Moonshine in a Mason Jar

by Kimbra Swain

  As I turned to leave, I saw it. The smashed pieces of the antique teacup I’d given Grace laid on the floor next to the wall. The wall had a clear divot where the cup had impacted it. “Damn, Grace,” I muttered. Drawn to the shattered pieces, I bent down, picking them all up. Some of the pieces were large, but the tiny shards would be impossible to repair. Nothing could fix this. It was done.

  “It’s all done,” I muttered. Rufus stood at my feet, looking up at me. I was glad he was the only one to see a grown man like me cry.

  A light knock came from the front door. I walked over to open it up to a ragged-looking woman with a toddler. “Hey, is Grace here?” she asked through the door.

  “No, ma’am. She won’t be back tonight,” I said. “Can I help you?”

  “No, Sheriff. She usually keeps my daughter when I have to work. It’s okay. I’ll find someone else,” she said. The little girl smiled and waved at me. She walked back toward the trailer across the street.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” I called out to her.

  “Did you say Grace keeps your child?” I asked.

  “Yes, Winnie loves her. Calls her Aunt Grace. I suppose it’s silly, but they get along very well,” the woman said.

  “I’ll tell her you came by,” I said.

  She started to say something else, but she just nodded, making her way back to her home. I ran back into the house, gathered the broken pieces of the cup in a plastic bag, and drove home.

  When I got there, the house was quiet. I didn’t expect Stephanie to be there. In fact, she probably thought I was dead. I couldn’t wait to surprise her. To see the look on her face. She knew what I was, but I was sure she had doubts about what I could survive. I went to the safe I kept in a hall closet. Unlocking it, I placed the bag of broken porcelain inside. I needed a reminder that no matter how much I tried, Grace and I weren’t friends. We couldn’t be. We couldn’t be anything. It needed to stay broken.

  Taking a page from her book, I broke out a bottle of whiskey. I knew the consequences. I’d dream again. Maybe I’d have the wedding dream again just to torture myself. Just because I dreamed it didn’t mean it would come true. Just meant that if we carried on in the same way that it would happen. But the future isn’t written and has many variables. I couldn’t see that the vamps took her from Hot Tin and sent her there to them. It was a useless ability. Just another burden for me to bear. I guzzled a full glass of the amber liquid letting it burn down to my heart. After the second glass, Stephanie arrived.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of me.

  “Hi honey,” I said to her.

  “I guess you survived,” she smirked.

  “I did,” I said. Pouring another glass, I threw it back. “Come here.”

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “I said, come here,” I growled at her. Something in her eyes flashed. She liked to be ordered around. Good. That would make this easier.

  “Dylan, you are drunk,” she said.

  “No, honey, I’m not drunk. I just had three glasses, but I don’t plan on drinking any more before I fuck you.”

  She was torn. I watched the fairy inside of her flair with lust. “This isn’t like you,” she said.

  “I’m a new man. Come here,” I ordered her again.

  She walked up to me, standing close enough to feel her heavy breaths on my neck. I ran my hand up her neck, closing my fingers around it. She tilted her head back with a sigh. Filthy, little whore. I leaned into her ear. “Did you fuck your boss this weekend?” I asked her. She knew it was against our agreement.

  “Yes,” she hissed.

  “Was it good?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. I squeezed her neck. I felt her swallow.

  “Did you fuck anyone else this weekend?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Do you want me to fuck you, Stephanie?” I asked.

  “Please,” she begged.

  I chuckled, then turned the whiskey bottle up. Its warmth spread through my body and affected my mind enough not to care. I’d done this a thousand times in my life. I’d have sex with some woman with no attachments. This time was different. I did it because my heart was attached. Hopelessly attached to the one woman on this earth I couldn’t have. Something inside of me screamed not to do it, but I ignored it. But I reminded myself of what kind of man I really was, for years I roamed this earth taking whatever I wanted. I didn’t know why I thought I could come here and be any different.

  Talking to Grace’s neighbor was the final straw. Grace, the evil fairy queen would babysit for her drugged-out neighbor. Jeremiah was right. She had a heart, and I had broken it. A fragile, beautiful heart like the porcelain roses on a smashed teacup. Stephanie was what I deserved. So, I attempted to fuck Grace out of my head.

  When I woke up Monday morning, I was in the bed alone. Stephanie had slipped out several hours before without a word. I cursed myself for a fool. My mind immediately went to Grace who spent the night in a jail cell. I picked up my phone. There were several messages from Troy. I looked at them, then called him.

  “Maynard,” he answered.

  “Turn her loose,” I said.

  “They already did,” he said. “She wasn’t drunk last night, Dylan. What happened? I saw the house with the moonshine. Or what’s left of it.”

  “It’s a long story. I’m not telling it right now. I have a migraine. I’m not working today,” I said.

  “What about Grace? Are you going to talk to her?” he asked.

  “No,” I replied.

  “You are giving up,” he said.

  “There was nothing to give up on, Troy. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, hanging up. Pulling the blanket back over my head, I fell asleep.

  I woke up to my phone ringing. “Riggs,” I answered.

  “I’m not coming back,” Stephanie said.

  “Good,” I replied.

  “She’s got you so messed up you don’t know what which way is up. I warned you. That first night, I tried to get you away from her. I’ve seen her do it to so many men. I told myself that you were strong enough to withstand her, but I was wrong. Thanks for the good fucks. Catch ya later,” she said.

  “Later,” I said. I looked at my phone. It was 7:30 p.m. I had slept all day. I pondered getting a shower but decided against it. I slept.

  Dylan

  “Get up, Dylan.”

  “Fuck off, Jeremiah,” I muttered.

  “You’ve been in bed for three days. Get up,” he said, jerking the blanket off me.

  “I don’t work for you, Jeremiah,” I said.

  “You are right. You don’t. Get your things and get out of this town,” he said.

  “Fine,” I said, getting up from the bed. I paced over to the bathroom to relieve myself.

  “When you get done, I’ll meet you downstairs. We have one last bit of business to take care of,” he said.

  “Whatever,” I muttered.

  I turned on the shower, letting the water heat up. In this old house, sometimes it took a while. I gathered up some clothes, throwing them into a small suitcase. I didn’t need everything if I was moving on. I had money. I didn’t need anything here. My shower was long. I wanted to make Jeremiah wait. I didn’t care what he thought of me now.

  After throwing on clothes, I grabbed the suitcase. I stopped in the hallway at the safe. I removed my pistols. The bag of porcelain shards taunted me. I picked up the bag to throw them in the trash on my way out. When I reached the bottom of the steps, I realized that Stephanie sat on the couch. Her face was bruised.

  “I didn’t do that!” I screamed at Jeremiah.

  “I know you didn’t,” he said.

  I dropped the suitcase on the ground. Walking around the couch to look at her, I realized someone had beat the crap out of her.

  “Who did this?” I asked.

  Her lip quivered, “Sergio.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I slept with you,” she said. “You wer
e supposed to be dead.”

  “Oh hell! This is like some stupid tv talk show,” I yelled. “You asked for it. You fucking begged for it like a whore.”

  She nodded her head. “I know. I did, but I didn’t think he would find out,” she said.

  “There are bugs all over this house that you put here. Did you not think of that?” I asked.

  She swallowed. “I forgot,” she said.

  “What do you want me to do about this?” I asked Jeremiah.

  “Nothing. I just wanted you to see that she received her punishment for breaking the rules. She was supposed to stay at home because we knew Krykos would be violent with her if she allowed him back in her bed. He did exactly what we said he would do. Its why she agreed to the terms in the first place, but he broke the spell. She went back to him, and now we are here again,” Jeremiah said.

  “I’ve got to go back to him,” she said. “Jeremiah removed all the bugs.”

  “You don’t have to go back to him,” I said. “You make your own choices. If you go, it’s because you want to go.”

  “Like you make your own? Going back to Grace, over and over?” she asked.

  “I’m not going back to Grace,” I said. “I was never with her in the first place.”

  “Oh, please. You know you’ve fucked her. That’s why you are so twisted up,” she said.

  “He hasn’t,” Jeremiah said. It irked me that he knew the truth, but I hadn’t broken that promise.

  “Oh,” she said. “Well, do you mind if I keep the house if you are leaving?” She had the gall to ask such a thing. It didn’t matter. I was leaving.

  “Sure. Whatever,” I said. She waved her hand in front of her face removing the bruises. I didn’t know if it was a glamour or if she healed it. She grabbed her purse, then stomped out of the house.

  Jeremiah looked at the baggie that I held in my hand. “What’s that?”

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “You going to tell her goodbye?” he asked.

  “No,” I said, walking over to the trash. I held the bag out over the can. My fist held on to the remnants of my friendship with Grace. Not just friendship. I loved her. I was throwing it away. Jeremiah watched me closely.

  “It can be fixed,” he said.

  “No, it can’t,” I shouted at him. I poured the broken pieces all over my counter. “It’s beyond broken.”

  He walked over, picking up the pieces looking at them. He held one piece with a whole rose painted on it. He rubbed his thumb over it. “Is she not worth it?” he asked.

  “I’m not worthy of her,” I said.

  “You know, she’s been all over this world, too. She’s fucked a lot of guys. She was with that Blankenship boy not too long ago, but you know about that. Don’t let one night of frustration with Stephanie convince you that you and Grace don’t have anything,” he said.

  “We don’t. You keep taking it away from us. Actually, you take it from her, leaving me with it. I have to remember it,” I said.

  “I’ll take it from you too. If that’s what you want, I can make you forget all the moments you’ve shared with her. Or you can stick it out and put it back together when the time is right,” he said.

  “You are stringing us along, Jeremiah. It cannot be fixed,” I said. Leaving him at the counter, I crossed the room to get my suitcase. When I turned back around, the repaired teacup sat on the counter. It looked flawless. Something tore inside of me. Pain, anger, hatred, and self-loathing.

  “All things that are worth the time can be fixed. Just be careful not to break it again.” He said, holding the cup out to me. I took it from him. “Keep your distance from her, if that helps. I no longer need your services, Dylan, but you are welcome to stay. You are a part of this town now. The people here know you and trust you. The fairies here depend upon you to keep them safe. Stay. Make your life worthwhile.”

  “I’ve already followed your fairy tale once,” I growled, staring at the perfect teacup.

  “Don’t stay for my fairy tale. Write your own,” he said.

  “I can’t without her,” I said.

  “One day, when we figure out who is behind the plot to destroy the Otherworld, you are welcome to make your move,” he said. “Until then, stay to keep her safe.”

  I slumped down on a barstool at the kitchen counter. Carefully, I sat the cup down on the saucer. My phone rang in my pocket. I ignored it.

  “You should probably get that,” Jeremiah said.

  “Ugh,” I groaned fishing the phone out of my pocket. Her name flashed on the screen. “Damn.” I had no power to resist it.

  “Riggs,” I answered.

  “Dylan,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “What do you want, Grace?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “For getting arrested and acting stupid the other night. I didn’t mean to put you in that position,” she said. I couldn’t believe she was apologizing to me. Shit. I was the biggest moron on the face of the planet. I looked up to Jeremiah, but he was gone. He knew I’d stay. Just the sound of her broken voice sank into me. I couldn’t leave her.

  “Grace, we both had a bad day. It’s okay. I should have taken you home,” I said.

  “Did you go in my house?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I saw the door open and fed Rufus. Then I talked to your neighbor,” I said.

  “Bethany was here?” she asked.

  “She had the little girl. She needed a babysitter,” I said.

  “Yeah, I keep her sometimes. Bethany is a prostitute and she has enough sense to get Winnie out of the house while she is entertaining. She’s a sweet little girl,” Grace said. “I just called to apologize. Thanks for feeding Rufus. It won’t happen again.”

  “It’s forgotten, Grace,” I said.

  She paused, but I could tell she had more to say. “Did you take the cup?”

  I rubbed my finger over the roses. “I did. I thought I could fix it, but it was too broken.”

  She sighed, “Oh, I got mad. I wish I hadn’t broken it.”

  “It was a silly gift anyway. No big deal,” I said. “Everything is fine, Grace. I’ll talk to ya later.”

  “Okay. Later,” she said, hanging up.

  I resisted the urge to throw it across the room, breaking it again. Instead, I picked up and placed it back into the safe in the hallway. I still needed that reminder. Something to keep me going.

  Dylan

  The power pulsing around Grace’s hand brightened. “Pull over up here. If he is close by, we don’t want to frighten him,” she said.

  I obeyed her request, pulling over to the side of the road. She climbed out of the car, then walked down the tree line. “That back entrance to the river is up here,” I said. She held her finger to her lips. Beautiful lips.

  It had been a year since I decided to stay after the incident at the moonshine house. It was truly a moment of truth for me. I failed it completely. Not only did I allow myself to be drawn in by Grace, I followed it up with a hate sex session with Stephanie which proved to me that I was the nastiest sort of creature on earth. However, I stayed, because she needed to be protected. For whatever reason, Grace couldn’t see the fairy world as she should have been able to. Jeremiah explained it as acceptance. Until she accepted the power she rightfully possessed, she would never see the world as she should. Which meant that all the things she couldn’t see could kill her.

  Jeremiah and I had fought off several attempts on her life. She whisked through the town like nothing ever happened. We intended to keep it that way. Accepting the horrible person that I had allowed myself to be helped me to keep Grace at arm’s length. She deserved better. Jeremiah and I also discussed a man that he wanted to bring to town to help Grace. A changeling. However, there were complications with the young man. The Sanhedrin in Texas had been keeping an eye on him, but he had run away. I didn’t know much about the man, except that he was young. Jere
miah seemed convinced that he could not only control Grace but also protect her.

  Inside I knew it was the right thing to do because I would admit that keeping an eye on her was a full-time job. She was one hell of a mess sometimes. I still loved her. Every bone in my body craved her, but I made the right decisions to stay away.

  Stephanie came one day to find me still in Shady Grove, much to her chagrin, but we settled into our routine of playing the happy couple. It was much easier for me to do now. I made it very clear to Stephanie that I would never touch her again. She didn’t seem to mind, except time to time when she got lonely. She would get over it. I was done with her other than the effort to keep her happy so that Grace would stay safe.

  When we reached the edge of the tree line where a dirt road made its way to the small river near town, we both peeked around the tree.

  The little old man sat on top of a bucket with a fishing pole in his hand. Its float bobbed up and down with the lazy current of the water. The look on his face was pure bliss. Grace looked at me and smiled. Then shook her right hand violently. I’d seen her do it many times now. Locating something or casting a spell would build up power, she shook it out rather than let it fester inside of her. Grace wanted nothing to do with gaining more power. I stood transfixed by her for a moment. The long white skirt flowed in the wind. A stray hair kissed her cheek.

  “Dylan. Stop staring. Geez,” she said, poking me in the ribs.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking about lunch,” I said.

  The department had been searching for the man for most of the day, but I knew Grace could find him quickly. She gladly volunteered. She always did when it came to kids and the elderly. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had a heart. A big, beautiful heart.

  We called for backup, and an ambulance from the med center took the elderly man home. He had wandered nearly 15 miles to visit his favorite fishing spot. After loading him in the cruiser, I turned around to find Grace standing shin deep in the cool water of the creek. The skirt was tied up at her waist. An evil thought crossed my mind, hoping she would fall in and get that white skirt soaked. I may have kept her away from me, but I still wanted her.