Mind the Witch’s Price
Being a witch is a weird occupation, the benefits are great: functional immortality, phenomenal cosmic power and nearly total lack of authority over one's actions. The one downside is finding work especially if you are a newcomer to the field. I lifted my head from the counter where I was laying it my shop. It's a small place adorned with posters from my favorite video games and movies my parents helped to build the place once I graduated from my apprenticeship. Unfortunately, no one wants to go to Ameria Sarkin's Cove of Wonders when they can call that swine Esmeralda, or at least that was what I thought.
The door opened to reveal, three men, they all had their hair slicked back in that awful Wall Street vibe.
"Can I help you?" I asked as chipper as I could manage.
"Aw yes are you Ms. Sarkin?" this came from the shortest one, he was wearing this awful plaid-colored suit. The dude looked familiar I probably saw him in some commercial because he was giving the sleazeball insurance seller smile.
"Yeah who's asking?"
"Maxwell Tiberius, madam," Pure. Sleaze. "We would like to inquire about your services. You see my company, Tiberius Real Estate, is trying to develop this neighborhood but we can't because the key property for the renovation plan is haunted by some ghosts. In short, we want you to get rid of them."
"Why me?" It's a fair question. I'm a relative nobody and my specialty is in Form-shaping, not Exorcisms.
"The company wants to keep this under the radar. So we help a small town girl looking to make it big, looks good for us and," the man to Max's left placed a suitcase on the counter "gives you a nice payday." The case is opened and inside is a bunch of dollar bills. "Four-hundred thousand dollars now and another four hundred thousand when the job's done."
Well, that changed things considering the last few months and real nail-biters trying to stay in the black I really couldn't pass up this chance to make some money.
"Okay, what's the contract for the job" this time it was the guy to Max's right that moved he produced a piece paper from his pocket and placed it in front of me. The contract wasn't anything particularly out of the ordinary, normal statements of preventing the witch from just walking out on the deal once the money transferred. The one thing that seemed out of the ordinary, was the lack of specificity when dealing with the methods of exercising the ghost.
"Are sure you're fine with me having the ability to do 'anything it takes' to get rid of your ghost problem?"
"Of course, these ghosts have gone on to delay the project long enough already and I just want to get this project moving" Max's hands were rubbing his temples as a prominent vein appeared in his forehead. Well, looking at the payment I couldn't help but accept.
"Okay, Max you got a deal."
"Maxwell please," no, I was going to keep calling you Max.
So Max and his cronies lead me drove over to the home they wanted to be exorcized. It was pretty cool, the house was two stories and made of bricks was painted with a combination of bright hot pink and lime green. The windows were odd shapes, I counted at least two stars and a triangle. I would honestly live in this house.
"Hey, Max what do you intend to do with this build after the ghost is gone?"
"Bulldoze it" Max replied with a noticeable twitch in his eye.
"Ms. Sarkin I have a question?" this came from Adam the crony who has been holding onto the money suitcase.
"Yeah?"
"What exactly are you going to do?"
"Well, the first plan is just to talk to them and see if they want to move to another place."
"What aren't ghost bound to the place they died in?"
"Not at all! The soul is the primary method of magic, either through channeling other dimensions or manipulating the soul's individual power. A ghost is just a soul that has been awakened to being separated from a body. If ghost are bound that means someone has deliberately bound them to that place. In fact, the human body is just a soul vessel that can be easily manipulated if you know how to anyway. And if worse comes to worst I can just trap them." After the explanation, I got out of the car and walked into the house. Oh my god, the home has shag carpeting this place is the best! Continuing through the building reveals to be in fairly good repair. I stop once I reached the kitchen. I sat down on the floor (more shag) in a meditative stance and closed my eyes. As I breathe I begin to send a pulse from my soul throughout the house. It took about five minutes but I found something on the second floor. As I moved towards my target a faint mist builds around me. A good sign I'm heading in the right direction. Once I finally reached the I felt the pulse from it was disappointing. It was just a single person bedroom. That was a let down considering how awesome the rest of the house's decor has been.
"Who are you?" a disembodied voice rang out.
"Ameria Sarkin, I've been hired to exorcize you from this house but my employer wants to bulldoze this place and it's way too for that to happen. So I'm open to suggestions on how to 'exorcize' you while keeping the building intact." A chill ran up my spine as the air in the room began to form a small tornado over the bed. As the tornado grows in size human figure being to appear from the wind. She was pale, her skin had the color of an overcast sky with an unruly mane of hair of a similar hue.
"Hi, my name is Gabi Vargas." Her voice rang out like an old synthesizer.
"What's your connection to this place?"
"It's my home," she said as she floated over to stare me in the eye "and I have no intentions of leaving." That was plan A shot down.
"Would you be cool if your house was turned into a tourist trap, you could spook people." I point to the furnishing out in the hall, "Plus you decor creates an atmosphere that would be great at disarming people." The door to the bedroom closed suddenly, alarmed I fell onto the bed passing right through Gabi's incorporeal form.
"You mean like that?" Gabi said with a large smile on her face. As her body hovered over mine.
"Exactly, you wait here I'll go see if my employer will go with it."
I walked down to the front porch where Max and his goons were waiting. Jones, the tall man in powder blue suit asked a question,
"Boss, why did we bring three suitcases?"
"I told you before we are not paying that witch eight hundred thousand dollars, those cases we gave her only have twenty thousand dollars arranged to make it look like its more," Max said as he looked up to his bodyguard with a glint in his eyes.
"Why are trying to short change a witch, you heard Arnold when he drafted that contract, you void it and the witch is free to do what she pleases."
"That's why I only verbally said the payment if it is not in writing, it does not mean anything."
Oh, they thought they would pull one over on me well two can play that game. You contract gave me the license to do anything needed to exorcize this house, got the perfect thing for you Max.
I walked back into the house and called out for Gabi. Once she appeared I told about Max's plan to cheat me out of some money.
"Well what are you going to do about this?" she asked.
"I've got a plan. How would you like to have a physical body again?" at the mention of a physical form Gabi sits up and her entire body glows for a few seconds.
"You can do that?"
"Yeah, I just need your help, when I call out for you just make the house as look haunted as you can."
"Got it."
So from there, I walked back out to Max and pals. I got 3 plastic orbs from out of my pocket and give them each one. "Okay Max the job is almost done but I just need you and your buddies to come inside and hold something for me is that cool?"
"Anything for you madame," his eyes twitched once again as I refused to call him by his full name. The four had entered the house and I had them all positioned in front of me with my body blocking the door. Time for the show.
"Spirit, I call thee to reveal thyself," I bellowed waving my arms around like a person high on some cocaine. On cued the rafters and doors in the house begin to move around like crazy. I can see the fear set into Max and friends as the orbs they carried started to glow with a faint white light. At this point, Gabi had shown up her body even less solid than usual with her head floating a foot to the left of her body.
"Who dares call me, you a mere more-" that was as far as she got before she started laughing. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep that act up for long. Is it done?"
"It should be, soul removal is usually pretty quick on the unprepared." I looked at the three men who had fallen into a trap. Instead of abject horror, their faces were devoid of any expression and the three orbs were glowing like fresh LED lights. "Yeah, it's done. Now let me get you that new body." I made my best attempt at grasping Gabi's hand and turned my other to Max's chest. I took a deep breath and forced the soul and essence of Gabi through my body directly into Max's body. "How does it feel to be back among the living?"
Max's face contorted as Gabi moved her new body around trying to break it in, "It feels a bit stiff but I can work with it," she said at last.
"Oh don't worry about the appearance I can teach you how to fix that back at my shop. So you ready to be my new apprentice?"
"Why not, it's not like I have anything else to do. What are you going to do with their souls?"
"Probably sell them to cover the cost and the money that they promised me. Also, your house is awesome can I move in with you I can pay rent?"
"Sure I mean you are the reason I still have it."