"Hey Laurel!" Rowan yelled as he came closer. "How ya feeling?"
"I'm alive I guess, thanks to you", I replied, staring at how effortlessly good looking he was. I knew Rowan found me there that night. He raced me to the hospital.
"Whatever you were feeling Laurel, it wasn't worth trying to kill yourself."
"Listen Rowan, you really don't know anything about what's going on. Strange things have been happening. There's this presence, whatever it is, its real." I pleaded.
"Okay, so it's real", he said, trying to humor me. "Whatever you need, I'm always here." Rowan was sincere. He lit a cigarette, turning to leave. "Gotta get to work."
"Thanks," I winked. "Talk to you later."
The sun was just setting and the red, yellow and orange from the trees in the front yard lent a canopy of beautiful colors. Tall trees on the side of the house grew beside the stained glass window on the second floor. On a clear night you can see the moon through its facets of glass. The forest across the street led to the Courtyard of the Undead.
Cold air rushed in when I opened the front door, blowing leaves inside the living room. It was comfortable looking, with two sofas forming an L shape against the corner of the room and a large oval glass table with scrolled designs in the middle. In the center of the room on the far wall stood the fireplace, its stone hearth the focal point during the cold winter months.
I started for the stairs leading up to my bedroom, and across from it entered the spare bedroom. I kept a small altar covered with black velvet, in the center rested a small cauldron for burning sage, incense, and other herbs during rituals. A pentacle, glass goblet filled with water and a candle were arranged on the altar. The strike of my match lit the candle and the scent of sage filtered through the room. I took the pointed blade of my athame, scooping up three mounds of salt and emptying them into the goblet of water stirring three times. I gathered the crystals resting on the black fabric, passing them through the burning sage representing air, and over the flame representing fire. A sprinkling of purified water represented the water element.
I recited a cleansing spell from The Book of Shadows. Inside it were spells, incantations and many other writings I had kept over the years. I placed the charged crystals onto the pentacle representing earth. I hoped to rid my nightmares and bring clarity for my day ahead. After extinguishing the candle and sage and closing the ritual, I went to my room and climbed into bed. It wasn't long before it began. The nightmares. This time, it made my body tremble.