A Secret in Salem - 4. Chapter 4

The grave markers and tombstones littered around were old and weathered. Why was he in this creepy cemetery in the middle of the night? What could be so important that he couldn’t wait until daylight to find it? The trees became thicker, more dense, and the tombstones seemed to be getting bigger and bigger the further he went.

“Toby…” A whisper behind him.

He whirled around searching for the source. Nothing was there but dead trees and the leaves on the ground. He shivered again. He must have imagined it. He continued on in the direction he had begun. His heart was still going a mile a minute. He was terrified, but he had no idea why. Of course the night, and the graveyard would make him jumpy, but it wouldn’t have given him the irrational fear that was coursing through him. The shadows continued to move, almost menacingly.

He moved faster now, the dry leaves crunching under his feet.

“Toby… Hurry…” Again the whisper came, this time in front of him. He started to run. He had to find it. Whatever it was. WHO-ever it was.

There was no breeze or any hint of wind, but his hair flew into his face. He clawed at it, cursing it for getting in his way. He felt tears coming into his eyes. He had to hurry. He didn’t know why but something terrible was going to happen if he didn’t get there in time.

“TOBY!” This time it was a shout. A desperate cry for help. It was not far off, just ahead behind a line of trees.

He swung himself around the first tree he could grab.

What the Hell was going on? A clearing in the trees. A slight rise to the ground. On top of the small hill was a platform, old and rickety. He raced toward it, dodging the few headstones in his way. The frigid air stung his eyes which were now leaking tears.

Finally, he was near the platform. A single beam was crossing the middle of it with a length of rope dangling from the beam.

Gallows. The fear in him suddenly gave way to panic. There was someone tied in the noose. He scrambled up the platform.

“I’m here! Oh shit! I’m here! What is going ON?” He ran to the figure, their hands were tied behind their back. The person was slight, extremely skinny, and fragile.

He struggled with the rope around the person’s hands. He was too wound up, in too much panic, to be able to untie the knot. He gave up on that and reached up to loosen the noose.

“Just give me one second… I’ve almost got it… I’m here now.” He said, his voice shaking.

“Toby…” The figure whispered. Toby moved around to face the person while still battling the knot.

A glance at the person’s face made him stop dead. Staring back at him, were the same green eyes he saw every morning, stretched in pain and misery. His hair hung limp across his forehead. Dirt was smudged all over his face.

“What? What IS this?” He asked… himself. He stared into his own eyes. He saw his doppelganger take a breath, as if to speak. Then the eyes went wide, staring at a spot just behind were Toby was standing.

Before Toby could ask, or even turn to look, a creak of wood, a slam, and then his double was plummeting through the trapdoor.

“NO!” He shouted, falling to his knees.
His eyes never left Toby’s, until the rope was pulled taught by gravity and the figure’s neck snapped. He knelt there staring down in disbelief at the swinging figure below. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. He couldn’t think.

A shadow raced across his eyes and suddenly he felt the bite of a rope around his neck. Toby clawed at it, but it was no use. He felt his own fingernails tearing at the skin of his neck. He was jerked back forcefully and swung around to face the edge of the platform. Tears streamed out of his eyes and the only noise he could hear were his own choked sobs, trapped in his throat by the rough rope.

The grip became tighter around his neck and he tried to pull himself out of his attacker’s grasp. He only succeeded in thrashing around and falling to the wooden beams. Staring up into the menacing face above him, he only saw the pale moon behind it. Full and beautiful, he was grateful that at least the last thing he would see was the full moon.

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live…” The silhouette of his attacker whispered.

Toby felt himself fading from consciousness and called out with his mind to the Goddess to guide him to the Summerland.

Gasping for breath, Toby sat up in his bed. The room was dark save for a glow from outside. He clutched at his throat, feeling for the rope. There was nothing there. Taking several deep breaths, he wiped his forehead and cheeks. He was drenched in sweat and tears.

“My Gods… That was NUTS…” He said to the empty room. He walked over to his window and pulled up the blinds. The moon was full… but there was a golden halo around it.

“Blood on the moon… Trouble coming…” He shivered and closed the blinds. He was starting to get a bit freaked out by the dream and the omen of the moon. A shrill melody pierced the quiet darkness and Toby nearly jumped out of his skin. After quieting his heart and trying to slow down his breathing, he picked up his cell phone and answered.

“Hello?”

“Toby? Hey, it’s Sean.” Toby glanced at his alarm clock, the red light the only illumination in the room besides the gentle glow of his phone.

“Sean? It’s 3:30 in the morning. What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Oh damn it. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the time. Nothing is wrong. Are you alright? I just… felt like I should call you… You sound out of breath…” The tone of his voice conveyed the slight suspicion that Toby might not be alone.

“I… Uh… It sounds silly, but I had a nightmare. A pretty bad one actually.”

“Oh…” The relief was plain. “Well do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really… Thanks though.” Toby laid back and rested his head on his pillow.

“Ok, if you’re sure… Well, anyway, I sort of had this idea; do you have any plans for the rest of spring break?”

“Only if you count doing laundry and watching TV.”

“Good. Do you think you could sneak away without anyone worrying?” Sean asked with a laugh.

“Depends on what I am sneaking away for…” Toby said with suspicion. “Are we talking like a day trip?”

“Well… I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I was thinking… I don’t have to work and if you don’t have any plans… maybe we could take a road trip… Just for a couple of days. We’d be back by the end of break.”

“A road trip? To where?”

“Call me crazy but I want to go to Salem. I think it might be fun.” Sean laughed.

“Salem is like an eight or nine hour drive!”

“Well, that will give us time to talk and get to know each other better. All I know about you right now is that you’re adorable,” he snickered, “you are a great kisser, and you’re a witch. There’s more than that I’m sure.”

“Sean, are you nuts? What if you decide you hate me in that 8 hour drive, and once we get there, where are we going to stay? How am I even sure that you aren’t going to… I don’t know, kill me and throw me in a ditch?”

“Toby, relax. That is going to be half the fun. I want to get to know you and this could be a great way to do it. You’ll be in a place you’re really interested in, we can do a little research for our project, AND most importantly, you’ll be with me.”

“Well look at you, mister self assured. How do you know that I won’t hate you after the first hour in the car?” Toby laughed and rolled onto his side.

“Come on, Toby. It’s an adventure. Take it with me.” His voice was soft and a little whiny. Toby had to laugh at the image that sprang into his mind of Sean throwing a tantrum.

“Alright, fine. I can get away. My parents won’t even notice I’m gone; I’ll just leave a note to be sure. So… when do we leave?”

“YES! Toby, you won’t regret this. I can’t even tell you how excited I am!” Toby heard the squeal of tires through the phone.

“Sean, are you driving? Where are you going at this hour?”

“Look outside…” Sean said, and Toby ran to his window again and pulled up the blinds once more. There was Sean in his red car, waiting out front. The headlights were turned down so he wouldn’t wake anyone in the house.

“Are you insane?? You didn’t even ask me yet and you were all packed to go?” He saw Sean in the driver seat talking on his cell.

“I don’t know, I just had a feeling you’d say yes.” Sean laughed.

“Sean I…” He stopped speaking as the phone disconnected. Sean had hung up and was now standing outside of his car, waving for Toby to come down. Toby took a deep breath, and opened the window. He held out one hand saying, ‘Give me five minutes.’

Grabbing a duffel bag he raced around his room packing his favorite outfits, his toiletries, his iPod, and his pillow. As an afterthought he grabbed the tiger’s eye pendant he kept on his altar as well. He ran into his bathroom and checked himself in the mirror.

“Oh HELL no!” He said as he saw the smudged eyeliner and rats nest sitting on top of his head.

Ten minutes later he stepped quietly out of his front door and walked over to Sean who was waiting impatiently on the hood of his car. As Toby approached he raised a single eyebrow in question.

“Don’t look at me like that… I had just woken up.” He shrugged and threw his bag in the back seat next to Sean’s. Sean wrapped his arms around him from behind and lifted him off the ground.

“Sean, what are you doing? I can’t… I can’t breathe!” He giggled as Sean spun him around in a circle. Setting him down gently, Sean turned Toby to face him.

“You are so fucking ADORABLE!” Sean grinned and kissed him on the cheek. Toby blushed even though there was no one but Sean to see.

“I told you to stop calling me that!” He whispered with a huge smile on his face.

Sean simply smiled and opened the passenger door.

“Your chariot awaits.” He grinned.

“Why sir, you are too kind.” Toby looked up at Sean through his lashes and with an extra bit of courage, stood on his toes and kissed him. Before Sean could react, Toby sat himself in the car and grabbed the door.

“Well are we going or what?” He laughed and shut the door.

Sean smiled and got behind the wheel. They pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. The beginning of the drive was quiet. Toby didn’t know what to say and Sean was content being silent. Eventually Toby decided to plug in his iPod and play some music. Sean was surprised to learn that Toby had some eclectic tastes. From New Age to Pop to Show-tunes to Alternative, it was all there. They started talking about music, music led into philosophy, philosophy led into religion, and religion into politics.

Toby was pleasantly surprised when Sean shared his views on religion and politics. Toby would have thought that his own views were as liberal as they could get, but Sean seemed even further to the left than Toby himself. The hours in the car flew by. With occasional stops for food or a bathroom break, they were able to make it to Salem by the afternoon.

“Wow, everything here looks so… historic.” Sean laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of a bed and breakfast. They grabbed their bags and went to the lobby where what can only be described as a cute old lady; sat at the desk and helped them get a room.

“Wow, I can’t believe we actually came here… We are so nuts.” Toby said as he tossed his bag on the bed. Sean set his on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his elbows.

“I think we are going to have a great time. What do you say we get settled really quick and go grab some lunch?”

“That sounds good. I’m starving. That MacDonald’s did not last long.” He dug his toiletries out of his bag and went to the bathroom to freshen up. He took his time. He hadn’t missed the fact that there was only one bed. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it yet.

“So, I know you noticed that there’s only one bed. Especially when that nice old lady asked us for a single or a double… and I said single.” Sean said as if reading Toby’s thoughts. He leant against the doorframe of the bathroom while Toby brushed his hair and reapplied the eyeliner around his eyes. He glanced at Sean from the corner of his eyes.

“Yeah… I noticed. I figure I can go along with your plan for now. Don’t know how I feel about it yet, but we shall see.” He grinned and turned to walk past Sean back into the room. Sean blocked his path with one arm.

“At least let me show you a good time tonight first, before you decide to put me on the floor.” He pulled Toby close and looked down into his eyes. “I want to impress you. I am really trying here.”

Toby broke his gaze and rested his head on Sean’s chest. He felt the strong arms wrap around him.

“I know Sean, I just… This seems too easy… Too good to be true.” He sighed.

“I know… I can understand that. I promise everything I am doing is coming from me, not from some desire to prove everyone wrong.” He let go of Toby and gently brought his chin up so he could gaze into the deep green pools. “I only ask that you give me a shot. A chance to prove myself.”

“I know, I know. I will… I am… I’m sorry; I am just not used to this.” He gave Sean a half smile.

Sean smiled back and kissed him on the cheek.

“Come on! Let’s go get something to eat.” He pulled Toby out the door so fast he barely had a chance to grab his wallet.

They decided to walk. The air smelled amazing and the slight breeze cooled them off in the mid day sun. They stopped in an old fashioned café where they ordered their food and Sean paid the bill.

“Sean, I do have money.” Toby protested.

“Humor me.” He smiled back. They sat outside on the patio and watched the locals and the obvious tourists with their cameras. They didn’t talk much. They were both content to just enjoy each other’s company. After the meal, they both ordered coffee. Sean scooted his chair to the same side of the table as Toby’s and took his hand.

It was a simple gesture, but Toby found himself nearly in tears. This was all so amazing. It was unreal. He sniffed quietly.

“Toby… Are you alright? Why are you crying?” Sean asked.

“I’m sorry,” Toby laughed and sniffed. “This is just… It’s amazing. No one has ever done anything like this for me. And when… when you held my hand… I don’t know. It just made me feel so special. You weren’t afraid to have everyone here know that you are here with me.”

“Of course I want everyone to know. I’m not just blowing smoke when I say I like you… I really do.” He wrapped one arm around Toby’s shoulder and handed him a napkin to blow his nose.

“Oh man. I am such a mess. You probably think I am some kind of bi-polar weirdo.” He blew his nose and shook his head, trying to regain his composure. “I promise I’m not like this all the time.”

Sean drained the last bit of coffee from his mug and stood up.

“I should probably get used to it. I am nowhere NEAR done romancing you yet.” He grinned and pulled Toby out of his chair. They left a tip for the waiter and made their way down Washington Street. They reached Church road and Toby stopped.

“Hey, the Witch Museum is on Brown, just a street over.” He said to Sean.

“Not today. Let’s save that for at least our second night here. I have somewhere I want to take you.” He turned right onto Church Street and walked right by the museum. Toby pouted for a moment, but realized he was rapidly being left behind and ran to catch up.

“What would you have done if I didn’t follow you?”

“I would have come back and carried you on my shoulder.” Sean said looking straight ahead and keeping a completely straight face.

“What? You’re crazy.” Toby laughed. His laughter tuned into a shout when he felt Sean lifting him off the ground. He was suddenly thrown over Sean’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Sean! Oh man, put me down! You’re insane!!” He said over bouts of giggles. A half a block later, Sean set him down without a word and draped one arm over Toby’s shoulder. Toby was still giggling and he decided to let loose and wrap his arm around Sean’s waist.

Sean looked down at him and smiled broadly. They continued on, Toby letting Sean guide them to whatever destination he chose. Toby caught the scent of water in the air.

“Are we going to the harbor?” He asked.

“Yep, but there’s a special spot I want to take you to.” He kept walking past the replicated sailboat and to the steps of a huge house. The sign out front said ‘The Customs House.’

“You’re taking me through customs?” Toby said playfully.

“No, there’s a balcony on the second floor that looks right over the water. That’s where I want to take you. When I went online there was a review that said that the view from there is amazing.”

“Oh, wow. Alright.” Toby stayed quiet as they made their way through the tourists reading pamphlets and up the stairs. The second floor was empty. No one really wanted to see where the Custom’s officials lived back then, apparently.

They stepped onto the balcony and as Toby looked out over the water he let out a slight gasp. From here they could see the entire harbor. The restaurants, the marina, and all the old buildings surrounding it. The water was calm and a dark green, the breeze barely causing a ripple. Across the water there was a beautiful church with a spiky bell tower, and far in the distance at the entrance to the harbor, a small lighthouse stood guard.

“Sean, this is amazing…” Toby stepped up to the railing. He was looking all around. He wasn’t able to settle his eyes on one thing for more than a few moments before he saw something else that drew his attention.

“It is. This is the kind of thing I think of when I think about you. It’s just… naturally beautiful and engaging.” He stepped up behind Toby and wrapped his arms around him. Resting his chin on Toby’s shoulder, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the moist air.

“Sean… I don’t even know what to say. This is… so gorgeous. Thank you.” He laid his hands on top of Sean’s and leaned back against him. They stood there for a long time taking in the sights and smells, Toby wrapped tightly in Sean’s embrace.

“Hey there’s a lounge chair. Looks like we aren’t the only ones to think this place is perfect.” Sean led Toby to the chair and sat down. Toby sat in between Sean’s legs and leaned back against his chest. They both closed their eyes and before they knew it, the long drive and the late night start caught up with them.

Hours later, Toby woke to see the sun setting on the harbor. He smiled and looked up at Sean who was still blissfully asleep.

“Sean… Wake up. The sun is setting. We should go.” He said stroking Sean’s cheek. Slowly Sean opened his eyes and let out a great yawn.

“But I am so comfy… I don’t want to move.” He said sleepily.

“Look at the sunset.” Toby stood up and went back to the railing. Sean rubbed the sleep from his eyes and followed.

“Wow.” Sean said standing next to Toby.

“Sean, I can’t thank you enough for convincing me to come. We’ve only been here for a half a day, most of that spent sleeping on a random lounge chair, but this is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.” Toby smiled and took Sean’s hand.

“Of course. That’s what I do. I am your boyfriend after all.” Sean smiled back at Toby and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Let’s go grab some dinner, eh? I’m kind of hungry again.” He laughed and led them back through the house. They both snickered at the strange looks they got when they suddenly appeared from the second floor. Apparently the visiting hours had ended a while before.

They walked back towards their room at the Bed and Breakfast. Along the way they saw couples dining together on the patio of the finer restaurants. All the shops for the most part were closed. All but one. The one open store on this street immediately caught Toby’s eye. There were crystals hung all around the outside, and the smell of incense wafted to them through the open doorway.

“Oh Sean, would you mind if we stopped here? I know we are saving the witch stuff for tomorrow but I really want to go see what they have!” Toby begged.

“Yeah, sure. It’ll be fun.” Sean smiled and followed Toby inside.

The store was dimly lit and the smell of incense and candles pervaded the air. Chimes and bells were hung from every available corner. An entire wall was devoted to packets of herbs. Another was for candles of all shapes, sizes and colors.

“Welcome! How can I help you?” A woman of about middle age came through the beaded curtain from the back of the store. Her long brown hair was tied in a tight braid falling down her back.

Toby smiled and waved.

“Actually, I’m looking for rose quartz. Please, tell me you have some.” He left Sean near the counter and walked up to the woman.

“My dear, this is Salem. I would be shut down if I didn’t carry rose quartz!” She said with a laugh. She led him to a glass case filled with hundreds of crystals. “I’ll let you find the one you need. My name is Rowan. Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.” She smiled at him and went behind the counter.

Toby looked through the glass and saw every type of crystal he could think of. Rose quartz filled the entire bottom half of one of the shelves. He looked at each of them carefully, but none really jumped out at him. He noticed that there were more on the other side of the case and went to look at them.

Sean smiled as he watched Toby, who was intent on finding his stone.

“Would you like to find something as well?” Rowan asked.

“Well, I don’t really know a lot about this kind of stuff. That’s Toby’s department.” He laughed.

“Come. Take a look. You will know which one is right.” She said with a gentle smile. She led him to the case and immediately he saw a dark green stone that reminded him of Toby’s eyes. He was surprised it had been the first one he glanced at, but didn’t question it. It was perfect.

“This one actually. It’s perfect.” He said pointing to the stone he had chosen.

Rowan opened the case and handed him the crystal. It fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and he noticed that it didn’t have the normal cold feeling that he was used to with gems.

“It’s warm… Do you heat the cases or something?” He asked but Rowan didn’t respond. He brought the piece to the counter and she rang him up for it. It was only a few dollars and Toby was sure to love it. When she handed it back to him, she also gave him what looked like a round metal cage on a necklace.

“The stone can sit in here perfectly. It’s on me.” She smiled at him again.

He thanked her and slid it into his pocket. Just then Toby called for her. He had found the perfect one. Rowan opened the case and handed him the stone. She didn’t remark that he had opted for not rose quartz, but a piece of tumbled amber. After ringing him up she discreetly handed him another of the wire cages on a necklace and winked at him. He blushed furiously.

“Thank you both so much. Please come back anytime. I have high hopes for your relationship.” She said with almost a wicked grin as they walked out the door.

“How do you think she knew?” Sean asked Toby after they had made it out of earshot.

“Well, that was probably my fault… I kind of bought you something… and it’s obviously something you would give to your boyfriend or girlfriend… at least to Rowan and I.” He brought out the amber stone and slid it into the small cage. Sean bent down as Toby laid it around his neck.

“What does it mean?” He asked looking at the dark gold stone.

“Well, amber is used to promote protection, healing, luck… and love.” Toby couldn’t stop himself from blushing again.

“Do all crystals have some meaning? Or some power?” Sean asked, hugging Toby. They continued down the street.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Toby said with a giggle. Sean played with the stone that rested in his pocket. Finally, he pulled it out and put it inside the small cage.

“Well, then I hope this is a good one. I really have no idea. Don’t be mad?” He said as he placed it around Toby’s slender neck and pulled his hair free.

“Oh, Sean. You didn’t have to get me anything from there. I wanted to repay you for lunch and … for bringing me here.” He looked at the stone closely.

“Really, I got it because I thought it matched your eyes. I didn’t know they meant all that much.” He shrugged. “So what does it mean?” Toby held it to the light to make sure he knew exactly what kind of stone it was.

“It’s jade… Wow, that’s… wow.” He said, stumbling over his sentence.

“What? Did I get the wrong one? I’m sorry, really, I only got it coz it was pretty.”

“No… Sean… Jade is mostly used for love. I’m just surprised you didn’t pick any of the other green stones. Jade is like THE love stone. Besides rose quartz.” He stopped and looked up at Sean.

“Oh, well good. Then I didn’t screw up.” Sean grinned and looked into his eyes. “Besides, this one matches your eyes better anyway.”

“You know, it’s funny. I was going to get you rose quartz because of the love thing, but I saw the amber and decided that it matched your eyes. You got me jade because of my eyes. That’s… well I guess that’s why we came to Salem.” Toby grinned.

“And that’s why Rowan said that about us.” Sean agreed. He draped his arm over Toby’s shoulder again and they made their way all the way back to their room.

“Sean thanks. This has been the most amazing day. I mean it.” Toby stopped him right outside the door to their room. He gave him a tight hug and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Let’s go get ready, and go somewhere fancy for dinner. I’m not done with you yet.” Sean grinned and opened their door. They stepped inside and only one lamp was on. Toby closed the door behind them, his heart beating a mile a minute. Before Sean could go more than two steps, Toby grabbed his wrist.

“Hey… do they do room service here?” He asked with a smirk.

“Yeah…” Sean hesitated before answering. He wasn’t sure what the look on Toby’s face meant.

“Let’s… order in.” Toby looked up at Sean with half lidded eyes. He pulled Sean close and backed him against the closed door.