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  Did he tell that woman the truth, yet? Surely he must have broken the news to her. Surely he must have grown tired of all the deception and lies such as those spoken last night of another cable outage just for a few measly hours alone with the woman he belonged with. She might have pleaded some and maybe persuaded Jim to stay. Maybe this is why another night went by with his side of the bed cold and empty.

  These are the things Amber wondered while sitting on the bleacher in the gymnasium of Mapleview Community High School. Trista sat with her violin near the front row of the orchestra with the rest of the kids who waited for the others to arrive. The concert would start in about fifteen minutes.

  Just then, Jim and that woman with their two children walked through the entrance door. His other daughter went out towards the center of the gymnasium and took her seat some rows behind Trista. It's where she belonged, some distance near the back and obviously less important than Trista.

  What was this? Jim only glanced over towards Amber while passing by and provided a quick, halfhearted smile before looking away. Apparently that woman had yet to be informed of the reality, for she showed no interest or made acknowledgement of Amber's presence. What the hell?

  Jim was so far out of touch with reality that he referred to himself as Jim. In fact, he now thought of himself as Ivan Trovskov as he sat down in the bleacher some distance from Amber. As usual, he wore his ridiculous wool pants, shiny boots and double breasted black coat. It was warm in the gymnasium, so he removed his coat. It revealed the white undershirt with suspenders strapped over.

  Kimberly was a bit embarrassed over her husband's appearance. “You know, Jim, couldn't you have worn something else for your daughter's concert; something other than those… those strange work clothes of yours? You look like a stupid polock on drugs right now!” Kimberly further examined her husband. “Why don't you un-tuck your pant legs from your boots and maybe put your coat back on?”

  But Ivan Trovskov was proud of his fashionable attire. To demonstrate this, he lifted both his feet and loudly crashed them on the bleacher below in a means to stretch out and display his black, shiny boots.

  Kimberly buried her face in her hands. “Oh Lord!”

  Amber watched the scene play out from a distance. There apparently was some friction between Jim and the other woman. Maybe he was approaching the breakup from a different angle. Perhaps this explained his ridiculous choice of clothing in recent times.

  Jim should have savored every bit of fun in those remaining minutes, for things were about to change. He would sense this as the gymnasium filled with more people and peculiar feelings of anxiety overcame him. These moments would become increasingly familiar in the upcoming months; irrational panic, feelings of disconnectedness, strange dreams and…

  “Agh!” Jim placed his hand to his left eye.

  “What? What's wrong?” asked Kimberly.

  Jim removed his hand and looked around. “I'm fine now. All of the sudden I saw this exploding flash of light in the upper, left-hand corner of my eye.” He pulled his face closer to Kimberly's. “Is my eye okay?”

  “You're eye is fine, Jim. It was probably just a sudden ocular migraine.”

  Along with sudden waves of panic, disconnectedness and nightmares; Jim would have regular occurrences of unexplained flashes of light in his eye. And they would be followed by peculiar feelings or even flashbacks.

  Suddenly, Jim's mind went back to a time when he was in grammar school and rode the bus to school. Pulling out of the flashback left him with a very, strange feeling; almost as-if everything was terribly wrong.

  While evaluating his new frame of mind, the alarming flash of light in his eye and considering that perhaps he might have had a stroke; one of the officials from school approached the front of the orchestra. She announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, parents and family of our orchestra students; I want to welcome and thank you for coming out to our first concert of the year. And without anything further, please welcome the Mapleview Community High School orchestra teacher, Ms. Ekaterina Lutrova.”

  Unfortunately, Jim didn't hear the name spoken. He really should have paid closer attention. For no sooner had the name been announced, a dreadful sight approached the center of the gym as parents, teachers and students applauded. It was the mysterious woman who had operated the carousel the previous night!

  To make the moment all the more frightening, before taking a bow towards the audience, the mysterious woman shifted her eyes some several bleachers in the audience, right directly towards Jim! She even smiled at him—smiled like she wanted something from him! It was completely unreal! What in the world did this woman want of Jim?

  She turned around and tapped the baton on the podium. This cued the entire orchestra to raise their instruments and begin to perform.

  A long note was executed to ensure that all instruments were in tune. And then the performance began.

  Some years ago when April was in grammar school and began playing her viola, the early performances were mostly plucked out on string instead of using the bow. They were simple songs like Mary had a Little Lamb or Go Tell Aunt Rhody. Eventually the grammar school orchestra progressed to using the bow. Again, the songs were recognizable.

  In recent times, April was playing pieces that were unrecognizable to Jim; probably classical pieces. Jim never had an appreciation for this style of music. But it wasn't necessary to recognize the portions of symphonies or movements. From what Jim could gather, the entire performance was just like the carousel ride—all for him. The music spoke to Jim, revealing a destiny that would soon be shared between him and the mysterious, crazy, old woman that conducted the orchestra.

  Easily in her sixties with frazzled gray and dull black hairs along with a cracked, deathly face; the mysterious, crazy, old woman was intriguing Jim more and more. In fact she was beginning to appear attractive!

  Sex with a woman of that age who looked like that? She certainly wasn't one of those anomalies such as a supermodel of that age who appears to be in her thirties. No, she definitely appeared old and battered from decades of life. But there was something about her, something that definitely intrigued and (at the same time) frightened Jim. Maybe it was her brilliant performance of conducting the orchestra. Maybe it was the theatrical display from the previous night.

  Pieces would end, and the audience was inclined to applaud. But it would quickly die down as another piece whirled its way in. This woman was truly talented in the way she prepared her orchestra for that night. When the musicians finally lowered their instruments and the conductor faced the audience for a bow, it was apparent that the evening's performance had ended.

  The entire audience got up from their seats for a standing ovation. And in that moment, the mysterious, crazy, old woman glanced up to lock eyes with Jim just before leaving. The final locking of eyes was the most damaging as it hexed Jim with a terrible love spell! It left him numb and confused for some moments after that. What in the world had transpired that evening? It was like a vivid dream. And the best part, April's orchestra teacher never said a word to the audience!

  It wasn't until out in the parking lot that Jim began to come back to Earth. Kimberly's voice called out, “Jim, your car's over here?”

  Oops! Jim was walking in some other direction as-if he forgot where the car was parked.

  “Are you okay?” asked Kimberly.

  “Yeah, I'm fine; just a little tired I guess.”

  Throughout the ride home Kimberly grew increasingly concerned of her husband. Jim continued to rave on about the performance.

  “I mean, you kids were spectacular! I've never even seen a concert like that before.”

  Initially seen as a just a little “good job” pat on the back; it was soon obvious that Jim had been clearly affected by the performance a little more deeply than he should have been. And it was certainly embarrassing that he was the only one who stood up to whistle and clap while screaming bravo. Half the gymnasium quieted down in the middle
of the applause while Jim acted this way.

  Chapter 10

  For most of us, Friday mornings usually bring with it a sense of energy that another weekend is finally here. This can be felt especially if the weekend involves a holiday. But Jim wasn't feeling Friday as much as should have. Dressed up in his Ivan Trovskov attire and in need of another radical haircut, he sat at the breakfast table already on his second cup of coffee.

  “Did you take your blood pressure pill this morning?” asked Kimberly.

  “As always.” replied Jim.

  “How about your blood pressure? Did you check your blood pressure?”

  “Yes, it's 135/80… 60 beats per minute.”

  “I'm still calling the doctor to make you another appointment.”

  “Kimberly, I'm fine! I just didn't sleep very well last night.”

  Kimberly had the perfect solution to Jim's problem. “Well maybe it's all the coffee you drink.”

  “Two cups? Come-on!”

  Jim usually slept fine on any given night. Perhaps it was the phenomenal music performance of last night that caused him to toss and turn in his sleep. The remembered music echoed in Jim's mind and seemed to cause a series of bizarre dreams.

  Now it was the morning after a hard night of sleep. Groggy and feeling a bit of anxiety; it was almost as-if Jim craved another encounter with the mysterious, crazy, old woman.

  Whatever it was that happened to Jim, Kimberly certainly recognized the sickly changes beginning to take place in her husband. But she was still assembling the pieces, trying to establish exactly when Jim began to fall apart. “You know, Jim; ever since you started wearing those ridiculous clothes you've been acting strange. What is going on with you, lately?”

  “Ridiculous clothes? What are you talking about? It's going to be cold in Mapleview this year. I need my boots and my long, wool trench coat. I still haven't had a need to wear the furry, Russian hat yet.”

  Kimberly declared, “I'm burning that thing once I get a chance!”

  * * *

  It wasn't the doctor that Jim needed; more blood pressure pills or even a change of clothes. Rather, it was candy that Jim needed. He needed the sweet, poisonous candy of some wicked witch; the naughty sort of candy that might be handed out for trick-or-treat and made especially to corrupt the victim with more lies, deceptions, delusions and hallucinations. But it was nowhere to be found—all gone. And in all of Jim's sickness, he seemed to take great pleasure in his painful yearning for that forbidden candy.

  Jim drove to work on Friday morning in his Mapleview Cable bucket truck. Then, like a kaleidoscope of serpentine dancing colors that appeared in the upper corner of his left eye, that wicked candy found him. It was so bad and poisonous. Although the mysterious, crazy, old woman was clearly a mature lady and far from Jim's reach, he wanted her so badly. Such is the truth with forbidden candy. If only Jim could have been there with her in earlier years. And who was he in those times? Certainly not someone she would have been interested in!

  As Jim remembered from last night's concert; the mysterious, crazy, old woman had a long name, sort of like an immigrant. Could he even speak the same language as her? And he never lived the clichés and catch phrases of her day. How could he even share and relate to the same feelings towards certain events throughout time?

  These sudden feelings all created a desire so powerful, a love that could be similar to wishing for someone who is beyond the grave. Jim was developing what could be described as a mystical fascination with the mysterious, crazy, old woman.

  By the time Jim pulled into the parking lot of Mapleview Cable, he was experiencing a major crisis. All those intense feelings, the longing and desire to be near the mysterious woman, it transformed into a dreadful panic as Jim realized there was no way to find her!

  Friday mornings are the weekly staff meetings at Mapleview Cable. All members of management, office staff, installers and technical personnel grouped in a large room that resembled a pow-wow as the chairs formed a large circle. The plant manager would sometimes address the group at the center of the room and introduce other individuals to discuss certain issues or new promotions. This week the upcoming sales promotion—Something to Be Thankful For—corresponded to the offering of free premium channels throughout Thanksgiving weekend. Halloween was tomorrow, but it was best to mention to new customers of the sales promotion.

  Jim barely heard a word of the morning's meeting. He played and replayed in his mind every possible scenario to hopefully find the mysterious, crazy, old woman.

  Ask his daughter, April, of her name? This might look suspicious. The best Jim could hope for would be to wait for the next concert.

  But he couldn't wait! Time was running out! There was almost an urgency in finding her, now! What could he do?

  Soon Jim learned that the universe most-often provides an answer. If you wish for something, it's given to you. And if you look for something, it's certainly found. Whether-or-not that applies to both good and bad things remains open to debate. But Jim thought he found his answer right across the room.

  From the surface, 20-year-old Jeanine looked to be just another freaky Goth-chick. On this morning, she wore her usual dark clothing along with her unique style of makeup. But she wore something sparkly and reflective around her neck that Jim was most curious of.

  Jeanine had been hired as the radio dispatcher and to assist with callers who inquired of their scheduled cable installs. After the meeting, Jim quietly approached Jeanine's work area and greeted her. “Hey, good morning.”

  “Hey…”

  “I know this might sound strange, but I was wondering about that crystal you have around your neck. What is it?” Jim was referring to a medium-sized, pointed quartz crystal that was suspended by what appeared to be a suede necklace.

  Jeanine so nonchalantly answered as-if everyone wore these things, “It's a quartz crystal.”

  “Quartz crystal? Didn't those go out in the 80s along with mall hair and leg warmers? And aren't you a little young to remember that new age stuff?”

  Jeanine was suddenly annoyed. Is that all Jim had come to visit her for, to poke fun of something she valued? He was just like everyone else. She nearly raised her voice in reply, “Okay, maybe they were a big fad at one time or another, but they work! And people still use them for healing, focusing their thoughts or building up energy.”

  Jim patted Jeanine on the back in reassurance. “I was only teasing you. Where do you get those at, anyway?”

  “Over at Sillmac Quartz and Candles.”

  It was all the information Jim needed. He certainly wasn't going to mention his need to track a woman of obsession through psychic means. And perhaps it was best to keep this intention a secret, even from someone working at Sillmac Quartz and Candles.

  Rather than take off from the cable yard on that Friday morning to do some routine diagnostic tests, Jim drove right up Mapleview Road, past Hotlick's Sports Bar and Grill to where it connected to Route 4. From there he continued traveling until reaching Mapleview's neighboring town, Sillmac. Mapleview Cable served the neighboring community, and Jim had every right to be there. But how unusual it must have looked to see a cable utility truck park in front of the store at 8:30 in the morning!

  If you've ever been in a bookstore that specializes in new age or witchcraft items, then you might have noticed how peculiar the people behind the counter are. Maybe your aura was off-color or noisy. Maybe everything about you said, “I don't really belong here!” Or maybe the person working there could read your thoughts and detect your ill intentions of using magick.

  Quartz crystals? What possible good might have come out of selling a man like Jim an item like this? And his question, “What can you tell me about these things?” had the store clerk all the more mistrustful of him.

  She calmly answered, “People use them for healing and energy. Quartz crystals are used extensively in meditation and are very useful for balancing chakras.”

  Jim didn't care
about that new age stuff! He boldly asked, “What if I wanted to build up some psychic power? Can I do that?”

  It was a peculiar question for the clerk. “Well, sometimes quartz crystals are used to amplify your thoughts. And thoughts can be measured as electromagnetic energy. I suppose it's very possible to develop psychic abilities with the use of quartz.”

  The suggestion of amplifying thoughts made Jim all the more interested. “Right! Let me ask you something. If I wanted to track someone down through psychic means, can the quartz crystal help me?”

  The clerk was at a loss of words. Surely the customer had some bad intentions when it came to using quartz crystals. It was best to turn this matter over to a higher power, allow the universe to hopefully provide a gentle lesson. It might even help him grow spiritually. There was nothing left for the clerk to do except motion Jim to follow to the area of new age books. She picked out a large text book that instructed the proper use of quartz crystals. Every question Jim had could be answered through this book. It also went for the nice price of $39.99, raising a simple $5.00 sale of a rock to something greater!

  Jim pulled out of the parking lot of Sillmac Quartz and Candles that morning while holding his new quartz crystal. Not more than a block down the road he was already forcing the image of the mysterious, crazy, old woman in his imagination. Surely, the thing would work.

  Chapter 11

  All day, Friday, Jim toyed with that quartz crystal. He mostly noticed what could be described as an invisible, optic pressure that radiated from the stone and could be felt near his forehead. When doing actual work, Jim kept the quartz crystal in his pocket, paying close attention to any new power that might have been felt. By afternoon, he parked at the wayside of Hidden Lake Forest Preserve and opened the text book. Surely he could have gone home early that Friday afternoon and monitored the cable network from his PC. But Jim wanted to read his new book, and Kimberly certainly couldn't be aware of his sudden interest in metaphysics.