Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

DAISY LUPIN'S GIANT HALLOWEEN STORY

CIRCLE IS NOW OPEN

THE STORIES ARE BEGINNING TO ARRIVE

TAKE A LOOK

http://daisyshalloweenstorycircle.blogspot.com/

Beneath I have posted my own contribution to the Circle, you can read it here or read it on the other site and read the other tales that are arriving.

Next an apology and a warning, this is a very long story, you may have to read it in chunks, and perhaps you should have some coffe to drink while you read it. In my next posting I will explain how I came to write this story. Hope the you have time to cope with the length, but it took on a will of its own.

Lastly, do you think you will sleep before 1st November?

HOPKINS AND STERNE PRESERVATION


The early morning sun bounced off the stained glass windows of the cathedral Faye loved taking this route through the grounds, regardless of weather, but a sunny morning added an extra zing to her step. The leaves had started to turn and she thought she could smell leaves burning in one of the enclosed gardens backing onto the cathedral. Coming out of the far gateway of the cathedral she walked through her favourite square. This was the long way round to get to her shop but a more beautiful journey than walking through the streets of shops.

The square was full of tall Georgian town houses which she had an ambition to buy when her business grew and she could, at last, leave the small rented terraced cottage on the far side of town. Some of these houses had been in families for years and only old people seemed to live in them now, many needed urgent renovation, but the potential was there and when one came onto the market which was rarely, it were snapped up immediately by young professionals. Now one or two stood out with their clean frontage and sparkling paintwork on doors. There was one empty last week, with a large sign in the front window stating ’Hopkins & Sterne Preservation’ . She noticed that another one now had that sign in the window. How unusual two empty so quickly.

She walked out of the square and into the next street, giving a sigh of satisfaction as she drew near to her shop ’Faye’s Herbals’. This shop was the start of her dream, she adored its smart hunting green paint work and the copper lettering displaying the shop’s name in script. She even had an old fashioned sign board swinging, a painting of a pestle and mortar that a friend had made for her. A small inheritance had allowed her to lease this shop where she sold herbs both medicinal and for cooking, along with herbal bath and beauty products and deeply fragranced candles. Her most cherished part of the shop was the corner by the left front window, which was a small bar with three sets of tables and chairs where she sold herbal teas, drinks and bakes to show people how delicious herbs could be.

The morning proved a busy one, the autumn sunshine seemed to have brought people out to enjoy a stroll in its warmth. The herbal bar in particular was very busy and a pleasing hum of conversation seemed to radiate from that corner. Her assistant Sally was running the bar, and it was Sally that drew her attention to the man who had apparently been sitting there for quite a good portion of the morning, with frequent orderings of herbal tea.

‘He’s a bit of a stunner isn’t he?’ , Sally mentioned to Faye’ in passing.
‘I hadn’t really noticed I been so busy advising and selling herbs, this late sunshine seems to have made everyone realise that we really near to November and it has brought them out to buy their herbs and spices for Christmas baking.’
‘Well he has certainly noticed you, he’s been watching you, in what he seems to think is a discreet way all the time he has been here.’

Faye looked over to the corner but the table was no longer occupied. She thought no more about it and the rest of the day passed swiftly. By six she had locked up her shop and was retracing her path from the morning as she wandered through the square she glanced twice at one of the windows with the ’Hopkins & Sterne Preservation’ sign in, she was sure she could see two pairs of eyes watching her.

The next day, a gusty autumn wind had blown up, one that brought needle sharp rain on it that landed on your face making it tingle. It was a quiet morning in the shop, though lunch time brought local workers in for lunch. She looked up at one point and saw Sally staring determined at her and rolling her eyes. She looked to where Sally’s eyes were aiming and saw a young man sitting with a much older man dressed in a rather strange black suit that had no lapels on the jacket but seemed to button right up to his neck. For some unknown reason a deep shiver passed through her. She busied herself sorting out candles and when she looked up again they had gone.

Just before closing time, just after Sally had left she heard the door bell ping and as she looked up the younger of the two men appeared and approached the counter.

‘Hello I’m John Sterne, my friends call me Jack, I’m new to this area, I hope you can help me I what some advice about some herbs.’
‘Pleased to meet you, I’m Faye Gooding, what is it exactly are you looking for?’
‘You’re not local either are you?’
‘No, my family originated in Essex but we are spread all over now.’

Faye realised that she felt considerably ill at ease talking to this customer, his eyes seem to pierce into the deepest recesses of her mind, in fact, she could almost feel a dull headache starting up. She concluded the transaction as quickly as she could without being impolite, she really felt uneasy with this man. Just before he left the shop, a thought popped into her head and she found herself saying to him.

‘Are you something to do with the signs in the two houses in the square?’
A dry chortle emerged from him as he replied ’Why yes, I am Sterne of Hopkins and Sterne, preservations extraordinaire’
‘Have you started work on the houses then, I would imagine there could be a lot of renovating to do.’
‘Perhaps, I could show you round one of the houses one day on your way home from the shop.’

Then saying goodbye he left the shop as he shut the door a gust of wind swirled in setting the wind chimes tinkling and blowing a pile of leaflets off the tea bar counter. Why was she feeling so uneasy? For some reason she returned home by the streets full of shops, for once delighting in their bright lights reflecting on the wet pavements.

***

She awoke the next day to a grey murky sky, the wind was still up she could hear it down the bedroom chimney. She reached out and stroked a large black cat that was curled up on the outside of the bed beside her.

‘Oh Marigold, it’s a really nasty day, I’m so pleased Sally is looking after the shop today. We can stay in all day by the fire, except I’ll have to pop out to buy in some bags of sweets for the children will be knocking for them tonight, as it’s Halloween.’

Faye went out and bought some sweets and decided to treat herself to a couple of books she had been wanting to read, then she lingered in the bookshop to have a coffee. On her way out she noticed the older of the two men, so it must be Hopkins, speaking urgently into his mobile phone. She didn’t know why, it was not something she usually did but she placed herself where he couldn’t see her and listened to his side of the conversation.

‘It has to be tonight you know we run out of time this year after tonight…..well ask her assistant for her phone number…well charm her, she’s a silly young girl with no decorum, you manage to get the number off her….no not straight there… yes a restaurant first is probably a good idea. If she says no…… well you know what to do. Remember it is the preservation of one more and an important one at that .’

Faye thought the man sounded manic, but again she felt a stirring of unease. This disappeared once she returned home, she tidied around her small cottage cooked herself a delightful early evening meal. She handed round the bowl of sweets to the various children who knocked at the door ‘trick or treating’ then finally settled with marigold on her knee in her comfy chair in front of the fire with her book. The wind whistled in the chimney, the flames roared up the chimney then the rain began to beat at the front windows. Faye felt snug and was being lulled into sleep by the purring of Marigold, the book began to droop from her hand.

There was a pounding on the front door. Faye jumped up startled, the book dropping, Marigold ran towards the door staring avidly at it. Faye moved towards it and opened it, in the dim narrow street all she could see was a very tall figure wrapped in what seemed to be a cloak a hood pulled over its head. Marigold, oblivious to the rain, rubbed herself against the cloak. A pleasing modulated voice said:

‘Please let me in there is not much time left, I mean you no harm, I am here to protect and help you.’

Faye felt compelled to step aside and let the stranger into the cottage, she thought she could distantly hear faint strains of beautiful melodic music far in the distance. The stranger dripped onto the door mat and threw back the hood of his black cloak. Faye was speechless before her stood the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He stood well over six feet tall, probably about six foot four or five, perhaps even six, with piercing blue eyes, a fine almost feminine smooth skin and the most amazing head of luxuriant tawny blonde hair. She gestured towards his cloak, he just shook his head and moved to sit on the couch. Wordlessly, Faye returned to sit in her chair, she noticed Marigold had curled herself at his feet. He leant forward and took Faye’s hand, looking straight at her with his bright unblinking eyes and spoke:

‘Please do not interrupt, just listen to what I have to say then make sure you act on it, tonight, you will know when the time is right. You must not deviate from my instructions only be aware that you and at this moment in time, ONLY, you have the fate of many, many people in your hands. I will not be here to help you but I have every confidence in you and will be watching over you, supporting you with love and courage, but although I have been allowed to be with you tonight I can not take part in any of the action, the Laws do not allow that.’

He continued, speaking to Faye for a long time in his eloquently modulated voice, slowly and carefully, keeping hold of her hand whilst all Faye could do was nod understanding at him. At last he rose from the couch, from inside his cloak he brought out a small velvet pouch which he gave to Faye, along with an odd shaped dull coloured stone which he kissed and placed in her other hand. Then he placed both hands on her shoulders and kissed in turn each of her cheeks, then bent down to stroke Marigold, who was purring loudly, pulled his hood forward and went out through the front door.

Faye sank back into her chair her mind spinning, her heart pounding, she placed the stone on the chain she wore round her neck and let it fall under her jumper, then she pushed the velvet pouch into her skirt pocket. She sat waiting, she could hear the church clock striking eleven The door knob rattled, she rose stiffly and opened the door.

Outside stood the younger of the two men, he said:

‘I tried to phone you earlier’
‘Oh sometimes bad weather conditions means my reception is not good round here’
May I come in, I have brought a friend may he enter as well?’
‘Of, course.'

Faye ushered them both into the tiny front room, Marigold sprung up, arched her back spat and disappeared under the bookcase. The two men seemed to dominate the small room.
The older one stepped forward in his strange black suit shiny with age.

‘Matthew Hopkins of Hopkins and Sterne, I believe you have already met my partner John or Jack as he likes to be known’

Faye just stood there looking dazed but her mind was trying to think ahead.

‘Please let us keep this simple, don’t try to struggle or make this difficult. We do this for the good of your soul. Your soul needs preserving and cleansed from the evil of your body and itself.’

He withdrew a lethal looking metal narrow tube with a long narrow spike on the end. Sterne took the bag he was carrying off his shoulder and out it brought a small iron box.

‘The box is ready to receive the soul, strange the Goodwife does not flinch at iron’ Sterne said, as he unplugged a small round hole the size of the narrow tube from the box.

‘Goodwife Gooding, we are here to claim thy soul from the corruption of the world you live in. It is our lucky night as thine is an old wicked soul, that has lived many lives, we thought we had ridden the world of thy soul, long ago by hanging, but now we know our procedures and powers were not goodly enough to imprison thy soul so we could work on it. Time has taught us goodly lessons in the preservation of souls which we have put to good use thousands and thousands of times over the years. Thine is a special soul, especially as it is many, many years since we came across one of the original thirty two souls. Thou are blessed that we have found thee mistress.

This spike will pierce thy body and suck out thy very soul until every last part of it is compressed into the tube, leaving thy body a dried up husk that will have disintegrated before morning arrives. No trace of thee will ever be found, just another missing person. It always works, no one bothers after a while about missing persons. Every moment of the suction will cause thee a searing pain like nothing thee have ever known, that will be first part of thy repentance for thy sins. Once I have the soul in the tube I will transfer it into the iron box and then we will be on our way, we need to return through the veil before the dawn breaks and it closes.

Start thy prayers Goodwife Gooding.’

As they moved towards her Faye took a deep breath and sprung into action she pulled the pouch of herbs from her pocket and began a short chant in a language she had never heard before tonight. Quickly with trembling hands she drew out a handful of herbs and just as Hopkins approached with Sterne in tandem, Hopkins putting the spike to her skin she managed to throw the handful of herbs over them, chanting all the time.

The effect was instantaneous, the room plunged into darkness, the flames on the candles went out, the fire dyed down, Marigold was yowling. The room started shaking, eerie ice blue lights flashed and diamond white orbs floated around, the temperature plummeted to freezing and unearthly wails and screams shook the air. Hopkins and Sterne were sizzling with heat, the smell of charring skin filled the air, courageously Faye continued the repeated chant and threw the final handful of herbs in their direction. Behind them a fog appeared and in that fog was a rift, through the rift could be seem shapes, amorphous but with appendages stretching out, undefined faces with large O’s for mouths, from which were issuing the unearthly wails and screams that Faye was hearing.

Suddenly there were no more Hopkins and Sterne, nothing left of them but two dry husks of bodies lying on the floor. Hurriedly a large gust of wind came down the chimney and filled the room and the two husks were blown back through the rent in the fog, which then disappeared and the room returned to a dark but peaceful stillness. Faye’s legs gave way under her and she sank into the chair, Marigold sprang out from under the bookcase and jumped on the chair and began to lick her face.

‘Marigold’ Faye murmured, and opened her eyes. The fire had died and the room was chill but a bright beam of sunshine came through the window and lay on the floor. What a strange set of dreams, she began to think, but there on the couch was an old empty velvet pouch and she pulled the chain out from under her jumper and saw that there really was a strange dull stone with a hole through it attached to the chain. Thoughtfully, she picked up the pouch and sniffed it she could smell sage but the other herbal smells were like nothing she had smelt before.

Opening her back kitchen door onto the tiny garden to let Marigold out she saw propped against her door jamb, a beautiful broomstick with carvings on the handle. She picked it up and put her hand round it, she knew now she had picked the right career and the old true way, as she lifted the broomstick to examine it, she heard, happy laughing in the distance.

***

EPILOGUE

For those who like their T’s crossed and I’s dotted the following is the summary of what the Stranger told Faye that night. After the great witch hunts in Essex in puritan times, it is not really know what happened to Matthew Hopkins, and his sidekick Sterne. In fact there are many stories and legends about where Hopkins came from and finally went to. The Stranger told Faye that Hopkins, in fact came through a rent in dimensions and time from another place. A clever man but madman, we on Earth can not imagine the world that Hopkins emerged from, suffice to say that it is a world that not one of us would wish to know to much about. The Essex witches he had hung [they were not burnt at this time in England] were not evil, just country goodwives with helpful ways to heal. Their souls escaped and returned again and again living many different lives, always bound by lives of healing in different ways or lives helping nature. They were really who Hopkins and Sterne sought, but as Hopkins became more enamoured and demented with cruelty, he began to think any old soul could be taken by him and take them he did in their thousands over the centuries.
He discovered that every year between the beginning of September and finishing on the first day of November, the veils between different worlds and dimensions thinned, many strange beings come and go in our world at this time, also sometimes people from our world stumble unknowingly into a different world. The pair of them would seek out places every year where the veil was particularly thin between worlds and take over the part that would shift to let them through. Hopkins perverse sense of humour meant he would happily advertise his existence, thinking that no one could possibly guess their activities, hence the sign ‘Hopkins and Sterne Preservation.’ He was too mad to realise that Sublime beings of a better nature were on his trail and his time was growing short for him. The story tells how he extracted the soul, but it is best that we do not go into what happened to the soul in his dimension. What the Sublime beings needed to fix Hopkins and Sterne [ although he was the lesser of the two evils] was an old soul, a soul of the original thirty two hung women. At last one was found after many centuries in Faye. Faye was a prize for both sides, and it is lucky the Sublime beings got to her first. It had to be an old soul, the only type of soul that could have garnered enough courage to face Hopkins and Sterne. So the evil of Hopkins and Sterne was dissolved, although in the system of things where there is good, there is bad as well, as that is the nature of balance, but it just must be that bad does not take up the majority of the essence of being.

Have some fun
Coming soon in early November
Daisy Lupin’s stream of consciousness game
Pick one of the words or phrases
Let it take you where it will, Go with it,
See where you end up, then post it on your site.
Come on, join in, let’s ramble