Beyond the Forest

"They hunted me through the woods until they caught me. And when they did they burned me, or at least they tried to. The legends surrounding my supposedly supernatural powers convinced them to wisely leave my veil on, but imagine their terror when the flames burned it away. And the men who had condemned me to die a fiery death condemned themselves instead, consumed by desire as they rushed into the fire, desperate to be with me.

"I can still see the horror in their widows' eyes as they stood around the smoldering remains of the pyre the next morning, weeping for their men, and watched me crawl out naked from beneath that pile of charred sticks and bones, alive and unharmed. That was the day the legend of Matusa Ildiko was born.

"I retreated back to the safety of my Carpathian home and dwelled there far from the superstitions of men. There was the odd hunter or shepherd who was unlucky enough to cross my path, but most knew enough of my legend that they quickly turned back the way they'd come and fled for their lives. And, of course, there were evil men I encountered too, but I felt no guilt when the curse struck them down.

"And while I walked the woods women would still seek me out, leaving offerings at the ancient stone circle with notes begging me to lead their wayward husbands home or punish them if necessary. But there were other women too, ones who still recognized my 'witchcraft' as a healing art and would seek me out, hoping I would share my knowledge.

"I remember one in particular, a handmaid of a countess named Erzsébet Bathory. Have you heard this name before?"

When I shook my head no, she continued. "Her husband, the count, had a mysterious illness that none of his court physicians could cure. Desperate, the countess sent her handmaid, Anna, to seek me out. She'd been warned I was a witch, but she'd also heard of my skill as a healer.

"I was reluctant at first; it had been many years since I had lived amongst people. But Anna's devotion and a lingering desire to see how the world had changed since I'd turned my back on it finally swayed me.

"I warned her in advance that any man who dared to lay eyes on me would meet his doom, so she spirited me back to the castle, hiding me inside a coffin that everyone assumed was meant for the dying count. Once inside the walls, I stayed hidden in Anna's private quarters and taught her everything I knew. But even that wasn't enough to save her master.

"I should have returned to the woods then, but Anna begged me to stay. Tragically, I agreed. What I did not know then was that it was more than my healing powers that had driven the countess to seek me out.

"She'd heard tales of Matusa Ildiko since she was a child, including ones that said I never grew old. And when she saw me, saw how youthful I was, she knew the tales were true. She came to me after her husband's death and ordered me to share my secret, believing it was witchcraft that kept me young. I tried to deny it but she would not relent.

"Fearing the lengths Countess Bathory would go to for the secret of my immortality, I decided to return to my mountain home. Anna agreed, and surprised me by asking me to take her along. I knew that she had fallen in love with me, but I was surprised to find that I'd fallen in love with her too.

"We agreed to leave at first light and spent our last night in that castle together in her bed. I was nervous when she first touched me, but honestly believed that the witch's curse could only harm men. I have never been so wrong.

"I'd forgotten the witch's vow to destroy anyone I loved, and Anna was no exception. Her tongue had barely touched me when the curse surged through me, dooming her. I'll never forget the sound of her wailing, screaming as her life bled out of her. I was still holding her when the doors to the chamber burst open.

"The first person through was the countess and she screamed for her guards, ordering them to seize me. Knowing I couldn't risk being captured, I leapt out the window from a height that would have killed anyone. They must have been shocked when they searched for but never found my body.

"I ran back to the woods determined to hide forever, swearing that my curse would not claim any more victims. But I had no idea that the death toll at the castle had just begun.

"The countess, after discovering me covered in Anna's virgin blood, was convinced she'd uncovered the secret of my eternal youth. And it horrified me years later when I learned of her sadistic crimes. Heard how she bought young virgins from their peasant families with the promise of a better life, only to make them her victims, bathing in their blood in a misguided attempt to unlock my secret.

"I heard when they finally discovered the evil things she had done they walled her in alive in a tower in the castle and left her there to rot. But I couldn't take the chance that my curse would claim any more victims. I have stayed hidden in these mountains now for centuries, hoping to simply fade into legend."

Her story had mesmerized me, but as I stared at her, huddled against the wall, I found it hard to picture her as the witch known as Matusa Ildiko. All I saw was the innocent girl who'd made the mistake of falling in love with the wrong man.

"Isn't there some way you can break the curse?" I asked.

She nodded. "It is the nature of a curse that the caster must always give the victim a chance to be free of it. And that was where the witch that cursed me was at her shrewdest, she said the curse could only be broken if a man that made love to me still loved me when his life was ended. But what man could possibly love a woman who would bring about his doom?"

I thought about the poacher in the woods and the blood-soaked circle around his lifeless corpse. And as I remembered the look of terror on his face I knew she was right -- the curse would never be broken.

I'd been so absorbed in her tale that I'd almost forgotten about the cold. I was glad that I'd stopped shivering, but when I tried to stand I stumbled sideways and ended up sprawled across the cave floor. As I lay on the cold stone, wishing I could just go to sleep and wake up warm, I mumbled, "It's so cold in here..."

Matusa Ildiko watched me, concern in her eyes. "Even in ancient times this cave was known as a dangerous, accursed place. There is an unnatural coldness that pervades it, leading many superstitious villagers to believe it is a passage to the underworld. Others claim it is the lair of Bau-bau, and spin tales to keep their children far from here. Whatever the truth, one thing that is certain is all avoid it. That is why I often use it as one of my hiding places...and how I know it will be a long, long time before anyone discovers us here."

The cold had made my thoughts sluggish, but I glanced up at her as her words sunk in and she saw the slow realization in my eyes.

"You must have known that was the only reason I felt I could safely share my deepest secrets with you," she said. "We both know you will never leave this cave alive."

"No...you're wrong," I mumbled, staggering to my feet. I tried to concentrate, but couldn't seem to make the words come out right. "Out of here...have to...she needs me...my wife needs me."

She shook her head sadly. "It is too late. The cold is already weakening you, slowing your breath, squeezing your heart. I have seen many before you succumb to it. I know how swiftly it can take a man's life."

I shook my head again, starting to get angry. "No, I won't give up...I won't!" Her shawl had been little protection against the bone-numbing, ever-present cold, and I bitterly cast it aside.

She got down on her hands and knees and started crawling toward me. "Let me warm you," she whispered, and a faint green glow appeared in her eyes.

I stumbled backward, my legs starting to buckle beneath me. "Please, I just want to be with my wife again."

"Don't you see?" she said, still crawling toward me as her eyes glowed even brighter. "I realize now that was why you were sent to find me. The gypsy was right."

"Wh -- what do you mean?"

"She said that if you found me you and your wife would finally be together again. Your only mistake was thinking that she meant in the world of the living."

My eyes went wide with fear as the weight of her words sank in. "No," I mumbled, shaking my head as I tried to think straight. "I won't...not yet."

"Let me help you," she whispered. "Freezing to death is a terrible way to die. Let me take away your pain."

"No," I whimpered, trying to back away from her.

"Let me take you to her. No one has walked the paths of the dead more often than I have. I promise you, journey with me there and you and your wife will finally be together again."

I looked up at her, tears flowing across my numb, half-frozen cheeks, and whispered, "That's all I want...just to be together with her again."

"Then make love to me," she said, and brushed her hand against my cheek to wipe away my tears.

The instant she touched me a supernatural heat surged through my veins, as if her touch had infected me with the same green flame that now blazed in her eyes. I knew it was the witch's curse and the cold that seemed to have frozen my very soul dissipated, replaced by a burning desire. I grabbed her hand and pressed it against my face, intoxicated by her touch.

"That's it," Matusa Ildiko whispered, "do not fight it." As I watched, unable to look away, she used her other hand to slowly unwind the scarf covering her face.

I'd half expected to see something terrible, a vision of death that had claimed innumerable victims. But the visage that greeted me was a tableau of innocence, a young girl just out of her teens with flawless skin and angelic features. Her dark, chestnut hair tumbled down around her shoulders, perfectly framing her heavenly face, while her haunting eyes smoldered with an unholy green fire.

I couldn't help myself as I pulled her against me, crushing her lips against mine as her heat seared through me, burning the memory of her on my soul. And as I squeezed my eyes shut and felt her warm body against me, I couldn't help thinking how much her kiss reminded me of my wife's. And I imagined that it was her hair I was running my hand through, her back I was caressing.

Matusa Ildiko broke the kiss with a gasp and I opened my eyes to her fiery gaze. "Your love is so strong," she whispered, "it is so beautiful. No one has ever been able to resist the curse like this before. I know you will not be able to hold out for long...and I know you could never love me when your heart so obviously belongs to another...but it has been so long since anyone has held me, has touched me like this. Try to hold on as long as you can."

She quickly stood and slid her dark dress down to the floor. Stepping out of it, she stood before me like a work of art, a statue of Venus come to life. But even that pale comparison couldn't capture her true essence, for she possessed the same wild, untamed beauty as her homeland.

A hunger consumed me as I pulled her back down and she gasped as my mouth devoured her breast, her back arching as I tongued her nipple and roughly squeezed her ass.

"Please," she gasped, "it has been so long. Try to hold on."

As I fumbled with my belt she tore open my shirt, planting passionate kisses on my chest. I kicked my pants off, the cold of the cave forgotten, and as she pulled me down to the floor I felt as if the most powerful drug in the world had me in its hold. My head swam as I fought to keep control, fought the urge to throw her hard to the cave floor and --

"Do not give in!" she whispered, as she pushed me onto my back and caressed my cheek. "Think of your wife, her love will keep you strong."

I nodded and squeezed my eyes tightly shut as I tried to picture my wife's face, wanting my last thought to be of her. But I was finding it harder and harder to concentrate as Matusa Ildiko slid her leg across mine, straddling me like she had in my dream. She guided me between her legs and sighed as I slid slowly inside her tight opening. "Hold on," she moaned.

A roar filled my ears like an inferno as she rode me, and I could feel the witch's curse hammering at me, trying to break my will. I tried to fight it, painfully biting my lip and keeping my eyes squeezed shut. But it didn't help. I could feel her soft hands on my chest, could feel her warm legs wrapped around me as her ass bounced lightly up and down on my thighs.

And in my mind I imagined I was grabbing that shapely ass with both hands, slamming her up and down on my thick cock. Fucking her as hard as I could, hurting her --

"Hold on! Please, hold on!" she cried.

I opened my eyes, the spell temporarily broken. She was still on top of me but my hands had moved, apparently of their own volition, to her ass. She threw her head back in ecstasy as I drove her up and down on my swollen shaft, her perfect breasts pushed forward as she savored the feel of her first true lover in more than a millennium.

"By the goddesses," she cried, "it's been so long...it feels so good!"

She smiled down at me and her eyes were like burning green pools of flame. And as I fell into them I heard a faint voice whispering above the roar, telling me it was time.

Her smile faded. "Hold on!" she cried, but it was too late.

I twisted around, and she groaned as I slammed her against the cold stone floor. My movements were beyond my control and I heard her whimper in fear as the curse took hold and the beast inside me took over.

It was like I was a prisoner in my own body, watching from within, but I can still remember the primal lust that overwhelmed me as I pinned her wrists above her head and hammered my cock in and out of her. She was writhing beneath me, pain and pleasure etched across her face as she bit her lip, trying to stifle a moan. But what I remember most was her eyes. Not how they pleaded with me to try to hang on for just one more delicious moment, but how they'd turned silvery-gray and haunting again. And I knew the witch's curse had won.

It didn't hurt when it happened. It just felt like there was a rubber band in my head and someone snapped it. And then it was over.

They say that when you die you're supposed to see a light or loved ones waiting for you, but I didn't see anything like that. For me there was just emptiness, like I was floating in some kind of limbo. And then I felt a familiar hand in mine. Matusa Ildiko was beside me.

"Are you dead, too?" I said, but when I spoke it was like a whisper inside our heads.

"I die every time," she said with a sad smile, "but my curse is that death won't keep me. Where you go I will not be able to follow."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I made you a promise," she said, and then moved her hand in front of us as if she was pulling back a curtain.

On the other side there were shadows, eerily familiar reminders of the world I'd left behind. And as we glided toward them, I realized that we were in a hospital room.

"I told you I would bring you to her," she whispered.

I looked around the room and felt as if I was in a dream. My wife was in the hospital bed and I could see my sister and mother-in-law by her bedside, but they were like shadows and I knew that we were the ghosts there.

"Is she dead?" I asked.

"Not yet, but she soon will be."

I tried to move close to her, wanting to see her face, but Matusa Ildiko held me back.

"Wait, she is coming," she whispered.

As I watched I saw my wife's form start to shimmer and she seemed to change from shadow to solid, from gray to white, as if a veil was being removed. And I saw my mother-in-law stand in alarm, tears streaming down her face as she grasped her daughter's hand and pleaded with her to stay.

And I saw my wife's eyes open, saw her turn to stare at me as if she could see me.

I squeezed Matusa Ildiko's hand and she turned to me. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Isn't this what you wanted, to be together again?"

"Not like this," I cried. "I don't want my wife to die!"

But I knew it was too late. I saw him stepping from the shadows, his long vigil finally over. And as soon as I saw him I knew I'd seen him before. I'd seen him when he'd come to take my father. I'd seen him when he'd come to take my mother. And I'd seen him when he'd tried to take a red-haired little boy who'd refused to go without playing one last time. I knew the dark man well.

I wanted to move. I wanted to stop him. But I didn't know how.

And then Matusa Ildiko let go of my hand, brushing past me as she glided toward my wife. She reached her just in time and sprawled her body across her, embracing her as she shielded her from the dark man.

He hesitated at the sight of her and then slowly backed away, bound to honor the ancient pact he'd made with the witch who'd cursed her more than a millennium ago. And as he retreated I watched my wife's form fade from white to gray, from solid to shadow, and saw her mother's tears of joy as she embraced her daughter, once more in the world of the living, as doctors rushed to her bedside.

At that moment my heart filled with a love for Matusa Ildiko and what she'd done for my wife, and it was as great as any love I'd ever felt for another.

She glided back toward me, and when she reached me she cupped my face in her hands and smiled warmly. "You have to go now. I can go no further. The dark man is waiting for you."

As she smiled at me, she tilted her head, peering into my eyes as if she didn't recognize the love she saw there. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She spun around and saw him standing right behind her. The faceless man, dressed in black. She blinked at him in shock, amazed to finally feel his touch after seeking it for so many centuries. Then he embraced her and she gasped, realizing that the curse had finally been broken.

My love for her, even after she'd brought about my death, had unwound the witch's evil spell.

The dark man turned to go with Matusa Ildiko in his arms, and as they went she smiled back at me over his shoulder and I saw tears of happiness in her eyes. Her long wait was finally over.

They disappeared into the darkness, and then the shadows of the hospital faded away as if the curtain had fallen back. And I felt a chill, an unnatural bone-numbing chill.

"Michael!" Wake up, Michael!"

I opened my eyes and gasped, the cold air stabbing into my lungs. Andrei was above me and I saw a sense of relief flood through him at the realization that I was alive.

"We have to get you out of here, Michael! I'm going to climb back up to the top. When I get there I will throw the rope back down, loop it under your arms and I will pull you up. Do you understand?"

I nodded, but I was finding it hard to concentrate. The cold was so intense that I felt as if even my brain had frozen. I watched numbly as Andrei climbed back up the rope he'd tied to a tree just outside the mouth of the cave.

I couldn't believe I was alive. I felt my face, there was no blood. I looked around the cavern and didn't see Matusa Ildiko anywhere. For a second I wondered if it had been real. Maybe I'd fallen into the cave, hit my head and imagined the whole thing.

But as Andrei threw down the rope and I got ready for him to pull me up I felt something under my feet -- a black scarf.

When I was back in the sunlight Andrei did first aid on me, warming me. He told me how he and others from his village had been searching the mountains all day looking for me, sure that I'd followed his grandmother into the woods. He told me he'd almost given up hope of finding me when something strange happened.

He said, "I was heading back to see if the other searchers had found anything when I saw this young girl in a long white dress, like something they used to wear back in Roman times. I called to her but she didn't answer, she just beckoned for me to follow her. She led me here and, honestly, I would have never spotted the cave if she hadn't pointed it out and gone inside. But when I followed, you were the only one I saw. There was no one else in there. I know this sounds crazy, but...do you believe in ghosts?"