works and I’m not lying you will come back’. After that, the woman left her alone with her thoughts.

A shy smile on Susannah’s face demonstrated that she was going to try it. What the hell? What if it really worked? Not loosing any second, she hid the recipient between her clothes because she didn’t want Claire to find out about it. After that, she helped herself out of the dark room to the street and saw her friend searching for her high and low wth a bar of chocolate in her hand.

‘Where the hell have you been Susannah Marlowe? I was dead worried!’

And making her best face said ‘I’m sorry I got distracted with something. Shall we go?

As there was nothing else to do and it was getting colder the girls decided to go back to Sussana’s house. Terry wasn’t at home, he was probably out doing something related to his acting career which absorbed a lot of his time. The girls enjoyed the five o’clock tea with some of the delicious things they had bought in the market. Once Claire left and Susannah was all alone, she removed the recipient from between her clothes and examined it through the light of the room. It looked like a dark liquid, which also looked thick. She made a face, this for sure was going to leave an ugly spot on the expensive sheets and the pillow… how to explain this to Terry later? She didn’t care about what the maids thought about the spots, but she was sure that Terry would be asking what had happened to his side of the bed.

But… what if it really worked?

She shook her head and lowered her eyes… ‘She must be a fraud.’

Susannah was about to throw it to the garbage can when something advised her not to do it and instead, she kept it locked in the drawer of her night table. That night, Terry arrived late after performing the lead role in ‘Hamlet’ in a local theatre; so far the play had been running for more than three months with constant sold out. She was already in bed, waiting for her husband and with her heart pounding hard as always.

What followed was the constant routine that Terry had been having for months… this had specifically started one month after they got married. He arrived home and greeted her, then had a bath, dried his hair and after putting on his pj’s and a robe he headed to the well-stocked library they had at home. There he would drink scotch, or brandy and used all that free time to relax himself and think… think about his life and spend time alone. A few hours later he would go back to his room and would get in the bed, when Susannah was already sleeping… or at least that’s what he thought.

*********

A couple of days had passed since that old woman had given her the little recipient with the mysterious liquid that never left Susannah’s mind. For starters she didn’t believe in witchcraft, how could something like that help her in their failed relationship? But after thinking it over and over again she finally decided to give it a try. She hid the recipient and ringed a silver bell, few seconds later one of the maids showed up in her room.

‘Tell Terry I want to talk to him,’ Susannah ordered closing the drawer of her night table.

And the maid left the room carrying the message. Some minutes later and not as fast as the maid I must say, Terry opened the door of the bedroom.

‘Susannah you wanted to talk with me?'

‘Yes,’ she said a bit nervous.

‘Tell me, is there anything I can help you with’ his tone was calmed, relaxed, but never lovely.

She hesitated. “No, I just… wanted to talk with you, know about your day.’

‘I’m sorry Susannah but now I’m very busy reviewing a new script, we can talk later,’ he said politely, and made to leave the room.

She got upset, she was his wife after all! ‘oh yes, and what if I told that I know something about Candy? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to leave the room that fast.”

Terry stopped immediately and turned to face Susannah. ‘Candy? What happened with Candy?’

The former actress folded her arms and got even more upset. ‘I knew it, she’s still more important to you than me!’

Terry approached Susannah, concerned. ‘What do you know about Candy?’ he asked with a serious tone.

She just looked to the other side and played a role she knew damn well how to play: the victim. ‘Nothing, I just wanted to see find out how important she is still for you.’

Terry just closed his eyes trying to find the right words. ‘Susannah, you perfectly know what Candy meant in my life.’

She faced him with tears in her eyes ‘you still can’t forget her, can you?’

‘Stop asking the same question over and over again. What matters between you and me is this’ he said showing his wedding ring ‘now I’ll go back to the library to continue working on the new script.’

This time he got out of the room and closed the door behind him. Nothing could be worst for Susannah than to talk about their relationship while looking at him in the eyes.

All she could always see was a cold stare and resignation. And to make it worst the mere mention of just one name was all it took for Terry to leave anything he was doing at the moment aside and put all his attention to the person that had dared to mention that name.

Automatically angry tears fell off her eyes and remembering the words of the old woman, she opened the little recipient and poured a couple of her own tears inside, then took the bottle of her favorite French perfume and added the recommended quantity. Susannah closed the little recipient and shook it, mixing all the ingredients. Little by little the thick liquid changed and it was as thin as the water, changing his dark color until it looked like a soft pink. As it was still early to go to bed, she hid it inside her bra fearing that it would recover its original appearance. After all, nobody would be looking for it there. 

**********

She looked at the time and according to her in one more hour Terry would be arriving home and showing up in their room. She took his pillow and removed the cover, pouring some of the pink liquid on it and then a little on the mattress under the sheets, just because she didn’t want to stain the fabric. But to her surprise the liquid was almost imperceptible to the eye and you could only feel the smell of her perfume. With some difficulty she managed to arrange his side of the bed and after that was done, and as the old woman had instructed, she put on some of her own perfume.

Now all she had to do was wait……

She was so impatient to see the results, she kept on looking at the watch and the minutes were passing by so slowly that it was like a torture.

Finally the time came and she heard the familiar steps of Terry outside their room. She hurried to grab a book to pretend she was reading and opened it in any random page. She also arranged her hair and tried to look pretty for her husband, her heart was beating ohh so fast that she thought it was going to explode any minute. She started reading, not really paying attention to the book she had in front of her… the door suddenly was opened and Terry came in.

‘Good night Susannah,’ he said hanging his coat and filling the room with the smell of the smoke of the cigars that people probably had smoked during the play, and went to the bathroom.

‘Good night Terry, how was the play tonight?’ she asked out loud so he could hear her.

‘Same as usual,’ he just replied.

She was so nervous, she would have to wait so much time until he got into bed and see if the woman was right or not. Minutes later, Terry came out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel. Susannah looked at him from the corner of her eyes (while she continued pretending she was reading) and saw him moving his nose, like he was smelling something. Was it working?

‘Susannah what’s that smell?’ he asked.

She just smiled, the expectation could easily be seeing in her eyes. ‘Oh it’s my perfume, I just poured a bit on my pillow and the smell filled the room.’

But the man said nothing; he just looked at her and then left to the library. Things hadn’t changed at all. Susannah asked to herself why he didn’t change if he had smelled the perfume and after thinking about it for a while, she convinced herself that the old woman was nothing but a fraud. ‘Thank God I didn’t pay her for this,’ she said putting the book on the night table, turning off the lights and turning to her right side to wait for Terry to come back to the room and fall sleep.

While she tried to convince herself of how stupid she was for believing the words of that woman, a noise called her attention. Slowly the door of her room was opened and then closed. She got scared, it couldn’t be Terry, he had just left the room. ‘Who could it be? A thief maybe?’

But then she heard the familiar sound of a robe falling heavily on a chair and she knew perfectly well that it was Terry’s… then she felt somebody getting into bed with her. That person stayed on his side of the bed for a few minutes before getting closer to her.

**********

This time she was even more nervous than before, what if Terry did something more than what he did last night? She couldn’t help but blush at the thought.
When she heard the familiar steps approaching the room she couldn’t hide the excitement. And when the door was opened she looked at her Prince Charming who she was sure would come running to her in slow motion, with open arms saying how much he loved her, the birds would be singing and fireworks would be shinning above them.

But suddenly there was no Prince Charming, no birds and no fireworks. Terry had appeared wearing his glasses meaning he was already at the library working. He had changed his routine, why? And why he wasn’t as lovely as the night before?

‘Susannah you still awake?’ he said entering the room and walking to the closet, where he searched for a folder.

“Yes I… couldn’t really sleep,” she lied.

He opened the folder and looked through the papers. ‘Do you want me to get you some milk?’

‘No, it’s not necessary. And you, are you coming to bed soon?’ she asked wanting to see if he was in the ‘mood’ for at least some cuddling.

His eyes never left the papers he had in front of him, until he found the one he was looking for. ‘No, I’m very busy and just came for this document. I hope you can get to sleep soon, goodnight.’

And by saying that, Terry left the room and closed the door.

Susannah wanted to throw the pillow against the door! ‘Argh why it didn’t work?!!” she asked to herself smelling the pillow again. Suddenly she remembered what the old woman told her ‘It will only work once’.

How frustrated the blonde girl was, she had waited for the night to come during the whole day and now all she got was a huge disappointment. But deep inside, she had made a decision: tomorrow she would go back to the old woman’s store. Bitter and sad, she turned off the light falling sleep almost immediately.

**********

The next morning she told Claire all that happened in that wonderful night and begged her to take her to see the woman. Obviously Susannah made her swear for her life that she was not going to tell a soul about all this.

After she told her all the details about how she had managed all those things to happen, Claire got scared. ‘That woman is a witch Susannah, and you are a catholic girl!”

She turned her face to the other side. “No, she’s not a witch. She’s just a good woman that wants to help me and I’m going to see her today even if you don't come with me. … I thought you were my friend.’

Claire was used to Susannah’s tantrums, but she was also her friend and knew she needed her help. ‘Ok I’ll go with you but you have to promise that you won't make any stupid things?'

Susannah smiled. ‘Don’t worry I won’t.’

Claire made the sign of the cross. ‘Oh god, I’m going to burn in hell for this.’

And the girl in the wheelchair just giggled.

**********

There were two reasons why Claire had accepted to go with her. She just couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Susannah this happy and excited, her eyes were sparkling and her whole face screamed love and happiness. But also she was there to stop her from doing anything stupid. If there was one thing that Claire couldn’t really understand was the obsessive love that she felt for Terry, but what the hell, it was love after all. When they were outside the store with the rusted sign above their heads she asked ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ and Susannah replied, ‘Now more than ever.’

Just before they crossed the black and red curtains they heard the voice of an old woman. ‘Can we trust her?’ and both girls looked at each other, one more scared than the other.

“Can we trust her?’ the voice asked again and Susannah recognized the person that was speaking and replied affirmatively.

“Then you can come in.”

This time, the old woman was sitting by the table in the same dark room and kept looking at Claire with distrust in her eyes.

Susannah noticed it and explained. ‘She is my best friend, I can totally trust in her.”

The old woman nodded and invited Claire to seat by the table. The friend located the wheelchair in one side, and then sat next to Susannah.

“So, I can see you’re back as I predicted… now tell me, how was it? Did you like his reaction?’ the woman asked with a knowing smile.

‘Well’ Susannah said blushing ‘he told me “baby”, kissed me goodnight and slept with his arm around me.”

But the woman didn’t look too surprised with that, on the contrary. ‘Just that?’

Susannah was perplexed. ‘You think it’s not enough?’

The woman scratched her chin with one long index finger. ‘Mmh his feelings for the other girl are still too strong, and probably there’s still an invisible bond between them. The potion I gave you that day was very strong and the least you should’ve gotten with it was a night full of love, lust and passion.’
Claire made a face. ‘You don’t know him.’

‘My sweet girl of the sad eyes, do you want me to help you?’ the woman said to Susannah, holding her hands and almost ignoring Claire.

Suddenly, there was hope in her eyes. ‘But… what can you do?’

The woman smiled. ‘I can make him to love you.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes I can.’

‘And what do you want? Money?’ In that moment Susannah was so glad that she was part of a wealthy family, she could pay the woman any amount she asked.

Instead, the woman didn’t really care for that. ‘Let’s not worry for those things that are not important in this moment. I just need to know if you really want me to help you.’

Susannah was so excited! ‘Yes, of course I want your help!'

And the old woman’s tone of voice became a bit more serious this time. ‘Are you willing to do anything for the love of this man?’

And this time, Claire interrupted them.

'Hold on, hold on… what do you mean by that?’

Once again, the old woman ignored Claire and never broke eye contact with Susannah. ‘My girl, would you do anything for this man?’

And she hesitated. ‘Ehm, anything?’

‘Well,’ the woman said releasing her hands and standing up. ‘If you don’t then I can’t help you.’

'No no don’t go!' said Susannah seeing that her opportunity to be happy was slipping away ‘Yes, I’m willing to do anything for Terry.’

The girls didn’t see it, but the old woman smiled to herself and returned to her seat, trying to inspire all the confidence that Susannah could need in that moment. ‘Alright I’ll help you. But now everything we do or say here has to remain secret. Nobody else can know about it because they wouldn’t understand. Do you agree Claire?’

Finally the woman wasn’t ignoring Claire. .. and she felt a cold feeling in her spine. ‘But…’

This time, Susannah begged her. ‘Please Claire, I desperately need your help!’

And the friend just lifted her shoulders and gave up. ‘Alright, you always end up winning anyway.’

‘Now that we’re clear on that tell me something. Does your husband still own anything that had been given to him by the other woman? A present for example?' the old woman asked.

‘Yes, there’s something,’ Susannah replied.

'Then bring it to me and the fastest the better.'

Susannah nodded. ‘Anything else?’

The old woman smiled at her. ‘That’s it by now.’

‘And he’s going to love just with that?’

Mme. Louise could see how desperate this girl was. ‘Be patient my pretty girl, be patient. Now tell me when can you get me that object?’

‘I can go for it right now, I have nothing to do the rest of the day.’

This time Claire interfered. ‘I can go to your house, it will be faster.’

‘Really?’

‘I told you, you always win.’

Mme. Louise was all business now. ‘Then go and bring it to me now… then come back tomorrow at 3 pm.’

Claire got up and while she put on her coat, Susannah asked. ‘Madame, what’s your name?’

‘Louise, as the sign outside says. Now Claire go and get that object for me.’

Susannah moved her chair until she was in front of a small painting, which she removed revealing a small security box. ‘Terry spends a lot of time out of the house, and let’s say I’ve been doing some detective work on my own… and since he likes to spend most of his free time here, I decided to take a look around, and that’s when I found this.’

Claire tried to open it but she needed the security code to do so. ‘How are you going to open it?’

That’s when Susannah smiled. ‘In the same way I’ve done it before… it took me some time until I figured out the right combination.’ She said turning the round part of the lock a few times to the left, others to the right, until a click indicated that she had been successful.

‘Once again you surprise me.’

‘Come and take a look at all this stuff,’ Susannah said. ‘I think this is Terry’s secret place.’

Little by little she started removing letters, papers and other things until she found the object she was looking for. It was something small with a white handkerchief wrapped around, as if it was there to protect something important.

‘This will work,’ Susannah said.

Claire didn’t understand… maybe the handkerchief had previously belonged to Candy? ‘What is it?’

‘This is the infamous harmonica that airhead gave him during his school years,’ she said removing the handkerchief and showing a extremely polished and bright harmonica. Claire knew the story behind it because Susannah had complained in many occasions that Terry cherished everything that had to do with Candy and their past together more than anything that they had shared during their married life. And how did Susannah knew the story of the harmonica? Because one day out of a sudden she suggested to Terry to stop smoking, and by doing so he remembered what Freckles had done years ago, and he smiled. Susannah was happy to see such reaction from her husband, and asked him a little too sweet the reason for that smile. And Terry being honest as he was when it came to Candy, he told her the story without thinking twice… then when he saw the reaction on her wife’s face knew he had made a mistake. Needless to say Susannah’s mood was the worst for the next two days.

Certainly Claire could see the strain in Susannah’s face in this moment, she wasn’t too happy to be holding that thing in her hands. ‘But Sussie, Terry will notice there if something’s missing, especially if it’s that important to him.’

‘If we put something inside pretending it’s the harmonica, then he won’t notice it,’ she said taking a chocolate bar from her chair and wrapping the handkerchief around it. ‘There, see? He won’t be able to see the difference unless of course, he takes it out to play with it. Hopefully he won’t do it tonight.’

‘And now?’

‘Well,’ Susannah said putting everything back inside the box in the order that Terry had left it before. ‘You take this to Mme. Louise and tomorrow you come for me and we’ll go to see her together.’

Claire looked at the bright object in her hands and noticed how well maintained it was, certainly her friend was right. ‘Sussie, are you sure you want to do this?’

Susannah put the painting back on the wall hiding Terry’s secret place and looked at Claire. There it was, the determination she had initially seen at Mme. Louise’s place. ‘Yes, Terry is who I love the most in the world and all I want is his love in return… and since I’ve tried everything and hasn’t worked I guess this is the only way to get to his heart. Now let’s get out of here before somebody suspects anything… and hide that.’

Claire took her friend back to her bedroom and left to deliver the harmonica to Mme. Louise. That night, the old woman began analyzing the object while she also analyzed Susannah. ‘The aura of that girl is dark; she is going to make things easier for me.’

**********

The next day the girls were punctually waiting for the woman. She locked the entrance door so nobody would interrupt them.

‘Last night I found out a lot of things, my sweet girl,’ she said putting her Tarot cards aside.

‘Yes? Like what?'

‘I found the reason why the potion I gave you the other day didn’t work in the way it was supposed to. The bond those two keep gets stronger and stronger with each passing day,’ the old woman confessed.

‘But how can that be, if they haven’t seen each other in a long time?’ Susannah said, getting upset at the thought of Terry double playing with her and having Candy hidden somewhere in the city.

‘My dear, it’s not necessary to be physically together to keep a bond between them. Since the moment they split up their spirits remained together. He avoids you, doesn’t he? That’s the reason why, he’s still in love with her… if I’m not wrong that bond started when they were very young and he’s still too emotionally attached to her and their memories together,’ the woman explained.

Susannah just lowered her eyes. ‘I don’t need to hear what I’ve known for so long.’

The woman held one of Susannah’s hands. ‘Don’t despair my dear, we are going to make it. He’s gonna love as much as he loves her… now I need to hear the whole story between them with all its details.’

And once again Susannah – who was still upset - went through the love story of Terry and Candy, she knew every little detail, places, locations, hours, everything. While she continued talking, the woman took a little recipient and a needle she kept in a drawer and left it on the table. She listened patiently until the whole story was out and tears were running down Susannah’s face.

‘Don’t cry my dear because I know how to solve that. Tell me, are you still willing to do anything for him?’

‘Yes,’ the girl said drying her face with a handkerchief.

With a sweet voice, the woman made a request. ‘Then my pretty girl, I need you to give me a few drops of your blood, it won’t hurt I promise.’

Susannah got a bit scared. ‘My blood? For what?’

‘You don’t trust me? Can’t you remember how good it felt to have his arms around you and having the best dreams ever? Have you ever thought how it would be like to be loved by him in body and soul?’ the woman tempted her.

Susannah didn’t reply, she just blushed. That’s all she’s been thinking about since the day they got married. Slowly, she took the recipient, the needle and pinched her index finger dropping the blood inside the recipient.

‘That would be enough,’ the old woman said taking it from Susannah’s hand.

Claire who had been silent spoke now. ‘What are you going to do with that?’

‘It’s a secret, this was the first step,’ the woman said smiling.

Susannah sucked her finger and wrapped the handkerchief around it. ‘Do you also need Terry’s blood? Because it’s going to be very difficult to get it.’

The woman hid the recipient and looked at her. ‘No, but I need you both to pay attention very carefully now because this is the second step.’

‘Okay,’ they said.

‘I need you to find this girl and bring a curl of her blonde hair, a little of her blood and to get rid of a crucifix she carries constantly with her.’

‘But.’

‘I haven’t finished. You have to make her eat this and convince her to use this liquid as her perfume until she finishes the bottle. From them on it’s going to be all in my hands. Oh and I need a few hairs of yours my dear,’ the woman said handling a scissor to Susannah.

‘Well my hair is easy, but how are we going to get all that?’ she said cutting her hair.

The old woman put the hair in the same place where she put the other recipient and smiled. ‘You have a creative mind my dear, you’ll find the way. Remember the sooner you get me all that, the faster you gonna have Terry saying those words you’ve been dying to hear for so long.’

Claire lifted her eyebrows. ‘In that you are right, she has a lot of imagination.’

Susannah just giggled. ‘Fine, I’ll find a way to do it. Can I have the harmonica back now?’

‘Yes my dear, here it is.’

Before they left, Susannah used her most innocent face and asked the woman. ‘Just by any chance would you have more of the pink liquid you gave me the other day? Can you give me a bit more?

Another smile from the old woman. ‘I’m sorry my dear, I told you it only works once. Now go and think how you gonna get all the ingredients for this work.’

The girls left thinking about the hard task they had ahead. The first thing was to find Candy.

**********

Many days had passed since the old woman made that list of requirements to Susannah and Claire. Obviously the former actress wanted to get them all in five minutes but as the time passed by she noticed how difficult it was going to be. She hired a private detective to find out if Candy was living in New York; but after one week of investigations he gave her the news that the nurse was not in the city and that she had gone back home.

That was practically to be back on the start… to be back home could mean so many things, she could be back in the Andley’s mansion, or maybe that foster house where she had been raised. And what if the detective was wrong and she wasn’t in any of those places? Susannah had to find out but in her conditions any trip would be something difficult and frustrating, besides let’s face it, she would never be able to find a plane that could take her to those places and be back in New York in the same day. Planes could never do that.

Once again Claire was her only hope and she knew it. She volunteered herself to go there and find out everything she could, but she obviously needed some directions as she had no idea where those places were. Did Susannah know? Yes she knew as she had read all the documents and letters that Terry kept in his secret box and in a piece of paper he had written any vital information about Candy he knew and had. And obviously there was the address of Pony’s Home with the directions and how to get there… it hadn’t been easy for him to get there the only one time he visited the place and after he left, he wrote all the directions in a paper. You never knew when this info could be handy again.

Finally Claire had managed to get the courage to travel alone and go to Illinois to search for Candy and get that ‘list of ingredients’… and obviously in the most fashionable way possible. That’s why when she arrived to Pony’s Home she was somehow disgusted and horrified with all the mud, dirt and poorness of the place.

When she knocked on the door she noticed it was barely closed and with her knocks it got opened. She looked around and then opened the door a bit more taking a look inside. The place was totally empty and it looked like nobody had been living there for quite a while. She wondered if she had the right directions, maybe she was somewhere else? But when she looked outside to her left and saw the the sign that read ‘Pony’s Home’ she knew she in the right place. What had happened?

Was it wise to go in the house and find out more, or at least take a look around? She was about to take one step inside the house, when suddenly, she felt somebody touching her shoulder.

‘AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!’ she screamed and turned around to see who had done it. But the young man that was in front of her was more scared of Claire than she was of him and she could tell by the look in his eyes.

‘How dare you to touch me!’ she said trying to sound upset but her voice gave away how nervous she was.

‘I’m sorry,’ Tom, yes the now grown up and handsome Tom apologized ‘but who are you and what are you doing here? I don’t think I know you.’

‘I was searching for Pony’s Home,’ she explained. ‘I’m looking for Candy.’

Tom heard the name of his childhood friend and smiled. ‘Oh you’re friend of Candy?’

She just had to pretend. ‘Yes, we met at the school in London and since I was around I thought I’d give her a visit.’

‘Then why don’t you come to my house, I’ll invite you a cup of tea and will tell you what happened in this place,’ he said with the good manors that Pony and Sister Mary had taught him. 

**********

Tom’s house hadn’t changed at all, except for one little kid that was around two years old that insisted going around playing he was a cowboy. And not far from him, his mother and Pony were trying to catch him. Tom got down on his knees and grabbed the little boy, holding him in his arms ‘come on Tommy, don't be a bad boy and make life easier for mommy and aunty Pony ok?’ The little kid with brown hair giggled and kissed his father’s cheek before he put him in the safe arms of her mother. ‘Thank you honey’ she told him, before she and Pony left Tom and his guest alone with their cups of tea.

‘I’m sorry for that,’ Tom said removing his cowboy hat, ‘but my son has so much energy that at the end of the day my wife and Pony are totally exhausted.’

Claire smiled gathering information. So that old lady with the warm smile was Pony.

Tom distracted her from her thoughts. ‘So you wanted to see Candy?’

That’s when Claire started pretending. ‘Yes, we met at the school some years ago and she had told me about the hill and Pony’s house. I would love to see her and for this reason following the instructions she once left me I visited the place she told me she’ll be living in but the place was empty.’

‘Pony’s home,’ Tom said with a nostalgic tone of voice while he leant back on his chair.

And he proceeded to tell her the whole story. Some time ago, while Candy was living at the house she found out that Sister Mary received a letter from the Superior Mother of her Catholic Congregation asking her to return to the church as her services as a Sister of God were requested. She tried to do everything she could just to stay at the foster house with Pony and the kids but the Superior Mother was determined to have her back. In tears, she left.

Candy knew she just had to stay and help Pony with the home work and the kids but the woman knew by heart that this was not the place for Candy. The blonde girl was a grown up girl now, with a career and she had the world to see. Pony assured her that she would be fine, and now that she was a professional nurse her task in her life was to take care of those that didn’t have the money or the resources to go to a good hospital. Candy hesitated but seeing Pony’s insistence on the matter, she packed and joined the Red Cross, traveling around the whole country helping those that needed it.

The months passed and Pony didn’t have the energy to do all the job of raising the kids, teaching them, cooking, etc. Pony loved them with her whole heart, but she was old and this was affecting her more than she admitted. Tom who was always there visiting and helping, decided that it was better to do something about it and he welcomed Pony at his house, because after all the woman was a mother to him. The kids had to be relocated in a different foster house and Pony’s House was closed.

After her tour with the Red Cross around the country was over, Candy returned home and found the house in the same state than Claire: empty and dusty and she felt like something had been ripped off her heart. The first thing she thought was that something bad had happened to Pony but then when she found out she was fine she felt better. Still she kept blaming herself for what had happened to the house, if she hadn’t left this would have never happened but Pony was a wise woman and she told her that sooner or later that would have to happen. But there were a lot of moments and episodes that made her proud and happy for her babies, because during her years in charge she and Sister Mary had managed to raise all those kids and turned them into men and women of good. And the best examples were Candy and Annie.

After a long and sincere talk, Pony convinced Candy and managed to take some of that guilt she was feeling on her shoulders and heart. But now Candy had no place to call home, and even Tom was welcoming her at his own place she decided to visit Albert and spend a few days in the Andley mansion. Things didn't change there and she wasn’t welcomed by some of the family members, but this didn’t surprise her. Albert on the other hand received her with open arms and a warm smile, as he usually did.

One night, they shared one of those long and sincere talks they used to have in the past while walking around the garden of the house. As Candy loved to spend time in Anthony’s garden, they ended up there and continued their conversation surrounded by those lovely flowers.

That’s where he told her his plans: his soul was dying there. Being stuck in one place as head of a wealthy family was not what he liked and was planning to tell the family that he was going to resign his position. Candy gave him her total support because that’s the way she felt when they asked her to be a society lady. But she also knew that once an Andley always an Andley, especially in Albert’s case.

What happened then was that when he talked about his decision with the rest of the family they didn’t accept it, and at the end they reached an agreement: Albert could be as free as he wanted as long as he didn’t let the obligations of the family behind. That wasn’t exactly what he had in mind but he knew he couldn’t turn his back to the family, especially if Candy was also a member of it, and he agreed. He made plans and soon traveled to Australia. Before this, Candy promised him she’ll be fine and that she’ll be ok with the rest of the family, that he had nothing to worry about.

Weeks after Albert left, the maid found a letter addressed to him in Candy’s room. Tom said that in that letter Candy was also resigning her Andley name and position in the family, but what Candy didn’t know was that the maid had forgotten the letter in her apron and when it was sent to laundry the water had destroyed the envelope and its contents. Before leaving, she went to the family graveyard and laid a flower on Anthony’s and Stear’s graves. After that she left the city without mentioning to the others where she will be living or how to locate her.

‘And that’s the last thing we knew about her, Pony has been worried and we try to convince her that Candy is be fine,’ Tom said finishing the story and drinking some of his now not-so-hot tea.

Claire was trying to save every little detail in that head of hers so she could tell Susannah later, but things were not going well. If they didn’t know where Candy was who else could know? She bid goodbye to Tom and his family and left knowing in advance that Susannah was not going to be happy with the news.

**********

The part of the story that Tom and the others didn’t know was that Candy was living in Ohio. She liked the place and was still close to Chicago. Chicago, her memories of the childhood, her friends and most of the things she loved the most were there, but she knew she had to stay away. Well there was a very important reason why and this reason started with T. During her stay at the Andley’s Terry had made an unexpected visit where he confessed her how it felt like being involved in a marriage with no love and that he had missed her terribly.

The minute she saw him there looking as gorgeous as always, but looking more adult, listened to his voice and saw into his deep blue eyes she felt a river of mixed emotions running furiously inside of her. On one side how she longed his presence, his jokes, all of him. But on the other she knew it was wrong to feel that way. Candy never knew where she got the strength to convince him that Susannah was the girl for him and that he shouldn’t be in Chicago, but instead in New York with his wife. Terry had strong values as a person and he knew he had to respect Susannah for what she was in his life, but his heart kept telling him he was wrong. The guilt and the rejection of the one he loved made him leave the Andley’s without trying for a second time and how thankful Candy was for that… she knew she wasn’t going to find the strength to ask him to leave again.

The problem was that Terry knew where she was and she definitely didn’t want to go through the same again. With Albert in Australia enjoying his freedom, she decided the best thing would be to walk away and start a new life in a place where nobody knew her. That’s when she packed and left.

Candy didn’t want to see him again, each time she thought of his last visit she felt her stomach tied in knots and her heart felt an unexplainable anguish… he was suffering as much as she was. The difference was that she was dealing with this pain herself, she could never go to his house and confess him this.

As she didn’t have too much money, she rented a humble room in a small building with four floors that was in charge of Miriam, a nice and kind woman. Candy was working with the community doctor in a job that didn’t pay much in money, but satisfied her completely as a professional and person. 

**********

This morning Candy woke up feeling very sensitive, and she couldn’t believe that her whole world had come down literally. And everything started with the breakup with Terry. Why everything she loved and cherished the most always had to end in the wrong way? Yes, she was a little depressed this morning but she knew she wasn’t like that so she tried to cheer up herself and started the day with a huge smile on her lips. Before leaving to her job, she took a look at the old pic of Terry she kept in the room – which she cut from the newspaper some time ago after a successful presentation and he was smiling – and she felt better. She just knew that each time things were going bad and she needed to smile all she had to do was to look at that picture.

‘Ok, it’s time to go to work,’ she said putting on her coat and leaving. 

**********

The woman was surrounded by darkness and strange articles as usual, while she had a black cat napping on her lap. Susannah explained the situation and asked if she could help her, and the old woman nodded.

Waking up the cat and getting him on the floor she walked to the door and locked it. Then opened a big rusty chest and grabbed two black candles which she located on each side of the table. Then she walked to a corner of the room where she had different objects and prepared a mix of herbs, once it was ready she went back to the table and put the mix on an ashtray which she located strategically with the candles, forming a triangle. The old woman lit a match and then put it over the mix which started to burn immediately. In the center of the table she placed a very strange deck of cards and on top of it she placed the harmonica.

Susannah was curious, she wanted to ask what was this, what was that, but the old woman was so concentrated on her task that she didn’t want to interrupt. She took a look inside the ashtray that was in front of her and noticed that something red was beneath the mix, but she couldn’t really tell what it was because of the poor light of the place.

‘Now my pretty girl’ the old woman stood in front of the table across Susannah ‘I’m going to need your help. I want you to focus all your energy and thoughts on what we’re going to do, do you understand?’

‘Ehm… ok’ Sussie replied, she had to admit she was a bit nervous.

The woman lit the two black candles. She closed her eyes and laying her hands on top of the flames, she began chanting “your humble servants need your help my lord. A brief appearance of yours will light our way. Master, please come to us those that summon you!”

When she finished her chanting, she opened her eyes and removed her hands from the flames of the candles. Right in that moment the flames of the candles and the mix of herbs seemed to be in sync, moving at the same time and changing its color simultaneously. The color went from the usual color of the fire to a dark black with one or two fire sparkles. The old woman smiled, ‘He is here’.

She sat down looking pleased and took the harmonica from its place, leaving it close to the burning ashtray. She took the deck of cards and began distributing them on the table.

‘You told me her name is Candy White Andley, right? From this set of 8 cards you only have to pick three my girl.’

‘Yes, Candy,’ Susannah said looking at the cards displayed on the table. ‘Any card?’

‘Those that your heart tells you to pick my dear.’

With a shaky hand, Susannah pointed the three cards of her choice.

The old woman turned them and saw the contents. Then she removed those 8 cards and displayed 8 new ones. ‘Good, she is not far. Now choose 3 more cards.’

This time Sussie did it with more confidence.

The old woman just closed her eyes and after a few minutes, she smiled with satisfaction. She removed the other 5 cards and put them together with the rest of the deck, leaving the chosen ones on the table.

‘That’s enough my dear, I know where she is… I saw her. She lives alone and works with a doctor, I’ll show you in a map in which area of Ohio you have to look.’

Susannah was sure the old woman was bluffing, she had to be… how could she find out the right information if she didn’t even took a look at the last cards? And Ohio? What the hell was Candy doing in Ohio?

‘Are you sure? You haven’t even seen those three cards.’

‘I don’t need to do that, but I’ll do it just for you.’

According to the woman she could see through the cards and she had seen Candy, but Susannah obviously didn’t see a thing.

‘My dear, this is the best time to do this work. She is living from the memories of the past, just like your husband. And the best of all is that she is all alone. I'll show you in a map where Claire has to look for her and tell her to hurry.’

The old woman bowed to the burning ashtray, then touched one of the candles saying something in a language that Susannah didn’t understand and the three flames returned to their initial color. The one of the ashtray burned for a few more seconds and then it was off. The contents of it looked as if nothing had happened in spite of all the time it had been burning, but what was strange to Susannah was that the red color she had seen beneath the herbs was gone. She didn’t really care for it anymore, if the old woman was right Claire would be able to find Candy very soon.

With the map under her clothes she left the place and contacted her friend.

‘No th.. thank you,’ she said nervous and now a bit scared.

The guy didn’t take the no very well. ‘What, are you rejecting me? I can ask my friends to convince you.’

‘I’m.. looking for somebody, that’s all,’ Claire replied.

‘Well baby, you found me,’ the man said caressing her cheek.

Claire moved her face to the other side to avoid his touch ‘No, that’s not what I mean… I need somebody to do a job for me.’

‘A work? What kind of job?’

‘I want to send a message to a girl, if you know what I mean’ Claire replied.

The leader looked at her interested. ‘Oh yes? And why?

‘Well I have a boyfriend and she’s been flirting with him, and I want to show her what could happen to her if she insists on the same,’ Claire lied.

‘And what about the money? Is it good?' One of the other guys asked.

‘Very good but only if you don’t mention a word about it,’ she said.

‘Well you found the right people for the job. I’m Bob and you are…’

Claire was feeling more comfortable now she was handling the situation in a good way. ‘My name is not important. And now stay away from me cos you smell of alcohol.’

They went to a corner of the bar to discuss the business. Now that she was with those guys the rest of the people stopped paying attention and didn’t care for her anymore. Claire gave them Candy’s description, the place where they could find her, where she lived and what they were supposed to do.

‘And here’s half of the payment. The other half will be ready tomorrow once the job is done’ she said giving them the money. Bob and the others opened wide eyes to see the big quantity of money she was offering them.

‘Well madame we’ll be there tomorrow’ they said putting the money in their pockets, moment that she used to get out of the bar and went back to her hotel, shaking like a leaf. God she was scared, but finally the stage was set and hopefully her tasks in town would be over soon and she’ll go back to New York. 

**********

The next day Candy left the doctor’s office at 7 pm when it was already dark. She kept walking thinking on the good day she had not paying attention to what was happening around her. Suddenly when she turned on a corner she bumped into somebody who fell on the floor. Obviously this somebody was Bob.

‘Oh I’m so sorry sir, I wasn’t really paying attention.’

‘Don’t worry I’m fine,’ Bob said.

While Candy helped him to get on his feet, the other two guys grabbed her from behind and Bob covered her mouth to avoid her to scream and alert somebody. Carefully they took her to a dark alley where they tied her hands and legs, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Candy was terrified and was looking at the guys with tears in his eyes. What had she done to deserve this?

Bob looked at her in detail and Candy saw lust in his eyes, which scared her even more. Finally he spoke as he ran one finger through her face. ‘She is so cute that I’d rather be doing other things with her but what the hell.’

Candy tried to set herself free with no success.

‘Now listen to me Blondie, don’t go around stealing other girls’ boyfriends or next time you gonna regret it even more than now’. Now Bob’s voice was serious and almost cruel, and when he finished his sentence he slapped her so hard on the face that she passed out.

The three guys left the place in a hurry and few blocks away they met Claire.

‘Done.’

‘Ok, here’s the other half. Now you don’t know me and have never seen me, and disappear from my sight now!’ she demanded.

‘It’s going to be hard to forget such a pretty face, but business is business. It was a pleasure to do business with you. Goodbye,’ Bob said disappearing with his friends.

Claire walked into the alley and saw Candy lying on the floor, with some boxes supporting her back. She made sure she was still passed out and not awake and when she was sure of this, she pinched one of her fingers and squeezed it hard, getting some of her blood in a small recipient. Then she cut a few curls of her hair, and then searched between her clothes, finding the crucifix the old woman had mentioned, and put everything inside her bag. Just in case the witch needed it later, she also took the handkerchief that Candy kept in one of the pockets of her coat. When she had everything, she tried to wake up the girl.

‘Come on, come wake up,’ she said removing the handkerchief from Candy’s mouth.

‘Eh what’s the… please don’t hurt me!’ Candy begged waking up and remembering what had happened earlier.

‘Hurt you? I’d never hurt you, I saw some guys that were here with you and when they saw me they escaped. I want to help you,’ she said lying.

‘Thank you, I feared the worst,’ Candy said.

‘Don’t worry I’ll help you. Let me untie your arms and legs and I’ll take you home.’

When Candy was back on her feet, she cleaned her uniform and coat and told Claire where she lived. When they arrived their destination, she found out in which room Candy was living.

Once there Candy went to the bathroom to clean her face, noticing that her right cheek was still red for the heavy slap the guy had given her. In the meantime Claire looked around disgusted at the poorness of the place and thankfully, didn’t notice Terry’s pic.

‘You can’t imagine how much I appreciate your help’ Candy said with her usual cheerfulness ‘I was so scared!’

‘It’s ok, I’m just glad I was in the right time and the right place’ Claire said in a sweet way. ‘Look, my granny used to say that there was nothing better to forget the bad and sad moments of life than a good chocolate, want some?’

And Claire took out of her bag a nice chocolate box with bonbons, which she offered to Candy.

‘Your grandmother was a wise woman’ Candy said smiling and choosing one ‘Mmh yummy!’

‘Delicious eh? Why don’t you keep them? I already ate the other half of the box,’ Claire offered.

‘Oh but I can’t accept them, they’re yours,’ Candy said.

But Claire insisted a little more until she twisted Candy’s arm. They continued talking a bit more, until she mentioned it was getting late and she needed to go back home.

‘I can’t believe how late it is,’ Claire said looking at her watch. ‘But I’m glad you’re feeling better now Candy.’

‘I just realized you didn’t tell me your name,’ Candy said walking Claire to the door.

‘It’s Caroline. Oh! By the way do you like perfumes?’ Claire said.

‘Yes, why Caroline?’ Candy asked, curious.

‘Well you’ll see, my boyfriend is in the perfume business and as I think you are a very nice girl who happened to have a bad day, I thought I’d give you this one.’

Claire once again opened her purse and produced a small bottle of perfume with something written in French on the label.

‘I really can’t accept this, must cost a fortune,’ Candy refused to accept the present.

‘Come on, it’s not that expensive… besides he makes very good profits and he’s always giving me perfumes. I have 3 bottles of this one at home.’

Claire was being so nice and so kind, and so convincing that finally Candy accepted. She opened it and smelled it. ‘Mmh it smells great. Thank you Caroline I’ll wear it everyday.’

‘That’s the idea,’ Claire winked at Candy. ‘Why don’t you put on some now? It’s gonna make you feel better. And yes wear it everyday, it’s gonna bring a smile to your face all the time and your boyfriend will love it too.’

Candy laughed. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend, but this might help me. Thank you so much for everything and visit me anytime you want, okie?’

After a friendly hug, Claire left the place and the next morning she headed to New York. 

**********

After that incident in the alley the doctor got very concerned about Candy’s safety and offered to take her home everyday. But he was an old man and took him more time to get back to his own house and for this reason, his son started to accompany Candy. Phillip, or Phil, was a 25 years old man who was following his father’s steps in the medicine. The days went by and walking Candy home became an habit and it was normal to see them leaving the doctor’s office after 7 pm together. 

‘Sussie, mission accomplished!’

Claire said entering the living room of the Grandchester’s and Susannah made a face of shut up and Claire noticed that Terry was in the room. He was sitting in one of the couches and was reading the newspaper.

‘Oh hi Terry, I didn’t see you,’ she excused herself.

‘Hi Claire,’ he said distracting his attention to the friend of his wife. ‘What mission were you talking about?’

Susannah’s face was about to explode and Claire went all red in 1 second. ‘Oh nothing, it’s just that Sussie asked me to get her a new lipstick and I found it.’

‘I see,’ he said with a tone that let them knew that he wasn’t interested in the subject.

‘Shall we go to my room?’ Susannah said and Claire helped her to get there and locked the door.

‘Now tell me, how did it go??? What happened??’ Susannah asked impatiently.

‘Well here I have everything,’ Claire said showing a bag ‘but it cost me a lot to get all this… you have no idea! And I’m gonna burn in hell for you Sussie!’

‘Was it hard to find her?’

‘Yes but the worst part was trying to be nice to her. She is so kind and nice that makes me sick,’ Claire said making a face.

‘Tell me about it,’ Susannah said shaking her head. ‘I know that by experience.’

And Claire the gossiper made an appearance. ‘You’d be surprised to know in what conditions she’s currently living.’

But Susannah didn’t want to hear about it. ‘I don’t care, let’s go to see Madame Louise right now!’

This time, her friend complained. ‘Come on have some mercy Sussie. I just arrived to the city and I’m exhausted after doing all that detective job for you. I need to take a rest.’

But she was too impatient. ‘Ok then, come for me this afternoon… I’ve waited for too long and can’t continue waiting!

‘But Sussie…’

And Susannah made puppy eyes to her friend. ‘Please?’

‘Ok, ok, I’ll come for you by 4 pm.’ 

**********

By 4 pm was already snowing but Susannah couldn’t care less. They were on time in front of the old woman.

‘Mission accomplished,’ Susannah said with a huge smile on her face.

‘Oh that is wonderful my dear, are you sure you didn’t forget anything?’

‘No, here’s everything,’ Claire said all the items out of the bag, ‘the blood, the curls, the crucifix…’

The old woman winced at once. ‘Put that away from my sight!’

‘O.. Ok’ Claire said putting it back in the bag. ‘And also this handkerchief that belonged to her, I thought it might be useful.’

‘Are you ok?’ Susannah said concerned, the old woman looked pale.

‘Yes don’t worry I’m fine. Ohh a hankerchief? Much better. And tell me, did she drink what I gave you? And what about the perfume?

‘Done. She ate the liquid with some chocolates and she must be wearing the perfume from the day I met her.’

‘This is going wonderfully great,’ the old woman said rubbing her hands.

‘And when are we going to have the miracle?’ Susannah asked impatiently.

‘Be patient my pretty girl. Come back at the same time, in four more days. Now it’s time to do my work.’

But Sussie was a spoiled brat and she couldn’t wait anymore. ‘But four days? It’s too much time.’

The old woman smiled warmly at her. ‘It takes some time to do things in the right way, and in the way that would make them last forever so be patient. Oh can you also bring me a handkerchief that belongs to your husband?’

Susannah nodded.

‘Good. And now something important, break that crucifix in little pieces and throw it to the Hudson River as soon as you leave.’

‘I will and now we better leave so you can start your work. You have no idea how thankful I’m for all this,’ Susannah said and they left.

Once the girls were away, the old woman smiled and said ‘I will also be thankful to you on due time my dear, you’ll see.’

**********

While Susannah gave the orders to their chauffer to take them to a place where they could see the Hudson from a close position, they started to break the crucifix into a thousand pieces. One it was unrecognizable, Claire pushed Susannah’s chair and she threw the pieces to the river.

That night while Susannah continued thinking that four days were an eternity, the old woman was getting ready to do her job. The table was gone from the room, the same with the chairs and any other item that was of no use in that moment. She only left a cage with a white dove inside. On the floor she had drawn a pentagram which was surrounded by burning black candles. In the center of it, there was the blood and hair of Susannah and Candy and the same burning herbs of the other day. The old woman was wearing long and black clothes and was holding an inversed cross while she was chanting something in a strange language. She entered the circle and got on her knees locating the inverted cross in front of her. Once inside the ritual began.

‘Malignus sosterabu finari du MANTREK!’ she screamed and in that moment the color of the flames changed like the other day, but this time the flames on the ashtray were larger. The conditions were perfect to do this job: it was winter, two dark auras – Susannah’s and the old woman’s - were aligned under one spell, it was midnight and the moon had disappeared from the sky.

While the old woman continued her chanting, she put in a small dish a good quantity of Susannah’s blood together with her hair. Then she took the little recipient that kept Candy’s blood and began pouring it on Susannah’s, drop by drop, leaving just a little on the little recipient. The woman put her hand over the new dish and moved it, mixing the ingredients without touching them. Few seconds later Susannah’s hair was floating on top of the mix. Once this happened the old woman took Candy’s curls and poured them over Susannah’s hair.

What happened was that Susannah’s hair absorbed Candy’s very fast. Once again the old woman laid her hand over the dish with all this and mixed it without touching the ingredients. When all this was ready, she took the dish and put it in front of her, grabbed the white dove from the cage and killed it with a sharp knife, letting some of its blood to fall on the mix and over the herbs that were still burning. She left the dead dove in front of the inverted cross as a sacrify for the cause and waited some seconds.

Suddenly a really black smoke, as black as the darkest night started to come out of the burning herbs and headed to the dish with the mix. At the mere touch of this the mix boiled fusing all the ingredients and turning into a dark red liquid. A strange wind surrounded the circle and started to raise, taking the dove higher and making it disappear.

‘Thank you my lord,’ the old woman said making a bow to the inverted cross. The flame of the burning herbs was suddenly off and the flames of the black candles recovered their color, and the wind disappeared.

In front of her she had this dish with the mix that seemed to have increased its quantity in the process. The woman took it and moved it, making sure everything was well mixed and proceeded to drink a little of it. From her clothes she produced a crystal pendant and poured some of the liquid inside of it. During the next following days, the old woman poured the rest of Candy’s blood inside the mix until it was all gone. 

‘Not so fast, you want him to love you as if you were her right? Well this is going to be a slow process but you gonna love the results.’

Susannah lowered her head. ‘Well if you say so.’

‘Now,’ said the woman taking a long and shinny flute with the mix she had prepared few days ago. ‘I want you to drink this.’
Both girls talked at the same time. ‘What is it?’

‘Let’s say it’s your ticket to your happiness,’ the woman said smiling warmly. ‘Now go ahead, drink it all.’

Susannah hesitated.

The woman looked stranged ‘don’t tell me you are getting cold feet now, my dear, don’t you love him?’

Susannah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looked at the flute again and took it in her hand. ‘For Terry I’d do anything.’

While Susannah continued drinking, Claire was handing Terry’s handkerchief to the woman, who grinned. ‘Im so glad you remembered this… now my dear child, clean your lips with it’ said the woman handing the handkerchief to Susannah.

She did so and looked at the fabric afterwards, and she wasn’t sure but she thought that the stain in it was blood. She dismissed the thought immediately, it couldn’t be possible.

The woman took the flute from her shaky hand and put it aside. ‘Now give me the handkerchief back’ the woman said and took Candy’s one from the table, put it together with Terry’s and tied them up together. She chanted some words the girls couldn’t understand very well, and then put them inside a paper bag, closing it immediately with a red bow. Susannah and Claire were looking anxiously at the woman.

‘My dear listen to me carefully. This bag has to remain closed and you have to put it inside your mattresses.'

Susannah looked with drama in her eyes. ‘But I can’t do it, it’s impossible for me.’

Claire took her hand and looked at the woman. ‘I’ll do it.’

The woman nodded and took something else from the table; it looked like a shinny thingy. With her long and thin fingers, the woman showed the object to Susannah and Claire, it was a crystal pendant with something that had the same color of the ruby with a silver chain. ‘Now my dear, this is for you, let’s call it your lucky charm. You have to wear it all the time, even if you’re taking a bath. Think that your life depends on it, and only you and Terry can touch it. Is that clear?’

Sussie took it in her hands and put it on immediately. ‘Ok I understand, I have to wear it all the time.’

‘Yes, and it’s very important that nobody else touches it. That includes you Claire,’ the woman said as she noticed the curiosity in the woman’s eyes.

Claire gave her a look and nodded.

Susannah was smiling again. ‘Something else?’

‘No that’s all. Now you just have to wait for the results.’

Claire still didn’t trust the woman, what was that thing of not touching such cheap pendant? She had jewels that were worth thousands of dollars and she wasn’t going to steal something as cheap as that pendant. She whispered in Susannah’s ear. ‘Don’t pay her, what if it doesn’t work?’

But the woman heard her and reassured ‘It’s going to work and don’t worry for the payment, you can pay me whenever you want… but if I were you I’d hurry up to put that paper bag inside the mattress if you want to see fast results.'

‘As you say Madame Louise, thank you very much.’

**********

The girls went back home. Once there they searched for needles, linen and scissors and locked themselves in the master bedroom. With a lot of effort Claire managed to lift the mattress and turned it around. In the middle of it she made a cut and Susannah gave her the paper bag which she located in a space she made between the springs and foam. Claire was checking the size of it when they heard a knock on the door. The girls looked at each other horrified… who could that be?

‘Susannah, can I come in?’ It was Terry.

The blonde girl started shaking and tried to find a convincing excuse. ‘Eh… ehm… Terry I’m busy. Can you come back later?’

‘Ok,’ he replied and they heard his footsteps as he walked away.

When they were sure that he was gone, they remembered to breathe again. ‘Oh my god, that was close!’ Susannah said ‘now let’s hurry up and finish this before he returns.’

Claire hid the paper bag in the chosen place and stitched the fabric, once the work was done they turned the mattress and made the bed again. In less than five minute everything looked extremely normal.

**********

One week had passed since those events. Candy continued working and Phil was still walking her to her house, he didn’t know it but he was getting very attached to her. That day wasn’t an exception and as they walked they kept on talking about different subjects, most of them related to work and medicine. They were getting close to her place when suddenly, Candy stopped.

Phil turned to see her and got worried when he saw her pale face ‘Candy are you ok?’

‘Yes don’t worry Im fine… just a little dizzy,’ she replied laying one hand over her forehead and closing her eyes.

‘Dizzy? Are you sick?’

That’s all Phil could say before Candy fainted in front of him. Fortunately he was next to her and managed to catch her in his arms. As he continued calling her name he tried to make her react but she didn’t wake up. Phil carried her in his arms and hurried up, until he arrived to her place. 

Candy being her usual self tried to smile, she didn’t like to worry others. ‘Well not yet, Im still a bit dizzy but I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

‘I’ll get you some food Candy,’ Miriam said and headed to the kitchen where she prepared something

Phil was too concerned and couldn’t help to show it with his face expression. ‘Tell me the truth; have you been working too much? Have you been sleeping well?’

She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus. ‘Yes I’ve been sleeping well…as a fact I think I usually oversleep,’ she joked. ‘Maybe my sugar levels lowered for a while.’

‘But you aren’t diabetic,’ he said touching the girl’s forehead.

‘I’m not but you know that something like that can happen to normal people,’ she replied.

But Phil wanted to play on the safe side. ‘Well it doesn’t matter; I’ll stay here with you for the night. I still think this is all too weird and want to have you under observation until tomorrow.’

She smiled again. ‘It’s not necessary, I’m already feeling better.’

‘Are you sure?’

She sat on the bed and tried to look her best. ‘Yes I am, and thanks for taking me home.’

Phil made a face. ‘I’m going to be worried at home if I leave you alone.’

‘Don’t be,’ she said smiling again, ‘you know how strong I am.’

In that moment, Miriam came in with a tray full of food. ‘Here’s your dinner Candy.’

The blonde rubbed her hands and made a huge grin. ‘I’m sure the food will take all that dizziness away.’

Phil wasn’t a 100% sure about leaving her alone, but at the end he had to agree. ‘I hope so. Well you win, I’ll go home and if anything happens please call me’

‘Goodnight,’ both women said and the young doctor left the room.

Miriam offered Candy her company but she declined the offer saying she was feeling better already, and that she would take the tray downstairs as soon as she finished.

When Miriam went downstairs, Candy left the tray with food aside and sat on the edge of the bed. Something was troubling her heart but she couldn’t really tell what it was. She searched through her things for her picture of Terry and prayed that this hunch she was feeling wasn’t a bad omen for the ones she loves or her. After that she ate everything and felt sleep.

**********

The next day, Susannah was slowly waking up… suddenly she sneezed and Terry woke up. She turned and laid on her back with her eyes still closed. ‘Good morning Terry.’

But he didn’t reply which surprised her, maybe there wasn’t too much communication between them but he would always reply her morning greetings. Susannah opened her eyes and noticed he was looking at her intensely, while his hand reached a lock of her hair and caressed it. It was the first time he ever looked at her in that way.

‘Susannah I had never noticed how beautiful your hair is,’ he said, and after a while he got up from bed.

She was speechless and all she could do was blush and say, ‘Thank you.'

And this happened just when she was starting to loose her faith on what the old woman had told her, and she was so glad that things were beginning to work. 20 minutes later and after that Terry left home, the maids went into the master room and washed and dressed the young actress, leaving her on her wheelchair … but during the whole process they couldn’t help but stare at her which the brat inside her didn’t appreciate but didn’t mention a word, she was too happy inside. When they left she moved the chair near the mirror and took a brush to comb her hair. To her surprise she noticed her hair was not as straight as before, but was starting to have waves and a few curls. It wasn’t much but it was too notorious for her who had used straight hair during her whole life… Yes she was surprised, but if Terry had liked it then it was ok.

**********

That afternoon Claire made a visit to Susannah. ‘Oh what a great friend you are, you could’ve told me you were going to the beauty parlor, I also have to do something with my hair,’ she said after looking the new appearance of the actress.

‘Close the door,’ Susannah said and as soon as that was done she confessed. ‘I haven’t done anything to my hair.’

Claire laughed as she drank her tea. ‘No matter what you say I won’t forgive you for not taking me with you.’

But Susannah made a face and Claire got more serious, and touched the blonde’s hair. ‘But how? How your hair has always been long and straight, this is so weird!’

‘I know it is not normal, but Terry liked it, can you believe it?’ she said smiling.

‘And what are you going to do?’

‘Nothing of course! If he liked it I’m going to leave it just like that… I think this,’ she said pointing at the pendant, ‘it’s starting to work.’

‘I see.’

**********

By the time that Candy finished her daily work, Phil was still concerned for her because no matter how many times she told him she was feeling fine, she was still looking too pale. Once she got home she told him bye and laid on her bed. That cold feeling that something was going to happen was still wrapped around her heart and she was still feeling a bit dizzy.

The days went by and she kept feeling like that, stubbornly she continued insisting that she was fine and blaming the cold weather and thinking that these were the symptoms of the flu.

With every passing day, Susannah’s hair curled more and more and was even taking a different blonde color… it was still blonde but different to hers. How was this change affecting her? She didn’t really care, ever since that morning that she woke up feeling the warm hands of Terry caressing her hair she thought it was all part of the masterplan. Terry wouldn’t say a thing, he wasn’t even surprised with the change, as a fact he liked it… it reminded him the soft hair of another person and how much he loved to caress it.

Exactly one week had passed since Candy’s passing out, and everybody had forgotten about it. The doctor and Candy were constantly busy with patients as winter was always the worst season. That afternoon they were performing a small surgery when Candy’s view got blurry, she started sweating and the dizziness that had been in her head for about a week got stronger in that moment and she fainted right there. The doctor couldn’t hold her or help her because he was in a delicate part of the surgery and for this reason he called out the name of the receptionist, who came running and helped Candy on the floor because she didn’t have the strength to get her up and sent somebody to get Phil who arrived as fast as he could. While his father was finishing the surgery with the help of the receptionist as an improvised nurse, Phil got down and checked Candy: her temperature have lowered more than the last time. He dried the sweat from her face and checked her pulse noticing that it was getting slower. He took her in his arms and put her in another stretcher. Her breathing was normal and constant. He got close to her face and checked her pupils without finding anything unusual.

By that time his father had already finished the surgery and both men performed a full physical examination, they couldn’t understand what was wrong with the girl if everything in her body was fine. With some ammoniac they woke her up, and Candy saw Phil checking his pulse again.

‘I’m sorry I really don’t know what’s happening,’ she said in a really low voice, almost a whisper.

‘Shh don’t talk.’

She nodded.

‘Your blood pressure is too low Candy, what’s going on with you?’ he asked her while he put all his instruments in a briefcase.

‘Low?’ It’s always been very normal,’ she said. ‘Phil I don’t know what’s happening, this is all so strange. What happened with your father and the surgery?’

Phil dried again the forehead of the girl. ‘He finished it, he went home for some books of medicine to see what’s going on with you.’

She closed her eyes, ‘Maybe I’ve been working too much.’

‘Maybe you could take some days off?’

‘And what about your father?'

He put his hand on her cheek to check her temperature. ‘I can help him, but who is going to take care of you?’

‘I can take care of myself,’ she replied touching her head and grimacing at the pain.

Phil moved his head negatively ‘I can see how well you can take care of yourself you crazy girl, you hit your head on the floor when you fainted, that’s why it hurts now.’

‘Don’t be ironic,’ she said opening her eyes and smiling.

He held her hand to warm it up. ‘I have an idea, why don’t you go to my house? I could take very good care of you there and I’m sure my father won’t say no.’

‘No, it’s not necessary… I’ll be fine, I’m sure if I sleep for two days I’ll feel much better,’ she said.

‘You’re so stubborn,’ he said showing he was a bit upset for the refusal of the offer. ‘Why don’t you accept my help?’

She tried to find a good excuse. ‘It’s not that, but I have to learn not to depend on the others, and if I have to ask for help each time something happens I will feel that I haven’t grown enough.’

‘Ok, but as soon as my father arrives we’ll take you home.’

Candy only smiled, ‘You win.’

Once the doctor arrived they took Candy home and Miriam helped her to change clothes and put her into bed. She promised to take care of the girl and if something happened during the night she’d call the doctors. That night both men dedicated long hours reading the medicine books not finding answers or previous information of the symptoms that Candy was having.

**********

While Candy fainted, Susannah had fallen sleep on her chair looking at the snow falling outside her window. Claire had the flu and hadn’t visited her friend for days, once she recovered she went to see Sussie with some pastries for the tea. She knocked on the door of the master room and as nobody replied, she got in. She got scared to see that Susannah’s hair was curlier than the last time.

She approached the chair and woke up her friend. ‘Wake up Sussie, wake up.’

With her eyes still closed, she replied, ‘Mmh, what’s going on?’

‘What happened to your hair?’ she said touching it.

‘Nothing why?’

Claire chose her words carefully. ‘Because if anybody saw you from behind would think that you are… well, somebody else.’

Susannah yawned and opened her eyes. ‘Don’t say silly things, I think the flu affected your brain.’

‘Ha ha ha you’re so nice Susannah, I get concerned for you and…’ she was saying but stopped when she looked into the girl’s eyes.

The actress was getting tired of having everybody staring at her. ‘What is it now?’

‘Your eyes… they’re blue, right?’

By now Sussie was starting to worry. ‘Yes, why?’

‘They look different,’ Claire said slowly.

‘How different???’

‘They look different, they are a mix between blue and green. Wait, let me get a mirror’ she said getting one from the drawers. ‘Look!’

Susannah looked at them carefully and dismissed her friend’s idea. ‘You are crazy Claire… you know that my eye color changes according to how the day is and now that is clouded they obviously look different. And now I have so much tell you, the other day Terry …’

And she began telling the story on how her life was changing. Claire began to associate the changes in Susannah with the sudden change on Terry and thought there was only one responsible for this. After the tea Claire went alone to see Madame Louise but the store was closed. She took a moment to think more about the situation and then thought that maybe Susannah was right and she was just reading between the lines and left.

**********

That routine of Terry of going to the library after he returned from the theater at night had disappeared. After taking his bath, he had started going to bed immediately and talked with Susannah looking at the roof of the room, and she felt in heaven, he had never been like this with her. This time, something made him turn his head and looked at his wife in the eyes. They looked so beautiful, so familiar!

Susannah had blushed; it wasn’t often that Terry would look at her in that way. His eyes were still fixed on her until he felt the weariness of a hard day of work. This time he got close to Susannah and kissed her goodnight on the lips. Then he turned to his side and fell sleep. 

**********

Candy was still in her room, two days had passed and every time that Phil went to visit her Miriam would say that she was sleeping. He was decided to check on her anyway but remembered her words about sleeping two days in a row and waking up like new, and decided to wait for the examination. He had searching everywhere and couldn't find anything related to the sympthoms she had days ago.

By the third day Miriam told him that she was still sleeping and he got suspicious and concerned, this was not normal and extended his concerns to Miriam who agreed with him. She got in the room first and turned on the light, telling him that it was fine to come in. Candy was sleeping to her right side and was totally covered, Phil thought that this was normal since she had been cold during the last days.

Miriam got close to her and removed the covers and sheet from her face to wake her up and turned her, but she was so impressed with what she saw that she dropped the bottle of milk she was carrying on her other hand and screamed!

**********

Susannah extended her hand in her sleep and found nothing but the cold sheets. She opened her eyes and asked to herself where was Terry. Her stomach reminded her that it was late and she ringed the bell, calling the maids who performed the usual morning routine on her. After retiring the breakfast tray they left her on her chair sitting in front of the mirror because they knew she liked to comb her hair. Today she had decided to take all her hair in a ponytail with a beautiful ebony clasp and she looked for it. Then she took the brush in her hand and looked at her reflection in the mirror and what she saw made her scream out loud! Two seconds later Terry stomped into the room, alerted by the scream of his wife who was crying with her hands covering her face.

He was scared, that scream had reminded him of the day when Susannah had saved his life. 'Susannah what's going on? Are you fine?'

But all she could do was continue crying without removing her hands from her face.

After hearing the scream, the maids had also arrived into the room thinking that maybe the 'blonde brat' as they used to call their boss, had fallen from the chair, it had happened before. Terry dismissed them and thanked them for coming to help so fast.

Once they left, he kneeled to her side and asked again. 'Susannah what happened? Why did you scream like that?'

Between her cries she just told him 'Nothing, now please Terry leave me alone, go!'

He just stood up and showed that he was angry with the situation. 'Who can understand you…' and slammed the door on his way out.

Five minutes later she ringed the bell and ordered the maid to get Claire immediately and tell her that she needed to talk to her urgently. In less than 20 minutes Claire had arrived and ran like hell to the master room where she saw her crying with her hands on the vanity and crying her eyes out.

'Susannah please god, tell me what happened to you!!' she said as she entered.

'Lock that damn door, now!!!', the blonde commanded sobbing.

Claire did so. 'Done, now tell me what's happening!'

'Come over here.'

Claire walked to her friend until she was in front of her… slowly, Susannah turned her full of tears face to her friend.

'OH MY GOD!' Claire exclaimed taking one step behind and covering her mouth with her hands.

Susannah's eyes were red with all the crying but that's not what had shocked Claire… in the eyes where she always seen blue, now she could only see a beautiful green tone.

'Can you please explain me what is happening to me?' she said crying again louder this time.

All her friend could was lean down and hold her close. 'But Sussie…'

'Can't you see what I'm starting to look like?' Susannah said with anger in her eyes. '... that stupid of Candy!'

Claire let her go and tried to relax her. 'No, you're just imagining it.'

'No?' she said. 'Take a look at this!'

And Sussie divided her hair and produced to pigtails, one on each side of her head.

Claire hesitated knowing that her friend was right.

'Now you can't say that I don't look like her… put on the freckles and I'm her, damn it!' she said punching her lap.

'Susannah what did you do?' Claire wanted to find out if there was some valid explanation for all this so they could find a solution for the mess.

The blonde was crying again. 'Nothing, nothing… Last night I got into bed like always and now…'

'I'm sure that that stupid witch has something to do with this, I told you we didn't have to hear what she was saying!'

Susannah looked at her friend. 'You really think so?'

'I'm sure of that, let's go to see her immediately.'

Claire washed Susannah's face, grabbed some sunglasses to cover her friend's eyes and got out of there. Terry was looking at the girls with curiosity – just like the rest of the help of the house – without understanding what was happening. Claire ordered her chauffer to take them to a certain address as fast as possible, in spite of the dangers of the road that was covered in snow. Once they arrived to the place Claire guided Susannah to Madame Louise' place and when they entered the store they saw that the place was empty which called their attention. Suddenly, a woman in her late 30's that was passing outside the store approached them.

'Hi, we would like to talk to Madame Louise,' Claire explained.

The woman replied warmly. 'I'm sorry young lady, she's gone and she's never going to return.'

Susannah showed horror on her face. 'What do you mean with that?'

The woman explained. 'She said she had finished her job in this town, you know what those women are like.'

Susannah covered her face. 'I'm lost.'

'Do you know where we can find her?' Claire asked.

'No, she returned the store keys to the owner and left,' the woman said.

Claire looked at her friend. 'Goddamn it Susannah, let's take a look around the city, I'm sure we gonna find her.'

She removed Susannah's chair to outside of the store and left her waiting until she returned with the chauffer. When Claire left, the woman who was still inside the store told Susannah.

'Why are you crying my dear child? Weren't you promised that he will love you as if you were her? Isn't that what you're achieving?'

Susannah realizad this woman was the witch! She tried to turn her chair to talk but she couldn't do it for all the snow that was located on the floor.

When Claire returned Susannah told her what had just happened and when she got into the store she didn't see her there.

'It's empty Susannah, are you sure it was her?'

'Yes.'

Claire couldn't understand a thing. 'But… this woman was much younger than the witch.'

They both kept in silence the moment the chauffer and approached, helping Susannah with her chair. Once inside Claire ordered him to take a look around the city where they searched for that mysterious woman.

The girls kept walking but really low. 'What was that thing she said again?'

'She said, "Why are you crying my dear child? Weren't you promised that he will love you as if you were her? Isn't that what you're achieving?"'

'Damn witch… and now what do we do now?'

And all Susannah could do was to realize what had really happened. 'She wasn't interested in helping me… she only used me to make herself look younger', and started crying again. 

**********

When Claire and Susannah noticed that it would be useless to continue looking for the woman, they returned home. Susannah was still wearing those dark sunglasses and continued doing so until Claire left. Once Sussie was in bed she removed them and waiting for Terry. Once he arrived from the theater he went straight to the bedroom and saw that Susannah was waiting for him.

‘Are you feeling better?’ he asked her before entering the bathroom.

‘Yes,’ she said in a low voice.

After his shower he hung up his robe and got into bed. He got close to Susannah and made her to lay her head on his shoulder. Needless to say, she was in paradise.

‘Don’t you ever do that again ok? You got me so worried,’ he said oh so tenderly, kissing her forehead.

What else could she say? ‘I won’t’ and a whisper escaped her lips, thinking that any sacrifice was worth if she could continue living this. Not sure if it was right or not, her hand caressed his chest until it rested safely very close to his heart.

‘Can I tell you something? Today was the longest day of my life, it seemed as the play was never going to end. All I wanted was to come home and be with you.’

When he said that, he raised Sussie’s chin and made her look into his eyes. The vision he had dreamed of for such a long time was there right in front of him, so close and so full of love. Susannah saw that his lips were getting closer to her and she shrived… and closed her eyes ready to receive what she had been waiting for so long.

**********

Thanks to all the attention and professional help of Phil, Candy’s condition was still the same… at least it hasn’t gotten worst. He knew that if she stopped taking the medicines something bad was going to happen, and probably she wouldn’t survive. He had talked to several doctor friends and none of them could give him an answer, and certainly they all got very curious with this case. Every time that Phil got out of the bedroom Candy would look at Terry’s picture. This anguish was getting worst and worst.

**********

Instantly Candy relaxed and stopped shaking, and the sweat had also stopped, but she was still too cold and pale blue. When she fell sleep again, Phil felt better.

And Terry? He needed to react, to wake up from that drowsiness that was making it hard to breath and got out to the garden that was surrounded by snow. It was cold but it was what he needed to clear up his mind. When things went back to normal he got inside the house and locked himself in the library. Why oh why he was kissing Susannah? In what moment that crazy idea crossed his mind??? He just couldn’t believe what he almost did with Susannah.

‘Candy you have no idea how much I need you,’ he said before falling sleep on the couch, still worried for the desperate tone of voice she had used right in the moment when he and Susannah almost became one.

**********

But in Ohio things were not fine. Ever since that night, the medicines that Candy was taking were no longer producing the required effect, and in spite of all the efforts of Phil and his father they feared that Candy could die in any minute. Miriam thought it would be better to call the friends and family because she knew it would be too sad for Candy to die sick and lonely.

So, while she was sleeping Miriam opened up the drawer of Candy's night table and the first thing she saw was Terry's picture. She remembered that during some of the ocassions that she had been taking care of the blonde nurse, that name had slipped from her sleeping lips. Miriam thought he was her boyfriend or somebody very important and dear to her and knew she had to let him know what was happening. Miriam searched in the rest of the contents of the drawer and found a small black book with addresses and few phone numbers, and among them she found three different ones for Terry. They were all for theater companies in