Specter - Part 1
She moves about the house like a specter. Music from another lifetime plays, conjuring memories as tangible as the lover she once held in her arms. She reaches for that old bottle of perfume and removes the top with trembling fingers. She knows unleashing the scent she wore when she was with him, combined with the music will invariably bring all her sorrow clawing its way to the surface. She knows and yet she is helpless to resist. She releases the cap and presses the atomizer. The air is filled with the aroma of long, lost love. She closes her eyes and the old familiar scent fills her lungs. Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder and warm breath upon her cheek. She is terrified to open her eyes, but when she hears him softly whisper her name, she cannot help herself. The sound of her heart racing fills her ears as she looks around. This is crazy. Somehow she is in the apartment they shared over a decade ago when he was still alive. He is standing behind her, telling her how beautiful she is, how he has missed her. She leans back into him. Then his hands close around her throat and she slumps to the floor as darkness rushes in.
THE VIGNETTE ABOVE WAS SIMPLY A THOUGHT I HAD AS I WAS BUSY CLEANING HOUSE. I WAS LISTENING TO MUSIC, AND SAW AN OLD PERFUME BOTTLE. IN A FLASH, THE SCENE ABOVE PLAYED OUT IN MY HEAD AND I THOUGHT I WOULD TOSS IT OUT THERE FOR MY FOLLOWERS AND SEE IF ANYTHING WOULD STICK. SO I POSTED IT ON FACEBOOK, NEVER THINKING IT WOULD GET MORE THAN A COUPLE OF LIKES FROM A FEW PEOPLE WHO WOULD FIND IT INTRIGUING. I HAD NO INTENTION OF TAKING IT BEYOND THAT LAST SENTENCE, WHICH IS WHY IT'S IN PRESENT TENSE. IT WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE A PEEK INTO MY BRAIN (SCARY, I KNOW). HOWEVER, AT THE URGING OF SEVERAL PEOPLE WHOSE OPINIONS I VALUE, I AGREED TO GIVE THEM MORE AND CONTINUE PAST THIS FIRST PIECE. SINCE FACEBOOK CAN CLAIM RIGHTS TO ANYTHING I POST ON THERE, I HAVE MOVED IT TO MY BLOG WHERE I HAVE BETTER CONTROL OVER MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, I WILL POST TEASERS ON FACEBOOK WITH A LINK TO THE BLOG POST FOR READERS TO ENJOY.
