Amorous Goods: The Necklace

Amorous Goods: The Necklace and the Spell Book

Acknowledgments: A huge thank you to Rustyoznail for organizing this year's challenge. I spent may wonderful evenings reading the stories from the past few years, so a thank you to everyone who participated. The three witch sisters in my story are loosely based on the characters from Aftynrose's ASMR video "Three Witches Won't Let You Sleep". If you enjoyed the story, please take the opportunity to view Aftynrose's content.

Prologue: A lifelong collector of goods and objects from far and wide has passed and left the entire collection and the business built around them to the only remaining relative, a niece on a career path of her own. Vikki has taken on the task of administering the estate and liquidating the business and collection. However, she has come to find out that many of the goods have been cursed or enchanted with amorous powers that affect those who encounter them. These are the stories of some of those encounters with objects found at Amorous Goods.

November 1st, 8 AM, Interrogation Room, Black Tower, Boston

The first thing you learn when studying magic is that nothing is as it appears. Lilith looked around and separated the seeming from the real that surrounded her. It seemed as if she was floating in nothingness and swirling mist, seated on a wooden bench that floated in a void broken only by stars, illuminated from above by a weak, silvery light that seemed to emanate from a moon hanging above the gloaming fog. In reality the young witch was seated on a wooden bench in a room painted dark gray lit by a simple pendant light hanging above her head. It would take more than a weak glamour spell to fool a half-elf who passed as fully human every day of the week. Lilith hugged her arms across her bare chest and counted her lucky stars that the room was kept comfortably warm. She had seen through the glamour hours before and the novelty of pretending to float the cosmos had worn off long ago.

Lilith, youngest of the Rose sisters, maiden of her coven, wielder of magic had been stripped of her robes, ornaments, and talismans when she had been brought to the Black Tower. The guard who had asked her to disrobe had been polite but firm: only those skyclad could testify before the council. For hours now she had sat on the bench in the boring room organizing her thoughts in her head, going over the series of horrors that led her to this dull room. She hoped that soon someone would bring her something to eat. Now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, Lilith was hungry and exhausted. The bench was too short to lie down on and the floor was too uncomfortable an option to consider.

Stroking her medium-length, orange hair back over her shoulder, Lilith decided it was time to let the guards know she had seen through the illusion. She wanted to know what was happening and when someone would come to interview her. Standing with purpose Lilith walked straight through the fog and rapped on the "invisible" door.

"Do you know when my familiar will be brought back?," she shouted.

If the guards outside the room heard her they made no reply. Lilith shrugged and walked back to her bench.

Instead of sitting, the young witch stretched first one leg and then the other, preparing her tired body to run through a few yoga poses to ease her sore muscles. Lilith had elfin ears hidden by her orange hair, a cute, heart-shaped face, and an innocent smile she used to turn events her way on more than one occasion. Her chest was ample, her waist slim, and an ass that was neither too big or too small. Lilith was not especially tall, but her legs were toned and lean from decades of yoga. Lilith's youthful appearance was no glamour, her DNA and the youthful freckles that adorned her cheeks kept her young long past her true youth. Arms raised, Lilith breathed in deep and lowered her arms as she allowed the air to slowly escape her lungs.

"Have a seat on the bench, please," came a woman's voice from behind Lilith. The door had opened and another witch was standing, nude, holding a large, rust-colored cat in her arms. As soon as the witch closed the door, the cat jumped away from her and ran over to rub against one of Lilith's legs and jump onto the bench where he promptly curled up into a ball and seemed to fall asleep.

Lilith studied the new witch as she slid Templeton out of the way so she could sit down. Short with a pixie haircut, purple hair (both on her head and below her waist), ample breasts, tattoos, and multiple piercings, her attitude was professional despite the punk touches to her appearance. The new witch waived a hand and summoned a similar bench to Lilith's and sat across from her. The folder, which seemed empty, was placed on the seat beside her.

The skyclad rule applied to everyone who might appear before the Council, even the witches and warlocks who worked for the Black Tower. The purple-haired witch who sat across from Lilith was most certainly an Auditor. Auditors were not feared so much as they were distrusted. Truth in a world with magic was a slippery concept and the Auditor's job was to present the official "truth" before the Council. Nudity, even attractive nudity, did nothing to make Lilith feel more at ease.

"I apologize for the delay, Lilith. Your familiar was not being forthcoming with all of the details and it took longer to get his testimony than I anticipated." The Auditor's voice was pleasant enough, even friendly, but Lilith knew to keep her guard up.

"He can be a handful," Lilith stopped rubbing Templeton's ear as she spoke. "I assume it is my turn, Sister...?"

"You may call me Sister Vivienne," the witch replied. "I have interviewed the other parties. I wanted to leave your testimony for last. It would seem you can tie everyone else's stories together." Vivienne waived her hands and a table appeared between them, a stack of large, black tarot cards rested in the middle. "Shuffle the cards, please."

Lilith did as she was asked and lightly shuffled the large cards together more times than she could count, then placed them back in the middle of the table. Curious, Lilith asked what the cards had to do with her testimony.

"For important testimonials the Black Tower uses a reverse reading to judge the accuracy of the story. I will lay out a seven card spread, reversed, and flip a card over each time it seems pertinent."

"And you can accurately read a false story from the cards, Sister?"

"As accurate as tarot cards will allow," Vivienne replied with a wink. "We have found that using a reverse reading also assists our archivists with recording the events. Once your testimony is complete, and deemed truthful, it will be transcribed and stored in the archive beneath the tower. Cards that conflict with the tale indicate where the Witch's Council will need to probe a little deeper."

Lilith, anxious for the first time since she had arrived at the Black Tower, watched as Sister Vivienne dealt seven cards in an inverted "V" formation on the table. If the cards were meant to be a form of lie detector, she would need to only tell what she knew and avoid speculation on what happened outside her experience.

"Poor Simon," she thought. Lilith allowed herself to perceive the room around her as the misty nothingness once more. It suited the occasion much better than the sterile blandness of the gray, boring room.

"I will flip over the first card. You may begin at any time."

Vivienne flipped over the card on the lower left of the inverted "V". The Moon - reversed. A full moon, flanked by two high towers, shown down on two, howling beasts. "The reverse of the Moon can be interpreted as confusion and fear," Vivienne said. Lilith, uncertain where to start her story before, now knew where she needed to begin her tale.

I. The Moon - Reversed

October 31st, 6 PM, Boston

A fading Indian Summer made Boston's Halloween weekend one for the history books. Children, dressed in costumes that ranged from pop culture references to classic ghostly and ghoulish fare, ran from door to door, their sacks filled to the brim with candy. The air was filled with laughing and screaming in turns as the kids discovered the goofy and frightening decorations adorning the aged and august houses that lined the cobblestone street. Parents slowly strolled along the sidewalks in groups ensuring their children came to no harm. Surrounded by the black, orange, and green decorations, no one noticed the young witch dressed in the same colors slip quietly between the knots of adults and kids, effortlessly making her way toward the rundown mansion at the end of the block.

Trick or Treaters seemed to be avoiding the old house, perhaps unconsciously knowing that they were better off skipping the frightening manse behind the unruly hedge. The sun had only begun to sink behind the home across the street, throwing the old mansion into shadows and accenting the one, lopsided pumpkin rotting on the porch. Weak flames flickered in its sagging bowels. To one side of the iron gate was a placard reading "Amorous Goods" with no indication if this was the name of the home (all older mansions seemed to have names in this part of Boston), a business, or the name of the real estate agent.

The witch stopped outside the gate, took a deep breath, and swung the iron bars open with a look of determination on her face. The same determination carried her across the yellow leaf-filled lawn and up the old stairs to the front porch. The front door, deeply shaded and barely visible from the street, was open a crack. From deep inside a jaunty jazz tune beckoned the young woman inside.

The door swung open revealing a young man in a monk's robes standing on the other side, bowl of candy in one hand. His face was open and friendly as he greeted the witch.

"Happy Halloween! You're our first guest tonight. The younger kids don't seem to think we're home." He offered the candy bowl reverently. "Please, take two."

The young witch smiled.

"Actually, I'm here to see my sister. She does some consulting for your store and she arranged for us to meet here before dinner tonight."

"You must mean Madeleine," the young man said. "I'm Dylan. Madeleine was supposed to come by this afternoon, but she never showed up. Vikki's in the back having dinner. I'll take you to her." Dylan stepped past the young witch and placed the bowl of candy on the porch before the door in case someone worked up the nerve to visit. Turning, he waived the young witch to follow him deeper into the house.

The mansion was all dark wood paneling and darker wallpaper occasionally lit by a few weak bulbs hanging from fixtures too close to the ceiling to actually illuminate the shadowy and gloomy passages that lead from the entrance-way to the kitchen. Dylan led the way and pointed out troublesome carpets and thresholds along the path. Eventually the two reached a kitchen straight out of the sixties: ivory counter tops, mint green cabinets, ancient refrigerator, and an oven so solid that it looked as if the house had been built around it. Sitting to one side at a dinette table, a young woman was reading an old, leather-bound tome and eating a yogurt. She looked up with furrowed brows and her mouth pressed shut.

"Vikki, there's someone..."

"Dylan, I asked you to man the store so I could eat in peace." Her tone was that of a patient but exasperated older sibling. When she saw the young witch standing behind Dylan, her eyes softened and the corners of her mouth turned up (though it could not be called a smile).

"You look like Madeleine. Are you one of her sisters?"

The question took the young witch by surprise. She was unaware of her sister ever discussing her existence with anyone outside the magical community before. Contact with "normal people" was rare for the youngest sibling, and hearing that Madeleine had discussed anything about her family with Vikki reassured the young witch.

"Yes, I am. I am her youngest sister, Lilith. I came to see if you could help me. My sister seems to be missing, and I know Madeleine was here a few days ago. You have a wonderful home, it's very...retro."

"Thank you. Everything in this house is cheaply done or ancient. Except the beds. The beds are really nice."

Vikki placed a ribbon in the book marking her spot and rose from the table.

"Let's go into the shop. I'm happy to help any way I can."

--

Vikki and Lilith sat across from one another at a small, round table with a glass ball perched on a brass stand in the middle. They were in the Amorous Goods shop occupying the formal sitting room and dining room of the old mansion at the front of the house. The windows let in the last weak strands of light through dusty panes. The light in the shop was provided by lamps around the room and a musky, yellow light from a chandelier high above their heads. Glass cases and bookshelves lined the room, each full of small treasures and knickknacks. Lilith could not help but feel the magical hum in the room resonating from each of the cases. She knew from Madeleine's description that she was surrounded by powerful objects and spells.

As the young witch looked around the room, Vikki studied her guest. Lilith wore a purple robe with a Halloween print that clung to her busty figure and managed to look both sexy and playful. The witch had a purple velvet purse hung off of one shoulder and a black witch's hat sat on her head. She did have Madeleine's face, a roman nose, small gap between the front teeth, and sweet smile. Unlike Madeleine she had dimples, freckles, brown eyes, and bright orange hair. Oh, and pointed ears. Vikki could not see them if she looked directly at Lilith, but by studying the black witches hat, she could just make them out in the corner of her vision. Vikki knew enough to know a glamour when she saw one. Lilith looked up and saw Dylan walk past the door frame and glanced down at a small string tied around her left pointer finger. Vikki wondered what that could mean.

"What sort of shop is this, anyway," Lilith asked Vikki to get the conversation going.

"That is what Madeleine was helping us find out. I inherited all of this," Vikki gestured around the room, "from my uncle. It turns out he was involved with the magical community and amassed a true horde of magical items. Most of them tend toward expressing a repressed or unconscious sexual bias or fetish. What you see out here is only the tip of the iceberg. Dylan has the keys to the stockroom in the basement locked in a safety deposit box downtown. We choose the most...innocent looking items to put on display for sale. There have been a few unfortunate incidents and Madeleine was helping us prevent any more from happening."

"Incidents? Like these items affect the person who purchases them?," Lilith looked a little stunned. Surely the Black Tower would interceded to keep innocent people from being injured.

"Yes, which is why your sister was helping to identify the affects so we can warn potential buyers." Vikki pulled out her phone, opened a picture, and slid the device across the table. Lilith saw a typed list of items and a corresponding description of a magical affect in her sister's handwriting. "Madeleine assisted a few of our more affected patrons out of compromising situations."

"What was Madeleine working on the other day?"

"The jewelry case, actually. It seems like most of the women who come in are drawn to the jewelry so we made it a priority to identify the harmful items there before anywhere else," Vikki slid a large book across the table. "This is the ledger we use to track the items. Each has a number and a physical description, the price seems to appear depending on the person expressing interest. Madeleine would note item numbers and then give us a handwritten description of the affect. She called it a 'diagnosis'."

"She was here about four hours the day before last and investigated six items in the case over there," Vicki indicated a glass jewelry case sitting between a grandfather clock and a curio-cabinet full of teacups and teapots. "You're welcome to take a look if you think that will help." Vikki produced a key from her pocket and placed it on top of the ledger.

Lilith sat back in her chair and stared into the glass ball in the center of the table. Being a witch meant she could recognize a real crystal ball for what it was: a magical tool. Lilith had quietly engaged the crystal ball's "memory" ability while Vikki was talking. The ball was showing Madeleine sitting at the round table in daylight, holding earrings up to the light to look through the sapphire gems. Madeleine placed them back on a velvet pillow and started scribbling notes in a journal next to her.

Lilith coughed and Madeleine's image jumped and looked directly into her eyes. The older sister in the crystal ball stood up suddenly and walked backward all the way to the jewelry case next to the grandfather clock. Standing still and holding Lilith's gaze, Madeleine reached into the case and fished out a golden necklace with a large disc dangling from the chain. Then Madeleine mouthed the words "You need this" quite distinctly. The elfin witch nodded to the image and the crystal ball blurred and faded back to a curved image of Vikki.

The witch lifted the key off the ledger and walked over to the display case. Resting on a velvet display was the jewelry Madeleine had just shown her. The necklace itself had a long, golden chain and a red-gold disc medallion suspended from an intricate clasp. The disc had Greek lettering punched all the way through the gold. Lilith resisted the sudden urge to lift the necklace and put it on.

"What does Madeleine say the special affect of the Greek necklace is?"

"Let me see," Vikki retrieved her phone and reviewed Madeleine's notes. "Here it is. The Greek script means 'Know Thyself'. When the disc is flipped backwards, it grants the wearer the ability to project their conscience into another's unconsciousness." Vikki gave a low whistle. "And the ledger is giving me the price of $5.00. Naturally, you may have it for free."

Lilith produced a coin purse from her robes. Even if the crystal ball had not directed her to the item, the young witch would have been keenly interested. Knowing another person's most intimate thoughts was too juicy a lure to ignore.

"There are rules to magical items that must be observed. If I didn't pay you the $5 the necklace might not work or work in a sinister way. Or at least in a more sinister way," she added thoughtfully. "I'll take it to go, please."

--

Dylan had resumed his post at the front door, helplessly watching people run by the mansion from the vestibule. Oddly, his mind focused on the young witch sitting with Vikki. More specifically, his thoughts dwelled on the hint of cleavage her dress showed off. Just as Dylan felt his half-erection harden a tiny bit more, Lilith stepped up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother Dylan," she said playfully, "can you tell me where the restrooms are?"

Startled, Dylan jumped at both the touch and the sudden appearance of the young witch. Since he had left her with Vikki in the kitchen Dylan had been keeping watch and ignoring the nagging suspicion that he should not have chosen a robe from his late uncle's closet as his costume. So many of the items in the shop seemed to call out to him to pick them up, Dylan was becoming immune to the small voice in the back of his head telling him to keep his hands to himself. This robe, so much like a monk's habit, seemed harmless at first. But Dylan had spent the last twenty minutes with a partial erection and was starting to suspect it wasn't entirely natural.

"Oh, yes," Dylan replied, using one hand to point back along the hallway and the other to hold back his arousal. "It's just down the hall. On the right. We passed it on our way to the kitchen."