Chapter 2: Gaze into Hell
The boy stood in the entrance to what was once a living room . There was a fireplace burning with logs and above it was a portrait of an old woman dressed in a green and orange dress . Her eyes seemed to watch the boy as he walked into the room .
In the center of the room was a table with two wooden chairs , it stood right next to the fireplace and on it was a sheet . A single candle also sat on the table .
There was an old carpet on the floor that ran across the whole floor . Beyond the living room was a kitchen immersed in darkness and only the occasional thunderstrike showed what was in it . Between the kitchen and living room was the staircase , leading upstairs to rooms the boy would never see . There were tassels at the foot of the stairs that acted like a curtain .
As the boy looked at the small objects on the mantle above the fireplace , a wind blew across the tassels . The boy turned to them sharply but there was no one . When he turned back to the living room an old woman stood infront of him .
The boy gasped as the woman tilted her head and regarded him .
" Sit ." she said , her voice like gravel in a stream . The boy instantly sat down on the chair and the old woman sat down aswell .
" What does a child wish assistance with ? " the old woman asked him , although calling him a child was slightly wrong since he was nearly twenty years old .
" Do you wish to communicate with the departed ? " She asked him , " To curse any soul of your choice ? "
" I ... I want to ... I want to get rid of a curse . " He said softly and the woman moved her lips up and down.
" Remove ... a curse ... this I can do ." the woman said fiercely , " But payment first ."
The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash . He handed it to the woman who placed it in her pocket .
" Blood , now ." The woman said and the boy froze .
" The blood of the accursed , child . Do you not have it ? " she asked him and he reached into his pocket and handed her a letter .
" This is a letter I received yesterday . It says ... I'm cursed ." the boy said uneasily and the woman raised a brow .
So the boy was the accursed , she realized.
She reached down and placed a dagger onto the table . The boy looked at it in confusion , why did she bring that out ?
" Blood , now . " She said handing him the knife and he realized what she wanted . She wanted him to cut himself .
" But the letter - "
" Means nothing . Only with your blood can I know the curse placed on you . " She said softly , " Slight your wrist and place a drop of blood on the candle ."
The boy nodded his head , he would do it . He was that desperate . He quickly took the knife and before he could even think about it , he slit his wrist .
Blood flowed onto his palm and he placed a few drops on the candle . The old woman , who was obviously a witch , watched him with a mysterious gaze .
" Good . " She said to him , " Now , are you ready to gaze into hell ? "
" What ? " the boy asked .
" The only beings who know about curses , are the devils and they live in the darkest pits of fire. I will ask one to show us the owner of this curse , that has placed on you . " She explained , " So , I ask again ; Are you ready to gaze into hell ? "
The boy swallowed but nodded his head . The witch placed her hands on the sides of the table and closed her eyes in concentration .
" Gaze into this place of fire . " She chanted slowly , " Where dark ambers rise to the hellish choir . He is darkness ... he is whispers ... he is smoke in your throat ! "
A wind blew into the room and the candle was snuffed out .
" Now , what do we do ? " the boy asked her .
" Now , we wait for the devil to arise and relight his candle . " She said simply , then turning to him , ". I want you to watch my face closely , because the face of the owner of the curse will take mine ... but only for a moment ."
Another wind blew and the candle light up .
" It is imagined ... it is real ... " The witch said in her mysterious voice , " It is a punishment ... laid by one from the seal ."
A flash of lightning struck neat by illuminating the house and the boy was shocked when the face of the witch changed into someone else's . He was even more stunned when he saw the new face . He knew that face .
He knew that chin , he knew that jaw and those eyebrows . He knew that nose and those lips ... He knew them because they were his . The witch had turned into him .
The flash vanished and the witch's face turned back to normal .
" That was me ... how is that possible ? " he asked but the witch raised a finger to silence him .
" Listen child ... the devil speaks . " She said turning her head from side to side as if listening to a voice . The boy turned around too but couldn't hear anything .
Then the witch grunted .
" The owner of this curse ... tell me child , " She said looking at him , " What is your name ? "
" I'm Harold ... Harold Willow ." he said and as soon as the word Willow passed his lips something happened.
The candle flame grew , an instant eruption of flames that made the boy shout but the witch looked at the flames with a thoughtful gaze . Then she saw it .
There ! In the very heart of the flames was an object .
When she saw it , she caught her breath . It couldn't be , she thought , she turned to the boy who was hiding his eyes from the flame .
This child ? she thought , He's the one ?
The flame died down and the candle returned to normal .
Harold breathed a sigh of relief . He'd thought his face would be burnt . He turned to the witch , who was regarding him cryptically .
" Do you know what happened ? " she asked him and he frowned .
" No , I don't . " He said and she smiled softly .
" This curse placed on you ... It has been many years since it's reached your family . " She said , " The very owner of this curse is part of your past . I can not break it . But you can ."
" What ? Me ? " he asked her and she nodded her head slowly.
" Tell me ; What does this letter say ? " She said giving it to him and he realized the reason she hadn't read it was because ... she couldn't read .
Which was not completely true , she could read but just not English . The boy fingered the letter he had received the other day and opened it .
It read as follows ;
You are now cursed . If you do not send this message to ten other people , then the Spectre will come.
First he shall take your wealth . Then he shall take your friends . Then he shall take your kin . Then finally at the witching hour , he shall appear in the mirror and with his cold hands , he shall rip your soul from your body .
Harold finished reading and the anxiety he had felt ever since he got the letter popped back up . It was horrible , this had all sounded so bogus but he'd already lost his money . His friends had stopped playing with him and when he got home later that day ... his family had been gone .
He'd hunted down this witch , who lived in the middle of nowhere as a last resort . He didn't want to die ... he had so much to live for .
" The Spectre's curse . Oh , this is truly amazing ." The witch said , " Do you know who this Spectre is ? "
" No , I don't know ." He said .
" Who did you see when my face changed to that of another ? " She asked him with narrowed eyes .
" I ... I saw me . Was it a mistake? " he asked but the witch looked at him without answering .
" You ? No . Someone else ? Yes ." She said finally . " Do you wish to know about this curse placed on you ? "
" Can that help me stop it ? " He asked her desperately .
" It will depend on you , child . This curse has been around for many years now . " She said softly , " The letter says the witching hour will be the time for the Spectre to take you . Hand it to me ."
He gave her the letter and she crumpled it in her hands . She placed the ball of paper by the candle and when it caught fire , she placed it on the table .
" Look into the flame and smoke ...gaze deep into it ... what do you see ? " she asked him .
Harold looked into the flame and for a moment saw nothing but then a flickering object appeared . It looked like ...
" A mirror ? " He asked and the witch smiled . Yes , it was indeed him .
" A mirror it is . But so much more ." She said mysteriously , " Do you want to stop this curse ? "
" Yes , of course ." He said instantly and she smiled knowingly . This child was the one for sure . But before she could help him , he would need to know more about this curse .
" I will help you . " She turned her head and looked at the clock on the wall , it read nine o'clock . Three hours until the witching hour . Just enough time to tell him .
" But before you learn the future ... you must first learn the past ." She said getting up . She opened a drawer from a cupboard in the corner of the room .She took out a bowl of water and a stirring spoon . Placing both objects onto the table she eyed the boy cryptically .
" What are you doing now ? " He asked her .
" I will show you how this curse first came about . Then I will give you something that may help you . But only if you desire to know ." She said taking the ash from the burnt letter . The boy sat up in his seat and nodded his head .
" Anything to help me . " He said and she sprinkled the ash into the bowel . The water turned to a oily black with tendrils of grey .
" This is an old story ... one that happened long before your time . " She said taking the spoon and stirring the bowel , " The story of the Spectre's curse is not for those with weak hearts . Are you able to bare it ? "
" I will try . " Harold said resolutely .
" Very well ... look into the water as I speak and you will see the tale of the Spectre and his lover . " She said stirring the bowel slowly , grey tendrils seemed to ebb and turn into shapes and forms .
" Once there was a man ... a mortal man ... , " She said softly , " Who fell in love with a handsome ghost ... after seeing him in a mirror ...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
NixelLazuli
NixelLazuli This is a story within a story . Harold's story is going to be rushed because I'm mainly going to focus on Henric and Carey .
Also this is my third novel . Vote for me !
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