It’s strange to tell a story of something that happened in your life. Something that might seem like a story to tell, a book to read, or a movie to watch; no one tells you that someday something strange is going to happen to you…

A night like all nights, two nights before the Halloween; the Halloween which comes every year, nothing strange happens when it comes, but this year was already strange enough to believe that anything can happen.

That night I won’t forget, the sky was cloudy, gray clouds filled the sky and made the world looks like an old horror movie; everything began when I went with my friends to the newly opened store at the end of our street; Halloween is famous with its spooky stories and events every year around the USA, but here at Salem the things is even more famous, maybe because of the Salem witches stories, maybe also because Salem is a name that you can put in many horror movies and shows.

But I never looked at it that way, I born here, it’s my home and loved it here, someway or another it felt home and never been afraid of it or of its stories…

I know you maybe ask now who am I and what story I bring to you?

I’m Rebecca, a normal girl from Salem, Massachusetts; my age isn’t important, I know we all love to know how old are we and the people we meet and know even we search for actors names, age and yeah, even their horoscope…

Here what’s important is the story I’m going to tell you; I already told you that there was a store opened in the end of our street, me and my friends all are neighbors, also we are best friends; Helen, Elena, Marcos and Jonathan; we always together, even when we went to the university we went to the same university, but different majors.

We love each other so much and yeah, they are the real friends everyone wishes for.

……………..

“Helen, what are doing?”

Helen looked at Marcos; “Babe this a new store, look!” she gave him a paper with an ad on it about the new store that opened in the end of the street.

“Oh, looks nice…”

“You mean looks scary?!” Elena looked at the paper and I was buying coffee for all of us, hearing them talking about that store.

“Here is your coffee…”

“Look at this Reby;”

Marcos gave me the paper; I hold it and looked at, suddenly something felt strange like blood runs in my vain quickly and my heart bumps stronger; the name of the store remind me of a story my grandma used to tell me when I was a child “the playing cards”.

“Reby, are you okay?”

Helen’s voice got me back; “Yeah, I’m good.”

“So what do you think, let’s go and see this creepy store!”

“Okay, let’s go…”

I was hesitated and didn’t feel good about it, but at that moment I didn’t hear to my feelings or should I say my 6th sense; I didn’t know and who does know the future maybe if we know some way or another we might change a lot in our lives or we might never live, love and experience anything.

We walked to the store while drinking our coffee and talking about the Halloween party this year even we know that we’ve that damn virus what changed the whole world not just the USA and made us feel like we live in a movie or something and all what you have to do is to survive it…

“Hello there;”

A man with English accent opened the door and welcomed us in his store; we didn’t knocked or opened, but he was like seeing us from the windows or maybe felt that we will get inside! I don’t know; I took a look at the man before looking at the store; he was tall, gray hair, so handsome for an old man and so fit too for his age…

“See that man, he’s so handsome!” Elena said to me and Helen agreed; I smiled and agreed with them.

“Please, feel free to see the shop, but before anything, every corner you have to pull a card and then the corner will open to you as the card you choose will decide what to open; so choose wisely…” The man said.

I looked at his eyes, so dark that you can’t decide if it’s black or dark brown; he also looked at me and smiled, he stepped closer to me and whispered;

“A pretty lady with blood in her fate!”

I opened my eyes widely and didn’t say anything and didn’t move until he said:

“Please, get in, enjoy and don’t forget to choose wisely!”

I felt like my legs move alone against my will; but I ignored the feelings I had this moment and the chilling I felt in my bones…

Helen stopped in front of a corner calls “The endless beauty”; a name like this could deceive you, I kept watching her; there was a some cards, she went and pulled out one; I moved toward her and saw the card; it was a normal card like the playing cards we have in every home; she pulled the card of the 5 diamonds.

The corner in front of us opened her a door to some costumes and jewelry look like they are from an old age; they even look so original and real! Helen went inside smiling to me, but before I tried to get inside with her the door closed…

“Helen!” I shout out to her.

“Yes, Reby, I’m good don’t worry;”

I didn’t feel good about this, but then I noticed Johnathan stopped in front of a corner calls “The act” I went to him and saw the card he pulled out and it was Ace clubs; a door opened and inside was something like a theatre or an opera; he went in and again the door closed!

I looked at Elena, Marcos who already disappeared inside two corners call “The age” and “The strength” names that can easily deceive you; then I noticed a corner calls “The Vision and wisdom” I went there and suddenly the man was in front of me again;

“Before you choose the card, know that no one will help you unless you help yourself;”

“Why you said that?”

“Oh, my beautiful lady, you don’t know yet, that sometimes fate chooses us and each one of your friends thought that they chose, but the corners chose them…”

“How?”

“Question, Questions! We all have questions that need answers, but we never find those answers within ourselves; find your answer, face it and then you’ll know more…”

“Who are you?”

“Me, I’m no one and everyone!”

“Is this a riddle?”

“It might be; now choose wisely…”

I reached my hand to the cards and stopped for a while that seemed to me a long time before I chose and then I took one card and it was the queen of hearts; the man took a look at it and said:

“Amazing choice my lady…”

A door opened and it was not like others; it was like a different world and different place; I don’t know how my legs moved and got me inside, but when I looked behind me the door was already closed.

A land where green fills it, it seemed to me like woods or something; I started walking; I saw a lake, beautiful with the sun rays on it like diamonds pretty and colorful; I went there and looked in it; then I saw Helen, I moved away afraid, but then I went back and looked in it again…

It was Helen, she was choosing from the dresses and jewelry and trying them; then I saw a man behind her; I was so afraid but I couldn’t look away; I wanted to go to her, but I kept watching…

The man moved closer to her, he was wearing a suite from 18th or 19th century; she looked at him and for a second I thought she will scream, but no, she didn’t; she smiled and said:

“What took you so long?”

I felt something strange; Helen is American-Spanish not English woman; why she talked like that with English accent?! something is strange in here? I can’t know what, but indeed it’s strange…

“You look amazing in this dress; I can’t wait to marry you”

“Oh Theo;” they kissed, but why? and who is this ‘Theo’? why she was kissing him? why he said they were going to marry? What is going on in here?

I don’t know why I put my hand on the water and messed the picture; then pulled it and Helen wasn’t there; it was Elena this time!

Elena was reading things on some weird bottles under the name of “the forever young potions” I know the Elena from those people who always afraid of getting old and aged; but I never thought she’ll believe in this kind of potions and things.

She took one and drunk it all; I tried to see what had been written on the bottle; but my hands slides and again when it touched the water it changed the picture…

This time was Marcos; with a girl who was fully naked and he tried to stay away from her; Marcos was a sex addicted for a while and we all was with him, encouraged him to end this addiction and he went to a rehabilitation; it might seem normal, because sex is normal but not when it take a drastic way and become obsessed about it and ignore your responsibilities for it; sex is like alcohol if you didn’t use it right you’ll be addicted to it…

I changed the picture again and Johnathan appeared; Johnathan is as his father loves politics and doesn’t just want to be the mayor of the city; he wants more and more; that sometimes frightens me because to crave power nothing will come good from it; He was reading some things; old papers written with red ink or something, I can’t know, but it wasn’t good that what I felt.

I could feel a movement behind me, I looked and then I found him again; the man from the store giving me his hand to hold;

“Come with me!”

“Why? where?”

“A lot to ask!”

“yes,”

“Then let’s begin with names; you can call me Vladimir,”

“I’m…” before I can answer he said:

“Rebecca.”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I told you, your questions will be answered but before that you have to live it…”

“Live what?”

“The questions you ask…”

“You seem younger!”

“Am I?”

His hair is black and so shiny like a black horse under the sunlight; his skin soft and bronze; so handsome and charming; something in him like magic or something drowning you into him…

“Yes, you’re!”

“Eyes, my lady are like mirrors, sometimes they can fool you.”

I hold his hand and walked beside him with a lot of questions and fears inside my head; he took me and opened a door;

“To be wise is to live and experience things, no one gets wise from just reading books and studying; now, remember this everything you need is in you…”

He pushed me inside and the door closed; I looked around and here is me on a bed of silk and lace, a huge bedroom painted in dark blue and soft light gray; I feel like dreaming, seeing myself as my soul out of my body and here I knew at this moment I’ll live some horrified events; events the past that will change my future…..

The girl on the bed is me, at the same time not me or that what I felt at that moment; another woman went inside and opened the curtains;

“My lady, please, wake up; it’s already 8 am!”

“Oh, Nanny; please, leave me alone I want to sleep…”

“No, you can’t, you know that your Father and Mother are expecting you at breakfast at the club to meet the man who will ask for your hand…”

It was 1885, I guessed the year from the dresses and the view outside the room; I studied history and always loved it and loved the literature; I felt connected to them my whole life….

The girl in the bed woke up and pulled the sheets away from here and here she was; she was me! I was seeing or watching myself or maybe this was my ancestors or something; but how can she be so same as me or me same as her?!

The Nanny dressed her up after the shower and suddenly we moved to the club; I don’t know how we moved but it was like watching some scenes from a movie or a show.

She sat with her father and mother; then a man came and gave her his hand to say hello to her; she put her hand on his and when I tried to see the face of the man I was shocked; It was him, the man from the store; but how, why and what is all of this?! the questions were a lot in my head!

“Hello”

“Oh, you must be Mr. Richmond?”

“You can call me Vlad”

“Nice name, Mr. Vlad.”

“Just Vlad.”

“Where are you from, Vlad?”

“I’m from here, England.”

“But your name isn’t English and your accent is a bit mixed”

“Yes,” He smiled at her “I’m half English half Italian”

“Oh, interesting”

They seemed liking each other and falling for each other; again the scene changed and here we were at a church; there were getting married; smile faces and happiness filled the place; love and laugh; I smiled noticing a tears in my eyes like I was knowing what will come next; a horror night the 31 of October; the Halloween mascaraed, everyone was invited, a huge party and then I saw my friends!

“Rebecca.”

“Oh, Helen come in;”

Her name is Rebecca too and Helen was same as my friend Helen; Elena here too! what’s going on?

“Didn’t you get ready yet?”

“Helen, you know me…”

“Oh yes, I know a wonderful lady who always drive late to her parties to make everyone look at her…” They all laughed.

“How’s Theo?”

“He’s good and we are expecting a young Dorian soon…”

“Oh, wow, why you didn’t tell me before?” they hugged each other and Elena said:

“Congratulations, another one will make me look older..”

They were the same like us all….

“Oh, shut up Elena, tell me how’s your marriage from Marcos?”

“You know being married to your best friend is amazing, he wants children, but I don’t know about that..”

“Oh, come on; having children is nice.” Helen said

So, Theo and Helen I saw earlier were those and the dress room I saw them in was Helen’s room and the same as my friend Helen got inside…

Elena was in love with Marcos and they are the same as my friends and here they were married!

This Rebecca was married to Vlad and in love with each other…

The scene changed to the party hall and they were all dancing wearing customs and masks; I saw Johnathan with Emalia even like us in the future; everyone of us the same as those in the past; is this even real? and before I can answer this I saw a man wearing black suite and a red mask looked like the devils mask.

He looked at me and his eyes were red too; I got treeified and went after him, keeping a close look at him; he went to the study room; set some fire and then looked at me again and said things in a language I didn’t recognize; suddenly he said to me:

“You must not be here!”

“Who are you and how you see me when no body does?”

“Who am I, deep down there in your little mind you know me; but how I see you, is because I’m not just a human…”

“How?”

“Oh, my dear girl; sometimes you human need to remember that this world contains a lot more that you little creatures…”

“You’re him!”

“Say it”

“The devil”

“Oh, I have a lot of names, call me any of it, but I’m always here to separate and finish you…”

“Why?”

“Oh, you don’t know really?”

“No!”

“You’ll know when the times comes if not earlier…”

He didn’t talk again and kept saying what he was saying earlier in a language I can’t understand and all I did was watching him saying those things, unable to believe that I’m in front of the devil or Lucifer or as he said call him whatever you want, name doesn’t matter what he does is what matters…

I went outside and got back to the party hall and then I saw the knives move, sharp things move toward the people cutting them to pieces; Rebecca, Helen, Theo, Elena, Emalia, Marcos, Vlad and Johnathan in the middle; can’t move or do anything; the girls crying from that horror scene, the men tried to move but then swords stopped them and put a circle around them.

I got back to the study room and knew that he was doing this; the blood everywhere; people were cutting down and their flesh appeared like I was watching a horror movie or something; I went inside the room and cried :

“Please, stop!”

“Who are you to stop me?”

“No one, but why are you doing this?”

“I told them not to know humans or be in relations with them!”

He was so angry;

“Who are you talking about?”

“You know, Rebecca!”

I left him and watched people die and cut into pieces and blood painted the place like a painting in red; I got back to see them, but then I went out and again I’m in the woods beside Vladimir….

“What happened to them?” I was crying…

“You know.”

“They died!”

“Yes.”

“who are you?”

“You know everything, Rebecca; just find it out….”

I closed my teary eyes, maybe I’ll wake up from a nightmare or something; when I opened it I was behind another door and there was me again, but this time it was 1950, in Salem, the USA….

To Be continued