The invisible killer came quickly that fall. It started with a cough and a slight fever. He told her not to worry, and to tend her chores. Of course she would not ever leave his side. She tended to him night and day, doing what she could to ensure her love would recover. As the days wained, his fever rose and his body weakened. She sat by his side as he died, vowing to never leave his side.
As his body was placed in the ground and the townsfolk withered and went on with their business, she would not leave. She had made a promise to her love and was not about to break it.
Days, as they always do turned to night, and she sat alone with him under the darkness of the new moon. She sat quietly sobbing into her hands as the conjurer crept up. From behind clasped hands she noticed a figure moving closer. He stood far enough away as to not give away his features. A hunched man with long and slender hands. His head and body cloaked to not give away his identity. He walked with no shoes and his feet were just as pale and bony as his hands. The new moon made it hard for her to make out features but she could almost swear his feet and hands had no skin and bone was all that was left. He spoke to her softly, his voice seemingly to fall to the ground before lifting again to her ear. He spoke of her lost love and her pain since his early departure. He told her how she could once again be with him.
"Paper. How could a paper bring me close to him again?"
"All you have to do is sign"
"I have no pen, and I can barely see you in front of me, let alone sign my name"
The specter turned his back to her and pulled a small lantern with an old quill pen attached neatly into a slot near the corner of the rusting lantern. He placed the duo on the end of his long staff and turned to face her again. With a wave of his hand the lantern sparked to life. She could see in the dull light the outline of his face. Pale, lifeless. His eyes were sunken so deeply she swore they weren't even there. "This of course is silly." He is just a crazy old man she told herself.
"It is the only way for you to be with him again"
"I will sign your paper you old coot, then what"
"I give you what you desire the most"
As she signed her name she felt a coldness start at her feet and worked it's way up through her head. She believed her very soul was being chilled. A light wind rustled as the cold began to take over her body. She turned to see the conjurer walking off into the darkness, his staff held in one hand and the lantern in the other. The cold was taking over now. She knelt by the stone of her love, her arm propping her head while the other placed over the heart of her lovers final marker.
The grave digger was the first to find her the next day. He ran off, shouting through the streets that the devil had come to their small town. The townsfolk made their way to the cemetery to see what had spooked the man into such hysteria. There they found her, a stone statue resting with the person she had desired the most, her Beloved.
A huge thanks Terra at Halloweenforum.com for coming up with this idea. She is a true artist and I have simply used her ideas and modified them to fit my needs. Please visit her blog @ http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/terra/ for other great ideas and tutorials.
