"I've faced my share of challenges, both mortal and otherworldly, in my life," Cassie sighed. "I think of that night, the day after Halloween... the night of All Hallows... as the first. I would face dangers and threats I never imagined. I went into it with such confidence."
-----------------------
Duplantier House, Willow Creek, 2000
That confidence got us through the door.
I'd always thought of Duplantier House as a bright, fussy, elegant, antique house... very reflective of Carmilla's warm, friendly, old-fashioned Gramma D. That night, it couldn't have been more different.
Everything looked the same, but at the same time everything looked sinister. Shadows, dark and full of menace, lurked in the corners and reached out with greedy fingers. Pictures, windows into a frozen past, looked down on us. The very air we breathed felt charged with fear.
Even sturdy, practical Molly could obviously feel it.
We all laughed nervously. All but Gwen. I still shudder to think what Gwen must have felt, with her sensitivity.
It was brave Carmilla who led us into her house. It would take more than the spirits of the Netherworld to get her to back down.
We headed up to the seance room and took our places around the table.
The lights went out the moment we sat down, because of course they did. Everyone jumped and I'm not ashamed to say several of us, me included, actually let out girly screams. The temperature dropped, the wind howled outside, and a wicked laugh echoed through the house.
"Clear your minds," I said, struggling to banish my own fear.
We began the ceremony, as Maman Brigitte had taught us.
"Feel the moon upon the water."
The cold, silvery energy of the Netherworld flowed around me. Fear, met with courage.
"Feel the sun upon the grass."
The warm, golden strength of Willow Creek flowed through me. Patient, solid strength.
"Feel the wind, the breath of the world, upon you."
The wind, rattling against the window, brushed against my cheek like a lover's caress.
"All in harmony. All in balance."
The lights flickered, as if struggling to come back on.
The lights came back on fully. The wind outside fell silent.
"Is that it?" Molly whispered. "Did we do it?"
"We did it," Carmilla said confidently.
Gwen said nothing.
"Something is not right," I breathed.
"Ghost!" Molly shrieked.
Dear, sturdy Molly who felt so left out because she had the psychic sensitivity of a brick, finally saw a ghost. Talk about 'be careful what you wish for.'
We freaked, leaping up and trying to run about in the tiny space of the seance room.
Only Gwen kept her seat. She would later tell me that she'd been so overwhelmed by the waves of oppressive terror, rolling off the ghost like cold mist, that she couldn't move. Hopeless despair threatened to crush her.
"It's the dark spirit!" Carmilla cried.
She was right. It was the dark and terrible spirit Maman Brigitte had warned us about. What had she said? A spirit full of wrath, setting her will against the balance for the sake of...
... jealous rage.
"Everyone back in the circle, quick!" I shouted.
Looking back, I'm shocked that they actually moved instantly to reform the circle.
"By wind and water and earth, I call you," I called. "By sun and moon, I call you. For balance and harmony, I call you.
"Brunhilda, lost in longing, I call you," I chanted. "Brunhilda, sister of rage, I call you. Brunhilda, I call you!"
And poor Brunhilda, withered away from longing, answered my call.
The wrathful ghost stormed from the room, the withered form of her sister following behind her.
Naturally, we weren't going to miss this.
"Temperance, dear sister." Brunhilda's voice was a raspy whisper. "You must stop this."
"Never," Temperance raged in sepulchral tones. "And don't you dare call me sister. You are not my sister. You're just the spawn of father's selfish lust... a grasping little backstairs slut who dared to steal my man!"
"We each have done the other wrong, Temperance," Brunhilda admitted. "Still, I cannot allow you to do more harm in your rage."
Howling with fury, Temperance launched herself at the withered Brunhilda.
"Why are they fighting?" Gwen asked.
"It's Temperance and Brunhilda," Carmilla said. "Remember... Guidry was engaged to Temperance, but he had an affair with Brunhilda. Temperance was consumed anger and jealousy. She died and her spirit killed Guidry, and poor Brunhilda just wasted away..."
"Yes, I remember that," Gwen said, "but why are they fighting? If they both loved him, and he loved both of them, couldn't they just have shared Guidry?"
"Well... could you share someone you loved with someone else?" Carmilla asked.
"I think so," Gwen said. "Yes, I think could."
"Oh... maybe we can talk more about that later," Carmilla suggested.
I did my very best to ignore the unsettling conversion going on behind me. I had finally reached a place where I could handle the idea of being attracted to Gwen. It would take me a bit longer to come to terms with her ideas about ethical non-monogamy.
Really, that night, watching a vengeful and jealous ghost and her skeletally withered half-sister fight was much easier for me deal with.
In fairly short order, Brunhilda come out on top, just as I had hoped. It represented a kind of balance, in itself, I guess.
Their fight over, and both spirits faded from view, I led my friends back into the seance room to attempt the ceremony again.
"Feel the moon upon the water. Feel the sun upon the grass. Feel the wind, the breath of the world, upon you.
"All in harmony. All in balance."
This time, it was.
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