At 1:00 pm that Saturday afternoon, Julie and I sat drinking
          wine in my living room. Ralph was also present. Outside, the
          air  was  perfectly   still.   There   wasn't   any  audible
          sound...not even a  bird  call.  As  we  sat  discussing the
          varied strange events  that  had  happened  in  our lives, I
          began to sense the presence of unseen forces round about us.
          There was an  air of expectancy in the room - a waiting. But
          the time had  not yet come to begin. There were questions to
          be asked.

          "Was it a long journey, Julie?" I asked.

          "Yes, very long and uneventful."

          "Do you always travel alone?"

          "Occasionally. And you?"

          "Yes,"  I  said.   "Always.   It's   better   that  way.  No
          disappointments, you understand."

          "I wonder..." she said softly.

          "What do you wonder?"

          "If this is  real.  If this room is real. If you are sitting
          there. If I'm really here."

          "And are you?"

          "I don't know," she said slowly. "Am I?"

          I nodded. This  was  more  bizarre  than  I'd expected, even
          after the conversation on the telephone.

          I looked at Ralph.

          "I do hope  this  afternoon  turns  out to be an interesting
          one," he said.  "I  mean,  I  hope  an interesting situation
          develops. I don't wish for us to be involved in too dramatic
          a situation, of  course.  But  it  has  been rather quiet of
          late."

          "Like the calm before a storm," I suggested.

          "I hope not."

          From the way he said it, I almost believed him.

          As we talked  on,  Ralph  commented on the fact that witches
          perform most of  their  rituals in the nude. Julie asked him
          if this was how he wanted today. He quickly said no.

          I felt a  slight  tug  in  the  area  of the solar plexus. A
          spirit had entered me. It was time to begin.

          A small round table was carried into the center of the room.
          For the most  part  we all remained silent during this time.
          Our thoughts were  on  what  the  ritual  would  bring.  The
          curtains were drawn,  candles  lit and three glasses of wine
          placed on the table.

          "How do I look?" asked Julie, after she had changed into the
          loose,  flowing  white   dress   the   psychic  message  had
          instructed her to wear.

          "Like  a  sacrificial   virgin,"  I  said.  "Now  let's  get
          started."

          We raised our glasses in a toast.

          "Astaroth!" I proclaimed  as  soon as I had raised my glass.
          "May he rain down his blessings upon us."

          After drinking the  wine,  we joined hands. Three working as
          one to give  purpose  to our intent. Ralph's hands were cold
          to the touch,  and  I  knew he was afraid. I shot him a look
          out of the  corner  of  my  eye.  I half expected to see him
          break out in  a cold sweat. It was uncharacteristic of Ralph
          to display a  fear of the unknown. We were both used to such
          things, but I was troubled by the fear that now seemed to be
          gripping my old  friend. His nervousness was real. This time
          he was afraid.  And  so was I, but for a different reason. I
          feared that he  might endanger the outcome of the ritual and
          be a danger  to  us  due  to  his  presence.  I was about to
          suggest that we go no further when Julie spoke.

          "I think you  should  begin,"  she said quietly. "I feel the
          time is to begin."

          Encouraged by this,  I  intoned  a prayer to Astaroth to ask
          for his help  in  the ritual. I thanked him for all his help
          to others in  days  long  ago.  I thanked him also for being
          with us on  this  day,  and  asked  for  his benevolence and
          favour. As my  voice fell silent and the candles burned, the
          anticipation began to mount. My breathing became heavier and
          a tingling sensation  rushed through me as the unseen forces
          round  about  us   overwhelmed   me  with  their  power  and
          authority.

          The ritual proceeded.  Julie  laid  down  on  the floor on a
          makeshift bed. I  went  and  stood  at  the  end  of the bed
          nearest Julie's head and began using hand gestures to entice
          Astaroth into her  body.  Ralph  was standing at the side of
          the bed with  his  arms  outstretched.  He never did explain
          why.

          Julie lay completely  silent  and  still,  as  if  in a deep
          sleep. She sighed.  "To  you I give my body," she offered to
          something unseen. "Take  me.  Use  me. And in return, reward
          me." She fell  silent,  and  a sudden concentration of power
          seemed  to  gather   around  us.  And  with  it  there  came
          awareness. A sense of timeless darkness - endless, eternal.

          Ralph turned, wide-eyed. The power wavered, and died. As the
          minutes passed and  nothing  else happened, I decided to try
          another tactic. I had Ralph stand at the end of the bed near
          Julie's head to  see  what he could do. He more or less used
          the same gestures as had I.

          Nothing.

          And then...

          "Can you see it?" whispered Ralph.

          I nodded. A  dark,  nebulous  shadow  sat  poised just above
          Julie. We were  in  the  presence  of  a Spirit, ancient and
          strong. A fallen  angel,  risen.  By  the  half light of the
          flickering candles we  watched  as  the  Dark  Spirit  moved
          slowly down between  Julie's  open  legs,  paused,  and then
          disappeared inside her. It was done.

          Later, as we  sat discussing the ritual, Julie confirmed she
          had felt the  Spirit  Astaroth  enter her body. "I felt very
          aroused," she confessed.  "As if someone had made love to me
          for hours. I  wasn't  at  all  scared  by the experience. In
          fact, I felt a great calm and serenity surround me the whole
          time."

          Ralph cleared his  throat, and said. "I have to admit that I
          was a little bit nervous."

          "A bit?!" I  exclaimed.  "Your  hands  were  as  cold as ice
          during the prayer."

          "Really? How strange,  I felt rather hot the whole time. One
          thing  is certain  though,  it's  been  a  very  interesting
          afternoon."

          It had indeed, I thought.