Lexi kissed Neo goodbye before he walked on down the street and she turned in at the curiosity shop with one minute to spare. Inside it was dark and silent, somehow today Lexi read it as sinister. The eyes of the animals seemed to stare at her as she walked through flipping on the lights. She caught shadows from the corner of her eyes that seemed to dart from corner to corner. She wished she had insisted that Neo come in with her but then, she smiled to herself. They might have ended in flagrante delicto  in the back room. She had a hunch that he would like the thrill of semi public sex as much as she would.<br/><br/>The hair on the back of her neck rose and she shook her head to clear the lust cobwebs from it. She hated the thought of turning on the lights back there since the skull had seen the light of day. Lexi snaked her hand around the corner and turned on the switch without looking inside.She did not want to see a ghost so she just wouldn’t look. She noticed one of the display cases had one sliding glass semi open. That was odd. She shrugged. Maybe Sid had been here looking for a particular item in order to fill an order.<br/><br/>The big hand struck the twelve, marking the top of the hour and the clock chimed. This was followed by the chiming of the other clocks along with one cuckoo clock. How often she wished she owned that stupid bird so she could throw a shoe at it. No customers so early today so she went behind the counter and fired up the Mac.<br/><br/>Lexi typed in pirate, skull, curse, pacific northwest into the Google search engine and she found 67 hits. Most of them were about the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. After searching long enough that her eyes were burning from staring at the screen, Lexi slammed the lid shut on the laptop. She went to the back of the shop and turned on some Five Finger Death Punch. She took a deep breath as if she could inhale the hard core sound and the pithy words.<br/>She pulled the big book out of her backpack and slipped it back under the counter. Then she stared out the window. Hummed. Drummed her fingers. Looked around and brought the book back out and opened it across her lap. She stared at the page.<br/><br/>TO LIFT A CURSE<br/>In the bowl, facing the mirror, place something that represents your target - the person who is cursing you. This can be a photo, a business card, a small doll, an item that they own, or even their name written on a piece of paper. This will reflect that individual’s negative energy back to them.<br/><br/>Lexi thought she could use that vile doll that had been left on her pillow. She smiled to herself, but if that was a virility doll, she couldn’t have asked for a better present. Lexi bit her lip. That Neo was really good. She stretched at the thought, arching her back and feeling all tingly. Focus, she told herself sternly, what else is here.<br/><br/>HOW TO USE A POPPET<br/>Many people use poppets, or magical dolls, in spellwork as a tool of offense. You can create a poppet to represent people you’d like to heal or bring good fortune to, help find a job, or to protect. However, the poppet can also be used as a defensive tool.<br/>Create a poppet to represent yourself - or whoever the victim of the curse is - and charge the poppet with the task of taking on the damage in your place. This is actually pretty simple. Follow the instructions on Poppet Construction, and once your poppet is done, tell it what it’s for.<br/>“I have made you, and your name is ______. You shall receive the negative energy sent by ______ in my place.”<br/>Place the poppet someplace out of the way, and once you believe the curse’s effects are no longer effecting you, get rid of your poppet.<br/><br/>That was a thought, she thought, turn the negative intent back on the sender.<br/>She closed the book and waited on a customer with three wild boys. Lexi was afraid they were going to break something, but miracles never ceased. They left after spending 509.00 on skulls, bones and tarot cards. When the door closed, Lexi let out her breath.<br/><br/>She wondered if Neo and his companions had skipped town or if she would see them again. Going back to interest searching, she found bits and pieces of how various pirates died or operating just on the fringe of the law. Lexi laughed, that sounded like Neo. He could have made a great pirate, she thought. Her phone rang and she jumped, looking around for the alarm. When it vibrated under her shirt, she realized what it was,