She had entranced him at first glance. The Victorian bonnet from which protruded sweet blond ringlets, her white lace-gloved hands holding a small bouquet of pink roses held together with pink and white ribbon, her ruffled white dress with the little round collar and the sleeves with lace at the wrist, the white knee stockings tucked into precious Mary Jane shoes - was it the picture of innocence she presented or the sheer oddity of it all that attracted him so.

Oddity, he decided, when she pulled a tube of lipstick from her beaded Victorian purse and carefully colored her lips black. She gave him a smile, pearls framed in obsidian, beckoning his soul to her side. His body could not help but go along.

It seemed to him they talked a very long time. The sky through the plate glass window of the ice cream parlor had grown as dark as the rim of her mouth, yet the ice cream in her bowl remained solid. Vanilla, he noted, only so very slightly paler than his skin. She fed herself tiny bites with a small silver pointed spoon, but the lump grew no smaller.

"I need a ride home," she said, finally resting her spoon on the white linen napkin.

He was not aware of his own response. He merely picked up her small black valise from beneath the table and nodded towards the door.

"Where to," he asked when he slid behind the wheel.

"Drive. I'll give you directions as we go."

Her directions ended well out of town, at the gate of an abandoned cemetery.

"You live in the grave yard?"

"No, but I can get home from here." She opened the car door. "I just need you to help me."

He followed behind her, carrying her valise, to the very heart of the graveyard. There stood an aged tombstone about waist high. She stopped there and put out her hand for the valise. She set it on the tombstone and opened it. She pulled off her bonnet, taking with it the curls and revealing sleek black hair. Removing her gloves reveal long black nails. She exchanged the white stockings and Mary Janes for black fishnet stockings and spiked heels. Last she divested herself of the ruffled white dress to reveal a black satin corset. Above it stood moon-pale breasts with black, pieced nipples.

A leather crop appeared in her hand. He shivered a moment, unsure of her intentions until she held it out to him and bent over the tombstone. He drew the tip of the crop over her pallid ass cheeks.

"Do it!" she cried. "Do it, please!"

He struck her. She screamed. A sense of power surged through him, making him giddy. He struck her again and again, each blow making him feel more potent, filling him with a heady sensation.

Just as her screams reached a crescendo, lighting split the sky. Girl, valise, and crop vanished, leaving only the grave his trembling feet stood on.

A classic of the genre, with all of the elements of past and current gothic lore and symbolism. This was very well-written with nicely-detailed descriptions. It left me wanting to know more about her and who she was and where she went. It also made me want to know more about him and how these events affected him. When the reader wants more, the author has succeeded.

I loved the contrasts in this story. The words were well placed. I was particularly fond of the vanilla ice cream for many reasons. Your words helped evoke just the right amount of imagery to draw the attention of the reader along as the mystery continues to deepen and unfold. You may have been able to get away with using even starker words in some places to enhance the wonderful contrasts that already exist. I felt the story had just the right amount of mystery. This story stirs the imagination. Well done!

In terms of a gothic story, this is perfect, and it's 500 words on the dot besides! The imagery is delicious and I love the ending. I'm a big fan of twist endings and this reminds me of a number of favorite horror stories. However, I feel that the author got so wrapped up in describing things that it actually detracted from the story itself. In the second sentence I think there was something like twenty descriptive words. While it does give you a VERY accurate picture of her appearance, it is very hard to get through, and the rest of the story follows a similar pattern.

This story is rich in atmosphere, and the author's use of language is reminiscent of Gothic classics like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I like the sense of mystery here, and the spooky ending. The only part of this story that doesn't work as well for me is the scene where the female character changes clothes. I like her transformation as a whole, but thinking about some of the details (like her changing her stockings - did she sit down on the gravestone, or what?) takes me out of the moment. That quibble aside, I think Black and White is a compelling read and a good fit for the Gothic category.

OK! This story was well-written, described and very detail. I did miss the explanation as to why the spanking helped her get home. It seemed just a bit strange but I know that is the Gothic category. Still it was well written, to me, this is one of those stories that would be much better, if you had more room to tell more than 500 words will allow.