After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1)

by Patricia Proctor

  After hearing nothing, he calls, “Hello? This is Chief Alexander. Isabelle? Cora? Abigail?” Still not hearing or seeing anything, he carefully reaches through the broken pane to unlock the door. He steps over the basket of groceries and once inside avoids the newly broken glass on the hardwood floor. He draws his gun again and looks around for anything unusual or suspicious.

  The kitchen appears to be a central gathering point, as it looks more lived in than any kitchen he has ever seen, certainly more than his own. The original stone hearth sits in the corner and Liam can easily picture generations of women standing over the hearth stirring a large bubbling pot. An oversized dining table sits close to the hearth creating a warm and inviting area for gathering. Next to one of the chairs sits a basket with pink yarn and knitting needles, and although most of the kitchen is tidy, the entire table is covered with old books and papers. Though curious, Liam continues looking around the kitchen.

  The walls are butter yellow and the tiles on the counters and island are a deep sapphire blue. The large greenhouse window over the sink holds so many plants and herbs that the light from outside barely penetrates into the kitchen. Even with the small amount of light from the window, the kitchen is bright and feels both large and cozy at the same time. The appliances are all modern, stainless steel, and look brand new. A variety of kitchen gadgets occupy the counter space, some that Liam can identify — others that he cannot. Of course the pie and knife still sit on the counter, but now Liam can also see five plates and five mugs, as if the women were expecting guests. He finds this unusual since he cannot remember ever hearing about anyone visiting the Scotts.

  Leaving the kitchen, he becomes aware of the sensation that he is not alone. He knows the feeling of an empty house; and here, he can feel a presence of someone or something. The feeling is not malevolent, but rather electric. Liam makes his way through the large comfortable family room and stops short when he hears a muffled sound. Though the sound was unidentifiable, it definitely came from upstairs. He now considers that perhaps the women are sick or injured and every moment that he waits could mean another second of their agony.

  Instinct tells him that he is not in danger, so he lowers his gun to his side as he sprints up the staircase. He hesitates at the first closed door, knocks gently and opens it. He finds a spartan bedroom with a dresser and a neatly made bed. Finding the room undisturbed, he moves to the room right next door. Again knocking gently before opening the door, he enters only to find a similar room in size and décor. The bed is neatly made with a quilt that looks somewhat familiar to him.

  Ignoring the nagging recognition of the room and the quilt, he steps back into the hall passing a room with an open door. The room is clearly used for storage as boxes are lined up against three of the walls. A staircase leads up to a third floor, but first he has to check one last door in this hall. He instinctively knows that whatever is behind that door is going to change his life forever.

  Without knocking, Liam opens the door and expecting to find one or all three of the women, he is almost driven to his knees by what he finds instead. Lying in the middle of a circle on the bedroom floor are three infants, watching him expectantly.

  Chapter 3

  Liam’s mom died shortly after he was born. His dad, Marcus, never blamed Liam for his wife’s death and although Liam went through a stage where he blamed himself, it didn’t last long thanks to the love and support of his doting father. Marcus never remarried and raised his son by himself with help from his father, Peter, Liam’s grandfather, and more than one neighbor in town. The saying “It takes a village to raise a child” couldn’t be more true for Liam as he was often left with someone in town when Marcus or Peter had to deal with police business or just needed some space from a growing, active boy.

  Liam had a normal enough childhood spending much of it at the police station with his dad and granddad. He knew from an early age that he, too, wanted to be a police officer so he could protect the people in town. When he was ten, he overheard a group of kids daring each other to climb the hill, spy on the three ‘witches,’ and then report back to get a “prize.” Knowing what they were doing was wrong, Liam ran to the police station to tell his dad. The thought of the old women being spied on made him feel sick to his stomach. His dad and granddad applauded him for speaking up for what was right and reminded him that being a police officer in this town meant he would have to serve and protect every citizen. So at a young age he learned not to take part in town gossip, especially about the Scott sisters.

  He spent his high school years getting good grades and playing sports. He knew he wasn’t like the other kids who dreamed of a life outside of Spring Hill, applying to big colleges, just counting down the days to escape. Liam liked living in a small town and had no desire to leave.

  As soon as he finished high school, he fast tracked his education with a criminal justice degree. He went to the police academy and became an officer, working with his dad and granddad at the station. Soon after he joined the force, his granddad retired, making his father chief of police and Liam, deputy chief. At the time, Liam knew he would replace his father as chief one day, just as his father had replaced his grandfather. He liked the role his family had as protectors in town, along with the trust and respect that came with it. He was honest, fair, and genuinely cared for the well-being of the people he served and protected. He made it his business to know not only everyone, but also the history and the stories that made his town home.

  He figured he would eventually meet a girl and settle down to raise a family. Though both his dad and granddad married young and lost their wives early in their marriages, neither ever remarried, instead focusing on being fathers and police officers. Neither seemed to regret the way their lives turned out and at times, Liam envied their peace.

  Whenever Liam thinks about marriage, he can’t help but think that three generations of Alexander men have been left to raise their children without a mother, and whether a coincidence or a curse, he sees a pattern. He thinks of this whenever one of the women in town begins relentlessly pursuing him in the hopes of recruiting him as a husband. She could be putting the nails in her own coffin, he thinks as she bats her eyes at him.

  Just shy of six feet tall with wavy black hair, blue eyes, and in moderately good shape, he knows the women in town think of him as quite the catch. He has dated here and there, but over time women realize that he will never be what they want him to be and move on. Ways are usually parted amicably with the understanding that nothing is lacking in either person, it just wouldn’t work out in the long run. At 27, he is still a bachelor and since bachelors raised him, he is comfortable with the solitary life. Not that he always sleeps alone or doesn’t enjoy the company of women, but he would much rather wake up alone than deal with the awkwardness of conversation first thing in the morning.

  His dad, Marcus, retired early so he could spend more time with his true passion, woodworking, or so he says, but Liam often wonders if it was just a coincidence that his dad retired around the same time that Liam was ready for a better position. Twenty-seven is young to be chief of police, and he knows that had his dad not chosen to retire, he himself would still be a deputy chief. Now that both Marcus and Peter are retired, Liam meets them for breakfast every morning in the local diner. Not only because they enjoy each other’s company, but also because it solidifies the family’s presence in town.

  Liam is content; at times, even happy with the life he has built for himself. He enjoys his job and although not much challenges him in town, he has never had the desire to go to a bigger city or deal with more major crimes. He likes being chief of police in his hometown, where he already has the respect and trust of the community.

  Yet even with this contentment, he knows something is missing. Like his own dad, granddad, and great granddad before him, he has a strong desire to be a father and knows he can’t do this without a woman. He thinks about his age and knows that sooner rather than later, he will have to let
go of his fears and give more of himself than he ever has before.

  Chapter 4

  Without considering how he knows, Liam is certain these babies were once Abigail, Cora, and Isabelle Scott. Once Liam gets over the shock, he begins taking in details of the room. Although he moved quickly through the house, he noticed that most of the rooms were bold in color with hardwood floors, while this one is all pastels from carpet to the walls. If he thought the other bedrooms were sparse, he would now consider them fully furnished compared to this room.

  The room is bare, with no furniture and nothing on the walls. Taking up most of the floor is the circle, which is made with what looks like and probably is salt. In the center of the circle right above the babies’ heads is what can only be described as an altar. Sitting on a wooden box, which looks similar to a box that his dad has in his home, are four candles that still burn brightly even though it is evident by how far the wax has burned down that they have been lit for some time. Incense long since burned out, a cup, a small bowl, a photograph, some kind of rock or gem, and three baby rattles — two pink and one blue sit atop the altar next to the candles. A variety of plants, herbs, and flowers sit in each corner of the circle and somehow Liam automatically knows that the candles and objects serve very specific purposes and are used to represent the four elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.

  Although it only took moments to take everything in and consider what it all means, he is certain he has seen these objects before. Suddenly his childhood passes before him and he remembers everything. Memories flood his mind, slamming into him one after the other. A dam in his mind breaks and the memories just waiting to burst free come one after another. All of the objects within the circle, the smells in the garden, the quilt, the house — everything is familiar because he has seen them before.

  He recognizes and is almost comforted by the smell of the burning candles and the scent left over from the burned incense. He looks at the old rattle sitting in the middle of the circle and knows that he, himself, at one time held that very same rattle in his own small hand. He remembers looking down at Abigail Scott inside a circle similar to this one, while she held him overhead. In his memory, he hears Abigail and her sisters chanting unrecognizable words. He knows without a doubt that they were casting some sort of spell over him. Still standing in the doorway, shaken from the assault of his memories, he is brought back to the present by the sound of his name being spoken, “Liam…”

  At first he isn’t sure if he actually heard it or if it was a whisper from the past. He thinks his imagination is playing tricks on him until he slowly turns around and finds his dad and granddad standing in the hallway just outside the doorway.

  “Son, we have so much to explain to you and I know you must have so many questions, but first we have to take care of these sweet babies, okay?” Marcus says cautiously, knowing that Liam is just as startled by their presence here in this house as by their quiet arrival.

  Liam is about to step forward, directly into the circle when his father grabs his arm and holds him back. Moving to one corner of the circle, Marcus bends down pulling a silver dagger from inside his jacket and cuts away a space in the salt for them to walk through. After everyone is inside the circle, he brushes the salt back into place and says, “We don’t want to invite any unwelcome visitors.” The vibration Liam felt earlier in the garden throbs deep inside his chest once the salt is back in place and all three Alexander men stand within the circle facing the babies.

  Just as Liam is about to ask what the hell is going on, Marcus says, “Give me a moment to close the circle, son.” With his free hand, Marcus takes the same dagger he used upon entering the circle and waves it in a counter clockwise direction saying something Liam can’t quite understand. When the throbbing inside Liam’s chest fades, he can only assume the circle has been ‘closed.’ Marcus blows out the candles, looks down at the babies and says to Peter, “Ah, we have a boy here this time. This should be interesting.”

  His granddad chuckles awkwardly and says, “Well, at least it’s not three boys. At my age, I couldn’t imagine rearing three more like Liam.”

  Understanding dawns on Liam when he realizes that neither of them is surprised at what is happening. They do not look shocked by the presence of the babies lying within the circle, nor by the disappearance of the Scott sisters. In fact, just the opposite appears to be true. It is as if they expected this to happen… the babies, the missing women, all of it.

  Questions bounce around in Liam’s head so fast that he can’t even verbalize them out loud: What the hell is going on? What do they know of this? How could they be keeping something like this from me? Why wouldn’t they tell me something this monumental was going on in town? How the hell are they connected to all of this?

  Liam feels indignation giving way to anger and snaps, “You both need to just stop talking right now unless you are going to explain to me what the hell is going on!”

  Marcus and Peter look at Liam and then back at each other before stooping down to pick up a baby. Following his dad and granddad’s lead he picks up the baby closest to him — a little girl with a full head of dark hair. All this time in the house and the babies still have not made a sound. They have simply watched with eyes much too aware for newborns. Liam lifts an eyebrow at his father and moves out of the way so his dad can lead the way. His dad gives him a reassuring smile and nods as he passes him and steps across the hall into the room with all of the boxes.

  “We should have set all of this up before we left,” Marcus says to no one in particular. He opens one of the boxes and pulls out a box of diapers and some baby clothes. After a moment, what his dad said finally penetrates the thick fog in Liam’s mind. Did he say, “Before they left?” What the hell is he talking about? Suddenly he recalls the five plates and the five mugs left on the kitchen counter. It appears the Scotts did have guests — my dad and granddad.

  “Liam, c’mon, grab a diaper, some clothes, a blanket, and get that baby dressed,” Marcus says while cooing at the baby he is holding, a little girl with a shock of red hair.

  “Uh, Dad. I wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to put a diaper on a baby,” Liam says honestly.

  “You might be surprised by what you actually know, Liam,” Marcus replies, as he deftly diapers, dresses, and swaddles the baby he is holding. Liam cautiously follows his father’s lead and is surprised when the actions come naturally to him. He thinks of the feeling he had in the garden, and is about to ask his dad about it when Marcus says to Peter, “Pops, maybe we should’ve warned him about all of this so he would be prepared.”

  “Marcus, it doesn’t matter now — we made our choice.”

  Turning to his grandson, he says, “Liam, we will explain everything to you and even though I know you want answers right now, please be patient and allow us to tell you in our own way, in our own time. Your dad may be right… maybe we should’ve warned you, but if we had, then your life would have been completely different. You would’ve made choices based on this — your future, rather than choosing what you wanted for yourself in the moment. Life is more fulfilling when you live in the present and all we’ve ever wanted for you was to be happy.

  “What about my choice now? Do I not have one?” Liam asks, guessing he already knows the answer.

  “Peter shakes his head and replies, Liam, we wanted you to have as normal of a life as possible, but now it’s time for you to fulfill your destiny. I know you are confused and frustrated and probably a little pissed off at us, but I promise that once you hear our story, everything will make sense.”

  Chapter 5

  Present Day…

  And everything did, Liam thinks to himself. He can’t believe it’s been sixteen years since he walked into the Scott house, which is where he lives now with the three most precious people in his life. He is glad the choice was made for him and he has no regrets about how his life has turned out.

  Reflecting on that day, he remembers how everything he knew abo
ut life changed in an instant and everything he thought he wanted no longer mattered after he learned the story of the babies sitting in the middle of the floor. Everything came down to that one moment, which he thinks of as when he really started living.

  He learned that during his early years, Marcus frequently left him with the Scott sisters, which explained why so much of the house was familiar to him. He spent time there as a child in order to seal his fate, which was to return later to raise these three kids, the reincarnations of the witches. They used magic to create a bond between him and themselves so that when he was called upon, he would be ready to protect them. They cast a spell so he would always be tied to the land and have a connection to their magic. Liam is interrupted from his reverie by a slamming door and the bickering of three teenagers.

  “Dad! C’mon! We’re going to be late!” Rowan yells from the doorway.

  “Ro, we have never once been late. Why must you do this every morning?” Chloe asks her sister calmly.

  Tossing her thick mane of red hair, which she recently learned gives her a certain amount of power over the boys in school, Rowan glares at her sister and snarls, “Just shut up and get in the car so we can go. Dad! Kaiden! Come on!”

  Kaiden grabs a muffin off the table as he darts out the door with his dad right on his heels. “Chill, Sis. Or tomorrow I’ll wake up even later.” Kaiden sneers at Rowan, who always overreacts to everything and does not disappoint when she throws a baseball out of the jeep. Kaiden slides to the right and the ball hits Liam square in the chest.