Want To Know What Your Future Husband Will Look Like? Here's How But Beware!

 
CONTEST! Want to win a copy of "Monster Mash", the anthology in which "The Face In The Mirror" appears? This story is based on the old wives tale described below. Leave a comment here about anything having to do with Halloween - your favorite Halloween candy, your favorite scary movies, your plans for Halloween if you have any. I'll choose a commenter at random and that person will win the story. Please write your complete email address in your comment so I may reach you. Good luck!

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Halloween is coming, and that brought to mind a certain old wives tale I tried out when I was in college. If you are a single straight woman, you may want to take a crack at this.

I recall from my childhood an old wives tale that went like this: if you want to know what your future husband will look like, do this at the stroke of midnight on Halloween: get an apple, a candle, and a brush. Go into a quiet room by yourself. Turn off the lights. Stand in front of a mirror. Light the candle. Whilst looking in the mirror, eat the apple and brush your hair at the same time. As you gaze into the mirror whilst doing all this you will see the face of your future husband staring back at you.

I was a 21 year old, unmarried college student when I remembered this Halloween legend. So, I had to try it.

I told my roommate about it and she wanted to try it, too. We gathered our apples, candles, and brushes and took turns in the dorm room. I stood in front of my mirror in the dark as the bells clanged at midnight on Halloween, and I nibbled at that apple and brushed my hair.

And waited.

And waited some more.

I stared into the mirror but I saw nothing. I was disappointed. It sure looked like I wasn't going to get married at all. I also started freaking out from all the staring, terrified of what might appear in the glass. I got a bad case of the willies and stopped. My roommate tried it and she also saw nothing.

Disappointed, we turned in and went to sleep. I overslept the next morning and nearly missed my 8 am class. My alarm clock had not gone off.

My clock had stopped - at midnight!

Talk about creepy! I felt the prickly things running up and down my spine. I told my roommate and she freaked out too. I later told a few people about our experiment, but I quickly forgot about it.

Many years later, I remembered that little experiment with a sense of dread. My first marriage was an unmitigated disaster. My then-husband was angry and abusive. It took me eleven years to get away from him, since he kept me in a contested custody battle for seven years. I won in the end but by then I was exhausted and a complete mental and emotional wreck. It took me years to regain my sense of self. I'm now happily married for the second time to my soulmate. We've been together for 19 years.

So, if you are a single, straight woman, try out that old wives tale but be forewarned - you may not like what you see.

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I'm going to promote two short stories; one that is a prize in a contest and one that is brand new. "The Face In The Mirror" appears in the "Monster Mash" Halloween anthology. This story is based on the above old wives tale. See the note at the top of this post for contest instructions. My second story is called "Alicia" and it was released about a week ago. More information below. "The Face In The Mirror" is paranormal fantasy and "Alicia" is romantic horror.

First, "The Face In The Mirror", from the "Monster Mash" Halloween anthology:

Whiskey Creek Press: http://tinyurl.com/647zoz
Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b78819/?si=0
Amazon Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/8ttrw9f

Blurb:

"The Face In The Mirror" is a contemporary erotic paranormal romance based on a Halloween-related old wives tale. The tale goes that if you are an unmarried woman, to find out who your future husband is,you eat an apple and brush your hair in front of a mirror by candlelight at the stroke of midnight on Halloween. You'll see the face of your future husband in the mirror. I love basing stories on legends. Linda can't resist, so she heads for the nearest mirror.

And finally, "Alicia":

My short romantic horror story "Alicia" is based in part on my personal experience as well as work I used to do on behalf of abused women. Eric gets a call in the middle of the night from the love of his life, Alicia. She had been raped by her abusive husband, and she needs his help. He rushes to her side. She's a complete wreck, and his heart goes out to her. She asks him to find her young son and make sure he is okay. However, no matter how much he tries to make sense of her situation, things are not quite what they seem.

Here are buy links, a blurb, and an excerpt from "Alicia".

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kindle-alicia

Mocha Memoirs Press: http://mochamemoirspress.com/alicia/

Blurb:

When the love of his life, Alicia, calls him in the middle of the night to report she had been raped, Eric drops everything to come to her rescue. She takes him on an eerie ride through turbulent hours he can't quite comprehend. Alicia may need his help, but her situation is not what it seems.

Excerpt:

Eric stepped out of the shower and a foul stench—mingled with the crisp peppermint of his shampoo—smacked him in the face and left a coppery taste in the back of his throat. His stomach heaved. Confused, he looked around the room to figure out where the smell came from, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Dread clung to him, dark and sticky, ruining his relaxed mood. The light bulbs over the sink hummed, casting harsh yellow light about the room. He shaded his eyes against the glare, trying to see.

Why were those lights so bright? Something was terribly wrong in his peaceful world, and not knowing what it was frightened him.

His wife Alicia brushed her teeth as if nothing was unusual, while the stink of rot lurked beneath the cool mint of his shampoo. Why didn't she notice the smell?

He leaned towards her to place his hand on her shoulder, and she turned her face towards his for a kiss on the cheek. Ugly, purple bruises darkened her eyes. He pulled away, repulsed and alarmed, not quite sure what he was seeing. One side of her face had swelled to a dark mask, not unlike a pumpkin that had been left outside in the damp earth to rot. An angry red welt encircled her throat like a bloody ribbon wrapped around her neck. Frightened, he reached out one hand but he couldn't bring himself to touch her swollen face. Touching her would make the vision real and it couldn't be real.

Alicia spat in the sink. Two of her teeth bounced against the porcelain. Blood tainted the paste.

"The girls are running late again." Alicia's bloodied mouth leaked crimson and white toothpaste. Why did she act as if nothing strange was going on? He gaped at her, not understanding what was happening. The safety of his home evaporated as she spoke with her raw, torn mouth. "Make them wolf down their cereal, and toss them out of the house before they miss the bus."

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Thank you for visiting my blog, and good luck to those entering my contest.

Here are the next three bloggers in this blog hop:

Sharing Links And Wisdom
Abbey Hayes
Annalynne Russo