City of Witchcraft

Visitor

Sarah awoke to a knock on the door. It was loud as day to her- after all, she lived in a two-room apartment, with a bedroom/kitchen/living room joint room and a bathroom connected to the kitchen. There were no walls between her and the door. And even if there were, they were paper-thin, so they wouldn't have made the sound much quieter.

"Go away," Sarah mumbled to herself, waving off the person at the door. She rolled over, burying her face into her pillow and willing the person at the door to go away, and for a second she thought they had. But then a second knock came at the door, this one much louder than the first. Sarah groaned.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Sarah said, her voice raspy. She stumbled out of bed, stumbling over piles of trash on the ground and almost slipping on an empty beer bottle. She looked through the peephole of her door to try and see who was on the other side, but there was nobody in view.

"Fckin bitches," Sarah mumbled to herself as she turned her back to the door, but as if on cue a third knock came at the door. Sarah hastily unlocked and opened the front door, and there stood a young, rather attractive woman in dark dress with long, dark hair to match. A faint smile played at the woman's lips.

"Sarah Hart?" the woman asked, her voice smooth and curious, with a strangely alluring monotone.

"This is her. What's someone as good-lookin' as you doing in a hole like this visiting a bitch like me?" Sarah asked suspiciously. The woman before her tilted her head to the side, examining Sarah in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. Sarah shrunk under the gaze of the woman before her.

"I'll explain everything in a minute. May I come in, please?" the woman asked with the same curiosity and monotone as she'd had before.

"Why the hell not, you already came to my place unannounced and woke me up in the middle of the night. And that's without mentionin' I don't even know who the fuck you are," Sarah said bluntly. The woman just smiled before entering the room. She moved with the same smoothness she talked with.

Sarah shook her head as the woman glided over to her kitchen table, taking a seat in the chair nearest the door, which just happened to be Sarah's favorite seat. Sarah muttered curses under her breath as she walked over to the other side of the table, taking a seat in her broken, three-legged chair before becoming acutely aware of the fact that her room was only lit by the hallway light entering the room through the still-open doorway.

"Let me," the woman said, almost like she could read Sarah's mind. The woman snapped her fingers, and the single dim bulb in the center of the room flickered on as the door slammed shut, shaking the entire room. Sarah just shrugged at this, assuming she had accidentally ingested something. It'd happened before. Several times.

"This is a... lovely place you have here," the woman said, glancing around Sarah's dimly-lit apartment. Sarah snorted.

"Sure it is, sweetie." Sarah leaned forward in her chair, narrowing her eyes as she stared directly into the woman's dark, emotionless eyes. "Cut the crap. Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?"

"I've come with a proposition. I am a representative for a group of... unique individuals, and we were hoping to recruit you to do some favors for us, and we would repay them tenfold."

Sarah eyed the woman before her suspiciously. "Explain."

"As I'm sure you're aware, this city is the center of some rather peculiar activity. You just happen to live incredibly near the centerpoint of said suspicious activity. We want you to keep an eye out for anything strange or unusual, and report it to me if you do. There's no need to go out in search of it- although you are invited to do so if you like. In return for your services, my collaborators and I are willing to give you whatever services you need."

"Hmph. Well, my dishwasher broke the other month, so-"

"You misunderstand, Miss Hart. My acquaintances and I can grant much... larger requests than that."

"Like what?"

"Beauty. Riches. Popularity. Fertility." The woman paused for suspense, before saying, "Someone to call your own."

"Alright, I'm interested. But whaddaya mean by 'strange and unusual.' You aren't talkin' about them queers, are ya?"

"I happen to be one of 'them queers,' Miss Hart." Sarah felt her face turn red. The woman continued. "No, I more mean... supernatural. Things like unearthly monsters and witchcraft." Sarah could've sworn she saw the woman's eyes flicker a different color when she said the last part. The woman shook her head. "If you don't see anything, then feel no pressure to report to us. You can just pretend this exchange never occurred. But if you do... just remember, we can change your life, Miss Hart."

Without even thinking, Sarah felt herself begin to nod aggressively. "Yes, yes, I'll do it. I'll do it!"

The woman clapped her hands together, a wide grin emerging on her face. "Excellent!" she exclaimed with far more energy than she'd had at any point in their conversation previously. Then, the woman reached for her pocket, and after a moment she pulled out a necklace with a dark orange gemstone at its end and handed it to Sarah.

"What's this for?" Sarah asked, accepting the necklace and examining it in awe.

"It's for you to contact us, Miss Hart. Simply press it to your lips, and we will know that you desire to speak with us."

"How-"

The woman waved Sarah off. "Best not to question it, Miss Hart. Let's just chalk it up to witchcraft and call it good."

The woman stood, dusting herself off before saying, "Now, if that is all-"

"What's your name?" Sarah asked, looking up at the woman. Again, she waved off the question.

"That is not of your concern. My compatriots and I will be in touch." Then, Sarah watched as the woman made her way across the room, moving as smoothly as she had before, before reaching the door and pulling it open. The woman paused, and without looking back, added, "Oh, and Miss Hart, you'd be better off keeping your bigotires to yourself. If you don't, my fellow witches may be less inclined to a professional relationship."

And just like that, the woman was gone. Sarah sat in her chair for a long while in silence afterward, before turning off the light and returning to her bed. In the morning, she felt convinced that the events of the previous night were nothing more than a dream, but she couldn't explain how the necklace with the orange gemstone had wound up on her nightstand.