Lady Carlotta's Pearls

      The thief knew this was going to be a piece of cake.  Anyone who told him otherwise was just a superstitious fool.  Everyone that had mentioned Lady Carlotta's pearl necklace said that the pearls were made out of a demon's teeth, and therefore, not real pearls at all, but that was preposterous.  In the days leading up to William's attempt he had seen the necklace.  There was no way that those pearls were made out of demon's teeth.  They were just regular black pearls.
         Lady Carlotta had inherited the necklace when her mother passed away six months prior.  Lady Laura had been known for keeping the people in town in a state of constant terror.  Since William's arrival, he had heard all of the tales.  She had been a witch.  She killed those who opposed her or spoke ill of her publicly.  Her house was haunted.  She ate people.  There were so many stories that it had made William's head pound. 
         The most interesting part however, had been the bit about the pearls.  The townspeople said that they were the source of Lady Laura's power, and now they belonged to her wicked daughter Carlotta.  She was worse than her mother in all regards, especially when it came to abusing the townsfolk.  William planned on possibly settling down for once in his life, and there was no better place than Foggy Meadows.
         The townspeople were all in a tizzy too, because Halloween was approaching.  Supposedly someone always died on the night of Halloween while everyone else was at the town Ball.  This was, however, the one night where Lady Carlotta never wore her pearls.  Instead, she wore a blood-red ruby that was large and rested atop her ample cleavage.  It was on a gold chain and had smaller rubies in a cluster on either side of the main stone.  It looked like blood trapped under faceted glass, the villagers all said, but the pearls needed to be done away with.  Forget about the ruby necklace.
         It was all of this knowledge that made William simply smile on the inside.  A town ball every Halloween?  And the pearls would not be worn?  This would be like taking candy from a sleeping baby...just too easy.
         William made his plans then, getting as much information as he could about the layout of her house as well as her habits.  How long did she typically stay at the ball?  Would it be enough time to take the precious pearls and gain the admiration of the townsfolk?  William didn't know, but he would certainly try.
         He started by going to the closest hardware store.  His lock picks were lost during his last job the next town over, so he was going to need new ones.  He browsed the entire store before settling for a 'beware of dog' sign that could be shoved into the ground.  The metal was strong, but also compliant.  Placing a few pennies into the shop keep's hand for payment, William ventured out of the store, no questions asked.  He returned to the bed and breakfast he was staying at and snipped the metal free, taking a filer out of his satchel and beginning to file the metal down to the appropriate size.
         When he finished, he bent it carefully into an 'L' shape, testing it out on the bathroom door with great success.  He placed this in a small tool belt that he would use during his great heist.  Rubbing his hands together, William went to bed, a pleased smile on his mouth as slumber claimed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

         Halloween was upon the town in a matter of days, and the townsfolk all tittered nervously, wondering what Lady Carlotta would do to them this year.  Would she hurt them?  Would she just sit there and put a damper on what should be a fun night?  None of them knew, but all of them were nervous.  William felt this odd pull that he was supposed to protect them, to be their savior, but he couldn't place it.  All he knew was he needed that pearl necklace more than any bounty he had ever sought.
         He waited in the bushes across the street, watching for Lady Carlotta to exit on her way to the ball, raising a curious brow when a carriage pulled up in front of the tall, Victorian home.  For a brief second, her silhouette flashed in the window of the turret adorning the top left of the house.  Gods, William thought, she is beautiful.
         None of the townsfolk had mentioned just how beautiful she was.  Her hair was so dark against that ivory skin, and her figure was clearly an hourglass, curvy in all of the right ways.  The only thing that hindered her beauty was the somber frown she wore.  There was a sadness in her expression that tugged on William's heartstrings.  This was the woman that the townsfolk feared?  Why?
         Lady Carlotta waved off the driver of the carriage and he snapped the reigns.  "Fine.  Walk.  You're just going to get soaked.  Can't you hear the thunder, Lady Carlotta?  See the lightning streaking from cloud to cloud?"  A bright flash of lightning ran down the length of a cloud like a glowing river, and for that split-second, the carriage driver's face looked like a grim skeleton wearing a menacing grin.  In the blink of an eye he looked normal again and William shook his head.  He was clearly all nerves.
         As the driver had the horses trot forward, Lady Carlotta hung her head, chest heaving, the rise and fall of that crimson ruby almost exaggerated as she fought to catch her breath.  That said, she began the walk to the town hall where the gathered waited in anticipation of her arrival.  As soon as she walked into those doors, William made himself move around the house to her back door.  He picked the lock with surprising ease.  The door swung open as if inviting him in, and after adjusting his hood, he stepped into the home and shut the door behind him.
         William searched the lower level first, finding nothing.  No safe, jewelry box, and he even looked behind paintings like people in novels did.  Nothing.  The pearls had to be upstairs.
         Something in his periphery seemed to slink past the stairs on the upper level, and he craned his neck in an upward sweep to try and figure out what it was.  A soft mewl answered his question.  A cat.  He let out the breath he had been inadvertently holding, a whoosh of air rushing past his dry lips.  Then began the ascension upstairs.
         "Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty..."  Carlotta be damned, he loved animals.  Just one little scratch behind the ears was what he wanted.  When the cat didn't show, he just shrugged and walked toward Lady Carlotta's room, making an attempt to turn the knob.  Suddenly, a dark apparition with Lady Carlotta's face appeared, the expression frowning as it spoke in front of the door.
         "If you are here, then there is no time to waste.  You need to run for your life.  The townsfolk have tricked you and deceived you to feed their selfishness.  Run.  Run away from this godforsaken town and live your life in happiness.  There isn't much time."
         Just as quickly as the magic had appeared, it disappeared, leaving William to stare at the oaken doorway.  He shrugged it off, mumbling under his breath, "Just some way to distract me from stealing the pearls and liberating the townsfolk.  I'll not be fooled."
         His lock pick slid into the key hole as it loosed a saddened gasp like weeping.  Being a master of his craft, the door soon opened.  An ominous creak sent a cold chill down his spine, causing William to shudder.  Out in plain sight were the pearls, gleaming and surrounded by an unearthly glow.  The glow was pure white and reflected in the mirror, bathing the entirety of the room in an ethereal light.  William stepped forward after catching his breath, reaching out and taking the pearls into his hand.  They were so light and seemed almost fragile.  Pleased with himself, he turned on his heels and headed back toward the staircase.
         Waiting for him was a very small black cat that mewled pleasantly enough.  Unable to resist, William strode forward, reaching down to pet the cat behind the ears...but the cat had other plans.  As soon as the thief's hand was in range, the creature bit into it, a burning sensation spreading throughout William's body as he recoiled.  Eyes wide, he glanced at the perfect bite wound as it glowed a sickly green.  The cat hissed low and loosed a growl that was gravelly and spoke volumes on displeasure.
         "Fucking cat!  I didn't do anything to you!"
         "You're trying to steal my beloved Carlotta's pearls.  Isn't that crime enough?" 
         William stared at the cat for a moment as it's eyes glowed the same sickly green as his hand, genuinely dumbfounded.
         "E-excuse me?"  The cat began a frightening transition from normal black cat to some hellish monstrosity that was oddly feline as well, it's breath reeking of metallic blood as fangs elongated into pearly teeth that snapped at William, claws digging into the wooden floor and leaving behind trenches during the race forward.  William narrowly dodged, pearls catching on the bannister and snapping, small orbs of pulsing white and black scattering all over the floor and down the stairs.  William slid on some of them and tumbled down the stairs, scrambling to get to his feet.
         He tried to turn the door knob, but it burned him, glowing green.  Whatever the hellish feline had done to him when it bit him made leaving an impossibility.  Horror coiled in his stomach like a snake, cold filling him until the creature was suddenly upon him, slashing over and over with wickedly curved claws until the life left William's eyes.  He died with a horror-stricken expression on his handsome face.
         Lady Carlotta returned later that night to find his bloody body in addition to her black cat batting around a stray pearl playfully - mewling like some sort of kitten.  Her shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath, the villagers following her in.  They were quick to block the exit as Carlotta's scarred hand glowed as brightly as the door knob.  There would be no escaping.
         "Good, he took the bait," said one villager.
         "Carlotta, give us the ruby."  Lady Carlotta obliged, turning away from the gruesome scene as the butcher lowered the glowing ruby into the thief's open chest cavity.  It immediately began absorbing the blood.  The more blood it drank, the brighter it's light became, the townsfolk standing around with hollow eyes, skin stretched across bony faces like unholy apparitions.
         "Can I please leave now?  You promised I could leave this year..."
         "No.  Carlotta, you are ours.  Only a living person can wear the ruby, and without it's power, we become no more.  We will turn to dust, scattered on the winds while our haven dies."
         "You are all damned and you are putting my soul in danger!  Just let me leave!  I beg of you!"
         About that time, Lady Laura showed up, wearing a thin smile that looked menacing in the crimson glow of the ruby.  A cold hand reached forward to brush her daughter's chin as the scent of death wafted from her mouth.
         "Just wear the ruby, Carlotta.  Becoming one of them isn't so bad after the first couple of years.  We will live forever because of the sacrifice of a few foolish girls."  Lady Carlotta wept then, running up to her room as the townsfolk began collecting pearls, the cat shifting once more into a giant hell cat.
         "Master," the townsfolk said, bowing and curtsying as it breathed over the gathered.
         "You will not upset my Carlotta.  This will be your only warning you receive, town of the damned."  With that said, the creature stalked upstairs, entering Carlotta's room and closing the door with his giant tail while the townsfolk spoke amongst themselves...already looking forward to next Halloween's Ball.