500 4

When I wake up next morning I already can’t remember the exact thought because it had been about Jack and it had already given me the anxiety and allowed denial of the warm feeling, because even I wanted it to go nowhere. The selkie is already nowhere to be seen, but I see my clothes scattered and I presume he had decided along with the opened closets with leftover clothes, that all was for him to dwell upon and choose as attire. I dress up, hastily making myself breakfast before I leave out to realize how early he had woken and dragged me along with him, as I solely exit the premises, now the cats leaving with me and I think I see a shadow and I don’t look up, feeling his presence, as I stroke the cat, as the cat’s skin and fur stretch, it’s back arched and I look up, trying to hold the channel closed, but he’s there, standing, towering for now above me as I stand up and I see him, but not his physical form and then he smirks and starts walking fast towards the bridge, faster and faster, as if dragged somewhere and he quickly looks past his shoulder to see me as he just goes up the hill to the house.

And that’s where I see Jack smoking with the two school boys, now dressed as they all are smoking cigarettes and I see an ouija board in the middle of all of them. 

“Fuck.” And I see him behind Jack, his nails slowly trailing on the selkie, slightly moving his hair and my whole body freezes as I just make a run towards them. 

“We’re trying to summon the Devil.” One of the school boys says, his eyes beaming and Jack just shrugs looking at me. The one with the longer dark fringe, just nods. The Unspeakable just lets go of Jack and looks at me. They can’t see him yet. 

“Don’t.” I barely mutter, feeling his gaze upon me again. They all turn to face me and try to watch me as my eyes just focus on the Devil himself, as my blood keeps going colder and colder, they open the channel and he just laughs, as his physical appearance becomes clear and they all gasp, Jack turning around and they all watch him in awe, no questions uttered. 

He crosses his arms on his chest, watching all four of us, slowly, as the two boys just stare  confused and one of the boys even tries to reach out and I just slap his hand as the Unspeakable, fuck, he’s here anyway, just laughs at me. My whole body starts shaking. 

“Please leave.” I mutter and he just tilts his head to one of his sides and I get a good look at him. His long black hair and dark make-up, dark attire and skinny posture, the books never tell you which appearance he will ever take, for every person it’s different and I’m guessing he just had to feel my presence, just to gamble with me again. He sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes, happy at the circus in front of him, Jack just staring, the two boys beaming as if they had summoned a puppy. 

“I don’t think I’m that unwanted as you want me to be, Jamie.” I raid my pockets for nothing as he watches me. 

“No, no, please stay. Holy fuck, Alex, it’s the fucking Devil.” I just glare at the two boys and he just looks at them, a bit mockingly hurt by their disrespect, as he just sits besides Jack. I am the only one left standing. He opens his arms.

“See? I’m invited. They opened the ouija board, asking for the Devil and voila, here I am.” He smirks and pats Jack’s shoulder. He claps his hands together before a deck emerges. “Any gambling the old fashion way?”

He asks, hair moving as he moves his head from side to side, pointing the deck at everyone. 

“Are you in a fucking hurry, then?” I snap, before I can hold and he just laughs. All your thoughts are nearly said out loud as I feel his presence slowly open my channel, as I can feel him towering above me, his attire sinking into the shadows and becoming flames as I close my eyes, feeling his nails trace against my skin and I bite my lip, holding a groan, apologizing out loud.

“Exactly, that’s better, James. Respect your elderly.” He replies, pointing towards my right jeans pocket. “Cigarettes please.” 

I hold from telling him to summon some satanic tobacco, but I just stretch it to him, but his eyes glister as I give him one cigarette, as everyone else is still smoking and I feel like this is a two-man show as Jack and the two boys still observe me, as he plays me. 

“Fucking refuse.” I feel heavier by the minute, my mind nearly blanking me out. He must’ve been the heavy weight in the woods, as we were biking, but that doesn’t stop him from starting to shuffle as Jack just keeps watching me and that’s when the Devil just watches us as Jack sits closer to me, as my head starts spinning as if I were on a sideways swing and I feel nausea building up within me. Jack blinks a few times before he just pushes me so that my head is on his lap and the Devil just watches us.

Fuck.

“James, my offer is always... always standing.” The Devil says, now shuffling the cards above me. “Or we could do a quick game.”

I just shake my head, watching him shuffle the cards far too fast that all of them could be spade aces and I would never see, barely seeing his fingers and then he just looks at Jack as I try to stabilize my breathing. 

“Jack?” Jack just shakes his head, his fingers in my hair and the Devil just keeps grinning then back to the boys, as the silence is held. 

“Ask him to leave, you summoned him!” I nearly yell, but they just stare at the Devil. Then they look at me before the boy with the longer fringe places the pointer back on the Ouija board. 

“Please leave.” The other boy moans and that’s when the Devil stands up. He observes all of us, stands up and slowly vanishes, but he’s still in my mind for a while, his fingers now on my forehead, as I still see Jack watching me. 

“Close your channel.” The Devil mutters before I concentrate on closing it and then I feel all energy leave me and I feel myself pass out on Jack’s lap. 

When I wake I think I feel Jack’s fingers on my cheek but when I open my eyes he’s sitting in the chair opposite, flicking through some newspaper from a nearby stack and I look around to see Alex with the other boy with the long fringe talking loudly as the noise slowly comes to me, as I look at them and by just catching a glimpse of their discussion, I quickly check my watch, before Jack can even greet me.

“No fucking discussions after midnight. Fucking spare me.” I rant, pulling my sleeve back to hide the watch and I throw myself back on the couch as they just watch me and I hope somehow my words will hit home.

“Evening, Jamie.” Jack smirks at me, slightly raising his dark eyes to look at me and I feel my cheeks heat up a bit as I nod back, wondering if I could even master to talk to him and the whole attraction seems far too infectious. It’s as if I almost wished I hadn’t blacked out and had some dream of him so that it would nourish my attraction, even if once you step over the line it only always gets worse. My dreaming gets stopped as I keep eyes on the two blokes and for some reason I recall them fucking so I close my eyes a bit just to open to see Jack narrowing his eyes at me before letting himself back on the newspaper. 

“What are they doing here, anyway?” I mutter, nearly into the blanket and Jack ignores my question, even turning a page, legs crossed and I let my eyes rest on him as he had changed into some old dark gray shirt of mine and jeans I wonder how did he even squeeze into those, maybe he shrunk and I’m not aware of it as I glance back at Alex and his friend, whose name I’ve yet to know. 

“Jack said he’d rather have us here than summoning since you fainted. What was that all about?” Jack pretends to ignore Alex’s questioning and goes back to reading old newspapers and I wonder how much more dull would they be without reminding of how much we are in turmoil, that Christmas’ December will stroll in but the world is too busy covered in ashes to notice the lack of snow. 

Everything is awfully dull and I don’t even know how much further would our misery expand and if with each day it would just make everything easier to accept, the fatality that we ourselves would detach from reality for we are not the ones on the battlefield, as months went and I had moved, I started wondering how sinful even was it of me not to think of war. 

Looking back everything had its own dystopia feel and under the wrecks of the last days I had spent it only begun to get worse, the streets whitened, business shortened and people just frankly scared because it would happen any minute in any of the undergrounds or over grounds and it was just a matter of sitting as if your position would affect it in the train.

I shake my head, shaking away the crowds or empty trains or blowing steam on the window or just idly sitting thinking that this were the end, that one move was suffice.

I wonder in what flavors would our holidays even be wrapped in, since we seem to be getting nothing as chilly to even cover the ground with. I wonder of the tree and if I would even call Alex and his other friend, but then who are we if not to take others as family in time where death is thicker than any snow to walk upon on this land?

And the dreams of snow come with hidden memories of kissing far too much, I try to shoo my daydream state dipped in night away. And thoughts come sooner before you realize, they come in dream sequence because love comes instantly, it is the mind which allows you to realize how deep it goes later. And the fear strangles me and I excuse myself to see him as something else, some shallow explanation that we are both someone else for society, the fact that I had talked with the unleashed presence from an ouija was far from normal and his entire existence was only dipped in mythology for me. So maybe when it comes as attraction we shouldn’t see it as something unusual if we ourselves define paranormality. 

“I hate how people think because I don’t support one side, that means that I’m fully on the other. I just actually know who kills who and who just looses people on their side to keep some alive.” I breathe, Jack’s eyes now on me and I hope that Alex and his boyfriend would recall us to pour tea. Anxiety would start hitting me as I had just moved here, before this house, wondering what the fuck should I do, where would life go, money was saved and of course the hysteria was oblivious, more jobs were made with ideology lost and gained, but I felt like I needed a piece of mind for now.

"Why don’t you believe in God, though?" Jack keeps reading. "You mentioned it earlier to the…"

He pauses and I wonder if selkies would feel.

"Barber." Perhaps now or could be a lying fucker.

"Maybe because I haven’t met him, I have no idea. Evil makes sense, good doesn’t." I shrug.

He swallows and keeps looking at photos and turns around to point at a photo of protests which turned far too bloody and I can only presume the newspaper is around a year old.

"Never think they would fall, actually, didn’t think it would ever get bloody there. Makes you wonder." He widens his eyes turning the newspaper back and I hear Alex and his friend turn on the kettle, uninvited.

"Well, it makes sense that they would fall, was following the pattern and makes it easier to remind us of havoc. Of course when they would fall since they are the metaphor of our world, so would we all." I smile bitterly, pushing my fringe back, before regretting it and Jack keeps reading old articles to catch up and I wonder how long had he been a seal and if word of mouth even reached him regarding the war and how would it even touch him. As if he had read my mind he raises his eyes and narrows them. “It also confirms in their eyes, that if they fall then the world for them falls, because for us it takes anyone, so...”

Jack shrugs. I wonder how much had he even kept in touch with politics and I don’t even know how much had passed since him and Meg. 

What powers do selkies even have?

And it felt as if more people would be interested in talking to whoever would speak, forest or not. I had that asked and I just shrugged, on my way here, that I would, I could settle here, I was told were a place would be and that if I were to just allow people to speak with more than just people, people would come. I wondered when would I get a call and how long would it even take for the dark long haired man to come as well. I felt sleepy all of a sudden, hugging myself, Jack’s eyes still caught on me. 

Seasons make no sense anymore. 

Tea is no longer comforting and all the scribbling to get out of the mind, to keep sane and keep my own voice hushed just makes it worse, people’s belief that all is fine is draining because everything had been declared and it wasn’t just blood spilling, but lives ending at a great speed, going through with the dark cloak through all the seas and land. 

Jack doesn’t speak a lot, so how am I supposed to know him? But his silence gets all the gaps filled which explain a few things, preserved to my daft mind and my mind wanders towards Meg as the two boys do bring tea over to the living room. Maybe we should expand downstairs, it is a house after all, but like any house, it has softer places and upstairs seems to be it and not to roam at night or any time to be honest.

I miss watching who would be asleep, because I would have some knowledge of who was awake and a melancholy of feeling that all was in depth sleep, while with the forest all was awake and dark. Apart from me, something I had only dipped my toes in yet luring.

Anxiety sleeps tucked in the night, not to be bothered at any times or cost, yet when it wants it shows up and I keep looking at Jack, feeling my body go through a heat wave and I wonder if it’s a sign of working mildly heaters.

I know that Alex and his boyfriend are here and they seem to be my only node of reasoning as I wonder for my bulging desire for the selkie, he seems to lure as if he were a siren.

"Jack… Do Selkies lure like Sirens?" I ask, presuming that sirens are also real.

"Nope, we do kill asshats like you… If they flirt." He narrows his eyes at the text his reading, not allowing someone less thick skinned his attention. I pout mockingly as he raises his eyes and looks at me before returning to old reading. Apparently me and Jack are like a play as the two boys just keep looking at us amused. Jack puts the newspaper down, sighing and taking a sip. 

I wonder how had he even looked as a seal. 

I wonder if we’ll have a future and Lana del Rey would be covered as something artsy just like people would cover these days and I pause, wondering which songs are released as feet drag lives under, soon enough to be their own and I wonder how much more wouldn’t care and would have the diluted desire for some peace and war end, no duality, just plain stubbornness in nothing. 

“I’m not gay, unlike... all of you.” Jack says pointing at all of us in a circle.

“Thanks, Jack, we wouldn’t have known.” I reply in haste, ticked off and bit more sober who I want to pounce on. 

-

I think it's... even symbolic since me and Callie moved back to the house where 500 is set, well, I just really like the region and the story built itself here and I've been itching to post this chapter and well, obviously is a very haunting chapter and I've written perhaps two more chapter of 500, so I really have to keep my mouth shut.

The region is very very... active, it has lots and lots of Spirits and it's really easy to frankly feel or come in contact, if you wish so. But then, I kind of always could sense and I'm not one to bother or talk, so yeah. And also, it's the only time me and Callie have encountered a ghost which I was asking about on tumblr. 

Anyway, just like any time, please don't go summoning or being all brave and checking things out. Stay by your side and well, just like you don't disturb people on the street just don't.

But either way, I've loved writing this story and it also touches explicitly on bizarre encounters I've had and of course I'll include more, since I've had a few and this region is very active. Also if you're religious, prayers are always handy or simple phrases like "please leave" work just as fine. 

I always add this to 500.

The cats actually always check up on me and I'm like... gees, don't shove it in my face xD

To be honest, as disrespectful as it is, I choke on a laugh when it comes to Miles lines in the story, please don't mess with an Ouija Board, enough people did it for you to google it xD

Or even ask me and I'll tell you some encounter I've had since I've been visited a few times by a bunch of different ones through life, just no Ouija Boards and neither do I encourage any type of summoning. I mused on it, if you're interested in feeling I guess what it's like it's ok to go somewhere at daylight and be quiet and pay attention, because many of those places are forests or frankly really pretty cemeteries, but don't, I'm just saying if you're itching, that's how my head is most of the time only with visuals at times and conversations.

So that's why I like 500 because it's so descriptive and interactive and I talk about it, openly, really.

Ok, well, frankly, I don't really know obviously what I encounter at times and I leave it that and of course in stories I start speculating and patching things together, when I did, I wasn't sure and yeah, over time I guess I thought it over. It was very very bizarre and I think only another encounter could maybe top with it in oddness? Bizarreness? Anyway, you get it. Again, shape-shifter so I don't really speak of what I had seen, so Jamie here in 500 has his own version if you must. If it helps, you know what you encounter. 

I think the fact that the shape-shifting happens it's fairly odd that you can see people you know and etc, so I used that and it's also discussed in '-' in a different aspect as well.

Regular summoning works rarely as I found out, but when I had it, I had my "portal" yanked out for a very very good while and it was a mess, I literally fucked up and I went movie style to explore and that resulted in my portal being yanked open and I don't even know how much I had encountered that night. So it's really something out of the ordinary unless y'know you have been chosen to be visited to be asked of an offer, I presume. Again, I can only speak from experience and from what I've read.

The cards idea came from one of my favourite ghost stories which I had heard back when I visited Glamis Castle, basically some dukes of sorts were playing cards and you can't play cards on a Sunday, but they kept playing, He showed up and they joyfully said "I wish we could play forever" and they did. The room is now locked and at some time and day if you drink enough, you hear. And in general I like card motifs since I fortune tell on them :) so I took that briefly.

There are some rules I follow, like not discussing such topics after midnight outloud, so yeah, I'm silent now xD and just posting it and all xD (I know, but hey, encounter stuff I did and you'd be just as cautious) 

When I had written it, I didn't believe, I guess, yeah, now, I consider myself Religious and yeah, but I'll surely speak of that later on when the time in 500 comes. 

Staying here and in general since I was a child I would stay up late and I enjoy watching buildings with barely any lights on or all off. I dunno, yeah and I speak of it often in stories.

Also I've been very inactive, I'm sorry, I'll be changing that and soon enough back to my one-a-day so yeah. And 500 is fitting because it's one of the most realistic I've written giving the feeling of dystopia I have with war going on, even if in 500 it's kind of set during some dystopic WWIII scenario which I relate to and all. 

I love this story for being open with it on different subjects which I don't usually cover too often.

I hope you enjoyed it:3

And thank you so much

<3

Jamie