A New Witch in Town (Maybe Two) (A Modern Tale about the Witches of Springsville Book 1)

by Dani Corlee

  “Yes, I suppose so,” Kimberly answered, looking at her daughter running towards her new friends.

  Kids make friends so easily! Why can't adults be the same? Will I be able to have new friends here?

  “Okay, I'll go. I'll be back before lunch. Thank you.”

  “Before lunch? Why don't you leave her here for lunch, too, and come back in the late afternoon? She will enjoy playing with her new friends and you'll have the time to do anything you need to see to. Most of the other kids are going to have lunch here. We care a lot about their health and all the meals are cooked here, balanced and, most of all, yummy!”

  “Oh, that would really help me,” Kimberly replied thoughtfully. An entire day to work in the house... That morning she had called Mr. Patten at the hospital, and he told her that he had friends attending the Magic Club and taking their children there, and they were all enthusiastic about it. His wife had planned many a time to join that club but for one reason or the other never had the time, but he felt he could recommend the place.

  “Great!” Lucille exclaimed with a big smile. “And these are for you!” She took two Cabrera daisy potted plants and gave them to Kimberly. “For your garden, I mean.”

  “Oh, how nice! You're really very kind! But I'm afraid I'm not a good gardener.”

  “I wonder...what if I come with you and help you with the garden?”

  “Well, gosh...” Kimberly frowned a little, pondering the offer. “Why not! Yes, it would be a great help,” she added with a smile.

  She liked Lucille and she felt she could trust her, even though she still had the feeling she and all the other new acquaintances were hiding something from her. But this could be a good opportunity to learn something more about this friendly group of people.

  “Let's go,” Kimberly said.

  CHAPTER 11

  During the ten-minute drive, with Lucille following in her car, Kimberly tried to focus on the situation.

  Aurora had also to be considered. She liked Lucille instinctively, as any kid would, and she liked all her new friends a lot. Regardless of her own doubts, surely due to her past bad experiences, she should think of what was best for her daughter.

  Back home, Kimberly offered Lucille some iced tea and showed her new house off.

  “It's spacious and very nice, but there are still lots of things to fix. I wasn't able to have everything done before our move because we didn't have much time and... you know, too many expenses.”

  “Yes, I understand. But I'm sure our group will be able to help you. We have many talented people... What do you need? A painter? A plumber? An electrician?”

  “A gardener, for sure,” Kimberly laughed.

  “Okay, let me get to work, then!”

  “It's quite hot outside now. Are you sure you want to do some gardening? Come inside and you can tell me everything about the town while I finish unpacking the last boxes. I still have all my books and old family sets of plates and glasses to put away. I really wish everything was already in the right place.”

  Lucille raised one eyebrow and replied, “Let me check the situation outside and see what I can do. Afterward, I'll come inside. What's your favorite color, by the way? I want to check for the right flowers.”

  “But I don't have anything to plant. We have your Cabrera daisies and I might have some seeds somewhere. Therefore, colors don't matter for now. But to answer you, I've always loved those flower beds from yellow-orange to lilac and violet. I love them. But I suppose we should also take the season into consideration, and not really knowing much about flowers, I think we have to get what's available right now.”

  “Don't worry, Kim. Believe me, I can really work wonders,” Lucille laughed.

  Kimberly laughed, too. Lucille's smile and laughter were contagious and she liked her. It wasn't so much her age, as much as it was that Kimberly felt at ease with Lucille and she thought they could really become friends.

  “Now, the seeds. Where they can be?”

  Lucille started working her magic. Only a few people were on the road, lazily walking their dogs or hurrying inside before the heat arrived, but she had to be very careful all the same. She covered the whole house with an illusion spell so that nobody could see her and what she was doing, and only the house, as it had been just before her arrival, would show.

  She rubbed her hand and moved her fingers as a pianist before playing. Good! She could start.

  She was inspired and moved her hands as if playing a sonata, collecting the colors around her. Yellow, like the sun. Orange like the oranges she liked so much. Lilac, one of her favorite colors. Swirls of them started dancing around her, sparks of it spreading around, falling over the ground and turning into flowers. She kept on playing the soundless music, adjusting the hues, moving the flowers from one side to the other, closing her eyes to enjoy a symphony only she could hear. She started dancing, the swirls around her moving more and more quickly, covering the lawn in a rainbow of petals. She kept on dancing, strengthening the cherry trees which shadowed the garage path, adding a flower here, a plant there, until she was happily exhausted. She slowed her dance, the color trails slowing with her, until they faded into the clear, sunny air. The front lawn was unrecognizable now. It had been quite bare before, the grass half-dead and worn out in many spots. Now it was bright green, and complemented all those colorful flower beds beautifully. Surely she couldn't have done anything better.

  She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with her lace handkerchief and admired her work with a huge smile, rapidly chewing the forgotten gum.

  What could Kimberly's reaction be? Whatever it was, it would force them to discuss their magic, so finally she would have to acknowledge Lucille’s powers and after that, hers, too.

  She was about to call her when she heard a loud scream coming from the house.

  She hurried inside, afraid Kimberly might have hurt herself. Maybe a pile of boxes fell down? Or a broken plate injured her?

  She found Kimberly in the dining room. She looked really scared, pale, her wide-open eyes staring at the room, a little bag inside her hand.

  “What's the matter, Kimberly? Are you all right? Poor thing, have a seat. I'll get you some fresh water.”

  Lucille had Kimberly sit down and took her a glass of water. Still dumbfounded, Kimberly looked at her.

  “Kimberly, what's the matter? You are scaring me now,” Lucille pleaded.

  “Look, look around,” she replied feebly.

  “So what?”

  “Everything is tidy and settled, just as I wanted. I went upstairs to look for the seeds and I couldn't see the boxes with my clothing. I checked the wardrobe and everything was put away neatly, exactly like I would have done.”

  “I came down quickly and checked the other boxes. They are gone too... and look at the cupboard! Look!” She was nearly crying now. “Everything is just perfect!”

  “Calm down! There's a simple explanation for everything.”

  “Is there? So, what happened? When we got here everything was still messy! There were at least five big boxes of family china here and three more boxes of dresses and things upstairs.”

  “You wished everything was already done. Don't you remember?”

  “So what?” Kimberly frowned and looked at Lucille like she was insane.

  “Well, my friend, where there is a wish there is a way! Ask and thou shalt receive—didn't you know?”

  “What are you talking about? Are you crazy?” Kimberly gave her a scared look. Was this woman crazy? Was Aurora safe at that place? In a fraction of a second, she had lots of thoughts, most of them really bad.

  “No, let's take a break from all this. What about a slice of cheesecake?”

  Kimberly widened her eyes. This woman was crazy for sure! “Listen, this is not a joke! I'll go and fetch Aurora immediately and then I'll decide what to do. This is a crazy place and I don't want anything to do with it.” She stood up and waved, motioning for Lucille to go out with her.

&
nbsp; “And what about the cheesecake?” Lucille asked with a smirk.

  “But what... I don't want cheesecake! Besides, I don't have any at home!” she shouted, feeling her patience had totally gone.

  “Now you do,” Lucille said, while in her hand a plate with a slice of cheesecake appeared.

  Kimberly looked at it, then looked at Lucille.

  It cannot be true. IT CANNOT BE TRUE! She closed her eyes. That plate would have surely disappeared... the smell of sweet cheese still hitting her nostrils, Kimberly opened her eyes. The cheesecake was still there.

  “You look so pale, my dear...”

  “Okay, what is this? A joke? Oh! I know... it must be some sort of Candid Camera, right?” Kimberly took a breath, partially relieved. She made a slight smile “Where did you hide it? Where is it?” She started looking around, searching for a camera, the sign that this nightmare was in reality only an innocent joke.

  “Are they outside? The sound technicians and all the other staff?” Suddenly, she stood up and hurried outside, Lucille rushing behind her.

  She stopped at the door, leaning against the frame, one hand on her chest.

  “I think I'm having a heart attack.” she said with a feeble voice while looking at her front garden. What only a few minutes before had been a dried-up and untidy lawn was now a beautiful garden, full of colorful flowers and healthy plants, something you usually only see in gardening magazines.

  She turned to Lucille, open-mouthed, while everything started spinning and fading into black.

  CHAPTER 12

  When she opened her eyes, she was in her bed and Lucille and Isidora lay next to her.

  “My dear, how are you?” Isidora asked, with a worried look.

  “What happened?”

  Then, suddenly remembering what she had just seen, she tried to sit up but hadn't enough strength and was still feeling dizzy.

  She tried to wave some air in front of her face. Lucille promptly moved her arm in the air, with an elegant movement, making a beautiful, painted fan appear in her hand and start waving some air for her.

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “I understand. You are a fairy. Are you, too, Isidora?”

  Lucille and Isidora smiled. Then, suddenly very seriously, Isidora said, “We are not fairies, Kimberly. Just as you aren't. Fairies aren't of this world... They are more… how can I explain...not really physical and not really spiritual. In between. But yes, we are magical, if that is what you meant. Just as you...”

  “Me? Oh, no... no, no, no, no! You are talking to the wrong person What makes you think I'm magic? I'm not, really. Life would have been easier for me, if I was. Honestly, I... I cannot really believe all this. I don't even want to think about it. I came here to leave behind a troubled marriage and some other minor problems. I wanted to start a new life but... this is too much. What is this town? Is it all made up of magic people?”

  “To tell you the truth, we are known as witches. But to answer your question, this town is not made up only of witches, but there is rather a high concentration of us here. We are quite a big community, yes,” Isidora said.

  “Witches. Okay. I would like to be alone now. Do you mind going out to do your witching things while I try to... Oh, my goodness! Aurora! Oh, my.. oh, my... What are you doing to her? I must go and get her.” Kimberly tried again to sit up, still very pale and trembling.

  “Calm down, Kimberly. Please, listen to me!” Isidora's authoritative voice cut through Kimberly's panic.

  “We are not going to do any harm to you or to Aurora. Do we look like evil people, or have we done anything to you?”

  “No, you didn't, but...”

  Isidora sat on the bed beside her. “Wait and listen. We are magical, as magic has existed since the beginning of the Universe. Indeed, do you think there's something more magical than the Universe? Than life itself? Can't you see that everything is magic around you? Always? We have only learned how to connect with the Universe, with the hidden powers that make everything be. We have always been considered like a devilish race while we are more God's progeny than anybody else. Whatever you might mean by God.”

  Isidora looked up at Lucille, who nodded.

  “We learned how to control powers long ago, at the beginning of the human race. Mind powers that every creature in the whole Universe possesses. We found the way to master those powers and, generation after generation, this ability has entered our bodies, so that now every witch gives birth to witches, our powers being inherited with our genes. It has been so for thousands of years now.”

  “Okay, I believe you. Whatever. I want to go and get Aurora now.”

  “She will be here in a few minutes. My granddaughter, Ravyn, is bringing her here. You cannot drive in this state!”

  “And I don't want Aurora to go around with strangers.” With a pale face and drawn skin, Kimberly tried to sit up once again, this time with more strength. She sat on the bed, looking for her shoes.

  “Kimberly, how can we show you we don’t mean any harm to you or Aurora?” Lucille asked with a forced, worried smile.

  Kimberly raised her gaze to Lucille.

  “Wait a minute. What has this all to do with me? Why don't you just leave me, this poor... human soul, alone? I didn't look for you, so please, can’t you just stop looking for me?”

  Lucille and Isidora exchanged embarrassed looks.

  “You cannot fight against your destiny,” Isidora said solemnly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean...” Isidora sighed heavily. “You are a witch, too.”

  Kimberly took a deep breath, her pale color turning into a deep red.

  She looked at her hand on her lap, trying to cool down, but instead shouted, “What the hell...!”

  “Hello? Hello? Can I come in?” a voice from downstairs asked.

  “Mom, Mom?” Little, light steps resounded in the house and then up the stairs.

  “Hello? I'm Ravyn. Can I come in?”

  Her rage forgotten for a while, Kimberly hugged Aurora as soon as she ran into the room, her little arms open to embrace her mom.

  “Mom, are you okay? Aunt Ravyn told me you didn't feel very well.” she said, and smacked a huge kiss on her cheek.

  “I'm okay. Don't worry, my love,” she replied, caressing her blonde head.

  “Lucille and Isidora are just leaving,” she then said with a tired sigh at the two women.

  “Excuse me... Kimberly,” Ravyn said, stretching out her hand. “I'm so happy to meet you! I heard a lot about you,” she added. Then she noticed her grandmother shaking her head no.

  With an embarrassed smile, she greeted her again, waved goodbye and left.

  “Aurora, go to your room and change your dress, will you? Can you do it without any help?”

  Aurora frowned. “Of course I can,” she said, putting her hands to her waist. “I'm four years old!” she added reproachfully, and left.

  Kimberly sighed. “I would like to be left alone, if you don't mind,” she said to Lucille and Isidora with a tired voice.

  “Kimberly, we really need to talk to you and show you we are good and want to be your friends. We want you to acknowledge you have powers, too.”

  “Again? What do you...” She was raising her voice again. Then, suddenly aware of Aurora's presence in the next room, she lowered it and whispered. “Believe it or not, I don't have any powers and don't want to have anything to do with magic things.”

  “Why not? Magic is not as you might have read in children's books. We don't throw children in cauldrons and we don't make potions with mouse eyes or bat wings.” Isidora paused. “I swear it,” she added with a grin.

  “Magic is like asking for all the good things life can give us. It's like doing things more easily and like making other people happy, too. But we have ethics. We have a strict code of conduct which makes it impossible for us to interfere with other people's lives, at least for important things. We cannot do anything against death and also illness, at least for ot
her people. If we were able to do so, we would have already defeated all the illnesses in the world and also fought world hunger. We aren't omniscient or omnipotent. But we can do many things other humans cannot.”

  Kimberly listened carefully to Isidora, pondering every word. In a way, she had always thought that magic existed, but that was probably only dreams of her childhood still living in her. Yet... she believed she could do many things, if she concentrated enough. She thought she could levitate, for instance, to get the things high in closets or in the cupboard, instead of using the ladder. She thought she could move objects and even feel the thoughts of distant people, if only she could concentrate and exercise enough. She really believed the human brain was able to do all that and much more. If properly trained, that is. After all, wasn't it said people use only 10 percent of their brains? What could they achieve if they use even just another 10 percent?