My parents named me Micah. Micah Meyers. Yes, that's right. Halloween is their favorite movie of all time. They're so obsessed with the occult and Halloween and anything supernatural, they planned on naming me after the crazed killer from that old movie. You can imagine their disappointment when I was born and I was very much not a boy.
I've spent my whole life surrounded by Halloween. Our house is always decorated with it (we actually have a Halloween tree--like a Christmas tree--that my mom keeps up and illuminated all year long). There are posters of horror movies instead of family photos and my dad's monster action figure collection lines the shelves of our house instead of books.
From a very early age I hated Halloween and tried as hard as I could to be normal... whatever that is supposed to be. I didn't go trick-or-treating. I wore bright colors. I hung out at the mall on October 31st and not the local cemetery. I tried to stay away from all those things that I was born into... but sooner or later, I knew it would catch up with me.
I'm 30 years old now. I still don't celebrate Halloween and I try to be as normal as I possibly can be.... but that's sometimes easier said than done.
"What are you subbing today?" Jason, my roommate/boyfriend asks me as he kisses me goodbye for the day.
I sigh and think quickly, "French, I think."
"Have a good day."
"You too."
I scurry down the winding stairs--we're a seven floor walk up--as I throw my big brown pleather bag over my shoulder.
"Are you Micah?" a voice lurches out at me making me stop in my tracks and scream.
I turn and glare at the culprit. It's a young man standing next to the garbage shoot, almost entirely hidden in the shadows.
"That depends on who's asking." I shift nervously as I begin to play with the strap of my bag.
"My name is Kyle Fagins," he introduces himself as he hands me a business card. I look down at the little black card in my hand. All I see is the white outline of a cartoony ghost and my gaze jumps back up to the man named Kyle.
I don't give him another chance to talk. Without another word, I begin marching down the stairs again, praying that he doesn't follow.
As I push the front door of our apartment complex open, I hear him grunt behind me, but I don't stop to turn and look. I hear him huff and puff as he jogs to catch up with me and with ease, he falls into step beside me.
"Is it true that you're possessed by a demon?"
I almost turn to glare at him, shocked by his question but instead, I just laugh maniacally. "You seem to know a heck of a lot about me for having just met me." I keep my eyes straight ahead on the sidewalk. Maybe if I ignore him, he'll just go away.
"I know a lot more than just that," he declared, proud of himself for some reason. "I know you're not on your way to the high school to sub."
That's it.
I stop walking and just glare at him. He turns and just smiles.
"Okay," I growl through my teeth. I'm late for an appointment--I don't have time for this. "Either you're some sort of psychic or a stalker--neither of which I am okay with right now."
"No," he shakes his head and laughs at me. "You have quite a following in the paranormal community, Micah Meyers."
I just watch him. I'm suddenly regretting all of these appointments I've been running to lately, telling Jason it's subbing jobs. "And what does the paranormal community say?"
"They say you're the most powerful exorcist they know." His voice gets louder, I can tell he's excited. "You're actually permitted by the Vatican to do exorcisms on the possessed even though you're a woman and not a part of the Church."
I remain silent and let him continue.
"They say you can talk with the dead and sometimes you see ghosts. But the main thing they say is that you're possessed by a demon."
"What about it?" I cross my arms, trying to make some sort of barrier--protection--against this guy.
"Well, is it true?"
I sigh but realize that there's no reason in trying to deny it. He knows who I am and even I know the reputation I have among ghost hunters, mediums, and exorcists. I begin my monologue that I've repeated so many times before, "It's a mutually beneficial relationship. He doesn't feel the need to possess me and I don't feel the need to exorcise him."
"Him?"
"Him."
"How did it happen?"
"I got struck by lightening last year."
He just stands there, seemingly in awe as I look down at my watch. The movement seems to bring him back to the present as he jumps back into place. "Listen, I have some buddies that I investigate with--"
"Don't we all?"
"And we were hoping you might help us with an investigation."
"Get in line," I laugh, humorlessly. "There's a thirteen month waiting list."
With that I finally find the chance to push past him and get back on my way to my scheduled appointment--an old abandoned orphanage, forty minutes outside the city.
"The entity called for you by name!" I hear him shout after me across the parking lot.
Something pricks in my mind, catching my attention as the voice in my ear mutters deeply, Well this could be interesting...
Whenever He makes himself known, I know it was for good reason--He doesn't wake himself up for nothing.
What say you, Micah? Time for some Halloween fun?
I sigh. It seems that's become my newest hobby. I could sense Kyle still standing behind me, waiting and watching for me to make a decision. I slowly turn to face him as his face lights up.
"It looks like He's on your side, Kyle," I call back out to him. "You're lucky..." I grumble. I hate being outnumbered. "So where is this little investigation of yours?"
"Oh, nowhere." He shrugs his shoulders innocently. "Just the most haunted insane asylum in the state." He smiles up at me as he holds his hand out. "Are you brave enough?"
He laughs in my ear and His insanity almost rubs off on me. Instead, I keep it bottled up with just a smile. "Brave?" I scoff. "I have a demon living inside me... a little ghost in a little asylum somewhere in the countryside certainly doesn't scare me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So I had this idea come to me (once again) while I was walking home from work last night. It was dark and cool, I had a skirt on along with a long obnoxious sweater and my man stompin' boots and I just felt like a BAMF about to hunt some ghosts. But as my mind thought about this character--a cooky dressed girl, stompin' her way through town, the story just got more and more detailed and soon I had Micah--a woman who was struck by lightening and now finds herself possessed by a not so malevolent demon.
I'm not sure if I'll continue this story into something bigger where she hunts ghosts with Kyle, exorcises demons with her partner in her head, and gets into a boatload of shenanigans. I'm feeling a lot of one shot stories with these guys.
So this is my first spooky October post. I hope you enjoyed it! Only 29 days until Halloween!
a.r.w.
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