To Walk a Shadowed Path

My name is David Armour.  This is my warning to all who would play with forces they don’t understand.  How to begin?  I guess the best is to begin at the beginning.  I was like everyone else. I had a modest house, a mediocre job and a few acquaintances who thought they were my friends.  One day I found out about a religion called Wicca, and liked what I saw.  It dealt with many of the things I believed for a long time and was to my mind a way to finally have power. I had always been an outsider. I could never seem to fit in anywhere.  Everyone had picked on me.  Even the normal recipients of the taunts and beatings had had their fun at my expense. 

I started reading everything I could find on the occult and magic.  Most of what I could find dealt with the simple love and money spells and rituals.  Being the impatient cuss I am I also didn’t want to wait the customary year and a day for Initiation.  I started looking for more powerful spells and rituals.  Finally one day I found an old book in a used bookstore. I knew it was what I had been looking for.  The pages seemed to resonate with power.  I knew with this book I would never be picked on again.

As soon as I got the book home I started going through it.  It had stuff I’d never dreamed of.  I decided to start simple. There was a quick money spell that looked promising.  I gathered the supplies I needed and locked myself in my bedroom.  The feeling I got as I cast the spell was unbelievable.  I could feel the power building all around me. When I finished, I could still feel a tingling all over my body.  Inexperienced as I was I thought it was normal.  I cleaned up and went about my everyday boring life. 

Over the next few days I noticed a change. The people who would normally beat me up just looked at me funny and walked away.  The teasing was gone.  I went through the day with a small smile on my face.  If only I had found this book a long time ago.  It was the best day I had had in a long time.  Less than a week later I got a letter in the mail. It was from a law firm telling me that an uncle that I had never known about had died.  He had a substantial amount of money and I was the only heir.  Inside was check for a little over 400 thousand dollars.

I started laughing. I just couldn’t help myself.  It worked! First try and it worked!  I grabbed the book and started looking for another spell to try.  As I flipped through I saw one called Power Over Others.  I thought it would be cool to be able to order someone around.  I would finally be the one in control.  There were a few things I needed for it that I didn’t have.  I would get them tomorrow and try the spell this weekend.

By Friday I had everything I needed except someone to be the recipient.  As luck would have it Jason decided to stop in.  He and I had been friends off and on for a couple years but we hadn’t talked in several months.  His parents were in jail on assorted charges and he bounced from foster home to foster home.  It was just pure chance that he ended up in a home not too far away just when I needed a volunteer.  It helped that he wasn’t too bright either.  I knew I could talk him into almost anything. 

Saturday we were in my living room and I was just finishing the preparations for the spell.  He was bored and restless wanting to go out and do something. I said don’t worry about it. As soon as we’re done here we’ll go out and have some fun.  That seemed to mellow him and I continued with my preparations.  I once again felt the power building.  Jason started looking nervous and confused.  Then I saw a light growing over his head.  When it was the size of a basketball, it dropped down and surrounded his head.  He froze with a look of utter shock on his face. The light slowly faded and a calm expression came over him.  He just stood there not saying a thing or moving.  I waited, not sure if the spell had worked. Finally I knew I had to test it. 

“Jason.  Get me a soda.”

He turned and without a word went into the kitchen. When I heard the refrigerator door open I knew it had worked.  In moments he was back with my soda.  After I took it, he again just stood there.

 “I always wanted a servant. Now I have one and I don’t even have to pay him.”  Laughing to myself I sat on the couch.  I turned to Jason and said.  “Clean up this mess and make dinner.” 

Again without a word he started to clean up the apartment.  He was amazingly efficient. Within an hour he had all the stuff from the spell cleaned up and was in the kitchen making dinner.  Once again I started flipping through the book. Things were going splendidly. What could I try next?  I decided to relax and enjoy the benefits of my first two spells and figure out my next step later.  Sitting back I turned on the TV and enjoyed a quiet evening.

The next morning I went out to the living room to see Jason still standing where I had left him the night before.  He had stood there the whole night and had even soiled himself.  It was a little unnerving, he barely even blinked. I reread the spell to try and find out how long it would last.  At the very bottom of the page I saw a note. My jaw dropped as I read: 

Take care in the casting of this spell. You must remember to specify the level of autonomy the servant is to have.  If not specified the servant will be able to do nothing on it’s own.  This spell is permanent. Don’t use it on anyone that may be missed.  The servant will obey your every command till the day they die. They will stay with you and perform your bidding even at the expense of their own lives.

            Stunned, I looked at my sometime friend, now my lifelong servant.   “First things first.” I thought. “Go clean yourself up.” I told him.  “When you are finished make breakfast.”  As he left the room, I started pacing. “What can I do about him?”  Suddenly, I had an idea.  A plan began to form in my mind. It was perfect.  Right after breakfast I could put it into action.  Happy again I sat down and waited for my breakfast to be made for me. 

            Later that day we were at one of the worst sections of town.  Looking around I tried to spot a good candidate for my plan.  After an hour of searching I found him.  He was sitting in an alley drinking from a paper wrapped bottle.  He didn’t look too old or worn out and wasn’t so strong that Jason and I couldn’t handle him.  I ordered Jason to grab him and put him in the back of the car.  The man struggled a bit but was easily overpowered.  When we got home I had Jason lead the man inside.  Once there, I cast the servant spell again, specifying enough autonomy to handle the daily care of my home and myself and care for Jason.  I made sure that he could do the shopping, deal with any guests I may have, and most important, take care of himself. That way I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

            Once it was done, I was again sitting in my living room flipping through the book.  My two servants were doing their jobs, and I was again wondering what to do next.  Money was going to be an issue.  Four hundred thousand dollars was a lot of money but with three mouths to feed it wouldn’t last forever. I needed a more permanent source of income.

            As I flipped through the book I happened to see a spell to find things lost.  I thought that maybe that could help if I could use it to find lost treasure. Not only would that make me rich, it would make me famous.  Reading the spell more closely I began to catalog what I would need to cast it.  I also check for any notes that I needed to know about so I could avoid the mistake that I had made with Jason.  Finding none, I started planning for the spell. 

            By the next day, Monday, I had everything ready. The spell was to be cast on a ring and used as sort of a magical metal detector.  I cast the spell, keeping in mind the kind of money I was after.  Once again, I felt the power build and surround my body. This time when the spell was done there was even more left over.  My whole body tingled.  I could barely stand still.  After pacing the floor for almost an hour I figured I would go out and have a few drinks to relax myself.

            At the bar, I was left to myself. This suited me fine, as I really didn’t want to deal with anyone at the moment.  The weird thing was, no one would come within three feet of me. When someone tried, they would get all nervous and slowly edge away.  The bar was packed and I still had a clear space all around me.  Getting bored after half a dozen drinks, I left the bar to make my way home.  Outside, a large man who was obviously very drunk stopped me.  He waved a knife at me and demanded my money.

            I raised my hands in front of me and suddenly I felt a surge of power race through me and out of my hands.  I saw it hit the man in the chest and knock him backwards into the wall.  He slumped to the ground and didn’t move.  My heart was racing and my mind kept pace. What had just happened?  Where did that come from?  Whatever it was and where ever it came from, I liked it. No one would ever bother me again. I could do whatever I pleased. I felt freer than I’d ever felt before. Nothing would stop me.  I went home feeling extremely pleased with myself and the way things were going.

The next day, I went out to try the ring.  It worked beautifully. Whenever I got near money that had no ties to anyone, the ring would get tighter.  I found over seven hundred dollars that day.  I decided to keep the ring on at all times to take advantage of any opportunity.

The next several weeks were somewhat uneventful.  I cast a couple of simple spells, and basically lived the good life.  Money kept coming in and my faithful servants were getting along fine.  I had it all. Except someone to share it with.  The time had come to do something about my social situation. Little did I know what that would lead to. But what to do?  I didn’t want a slave like Jason or Peter.  There had to be something in The Book I could use.  I searched The Book with no success.  There didn’t seem to be any spells to attract a mate.  I decided to use a spell I found in one of my Wiccan books.  I figured if the spells in The Book were working just fine, the simpler ones written for popular consumption would be no problem.

I picked out a likely spell and readied everything I would need. When I began casting, I began to get a weird feeling. The energy didn’t feel the same as with the spells from The Book.  I decided to continue anyway and see what would happen.  I finished the spell and went to bed dreaming of beautiful women banging down my door. 

In the morning, there was a knock on my door. When I answered it I discovered my landlady standing there, a glazed look in her eyes.  Now don’t get me wrong, she’s a nice lady, but she had to be pushing seventy and wasn’t the most attractive woman even for her age.  She all but threw herself on me and started swearing her undying love for me.  I managed to untangle her arms from around my neck and gently pushed her out the still open door.  I stammered something about not being interested in her and got the door closed.  Something was not right here. I cast a spell for my perfect mate and she shows up?  I had to get to the bottom of this and fast.  Looking over the spell I had used I could find nothing that I had missed or that I had done wrong.  Since the spell itself wasn’t the problem I began checking all the tools and herbs I had used. They seemed fine as well.  What could have caused the spell to misfire?  Until I could figure out what had happened, I decided to stop casting spells for a while.  I let the questions about the curious backfiring of a supposedly simple spell to fade to the back of my mind and got ready for the day.

Peter and Jason were working well together. By the time I got back from the front door, they had the bed made and the shower running at the temperature I liked. When I had finished my shower and had dressed, they had my breakfast ready and waiting for me on the table.  After I ate, I again began trying to figure out what had gone wrong with my spell. 

I decided the best thing to do was to try another of the simple spells and see what happened.  I went through my collection of spell books and tried to find something innocuous if it failed and somewhat useful if it succeeded.  After several hours of going through book after book, I finally settled on a simple luck spell.  I got all the required tools and herbs ready and began casting the spell. Once again, I got that weird feeling that the energy wasn’t quite right. I was afraid to stop the spell, not knowing what that would do, so I continued till I had finished casting.  I started to clean up and suddenly; I tripped on a fold in the rug and twisted my ankle.  Still not connecting that with the spell, I continued cleaning up as best I could. 

Over the next couple days I had an incredible run of bad luck.  I lost several thousand dollars in investments that suddenly turned sour, my car broke down several times, and I slipped in the shower almost knocking myself unconscious.  Then it clicked.  I remembered the spell I had cast was to bring good luck and since I had cast it I had nothing but bad luck.  Apparently the spells written for popular consumption were wrong. I decided to stick with the ones in The Book since they had always worked for me.  I figured that the people who had written them had written them with errors in them to prevent people from knowing too much about them and getting too powerful.

Looking through The Book, I found a luck spell and proceeded to cast it in the hopes of countering the other one.  As soon as I started I felt the power build again and this time it felt the same as it had with the other spells I had used from The Book.  Feeling better, I completed the spell and cleaned up.  Immediately, I saw results from the spell.  My investments rebounded, and all my little accidents had stopped.  I decided I had figured out the problem and had solved it. I concentrated on spells to help my situation.  I used more of the money spells and a couple for protection.  Things were going great for me. I was becoming richer every day and nothing could hurt me. I felt invincible.  A mate to share this with would have been nice but I wasn’t about to try another spell for it.  I decided to let it happen on it’s own. I tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible but when someone gets as rich as I had as fast as I had, people start noticing.  I managed to convince most people that it was mostly luck and a few shrewd investments that got me where I was.  I had moved out of my apartment into a beautiful house on the outskirts of town. I had several acres of land on every side and my nearest neighbors were far enough away to not hear anything that I did. I had all the freedom I needed to cast any spell and work any magick I wanted. I set up an altar and work area in the basement and began working to see just how powerful I could become.

I studied The Book in earnest.  There was more in it than just spells. There were exercises and techniques to develop psychic abilities and control over the elements of nature.  I began working on these exercises.  Within a short time I was able to light candles just by thinking of it.  Soon after that I could cause a storm to blow up from a clear blue sky.  I could feel the power growing in me and I loved it.  When I was finally able to move things using just the power of my mind I was ecstatic.  I had never felt so strong.  I had never felt so free.  I could do anything I wanted.

It wasn’t long after that that I began to feel like I was being watched.  It followed me everywhere.  I couldn’t sense any animosity, just intense curiosity.  I tried to put it out of my mind but the presence wouldn’t leave me alone.  Whatever I was doing, I could feel it hovering in the background.  It seemed to be nearest when I was practicing my Magick.  Most of the time it was just a tickle on the back of my neck. The normal kind of feeling that can easily lead to paranoia if not kept under control.  When I was practicing magick, it seemed more intense, more focused.  I couldn’t figure out what it could be but I decided to ignore the feeling as best I could till I could figure out what it was and deal with it.

I began to focus my work on dealing with elementals and spirits. As I learned more about them I began to worry. According to my research it seemed like it could be a particularly nasty kind of spirit that feeds off of negative energy. I couldn’t understand why it was after me because I couldn’t feel any negativity. All I felt was my own strength and growing power.  Without more definitive proof either way, there wasn’t much I could do. I let the matter drop until I had more information that I could work with.  I continued studying and practicing the techniques for controlling spirits just in case, so I would have someway to fight whatever it was.

About two weeks ago, everything started falling apart.  Jason went berserk and fell from the third floor balcony.  He’d been doing fine following Peter’s orders in his usual literal way, so I didn’t have to keep too close an eye on him.  The day he went crazy was the anniversary of the day I caused him to become a zombie so I figure that somewhere there was still some independent thought in his head.  I guess he couldn’t take the lack of control over his own actions anymore.  Unfortunately, he died as a result of the fall and seeing as he’d been pretty much a slave for the past year, I thought it would be best if we avoided the curiosity of the authorities and Peter and I buried him on the property. 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I was losing money for some reason.  I tried to cast more money spells but nothing happened. I still felt the build-up of the power, but the spells just wouldn’t seem to work. The presence also seemed to be getting stronger. I still didn’t feel that it was a real threat yet but it made me distinctly nervous. As the week went on things kept getting worse. I was going nuts trying to figure out what I had done wrong.  All the spells I had cast from The Book were apparently wearing out but when I tried to recast them, all that would happen is the power would build-up and nothing else. By the end of the week, Peter had disappeared. I figured that the servant spell had worn off and he had wandered off on his own.  I was so out of it, I never stopped to consider what would happen when he was picked up or began talking to others about what he’d been doing for the last year.  When the doorbell rang I was still preoccupied with the questions and problems going around in my head and I just opened the door without checking who was out there. On the porch stood two policemen.  They looked like they were not happy to be where they were.  The one on the right began talking almost as soon as I opened the door.

“Sorry for the intrusion sir,” He began.  “We just need to ask you a few questions.”

He checked a small notebook quickly and went on. “We have a man at our station who says you held him here as a slave for the past year.  We’re here to get your side of the story so we can figure out the whole picture.”

“Sure thing officers.”  I stepped back from the doorway and gestured them in. “Won’t you come in?”

“What was the gentleman’s name, if I may ask?”  I started as I led them to the living room.

“The only name we could get out of him is Peter and that he has been held here as a slave since last year.  Before we go into any details on his story we would really like to hear what you have to say.”

He took a pen out of his pocket and waited. You could tell he would’ve waited all day if necessary.

“Won’t you sit down?” I began, trying to gather my thoughts so I could give a plausible story. “I did have a man named Peter working here for me. He did odd jobs and helped me take care of the place. Unfortunately, he became unstable. You see, I found him in the streets and wanted to try and give him a chance at a better life. But not too long ago he started to rant about witches being after him and it wasn’t long before he began to accuse me of being a witch and casting spells on him to keep him here.  I told him he was being foolish and if he wanted to leave he could at any time. I believe he wandered off about two days ago. I would have gone looking for him but I was afraid that he would think I was trying to force him to stay and might go crazy and hurt either himself or me.  I was going to call you guys if he hadn’t returned by tomorrow.”

Leaning forward slightly I tried to put as much concern as I could into my voice. “He is alright isn’t he? I was starting to get worried.  Even though he became a problem in the last weeks, I’m still fond of him and I hate to think what could have happened to him wandering around out there, paranoid and alone.”

“Yes sir, he’s fine. As I said, he’s at the station.”  The officer cleared his throat and started again.  “As I said, he’s been spouting this story and we wanted to check it out.  Just to clarify a few points… How long was he with you?”

“Just over a year.”

“And when did the witch talk begin?”

“I believe it was about a month or two ago.  It began innocuous enough. He would be doing some yard work and come in and say that there was someone in the trees watching him. I think he started calling them witches about a week later after seeing a show on the Salem witch trials on TV.”

“Would you mind showing us where he stayed while he was with you?” The officer asked as he put the notebook in his pocket.

“Sure thing.”  I said leading them towards the back of the house.  “He had a room back here.”  They followed me to a small room by the kitchen. I opened the door and gestured them in. As I moved to enter as well, the one who had been doing all the talking put his hand up and told me to stay in the hall. 

“We’ll need you to stay out there if you don’t mind.”  As he was saying this, the other officer began poking around.  Within a few minutes they appeared to be satisfied and came out. 

“Ok, sir.” The same officer said as they entered the hall.  “We’ve seen enough for now.  However, we would like you to stick around for a few days in case we need any more information.”

Basically, he was telling me not to leave town.  I had the sinking feeling that this situation wasn’t over.

After they had left I paced the living room trying to figure out a way out of the problems besetting me.  I thought I had done a decent job playing the cordial host and kind, generous boss.  I finally decided that there was nothing I could do at the moment to deal with the accusations against me.  They couldn’t really prove kidnapping and illegal imprisonment, with or without the possibility of witchcraft. 

Once I made that decision, I went back to the problem of the Presence.  With no other ideas, I went to the Book to see if it could shed any light on it.  I went to the secret room where I kept the Book and cast my spells.  I went through the Book from cover to cover. There was nothing about any presence or the failure of my attempts at casting.  There wasn’t even anything about the spells losing power over time.  I couldn’t find anything that could help me. 

            Looking up I realized that night had fallen.  I got up and stretched, hearing every joint pop and creak.  I made my way to the kitchen to get something to eat.  Once there, a feeling of being watched came over me.  I quickly turned and saw out of the corner of my eye, a shadowy form duck into the hallway.  I followed it, but when I got into the hall there was nothing there.  Now I was getting freaked out.

            Suddenly there was a crash in the living room at the front of the house.  Running in there, all I saw was a broken lamp lying on the floor.  There was no sign of what had broken the lamp though.  Getting more spooked by the minute, I went back the secret room to find a protection spell.  I was so scared, I didn’t remember the fact that not only weren’t my spells working but I also had no idea where the energy raised was going.  I found the Book on the table open to a spell to protect against rogue entities.  Thanking the Gods for this piece of good fortune, I set about collecting the supplies needed for the spell.  

When I was ready I began to cast the spell.  Once again I felt the energy begin to rise.  I felt it grow all around me as the ritual progressed. Suddenly, I felt the Presence again.  It was right outside the circle, yet I could see nothing there.  Then I saw it. It was a darker shadow in one corner of the room. As I watched, it grew darker and more dense.  I heard the sound of ghostly laughter coming from the thing.  As I finished the spell, I felt the power that had been raised shift.  Instead of surrounding me at an even distance on all sides, the side nearest the shadow began to warp and stretch.  It began to look like the power was moving toward the entity.  When it neared the shadow, it began to glow. When it got closer, it turned dark and the shadow got darker and more substantial.  Soon, most of the power I had raised with the spell was gone.  It was obvious now what was happening.  This thing was absorbing all the energy I was raising every time I cast a spell.  Then a it dawned on me.  Who had opened the book?  Why should it be open to the exact spell I thought I needed?  This thing was responsible.  It had tricked me into casting another spell to feed its greedy appetite.  I fled.  I ran headlong from the house and down the street.  I kept going till I could barely breath and my legs began to cramp.  I slowed to a walk, and tried to get my bearings. 

Once I had an idea of where I was, I made my way into the city.   I figured I would be safer with people more around me.  Finally, just after dawn, I hid myself in an alley and tried to get some sleep.  I hoped I could stay hidden long enough to figure out what to do to get out of this situation I had gotten myself into.  I began to see how I had caused all these problems by my greed and impatience.  After mentally beating myself up for a few minutes, I had an idea.  If I could warn others to avoid my mistakes, maybe I could offset some of the negative karma I was experiencing.  With these thoughts running around my head, I fell into the dreamless sleep of exhaustion.

When I awoke several hours later, I resolved to put my idea into action.  I bought a pad of paper and began to write. That’s where we get to the present.  I have no way of knowing if this will help me, but I can only hope that it helps others.  With a little luck this will get to someone who can publish it where it can be read by those just starting their own journey down the Magickal Path. I wish that they will see what my arrogance and stupidity bought me and stay off that Shadowed Path to destruction.

 

(To the reader:  This story was found by the body of a man who died of unknown causes.  There were no marks on him and an autopsy failed to find any evidence of drugs or alcohol.  The only sign of trauma was a look of extreme fear on the victims face.  As I was the one to find the body, I saw the handwritten copy of this manuscript.  After reading it, I knew it needed to be released as a warning to all to be wary of what you play around with lest you be caught in the same trap.  I tucked it in my pocket and didn’t tell the police about it.  As soon as I was able, I typed it up and sent it out to be published.  Pay it heed.)