All Cathleen Kaisand wants is a man to take care of her so she doesn’t have to work anymore. However, since he hasn’t appeared in her life yet, Cathleen is quite pleased to have landed a job with a Fortune 500 company. Even the fact she has to leave her hometown and few friends to drive to her new place of employment doesn’t bother Cathleen. Not, that is, until she hits a lonely stretch of highway on Route 44 with rain pounding down and a migraine threatening. So when she sees a sign for a rest stop, she decides to pull over and catch a nap, even though she’s only two hours from her destination. The rest area is dark and deserted without so much as a soda machine. Cathleen makes sure her car is secure and reclines the seat to take a nap. Just before she falls asleep, she once again wishes for a man to take care of her so she won’t have to work.

While dreaming, a man comes to Cathleen and seduces her—and what a seduction! When he asks Cathleen if she wants him and will accept him for what he is, she is so far gone, she will agree to just about anything to have him finish what he started. She feels a slight sting in her neck, but nothing to compare to the ecstasy she feels with the handsome stranger. Eventually, she wakes up and continues her journey. When she gets to a motel, she decides to stop and get some more sleep. For some reason, Cathleen is really, really tired and thirsty. The man behind the desk warns Cathleen of a legend about Route 44. There’s a spirit that haunts the highway, but Cathleen doesn’t pay attention to him. After all, there’s ghost stories all over the US.

When she falls asleep, the man comes to her once again and again, she feels the sting in her neck. This time when she wakes up, she feels even weaker and her neck is really sore. So she goes into the bathroom and sees a trail of dried blood from two puncture wounds in her neck.

Just what is going on? Did something bite Cathleen? What of the man who comes to her in her dreams? Could he somehow be involved?

WINDSPECTRE is a very thrilling story. Charlotte Boyett-Compo definitely has a way with seductions, as is proven in this short story. Even though this is very short, it definitely packs a wallop. The seduction scenes are very well done—very well—but the story is not just sex. There’s also the legend of the highway spirit, added to Cathleen’s desire to be taken care of instead of working. This is nowhere near as dark as most of Charlotte Boyett-Compo’s stories and if you’d like an introduction to her work, this is an excellent one to start with. I highly recommend this story.

Chere

REVIEW #2

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