September 23rd - Evening - Death, my Dark Mistress
Her sweet, warm blood,
Gives me vengeful strength
Her unconscious power
Wafts away the evidence
Her cold, ivory strength,
Saves me from the grave
(S. Beaufort)
I am an intimate with Death. I have observed her actions on others, I have killed, and I have experienced that which the dead do.
I finally returned to my garret, and surreptitiously hid the stake Isabella had provided me with beneath my cape. But I could not relax, as I contemplated the deed to which I had so rashly committed myself to. I tried to steel myself with the thought of what my evening appointment had done to my family, and especially to my beloved Kathy.
But even so, as the sun fell and the shadows deepened I began to feel certain that one of the ghosts, or the ghoulish Bell-man himself was certain to see through my ruse. Mr. Gray was concerned at my pacing, but I made some excuse about being impatient to start on the course of instruction the Bell-man had promised me.
Finally, as I began to feel I could no longer take the waiting, I heard the sound of a strong knock on the front door. I heard Mrs. Hutchins mumbling to herself in the hallway as she went to answer the door. I heard her doleful voice inquire as to who would be wishing to visit at this time of night, and I heard a male voice respond. That would be my assigned prey this night, surely.
I began to prepare myself more urgently for the deed, when of a sudden a womanly scream echoed through the building and froze me to the marrow.
Before I could really comprehend the meaning of the alarum, my door flew open, and an unholy wind bearing all manner of foul ghosts and ghoulies blew through my rooms. The fiends cackled wildly, accused me of treason, told me I was in deep trouble and proceeded to demolish the room, upsetting cushions, throwing around cups and saucers, and plunging the room into darkness as the candles blew out.
Then a shape appeared at the door. Could this be the Bell-man? Should I immediately leap at the figure and plunge the stake into his black heart?
But no, the head was lolling strangely to one side, and the form was stumbling through the doorway emitting a sickening gurgling sound. It pitched forward, landing across my foot stool. Timorously, and trying to ignore the spiralling spirits, I investigated, and realized with horror that this broken thing was what was left of my landlady, Mrs. Hutchins.
I was given no time to absorb this shock, as now the Bell-man appeared in the frame of my doorway, and he was mightily wroth.
“She has been here!” he cried, his voice sibilant with the echoes of his bound spirits.
I stammered something about not understanding what he meant my eyes wide with terror. Was I now to die like my hapless landlady?
But no, the Bell-man took his gaze from me and twisting his wrist sent the shade of Mr. Gray into a paroxysm of pain.
“Tell me what happened here!” he demanded.
Mr. Gray, his memories hidden by Isabella, protested that he did not know. The Bell-man siezed Mr. Gray and commanded him forcibly
“Remember!”
My mind raced, it would be mere moments before Mr. Gray would reveal the extent of my duplicity, and the Bell-man would likely turn the terrible strength that had so badly treated Mrs Hutchins on me.
But wait! His attention was momentarily focused solely on Mr. Gray, and even his ghostly gallery had stilled while watching his actions.
I stole forward, managing to get within feet of the villain. He began to turn toward me and with desperation I leapt forward and plunged the stake into his chest, exactly where Isabella and Mr. Gray had shown me.
You might ask, how could a dissolute poet like myself summon the strength to plunge even a sharpened piece of wood through the ribs and heart of a man.
I too, was surprised at how easily the implement slid into his chest, but it was perhaps the sweet power of Isabella’s blood coursing through my limbs that made it so easy.
Even so, the stake had not killed the demon, he was not even fully incapacitated, though he seemed physically frozen to the spot. As I tried to force the stake further into his chest, he commanded one of his fiends to remove me.
I found myself flying through the air and hitting the wall beside the china cabinet. As I crashed to the floor my heart sank, as the materialized spirit began to drag the stake from the demon’s chest.
”No!” I cried, but there was no way I could reach the Bell-man in time to stop the spirit’s inexorable withdrawal of the implement currently disabling the Bell-man.
Then to my great joy, Mr. Gray, somehow no longer pinned to the wall by the Bell-man’s will, grappled the spirit, preventing it from completing it’s task. The struggle took some seconds, but as I got to my feet, Mr. Gray gained the upper hand, and finally had a chance t push the stake deeper into the Bell-man’s heart. I was afraid that the Bell-man would be able to control Mr. Gray again, undoing his good work, but as I started forward I saw that which made me believe my troubles were over. It was
Isabella! My heart leapt to see her striding so forcefully, and yet so gracefully, into the room. he seemed somewhat surprised at what she found, the Bell-man standing frozen, his mouth working uselessly, but she quickly congratulated me. I demurred that Mr. Gray had provided valuable assistance. She accepted that, but immediately got to work releasing the spirits bound there by the Bell-man. Once that task was completed, she motioned at the Bell-man and his frozen form floated toward the doorway.
"Wait here!" she commanded me, and so I was waiting again.
Gives me vengeful strength
Her unconscious power
Wafts away the evidence
Her cold, ivory strength,
Saves me from the grave
(S. Beaufort)
I am an intimate with Death. I have observed her actions on others, I have killed, and I have experienced that which the dead do.
I finally returned to my garret, and surreptitiously hid the stake Isabella had provided me with beneath my cape. But I could not relax, as I contemplated the deed to which I had so rashly committed myself to. I tried to steel myself with the thought of what my evening appointment had done to my family, and especially to my beloved Kathy.
But even so, as the sun fell and the shadows deepened I began to feel certain that one of the ghosts, or the ghoulish Bell-man himself was certain to see through my ruse. Mr. Gray was concerned at my pacing, but I made some excuse about being impatient to start on the course of instruction the Bell-man had promised me.
Finally, as I began to feel I could no longer take the waiting, I heard the sound of a strong knock on the front door. I heard Mrs. Hutchins mumbling to herself in the hallway as she went to answer the door. I heard her doleful voice inquire as to who would be wishing to visit at this time of night, and I heard a male voice respond. That would be my assigned prey this night, surely.
I began to prepare myself more urgently for the deed, when of a sudden a womanly scream echoed through the building and froze me to the marrow.
Before I could really comprehend the meaning of the alarum, my door flew open, and an unholy wind bearing all manner of foul ghosts and ghoulies blew through my rooms. The fiends cackled wildly, accused me of treason, told me I was in deep trouble and proceeded to demolish the room, upsetting cushions, throwing around cups and saucers, and plunging the room into darkness as the candles blew out.
Then a shape appeared at the door. Could this be the Bell-man? Should I immediately leap at the figure and plunge the stake into his black heart?
But no, the head was lolling strangely to one side, and the form was stumbling through the doorway emitting a sickening gurgling sound. It pitched forward, landing across my foot stool. Timorously, and trying to ignore the spiralling spirits, I investigated, and realized with horror that this broken thing was what was left of my landlady, Mrs. Hutchins.
I was given no time to absorb this shock, as now the Bell-man appeared in the frame of my doorway, and he was mightily wroth.
“She has been here!” he cried, his voice sibilant with the echoes of his bound spirits.
I stammered something about not understanding what he meant my eyes wide with terror. Was I now to die like my hapless landlady?
But no, the Bell-man took his gaze from me and twisting his wrist sent the shade of Mr. Gray into a paroxysm of pain.
“Tell me what happened here!” he demanded.
Mr. Gray, his memories hidden by Isabella, protested that he did not know. The Bell-man siezed Mr. Gray and commanded him forcibly
“Remember!”
My mind raced, it would be mere moments before Mr. Gray would reveal the extent of my duplicity, and the Bell-man would likely turn the terrible strength that had so badly treated Mrs Hutchins on me.
But wait! His attention was momentarily focused solely on Mr. Gray, and even his ghostly gallery had stilled while watching his actions.
I stole forward, managing to get within feet of the villain. He began to turn toward me and with desperation I leapt forward and plunged the stake into his chest, exactly where Isabella and Mr. Gray had shown me.
You might ask, how could a dissolute poet like myself summon the strength to plunge even a sharpened piece of wood through the ribs and heart of a man.
I too, was surprised at how easily the implement slid into his chest, but it was perhaps the sweet power of Isabella’s blood coursing through my limbs that made it so easy.
Even so, the stake had not killed the demon, he was not even fully incapacitated, though he seemed physically frozen to the spot. As I tried to force the stake further into his chest, he commanded one of his fiends to remove me.
I found myself flying through the air and hitting the wall beside the china cabinet. As I crashed to the floor my heart sank, as the materialized spirit began to drag the stake from the demon’s chest.
”No!” I cried, but there was no way I could reach the Bell-man in time to stop the spirit’s inexorable withdrawal of the implement currently disabling the Bell-man.
Then to my great joy, Mr. Gray, somehow no longer pinned to the wall by the Bell-man’s will, grappled the spirit, preventing it from completing it’s task. The struggle took some seconds, but as I got to my feet, Mr. Gray gained the upper hand, and finally had a chance t push the stake deeper into the Bell-man’s heart. I was afraid that the Bell-man would be able to control Mr. Gray again, undoing his good work, but as I started forward I saw that which made me believe my troubles were over. It was
Isabella! My heart leapt to see her striding so forcefully, and yet so gracefully, into the room. he seemed somewhat surprised at what she found, the Bell-man standing frozen, his mouth working uselessly, but she quickly congratulated me. I demurred that Mr. Gray had provided valuable assistance. She accepted that, but immediately got to work releasing the spirits bound there by the Bell-man. Once that task was completed, she motioned at the Bell-man and his frozen form floated toward the doorway.
"Wait here!" she commanded me, and so I was waiting again.