by Dani Corlee
“My pleasure,” he replied while escorting her to his office door.
She exited the office, Mr. Patten walking behind her to call the last applicant. But to his bewilderment, as well as Kimberly's, there was nobody waiting except for Aurora, who was still talking to her doll.
“Where did the other applicant go?” Mr. Patten asked the receptionist.
Aurora answered, “She disappeared!”
“Disappeared? What do you mean?” Kimberly asked.
Aurora nodded heavily, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Just what I said! She stood up all of a sudden and hurried away.”
“Oh, well,” Mr. Patten said. “I’ll wait half an hour for her. After that, I won't consider her anymore.” He looked at Aurora and smiled, then waved goodbye to her.
Kimberly and Aurora left. Kimberly was very excited, hopeful she was going to get a new job, and, most of all, the kind of job she loved so much.
She thought again about the letter that had somehow appeared in her hand—she was still quite puzzled by it.
“Did you get the job, Mom?”
“I still don't know, but hopefully! We'll need to wait until tomorrow for him to decide, but I think he liked me and my experience, and more than likely the job will be mine!”
After a few minutes, she added, “You know, I meant to keep on unpacking the last boxes and finish settling everything at home, but I suppose I'm a little tired and probably need to relax. I deserve it! What if I bake a nice chocolate cake instead?”
“Yes, Mom! And maybe we can have a slice of it after lunch while we watch cartoons together?”
“Why not.” Kimberly smiled at Aurora.
As soon as they entered the house, a warm smell of baked treats overwhelmed them. Chocolate! They looked at each other, puzzled, and rushed to the kitchen, following the delicious aroma.
On the table, there was a big chocolate cake, fully prepared and waiting for them, almost as if just saying it had made it happen. Kimberly didn't say anything, but the mere idea of her words bringing a fully baked chocolate cake into existence was bizarre, to say the least.
“Wow, Mom, look! Somebody brought us a cake! It is just like the ones you make, with white icing on top and decorated with candied cherries! Who could it have been?”
Kimberly stared at the cake in wonder. Why would someone dare to enter her house, only to leave her a gift? And how could they have known that was her favorite cake, the one she always had when feeling particularly tired, to cheer her up or to celebrate a happy event?
“I... I don't know, Aurora. Maybe one of our new neighbors? I don't understand why an unknown neighbor would take the liberty of coming inside without permission...”
“Wow, Mom! Do you think they will all bring us something to eat to welcome us? It would be so nice! I really wish they would do it!”
As soon as Aurora finished talking, the doorbell rang.
Kimberly walked toward the door, and Aurora followed her to see who it was.
Waiting outside were many women and some men, as well—a long line of people all carrying something.
The first woman looked as surprised as Kimberly, whose mouth had fallen open, and stared at her for few seconds, unable to say anything. Then she mumbled, clearly embarrassed, “Hi, I'm Michelle. I live next door. I was preparing lunch for my family when I suddenly felt the urge to bring you something. Here is a casserole. Enjoy it.” She rushed away, without waiting for Kimberly to respond.
Aurora looked at the people in astonishment, but after a while, started giggling and ran upstairs, whispering something about having Mrs. Daisy to talk to.
The second woman was another neighbor who looked puzzled as well, and brought something else, stammering it was from the dinner she was preparing for some important guests. The line was long and was growing. Kimberly looked at them and thanked them all with the same incredulous smile.
CHAPTER 6
“Aurora, dinner's ready! Wash your hands!” Kimberly shouted up through the stairwell and went back to the kitchen to check the table.
She wasn't totally in love with the kitchen, with its old white furniture and out-of-date appliances, but she was on a budget and couldn't afford to change them. Nevertheless, the kitchen looked nice and cozy after she’d put the curtains on the window and scattered Aurora's colorful drawings all over the walls. She planned to frame them all and have them placed neatly on one side. She also needed a nice lamp instead of the gloomy, single-bulb lamp they had been using since arriving, and two or three shelves to place some books and knickknacks on.
“Coming!” a little voice replied, half-muffled by running steps. “Here I am.” Aurora entered the kitchen and rushed to her mom, hugging her.
“Did you wash your hands?”
“Yes, look!” she replied with a smile, stretching out her little hands, covered with felt-pen marks.
“Ugh! I don't think so. Go back and wash them again. Make them spotless, young lady.” Kimberly tried to wear her best, most severe and serious expression, but she was overwhelmed by wanting to laugh and kiss her little love.
Aurora left and was back within a few seconds.
“So, what now?” Kimberly asked frowning.
“Look,” Aurora replied with a wide smile, showing clean hands.
“Oh, funny... I didn't see you get all the way to the bathroom.”
Aurora shrugged, knowing her mother was right, but not knowing how to explain that her hands had been spotless as soon as she'd turned to go back to the bathroom.
“Well, never mind, my little love,” Kimberly said, trying to hide a smile.
“What's for dinner, Mom? I'm very hungry.”
“We'll be having lasagna and vegetables.”
“Veggies? Yuck!” she exclaimed, making a face. “Can't I have just lasagna, pleeeese? Maybe also some pizza? I saw you putting one in the fridge!” She looked at her mom, her hands joined in prayer.
“No, you may not have pizza,” she replied while serving her a big slice of lasagna and a side dish of steamed vegetables. “Now, stop talking and eat, please. And stop kicking the chair, too! We can't live only on pizza, cheesecakes and...”
“But we have lots of yummy things our neighbors brought us!” she moaned.
“I've put nearly all of the dishes in the freezer and we'll eat a little at a time,” Kimberly replied. She lifted her gaze from her plate to Aurora, and she burst into laughter.
“Oh, dear! You have your face covered with tomato sauce. I wish I had my camera here to take you a picture!”
“There it is,” Aurora replied, pointing to the camera next to Kimberly's glass.
“How the.... Did you bring it here? You know I don't want you to play with it. Oh, well, so much the better. Smile! When you're all grown up, we'll still be able to laugh at it. Now, you'd better clean your pretty little face.”
After a while, checking Aurora's plate, she was surprised to see it nearly empty.
“I cannot believe it! Have you really eaten all the veggies?”
“Yes, they taste like strawberry jelly,” Aurora said, still chewing spinach and carrots.
“Do they? Mine don't taste like that!”
“They tasted bad, but I thought about eating jelly and the taste changed,” she smiled, her teeth still covered with green stuff.
“Honestly, Aurora, sometimes you really surprise me! That's a great trick, the right attitude. You are a wise little person. Much wiser than your four short years.”
“Can I watch some cartoons now?”
“First your fruit, then you must help me with the table. Remember our agreement? New house, new rules...”
“Okay, Mom. And you promised to watch cartoons with me.”
“Yes, I know.” Kimberly blew her little daughter a kiss.
CHAPTER 7
The main witches of all the communities used to have a meeting once a year, and it was quite unusual to receive a call for an extraordinary meeting.
This was the third
call in as many days. Isidora sat in silence, her eyes closed. Her prestige had increased tremendously lately. Not that she didn't like that. She had always liked the position her great powers had given her, even as a young witch. Her age, with years passing by, had increased her authority and now the new situation had made her the most well-known and important witch in all the world. After the Queen, obviously.
She tried to recap the latest events: the discovery of the prophecy, its involving her community, and now it coming to pass. All in the matter of a few days. Witches liked threes, the number and the omen. Good or bad, events that happened in threes brought balance to the universe. Still, it was too much even for her, mainly because that was only the beginning, and times full of new, important happenings were coming. She wondered if she had enough strength to bear all that change with the same authority as before. Could any other witch want to take advantage of the situation? Could any witch try to get her position? Thousands of years had passed since witches had fought one against the other. She had to see that these things wouldn't happen again. She felt the strange and silly impulse to protect the Queen. A Queen with great powers who was surely able to protect herself and them all.
A light knock interrupted her thoughts. “Grandma? We’re ready when you are!” Ravyn said.
“Good, my dear! I'll be there in just a minute!”
She didn't want to admit it, but she hated the new way the meetings were held. She could remember the kind of meetings held just a few years before, ones with every master witch from each community in front of their crystal ball, each one able to see the others in a good, witchy way. But nobody could stop progress, and lately most of the communities in the civilized countries had equipped themselves with big screens, which were connected to the crystal balls in a way Isidora gave up trying to understand. Now, their get-togethers looked like corporate meetings and, in her opinion, had lost most of their charm. But Isidora had always been a practical woman and had to admit screens gave a far clearer view and also gave them the opportunity to see them all at the same time. Ravyn had insisted and before she knew it, they had six large screens, each of them showing many masters at the same time. Isidora felt it was sort of like being inside the Houston Space Center!
She stood up and went to the conference room. A few witches of her community would attend the meeting as well. Celeste had already taken her seat out in front, while Aunt Adeline was lightly snoring at the rear of the room. Ravyn was still checking the connections between the crystal ball and the screens, connections working on both electronics and spells. Despite her young age, she was allowed to attend as a technician. Aunt Lydia was sitting a few rows ahead, a bottle of a common brand of tea in her hand, surely disguising some aged whiskey.
Lucille hurried inside, took a seat, unwrapped a piece of gum and addressed Isidora. “Would you like one?”
Isidora opened her arms, shaking her head. “How am I supposed to give a speech with chewing gum in my mouth?” she seemed to say. She rolled her eyes... It was a miracle her community had always been so healthy and well. She looked at the few people in front of her. A snoring old woman, an alcoholic, a middle-aged woman who acted like a young girl and Celeste, her own daughter, who was touching her hair, as usual totally concerned about her look. There were a few other witches, among the most powerful of the community, quietly muttering. Yet that unhinged gang was her family and, most of all, they cared for each other and for the whole community.
Isidora slowly sat at the table placed before the seats, facing the big screens. One of them allowed her to see their room, too, so that she could check herself and her community's witches, also.
The connection was established and Ravyn counted backwards, then whispered, “Now,” as soon as she allowed their image to be accessed by the other communities. She loved to act as a production assistant.
Isidora smiled to her distant audience and greeted everybody. She would have been a perfect anchorwoman.
“Thank you for participating. The last few days have been full of events and more are coming. During our last meeting, we wondered when the Queen would arrive. As far as we knew, she could arrive in a few months’ time or even a few years. We had no way of knowing how soon it would be...” She took a long pause. She knew how to keep her audience's attention. She could imagine everybody holding their breath, waiting for her next words.
“But now, the Queen has arrived,” she finally added, pausing again, for effect. Everybody started talking and the buzz grew loud. Such news made normal witch etiquette worthless. It was the usual practice for everyone to ask permission of their own master to take the floor and the relating master ask permission of the president of the meeting so that order was maintained. The president was played in turn and Isidora saw she was talking even louder than the others. She had to tap on her desk to get their attention and have everybody calm down.
“She arrived and settled in a house which belonged to the most powerful witch to have ever lived there. The house, after her departure, has been uninhabited due to a spell which she made, and most of the population has never wanted to live there because of rumors about its being under an enchantment. Now the spell has been broken by the Queen. I had the privilege to have a quick look at her. She looks like a young woman, but we don't know anything about her yet, apart from the fact she has a young daughter. I thought a lot about it, and this is what we are going to do. Obviously, I welcome any suggestions to the contrary.” No one doubted that Isidora was merely trying to be polite, certainly not wanting anyone to try to change her plans. She had already decided her policy and nobody was going to interfere with it.
“We are going to contact her without introducing ourselves as witches. We must be very cautious at this stage because it is quite odd she hasn't shown up yet, demanding her position. We will just greet her as a sort of city welcoming committee, and we'll see what happens from there.”
CHAPTER 8
“Hello? Hi! I'm Isidora from the Committee of the Magic Club.”
“Ehm... Hi, Isidora. How can I help you?” Kimberly replied, quite puzzled, still trying to make her Italian coffee machine work properly. What the hell was the Magic Club?
“We wanted to welcome you to our town. As a new resident, we would like to throw a welcome party for you. What about next Saturday at, let's say, 5 p.m.? You can obviously bring your daughter with you. We have many kids at the club and some rooms just for them, with people to watch and care for them.”
Isidora stopped talking, waiting for Kimberly's reaction.
“Well... It's very nice of you, but I don't really know. I have lots of things to do before starting a normal life.”
Kimberly paused for a moment. A party? It wasn't very polite to refuse such an invitation, but she wasn't feeling like making new acquaintances, at least not yet. At least not during a party, with... how many people had she said? All of them asking her about her life, trying to steal her secrets, her being at the center of attention. Lately she was feeling more like hiding instead.
Yet, there was Aurora. It was important for her to make new friends as soon as possible, before going to school. But, they could also just want to sell her something. A club, she’d said? Surely, they wanted to sell her a membership.
“You must already have worked hard since your arrival,” Isidora replied. “Why don't you take a break for a change?”
“I don't want to be impolite,” Kimberly continued, pouring herself a double espresso, “but I’m a little confused. Do you throw a party for every new resident? Although not big, Springsville must have a good amount of people coming and going, like everywhere else.”
“Oh!” Isidora's smile was evident in her reply. “No, actually, we don't. But we do for people with sons or daughters, so that children, babies, young ones, and teens alike, can integrate as soon as possible into the new environment and their parents, as well.”
“I see,” Kimberly replied. “What's the Magic Club, again?”
“It's a mul
ti-purpose center. A modern building on the way to the center. We have a gym, a swimming pool, a spa, a library, a kitchen for cooking lessons, a very relaxing tea room, a hairdresser and people to care for our children while we enjoy all those facilities. We organize many activities, both cultural and for leisure. It's a sort of heaven, where we can meet friends and spend wonderful hours together.”
“Well, it’s all clear now,” Kimberly replied and bit her lip. She had to make a decision on the spot but wasn't sure it would be the right one. “Yes, I will come,” she heard herself answering. “Can I have the address, please?”
Isidora put down the receiver and turned to the group of witches behind her and exclaimed, “She accepted!”
