Jackie's Book of Shadows (Ch.1)

I
 
The brick absorbs a last gasp of gold,
drifting into scarlet shadows, whispering,
secrets, scattering, prior to perception,
ascending a winding line into the heights  
of the building, where, Jackie sits by the  
floor to ceiling window of her top floor  
penthouse.  
 
Paper skin fingers wrapped around crystal  
tumbler with amber liquid, she makes a  
circle, beginning the origins of a swirl.  Her  
chest constricts, every nerve ending screaming.  
 
A treasure trove of pain.  
 
The heart chakra, center of life, axis mundi…
 
The one part of the organism most vulnerable  
to:
 
The world.
 
II
 
A prognosis was unnecessary, as she walked  
away from the astonished doctor.  She would  
hold to the sacred rites of The Coven, come  
what may.  The swirl in her drink gains velocity,  
following a line of vortex, a portal opens.  
 
Out of the portal a cloud of Palo Santo exudes.
 
A being, with long beard, braids, dressed in a the style  
of a gothic gypsy, wearing a top hat, steps forth,  
making a motion with hand, closing the vortex,  
the other hand holding a Gandalf pipe, exuding smoke.  
 
Smoke exudes from his lips as he speaks.
 
“Broomie, so good to see you again.  How do  
you fare.?.”
 
His voice resounds with the airs of the Poetry  
Mountains.
 
“Cipher, thank you for answering my call.  I’m
in trouble…  A wizard of the demiurge blasted  
me with a death ray.  My powers of very low.”
 
Her remaining powers strain to hold her up.
 
“You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Besides,  
Cobra Kai never dies.”
 
III
 
Cipher passes the pipe to Jackie, who takes a big  
draw, exhaling a cloud of visions, dark fractal visions
from the death ray, which no one has ever survived.
 
One by one he grabs them from the smoke, placing  
them in a purple velvet pouch, which he shakes, opening  
a book with blank pages, pouring in the contents of  
the pouch, which become letters, light as butterfly wings.
 
Lettering begins to appear upon the cover, which has  
the contours of leathery human flesh.
 
The Book of the Spiral Path.
 
“You do know what it requires.?.”  Cipher asks.
 
“Yes.”  Jackie nods.
 
Human sacrifice.
 
***
Cipher  
Stories
***