10. Angelica's Gift

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside."
-- Emerson, Lake and Palmer, "Brain Salad Surgery"

11:22 PM.
"Take a full-length mirror into a quiet room."

William brought the items into the bedroom, nudging the light switch with his elbow. He laid the items on the end of the bed and turned to his desk, finding a small Phillips screwdriver in the top drawer amongst various pens and pencils. He then went to the door and closed it, and looked the mirror over. It was roughly two feet wide by five feet, with a one-inch wood frame around it, capped at the edge with brass. At each corner, and halfway up each long side, a small round flange extended from the frame to hold a brass screw.

William kneeled and started at the bottom, placing the screws in the pocket of his t-shirt as each was removed. When only the top screws remained, he stood and slid the fingers of one hand around the back of the frame to hold the mirror. Just before he removed the last screw, he put his knee against the door next to the frame of the mirror, in case it got away from him. He let the last screw fall to the floor, and after that, the screwdriver. The mirror was free of the door. William put his other hand to the frame and hefted the mirror, carrying it to about two feet on the other side of his desk, facing the bed. He lowered it carefully to the floor, the bottom about an inch from the wall, and gently let the top tap against the wall.

11:36 PM.
"Then turn off all the lights."

William unfolded the paper with The Rules to see what he was to do next. He returned to his desk for a disposable lighter in the top drawer, which he put in his shirt pocket. He then picked up the candle. He brought it to his nose and smelled it again, taking in the rich aroma of vanilla.

"Make sure there is no outside light in the room."

William turned and flicked off the light switch.

Street lights from the front of the apartment building and from the building katy-corner to his were casting enough light on his bedroom window that the room was not completely dark. William turned the light on again. There was a towel on the bed from when he took his shower. He put the candle into his pocket, picked up the towel and placed it over the window, tucking one end over the curtain rod. He then went back and flicked off the light again. He waited a moment until his eyes adjusted.

William could still make out things in the room. There was a soft light seeping in on either side of the towel. It wasn't quite wide enough.

He thought for a moment...then gathered the items off the bed into one hand and pulled back the corner of his bedspread with the other, placing the items on the now-exposed sheet. Wiliam then pulled off the rest of the bedspread and gathered it into his arms, nearly knocking over the nightstand next to the bed. He walked back to the window and, leaving the towel in place for extra coverage, lifted the bedspread over the window, the long side at the top, stuffing as much as he could over the curtain rod so it would stay.

William walked back once more and flicked off the light.

Complete darkness. William couldn't even make out where the window was.

11:47 PM.
"Light the candle."

William bent slightly and reached out until he felt the edge of the bed. He followed it until he reached the nightstand, and sat on the bed. He pulled the candle and lighter from his pocket, striking the lighter. He held the lighter and the candle up in front of his face, and slowly moved the flame of the lighter to the wick. He grinned a little, the motion reminding him a bit of the scene from "E.T.," when Elliot's finger met the lighted digit of the alien.

The wick sparked to life. The room was now bathed in a warm yellowsh glow. William studied the lit candle, trying to think of what it reminded him of. It was a curious flame, a uniform yellow from top to bottom, with a sharp edge. William couldn't remember ever seeing a flame like this. Even magnesium, which they ignited in his high school science class and has a very bright, intense flame, didn't burn like this. The edge was too well-defined - and the flame's color didn't vary, indicating variations in heat - blue toward the bottom, to near white at the tip, as would most other candles. Wiliam's eyes got a little wider as he suddenly recalled the only time he'd ever seen a flame similar to this one--

In a cartoon.

William placed the candle on the back of a book laying on his nightstand, and set the lighter next to it. His shadow danced and flickered against the wall. The light reflecting off the mirror cast a shadow on the opposite wall.

11:52 PM.
"Unwrap and open the box."

William moved to the foot of the bed, about five feet from the mirror, and picked up The Rules, reading now by the candlelight. He set the paper on his lap, and reached for the box. It looked almost exactly the size that a watch might come in. William hoped Angelica hadn't spent that kind of money on him, even if it was an inexpensive watch from a drugstore, from the "impulse counter" - usually next to the register - enticing one to pick up that last-second knick-knack while waiting to be rung up: a lighter, some batteries, or a thin paperback teaching one how to talk to their cat. William imagined that by her appearance, Angelica would apply money to more important things.

William tugged on one end of the gold-glitter string until the shoelace bow fell away, the string draping over the fingers of one hand. He put his thumb on the lid and slowly lifted it. The inside of the box was lined with a silver cloth which looked like a form of silk, and was layered, to pad the box. William reached in and brought out what was in the box.

Nestled in the cloth was a small six-sided vial, about three inches in height and a little over an inch wide at the base, tapering toward the top. In the light of the candle, it appeared to be slightly darker than robin's-egg blue. It had a cap at the top, slightly wider than the vial itself, which tapered to a point. The vial had patterns on it which made it appear as if were made of marble, but it felt like glass to the touch.

"DO NOT open what is in the box."

Cologne, thought William. Quite the pomp and dramatics for a bottle of cologne, Angelica. William wondered if the cologne would smell of vanilla, too. He then wondered if Angelica had ever dabbled in some form of the occult. He put the box back on the bed and picked up The Rules from his lap.

11:54 PM.
"Place what is in the box in front of the mirror. Make sure you can see the reflection of it in the mirror."

William bent down and stood the vial upright on the floor, about an inch in front of the mirror. He then sat back up and looked at the vial, making sure there was an image of it reflected in the mirror.

"Clear your mind and heart of EVERYTHING EXCEPT: the mirror...the candle...the scroll...and what is in the box."

William closed his eyes, and thought of Angelica. Their first encounter...the instant warmth of her hand...the uneasiness which had gripped him since then, nearly as tightly as her grasp. He thought about the quick, steady pace of her voice, the ever-present slight cracking tone to it as she spoke - and how the tone changed when she gave him the items. He remembered asking Angelica what would happen if he were to follow The Rules - and her response - smiling and pointing to the bookstore sign. The winged unicorn bound in golden rope. He then remembered how her life and their short interaction came to such a sudden end. Poof. Her life ended just as the end of the two encounters - she just...disappeared.

William then opened his eyes, and focused on each of the items...the mirror...the candle...the scroll...and the vial.

11:59 PM.
"Just before midnight - unwrap the scroll."

William picked up the scroll from the bed and held it lightly, feeling the texture...noting the less-than-smooth edges...as if it had been carefully torn from a grocery sack. He trapped one end of the gold string between his thumb and forefinger and pulled at it slowly, noting how smoothly it slid through the knot. The shoelace bow collapsed and the string fell away from the scroll, curling onto his leg and the bed. William kept the scroll closed, and turned back to watch the red LED lights on the clock of his alarm.

12:00 AM.
"At exactly midnight - open the scroll and read it aloud."

William picked up the edge from the scroll, and slowly unrolled it. It was covered in Angelica's perfect penmanship. A poem of several lines, which almost read like obscure song lyrics. William wondered if Angelica had ever heard the band Dream Theater.

"Read EXACTLY what is on the scroll, from beginning to end - don't leave out anything. Say the words with all that is in your heart."

William pulled the scroll out flat, to make sure there wasn't anything hidden at the edges. William then heard the echo of Angelica's voice in his mind, from the first encounter: "...the strong belief in your heart that...anything...anything is possible." William swallowed hard, adjusted the scroll so he could read by the candle, and read the first line aloud in a strong, clear voice.

"Animation breathes its Life from a Cloudless Mind;"

He looked around the room - then read the second line.

"The Doubting, though surrounded by Light, are blind;"

William looked around again - then was drawn to the vial. It had changed, becoming a brighter blue than it first appeared in the candlelight - as if it were taking on a light of its own. He swallowed hard again - then turned back to the scroll.

"The Candle falls before the Wind; The Mirror falls behind you;
The Reflections of Reality tear asunder twice-dimensioned views;"

William lowered the scroll. His eyes became as wide as saucers. The vial was now a brilliant yellow, almost white. It outshone the light of the candle. He looked up at the mirror, which was now reflecting the light from the vial - then William drew his feet from the floor and crossed his legs on the bed as he realized - it wasn't the vial -

The mirror itself was beginning to glow, casting its own silver light on the room.

William steeled himself, raised the scroll again, and continued to read.

"The Unbelievable; Now Receivable;
The Unobtainable; Now Embraceable;"

A light breeze now began to rustle the scroll in William's hand, and tease at his hair and clothes. The vial was now as bright as a sunlamp, and the mirror was nearly white, with streaks of silver through it, containing reflections of the room. William thought the mirror was beginning to wave and distort, as if it had become a body of water. William continued reading, speaking a bit louder, trying not to let his growing fear waver the tone of his voice.

"The Heart, Capable; Belief, Inescapable;"

William now sensed a low ambient runbling that he felt more than heard, as if it were approaching from a distance - yet nothing in the room was shaking - just moving from the growing wind, seeming to come from the vial and the mirror, which now appeared to have flecks of yellow near the center. It was beginning to become difficult for William to see in the now nearly-blinding light. He looked behind him. There was no shadow. It was as if the light was coming now from every direction. William was almost shouting now as he read the last of the lines on the scroll.

"The Improbable; Now Plausible;
The Incredible--"

The wind died. The mirror faded and became nearly black, the only light still appearing were the yellowish flecks. William almost cleared his throat-

"Speak NOTHING ELSE aloud but what is on the scroll."

William lowered his voice and spoke the last line.

"--Now Possible"

It was like the shockwave from a nuclear explosion. The wind burst forth violently, causing William to recoil as if he had been kicked in the chest, and whipping the scroll from his hands, pinning it to the wall. A light twice as bright as before erupted from the mirror.

"AaaaaaAAAAAAHH!" William screamed, scooting up the bed until his back slammed against the headboard. He shielded his eyes with his hands. He looked down. The dark blue t-shirt he was wearing appeared white. He looked to his side. The nightstand - the floor - the walls - everything appeared white from the intensity of the light. William turned toward the mirror again, trying to peer through cracks between his fingers. The yellow flecks that were near the center of the mirror were now moving to form a shape on the mirror. It almost looked like - the outline of a human form.

Then the light seemed to split into three sections, and while still blindingly white, took on the hint of red, green and blue, from top to bottom. There was no real gap between the sections that William could make out, but there was a clear demarcation between each color. The yellow flecks in the mirror seemed now to melt together, making the outline they formed appear as one solid line. Then that outlne seemed to step OUT of the mirror. The light became too bright for William to look at any further, and he closed his eyes, covering them completely. He pulled a pillow over his head and curled into a fetal position to shield himself from the wind.

12:13 AM.
There was no wind.
There was no light.
There was no rumbling.
There was no more uneasiness in his stomach.

William slowly pulled the pillow from his head. He sat upright, and his hand touched the scroll, rustling it a bit. He picked it up, rerolled it and moved it toward the foot of the bed. He turned to his left to the nightstand, and saw the soft glow of the LED from his clock. He then looked toward where he thought the mirror would be in the completely-darkened room. only the flecks were visible, still in the outline of a human form, but no longer solid. A few of them dripped, as if they had become molten glass.

A noise broke the silence. William jumped a bit - then realized it was the box falling off the bed. He wondered what condition his bedroom was in now.

"Hello? Could you light that candle again?"

William nearly jumped out of his soul. He froze solid, wondering where the voice had come from.

"Can you light the candle? Please? I can't see anything in here."

William slowly reached to the nightstand, thinking Angelica must have put a small recorder or speaker in the box - but the voice sounded too ambient to come from a speaker that small. It sounded like another presence was in the room.

The candle had fallen over, rolling to the back of the nightstand, next to the wall. He fumbled until he found it. He slid his hand back until the candle was resting on the book again, finding the lighter. He lit it, and slowly moved it to the wick of the candle. It once again sparked to life.

William then slowly turned his head to face the mirror. He froze again. The mirror indeed held the outline of a human form - but there was no mirror in the outline. There were still a couple of places where the edge of the outline appeared as if it had been melted. But what William froze at - was the young woman standing between the mirror and the bed.

She looked to be mid- to late-teens in age. She stood somewhere between five and five-and-a-half feet tall by William's guess. She was looking around the room and how everything had been strewn about by the wind. Her eyes were very bright and wide - wider than human eyes normally were. She was dressed in jeans and a green tank top. She had a long mane of bright red hair - too bright to be the usual "red" of human hair. In fact, that was one of the first things William noticed about the woman's appearance - that she wasn't quite normal. Not the "normal" one would associate with someone standing in one's bedroom. She looked more like - a cartoon. She looked like -

Her gaze now turned to William. "Sorry about the mess. The cross must have done this. Hi. Who are you?"

William tried three times before he could stammer out his name.

The woman took a step in William's direction, her hand extended. "Nice to meet you, William. I'm K--"

William passed out. William passed out because Kim Possible - THE Kim Possible - was standing in his bedroom.

The shrill buzz of the clock radio alarm sliced through the dawn-lit solitude of the bedroom. William reached over, tapped the 'off' button, and sat up, reaching for his glasses. 5:30. Great. Another day.

But what a DREAM last night! Everything seemed so incredibly real, he could swear he lived the events. And the dream covered several days. It even had events from work!

It was then that William noticed that instead of just boxers, he had worn his jeans and dark blue t-shirt to bed. The same ones that he had on in the dream. His bedroom was an absolute wreck. And where did this candle on his nightstand come fr--

There was a slight movement on the bed behind William - and a small hand slid along the bed, beside his leg. He turned around - and saw the sleeping form next to him, her mane of red hair sprawling across the pillow.

William reached for the phone on his nightstand and dialed, never taking his eyes from the girl now sleeping in his bed.

"Good morning, Meridian Answering Service, this is Marie. The offices won't be open until 8 AM. May I direct your call to a voice mail box?"

"Marie, this.....this is William Hodge, with Claims and Reconciliation. I won't be in today, I've....I had unexpected company come in late last night. Could you tell David Morris that I'll call him either this afternoon or evening?"

"I'll tell them, William. Thanks."

William fumbled to hang up the phone, his stare still locked on the slumbering Kim. "What...hath...Angelica...wrought?" he whispered.

to be continued...