A Brief Halloween Lesson in Human Depravity
As observed by Lucifer, who, incidentally, despises humans
Humans love to blame me for their excesses.
It is flattering. Incorrect, but flattering.
Consider the case of Elena Hoyos.
Born in 1909, Elena’s only real mistake was being young and beautiful in a species that routinely mistakes desire for entitlement. During the Roaring Twenties, she did what young women did when joy was still permitted. She attended dances at the Cuban Club in Key West. She wore a red rose behind her ear. She lived as though the future might arrive intact.
It did not.
Tuberculosis was in fashion then. In April of 1930, after X-rays at the Marine Hospital, she learned she was dying.
Enter Carl von Cosel.
Fifty years old. A radiology technician. A man who claimed to be a German count and a trained medical doctor. He was neither. What he was instead was far more common. A man convinced that obsession is destiny.
From the moment he met Elena, von Cosel decided she belonged to him. He told her he alone could cure her. That he had been sent to save her. That she would be his wife.
When one is young, ill, and surrounded by death, hope becomes negotiable. Elena believed him. There was no miracle cure. There never is.
She died on October 25th, 1931, at the age of twenty-two.
One would assume that would be the end.
Humans rarely stop when they should.
Elena was buried in Key West Cemetery.
Two years later, von Cosel built an elaborate mausoleum and, with her family’s permission, had her body exhumed and placed inside. For eighteen months, he visited the corpse daily.
Eventually, that was not enough.
According to von Cosel’s own memoirs, because men like this always believe their version deserves preservation, the ghost of Elena guided him as he stole her decaying body from the mausoleum and carried it home.
There, he removed her burial shroud and began reconstructing her.
Pumps. Wires. Chemicals. Wax. Glass eyes. Perfume. A wedding dress.
He slowed the decay just long enough to convince himself that marriage, and consummation, were still possible.
I did not intervene. I was watching. Appalled. Taking notes.
Rumors spread. Elena’s sister confronted von Cosel and demanded proof that her sister’s body remained in the mausoleum. He agreed to show her.
He took her to his home.
That is where she found the reconstructed corpse of her sister.
On October 5th, 1940, authorities seized Elena’s body and took von Cosel into custody. A public viewing was held at the Lopez Funeral Home. School was canceled so children could witness the spectacle. Because nothing says civilization like turning necrophilia into a curiosity.
A hearing determined that von Cosel had committed the willful and wanton destruction of a tomb. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations had expired. He was released.
To protect Elena from him, her body was secretly reinterred somewhere within Key West Cemetery. Only a select few know where she lies.
Von Cosel left Key West in 1941. Two hours after his departure, an explosion destroyed the mausoleum that once held her remains.
No, that was not my doing. Humans are remarkably efficient at finishing their own messes.
To this day, locals report cries and apparitions behind the locked gates of the cemetery. Over one hundred thousand souls rest there, many without markers. Elena, among them, for reasons far darker than most.
So if you wander the grounds of Key West Cemetery this Halloween and catch the scent of a rose or glimpse a young woman dressed in red, consider offering something rare.
Compassion.
She found very little of it in life.
And even less in death.
~Lucifer
The Fablecastle Chronicles Trina Spillman
Genre: Magical Realism
Publisher: Trina Spillman
ISBN: 9798649138604
ASIN:B08956JDBP
Number of pages: 252
Word Count: 47,500
Cover Artist: BrainyGeeks
Tagline: How do you report the truth when the truth could end everything?
Book Description:
Maggie McCullough is a star reporter for the Daily Mirror. In her monthly column, Setting the Record Straight, she revealed the truth behind the fables you may remember from your childhood. Those interviews brought her to the attention of someone in another dimension, someone claiming to be Lucifer.
Join Maggie and Andrew Wolfgang, her boyfriend and quasi bodyguard, as they travel to Earth and hopscotch across this strange dimension, in pursuit of a story that explains the truth behind Lucifer’s origins, the mutation he unleashed on Earth’s inhabitants, what really happened to the ark following the great flood, and why pyramids dot the planet.
Can Maggie write her earth-shattering article and escape Earth before all hell breaks loose?
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Excerpt:
Maggie and Andrew approached the bar and were relieved
they had arrived twenty minutes early. That is, until an attendant approached
Maggie and said, “Good evening, Miss McCullough. If you would follow me, I will
lead you to your private cabana. Your guest has already arrived and is waiting
for you.” Maggie held up her finger and said, “I’ll be right with you.”
“Certainly, take all the time you need.” The man moved to the end of the bar
and waited discreetly. Maggie grabbed Andrew’s elbow and dragged him to the
opposite corner of the bar. She was a little frazzled. “I am not going into a
closed tent without you being able to watch me, especially since I have no idea
who I’m supposed to be interviewing.” “Tell the waiter you are claustrophobic,
and you need one of the side flaps on the cabana removed. That way I can keep
an eye on you during the interview.” “Perfect.” Maggie summoned the waiter and
explained what she needed. He seemed irritated but, without a word, walked to
the cabana and unzipped the side flap, revealing an attractive man of medium
build with a head of thick auburn hair lit with natural highlights of red and
blond. Hair color to die for, Maggie thought. She squeezed Andrew’s elbow and
whispered, “Here goes nothing.”
Andrew didn’t want her interviewee to be alerted to
his presence, so keeping a respectable but short distance from Maggie, he
nonchalantly whispered, “You’ll do great.” Maggie followed the attendant to the
cabana where the man was sitting. He stood as she approached and held her chair
out for her. She thanked him and sat. Turning toward the waiter, the stranger
authoritatively commanded, “Bring the 1869 Chateau Lafite.” “Very good, sir.
Will there be anything else?” “No,” he said dismissively. The waiter left. The
man sitting across from Maggie said, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is
Lucifer, but you can call me Luc.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Maggie extended her hand. The
man sitting across from her looked at it with disgust. She slowly withdrew her
hand and placed it in her lap. A palpable energy radiated from him and made her
skin crawl. Maggie quickly drew a protection spell in her notebook and was
relieved when the unsettling sensation abated. Luc addressed Maggie. “There are
a few ground rules that will need to be established before we commence.” Maggie
said, “Absolutely. Please, continue.” “First, don’t speak unless spoken to.
Secondly, there is a lot of information to cover and I will tell you what is
important and what isn’t. Lastly, don’t be irritating. Keep your questions
relevant and we will get along swimmingly.” What a dick, Maggie thought, but
bit her tongue since she was positive such a comment would undoubtedly irritate
him. “Duly noted.” “You may proceed and ask your first question.” Maggie jumped
right in and asked, “What story do you want to set straight?” Luc chuckled. “I
am not the figure humans have made me out to be and I would like to tell my
side of the story.”
Trina Spillman, who also writes under the pen name Selene Greenleaf, crafts both practical witchcraft guides and immersive works of fiction that span romance, magical realism, and contemporary thrillers. Splitting her creative life between Colorado’s mountain landscapes and a growing library of story ideas, she blends current events, folklore, plant magic, and real-world rituals to invite readers into transformative experiences. Under Selene Greenleaf, she’s the author of Witchcraft Essentials: A Modern-Day Guide to Spells, Herbs, and Crystals; Cupid's Craft: Love Spells for Valentine's Day; and her forthcoming Plant Magic Encyclopedia: Rituals & Remedies, resources designed to help modern practitioners weave intention and botanical wisdom into everyday life.
Writing as Trina Spillman, she’s best known for her engaging fairy tale retellings. Upcoming projects include:
A New Dawn — a gripping political thriller of power, ethics, and love, to be released by The Wild Rose Press
Collateral Justice — the powerful sequel to A New Dawn, where a hidden alliance of the world’s elite blurs the line between justice and vengeance.
The Witches of Fablecastle— When a witch hunter’s mirror exposes her forbidden magic, Holly McCool flees through a portal to Fablecastle, only to learn she’s the one destined to stop him from tearing both worlds apart.
The Quantum Hitchhiker’s Guide to Escaping the Matrix — a witty, mind-bending manual on how to hack reality, rewrite your personal code, and manifest with humor, consciousness, and a touch of modern witchcraft.
Whether she’s exploring the ethics of power in a thriller or sharing herbal recipes for daily rituals, Trina/Selene’s work reflects her unwavering belief in the healing and transformative power of words.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story. If you’re curious about Luc and would like to explore more of his world, you can find additional insights on my Substack, Letters from Lucifer, and in the award-winning novel, The Fablecastle Chronicles.
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