November

"Where are we going baby?" he asked. Even though he'd had sex only 2 hours ago Jimmy was already ready to go again. Variety is the spice of life, he thought. This one didn't have Melissa's big tits or her juicy ass, but he had a feeling that fucking this one would change his life. She had that slightly crazy look that all of the really seriously wild women had.

She held his hand in a grip like a fucking vise. It was actually hurting a little bit. He wondered if her pussy would be that tight as well. She was pulling him down by the docks as the wind kicked up another notch around them. The river had been calm only minutes before but the waters there seemed to be rolling almost as if there was a storm brewing.

The funny thing about it was the fact that as he looked down the river in both directions the water seemed to calm down more and more the further away from him it got. It was almost as if the storm or the mini storm was following him. He'd heard about weird localized weather conditions and pocket storms before, but never expected to see one.

She pointed at a small dinghy that was bobbing in the rough water. It was barely tied to the small pier that local fishermen who didn't have a boat used.

"There is no way I'm getting into that tiny assed boat with the water this rough," he said.

"Scared?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Nope, I just have a good head on my shoulders," he snapped. She smiled at him again as if she liked that image. As she smiled the weather calmed almost instantly. The river was barely moving and the wind became much slower, much weaker, almost a warm breeze.

"It was only a spike," she said. "We get them from time to time around fall. But being a professional mariner, I know you've heard of them, right?"

"Of course I have," lied Jimmy.

"I guess if you're scared to do it in the boat, we'll have to pass," she said. "But I just love the way the waves and the movement of that boat makes me feel. I'd do practically anything in a boat. It's kind of a fantasy of mine."

In the moonlight her smile was really hot. And the look in her eyes and that one word, "anything," stuck in Jimmy's mind.

"Race you to the boat," he yelled.

As Jimmy looked at the boat, a shiver went down his spine. It wasn't exactly fear, but it wasn't too far from it either. It was just a sense of unease, as if something was telling him not to do this. It all went away when he saw the woman stretched out in the bow of the tiny boat. The small waves that moved the dinghy up and down seemed to synchronize with the waves of lust coming from his pants as she spread her legs and looked at him.

The woman wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was just...sexy. The funny thing was that Jimmy hadn't actually seen her climb into the boat. He'd been following just a bit behind her and then she just appeared in the boat. Almost as if the wind had just carried her to the boat. Nah, that wasn't possible. If he kept up this way, he'd be as bad as those old guys with all of their "legends of the lakes," bullshit.

Jimmy climbed down into the boat from the small pier and faced his soon to be lover. She ran her hands slowly down her thin frame pausing to caress the small swells of breasts that pushed out the front of her dress. Her hands then continued down her sides until they reached her hips then they turned inwards.

Jimmy was so busy watching her sensuous self-massage, that he failed to notice that a sudden gust of wind had caused the bow line to come loose and the tiny boat that had neither oars nor motor was heading out into the dark, wide river.

The woman had no undergarments at all to prevent Jimmy from seeing all of her charms. Her vagina was tiny, just a line of pink hued tissue between her legs. It was so tightly shut that it looked like it hadn't been used in years, or decades, maybe.

So much for Jimmy's theory that she was a whore, she was probably just some frumpy little housewife, who was out for a bit of excitement. Jimmy really didn't mind being a pleasant memory to help her escape the boredom of her every-day life. Jimmy crawled forward in the boat to get closer to her. He noticed that she was smiling. Actually she was smiling too much. She obviously wanted him.

"Oh yes, Jimmy," she said. "I want you very much."

That was strange. He didn't remember telling her his name. But he must have.

"In fact I've wanted you since before I ever saw you," she said.

That was really funny to Jimmy. Usually it was him giving the cornball lines to the women. Usually, he was the one doing all of the flattering to help get him into their pants. Another thing was that her voice had changed. It sounded really weird. At first he'd thought that maybe it was just the lust that had changed it. The hormones that accompanied sexual arousal giving her voice a different timber but this was a big difference.

Her voice wasn't just a hissing sound derived from lust, it actually sounded like the rushing of the wind. "How could you want me before you ever saw me?" he asked. That feeling was back, the one he'd put away as being a silly superstitious feeling was back with a vengeance. His own voice didn't sound like it normally did either. Perhaps there was some kind of weird atmospheric thing going on here to change both of their voices.

Jimmy looked around and noticed that the little boat was far out into the busy river. If this had happened during the daylight hours they'd have been able to easily summon help, but at night, this time of year, they might well freeze to death.

Hearing her voice snapped him away from worrying about that. Jimmy was also suddenly colder. The wind had kick up into a steady breeze and the waves were getting larger again. It was almost as if the wind was agitating the water.

"It was something you said," the woman told him. "Your words were what actually woke me up. Today was only the thirtieth day of October. I should not have ceased my slumbers for almost two of your seven day periods...What do you call them? Weeks, that's it. I should have slept for another two weeks. Now there will be hell to pay. It's like in those legends that you piss on, Jimmy. That fucking song...ooh I hate that God damned song. It reminds me of how I became as you see me now."

Jimmy had started to move away from her as she spoke. He'd noticed that the light he saw in her eyes was no reflection of moonlight. The glow was coming from inside of her eyes. There was some weird shit going on. His only hope was to keep her talking until someone noticed the small boat. There were plenty of river patrols and coast guard ships out during the night. All he needed was time. He was a strong swimmer and as soon as he saw a boat, he could go over the side.

"What song?" asked Jimmy, loudly. He'd surprised himself by how strong his voice sounded. Even though he was ready to piss himself out of fear, he looked her in her eyes and spoke to her.

"What legend are you babbling about?" he asked. "I hate all of those old legends and all of that bullshit."

"Oh, I can't remember the names of songs," she said. Her voice sounded even more like the rushing of the wind. My sisters and I have existed for over ten thousand years. There have been many songs written about the lakes and the storms. But that one really tells the tale. It made me take up this body only thirty or so of your years ago."

Maybe it was a trick of the wind, but Jimmy thought he heard a slow and mournful melody coming from somewhere. He also thought he heard a man singing. He could just barely make out the words. It was one of those sad old songs that you heard on the oldies stations and turned away from before it depressed you and ruined your whole fucking day.

"The lake it is said, never gives up her dead, when the gales of November come early." Jimmy was almost sure he'd heard the song now. He'd never paid it any attention and he didn't even know who sang the song, but now it seemed to be the most important song in his whole God damned life.

He quickly tried to change the subject. "It wasn't the song that made you want me, was it?" he asked.

Jimmy knew that the negotiations here had changed. This was no longer about pussy. He sensed that this was about survival. His dick had shrank to an almost painful size and the wind was continuing to ramp up. The waves were so big up and down the river now that few boats would venture out into the river. He couldn't understand it, only a few moments ago the river had been calm.

"No Jimmy," she hissed and smiled at him. "It was your wonderful, romantic words that awakened me and called me to come and look for you."

"What did I say?" asked Jimmy. "Whatever it was, I'm sorry. I take it back. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it. Oh please Jesus. God help me."

The woman in the front of the boat just laughed. "God is on a break, Jimmy; there's only us here now."

The wind carried more strange sounds to Jimmy's ears. The same sad song played as if only for him. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

"Please give me a chance," screamed Jimmy. His words were lost, drowned out by the winds, but he knew that she could hear him. "What did I do? What did I say to wake you?"

"Oh, you remember Jimmy," she said as the winds whipped up even higher. "Remember when you called me out. You said it over and over again. Fuck the witch!"

Jimmy knew then that his life was over. The woman's face took on a totally different look. It was something very old that predated all other religions in this region. She was a part of the wind... In fact she was the wind. The woman in the boat was the Witch of November.

Jimmy felt himself lifted high above the boat. He was suspended in mid-air by the fury of the winds. The wind whipped up the water and even the sand on the shore of the river. The sand was moving so fast that it stripped the skin from Jimmy's flesh. He screamed out as welts and gashes appeared on all of the areas of exposed skin on his body.

"Why are you screaming Jimmy," she asked. Her glee scared him more than what he now realized she was.

"Because it fucking hurts," he said. "You try having your body sandblasted by a crazed bitch. I'd rather drown." Even as he said it Jimmy realized that he'd made a mistake.

All of a sudden the winds ceased and Jimmy plummeted into the icy waters. Instantly his cuts started to ache as the water hit them, but it was only momentary. The water was so cold that he began to freeze immediately. Jimmy tried to swim but he couldn't. Then he felt something grab his ankle under the water. He opened his eyes and tried to stare around him to see what he was hooked on.

His gasp of surprise caused the lifesaving breath he'd been holding, to be forcefully ejected from his lungs all at once.

Jimmy's surprise came when he realized that he hadn't hooked his ankle on anything. The witch had grabbed his ankle and was pulling him to the bottom of the river.

As Jimmy began to lose consciousness he could barely make out the features of the woman holding him under the water. She appeared to be calmly sitting in front of him on a rock at the bottom of the river watching the life exit his freezing body. She watched him die the way he'd watch a sitcom on television. Each new episode might be different, but when all is said and done, you've seen it all before.

Jimmy felt his soul being drawn out of his body. He wasn't just dying he was being unmade. His memories were fleeing him even as his body surrendered to the icy cold and lack of oxygen. As his lungs burned, he forgot his childhood. As the icy water filled his pores he forgot his name and his teen years.

This was the worse death imaginable. Jimmy could accept dying, but wasn't he supposed to have his life flash before his eyes. Wasn't this where he got to relive his greatest triumphs and failures? He was getting none of that. He was having trouble remembering his name as his soul was sucked into the witch.

Then suddenly, she twitched. She looked around and moved angrily. In a movement that was almost too rapid to see she headed for the surface and above it. Jimmy was forgotten in her response to whatever bothered her.

* * * * * *

The big man stood on the river bank and screamed. He wore black leather from head to toe. His eyes glinted in the moonlight even as he focused his gaze on the churning waters. "Gashkadino-Giizis," he screamed again. "Come out and speak to me before I banish you."

Suddenly, November broke through the surface of the water and hovered in midair, held aloft by the winds. She laughed as she saw the man. "What do you want little man?" she asked laughing. "I am very busy."

"Go back to your own place," screamed the man. "This is not one of your lakes. Let whoever it is that you are tormenting go and return to your place, before I banish you."

November laughed and spun around in the air. "You cannot banish me, little shaman. And if you continue to get on my nerves, I will kill you. Your powers are not nearly as great as those of your ancestors. You've been weakened by your time with the Europeans and their descendants. It takes more than knowing my name to banish me. Knowing my name only got you my notice. Having my notice can be fatal."

Even as she said this, Jimmy's body floated to the surface. The man in black leather noticed the body and looked back at the witch. "Luckily for you, this one was not the one I awoke for. He was only a snack. If you continue to pester me, I will end you, shaman. Or should I say, remnant of a shaman. Where is your proud war pony? All I see is a cart with a little horse on its front. You have no power over me."

The big man tried to say something but the winds whipped up so loudly that his words were lost. The wind was blowing so hard he could barely stand. All he could do was to watch as the witch floated away from him borne by the winds.

After she was gone he ran over to the river bank. The body was close enough that he could grab it and pull it closer to the shore. He hauled the body onto the shore and started trying to do CPR. He yelled, but there was no one to yell to. He pulled out his iPhone and called 911. He continued CPR until the paramedics arrived. The police came with them.

He explained how he'd pulled the body out of the water and they took over from there. He spoke to the police and just told them that he'd been out for a drive and had parked up a few yards away to watch the boats go by on the river. As he got closer to the water he'd seen the body and pulled it out. None of the police officers or the paramedics had ever seen marks like they found on the body. Besides nearly drowning, there were larges gashes that looked like slash marks all over it. They took his name and number down and told him that they might have questions for him later.

The paramedics weren't sure that the man would even survive. It appeared as if he'd spent too much time without oxygen when he'd been rescued. Even if he did live, there would probably be brain damage.

John Lake shook his head. There was too much going on here. His great grandfather had been a powerful Shaman. His grandfather had been a powerful drunk. And his father...who knew? He'd run off soon after John's mother had given birth to him. John's knowledge of the old customs and rituals was fractured at best. He was no Shaman. Shit, he was actually an engineer. He worked in quality control at the Ford plant in Hamtramck. He was out of his league. He brushed off his leather jacket and walked over to his car. Cart with a pony on it, she'd called it. His Mustang GT put out over 450 horsepower. And the symbol on the front of it was his totem of power. He'd love to see one of his half naked ancestors keep up with him when it came to speed.

* * * * * *

Ramona waited for Jimmy by the Maitland's berth. It had been well over the three hours he'd asked for and she was getting worried. By now Cliff was probably home and had noticed that she wasn't. It would be a while before he discovered what she'd taken. Luckily she had so many clothes that the few outfits she'd packed wouldn't make a dent into her wardrobe. If she was lucky he might even think that she'd gotten angry and went to stay with a friend until she was ready to speak to him. If she'd been thinking she could have called him and told him that. It might've given her a few days to hide. But she'd ditched the phone he'd bought her so she couldn't be traced through it. She'd bought a disposable phone, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to call him using it. Giving him any way to follow her wasn't in her best interest. With Cliff's money, if she didn't stay off the grid he'd be able to find her easily.

Ramona shivered. Shit, it was cold down here by the water. She needed to start thinking about what she'd do if Jimmy stiffed her. She'd been pretty sure that he'd go along with what she wanted. Most guys would do anything she wanted, no questions asked. Maybe she was getting older and losing her appeal. The little voice in the back of her mind said, "That's even more of a reason why you should have stayed with Cliff. He loved you stupid. You could have been happy and had it all."

She put those thoughts behinds her as she saw the flash of a cigarette lighter up on the big ship's deck. "Hey sailor," she called out.

As he looked towards her, Ramona could see that it was the same guy who's told Jimmy she was waiting for him before. He looked at her and waved, then took a drag on his cigarette and headed for the gangplank.

He walked down the aluminum structure and was standing next to her within a few moments.

"Shit it's as cold as a w..." he began and then caught himself. "Why are you just standing out here?"

Ramona smiled at him and Carl felt the blood running from one head into the smaller one. "Oh you're waiting for Jimmy again," he said. "He should be back at any moment. We're pulling out at first light. But that should be plenty of time for you guys to...you know."

He looked over at Ramona again. She certainly was a pretty one. "Hey, I probably shouldn't do this, but do you want to wait in Jimmy's berth for him? The captain hasn't come back yet either. He probably won't show up until just before we leave. His family lives here in town and he loves sleeping in his own bed. As huge as this ship is we only have a crew of twenty nine men. So no one would ever be able to find you in Jimmy's berth."

"Oh, thank you so much," said Ramona. "I'll tell Jimmy how nice you were to me. Maybe we'll find some way for me to thank you myself later."

Carl loved that idea. He wondered if she was thinking of thanking him in the same way that he was. If she was, he was looking forward to it. One thing that was strange though was the fact that she was carrying a couple of bags with her. He wondered why she didn't just leave them in her car.

He showed her to Jimmy's berth again and headed off to play cards with the guys on his watch.

* * * * * *

Cliff Darden was driving fast, probably too fast. The events of the past few hours had taken him off of his game. He was letting his heart control his actions, not his head. The meeting with the PI had gone about the way Cliff was expecting, bad. Then things had gotten worse. Cliff had gone to the PI's office and had gotten the files that he was expecting. He had pictures and video tapes of Ramona in action. The PI had warned him not to look at them. He told Cliff that the best thing to do was to just present them to her as evidence that he knew what she was doing. He could then use them as leverage to get her to stop.

The old PI had warned him that if he looked at the pictures or the videos, it would make it even harder to repair his marriage. "No man wants to watch some other guy or guys fucking his woman, unless there's something wrong with him. That's one of the things that tell you that pimps have to have a screw loose. Trust me son, I've been in this business for a long time. I've seen relationships that were far worse than yours, not only rebound and survive, but get stronger after something like this. It may look bad now, but if you're willing to put the work in, you can make it.