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​Elevator in the Graveyard

Alex returns to the place he never thought he would again.

Written by Peter Spout
​2019 All rights reserved. For personal reading and enjoyment only
Part of the World of Entopia Short Story Series

It’s been three months since I took the elevator in the graveyard down to see my old friend, Clarence. This morning, I received an unknown phone call. Since I didn’t know who the caller was and figured it was probably a solicitor anyways, I let it go to voicemail.
 
A moment later, I received the voicemail notification. I listened to the message, “Hey Alex, it’s Clarence again. I enjoyed our visit last time, and I miss talking to you. I have some cold beer in the fridge and some great smoke. Why don’t you come over again and hang out?”
 
I was stunned and sat down on my couch. “What’s going on now? I feel like I barely escaped the last time and haven’t been by there since,” I said to myself.
 
But I also thought about what an extraordinary experience it was after the nightmares had ceased.
 
I didn’t want to be trapped there and have to spend the rest of my life in whatever that place is. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s possibly purgatory. The area between Heaven and Hell. That would explain Clarence having to be there for so long and neighbors of his coming and going.
 
But how did I enter and then leave such a place? Maybe Clarence has some sort of power?
 
I took my morning walks as usual, mostly in any direction other than towards the graveyard. I would pass that graveyard on the other side of the road occasionally but could never see the elevator building when I did. So how would I even get back to it if I wanted?
 
A week went by, then I received another unknown phone call. This time, I decided to answer it.
 
“Hello?”
 
“Alex, this is Clarence.”
 
“Hey, Clarence. How’s it going?”
 
“I’m bored as shit!  When the hell are you coming back to have a beer and get high?”
 
I paused for a moment, trying to figure a way out of this.
 
“To tell you the truth, Clarence, that place scares the hell out of me. I’m not sure I want to go back.”
 
“Hell is involved. But it’s not calling for you,” Clarence said chuckling.
 
“Well, that’s good to know.”
 
“Come on. We’ll have some fun and talk about other people, and maybe watch some baseball.”
 
“How do I even get back there? I don’t see the building when I walk past the graveyard across the street?”
 
“Walk the trail in between the two graveyards to the back. Make a left behind this graveyard, walk halfway down, then turn left into it. Start walking toward the street, just like you did the last time.”
 
I was so hesitant to accept his offer but was also intrigued by this whole experience. Who else can do this?
 
“Do you remember Lisa?” he asked.
 
“Yes, I do.”
 
Lisa was a friend of Clarence’s that used to visit him, usually once a week. She was in her thirties and worked as a bartender. She would clean his house and perform sexual favors for him. He would pay her for “cleaning the house.” The sexual favors were “In-kind” and done as a “friend.”
 
Occasionally, she would show up when I was visiting Clarence and was fun to party with. She wound up dying from diabetic complications on her kitchen floor. She was found there several days later when her family went to go check on her.
 
“Well, Lisa will be here too.”
 
“Lisa, huh. She was a lot of fun.”
 
“Hey, Alex! Get your ass over here and lets F**king party!” Lisa yelled in the background.
 
“OK. How about I come over tomorrow? It’s almost ten now.”
 
“You still have plenty of time before your wife gets home. Piss on work. Put that off until tomorrow.”
 
There was no question I was being pressured. But I also knew my life was pretty boring working from home by myself. Plus, I could set my own schedule and was already ahead in my work.
 
“OK, Clarence. I’ll see you two in a bit.”
 
I hung up and changed into my walking clothes and headed out the door. As soon as I locked my front door, I knew there may be a chance I was making a big mistake.
 
Would I be back? Would I see my wife again? I admit, I was getting excited to have some fun. To party and hang out. I was being invited to go back under the cemetery. How creepy is that?
 
I headed in the direction of the two graveyards, crossed the street and onto the walking path that went in between them. The sky was blue, and I could see everything clearly in both cemeteries on either side of the trail.
 
As I reached the end, I turned and started walking along the back of it, just like before and as he instructed me too.
 
I then turned left into it the back of it and started walking toward the street. The sky began to darken. The closer I walked toward where the building was before, the darker the sky grew. Along the way, I passed the same unique gravestones as before.
 
I pulled out my phone, and there was no signal. I was in this for sure now.
 
Once the sky hit the same dark, storm-like conditions as before, the building appeared. I kept walking toward it until I could see the elevator doors. Once in front, I stopped and waited. My heart was starting to pound with fear. Was I making the right choice?
 
Just when I considered turning back, the elevator doors opened. I stepped inside, and they closed. The feeling was exactly as it was before. After a slight descent, the doors opened again, and I could see as much as the elevator lights would reach.
 
I walked forward toward where I found Clarence the first time. Again, putting my right hand out to feel the dirt walls, laced with sticks and stones, to keep me steady on this dark path.
 
Soon, I saw the flickering TV lights and knew I was close. The lights became more intense, until I reached the room where he was sitting, watching the TV.
 
I walked in and said, “Hey Clarence. How’s it going?”
 
“Glad you made it. It’s going better now that you’re here. Grab a cold one in the fridge and get me one too.”
 
I grabbed the two beers and sat down on the couch, across from him.
 
“Where’s Lisa?”
 
“She had to run home for a few. She’ll be back.”
 
“That’s cool. So how are you doing?”
 
“I’m hanging in there. Bored as hell. Nothing to do around here.”
 
“Can you leave here and drive around or something?”
 
“I wish. The most I can do is walk around the neighborhood. There’s nothing else to do but watch TV and socialize.”
 
“That sort of sucks, doesn’t it?”
 
“What are you going to do? You just have to wait your turn, I guess.”
 
I took a few sips of my beer and thought about what he was saying. Then I just had to ask, “What turn?
 
Clarence looked at me and said, “To be called to wherever we go from here.”
 
“But you don’t know where that’s at?”
 
“Sure, don’t. Nobody ever comes back and tells us where they went or came from. Once they leave here, we never see them again.”
 
“So, all this time, since soon after I moved out next door, you’ve been here, just watching TV, drinking beer, and looking out the window at others coming and going from this place?”
 
Clarence took a sip of beer and then cursed at the TV, “You blind bastard. Couldn’t you see that ball?
 
“That’s pretty much all I’ve been doing. Other than the company from Lisa and a few other people who passed away that I knew. Otherwise, yep, just sitting here bored. That’s’ why I called you.”
 
After he said that, I could tell he was getting slightly tired of me asking questions, so he pulled out a joint and handed it to me.
 
“Fire this up. Let’s get high.”
 
I took the joint and lighter from him and lit it up. After taking a nice hit, I went to pass it back when he told me to hit it again.
 
Within just a few minutes, I began to feel the same effects as I did the first time we got high. The dark room started to lighten. Windows appeared in the dark walls, and white paneling covered the rest. Sunlight illuminated the outside and made everything, including the street, visible.
 
I could now see the mobile home where I used to live next door out the side window.
 
“Holy shit, Clarence. Every time I smoke this stuff, it makes everything look so different. Like we were sitting here 21-years ago.”
 
“It’s cool, isn’t it?”
 
“Do you see all the same things as I do?”
 
“I believe so. Everyone who smokes this stuff in my place sees life as it was when they were visiting here. I can’t speak for everyone else and what they see if they’re somewhere else.”
 
The smoke didn’t make me feel stupid or give me the giggles. It just made me see everything differently.
 
We finished smoking the joint, and I finished my beer.
 
“Looks like you’re ready for another one, Alex. While you’re up, grab me one too.”
 
As I came back to the living room with the beers, Lisa came walking in.
 
“What the F**k is going on in here?!”
 
“Hey, Lisa. How the hell are you?”
 
I walked up and gave her a hug.
 
“I’m good. You look good. How have you been?”
 
I sat down on the couch, and she sat next to me.
 
“I’m doing fine. Clarence called me and asked that I come back and visit.”
 
“I’m glad you did! He told me about your first visit and how scared shit you were. Something about when you left his room, you couldn’t find the elevator and started crying.”
 
“Yeah, well. I thought I might never get out of here. I thought about my wife and not seeing her again.”
 
“Hey, I understand. I mean, how often do you see an elevator in a graveyard?”
 
“Exactly. And it was my first time.”
 
As soon as I said that, Lisa and Clarence started laughing. “Shit, you didn’t expect that on your morning walk,” Clarence said laughing.
 
I began laughing too. I guess the smoke did have an effect on me. Then Lisa said, “Clarence, break out another joint and let’s get f**ked up!”
 
“Alright, if you say so.”
 
He handed Lisa the joint, and she lit it up and took a few hits. “Here Alex, take a few hits. You’re not high enough.”
 
I did as she said and passed it back to Clarence.
 
Within a few moments, my high started to change. I began to see Lisa visually change from this woman who was 30 pounds overweight and homely looking, to this very attractive slim 19-year-old.
 
But I sure couldn’t say she looked better now, or I would insult her. Once the joint was done, we started to catch up on what happened to her.
 
“You know I died on my kitchen floor, by myself, right?”
 
“Yes, Clarence was so upset about that.”
 
“I know. Clarence had feelings for me. Probably still does.”
 
“Got that shit right,” he replied.
 
“Well, I’ve been in this crap hole ever since. I can’t leave here. Just waiting like everyone else.”
 
“Do you not see an elevator like me?”
 
“Nope. We can’t go to the surface like you can.”
 
“So, why am I able to come and go?”
 
“Because you still have your soul,” Lisa replied.
 
“My soul?”
 
“When you die, your soul is up for grabs. Whoever wants it more, takes it. If it’s evenly split, they will fight for it. If no one wants it, then you come here until someone claims you.”
 
I didn’t know what to say. This was never taught to us in school or Church like this. I heard of the soul leaving the body, but never did I hear of it being claimed or fought over. Boy did I have a lot to learn.



Part 2.


“So, what you’re telling me is that your souls are locked up here, under this cemetery, and you have to stay here until someone claims it?”
 
“For the most part, yes.”
 
“Then, why would someone claim your soul after a period of time?”
 
“Because they may find a need for you.”
 
“Find a need?”
 
“Yes. Each soul is unique, just like you are now. No one is exactly like you. Your soul can live in anything. We are, in fact, dead. But we use these bodies so you will feel comfortable. But my soul and Clarence’s soul can live in anything.
 
Maybe they may find a reason for a soul to be claimed and then use it for a particular purpose on the Surface.”
 
“Hold on! Are you saying that your soul can be put into something else, another body perhaps, and made to do work on the Surface, like where I live, and you once lived?”
 
“Now he’s catching on Clarence.”
 
“I knew he would get it. He’s pretty sharp.”
 
“When you first die, how does your soul get claimed and why?” I asked.
 
“If you were a good Christian, or follower of any faith, then the soul will be claimed by the Light. If you were an evil, selfish bastard and lived as a criminal or were an awful person, then your soul will be claimed by the Dark.
 
If you were somewhere in the middle, then you may not get claimed until much later, only if there is a need for you.”
 
I sat back and tried taking this all in. Then Clarence said, “It’s a lot to think about. Go grab some beers, and let’s take a break for a moment.”
 
I grabbed the beers for Clarence and Lisa and sat back down. I was still seeing everything clearly outside, and even with all this information, Lisa was still catching my eye.
 
She got up and went into the kitchen to grab some snacks. I don’t know why, but it seemed like she was deliberately trying to get my attention with the way she moved and looked for things in the kitchen.
 
When she came back and sat down next to me again, she sat even closer and started putting cookies directly into my mouth.
 
I was under a spell of some sort but could care less about trying to get out of it.
 
Then Clarence said, “Are you starting to figure out what we’re saying?”
 
“Mostly. I mean, I’m not sure of these sides you’re referring to who claim your soul. Are they Heaven and Hell?”
 
They both started laughing. “Sort of,” Lisa said.
 
‘What’s the need for them to claim souls for, to begin with?” I asked.
 
“To fight for supremacy. You know, good over evil,” Lisa answered. Think about it like this; for ten-thousand years, the Light and the Dark have been fighting for control. Civilizations that never fight others, cause harm to Mother Nature, and use only the resources they need, are usually claimed by the Light.
 
For those civilizations that are always looking for world domination, they will be claimed by the Dark.
 
These Forces of Souls then roam the Surface looking to get others to come to their side. To tempt them to choose a side or to get them to lean to one side or the other.”
 
“Is that like the good angel and the demon on either side of your shoulder kind of thing?”
 
“Yes. But the roaming souls can take any human body, animal, or even a machine or computer and live within them. They work tirelessly to get you to either perform for the good or the bad.”
 
I paused and thought for a moment, then asked, “Right now, there are roaming souls that interact with us in every capacity and try to influence us to join them?”
 
“Hot shit! I think he has it, Lisa,” Clarence excitedly shouted.
 
Then she put all the junk food on the table next to her and repositioned herself, turning her body toward me and putting her legs over mine.
 
“Does this bother you, Alex?”
 
I was absolutely aroused by the pot they gave me and found her so attractive. But then I thought of my wife. This wasn’t right. Then again, being under the graveyard, talking with dead people about roaming souls wasn’t right either.
 
Plus, I was no Casanova. I would never have someone as attractive and sexy as Lisa appears to me now, come on to me like this in the real world. I felt lucky and special. But I know she wanted it that way.
 
But I did enjoy what was happening. “No, you’re good,” I replied.
 
“Clarence. Have you had other people come in here like me? People that you’ve known in the past?”
 
“No.”
 
“So, I am your first visitor to walk in here and leave in that elevator since you died?”
 
“Yep. You’re it.”
 
“Then how can I be able to do this, other than I have a soul?”
 
As soon as I finished that question, Clarence jumped in his chair and yelled at the TV, “You dumb son-of-a-bitch! That’s an error, and you could have cost us the game.”
 
Lisa then started to move her legs around on my lap, trying to get me more aroused and obviously, take my mind off of what I just asked.
 
I quickly made up an excuse to get up from Lisa’s grip. “Do you have a bathroom I can use, Clarence?”
 
“Sure. It’s down the hall to the left. Just like it was before.”
 
“Thanks.”
 
I looked over at Lisa and asked, “Do you mind if I get up and go?”
 
“I guess I can let you do that. We don’t want any premature accidents, do we?”
 
“No. We don’t.”
 
Lisa took her legs off of me, and I stood up and walked into the bathroom. I closed the door and just sat down on the toilet. “What am I going to do?” I whispered to myself.
 
As I was thinking about my next move, I could hear them talking to each other, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
 
I knew I needed to get out of there and get back home, or I would be sleeping with Lisa before long. I couldn’t do that to my wife.
 
I flushed the toilet, pretending I finished and washed my hands. When I walked back into the living room, Lisa was gone.
 
“Where did Lisa go?”
 
“She needed to go check on something. She said she may be back later.”
 
“OK. Well, Clarence, I should probably be going. I do have work to do at home.”
 
“I understand. I do appreciate you coming over. We would love to have you back again soon.”
 
“I can do that.”
 
As I was shaking his hand, he looked up at me, released my hand and then said, “Lisa and I can give you something you don’t have now and believe you will enjoy.”
 
“What’s that?”
 
“You’ll have to come back to find out.”
 
“If it’s cheating on my wife, I think I better abstain from it.”
 
“Oh, it’s better than that! Come back soon, and we’ll talk.”
 
All I could do was just wonder what he was talking about. But I needed to go now, or I feared I may never leave.
 
I said goodbye and headed out of his room toward the elevator. The pathway was dark. No windows, no sunshine. Just dark, dirt walls and floor, with a weird pungent smell.
 
I walked on the pitch-black path toward where I hoped the elevator would be, again using my right hand as a guide. I thought about the walls being where peoples coffins were buried and this path going in between them.
 
I walked until I felt like I reached the point where the elevator should be. I stopped and just waited. After a few minutes, I started to think of the possibility of it not coming. “Shit, what would happen if no elevator came?” I said silently to myself. This reminds me of last time.
 
Then, I heard the chime, and the doors opened to a lit elevator. I thought, “That was scary.”
 
I walked inside and turned to face the area I just came from. With the elevator lights illuminating the outside, it looked like we were about ten feet underground, and everything was covered in dirt. We were definitely under the cemetery.
 
The doors closed and we ascended. Within a moment, they opened back up, and there was the graveyard, fully lit, with no storm-like clouds covering the area.
 
I stepped out and turned, and started walking up the hill, toward the street.
 
Just like last time, when I got to the sidewalk along the street, I turned to look behind me and noticed the building housing the elevator was gone.
 
Then it dawned on me that it felt like it was afternoon. Once I crossed the street, I pulled out my phone and couldn’t believe it, it was already 3:00 p.m. Where did the time go?
 
My phone’s alerts displayed that I had missed calls, two being with my wife. As I kept walking, I listened to the messages, “Hey sweetie. Calling you on my lunch. Hope you’re doing OK. Not sure where you’re at. Call me if you can. I have about 15-minutes left. Love you, bye!”
 
Then the next one said, “Hey Alex. I’m on my way home early. Not feeling too good so I left 30-minutes early. See you soon. Love you!”
 
“Oh, damn. I may run into her,” I said out loud. I picked up the pace and huffed it home. When I got close to our house, I noticed she wasn’t there yet. I felt relief and quickly went inside.
 
I changed out of my workout clothes and jumped on my computer. Within a few minutes, I heard her car pull into the driveway. I walked out to give her a hand since she said she wasn’t feeling well.
 
“How are you feeling, Honey?”
 
“My tummy is feeling sick. There is a stomach bug going around work. I hope I don’t have it.”
 
“Me too. We don’t need that.”
 
Once we got into the house, she put her purse and briefcase down and came over to give me a hug. “You smell,” she said.
 
“I do?”
 
“Yes. Were you out walking earlier?”
 
“Yes. I guess I need to take a shower.”
 
“I tried calling you several times today.”
 
“I just noticed that a bit ago. I guess my phone has been acting up today. Sorry about that.”
 
“It’s OK. I just missed talking with you. I’m going to go to the bathroom, take a shower, and maybe lay down for a bit. Hopefully, I’ll feel better when I wake up.”
 
“OK, Babe. I hope you feel better too.”
 
As I sat back down on my computer, I started to think about how close that was. I couldn’t figure out how time went by so fast. I felt like I was there for just an hour or so. But I left here this morning around 10:15 a.m.?
 
And what is going on with the talk of these souls being claimed? Should I tell my wife, Ruth? She may think I’m having some mental problems or forbid me to go back there.
 
Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m going to do for now. But Clarence did say he had something I would enjoy. What could be better than being with Lisa?


Part 3.
 
 
You’ve heard of the expression “forbidden fruit?” It is the desire to have something you can’t. What was Clarence offering me that I would enjoy?”
 
For days after my visit with him and Lisa, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It interfered with my work, my sleep, even my morning walks, were consumed with this offer. What could it be?
 
After a week, I was mentally exhausted in trying to figure out what the offer meant, so I knew the next time he invited me over, I would accept.
 
Sure enough, the very morning I made up my mind, he called. I had a feeling it was him because the caller ID was displaying “unknown caller,” just as before.”
 
“Hello.”
 
“Alex. Get your ass over here and let’s hang out. Lisa is here, and she wants to party.”
 
Him telling me Lisa was there, was like offering a starving man a buffet.
 
It was only 10:00 a.m. “I’m on my way.”
 
I hung up and took a shower. Put some decent clothes on, a splash of cologne, and headed out. I also made sure to grab some protection, just in case, it did get hot with Lisa.
 
On my way over, I did think about what I was doing. I thought about my Ruth and how she would feel knowing I cheated on her. But damn. I’m going below a cemetery talking with dead people in purgatory. Would any of it make sense if she found out?
 
Just as before, I followed the same direction on the trail, entered the graveyard from behind and headed toward the still non-existent building.
 
The few clouds in the sky built into dark storm clouds and soon the building appeared. Once in front of the elevator, I was excited. No longer scared. I felt this yearning desire to be with Lisa and have a good time. No caution, no reservations, I was all in.
 
The elevators doors opened, and I quickly walked inside and turned to face the front. The doors slowly closed and descended a short distance. The doors reopened, and there was the underbelly of the cemetery I was just standing on.
 
I walked toward Clarence’s room, much quicker than the two times before. I saw the flickering light and walked even faster. I reached his room and turned inside. There he was, sitting in his recliner, beer in his left hand, cigarette in his right, watching baseball.
 
“Hey, Clarence. How’s it going?”
 
“Hey, Alex. It’s going well. How are you?” he asked as he turned away from the TV and looked at me.
 
“Grab a beer for yourself and one for me.”
 
“OK. I grabbed the beers and noticed Lisa wasn’t in the room. I didn’t want to ask where she was right away, because I was afraid he would think I was there just to see her, not him. But the truth is, I was there to see her and hear more about what he was referring to that I would enjoy so much.
 
I handed him his beer, shook his hand, and sat down in my usual spot.
 
“So how are things on the Surface, Alex?”
 
“Not bad. A lot of bullshit though.”
 
“What do you mean?”
 
“You know, rude drivers, inconsiderate, selfish people running things. The same crap as when you were there, but worse.”
 
“I know. I see it down here. I watch the news. People are losing their minds.”
 
“They are. It’s getting scary.”
 
I took a few sips of beer, trying to push the conversation along without asking where Lisa was or what he had to tell me.
 
Then he reached over and grabbed a package on his table next to his chair. He opened it up and pulled out a joint. Then he closed it and sat it on the left side of the recliner arm, toward me. He didn’t say anything about it, but I suspected it was going to be brought up shortly.
 
“Here, fire this bastard up,” as he handed me the joint.
 
“Thanks, Clarence. I quickly lit it and took a few hits on it. I then handed it over to him and he did the same.
 
Just as before, within a few minutes, the dirt walls became paneling and windows. The dark outside was lit in brilliant sunshine.
 
“Damn, I love this stuff! Do you see the windows and sunshine too when you smoke this stuff?”
 
“Sure do. It’s a nice relief from the total darkness we have down here.”
 
“Who supplies this stuff?”
 
“We have a dealer who brings it around every week and sells it.”
 
“How much does he sell it for, and how do you pay for it?”
 
“It can be expensive. It’s paid in credits.”
 
“Credits?”
 
“Yes. You have to earn them. Then you can buy things like electricity to run my TV, marijuana, you can smoke to see sunlight, treats, and snacks, beer, etc.”
 
“If you don’t have the credits, then you can’t have your TV or any beer?”
 
“Right.”
 
“What would you do then? With no sunshine, can you see out your windows?”
 
“No. I see exactly what you see. Dirt walls, dirt floor, no windows.”
 
“Shit. That sucks! How do you earn the credits?”
 
“You have to do certain things to help one side or the other.”
 
Clarence was being very short in his answers and required me to keep asking questions.
 
“Are you referring to the Light and Dark sides?”
 
“Yes. We volunteer to help with whatever they need help with. When we do, we get credits to use for the things we want.”
 
“How have you been earning credits?”
 
Clarence paused. Took a few sips of beer and then looked at me and said, “I got you here and to come back, twice.”
 
I didn’t know how to interpret his answer. So, I took a few sips of beer.
 
“Clarence, you got me here to earn yourself credits. That was it?”
 
“No. I got you here because I wanted the company. I also knew you could help Lisa and me.”
 
“How did you get me in here in the first place, and how can I help?”
 
“You walked into the graveyard. Most people don’t walk through one unless they’re there to visit someone. But you did it for a short-cut, for a tour of where dead people lay in rest.
 
Once you were inside the graveyard, it was easy for me to manipulate you to take the elevator down here, just by calling you.
 
“What if I didn’t listen to the message or answer the phone?”
 
“Then you probably wouldn’t have been willing to come down.”
 
“I felt like I was trapped. That I couldn’t turn around and leave. When I tried, I went nowhere. Was there a way out?”
 
“Yes. You could have gone forward, up the hill next to the elevator, toward the road. The same way you take when you leave here.”
 
“Well, I’m glad I came down and saw you and Lisa. Now, what can I do to help?”
 
“We need to have someone flip to the Dark side. Then we will get a tremendous amount of credits to last for a while. We can purchase other items; like having a pool, sunlight throughout the day (not just when we get high), and we can visit other places outside of here.
 
It would be far better than just sitting here all day and night and only seeing the sunlight a few hours here and there. It’s so boring down here.”
 
“What would I need to do to get someone to flip?”
 
“You can be part of the Forces of Souls and help corrupt those that do good.”
 
“OK. Hold on Clarence. This is really getting creepy. I know so little about all of this, and now, you’re asking me to help you and Lisa be part of this Forces of Souls.”
 
“You don’t have to. In fact, you can just walk out of here right now.”
 
“You told me before I left last time that I would enjoy something, and you would tell me the next time I came. Is that part of this? Because what’s in it for me?”
 
“We will send you out of here with a little power.”
 
“Like magic power?”
 
“Yes. You will have the ability to persuade people to do what you want. Then you will get them to commit evil acts, thus turning them to the Dark side.”
 
“Then what happens? Will they die?”
 
“Then, when they die, they will be on our side. Another one for the team.”
 
“Why can’t I persuade them to choose the Light side?”
 
“Because Lisa and I feel like we have a much better chance of being claimed by the Dark side than the Light.”
 
“How can I persuade them?”
 
“It’s simple. Just shake their hand.”
 
“That’s it. Shake their hand?”
 
“Yes. You will be sending their soul and brain a powerful pulse of persuasion. Each time you do it, the stronger it will become.”
 
“And what will I be persuading them to do?”
 
“Whatever you want. As long as it’s evil, criminal, or wrong.”
 
I admit. I let this magic ability go quickly to my head. Hormones were at the forefront of my thinking.
 
“What about getting a married woman to have an affair with me?”
 
“That’s a good one, and yes, since it is wrong, it will work. Better yet if you can break up a family and have the husband killed.”
 
“Holy crap, Clarence. Are you kidding me?”
 
Clarence started laughing.  “Yes, shit, I’m just joking about that last part.”
 
“Thank God!”
 
Then Clarence picked up the package sitting on the arm of the chair and pulled out another joint. This time, he lit it himself, took a few hits, then passed it to me.”
 
“I’m not sure I should. I’m still seeing sunlight pretty good.”
 
“Oh, you’ll want to take a few hits. Then I’ll show you what’s in the package.”
 
I eagerly wanted to see what was inside and was hoping to see Lisa. I took the joint from him and took a few hits before trying to pass it back.
 
“No. Keep it and take a few more.”
 
“OK. As you request.”
 
Once done, I got up and fetched a few more beers. As soon as I came back and sat down, I begin to feel very sensual and aroused. The sunshine was very bright outside, and a feeling of being indestructible started washing over me.
 
I then drank more of my beer when Clarence asked me, “So what do you think? Will you help us?”
 
“I’d really like to see Lisa first. You told me she was going to be here.”
 
“She is. She wanted me to give you something before seeing you.”
 
“OK. What is it?”
 
“Here, it’s in this package.”
 
Clarence handed me the package that's been resting on the arm of his recliner. I opened the top and reached inside.”
 
“Pull it out,” he said.
 
I did. It was a pair of woman’s lace panties.
 
“Those are Lisa’s. She said if you’re interested, she’s in her room.”
 
I just stared at them. I was under a serious spell, and I knew there was no turning back.
 
“How will I get this power of persuasion?”
 
“Once you leave here, you will have it. We’ll keep in touch via text. Have fun with Lisa!”
 
“Where's she at?”
 
“Go out of here, just like you’re going to the elevator. When you feel an opening to your right, go down that path. Look for the flickering candles.”
 
I quickly got up, tucked her panties in my right front pocket, shook his hand goodbye, and headed out. I guided myself down the dark passageway until I felt like I was close to where the elevator may be.
 
I felt the opening he was talking about and turned in that direction. This pathway was also pitch black. I kept walking and soon saw what looked like a faint, flickering light coming from down the path.
 
As I got closer, the flickering candlelight was getting brighter. I reached the room on the right that was aglow with many different kinds of candles burning on a table in the middle of the room.
 
I walked in and then heard her voice, “Alex, I’m back here waiting for you.”
 
I quickly made my way back to her bedroom, where she also had candles burning on her nightstand and dresser. She was laying on the bed, wearing a silk teddy and looked absolutely beautiful.
 
It was at that time, that very moment, I knew there was no going back. Right or wrong, I was all in.


Part 4.
​

I will spare you the details of how our time was spent. But I will tell you that an hour and a half later, we laid next to each other and then she asked me, “Are you going to help Clarence and I earn credits?”
 
Thinking to myself, “This would not be the last time I’d be intimate with Lisa, the woman with the nineteen-year-old body I just made love too,” I promptly said, “Yes.”
 
She was excited and rolled on top of me and whispered, “I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of, Alex.”
 
I was in way too deep. But now I knew I’d better be going home and finding out what this new magic persuasion can actually do.
 
As I got up and dressed, Lisa laid in bed just watching me. “You know Alex, you’re so hot! I can’t wait until we do this again.”
 
My goodness. My head was delirious, and my body was in her control. I kissed her goodbye and headed back up the path to the elevator. As I reached the end of the wall, I stopped. I couldn’t see a thing but sure felt like this was the place to be.
 
“If I go left, that would lead me back to Clarence’s room. This must be it,” I silently said to myself.
 
I waited for about two minutes, in dead silence. Then finally, I heard the chime. The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. A moment later, the doors closed, and I ascended back to the Surface, as I was told this was now called.
 
When the doors opened, I was stunned! It was dark out. I walked out, turned, and was barely able to see the hill to the right of the elevator. I climbed it and began walking toward the street.
 
With all the trees covering much of the cemetery, the moonlight was blocked in many places, and I found it hard to see. I tripped over a few rocks and even a gravestone. “Son-of-a-bitch, that hurt!” I yelled.
 
I couldn’t understand why it was so dark. Every time before, it was still daylight when I left. But the last time, it went from morning to afternoon quickly.
 
“Was I in there that long?” I thought. Man, maybe an hour with Clarence and almost two with Lisa. The time shouldn’t be any later than 2:30 p.m., the latest.
 
When I reached the street, there weren’t as many cars going by. I pulled out my phone and discovered why. It was 10:00 p.m. at night.
 
“Holy F**k!!” I shouted. “What the hell happened?!”
 
I started jogging home, and then my cell phone signal came back. Then came all of the notifications. One after another. I knew Ruth was scared and probably thought something happened to me.
 
My heart was pounding, and I was now in deep crap. What am I going to say when I get home?
 
I didn’t even bother listening to the messages or looking at my texts. I knew they were all from Ruth wondering where I was. Plus, listening to someone’s messages over time, especially when they’re worried about you, will make me feel even worse hearing how concerned she kept getting.
 
As I got to about one block away, I still didn’t have an excuse or explanation of where I’ve been. I just wanted to get home.
 
As I approached my house, I noticed the front porch light was on, expecting my arrival. I put my key into the front door lock, and before I could turn it, she opened it with my key still inside.
 
“Where have you been?! I’ve been worried sick about you.”
 
I walked in and gave her a big hug. “I’m sorry, I went over a friend’s house, and we drank a few beers, and I did a few of these drugs that he told me would help me relax. I must have passed out for quite a while.”
 
“Wow! Since when did you start doing drugs and who is this friend who gave them to you?”
 
“I don’t think you know him. He’s someone I met through my business.”
 
Ruth appeared to buy what I was saying. The funny part was, I didn’t even know where this story came from. My mind was blank when I put the key in the door. But as soon as she opened it, I started telling her this lie out of nowhere.
 
“Well, I’m concerned about what he gave you. Do you even know?”
 
“No. He just said it was some kind of chill pill. I guess my body really chilled.”
 
After a few minutes of us talking about her day, I went to take a shower. I had Lisa all over my body and in my mind.
 
As I was drying off, I heard her say from the bedroom, “What the hell is this?”
 
I immediately thought I got caught somehow.
 
I walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist to my dresser, to grab some clean underwear. As I was putting them on, I looked at her sitting on the bed and asked, “Is everything OK?”
 
“Well, it will be if you can explain who’s these are?”
 
She held up Lisa’s panties that Clarence gave me.
 
“Where did you find those? Are they yours?” I innocently asked.
 
“Hell, no they’re not mine. I haven’t been able to fit into something that small in over twenty years. I found them in your front pocket while I was going to do a load of laundry.”
 
Before I could think of an explanation, the words just shot right out, “I picked them up for you.”
 
“For me?! You know I don’t wear this kind of underwear anymore. Plus, they’re too small. In fact, they look used.”
 
To my surprise, she smelled them. “They are used. This is from another female. Who the hell were you with, Alex?!”
 
“Nobody, I swear. I will come clean. I took them from Bob’s house. They were his wife’s. She is much younger.”
 
“So, you’re telling me that you took a pair of Bob’s wife’s underwear, put it in your pocket and took it with you. Then you show up here after 10:00 p.m. tonight and expect me to believe this bullshit?”
 
“I know. It’s wrong to take someone’s belongings. I know how it looks.”
 
“It looks like you’re some kind of pervert or something. What if he caught you? What if someone came in here and took a pair of my underwear, not that they would take a pair of my granny panties, but still, how would you feel?”
 
“I know, it would be bad.”
 
I wanted to comfort her and see if this new magic really worked. I was shaken and against the ropes. I was caught, and she had every reason to be upset.
 
I walked up to her and gave her a hug. She started to pull away, but I said, “I’m really sorry.”
 
She embraced me, and then I released my hug and looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, and I won’t let it happen again. I held out my hand to offer a promise shake.
 
She looked at my hand as If I was kidding or something. I said to her, “Let’s shake on it.”
 
She grabbed my hand and shook it.
 
“Hmm,” I thought. “I don’t think anything happened.”
 
Then she sat down on the bed and shocked me with this comment, “I know to trust you. You never lie. I’m sorry for doubting you, Alex.”
 
I was astonished! Did I really hear her correctly?
 
I went along with it, “It’s alright, baby. I understand how you may have felt that something was going on, and you were just concerned about me.”
 
Then, she stood up and started taking off her clothes and said, “Take me now!”
 
I was in complete, utter shock. But I did what my wife asked of me.
 
Afterward, she fixed me a plate from the dinner she had made earlier and went to bed. As I was eating her pot roast, I thought, “Holy cow! This worked. This magic persuasion worked! Now, I’ve got work to do. And I’m going to enjoy this!
 
That night, I was drained. First with Lisa, then my wife. But boy, did I feel great! I went to bed and slept like a rock.
 
The next morning, I awoke and started working on the computer. Around 9:30 a.m., I received a text from the unknown number. It said, “How was last night?”
 
I knew it was Clarence. But I wasn’t sure if he was referring to my time with Lisa or Ruth.
 
I wrote back, “Fantastic!” and left it at that.
 
Then he wrote back, “Tried the handshake yet?”
 
“Yes. On my wife, because I was so late. Not sure why time seems to slip away when I’m there?”
 
“Did it work?”
 
“Yes. It did.”
 
“Good! Now go create some evil and bring those credits home to Lisa and me. Have fun!”
 
“Thanks!”
 
I had a ton of ideas swirling around in my head. Who should I corrupt? But then it dawned on me, so many people are already corrupt. They’re greedy, selfish, self-centered, and downright arrogant. I guess it won’t take too much.
 
Later that day, Ruth called to say hi and tell me we were invited to go to a housewarming party for our friends, Dina and Jack, this weekend.
 
I was happy to hear that because Dina is a stay at home mom with two young kids and takes great care of herself. Her husband, Jack, is often out of town for business meetings, which leaves her by herself taking care of the kids for two to three days at a time.
 
Ruth has told me Dina resents her husband’s job sometimes, but also knows it pays the bills.
 
But boy, my mind was already thinking about Dina, the family, and Jack. Now all I needed to do was just wait.
 
Saturday morning, I knew I was in store for a treat. At 6:00 p.m. this evening, I would be shaking Dina’s hand and seducing her at the same time.
 
I made sure I showered and shaved before heading over. Ruth went out earlier and bought a nice toaster. She had it wrapped with a bow.
 
“Are you sure the toaster is going to be enough? I mean, we’ve known these people for over ten years and spent a lot of time together,” I asked her.
 
“This toaster is what they wanted. It costs $75.”
 
“Shit. That’s an expensive bread warmer.”
 
“It’s a name brand with a lot of extra features.”
 
“Will it butter your toast for you, too?”
 
“Smart ass.”
 
“Alright, let’s get going. I don’t want to miss any of the food.”
 
“Are you starving or something? You had lunch.”
 
“Yes, but for $75, I want to make sure I get some food for my money.”
 
“You’re such a cheap bastard.”
 
We arrived on time, and there were already a few visitors there.
 
“You see, already, people arrived early because they can’t help themselves. I hate when people arrive early to someone’s house. It makes them seem desperate. Like they’ve got nothing else to do.”
 
“Well, maybe they don’t.”
 
“Listen, you can show up to work early and sit around and drink some coffee and bullshit, but don’t show up to someone’s house early. Look at us, we’re still getting the place ready before our guests arrive.”
 
“Yes, dear.”
 
After knocking on the door, I waited in anticipation to see Dina. But Jack opened the door instead and invited us in. We met some of the other guests that arrived early, and yes, a few already had a plate of food they were eating. Pigs!
 
When we walked into the kitchen, Dina was there making drinks. “Hey Dina, it’s nice to see you,” I excitedly said. I held out my hand, but she ignored it and went for the hug instead.
 
“You are kidding me, right? No handshake for you, we’ve known each other for too many years,” she said as she leaned in with an embrace.
 
I’ve always had my eye on Dina, but knew with two kids, she wouldn’t be as prone to fool around. But now, I simply didn’t care.
 
This is their first home. They’ve been in a furnished apartment for their first ten years, and most of their appliances were hand-me-downs or bought used. Dina wanted to get some new things for the kitchen and home.
 
She offered us a tour of the house, which we gladly accepted.
 
“Come on, guys, you’re going to love this place. Since you’ve already seen the living room and kitchen, let’s go check out the bedrooms and bathrooms.
 
We walked into the first bedroom down the hall. “This is Stacey’s room. As you can see, it’s decorated with all the Princesses.”
 
Then we walked into the room across the hall. “This is Robbie’s room. It is all themed with baseball, of course.”
 
She showed us the bathrooms, and then we walked upstairs. 
 
“Here, we have a craft and hobby room.”
 
“This place is gorgeous, Dina. What a great house,” Ruth said.
 
“Thanks, Ruth. Now here is my favorite room, the master bedroom.
 
We walked into this large room with a canopy-covered king bed, reading chair in one corner, and a beautiful two sink en suite.
 
“Look, a Jacuzzi hot tub and, check this out, a cave shower with a super rain head and water jets on the sides.”
 
The shower was a wrap-around, walk-in with glazed glass bricks for the outside. All I could do was think about being in there with Dina.
 
We then viewed the garage and the backyard. When we finished the tour, I then reached out my hand to her and said, “Congratulations, Dina. This is a beautiful house.”
 
She reached out her hand and started shaking mine. As she did, she looked into my eyes and said in a low, sensual voice, “Thanks, Alex. I’m glad you like it.”


Part 5.
​


After the tour, we ate, and more guests showed up. We all sat in the living room as Dina and Jack opened their housewarming gifts. I was a little worried ours wouldn’t be good enough, but Ruth was right, they loved it.
 
As the party started wrapping up, Ruth and I stayed to help them clean up. At around 9:00 p.m., Dina put the kids to bed, and the four of us went out on the back porch and sat down next to the pool to have a drink.
 
“So, what do you think of all your gifts?” Ruth asked them.
 
“Wonderful. We are thrilled to have so many new things to play with,” Dina answered. “Of course, Jack won’t have a need for many of them, because he is out of town so much,” Dina jokingly said.
 
We talked for about an hour and had another drink. We knew they were tired, so we decided to get going. We made plans to see them next Saturday to have a cook-out and swim.
 
As we were getting ready to leave, I made sure to press myself against Dina when giving her a hug. She looked at me and just smiled.
 
After, I thought about what anyone would say if they saw me do that. “I’d better be cool. I don’t want to get caught,” I thought.
 
As we headed home, Ruth asked me, “Do you know the neighbors who just moved in next door to us?”
 
“I don’t know them personally, but I’ve seen them at the mailbox a few times and said hi. Why do you ask?”
 
“Maybe we should invite them over for dinner soon. We never invite anyone over from the neighborhood, and they probably don’t know anyone yet.”
 
I tried to remember what the wife or girlfriend looked like. But I couldn’t.
 
Sure, we should do that. The next time I see them, I’ll let them know they’re invited for a dinner at a future date.”
 
“That sounds good. We need to make sure we know our neighbors. My friend Vicky, at work, was telling me their neighborhood had several recent break-ins. She said that was the first time they met each other. Imagine that, only after several of them got robbed and they started asking others if it happened to them, did they get to know each other.”
 
Later that evening, I was watching TV and thought about Dina. “Man, she did look good today. Then again, she always looks good.
 
But what am I doing? I’ve already had relations with Lisa, now I’m coming on to Dina, and then maybe the next-door neighbor?
 
This wasn’t like me. I am a churchgoer. Not a bible thumper, but I do go to church (most Sundays), and I say my prayers every day.
 
I’m starting to feel preoccupied with sex. Heck, I still have Lisa’s panties in my drawer. Ruth never threw them out because she was persuaded that I’m innocent.”
 
I wasn’t even watching TV, I was just in deep thought, watching the moving pictures.
 
As I continued to re-evaluate what I was doing, I received a text. I looked at my phone, and it was from a number I didn’t recognize. It said, “What are you doing?”
 
I wasn’t sure how to reply. But just as the words randomly shot out of my mouth when I came home late, and what I just did with Dina, things just seem to happen with little control on my part.
 
I texted back, “Who is this?”
 
“This is someone who is `hot’ for your body.”
 
“Oh, damn. Who the hell is this?” I thought.
 
Ruth was in the bathroom, and I didn’t know when she’d be coming back into the living room. I surely didn’t want her to see this on my phone. But as before, I seemed to have little control.
 
I texted back, “Do I know you?”
 
“Oh, yes. You gave me the signal. Looking forward to next week.”
 
“This must be Dina,” I thought. Wow, that persuasion was quick and powerful. I don’t think she’s ever texted me personally. She always texted Ruth. Now, she’s coming on to me. A mom with two kids and a husband.”
 
I also knew I had Lisa and Clarence to think about. “Oh, Lisa. That was enough there. It’s going to be tough to be evil,” I thought to myself, with a chuckle.
 
The next day, while working at my computer, I got a text from Clarence, “Come by tomorrow, around 9:00 a.m. Got more good news to share with you!”
 
I texted back, “Sure. See you then.”
 
I was hoping that maybe it was more magic I could use. Plus, I’m sure I would see Lisa.
 
In the morning, I set off to the graveyard. Followed the path to the elevator and took it down below the Surface. I walked down the hall, feeling more confident than ever before. I started to feel like I could just come and go whenever I wanted.
 
I walked into Clarence’s room and shook his hand. ‘What the hell is going on, Clarence?”
 
“Not much. What the hell is going on with you, Alex?”
 
I grabbed a beer for both of us and sat on the couch. “Well, I made a move on this friend of ours named Dina. She has two little kids and a husband. I’m going for the affair, break-up and maybe something happening to Jack.”
 
As soon as I said that last part, I jerked myself back into reality. What the f**k did I just say?!” Jack is my close friend. They’re our friends. What am I saying?”
 
“Well, that’s good to hear! Don’t let Lisa know about this girl, though. She may get jealous.”
 
“You think?”
 
“Oh, I know. You can use your new magic persuasion for anything. It doesn’t have to be to have for an affair. You do have Lisa for that.”
 
“You’re right, Clarence. I didn’t think of it that way. It’s just, well, I’m not good looking or have a great physique. I’m doing what I never could or will probably ever be able to do.”
 
“Do whatever you want. You can corrupt a priest and earn serious credits if you want. But this will work too.”
 
“Corrupt a priest? What would I have to do, persuade him to sleep with an altar server?” I said, laughing. “They already do that.”
 
Clarence was laughing too. Yeah, some of them are real pieces of shit when they do that. I bet hell has a special place for them.”
 
Then I said, “But wouldn’t God forgive them if they asked?”
 
“Yes. But it doesn’t mean he’ll want the priest afterward. He may be sent here for a long time.”
 
Clarence pulled out a joint and sparked it up. He passed it over, and I took a few hits. After the sunlight lit the outside, and I had a good buzz going, Lisa came walking in. She was wearing tight, Black nylon short-shorts and a t-shirt that only covered half her belly.
 
“What’s going on, my Alex?” she said as she sauntered in and over to the fridge. She started looking for special brews in the refrigerator, knowing good and well I was watching her bend all the way over while she was doing so.
 
“Clarence, where are the Gomes?”
 
“They should be in the bottom drawer.”
 
“I found them. Want one?”
 
“No, thanks. That shit knocks my d**k in the dirt.”
 
“Don’t worry Clarence, I’ll help you find it,” she replied.
 
“I’m sure Alex wants one, though.”
 
“Oh, Alex is definitely going to have one.”
 
“What is Gomes? (pronounced Go Me’s) I asked.
 
“Oh, you’ll find out, my Alex,” Lisa said as she twisted off the caps and came over to hand me one.
 
The bottle was Blue, with a Red ribbon around the top and a Gold one wrapped around the bottom.
 
She then sat down on my lap and tapped her bottle against mine and said, “Cheers.”
 
I took a sip. It tasted awful and was very bitter. “This tastes like shit,” I said.
 
They both started cracking up.
 
“It does have a taste that needs to be acquired,” Clarence said.
 
As I started drinking, Lisa would move around slightly, to get my juices flowing. Within ten minutes, I began to feel much different. I started to feel like everything was surreal. Not that sitting under a graveyard talking with two dead people wasn’t surreal, but this was on a new level.
 
I felt comfortable and started putting my hands all over Lisa. She didn’t care, and we just kept talking.
 
Then Clarence said to me, “Alex, there are more powers we can give you. But we needed to see how you would do with the first one.”
 
Oh, man! I was completely in nirvana. I had this incredibly hot woman on my lap with my hands all over her, my wife is convinced she was the bad guy, Dina is looking forward to our next get together where she is telling me how hot I am, and now Clarence is telling me about more magic. Could it get any better?
 
Yes, it could!!!
 
But I couldn’t take it anymore. I told Lisa we needed to go to her room and take care of business. She leaned in and whispered, “I’m looking forward to it.”
 
“Clarence, can Lisa and I disappear for a bit before talking?”
 
“Well, you can if you want, but I think you’ll want to hear this first.”
 
“OK. Let’s hear it.”
 
“It’s called Transformation.”
 
“What is that?”
 
“Transformation allows you to take the form of someone or something else.”
 
“You mean I can take the form of Jack?”
 
“Yes. And you would look and talk exactly like him. Everything would be perfectly matched. You would also know all his thoughts, his memories, his feelings, everything!”
 
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
 
Lisa continued to squirm on my lap, driving me absolutely insane. This drink that I had, Gomes, and what she was doing, was keeping me off guard. If Ruth were standing in front of me, I wouldn’t tell Lisa to get off.
 
“So, if I were to become Jack, I would know everything about Dina that he knows. I would know what she likes and doesn’t like?”
 
“Exactly. But there are a few things to be cautious of.”
 
“What’s that?”
 
As soon as I asked that, Lisa started grinding on me. I could barely focus.
 
“If you Transform into someone else, and are ever killed while doing so, you will die with that person.”
 
“Wait, you mean if I’m Jack and he gets shot by Dina, I will die too?”
 
“Yes. And the next thing is,”
 
I couldn’t take it anymore. I just stood up and said, “Sorry, Clarence, I’ve got to go make love to Lisa. We’ll talk later.”
 
Lisa led me by the hand out of the room and we started running. I was right behind her, not even caring where we were going. Soon, we entered where I believe was her room and her bedroom but couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch dark.
 
 
I undressed her, then she did me. For the next hour, we made passionate love. Love as I had never felt before. I had complete control over my body and used it as a machine against hers.
 
When we finished, we laid next to each other and embraced. I fell asleep in her arms.
 
When I awoke, she was gone. I knew I had to get home. If it were nighttime again, Ruth would again be worried, and I would have to explain or persuade her of what happened.
 
Either way, I had a terrible headache and needed to find my clothes and then my way out, in pitch black darkness.


Part 6.
 
 
I couldn’t see a thing. I got off the bed on my hands and knees and started feeling around for my clothes. I swept my hands back and forth but felt nothing on the compact, dirt floor.
 
“Where the hell are they,” I said out loud.
 
“Lisa. Lisa. Are you in here somewhere?”
 
There was no response. I kept feeling around the bed. “They’ve got to be here somewhere. I need my clothes to go home,” I said to myself.
 
I searched all the way around the bed but couldn’t find anything.
 
I stood up and felt for the wall to find a way out. The last time I came here, she had candles burning, and I could see a hallway that led from her living room to the bedroom.
 
I found the wall next to where I thought the hallway was and started walking, using my left hand on the wall as a guide, just as I’ve done before.
 
I walked slowly, knowing I could run into something, which I did anyway. It appeared to be a small table. I walked around it and then found a doorway.
 
“I hope this is the hallway,” I said.
 
I made a left and started walking down the hallway, now keeping my right hand on the dirt wall.
 
I couldn’t recall the exact path Lisa, and I took to get here because my mind was on her and we were running. But this seemed to be the path I took from the time before.
 
I stopped and just waited to see if the elevator would open. I waited for at least five minutes, but nothing happened. “Maybe I need to walk further,” I said.
 
I started walking again and then heard this terrible sounding yell. It sounded like someone was in pure agony. I stopped. 
 
“What the hell was that?” I said out loud.
 
Then I heard it again. It sounded like a grown man being tortured. The sound was coming from down the hall where I was just at.
 
“Man, that doesn’t sound good at all,” I thought.
 
I was quickly becoming nervous and anxious. My heart started beating faster.
 
The yelling in pain got louder and seemed to be coming my way. I began walking forward, quickly, trying to keep my distance.
 
Again, and again, this awful, agonizing yell came closer and closer, even as I kept walking faster.
 
Then, I ran smack into a wall in front of me. “Shit!” I yelled while holding my head.
 
I had slammed into it hard. It was hurting! I felt around the left side, but there was a wall there too. It was like I was at a dead end. The sound kept getting closer. I turned to face what I couldn’t see. Just as I thought whatever was coming was about to be on me, I heard the elevator chime. Boy, was I relieved!
The doors to my left opened, “Thank God!” I said out loud.
 
I walked in the elevator and turned. I could see the walls, and it looked different than what I was used to seeing. The yelling stopped, and the doors closed.
 
I was breathing so hard I could hardly catch my breath. I looked at the floor and noticed my clothes there. I picked them up and got dressed. My phone was in my back pocket where I left it. The elevator ascended, and when it stopped, the doors opened. It was dark outside again.
 
I was so relieved to be back on the Surface, I yelled, “Thank God!” 
 
I exited and ran up the hill toward the road. I couldn’t see well and again ran into a tombstone with my shin.
 
As I reached the road, I looked at my phone. It was 10:59 p.m. “Damn,” I said. “Here we go again.”
 
As I quickly crossed the street and headed home, the phone notifications began coming in one after the other. I knew what they were and who they were from.
 
I approached my house, and again, the outside light was on. I unlocked the front door and entered my house. This time, there was no Ruth. I looked in the kitchen and the living room. “Hum,” I thought.
 
I went toward the bedroom and opened the door. There she was, asleep with her nightstand light still on. I walked over to her, kissed her head, and turned the light off.
 
I undressed and got into the shower. I didn’t know what that sound was, but It scared the hell out of me! And my clothes. How did they end up in the elevator?
 
I finished my shower and went to go get something to eat. As I sat at the breakfast nook eating, I received a text. I looked at my phone but realized I still had all these other notifications on there I hadn’t cleared yet.
 
There were several voice messages from solicitors and a text message from a business associate. But there was nothing from Ruth?
 
“I wonder why she didn’t call to check on me?” I thought.
 
“Maybe it was the magic persuasion from the first time? But still, wouldn’t she be concerned?”
 
I then found the text message that just came in. It was from an unknown number and said, “You made it out this time. But you may not be so lucky the next.”
 
“Oh, no!” I said. “This isn’t good at all.”
 
Then another text came in, “Just messing with you. It’s Lisa. I was screwing with you the whole time. Bet you thought you would be going home naked, (ha, ha).”
 
I felt a ton of relief. “That was you making that sound and chasing me?” I asked.
 
“Yep. Did you enjoy it?”
 
“Not at all! You scared the crap out of me! How did you do it?”
 
“I have magic powers too, you know. And you did look sexy going down the hall naked.”
 
“You were there the whole time?”
 
“Yes. I even felt a little sorry for you once or twice. But I laughed pretty hard.”
 
“How come I couldn’t hear you laugh?”
 
“I kept my sound off. But believe me, I was laughing. Feeling better now?”
 
“Yes, now that I know it was you.”
 
“By the way, don’t forget your new magic.”
 
“How do I use it?”
 
“You’ll find out. It’s more fun to learn on your own.”
 
“Was there something else Clarence was supposed to tell me?”
 
“Not sure. I’ll check with him tomorrow.”
 
“OK. Thanks!”
 
“Any time, my Alex. I enjoy being with you. You `rocked’ my world today.”
 
“I enjoy being with you too, Lisa. You are amazing!”
 
“Talk to you soon.”
 
“OK. Talk to you soon.”
 
I was relieved to know it was Lisa pretending to chase me, and not something else. I was also glad Ruth wasn’t up waiting for me. But that was also a concern. Why not?
 
The next morning, I expected Ruth to at least ask me where I was. I passed her at breakfast, and she didn’t say a word. It’s like I never showed up after 11:00 p.m.
 
Was she under the persuasion? Does she not even care?
 
Since she didn’t say anything, I didn’t either.



Part 7.

 
 
Things were relatively quiet for the rest of the week. When Saturday came, I was excited to see Dina at the cookout and pool party.
 
I was in a good mood most of the day, and Ruth was too.
 
We arrived at their place around 5:00 p.m. We walked to their back gate and entered the backyard, as we usually do when they’re expecting company in the evening.
 
They had the patio decked out with tiki torches, a beer and drink cooler, music playing, and floats in the pool. Their two kids had just finished swimming and were taking their baths. Jack was firing up the grill, while Ruth walked into the kitchen to talk to and help Dina.
 
“How’s it going, Jack?”
 
“Great, Alex. How are you? Glad you guys could make it.
 
“Aw, I wouldn’t miss a get together with two of my closest friends.”
 
“Thanks, Alex. You’re getting fed, you don’t have to kiss my ass,” Jack said while chuckling.
 
“So, how’s the job going?”
 
“The job is good, but the travel really sucks!”
 
“I can imagine. Dina must hate it?”
 
“She does. She’s always giving me shit every time I tell her I have to leave. I feel guilty, especially leaving her with the two kids.”
 
“Why do they make you travel so much?”
 
“I need to give sales speeches about the software they sell. I need to sell them on why they need it to help their business grow. The software isn’t cheap, you know. So, I have to really put on the charm and the whole sales routine.”
 
“Do you make a commission when you sell the software?”
 
“Yes. I make a bonus each quarter I reach a certain goal. This past quarter, I made an extra $25,000. It was my best quarter yet, as I sold our premium package to three separate companies.”
 
 
“Damn dude, that great f**king money!!”
 
“It is. But most of the time, I made around $5,000 - $7,000. Sometimes, nothing at all. We make sure to put that money away and help pay for the months we don’t make a bonus or not much of one.”
 
“Do you make a decent salary too?”
 
“See, that is the negative part. Not much, but I could scrape by if I needed too. The bonus money helped us buy this house and afford vacations, which we need to plan now.”
 
Dina walked out the kitchen door with the hamburgers and sausages and handed the plate to Jack. She then came over to give me a hug and say hello.
 
“How are you doing there, big boy?” She asked flirtingly.
 
“I’m doing fine. Talking with your hubby here and having a brew. How are you doing?”
 
She stepped back, looked into my eyes, and said, “Doing better now that you and Ruth are here.”
 
Then she gave me a wink and a quick smile and walked back to the kitchen. She was wearing white shorts and a tank top. I could barely turn and face Jack when she walked away, as I wanted to watch her leave.
 
Within a few minutes, Ruth and Dina came out with the rest of the food and put it on the table. The burgers and sausages were being cooked. Dina turned up the music a little and handed out the plates.
 
“Let’s start eating the salad while the meat is cooking.”
 
Their two kids were done with their baths and came out to join us. We loaded up our plates with salad Ruth prepared at home. She always makes a great salad.
 
Dina made Ruth and me, her famous Martini.
 
“I know how much you guys love these.”
 
“You do make great Martinis Dina. They are very strong, though. Having just one, and you’re feeling a good buzz, two, you’re drunk, and three, you’re spending the night.”
 
Dina and Jack started laughing. “I believe you have spent a few nights here, Alex,” Jack said.
 
“Oh, I have.”
 
Then I thought to myself, “I may be staying tonight if I can.”
 
 
After dinner, we sat around and talked about the neighborhood and their kids and school, all while drinking another one of Dina’s strong Martinis.
 
Around 8:00 p.m., Jack said it was time for the pool. Dina went to go put the kids to bed. Ruth, Jack, and I sat around for a few minutes talking before getting up to go change.
 
I found my way into the guest bathroom, but Ruth had already taken it. I then went upstairs to try the spare room.
 
With two Martini’s in me, plus a few beers, I was a bit wobbly going up the stairs. When I reached the top, I walked into the spare bedroom. As I closed the door, I looked at the master bedroom across the hall, and there was Dina, getting undressed, with the door open.
 
I slowly started closing the door, keeping my eyes on her. Just as I was about to close it, she took off her tank top and bra and then started taking off her shorts. She then looked up and caught me looking at her as the door finally closed.
 
As I was getting undressed, I head Jack say to her as he was leaving to go downstairs, “Maybe you should close the door.”
 
I could hear him walk down the stairs. Then I heard a slight knock on the spare bedroom door. I quickly slipped on my swim trunks and told them to come in.
 
The door cracked opened, and Dina poked her head in and asked, “Everything okay in here?”
 
“Yes. Just getting changed.”
 
She looked me completely over and said, “Did you see anything you liked lately? I sure do.”
 
Again, without thinking, I opened the door and pulled her into me and said, “I can assure you, baby, I’m in love with your body.”
 
Without blinking an eye, she used her right hand to make contact with my masculinity and said, “Well then, I guess you’ll have to teach me what you know.”
 
She pulled away and started walking downstairs. All I could do was watch her walk away in her white bikini.
 
We all found our way back to the pool. Dina was making more Martinis, while Jack turned up the music, lit the tiki torches, and turned off the lights.
 
Ruth and Jack jumped in first, then Dina and I. The water was warm and relaxing. We each swam a bit then came to the side of the pool to talk and drink.
 
The music was pumping, the lighting was terrific, and the drinks Dina was making were doing their job. I was three-quarters of the way inebriated and feeling no pain.
 
Ruth was not far behind in the drinking and was feeling much giddier than I’ve seen her in a long time. Even Jack was feeling good.
 
After an hour in the pool, we all got out and sat and talked while drying off. Ruth excused herself to use the bathroom and change. Then Jack did the same.
 
With the tiki torches still glowing and there being little light where we were sitting, Dina surprised me by slipping one of her feet under my crotch.
 
At first, I jumped. She looked at me and said, “Didn’t mean to startle the giant.”
 -
“Oh, he’s quite okay.”
 
“Good. I want to feel him come alive.”
 
For the next thirty minutes, we made small talk while she moved her foot around, under, over, and even into my swim shorts.
 
We were both startled when Ruth unexpectedly walked up to the table.
 
“What are you guys talking about?”
 
Dina quickly pulled her foot away as I straightened up. I fixed my shorts. I wasn’t sure if she saw what was happening or not. She just sat down at the table and didn’t say a word.
 
A few minutes later, Jack came out and sat down and joined us.
 
We chatted for about ten minutes when Ruth suggested we go home, because she was tired, and it was late.
 
“Oh, you don’t have to leave. It’s Saturday night,” Dina said.
 
Jack then chimed in, “I’m probably going to hit the bed myself.”
 
“You two are being p***y’s.” The night is still young!” Dina proclaimed.
 
I didn’t say a word. But was crossing my fingers Ruth would change her mind.
 
“Well, if you want to sleep here tonight, go ahead. I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Ruth told me.
 
“That’s an idea. We can have another drink,” Dina suggested.
 
Then Jack spoiled it all by saying, “Honey, we have to go to church in the morning, then go see my parents. We need to get up early.”
 
“I know. You’re always the responsible one when we’re drinking,” Dina said.
 
I knew I had to be responsible here myself. “We’ll get together again. Don’t worry.”
 
Dina looked at me, surprised. As if I just killed the party. But I knew I couldn’t stay silent when Jack was wanting to go to bed, and Ruth was ready to go.
 
“Alright, I guess,” Dina conceded. “It’s getting late.
 
Ruth wasn’t much better off than me as far as drinking, but she could keep it together better on the road.
 
I shook Jack’s hand, and as I was giving Dina a hug, she whispered into my ear, “Come over Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.”
 
I looked her in the eyes, and she winked again.
 
We headed out to our car, and Jack and Dina watched us pull away.
 
On the way home, Ruth and I didn’t say much. We just listened to the radio.
 
When we got home, Ruth took a shower, and I just sat and watched some TV. I now had an invitation to see Dina on Tuesday. Jack must be out of town again. This will be perfect.
 
I awoke Tuesday morning with anticipation. I tried very hard not to show Ruth that I was excited about anything special. I watched her go off to work, I started working on the computer, trying to get some work down before going over.
 
At around 9:00 a.m., I received a text from Dina asking me if I was still coming over. I replied that I was. She then texted back, “Better bring your hammer. I need some nails put in.”
 
“Man, this is going to be great!” I said out loud as I readied myself to leave.
 
 At 10:00 a.m., I pulled into her driveway. Jack’s car was gone, supposedly at the airport. I knocked on the front door, and Dina answered, wearing a long t-shirt.
 
She invited me and then gave me a sensual hug while running her hands around my back and backside. She then looked at me and pulled my head in for a deep kiss.
 
“Oh, Alex. I am going to enjoy you. I have always wanted to be with you.”
 
I looked into her eyes and said, “I’ve also wanted to be with you for so long.”
 
Then she asked me if I wanted a drink. I accepted, and we walked into the kitchen. I sat down at their breakfast nook and watched as she paraded around the kitchen.
 
“Where’s Jack?” I asked.
 
“He took off a few hours ago to the airport. He’ll be gone for three days. Another trip where he wasn’t expecting to go anywhere. These just seem to creep up, and I have to handle the load here at home. I’m f**king tired of it.
 
I mean the money’s good, but I’m sick of sleeping in bed by myself.”
 
We went into the living room and sat down next to each other.
 
“Where are the kids?”
 
“I dropped them off at school.”
 
Dina continued to complain about Jack never being in the mood because of how tired he always was. She also talked about being lonely.
 
I was ready and very willing to help keep her company between the sheets. After finishing our drinks, she stood up and took off her long t-shirt, revealing bare breasts and black, satin panties.
 
“Common, Alex. Show me what you know on this body.”
 
She walked upstairs and into the master bedroom. I followed like a puppy.
 
I closed the bedroom door and locked it.
 
She sat down on the bed, and I walked up to her while she undressed me.
 
For what seemed like several hours, I was a man with no regard for the sanctity of marriage, for Ruth or Jack. The sheer pleasure Dina and I exchanged was magnificent and pure heaven.
 
As we laid in each other’s arms, I told her how much I cared for her, and she did the same. We were almost ready to fall asleep when we heard someone walking up the stairs.
 
I sat up and asked, “Who is that?”
 
“Oh, shit! It must be Jack!” she said with panic in her eyes.
 
Someone tried to open the door. They violently kept trying to turn it open. “Dina, open the door!”
 
Dina didn’t say a word. I got up and started getting dressed.

“Dina, open the F**king door! I see Alex’s car out front!”


Part 8.

 

You know how you feel when you are being rushed by someone, and the simplest thing becomes the most difficult? Well, trying to put on my clothes was difficult. I simply couldn’t get both legs into my shorts.
 
Jack was furious. Pounding on the door like a mad man. Yelling at the top of his voice for Dina to open the door.
 
Dina just sat on the bed, unable to really move. She kept telling him she would open it in a minute but wouldn’t say why.
 
I finally dressed and asked her how to get out of there.
 
“Dina! How do I get out?”
 
“Open the f**king door, Dina! Open it now, or I’m going to break the mother f**ker down!”
 
“Dina, can I get out through the window?”
 
She said nothing. Just sat and stared at the door.
 
I went over to the side window and opened it. There was a ledge to stand on and then another sloping roof which ran next to it, connecting two parts of the house.
 
I climbed onto the ledge and started to make my way onto the other roof. I didn’t exactly know if this plan would work, but with Jack now ramming the door with something large, I was willing to try.
 
As I climbed up on the other roof, I could start to hear the bedroom door break apart. I needed to hurry.
 
I quickly climbed to the top of the other roof and then down the other side. I found a flat surface to walk on, which must have been the back porch.
 
I walked over to a tree standing next to the side of the roof and climbed down it.
 
As soon as I hit the ground, I could hear Jack yelling at Dina, “Where the f**k is he?”
 
I quickly made my way out the backyard gate and to the driveway.
 
“Shit!” I yelled. Jack had my car blocked in. He parked right behind me.
 
Just then, I heard a loud pop! I immediately stopped and listened. I didn’t hear anyone yelling. No Jack.
 
“Oh, man! What happened?” I said to myself.
 
I didn’t know what to do, so I started running down the street. But I didn’t get a block before I realized I wouldn’t get far with my car in their driveway. I turned back and ran back into their backyard and just hid in the tall garden foliage.
 
I moved around to where I could see their back porch. There was the grill Jack was cooking on just a short time ago.
 
“Man. This is their new place. I can’t believe someone may have now been murdered here,” I thought. “My dear friends. What have I done?”
 
I started to hear doors being slammed throughout the house. As if someone was going room to room checking for something. When they left the room, they would slam the door.
 
I then heard the garage door open. I just sat in the bushes, hidden. I heard Jack’s car startup, and the music got turned up very loud.
 
The music kept blaring, but no one drove off. Then the music stopped, and the car engine turned off. They exited the car and went back into the garage and closed the garage door.
 
Then, the back-porch door opened, and someone walked down the steps. They stood there for a moment and then walked toward where I was hiding.
 
I tried to look and see who it was but was afraid to be seen.
 
Then, they stopped. I sat as quiet as I could. Without notice, I sneezed. The person walked right over to me and said, “Stand up.”
 
I knew I was done. I stood up and looked right at them.
 
I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was the one person I never suspected in a million years.
 
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
 
“I believe I should ask you the same question.”
 
I paused. Relieved, on the one hand on who it was, and upset on the other.
 
“Was someone shot?” I asked.
 
“Possibly. You need to come with me.”
 
I followed behind her, and we walked up the steps into the living room.
 
“What the hell is going on here?” I asked.
 
“Have a seat, Alex,” Jack said.
 
I sat down and was handed a Screwdriver. “Drink up. You’re going to need it,” Dina said.
 
“I don’t understand what’s going on here?” Is this some kind of trap?”
 
“Well, Alex. It would seem you just got caught f**king my wife. Would you say that?”
 
I lowered my head in shame. “Yes, you’re right. I messed up.”
 
Then I looked right at her and asked, “What are you doing here?”
 
“I was doing Jack.”
 
I couldn’t believe what I just heard. How can this be? I thought she would be the last person that would ever cheat on me.
 
“Ruth, please help me to understand.”
 
“What is there to understand, Alex. You thought because you had some new power that you could control my thoughts and f**k Lisa and then Dina and get away with it?”
 
I didn’t know what to say. I was in total disbelief.
 
There was a dead and awkward silence in the room for about three minutes. Jack, Dina, and Ruth just stared at me.
 
“How did you know?” I asked Ruth.
 
“You think you found the Elevator in the Graveyard by accident? Well, you didn’t. You were led there. When I saw you come home with dirt on your shorts the first time, I knew where you came from.”
 
“Do you know Clarence?”
 
“Who is Clarence? I know Casper, my old boyfriend from high school.”
 
“How did you end up there, Ruth?”
 
“I took a walk myself one morning before you were awake.”
 
“But you never go walking.”
 
“Well, I had this urge to walk one morning and went into the graveyard. Not sure why, but I did. While I was there, I met Casper, and we hit it off.”
 
“Did you meet Casper sitting in a room, surrounded by dirt walls?”
 
“No. I met him in a swimming pool. He was doing laps when I walked in.”
 
“Did you have to walk down a dark, dirt tunnel to get there?”
 
“Yes. I was scared. But once I saw Casper, I was fine. He swam up to the edge of the pool and greeted me. Just like he used to do when I visited the community pool growing up. He got out and dried off, and we sat and talked.”
 
“Damn! I think I’m starting to see a pattern here.”
 
I looked over at Jack, and Dina, who was now fully dressed, and asked them, “Did you guys visit the graveyard too?”
 
Dina said, “Yes. I visited the graveyard many times when I lived close to you guys, before moving here. That’s when I met my old boyfriend.”
 
“What about you, Jack?”
 
“Yes, before Dina went, I was persuaded to go there. Once you have someone you are close to visit, it starts to work on you. You don’t know why, but you soon get this desire to visit and then you find the Elevator. We all did.”
 
“So, you all knew I went?”
 
“Yes, but I didn’t know what powers you were given until I knew you tried to persuade me,” Ruth answered.
 
“You knew I tried to persuade you?”
 
“Yes, because it was feeble. You don’t know how to use what you’ve been given properly yet.”
 
“Why did you go along with it?”
 
“Because I wanted to see how far you’d go.”
 
“What about you, Dina. Did I persuade you, or did you know I was doing it?”
 
“Oh, I knew. I let you believe you were in control. I chuckled inside when you pressed yourself up against me. But I did enjoy our lovemaking.”
 
“That was genuine?”
 
“Yes, Alex. That was genuine. After all, Jack and Ruth have been at it for a while. Most of the time, Jack got back early from his business trips and would meet Ruth after work or even during her lunch.”
 
“Wow! I had no idea.”
 
They all started laughing. “You thought you were the only bastard that was going to screw everyone you wanted, huh?” Ruth said while laughing.
 
“I knew I was given this power, this magic power. I was told to try and convert people to the Dark side. But all I’ve used it for so far is for sex. What about you, guys? What have you used yours for?”
 
“Unfortunately, not much of anything, yet,” Jack answered.
 
Dina then added, “I mean, we have talked about it and what we could do, especially with combined magic. But thus far, we’ve been screwing who we want. Using our persuasion and transformation.”
 
“Have you guys converted anyone?”
 
There was dead silence in the room. They just stared at me.
 
“Seriously. Have you guys converted anyone?”
 
Dina looked at Jack, who looked at Ruth. Then Ruth said, “I’m sorry, Alex. Yes, we did convert one.”
 
“Who?”
 
Again, there was pure silence and more glances at each other.
 
Then Ruth gave me the answer I least expected, “You.”
 
“Me?!”
 
“I’m afraid so.”
 
“Wait. How did you convert me, and why?”
 
“Because you were the least morally corrupt person we knew. We were already having affairs before we were brought to the Elevator in the Graveyard. You were decent. A good man.”
 
“I’m still a good man.”
 
“I would say the affair you had with Lisa, and now Dina, disqualifies you, Alex.”
 
I sat there in a mental fog, trying to find some clarity in what was happening here. A short time ago, I thought I had this magic power that would allow me to change others. But now, it looks like it only changed me.
 
“So, what does this mean?” I asked them.
 
Dina reached over to the side table, pulled open the small drawer, and pulled out a revolver. She stood up, walked over to me, and held out her hand with the gun for me to take.
 
I took the gun from her and asked, “What is this for?”
 
Jack then told me, “You understand it’s against your religion to take your own life. You’ve been taught that for many years. You were taught that it would send you right to hell.”
 
“But I don’t want to take my own life, and I don’t want to go to hell.”
 
“Alex, you won’t go to hell. You will probably go to purgatory. You have done a lot of good in your life. A few mistakes, although big, will probably not cost you everything,” Ruth explained.
 
“Why me? Why do I have to go so you can be credited with a conversion?”
 
“Because we haven’t done our part and will soon have to relinquish all that we have if we don’t get some type of result soon,” Dina explained.
 
I looked into each one of their faces. Nobody flinched. Not even my wife, Ruth. I decided I wouldn’t go through with it and put the gun on top of the coffee table in front of me.
 
Ruth reached over and grabbed the gun. She pointed it at my head and said, “You leave us no choice. I’m sorry we didn’t do our job. It would have been fun to have you with us. I love you, and always will. But the time has come for us to part.
 
“Please, Ruth, don’t! I’m your husband! Please!”
 
“You should have thought of me before you made love to Lisa!”
 
Just then, Ruth transformed into me, pulled the trigger, striking me in the center of my brain. The lights, sound, and my mind went dark within 10-seconds.
 
I awoke, laying on the dirt floor of a pitch-black room. The floor was hard and cold. I sat up and knew where I was.
 
“Shit! Oh shit! This can’t be,” I said out loud.
 
I stood up and started to feel my way around the room. I found a doorway, which led to a tunnel. I began walking, using my right hand as a guide. I noticed some flickering light coming from a room way down. I kept walking toward the room, which started to look familiar. It began to look like Clarence’s room, but I was walking toward it from the opposite direction.
 
Once I reached the room, I turned and looked in. There he was, sitting in his chair, drinking a beer in one hand and smoking a cigarette in the other. The TV had a baseball game playing on it.
 
“Grab a beer and have a seat, Alex.”
 
After I sat down, he looked over at me and said, “You had an opportunity. You blew it!”
 
“I know. I got caught up in the sex.”
 
“You let your own wife and friends f**k you over and take credit for you.”
 
“I know. It sucks!”
 
Clarence took a sip of beer and then said, “Well, at least I’ll have some company for a while.”
 
“Am I able to go to the Elevator and leave here?”
 
Clarence started laughing. “No, I’m afraid there is no more Elevator for you. You’re here now.”
 
I couldn’t believe it. “Was this a trap? Was this planned all along?” I thought.
 
“What about Lisa? Will I see her again?”
 
“Sorry. There is no real Lisa. In fact, there is no real Clarence. But it made you feel better about who you were talking too, didn’t it?”
 
I was so lost, I was now dead inside and out.
 
“Clarence, or whoever you are, is there anything I can do to go back home?”
​
After a brief pause, he said, “There is. But it will only get worse from here.”
 
 
 
E.

​