Content warning: description of a dead body, highlighted by ***

____

  So this is the truth.

   As if... It can't be!

   Disheartened I leave Aiden in the kitchen and go out. I squint, seeing the exact location where I almost died a few hours ago. And then, I was so glad to find something. Eventually I did what others couldn't before me! But what to learn? That the First Witch invoked demons. That she was devoured by it. And that her ghost had cursed her descendance. With one and only motive: she was angry at her daughter leaving the house since she was afraid on the murder scene?! It was ridiculous!

   But it was written in the diary. I had even cast a spell on the book, sure that something was hidden. After all the diary was hidden in the floor, and under the bed. There could have been one more secret. No. These things always go in threes... Let me laugh! For once, I would have liked it.

   The logical following step of denial was to doubt the story. But liftingthe carpet we did found the invocation pentacle. I could swear there were still drops ofbloods in the cracks of the wooden floor.

   I sigh.

   "I'm not sure about this."

   I almost jump out of my skin and put a hand on my heart. "Aiden..."

   "I read it a little." He says while showing the old diary to me. "She seemed quite ignorant about her own family history. She had only written about her mother, nothing about the father other than a cowardly attitude. Her mother never talked about him and she assumed that he had left them after knowing her mother was a witch."

   "How did you gather that much information?"

   "I'm a real quick reader."

   "It's impressive."

   He stays inexpressive but his ears redden. "Her mother didn't pay much attention to her from what I understood. I think that she learned Witchcraft from the books."

   "Poor little thing..."

   "She was forty years old."

   "Not that little..."

   Aiden gently laughs. His ears are still red, and I graze one with my right hand. His face stays white, but colors appear in his neck.

   "Are you embarrassed?" I smile.

   "A little."

   A sudden rush of affection takes over me. I put my hands on his cheeks and look straight into his eyes.

   "Thank you so much, Aiden. Don't avert your eyes, no need to blush." I laugh. "I didn't get to tell you this afternoon. But I am so thankful that you're here. I am a little afraid of the moment you'll leave me. At the same time, I don't want you to be hurt. And if I'm trapped in this state, you'll be."

   "You won't and so won't I. I am sure there is a way... Even if this book does say the truth, that your ancestor cursed you..."

   I frown. My ancestor cursed me? It... It is not possible! I am pretty sure of it.

   "Aiden! It's impossible! No, I mustn't cry victory to early... Let's go back inside, we need to do some research about curses. There are some rules about it, and maintaining it is really complicated..."

   Back to the books and the research. Yet it is easier this time. This time we know we'll find something to rely on. Well, if I was able to correctly tidy up my house... At last I find an entire book on curses. There are no titles on these books nor contents... It is way too funny to flip through entire books to know their contents...

   "Aiden." I call. "I have something."

   "Let's read it together."

   Even though Aiden reads fast I can keep up with his rhythm since I know exactly what we're looking for. The difficulties, terms and constraint of curses.

   "Here. A curse needs to be fed as long as the curse setter wants it to be applied. It means that the curse is draining energy from someone somewhere."

   "It is then true that the First Witch couldn't have cursed you since she was already dead."

   "Indeed, the description of her ripped corpse was pretty itemized in the diary."

   "We need to know more about your curse."

   "Curses are a difficult part of Witchcraft; the smallest change can have great consequences. And a great Witch can easily change the terms on the Cursed part. There is always doubts when something is changed from the original curse."

   "What do you think is the main part of yours?"

   "It seems to be the embedded soul and not the appearance."

   Aiden nods while pulling the book in front of him and glances over each page. I repress a yawn and rest my head on crossed arms. The excitation is already dying down and I observe Aiden. Concentrated he's not bothered by the lock of hair in front of his eyes. I remember its fever a few days ago. He shouldn't be awake. We didn't even eat finally...

   I stand and look for some bread and cheese. I even find some country ham and put it all on the table. "Let's eat Aiden. And then you should go to sleep."

   "I don't want to."

   "I am no doctor I can only bring remedy. And the best remedy for a lack of sleep is... sleep."

   He doubtfully looks at me with a grin. "I don't want to sleep. It seems like losing time..."

   "I am not acting like it but I can wait a little. I did during seven years without batting an eye."

   "Seven years is a long time." He says while cutting a piece of ham. "I regret not to have been on your side sooner."

   "Not that I'm complaining, but I don't know why you are right now."

   "I like you. A little more each day."

   "Oh my, it is so refreshing! You're all red when you receive a compliment, but you can say that with such a facility."

   "How do you know?"

   "Hum?" I ask distractedly.

   "How do you know it's easy for me?" He draws my chair closer to him and I lost my words, my head full of his sudden proximity.

   "I am not a kid you know." He assures while putting his arms on each side of me, his hands on the table. "I am aware that we know for quite some time. But I aged. Telling what I like is tougher with time."

   "It shouldn't be." I whisper.

   "I desire new things. Sometimes I'm even ashamed. And I find myself strange for wanting to kiss a grandma..." His gaze falls on my lips and I shudder.

   "It's prohibited!"

   "And during the night?"

   I advert my eyes to flee his intensity. It's certainly unmeant on his part but he prevents me from thinking. "I don't know... Is this a good idea?"

   I feel his breath on my forehead as he kisses it. "So be it. Let's eat and sleep only."

   I wrinkle my nose. The smell is disgusting, and I open the door of the little house I live in in the forest. The odor was stinging my eyes and I squint. I violently open a window, bothered by my ruined rendezvous with my boyfriend.

   "Mother! I'm home! What is that smell? Where are you? Oh my god!"

   Here she was. On the floor. Teared in pieces.

   I tremble uncontrollably and fall against the table of the kitchen.

*** 

  The pentacle I already saw twice is more vivid than in my memories. It's almost fluorescent. And bright red. Tears well up in my eyes. An arm rest on the chest under the front window. The knob is captive of the dead grip. The torso is abandoned on the left side of the pentacle. A huge hole replace the chest and yellowish ribs can be seen. A scalp wasthrown in the right corner of the room. Blood is still dripping from a foot stuck in the chandelier.

***

   Drop.

   Drop.

   Drop.

   I gag. Twice. I find the force to stand up and run to the door. Hands on the wall not to trip, I throw up. I'm left sick and weak. My mind is blank except for the horror of the scene. Unsteady, I slowly walk away. I trip a few times and I'm still not outside of the clearing. Each time I stand up I am less assured.

   At last I plunge into the forest and start to run until my last fall. I cry my heart out and pass out...

... To open my eyes on broad daylight. My heart is beating so fast and my breath is ragged. What was that? It was so realistic.

   I frown as I feel something in my hand. I went to sleep with the diary of the Second Witch. What a strange cuddly toy! Was this a memory or just a dream inspired by the book? It was so morbid. No wonder the Second Witch forgot everything to live a better life. She shouldn't have come back. What was the point of seeking for such memories? It would have prevented her entire descendance as of today to be trapped in this house since she was the first one cursed. And she could have lived happily ever after with her husband and two girls... What irony!

   I rub my forehead and stand up. What a good way to start a new day!

   Stop it Relleis, sarcasm doesn't suit you well. It is always your first step to sadness. And you have no time to wallow in self-pity.

   I dress myself as fast as my old body allows me and leave the room with my veil on. Aiden is still asleep on the couch in the consulting room, and I smile: this boy is eventually taking the sleep he needs. I heat some water with a few leaves and take a look at the notes from his reading he left as a bookmark. He did find some information about the embedding curse!

   Like every curse, the embedding one continuously drains energy from its setter. Since it is still active up to today, a few Witches must have been feeding it year after year, taking turns. Another distinctive characteristic of this curse is that the embedder is trapped just like the embedded. They can not leave the magic circle they used to cast the spell. What the point of this? It is spending so much energy on the littlest thing. This curse wouldn't have been often cast. So why using it?

   I rub my forehead while lifting my eyes to the ceiling. An answer only leads to another question these days...

   I resume my reading.

   An embedded soul is always contained in a little container, called a receptacle. Trapped inside this small thing, it feels claustrophobic and wants to walk away of the receptacle more than anything. The smaller is the object, the greater is the pain and the lust for freedom for the owner of the soul.

   Aiden had added a note about my sudden desire to leave the house. Uncomfortable, I skip it.

   The embedded can move freely if it stays within a certain radius around the receptacle. Touching the receptacle may make the embedded badly sick. The receptacle must be kept in a good state.

   An embedding curse can be easily reversed. It usually cancels the added terms of the curse too.

   I look at Aiden with gratitude and affection. If there is no explicit solution, there is a solid lead. I just need to find the receptacle. And after all, if the state of the receptacle is that important, it surely means that destroying it has a great impact on the curse.

   Now that I know that the First Witch is not responsible for the curse, I'd like to know her better. Probably to find something despicable and do not feel guilty of ignoring her portrait all these years. It would really ease my mind.

   I prepare the little glass of pure alcohol and successfully offer it this time. I try not to remember the last time I had this brilliant idea. It would lead to the memory of last night and to me blushing as hell.

   Inspired I talk to her. "Good morning great-great-great-great-... how many did I already say ? Nevermind... -great-grandmother. Aiden said that calling a witch by her nature is impersonal, but your full position in the lineage is way too long. I... I know you're not responsible of this mess. You must have had a difficult life. Something must have happened to change you. My thought is merely based on instinct." I akwardly laugh. "Still I would like to understand you and how we came here. I leave this for you." I point the glass. "Hope it can help you feel at ease up there. Or down there. Is there some kind of punishment for those invoking demons? It's indiscrete, sorry. Don't hesitate to help us if you want. I would gladly accept it. No need to clarify that though, I'm pretty sure you already guessed it."

   I pat the frame as if I was seeing a person off and a prickling sensation rushes through my entire body and makes my hair stand on end. I hurriedly release the wood. "Is this a sign? Are you telling me that you will help or not? Either way, you could have found something less painful."

   Out of curiosity, I touch it again and this time it feels like my hair is pulled back. I wince in pain and shoots the First Witch a dirty look. "Fine, fine, I'll let you be..."

   I put my veil back and leave the room. Aiden is reheating water.

   "Did you sleep well?" He asks.

   "No. I had the Diary in my arms and dreamt about the discovery of the corpse. It was so realistic it could have been me living the moment for the first time."

   "I empathize with you."

   "Thanks. You lied." I groan.

   Aiden raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

   "The grandma thing..." I whisper.

   "I didn't understand." He says getting closer to me.

   "Never seeing me as a grandma... You said yesterday that... Oh, nervermind..." I whisper.

   Aiden bites his lip with an entertained spark in the eyes. Is he making fun of me?

   "Your ears are red." I mock him.

   "I wonder if this is not their natural color when I am with you." He doesn't even flinch.

   "My my my, this power I have on you..."

   "Yes." He admits with a smile, looking straight into my eyes through the veil.

   Surprised, I gulp and blush. "You're not even fighting, it's no fun..."

   "No need to give my all in a battle I can not win."

   "Seems legit. But you're flattering me."

   "Only telling the truth."

   "Stop it already, I feel like I'm losing..." I look away eating a slice of bread.

   "Oh really?" He teases me.

   Torn between laugh and exasperation, I roll my eyes with a smile.

   "It was really interesting."I point the notes. "You're a true hard-worker."

   "Can we draw something out of it?"

   "We should see if there is something in this house I can't stand." I look at the room and my eyes falls on the right corner of the kitchen/consulting room.