Lance trudged into the coffee shop. Curious stares followed him to the bar. It wasn’t mind blowing, considering his face was plastered all over the six o’clock news last night. To save his reputation, Johnny told reporters Lance had accidentally cut himself while handling stage equipment. A frantic waitress whizzed by. "What do you want?" "One regular coffee please." "Sure thing, hon." The waitress paused. "You ill?" Lance ignored her. Anna took a seat beside him. Lance sipped his coffee. "How’d you…" "Lance," she interrupted, "I know who your Mind Stealer is. I wanted to protect you. I couldn’t destroy that ring on my own." "Why not?" "I wasn’t the Mind Stealer’s intended victim. The victim has the ability to either succumb to or destroy the object his stealer invested his/her power in." "Is a Mind Stealer an entity or a person?" Anna bit into her croissant. "Depends. In your case, it’s a person. The curse bestowed upon that ring is very rare in the world of witchcraft because everyone fears it so. The power is extremely hard to control. Well, my great grandmother, a foolish idiot of a witch, cursed this ring years ago in order to win the man of her dreams. She gave it to his fiancee as a wedding gift. The next day, the poor girl bludgeoned her sister death. She claimed some demon had infested her brain and ordered her to do it. On day two, she went completely mad, tearing her hair out, ranting, and begging an unknown assailant to leave her alone. On the third day, the fiancee committed suicide for no apparent reason. You see, the curse works over a three-day period. My great grandmother hid the ring afterward so no one would find it and awaken its power. Great grandmother taught my brother witch craft when he was young. Before she died, she told him the tale. My brother was intrigued. The ability to open up someone’s mind, steal their memories, and control them was like waving a ham in front of a starved dog. He searched for years. Four months ago, he discovered it. He dug out grandma’s old spell book. He learned the curses, how to awaken the power, how to control the power, and how to use it to his advantage." Lance took a long swig of coffee. "What if the Mind Stealer is an entity?" "That means the Mind Stealer died, and his/her evil is trapped inside the ring." Lance poked at his eggs. "Why me? Why did your brother choose me?" Anna shrugged. "Guess he doesn’t like you. The curse’s purpose is to drive the victim insane and then make them kill themselves." That sentence shed a little light on the subject. "So it must be somebody I know." Anna nodded. "Oh yeah." "Who?" "I can’t say." "My life may depend on this. I have a right to know who wants me dead!" "He is my brother. Besides, he could use the witchcraft on me, and he doesn’t have a clue I’m your ally. You lose me, you lose any hope of staying alive." "How did you temporarily disable him?" Anna traced invisible doodles on the counter. "Knocked him over the head with a two by four and locked him in the broom closet. The window to your mind was still open, so I could see you bleeding all over the hotel room." "The window to my mind?" "When you recite the incantation, a fog arises. The Mind Stealer can see into the fog. It’s a tunnel from his eyes to your thoughts." Anna looked at her watch. "Yikes! I have to leave now!" Lance grabbed her arm. "Wait! How can I get this darn ring off my finger and defeat the Mind Stealer?" "Meet me on the corner of Glaze Ave. at a quarter till midnight."

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