Fantasy & Horror Short Stories

By J. A. Graffagnino

The thirteen stories draw readers into a compelling web of intrigue and suspense. Some are funny, others sad, and still others capture the inner conflicts that torment us yet hint at hope for a brighter tomorrow. Readers immediately identify with the bigger-than-life fictional characters that make us ponder our inner selves, fantasies, dreams and passions, and question how far were willing to go to get what we want.
The Mirror. Scorned by superstitious villagers, gypsy witches are forced to defend themselves against the church and government persecution.
The Feather. Caught up in an eternal struggle, a courageous young man pays the ultimate price in order to defend family and friends.
The Bank. Down on their luck, three people risk paying a heavy price so their dreams come true.
The Wood Fairy. Con artists evil acts of desperation find that nature has its own method of justice.
The Taxi. One way or another, there is no escaping the universal laws of justice.
The House in the Clearing. A chilling climax provides the background of a centuries-old curse where past and present collide.
Like You But. Lighthearted, endearing tale of unrequited love.
Firemans Test. Terrified firefighter finds himself in a life-and-death struggle to avoid confronting crippling fears hes kept buried for decades.
The Ashtray. A young couples wrongdoing has them on the run. Yet they find that justice has sealed their fate.
The Flame of Courage. Abused by her family, a young girl prays for help. Out of desperation, she finds a way out of her torment that changes her life for the better.
The Aqua Detective. A merman detectives police skills and curiosity lead him to New York City to help solve a case where help comes from an unexpected source.
The Sorcerer. An evil leader of otherworldly beings gets his comeuppance when he confronts something he cant control.
Satans Bible. A two-thousand-year-old relic resurrects a biblical legend that brings modern technology, the Catholic Church, and a nun to battle demonic possession.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504969079

J. A. Graffagnino

Joseph A . (J. A.) Graffagnino started writing telecommunication articles in the late 1980’s. Articles on tropical fish, along with his photographs on these aquatic creatures soon followed. His diversified interests have led to his writing short stories and novels. Joe enjoys writing in multiple genres. His first short story, a thriller fiction, titled “The Taxi” was published in February 2010. His first novel, “The Journey of Mary/ Ma Li” was the second book in a series, a fantasy adventure, published in 2013. Joe’s second novel delves into a different genre – “Fantasy & Horror Short Stories” released on December 30, 2015. His first non-fiction novel, “THE FIX IS IN The Deutsche Bank Building Fire Conspiracy” was released on August 18, 2016. J.A. Graffagnino lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and many tropical fish aquariums.

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© 2016 Joseph Graffagnino. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/30/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6908-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6906-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6907-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920893

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

The Mirror

The Feather

The Bank

The Wood Fairy

The Taxi

The House In The Clearing

Like You But …

Fireman’s Test

The Ashtray

Flame of Courage

The Aqua Detective

The Sorcerer

Satan’s Bible

Dedication

To my wife and best friend Rosemarie.

Also by J. A. Graffagnino

The Journey of Mary/Ma Li

The Mirror

M y family name was Ponta. You could say that we originated, if one needs a starting point, in the town of Hermanstadt in the year 1300. Hermanstadt straddled the border of the kingdoms of Hungary and Transylvania. This area became absorbed by Hungary and later by Romania. My father was the town elder, or leader, of Hermanstadt. My mother was a gypsy—high-spirited, rebellious, and beautiful, but her passion was healing. She also had a gift for fortune-tel ling.

My father was a political man who feared his reputation and authority would be challenged because of my mother’s activities. They fought constantly, but their passion was legendary. One day when I was maybe 14 years old, a gypsy caravan passed through our town. My mother took me to visit with them. My father would not go because he didn’t want the townspeople to say that he mingled with spiritualists. I loved being in their camp—all the new scents, bright-colored clothing, singing, dancing, and playing music were wonderful. My mother exchanged healing potions and herbs and shared different experiences that would help her inner spirit. On the last day before the gypsy groups traveled south, my mother and I bade them farewell and returned to our town.

My mother had a small wooden stand in front of our house, where she would tell fortunes and dispense healing salves and potions. Government soldiers were camped nearby, and many would come into town to enjoy the bars, shops, and prostitutes. A high-ranking officer stopped by my mother’s table to have his fortune read. I had poured him a glass of wine, and he grabbed my arm when I placed the wine on the table. He wanted me to sit on his lap. I looked at my mother and saw that she became enraged at this rude, arrogant bully.

Leave her be; she is but a child, my mother said.

She is old enough for my needs, stated the pompous oaf with a sneer.

Unhand her or— warned my mother.

Or what? the officer asked casually. You would give me a bad future?

You already have that, my mother spat at him.

He shoved his chair back and stood up to instill fear in us, but my mother also stood, and they glared at each other, just waiting for the other person to make a move. I saw his dark eyes and the cruelty they held within. At that moment, my father came over and asked what the problem was. The officer said that my mother was disrespectful to him and deliberately provoked him with an unpleasant reading. This girl spat and cursed him for no reason. Both the mother and her daughter needed to be punished so they would learn to pay proper respect to their superiors in the future.

My father tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted us both whipped in the town square. Again my father tried to speak with him, eventually being able to cajole him into our home to continue the conversation. An hour later, my father and the officer returned. I saw the triumphant snicker on the officer’s face. My father went to my mother and whispered in her ear. All I heard her say was, No, never. Not for any promise or any amount of money.

Listen to me, Lizette; it is not just the money for the sale of our daughter, but he promised me a high position on the duke’s staff. We will move away from here and into the castle. We will become the upper class. He has agreed not to have you publicly whipped in the town square. He will administer a lighter punishment to you in private.

My mother glared at him, and her face turned beet red as she yelled, Have you no love for your daughter? Have you no respect for me? Look at her! She is terrified, and you would sell her as if she were a piece of furniture. She started to pace around her stand and raised her hand high in the air. As my husband, your daughter and I must obey you. But let me warn you so that you see this for what it truly is. He lied to you! You will never see a castle or be elevated above your station. All you can see is your selfish gratification at the cost of your family. This, this … officer will use and abuse us both. When he is finished raping and torturing us, he will discard us like yesterday’s garbage. He will forget you ever existed. Olaf, you are a fool if you cannot see this.

The officer gave an evil smirk and casually said, Enough of this answering back. Your woman shows no respect to me or you. I will take your daughter now, and you can bring your wife to me in the morning.

My mother ran to my father and fell to her knees before him. Please, Olaf, let me say good-bye to our daughter. I will deliver her and myself to him in the morning and then, when I am able, I will return to you. I need to pack clothes and a few of her items. She then ran to the officer and threw herself at his feet. She kissed his boots and cleaned them with her hair. She sobbed uncontrollably. Please, sir, have mercy. We will both be your obedient servants. Please allow me this small request so that I may instruct my daughter in proper respect and pack her belongings to take with her.

My father and the officer agreed that we would report to the officer directly after breakfast. I cried like an infant, wailing at my forced servitude as my mother led me away. When we entered our home, my mother took me into the basement and locked the door. I continued to cry until my mother turned me around and smacked me hard across my face. This stunned me into silence as I stared at my mother, wondering why she did this.

Rosemarie, shut up. Don’t you understand that we have little time to make our plans to escape? And you need to start learning the art of magic and deception if you want to live. Do you hear me?

Yes, Mother, but how …

My mother shook her head and spoke in a whisper, I feared this day would come, but I did not expect it so soon. Nonetheless, as gypsies, we must be ready to move instantly, lest the authorities catch us. You must remember everything I teach you by committing it all to memory. You can never write anything down because others will steal it and use it against you for their own benefit. We leave tonight, but we must plan because that brute of an officer will have soldiers around to prevent our escape.

My mother gave me a long, sad look and I saw a tear roll down her pretty face. She turned and started to grab vials and beacons as she went to her shelves to take down powders and other items secured in various-sized containers. It’s time you learn our ways … not just the gypsy ways, but the art of witchcraft. I am of the white witches, and we are healers, like doctors, but I also know the ways of black witches. Black witches have been called evil beings, but that is because people do not understand them. The black witches use their magic to protect themselves against those who mean them harm. They can cast spells on people for sickness, pain, and other effects. You need to learn all I know and more. Now help me with these items because the ingredients need to be precise.

After midnight, my mother arose from her bed and came for me. I couldn’t sleep a wink … I was so nervous. We dressed, took whatever money and clothes we could carry in our satchels, and slipped out the door after drinking a potion my mother created. We had walked a few blocks when several soldiers stopped us and asked where we were going.

My mother looked at them and answered, I’m taking my elderly mother to the riverbank to wash our clothes.

A soldier stepped forward and raised the hood of my cloak. He stepped back in disgust, stating, Be on your way then.

My mother replied, We feel much safer now that you soldiers are here protecting us. Come along, Mother.

I overheard the soldiers’ whispers: Did you see the face on that old hag? It was hideous. The large moles, hooked beak nose, and those boils … I was so afraid I couldn’t speak or raise my head; all I could do was slowly walk on while carrying our large bag of clothes. After we traveled several kilometers, I stopped at a large rain puddle and saw our reflections in the water. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My mother appeared as a middle-aged man with a top hat, and I was the image of an old woman with hideous facial deformities. I gazed at my mother and the gentleman smiled back and said, My potions work well, don’t they? Don’t worry, they will only last another hour or two and we must be out of the area by then. Once past the town, we caught a ride in a wagon delivering vegetables. My mother mentioned to me that she was trying to catch up with the gypsy caravan. We took turns sleeping in the cart and even relieved the driver so he could rest.

We arrived at a river crossing, bade farewell to the friendly man and his cart. We approached the river barge that would take us further south. My mother negotiated the fee and we were told that the barge would leave soon. As we looked around the river, my mother spotted horse-mounted soldiers heading our way. My mother told the barge captain that we would be ready as soon as we had relieved ourselves, as she dragged me to a nearby bush. I saw her remove a doll in a soldier’s uniform, from her bag,. She spoke in a sing-song voice in words I could not understand, as she gently waved her hands over the doll. She removed a dagger from her dress pocket and stabbed the doll in the groin and twisted the knife. Immediately I heard a scream coming from the cavalry of soldiers. The lead soldier doubled over and slid off his horse. The troop stopped and gathered around the stricken soldier. We rejoined the barge as they shoved off the dock and caught the current downstream.

I asked my mother, Was that the officer that wanted us punished? She nodded her head. I then asked, Why didn’t you just kill him?

She smiled at me and held my face in her hands, Because they would figure out I was behind his death and they would never stop searching for us, but now only his pride is hurt and he will forget us, but not until he punishes your father. That selfish, greedy bastard deserves to be punished for what he tried to do to us.

After a few weeks, we caught up to the gypsy caravan and we stayed with them for six years. We were in Venice, Italy and I had learned much from my mother and the other gypsies about everything: life, love, magic, fortune telling and creating various potions. I had a crush on a gypsy boy. He was a couple of years older than me. Every time I wanted to be alone with him, to sneak a kiss, he would make an excuse. I found out that my mother created spells that gave the illusion of ugliness on me. We had a big fight over that and she promised never to do that again. Several days later I was able to pull the handsome man into an empty cart, but he was impotent. It turned out my mother slipped something into his drink that temporarily removed his sex drive. All the older gypsy women would laugh and laugh as they retold that story.

One afternoon, my mother and I were at the canal shopping for food when we came across several Venetian soldiers harassing an elderly Asian couple. The man was old, walked with a cane and was stooped over. His female companion was younger. I watched as she pleaded with the soldiers to leave them alone. Were they going to arrest them and throw them in prison simply because they were from the Orient?

My mother stepped forward to support the foreigners, but the soldiers pushed her back. I pulled my mother away and whispered in her ear. I removed my caped cloak and handed it to my mother. I stepped forward and before the soldiers could move towards me I untied the cord around my dress that held it to my shoulders. I slowly walked diagonally past the soldiers to the edge of the canal, as I asked the soldiers, What have these people done to cause such cruelty from you? I believe that love is the only way to calm anger, and let the dress fall to the ground revealing my nakedness for all to see.

From the corner of my eye I watched my mother pick up my dress and as the soldiers drew closer to me she took the Asian couple and moved them deep into the crowd. I had all eyes on me as I stood with my hands on my hips, legs wide apart and my knees bent. The soldiers came to grab me and one said, You’ll have to come with us young lady. You’re disturbing the peace. As they reached out, I flipped backwards into the cold water of the canal. I swam underwater with powerful strokes putting as much distance between the soldiers and myself as possible. I swam through the stone pilings in a direct route to where I would rendezvous with my mother and the foreign couple.

I surfaced near the church of Saint Ephrem and saw my mother waiting for me. She looked around and signaled for me to come up. My mother and the Asian man helped me out of the water. He was stronger than he looked. As my mother wrapped me in a hooded cloak, we moved briskly to the alley alongside the empty, abandoned church. We entered a small side door and traveled down the stone steps to the church’s cellar.

My mother went to fetch bread and heat water for soup and tea as I dressed in a curtained off area. When I returned, there were two young Oriental people sitting in the spot the older couple had been. I was shocked, but my mother explained, They are like us and know the illusion potions. On the way to meet up with you, which was a very good diversion by the way, they told me the evening before, a couple of those soldiers lost money in games of chance to Kim, the man you see before you. They were in their elderly illusion disguise because it’s safer to travel that way, but, as chance would have it, the soldiers were poor losers. We happened by at the time they tried to arrest them. Lu, Kim’s sister, had offered their losses back, but the soldiers wanted to make an example of them. They would have beaten them severely if we had not helped them escape.

Lu and Kim stood up and offered us a salute of thanks by placing a fist into the palm of the other hand and bowing low in respect. We want to help you as you have helped us, said Kim.

Yes, said Lu. We will teach you what we know in magic and illusion and if you want you may teach us what you have learned in the mystic arts. Also, we will concoct a potion that will enable your ears to understand any language spoken and for your tongue to speak in any language.

Kim accepted the bread and soup. As we drank tea he told us, "We are from the mountains of China, near the area called Mongolia. We lived in a village close to a shaolin temple. In our time, there were hermit wizards that wandered the countryside. These powerful wizards could control the elements.

"It was customary to provide refuge and food for the wizards. One wizard went to the temple to seek sanctuary from a terrible winter storm. The shaolin master refused to allow him access to their temple. We later heard that the shaolin master was sick from a disease in his head which caused him to become cruel. The wizard was insulted and demanded to be taken in, but again he was refused. The enraged wizard declared war on the shaolin temple. He was one being against hundreds, but when morning came the shaolin temple and all those within it no longer existed. The wizard was wounded and very weak. The people in my village ran away. Only Lu and I went to where the temple stood and found the wizard. We took him to our home and hid him from neighbors and from neighboring shaolin seeking to find what had happened.

We tried to nurse him back to health but his wounds were too great. Before he died he told us many secrets and gave us salves and potions. He explained what they could do. One in particular we want to share with you. It is the potion of immortality. Your body will stop aging. You are still susceptible to disease, sickness and other calamities that may befall you, but age infirmness won’t be one of them.

My mother and I stared in disbelief. They must have seen our skepticism because Lu told us, My brother speaks the truth. He was born in 923 and I in 925. Yes, we are 400 years old. We traveled together for many years. Times are changing against witches. The various religions united against us because we did not conform to a belief in one god, nor did we pay them homage or in silver. The priests, monks, rabbis and others exerted control over the illiterate populace and through them they controlled the rulers and the military. The religious leaders decided they would not share any space with pagans and devil worshipers as they called us. None of it was true, but what they couldn’t understand or could not control they believed was competition against them.

Kim and Lu decided to return to the East in the hope they would fare better in Asia, while my mother and I decided to travel west into France and later to England. As time went by, religions started exerting more and more power over the populace. The governments that controlled the people were, in turn, controlled by the churches. When we arrived in England in the late 1500’s, the churches waged war between Catholics and Protestants. All of Europe was in a religious frenzy. We hid as best we could, but times were hard because we could not practice openly for fear we would be condemned as heretics.

In the late 1600’s, my mother took pity on a 10 year old child whose mother begged her to help as her son developed open sores on his body and was too exhausted to eat or drink. Shortly after the young boy recovered, my mother was accused of being a witch by a neighbor of the healed child. Soldiers came and arrested us, confiscated almost all our ointments, salves and other ingredients and used our healing medicines as evidence that we were witches. The most damning evidence came from a woman that my mother was a mid-wife to and bore her into this world 80 years before. The woman stated that neither my mother nor I aged a day while she became an ancient, decrepit woman from old age.

In rapid order we were tried, found guilty and sentenced to be burned to death. While awaiting our deaths, my mother pooled all of our remaining salves, potions and elixirs that we had on our persons and my mother made me hide them in my skirt and undergarments. She made me vow to try my best to escape if she could find a way to free me. I begged her that we must escape together, but she said it was impossible. It was against all the odds that she would escape, but I was young and fast so I stood the best chance to get away from the mob.

The jailer came with a priest and asked if we sought to repent and beg forgiveness for our associations with the devil. My mother told them that they would soon meet the devil for what they were doing to innocent people. They tied our hands with cord and led us out into the dark of night where an oxen-pulled cart awaited us. We were placed in the cart and, with a troop of soldiers on either side of us; we were led into the town square a half mile away.

When we arrived, the square was packed with the town’s people who came to see two witches burned alive. We were both led up wooden steps to wood poles that had metal rings near the top to secure our upraised hands. He secured my mother and then me to the pole. I saw my mother use her feet to raise herself up the pole. This gave her enough slack so she could use her teeth on the ropes that bound her hands. After I was bound to the pole, the jailer went to fetch the torch to start the fire. He ignited the wood closest to the crowd so the show would last longer. The crowd watched the fire edge closer and closer to our bodies. I could see the excitement in their eyes as they murmured and talked among themselves. They bet on which one of us would scream out first and which would be the first to burn.

I saw from the corner of my eye that my mother was frantically chewing away at the knot in her rope. The fire drew closer and the flames spread quickly around the wood, inching ever closer to us. When the flames were highest and blocked the crowd’s vision of us, my mother chewed through the cord, dropped onto the smoking wood and came to help me. As she finished the rope’s removal from my wrists, a soldier on horseback spotted her and charged forward.

We jumped down the steps behind the poles and started to run. The soldier on horse-back caught up to us and we were forced to turn back towards the burning pyre. The soldier leveled his spear at my back and charged. My mother leaped in front of me and took the spear in her chest. The force of the impact knocked us both back into the flames. I jumped up and watched my mother die with the spear in her as the flames engulfed her. The soldier pulled the spear from my mother’s chest so he could use it against me. I charged him and his horse, not caring that my clothes were on fire. The horse reared up onto his hind legs knocking the soldier off his mount. I grabbed the spear from him and thrust it into his chest. The horse panicked as the fire from my clothes scared him senseless. I was able to grab the saddle as the horse galloped into the night.

My clothes and hair were on fire as I desperately hung onto the horse’s saddle as the beast charged out of the village at full speed. The horse was crossing a bridge, over a small stream, when I could no longer hold on. I fell from the horse and rolled off the bridge and into the creek which extinguished any remaining fire. I was in terrible pain as my back, legs, hair and the right side of my face was burned. I knew I could not stay where I was because the townspeople and soldiers would be after me and no one would dare give me shelter.

I crawled across a field and saw a light from a home through the woods. I could hear the soldiers searching for me. I kept going. I arrived in front of the home, which was a mansion. The lights from candles were needed because the family was packing wagons. I overheard the wife tell her husband that everything must be secured, so nothing would be broken on the ship bound for the Massachusetts colony.

I could hear the soldiers rapidly approaching. I searched for a place to hide but could find none. I started looking into the wagons when the soldiers arrived. I quickly entered the rear of a wagon, while franticly looking for any place to hide, knowing the soldiers or the couple’s servants would find me. That was when I saw the mirror and an idea came to me.

I quickly removed all the items my mother had secured to me that was not destroyed by the fire; which was a small portion of what we started with. I found the anti aging potion, the illusion potion and the powder for walking through walls or locked doors. I put them all together