The Lovers

Ethan drives around the lonely neighborhood hoping to find Ricky again but his search proves useless, when he hears the approach of fire engines, he leaves the area. Returning home he attempts to dowse for Ricky again.

“Dammit!” Ethan exclaims angrily throwing down the pendulum “he’s blocking me somehow! How could he have attained so much power in so little time?”

Frustrated Ethan begins walking around his home randomly as he thinks to himself. Walking to a window, he sees a car drive by and noticing the red tail-lights on the vehicle he recalls how Ricky’s eyes glowed blood red when he used his abilities.

“Red Eye! That’s the only answer,” Ethan explains to himself “he must have bonded with the spirit somehow….”

In his temple, Ethan removes his Book of Shadows from its place on the stand by his altar and relaxes in a comfortable chair. He begins searching through the sacred tome for any mention of Red-Eye.

“Nothing” Ethan remarks frustrated “Not one mention!”

He tosses the book down on his side table in frustration. Ethan leans forward with his elbows on his knees and places his face in his palms and takes a few breaths.

“What am I going to do?” he asks himself “How am I going to stop him before he kills someone?”

Ethan moves to put the Book of Shadows back on its stand, when he sees that it has landed on an entry concerning Elementals. Taking up the Book of Shadows again, he reads the entry written in his mother’s curving scrawl….

“Elementals are the spiritual manifestation of various elemental energies normally associated with the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water. However in this modern age many more elementals have become known to witches and magicians, most of which have their origin in natural processes and places of spiritual power. In their spiritual form they lack individuality existing as potential within that element.

Elementals are everywhere, but most people rarely see them and of those who do, they rarely understand what they have seen. You cannot ordinarily sense them with the normal five senses, but they can be seen by clairvoyants and their presence felt by other sensitives.

Elementals normally remain within their own element, but when their environment is disturbed or they are called forth by magick, they separate from their element and become individual beings. In this form, they are able to interact with their surroundings and with those people who share their space. So long as they remain in their element, they are incapable of learning anything about those elements to which they do not belong. Elementals would like to grow and evolve and the only way of doing this is through vicarious association with multi-dimensional beings such as humans. For this reason, elementals seek human companionship. In return for a favored human’s tutelage, they are willing to provide service.

Elementals are known for being very selective in choosing their human companion. Not all elementals are benign as they often take on the traits of the humans with whom they have bonded. The longer in which an elemental remains in service to a human being, the more independent it becomes, and therefore an elemental should always be treated with respect lest it betray its master.”

As Ethan finishes the last words in the entry, he closes the Book of Shadows and whispers “thanks mom,” before placing it on its stand again. He then removes his tarot cards from his magickal cabinet and moves over to his work table with them. Sitting comfortable he lights a candle at his table and sets out a small cup of water. He then lights some incense beside a small dish of salt. Ethan removes his cards from the silk in which they are wrapped and spreads the silk across the table.

“As this salt cleanses and purifies,” Ethan murmurs holding his cards over the salt “May these cards be cleansed and purified and serve me to reveal, instruct, and prophesize!”

Holding the cards over the incense smoke he continues “As this incense moves ever skyward, may these cards always be used for the highest good and represent my purest ideals.”

“As light dispels darkness, may these cards dispel the shadows of fear and ignorance, revealing only the highest truth.” he whispers holding the cards at a safe distance over the candle flame.

Finally, Ethan holds the cards over the dish of water and murmurs his final incantation

“As water is fluid, may I always remember that the future is ever changing, and that it is mine to create through the choices that I make.”

Ethan cuts the deck while concentrating on Ricky’s face and then puts the deck back together again. “The Magician” he says to himself turning over the topmost card. “Someone with the ability to channel their desires into reality.”

Ethan places the Magician card before him to the far left and shuffles the deck again concentrating on Ricky. When he feels that the cards are sufficiently mixed he cuts them into three stacks to the right of the Magician card.

“The Four of Swords” Ethan explains to himself turning over the first card “Hmmm, so Ricky’s newfound powers aren’t unlimited he’ll need time to regenerate. Good, that’ll give me some time to formulate a plan or write a spell to separate him from Red Eye. But to cast such a powerful spell on him he’ll have to be in my line of sight so I can confirm that it works.”

“Where will he be?” Ethan asks the oracle as he turns over the top card on the next stack, “The Ten of Cups.”

He contemplates the card for a moment, focusing on the various images which appear on the card for a moment.

“The Power’s Family Estate!” Ethan exclaims “That has to be Ricky’s next target. He knows I’m on to him and that he doesn’t have much time. But just how exactly am I going to stop someone so powerful!

Ethan pauses for a moment before turning over the final card.

“Strength” he says “I have to fight fire with fire….”

“But where is he” Ethan asks himself “Where is Ricky now?”

“The Devil?” Ethan says slightly confused “Well that doesn’t make any sense…..”

Inside a cardboard box on what passes for skid row in the tiny town of Shadow Falls, Ricky has hidden himself among society’s other outcast, the homeless and runaways. As everyone around him is either sleeping or high, Ricky concentrates on Ethan as his eyes glow red.

“So, he’s gonna try to stop me?” Ricky says to himself “How am I going to keep him out of my hair?”

“Come on pick up…” says Ethan having called Brian’s cell phone.

“Hi, this is Brian Lewis’ cell phone” the recorded message announces “I can’t take your call right now, please leave a message after the beep…”

Ethan considers breaking Brian’s cardinal rule of calling the Cop Shop but decides that that would be a bad idea. He re-dials Brian’s number, as the eyes of the Devil tarot card which he has left on his worktable begins to glow red as well. Back on skid row, Ricky spies Ethan remotely.

“Hi Bri” Ethan says using his pet name for Brian “Its Ethan, look call me as soon as you get this message. Its about Ricky Mason. And whatever you do don’t confront Ricky yourself, he’s too dangerous….I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you…”

Ricky senses the emotion in Ethan’s voice and realizes that Ethan and Brian were once lovers.

“Hmmm” Ricky thinks to himself “I remember reading something in the paper here about a Detective Brian Lewis who found a little lost girl.”

Ricky then begins looking through the papers in his cardboard box which he has been using for warmth.

“Here we go” he says finding the article “I’m sure this is the same Brian”

Ricky crawls out of his cardboard box and makes his way over to a large metallic barrel in which some of the homeless have built a fire in order to stay warm.

“Hey you three” Ricky says flashing his glowing red eyes at the homeless men standing around the barrel “Get lost!”

The three men back away slowly from Ricky but they aren’t moving fast enough for him.

“NOW!” he screams filling the alley with a demonic howl and the men run from the area terrified.

Ricky tears the photograph of Brian out of the paper and tosses it into the fire. Summoning all his will power, he recites his best effort at an incantation…

“As this picture burns in fire,

Brian burns with desire;

He will find no rest or peace,

‘til Ethan gives him his release!”

Fire shoots out of the barrel two feet high and Ricky takes this as a sign that his spell is successful. Across town, Brian is immediately overwhelmed by a wave of heat.

“Oh my god” Brian says to himself pulling over his patrol car “How can it get so hot so fast?”

Seeking to cool down a bit, Brian steps out of his car and removes his jacket “I must be coming down with something.”

“No” Brian says to himself as he removes his tie and unbuttons the top three buttons on his shirt “This isn’t your normal kind of hot. What’s going on here?”

Wiping his sweaty palm on his trousers, Brian notices that he has the beginnings of an erection.

“Ethan” he whispers to himself.

In his home, Ethan is flipping through the channels on his television searching for any news concerning the search for Ricky Mason.

“Holy Shit!” Ethan screams as a loud noise comes from behind him. Turning around he sees that Brian has just crashed through his front door and is moving towards him.

“Brian” Ethan says surprised yet relieved “You scared m….”

“Don’t talk” Brian says taking hold of Ethan and kissing him passionately “No talk, not now.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Ethan asks before changing his mind and surrendering to the moment “oh forget it….”

The two lovers tear each other’s clothes off as they head to the bedroom where they re-consummate their once failed relationship.

“That ought to keep him out of my hair for a few hours” Ricky says smugly to himself walking out of now deserted alleyway.