|
|
|
NYPD Detective
Artie Banks entered the apartment at 4:25AM, flashing his badge.
The police had responded to a
“shots fired and woman screaming” call and Detective Banks was
called in by the officers on the scene. The young woman
stood in the bedroom, in her dressing gown.
Blood was all over the bed, and
the smell of gunpowder still permeated the air.
One of the responding officers
showed the gun to the detective, already bagged and tagged.
“What’s going on?” Detective Banks asked. “Well, she killed him; one shot to the
head.” “Her name?” Banks asked. “Says she’s Lilly
Bronstein.
She lives here alone, well, except
for him,” the officer said, pointing to the bloody mess on the bed.
“She lives alone now!” Detective Banks
looked at the girl.
She was crying, shivering and was
covered in blood. “What’s the story?” Banks looked quizzically at
the officer. “You better ask her. This is one for the
books!” said the officer. Banks approached
the woman.
He
led her gently out of the bedroom, had her sit down on the sofa and
after a bit she seemed to respond, but she was still shivering.
He went into the bedroom and got a
blanket he found in the closet and brought it out and wrapped it
around her shoulders.
“Can you tell me what happened,
miss?” He still had no idea what was going on. She sucked in air,
shivered and blurted out, “He was licking me and singing “In Your
Wildest Dreams” to me!” Earlier the day
before, Lilly Bronstein had decided that tonight’s full moon was
the night that she would do her love spell.
She had spent more than enough
time alone, and she was desperate enough to try anything.
After all, she was 28 and not
getting any younger.
She had worked on it all month
and now she was ready. Lilly had been
practicing her craft and magic for the past 5 years.
In her neighborhood, it had given
her a sense of security.
Upper Manhattan wasn’t exactly the
safest place in New York, but it wasn’t bad either.
She had used her practice to
protect herself and her home.
And after that shooting around the
corner five years ago, she had gotten T-Rex, a large German
shepherd.
Robberies,
rape, muggings; she felt the dog was a good idea.
Her apartment building permitted
pets, and the dog had given her security and companionship; he made
it easier to feel secure and protected when living alone.
She had a good job
downtown Manhattan, paid her bills, even allowed her to travel a
bit.
But men… they were the illusive
part of her perfect dream.
Oh, she had a couple of boyfriends
over the past years.
But they never stayed around long.
Oh, there was Bob, from down the
hall.
They had dated a few times, but he
never seemed to be the one to call; it was always Lilly who did the
knocking on the door, and she felt like he went out with her just
because he had nothing better to do. Arriving home that
evening, the sky was clear and it was going to be a perfect evening
for a spell working under the full moon.
Lilly had decided to put the whole
spell together in the apartment and then go up on the roof and work
the magical sending under the moon.
She greeted T-Rex
with a smile.
He was a good dog, loyal, strong,
and protective.
He didn’t bark much at all, a very
quiet dog, but he did greet her at the door and rub against her
hand for petting.
His whole world revolved around
her, unlike some men she had known.
She put down her shopping bags
with all her groceries and supplies for that evenings magic, and
took T-Rex for his evening walk.
She
would walk him again later but her being at work all day, Rex
needed to go now!
A brisk walk around the block, and
she was back inside, making dinner for one.
She dreamed that this would be the
last time she would cook for one. As it got dark,
she started her magic spell.
She
cleared up her living room, and burned some incense to clear the
space.
She had her area all laid out in
the middle of the room, a small table around which she would create
her circle.
The table contained a candle, more
incense, a cup with water, a cup of salt, and her magical working
written all nice and neat on paper she would burn once the working
was complete. Darkness fell.
Lilly sat in the middle of the
living room.
T-Rex took up his place beside
her, lying down and relaxing.
Lilly lit the candle and more
incense.
She sat with her legs cross, and
in her mind constructed a circle around her.
Blessings to the four directions,
all hail to her Goddess Hekate whom she welcomed to the circle.
She also asked Sirius to join
them, as the protector of T-Rex.
She always included Rex with a
blessing from Sirius, the Dog Star.
After all, doesn’t her protector
deserve protection and blessing?
None has been as loyal as T-Rex
has! She then read the
first part of her spell.
Slowly the words were read by
candle light.
“Great Dark Mother, I ask at the
full of the moon, because my need is great!
Hear me, Mother Hekate, and
fulfill my heart’s desire!” She opened her
circle, and with Rex faithfully at her side, they left the
apartment for the roof.
The moon had risen over the city,
the sky was clear and it was a perfect night.
She stood on the roof, bathed in
the light from the moon, amplified by the street lights. “Mother Hekate,
bring me someone to love!
He must be warm, and loving; kind
and generous, protective and strong!
Make him handsome and faithful;
quiet and attentive.
He must have bright eyes and a
sexy voice, like Barry White!
Bring him to me, Great Mother, for
I am alone and need someone to warm my bed and my heart.
Grant me my wish, Lady Hekate!”
And she released her energy to the
universe. Returning
downstairs, she took her prayer and burned it.
She felt drained but happy.
Rex had enjoyed his walk on the
roof, and settled in at Lilly’s feet as she soaked up the residual
energy from her magic.
She scratched his head.
Ahh,
if only men were as true and loving as her Rex. About 11PM, she
cleaned up the night’s magical working, and took T-Rex for his last
walk.
She put a plate of leftovers at
the intersection of her street; this was the crossroad where she
left her offering to Hekate for a swift reply to her spell.
They returned to the apartment,
Lilly watched some television and then went to bed. About 3 in the
morning, Lilly was awakened by something soggy and wet on her face.
She pushed it away, but it
continued.
Then the singing started: “never
in your wildest dreams, did it ever get this easy!”
And a hand reached out to touch
her face. She jumped out of
bed, yanked the drawer open on the table next to her and grabbed
the 9 mm she kept hidden there.
She turned back to the bed pulled
the trigger.
A shot rang out… and then a yelp! She ran to the
door to her bedroom and flicked on the light.
Bleeding and dead
in her bed was T-Rex.
She had shot him in the head.
She screamed!
And she kept screaming over and
over till the police officers arrived and took the gun from her
hand.
Detective
Banks listened to the story through the tears and shaking.
She was obviously frightened, and
with all the stalkers and recent muggings, paranoia was not
uncommon.
But the dog was singing?
In the entry hall Detective Banks asked the
officers, “Do you see any drugs or alcohol here? Any sign of a
break in?” The officer shook
his head, “No sir, just what you see.
No radio here either to suggest
she may have heard something that would explain what she claims.” Detective Barns
shook his head.
“Have her come down to the station
to file a report and get the shrink to come talk to her.
See if the Humane Society wants to
check into this before we remove the dog.” Working in New
York for the twenty years he’s been on the force, they don’t come
much weirder than this.
One of the female officers had
Lilly put on clothes and her coat and the officer escorted her out
the door.
She was still crying and still
totally freaked out.
The psychiatrist may hold her
overnight for observation.
He just hoped she had a friend to
help her clean up.
She may be talking to that psychiatrist for
a very long time. artwork copyright © enona via istock |
Copyright © 2019 Boudica Foster and Tales from the
Zodiac Bistro
All rights
reserved. No permissions to reprint or reproduce in any fashion