A Widow's Kiss

"Do you like it? It's so cute, and it's like $5 on Etsy! I have to give you the store name sometime!" Avery's smile glinted in the candlelight as she let me hold the tiny pendant. It looked like a spider was wrapped around the cork of a bottle, a dark red liquid swirling around to catch the light. The liquid almost seemed like a witch's potion, a glittery substance reflecting the orange light in my face.

"Does it come in other colors?" I asked. She looked a little upset at the thought, but the smile was back in a moment. God, I could get lost in those white teeth, even more than the field of green that made up her eyes.

"Nah, not yet anyway. But I'm sure if you ask the seller, they'd be more than happy to try out a different color for you! Maybe you'd be her first beta wearer for a new design!" Avery's enthusiasm was what helped me relax when we first met in person an hour ago. Her Bumble profile was what introduced me to her infectious smile, but her bio got me even more curious. She mentioned her love for historical figures, especially those that weren't as well known, so I messaged her about it. We got into a rabbit hole, and she wanted to meet me in person. Me! I felt like a businesswoman about to make a major presentation when putting on my dark blue dress, and there she was, dressed to party in her green dress. But those curls, the way her red hair turned to fire under the restaurant's dim fluorescent lights, the smile that drew you in; I knew it was her even before she greeted me at the door. By the time we saw the front waiter, any worries I had about meeting a practical stranger had melted away.

"Anyway, would you like me to get you something to drink?" I felt like I was back in middle school, pretending to be an adult to someone several years my junior. Her smile somehow grew even bigger, and I worried her lips would reach her ears soon enough.

"Oh! How about a Seven Oaks Cabernet? It's super fruity, but it'll go well with some fish!" Avery mentioned she was a pescatarian, of course she'd know good wines for the job. Almost like magic, our waiter arrived. She had to be carded, but not me; my hair must've given away my age long before my anti-aging cream. But she'd wanted to see me without my dyed hair from my profile picture, so I let the roots return to their natural color.

"So, who're some folks you wanted to know about? Or was there something else you wanted to talk about?" Her faux-silver spider glared at me from her bare chest, but I tried to return my gaze to her smile.

"Well, I hoped to know more about you, but you can start wherever." Her eyes turned coy as she rested her chin against the backs of her hands.

"It just so happens I finished a podcast about a fascinating woman back in the early 1900s. She had quite a spell of lovers, though that was after she married two men prior. But, I'm not gonna say the name until the end!" The wine glasses were set before us, the wine almost black against the candlelight.

"You worried I'll Google the name first?" Avery laughed, and I swore I could see bubble float from her lips into the air above us. I wish I could figure out the spell she cast to keep my attention on her.

"A little, but don't worry! I'm sure you've heard of it, so I want it to be a surprise!" She cleared her throat, took a sip of wine, and then let her voice dance as she began.

"In the early 1900s, it's easy to start a new life without worrying about the people around you. All you had to do was jump countries, and bam! No one knew who you were, and quite frankly, no one really gave a damn so long as you were a hard worker. This woman was one of those who wanted a fresh start, and came to America to make it big. But, after an unhappy marriage, she decided she'd had enough of being poor and went to work concocting the means to get rich quick. As it happens, insurance was quite new with a lot less regulation than we have now. So--"

"--did she kill her husband?!" Avery looked like I'd slapped her, but only for a moment. She laughed and winked at me over her glass.

"You got it! They'd been married a few years, and hey, he had a larger heart than normal, so really was it a surprise that he keeled over without warning? Anyway, she got her wish, and in fact it was her lucky day as he had two active plans going at once. But of course, that money doesn't last very long, so what's a widower to do?" She looked to me to answer, though I almost choked on my wine before I could respond.

"Would...would she try to get with someone else?" The smile was back again, though this time her teeth turned a strange orange color.

"Multiple someones, in fact. She was considered a Black Widow in her day, but not the Marvel kind. She would allegedly lure men into her secluded farming home and then they'd mysteriously vanish." The black wine suddenly churned in my stomach; I wasn't prepared for this just yet. I quietly excused myself to the bathroom to give myself a moment to compose myself. Younger people seemed a lot more apt to jump into these murder tales than I was.

A brief splash of cold water to the face later and I was back at the table. Avery looked at me with her signature smile as I returned, but I was a lot more prepared now than I was. I took a few gulps of wine before I realized it, and she mentioned that she'd ordered our food for me.

"I hope you don't mind having some salmon!"

"I don't, thank you!" I lied. Avery's smile stayed on her face as we advanced into a different conversation. A few minutes later, I felt like I wasn't as calm as I was before. It was like my legs were permanently tensed up, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Did you know Belle had children too?" I looked back at her, her smile looking a lot more manic than it had when we first met each other. "Yep, several kids. Of those, she killed about three or four the same way. Can you guess how?" I didn't want to answer the question, as a slow realization dawned on me. Why did her spider seem to mock me from the woman before me?

The last thing I remember seeing was the spider leaping from her bottle and crawling towards me and me jerking away from it. I don't remember hitting the floor, but I remember how cold it was when my eyes closed.