Corinne Barnett's Spooky Sensation Series Pt. 4: Love Never Dies

Written by Corinne Barnett

Book 4 of the Spooky Sensation Series.

Years of study passed for Gertrude. A talented wizard, she turned her focus towards saving her beloved Fenn after his untimely death. Magic could accomplish anything, she wouldnt accept this fate. Love conquered all, even death. But to build a new body for him was a feat into itself, and Gertrude began to stalk graveyards at the dead of night to steal bodies to experiment on. It wasnt enough to just stitch them together. Fenn was the pinnacle of handsomeness. His chiselled face, his muscular body, his perfect chest hair. And to top it all off, Gertruded faced the struggle of actually bringing the creation to life.

Research consumed Gertrude's mind, devouring her time as she pursued her studies. Collecting and preserving perfect body parts, and stitching together the leftovers to experiment on. She created a laboratory out in the wilderness, digging a basement hidden by a trap door to evade detection.

Her experiments all failing, she scoured the land for more and more esoteric magic. Forbidden secrets civilized libraries refused. And she searched for reagents and chemicals to preserve bodies and perform necromantic rites.

One day Gertrude came across gnomish texts describing the art of technomancy. She had never considered that necromancy would not be necessary, that the gift of life could be jolted into a body. Having a new line of research, combed through libraries across the land for schematics and information, and assembled the materials to build her own device. A tangle of wires and metal, grand copper rods that arced electricity surrounding a stone slab bed.

Gertrude prepared the body to the best of her capability, obsessing over every little detail. Metal runework on robbed organs to ensure the electric jolt awoke the body whole. Bolts connecting joints. A concoction of fluid to mimic blood injected into the heart and veins.

Finally, it was time. Gertrude pulled a lever, releasing electrical magic stored within imbued glass spheres, sending the power to the stone slab contraption. Flashes of lightning filled the room, energy pulsing through the body from the metal rods surrounding it.

And after one final grand arc of electricity, Fenns body jolted to life. Shallow breaths, beating heart. With slow, laboured efforts, he sat up and looked to Gertrude, face filled with confusion. Gertrude threw herself into his arms, "Fenn, I love you so, I couldnt let death claim you, you are a gift to the world. To me."

Fenn sat quietly, slowly bringing an arm around Gertrude and pulling her into a close embrace. He ached, he was confused, he was disturbed, but he would give her this moment. For he could tell everything she did was out of love.