THREE

It was just after dark when there was a knock at the front door. Piper opened the door to see Watkins on the front porch. He seemed less nervous than he had earlier4 that day. He was holding the same bag he had been holding earlier.

"Mr. Watkins," Piper said. "Come in. We've been expecting you."

Watkins looked behind him and then stepped into the entryway. He stopped suddenly when he saw Prue and Phoebe standing in the living room.

"Who are they?" he demanded.

"These are my sisters, Prue and Phoebe," Piper said.

"They're witches, too," Watkins said.

It wasn't a question but more a statement of fact.

"As a matter of fact," Prue said. "You seem to know a lot about us. You told Piper you needed her help. And you intimated it was because she was a witch."

"Yes," said Watkins. "Only a witch can help me at this point."

"Why don't you sit down and tell us what you think it is we can do for you?" Piper asked.

Watkins moved into the living room and took a seat on the sofa. The girls also took seats being careful to position themselves in case Watkins tried anything.

"As I told Piper," began Watkins, "my name is Marcus Watkins. Until recently I was an engineer. I was working on a project in South America. Extending a road through the Amazon Jungle."

"That's a long way from San Francisco," Prue said.

"Yes, it is," said Watkins. "Well, in order to extend the road it became necessary to relocate a small village in the path of the construction. We were having some trouble relocating them because they didn't want to move."

"Can't say I blame them," said Phoebe. "No one likes to be forced out of their home."

"I didn't have anything to do with that," said Watkins. "My job was to design the road. That's all I did."

"What's that got to do with us?" Piper asked.

"The village shaman said he would stop us," Watkins said. "He put a curse on everyone involved with the project. I just thought it was silly superstitious mumbo jumbo. I mean curses aren't real."

"But you found out differently," Prue said.

"Yes," said Watkins. "Men started dying under mysterious circumstances. Unexplained accidents, mysterious illnesses, things like that. Then I saw it. It attacked a workman right in front of me."

"Saw what?" Prue asked.

"I don't know what it was," Watkins said. ""It looks like a black cloud. But it's not a cloud. It moves like it's intelligent. I think it's responsible for the deaths of all the men on the crew. And now it's after me."

"How do you know that?" Phoebe asked.

"It's following me," Watkins said.

"That's what you were referring to earlier," Piper said. "When you said it might find you."

"Yes," Watkins said. "That's also why I waited until tonight to come back. It seems to have trouble tacking me at night. I've been running from it for over a y ear. All I can do is keep moving so it won't catch up with me."

"What's that?" Prue asked, pointing at the bag Watkins still clutched in his hand.

"It's a protection charm," Watkins said. "I found another shaman who gave it to me. He said it would help protect me from this thing but it's not a hundred percent effective. I have to keep it on me all the time."

"So you sought us out to help you?" Phoebe questioned.

"Not exactly," Watkins said. "I was passing through San Francisco and I saw you in the parking lot at Quake last night. This protection charm helped me identify you as a witch. When I discovered that I figured you could help me."

"What is it you think we can do for you?" Prue asked.

"Get rid of this curse," Watkins said. "Look, all I did was design the road. I didn't have anything to do with trying to relocate the village."

"I'm not sure what we can do for you," Piper said. "I don't even know if it's possible to break a curse."

"Can't you at least try?" Watkins begged. "I can't keep running from it forever. Eventually that thing will catch up with me. When that happens it will kill me just like it killed all the rest. I don't deserve that. You have to help me."

"I suppose we could look into it," Piper said. "It doesn't seem right that he be punished if he didn't do anything."

"Mr. Watkins," began Phoebe.

"Please, call me Marcus," Watkins said.

"Okay, Marcus," said Phoebe. "This thing that's after you. You said it looked like a black cloud?"

"Yes, why?" Marcus asked.

"Because I think it's here,' Phoebe said, pointing into the entryway.

They all looked to see what appeared to be a small black cloud hovering in the entryway.

"Oh my God," Marcus screamed. "It's found me."

Suddenly the cloud began to move into the living room toward the man.