The man was a failure with the opposite sex. Frustrated by this he obtained an antiquarian volume on the occult and began a study of the darker ways to seduce women. Carefully he prepared the sinister spell and memorized the ancient words to be articulated upon lighting the candle. He invited the object of his lust to his room on a pretense, offered her the necessary potion he had so meticulously cultivated, and ignited the unholy flame, mumbling the secret syllables under his breath. That was actually his problem with women. He mumbled. He would never speak up and they couldn't understand what he was saying, nor did they care. It was the same with the demon of the nether forces. It strained its ears with bored indifference, but especially demons are not divinely infallible, and it made a few mistakes in interpretation. Instead of turning the woman into a passionate wildcat with an undying sexual hunger for the man, it turned her into a starving wildcat, which now stalked its victim. They found his remains the next day, mauled and mangled in the most ghastly manner.

Story #12