No, not today.

You thought of all the trouble over the past two days.

You thought of how much more getting into bed with Eva would bring.

But most of all you thought of Brie. Seeing her cry.

You thought of Lilly. Fretting over you.

You couldn’t do that to them. Throwing yourself into more harm for some nebulous goal.

No, not today.

“I’m sorry Eva, but I can’t sign this.”

You expected rage, anger, fury, for the ground to shake and the bowels of hell to appear but nope. Nothing.

Instead all she said was

“I understand.”

That was it. You picked up your phone from Donovan and headed to college. You waited to hear something from Eva, some plot to bring you back but slowly the days turned to weeks then into months and nothing. She simply disappeared.

It felt like a strange dream, but one you were glad to wake up from.

Slowly the semester began to pick up, you buried yourself in school-work making sure to bring home good enough grades to keep Brie off your back. But even with all the studying you managed to squeeze in some party time.

It was at one such party you met her. Melissa Sollis. A fiery, energetic, sarcastic ginger with just a bit of Dracula’s bite. I’d say the tale of you two falling in love is a story into itself but truthfully it was love at first sight. The two of you stuck together through college and wed soon after that. Her a successful graphic designer and you a moderately-famous free-lance artist. Two kids, both girls whom you loved dearly.

A fairy-tail ending.

Every night a wondrous dream, cuddling close to Melissa and falling asleep to the scent of her rose oil and pomegranate shampoo. You were always out like a light, so eager to wake up and start another day with her at your side.

“Hey babe” You called out to her.

Reaching out you expected to run your fingers through her raven-locks. But nothing.

Melissa wasn’t there.

Getting up you headed downstairs, expecting your girls all to be waiting for you in the kitchen.

But again

Nothing.

Growing concerned, you vainly searched the rest of the house. Still nothing. However while you searched you felt a cold slowly envelop you. A bone-chilling freeze that sapped every ounce of love and life from the house. Before your very eyes the house aged years.

No, this wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

You again scourged the house, looking for something something to prove that your past life was real. Finding yourself in the bedroom, you ripped out every drawer of Melissa’s dresser. Her wedding ring gone. The silver necklace from your first anniversary gone. Even the origami crane from your first date gone. You refused to believe it was all a lie.

Then you heard it.

A caw.

Then another.

And another.

Following the sounds, you arrived at the front door.

Opening it you found the source.

A **** of crows flocking the yard, the trees, everywhere.

And then you saw it.

There laying lifeless on the front steps.

Shooing the crowds of crows, you padded through the puddle of blood.

Kneeling, you picked up its lifeless body.

An owl. A dead owl.

The poor thing mauled by the crows.

In its beak a familiar sight. A silver necklace.

Removing the piece of jewelry you ran your fingers over it. Till you saw the Celtic knot.

“Fuck.”

You knew immediately.

Hunching forward you began to laugh. Replaying the moment you walked out of her office in your mind.

You wondered when she got you.

It was so seamless. You never even saw it.

Fucking witch.

Slowly the laughs turned to sobs as the crows encroached.

It wouldn’t be much longer.

Soon it’d be all over.

And then you’d start again.

For all eternity.