Speaker 1: Campfire Ghost Stories, Volume two, written by A. S. Mont
published by Loan Pine Publishing.
Speaker 2: By the power of three, Zoe was so angry she
couldn't speak.
Speaker 1: She tried, but her words just sputtered utterlessly out of
her mouth and the nonsensical torrent. Her boyfriend, Toby, just
stared down at his feet as she screamed at him.
He was used to filling the full brunt of her
powerful temper to day. She was screaming at him because
he had gone to get some cigarettes at the local
corner store and had failed to ask her if she
had wanted anything, just once. I would like you to
show me some consideration was one of the few sentences
she shouted at him that he was able to understand.
Even though Toby loved Zoe and had grown used to
her irrational rates, he decided then and there that he
had had enough. While she screamed at him, he picked
up an empty vase from the small table he was
standing next to and threw it as hard as he
could against the wall to his right. His actions startled
Soe and left her speechless. I'm sorry I had to
do that, Toby said. I promise you, I'll buy you
a new vase, just like that one. But I had
to do something to get you to quiet down because
I have something I want.
Speaker 2: To say to you.
Speaker 1: Still startled, Zoe nodded and let Toby continue.
Speaker 2: Zoe. Toby shook his head sadly. I love you, but I.
Speaker 1: Can't take it anymore.
Speaker 2: You're crazy outbursts. You're giving me ulcers.
Speaker 1: It has gotten to the point where every time I
take a breath, I'm afraid I might have done something.
Speaker 2: To set you off.
Speaker 1: What are you saying, she asked, not wanting to hear
what she knew was his answer, I'm leaving you. So
he started screaming at him, Toby just turned around and
walked out of the house. He didn't come back for
his things until a few days later, when he knew
she wasn't going to be there once he had collected
anything that she hadn't destroyed. While he was gone. He
left behind his keys and a note telling her where
he could be reached in case anyone was looking for him.
So torpe every picture she could find of Toby and
burned every little momento she had that reminded her of him.
Speaker 2: It did little good.
Speaker 1: As much as she tried to hate him she still
loved him and wanted him to come back. She led
a month pass before she called him, and although he
was polite to her, he made it very clear he
wouldn't meet with her to talk. He explained to her
that he had met someone else and that he was
very much in love. Zoe was devastated. She could not
believe he had found someone.
Speaker 2: To replace her so quickly.
Speaker 1: She had asked him who this new woman was, but
he refused to tell her as he was afraid that
Zoe might try to do something to hurt her. Needing
to know who had replaced her in her beloved heart,
so decided to stake out the address Toby had left
with her. Hiding behind a large bush, she stood for
hours waiting for him and his new girlfriend. Unfortunately, when
they finally showed up, a branch obscured the woman's face,
and so was afraid that moving it might bring attention
to herself. All that she could see was that the
woman had curly hair, strawberry blonde hair that hung down
to her waist, and that she dressed like a new
Millennium flower child. Annoyed that she had waited for so
long for so little, Zoe went home and fumed. In
her mind, she pictured what the woman looked like, and
she hated her. She was far too pretty, and her
hair was just too gorgeous to even consider. Great green
gobs of jealousy begun to flow through her veins as
she happily imagined horrible things happening to her mysterious rival.
Unable to sleep, she turned on her TV and started
to watch an old film on one of those channels
it seemed to play only bad Bee movies no one remembered.
This one was about a man who used the ancient
powers of voodoo to get rid of his enemies and
move up in the world of big business. Watching the movie,
Zoe remembered a small shop in the minimal that she
had always passed by on her way to work. It
was called a Wicked Good Time, and as far as
she could tell, they specialized in books and materials devoted
to the magic arts of witchcraft.
Speaker 2: Thinking of ways she could.
Speaker 1: Rid herself of competition for Toby's affections, she wondered if
maybe the strange little store might be the place to
find a solution. The next afternoon, during her lunch break,
she walked into the little store which appeared to be empty.
It looked exactly as she had imagined. Books were everywhere,
beside jars that were filled with different powders and dried
animal parts.
Speaker 2: There was a section devoted.
Speaker 1: To crystals, and another fool of various.
Speaker 2: Trickets and charms.
Speaker 1: A young woman appeared from behind a curtain in the back.
So was too busy looking around to notice what she
looked like. Can I help you, asked the woman. So
he turned and saw that the woman was pretty, blond
with long hair tied up with an elaborate braid. Her
face was friendly and conveyed a natural kindness. I want
to hurt someone, so admitted bluntly. You're joking, right, asked
the woman.
Speaker 2: No, I'm serious.
Speaker 1: I figured you witchy types could give me some kind
of spell that would do something horrible to the tramp
who stole my boyfriend. You will find nothing like that here,
the woman told her. Don't you know about the power
of three?
Speaker 2: The power of what? The power of three? It is
the rule by which all wickahs live.
Speaker 1: For every negative act we create through or magic, we
personally feel its effects threefold. Huh. If I made a
spell that turned you blind, then I would not only
lose my sight, but two other senses as well. It's
Karma's way of keeping us positive. You realize you guys
are nuts right, get out of my store, ordered the
woman fine So rolled her eyes. It's not like you're
going to be able to help me anyway, fruit cake,
she muttered to stand.
Speaker 2: Fully under her breath.
Speaker 1: Despite her insults, So still believed that casting a spell
would be the best way for her to get the
revenge she desired. But having alienated the only local purveyor
of books and supplies she needed, she was forced to
search for what she wanted on the internet from her
home computer. She ordered six books, which arrived on her
doorstep three weeks later. She poured over them as quickly
as she could, but it took her eight hours before
she found the kindest spell she had been looking for.
To cast the spell, she needed to do some more
shopping on the internet. When the ingredients finally arrived, they
were not the finest smelling products you could buy. In fact,
they smelled so awful she was amazed the mail carrier
actually got.
Speaker 2: Them to her door.
Speaker 1: Trying not to own hell through her nose, she opened
the package and removed several small jars. Inside the different
jars with the dried remains of a large wolfrog powdered munks,
her mud from the bottom of a Louisiana swamp, and
severed frost bit and toe from Canada. She was most
worried that if the ingredients smelled so bad now, they
would smell horrible when she boiled them all together as
the spell demanded.
Speaker 2: Her fears were justified. It was all she could.
Speaker 1: Do not to vomit or passed out as she stirred
the concoction and read the co responding incantation allowed. The
language was tricky, but she had rehearsed it several times
over a week to make sure she got it right. Originally,
she had planned to find a spell though it just
get rid of her unknown rival outright, But she quickly
found out that in magic you had to do things
in roundabout ways. You couldn't just perform a spell that
killer person. You had to do one that led to
a situation in which death would be a likely result.
So the spell she chose was one that made her
target incredibly accident.
Speaker 2: Proum.
Speaker 1: The poor woman wouldn't be able to walk two steps
without potentially falling down an open manhole, or getting hit
by a plummeting piece of space debris, or being the
victim of any of a million other fatal disasters. Zoe
was amused by the randomness and spell. It was fun
for her to imagine just what the accident might end
up being. After she finished the spell, she quickly disposed
of the brew she had concocted, But even a week later,
the smell refused to go away no matter what she
threw at him. Still, it was a small price to pay.
She started calling Toby to ask him how he was doing.
For several weeks, he was as happy as he could be,
still very.
Speaker 2: Much in love with his new girlfriend.
Speaker 1: Sooe was growing impatient and was beginning to feel foolish
for buying into all the hocus pocus nonsense. But then
one weekend afternoon, she called Toby and got no answer.
She called him later that evening and he still wasn't there.
For three days, she couldn't get a hold of him,
and she grew more excited with each passing hour as
the reason for his absence became clearer and clearer to her. Finally,
four days later, he answered his phone. Hello, He sounded dead,
tired and extremely depressed. Hi, Toby, she chirped, cheerfully, how
are you doing. On the other end, she heard him
sigh and start to cry. What's the matter, Zoe asked him,
the concern in her voice masking the smile.
Speaker 2: On her lips.
Speaker 1: It's Shanra, he explained. She had an accident and has
been in a coma for the past four days. Oh
my goodness, that's horrible, so said sympathetically, as she silently
began to bounce up and down with happiness. What did
the doctor say? They say it's touch and co She
could snap out of it at any time, but the
longer she stays in a coma, the likelier it will
be that she won't wake up.
Speaker 2: What happened?
Speaker 1: You would never believe me, he answered, truthfully, Try me.
We were shopping for groceries and she wanted to get
some peanut butter, so she walked up to the display
at the end of the aisle where all the jars
were stacked, and picked one up. She had to step
on her tippytoes to get it, and the floor was
wet because someone had dropped a bottle of juice and
it hadn't been cleaned up.
Speaker 2: Yet, and she slipped.
Speaker 1: She fell face first into the display and caused all
the jars of peanut butter to crash down on her head.
It all happened so quickly, I couldn't do anything to
stop it. One second she was reaching up, the next
she was limp and unconscious on the floor. Zoe gasped
with mock horror and spent the next hour reassuring Toby
that everything was going to turn out o K. When
she finally let him go, she ran to her stereo
and played the song she had always considered it to
be theirs, even though she had never actually mentioned it
to him. She sang along with it, knowing that very soon.
Speaker 2: He would return to her.
Speaker 1: She was still singing the song when she drove to
work the next day. In fact, she got so into
it she didn't notice a large semi that swerved in
front of her. Distracted, she rear ended it when it
came to a sudden stop and in front of her to
avoid hitting.
Speaker 2: A jay walker.
Speaker 1: Her air bag burst open and kept her unconscious long
enough to see the sky rain peanut butter down upon her.
Toby was stunned when he walked into his girlfriend's hospital
room and saw that Zoe lay in the other bed.
What happened, yesked the nurse. You'd never believe me, she
shook her head.
Speaker 2: Try me.
Speaker 1: Poor woman crashed into the back of a jolly fun
peanut butter truck. The accident itself wasn't too bad, but
the impact caused the truck's doors to burst open, and
a car was hit by hundreds of jars of crunchy
peanut butter. Toby turned white. Got to sit down, he said,
before he fainted.
Speaker 2: So felt good.
Speaker 1: She knew she was dreaming, but it was a good dream.
She was in a beautiful meadow, and birds were singing,
and the sun was shining brightly in the bizarre blue sky.
It didn't get any more perfect than that until the
other woman showed up. So felt annoyed to have someone
intrude into her paradise, but her annoyance turned to surprise
when she realized the woman was the sells lady from
a good Wick Good Time. What are you doing here,
she asked the long haired woman. The cell's lady shook
her head. Didn't I warn you? She scolded So About
what the power of three?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: So, So shrugged the sels lady looked exasperated for a second,
but she quickly regained her cool. Don't you realize that
this is the reason you're hue? I don't get you,
the sales lady continued to ten before she spoke again.
You caused the accident that put Toby's girlfriend into a coma,
and now a similar accident has put you in the
same situation. Oh so hadn't seen the connection? But how
is what happened to me three times worse than what
happened to that tramp? It wasn't so it is just
mumbo jumbo, Zoe smiled triumphantly. No, it isn't, the sales
lady scowled. It's just isn't finished with you yet?
Speaker 2: Oh, Zoe deflated.
Speaker 1: So what's gonna happen to me? Then?
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: It all depends on what happens to me. Why you
as so confused? It was the saleslady's turn to be surprised,
didn't you know?
Speaker 2: She asked? Know what?
Speaker 1: I'm Toby's girlfriend. You can call me Sanra. She held
out her hand for Zoe to shake, but her vengeful
rival did not take it. You're his girlfriend, yes, and
you are a witch. Yes, and whatever happens to you
while you're in a coma is going to happen to me,
only much much worse. Yes, So I'm totally rooked Shanna's smile. Totally,
she answered, before she faded away from sight. Toby awoke
on a spare bed in the hospital, still feeling dizzy.
He walked back to the room that held both his
former and his current girlfriends, but before he could walk
in on them, a crew of doctors and nurses flew
past him, too busy to notice him. They didn't see
anything when he followed them into the room. Shana was
flatlining and they were there.
Speaker 2: To try to resurrect her.
Speaker 1: Toby was too stunned to react and observe the drama
in front of him as if it was a scene
from a dramatic television show. Orders he didn't understand were
shouted out, and those scary electric paddles replaced on Shanner's chest.
The doctors used them several times until the sound of
Shanner's heart beating was heard and the beeps of the.
Speaker 2: Machine she was connected to.
Speaker 1: Toby cried with relief, but this feeling was quickly exhausted
when Zoe began a flat line.
Speaker 2: It took a second for the.
Speaker 1: Shocked crew to react, but once they did, the whole
procedure was repeated. It took them longer and they had
to fight much harder, but finally they were able to
get Zoe's heart to start again. They made Toby wait
in the lobby for a couple of hours after that,
but then a nurse approached him and told him that
Chanra was awake. He ran to the room and wept
when she saw her, conscious and loocid in her bed.
You had me so scared, he told her, sorry about that.
She whispered, her voice hoarse and tired. Toby looked over
in the bed. You're not going to believe, he started,
She is your ex, Shanner interrupted, How did you know?
Speaker 2: I have my ways?
Speaker 1: It's too bad about her, though, Why what happened? Shanner
looked aroun to see that no one.
Speaker 2: Could hear her.
Speaker 1: They thought I was still unconscious when they talked about her,
but I heard it all. They screwed it up when
they revived her. The bottle that had the adrenaline they
shot into her was mislabeled, and it really contained some
drug with one of those long, unpronounceable names. They had
no idea how it could have happened. The chances are
like a million to one.
Speaker 2: She going to be all right?
Speaker 1: No, Apparently the drug is meant to be used only
on violent mental patience. They use it instead of surgery.
What kind of surgery?
Speaker 2: What bottomies?
Speaker 1: If she had been able to form a single thought,
Zoe probably still would have reeled that the idea that
the power of three had made sure her crime against
Shanra hadn't gone unpunished. To ensure that, like her rival,
she was brought to the brink of death by peanut butter,
and then ensured that when she was pushed over that brink,
a team of doctors would be there to bring her back.
It also ensured that among them there would be a
mislabeled bile that inexplicitly contained a drug that the hospital
didn't even keep in stalk. And finally, it ensured, after
Toby had gone home with Shanra had been moved out
of the critical word, that she woke up. When her
eyes opened, she felt different, but she couldn't tell how.
A stream of drill began to float out of her mouth,
but she felt no impulse to wipe it away. She
didn't feel much of anything. It took all of her
concentration just to stare at the wall in front of her.
It didn't even occur to her that she no longer
remembered her own name, or that she loved a man
named Toby, or that when it comes to magic, the
universe has a way to make sure a person does
only good