“Please leave my father out of this,” said Tessa. “He only tried to help me.”
“Silence, young one! You will get your turn in due time. Now, Joe… It’s painfully obvious that you were the one who guided this boy here. You’re in a quite privileged position, and I admit that our prior engagements may have clouded my vision. That will no longer the case. Consider yourself lucky if you leave the colony alive.”
Uncle Joe sat in the back, biting his lip.
“Do whatever you want to me,” he started, “but please don’t do anything to my nephew or our daughter.”
“Father…”
“Now, to the three of you. First, Luna. Assisting an outsider in committing crimes that undermine the very foundation of witchhood. You were shaping up to be a spectacular witch, but behavior like this is beyond reproachable. Forget about doing magic again. You should be cleaning pots and pans for the rest of your life.”
“Mother, if you would only listen to my reasons,” said Luna.
“Mother? I renounced that title the second you were born, Luna. You are a citizen of this colony no different than any other. Raul, Joe and I had an arrangement where Tessa would work next to you in the hopes of getting a taste of this ‘freedom’ that she desperately desired. We hoped that by caving to her desires, she may be better able to control her power. It became increasingly clear that this was not the case. The girl’s breakdowns were so severe that the witch we had monitoring her nearly had a meltdown of her own. So, we brought her back. Had you not had the audacity to claw your way into something that doesn’t concern you, then all of this might’ve been averted. Feel the weight of the consequence of your actions.”
“Please, let me explain myself,” I said. She was right. Every word was right. I was an idiot for trying to push myself in here. I did it, and now everyone will pay because of my mistake.
“Fine,” said Minerva, crossing her hands. “Only because I am interested in knowing what led you to make such a horrid decision, so I can be sure it never happens again.”
“A few years ago, my mother passed away. That led me to drop out of grad school and end up hopelessly depressed. Then, Uncle Joe ceded control of his coffee shop to me. I was bad at first, but with a little effort I managed to make a place that customers could relax and be happy. The whole time, though, I was missing something. I told myself that I wanted to make the Twisted Cauldron the best café it could be, but that was just an empty goal. There was no meaning behind my words.
“Then Tessa came along. At first, I thought it was a little weird for my uncle to drop someone off like that, but not entirely out of the question. Soon I discovered that she was a witch. I was a little confused, but in time I grew to love her. Her smile taught me to forget everything and live for the moment. Tessa knew some crazy powerful magic, but the most magical thing she ever did didn’t have anything to do with magic. She was like a shining star saying, ‘Shine with me or get left in the darkness!’ I’d like to think that I also helped her come to terms with this new world she was a part of. In that sense, I think her visit outside the colony was a success! She might not be able to control her powers much better, but she’s a citizen of the world now, not just of this colony. She’s interacted with so many people in her time in the Twisted Cauldron. She’s made so many of them happy. To rip her out of their lives would be wrong.”
When I finished, I was gasping for breath. That was it. My last defense. A desperate plea.
“Are you done?” said Minerva.
“Wait, please let me talk as well,” said Tessa.
“I think we’ve heard enough for now,” she said. “Now the council will deliberate.”
“Before that, Minerva, I think there’s someone here who hasn’t been given a fair shot at speaking her mind,” said Joe.
“Very well. Tessa, you may speak your case.”
“Thank you, Head Councilwoman,” she said, bowing her head. “Everyone, I recognize that my time in the human world caused me a great deal of pain. That doesn’t mean that hiding in here is the correct thing to do! As I lived my life outside, one thing became especially clear: these people live a fuller life. They attach themselves to the world around them. Their neighbor’s pain is their own. This leads to more heartache, but it’s a speck in the face of all the joy a connected life brings. I would train day and night to get my power under control if it meant I got to experience that again.
“The witch colony is amazing, with hundreds of years of history. I know I’m connected to a wonderful past, and I’ll never forget that. However, I think it’s time we start looking outside the colony. Can you imagine what kind of progress we can make if we take outside ideals and incorporate them as our own? Please, High Councilwoman, I ask this not only for my own selfish desires, but for the betterment of witchkind.”
Minerva spent a few arduous seconds staring at Tessa. For her part, Tessa didn’t so much as blink. Standing up to someone as powerful as her couldn’t have been easy.
Minerva snapped her fingers. We were immediately transported to an empty room, lit by torches perched on the walls. Our bindings came undone, and we were free to walk the room. There was one door, but none of us had any hope that it would be unlocked.
“Dad,” said Tessa as she ran over to hug her father. “Did the witches hurt you?”
“I had it coming,” said Mr. Karrabine, laughing. “Nothing a little nap won’t fix. Your boyfriend here saw me and, well, once I saw that letter, I couldn’t say no.”
“What letter?” said Tessa. “H-He showed you the letter?”
“Me too,” said Uncle Joe. “It was thoughtful.”
“Raul!” said Tessa, stomping her feet. “How could you? That was so personal.”
“I mean, it worked, didn’t it?” I said. “Not that it matters now.”
“You tried, though,” she said, putting her hand on my cheek. “Sometimes, we can try as hard as we want and it’s never enough.”
Tessa turned back to her father.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was back,” said Tessa. “I was confused and wanted to give it a little more time before I saw you. Despite what everyone says, I know you’re a good man at heart, father.”
“Tessa, it’s me who should be apologizing. When we lost your mother, I was wrecked. I promised myself I would spend double the effort to raise you. But then the witches discovered your power and they snatched you away. I knew you weren’t happy, but I was powerless to change it. It ripped me up. But now I know better. I shouldn’t have let myself fall like that. I’ll be a better man. For the both of us.”
“Oh, father…”
“Touching reunion,” said Uncle Joe. He sat with his arms crossed.
“Hey Joe, why didn’t you tell me that you had a daughter named Luna? Or a wife? Hell of a thing to hide from your nephew.”
“Not wife, kid,” said Uncle Joe, wagging his finger. “So what? You never asked.”
He made me want to tear my hair out. Still, there was no denying that he came here to help me. I shouldn’t be too hard on him.
The door swung open, hitting the wall with a thunderous clank. Minerva appeared out of it, wearing an expression that was halfway between anger and disgust.
“The Council has decided,” she said. “On the matter of allowing Tessa to leave the witch colony, the council voted 7-6 in favor of Tessa.”
It really happened. I couldn’t believe it. Tessa’s pleas worked. My god… I’ve never been so happy in my life.
“However, Tessa must abide by certain requirements. Before she leaves, we will instruct her on training she can do to keep her powers in check. She must return to the colony every two months, so we can assess her progress. If we see that Tessa is not taking her studies seriously, then we will revoke her permissions.
“As for Mr. Karrabine, we will not pursue punishment. The council recognizes that he was put in a difficult position. Any further violation of our community rules, however, will be met with strict punishment.<
br />
“Raul, your actions were done in good faith, but they undermined the very core of our colony. The next time you wish to come, you must be accompanied by Tessa. No exceptions.
“Luna, your actions were deplorable. However, they showed a healthy amount of initiative that the council commends. As such, we will hold off on punishing you for now.
“Lastly… you.”
Minerva furrowed her brow. Her eyes were like guns, zeroed in on Uncle Joe.
“I’m not going to like this, aren’t I?” he said.
“Your behavior today put the colony itself at risk. I’m afraid that the council voted 12-1 in favor of rescinding your rights to enter the colony.”
“Can I come and go with another witch?” he said.
“You cannot,” said Minerva. For the first time, her voice wavered. “You are banned from entering this witch colony. Period.”
Uncle Joe clicked his teeth. I had no idea what other relationship he had with the colony, but the ruling was hard on him. Considering all the secrets he had kept until tonight, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had more family here.
“Now that everything has been settled, we will be sending you back where you belong. It has been a long night, and we all need our rest.”
A green hue surrounded Minerva. Just as she was about to cast, Luna shot up from her seat.
“E-Excuse me, Head Councilwoman!”
“Speak,” said Minerva.
“After hearing Tessa, I can’t help but feel that my witch training would be enhanced if I stayed in the outside world.”
“Does your host agree?”
Minerva looked at me. Her eyes had a softer look to them, but I think that was a side-effect of her tiredness more than anything.
To have Luna living with us inside the studio apartment would be ridiculous. Not only is she my cousin (half-cousin?), but there’s simply not enough room for the three of us. I certainly can’t afford to pay for a second apartment.
“Me? I, uh, sure,” I said. “There’s just one thing. Would it be possible for them to receive a stipend? With my current income, I can’t afford to pay for their housing, even if they get jobs at the Twisted Cauldron.”
“Very well,” she said. “We will provide both women with a stipend from our coffers.”
Was it gold? Or maybe they knew a spell that could print US dollar bills.
“If that is all, please leave me alone,” said Minerva. She snapped her fingers. My vision was overtaken with a green hue. I swirled in and out of consciousness. When I came to, I was in the middle of the forest.
“We’re back?” I said. Uncle Joe helped me up.
“With an hour to spare. Good job, kid.”
“Where’s Tessa and Luna?”
“They were probably sent back to their rooms to get their stuff ready,” he said.
“So we wait here?” I said. The tree with a circle carved out of the trunk was a foot away.
“Yup.”
“I’m sorry about everything that happened,” I said.
“What are you apologizing for? You got Tessa back and you even managed to get Luna to come on board. I’d say the Twisted Cauldron is going to be a very lively place.”
“I’m happy for that,” I said. “But I’m referring to you. You lost access to the colony.”
“It was bound to happen eventually,” he said. “I’m not too good with rules.”
“Was the colony important to you, uncle?”
“Kid, it was the most important place in the world for me. That’s why I moved here. It’s thanks to you that I was able to leave the coffee shop behind and come here. Thank you, kid. It wasn’t for long, but I was able to spend time here because of that.”
Epilogue
“I still don’t get it,” said Luna. She had been asking questions constantly during our 10-hour drive down south. I was in the front passenger seat and managed to tune her out occasionally, but Tessa wasn’t so lucky. She had to contend with being only a few inches apart from Luna, forced to listen to the nonstop barrage.
“Coffee has caffeine,” said Tessa.
“But so does tea,” said Luna. “What’s the difference?”
“Coffee comes from beans, I guess,” said Tessa. “You’re getting annoying, Luna!”
“Excuse me for asking so many questions! I would think it prudent to understand as much as I can about coffee before I start working at a café.”
“We’re here,” said a raspy-voiced Joe. He dropped us off in front of the Twisted Cauldron.
“Do you want to stay with us?” I said. “I could use your guidance.”
“No thanks, kid. I think I’ll go back and figure some stuff out. I’ll be sure to keep in touch some more.”
With that, he was off.
I turned to stare at the Twisted Cauldron. It was a quaint coffee shop, with purple trimmings surrounding the door. Through the window I could see a dozen customers, each enjoying their own cup of coffee.
I helped Tessa and Luna roll their suitcases inside. Elise heard the bell and acted out of instinct.
“Hello, and welcome to—oh my god, you’re back!”
Elise ran up to give Tessa and myself a hug, her curly hair disheveled.
“Things have been crazy these last two days,” she said. “Who’s this?”
“Hello, I’m Luna,” she said. “I’m another wit—”
Tessa and I moved to cover the tall girl’s mouth. She swatted them away and cleared her throat.
“I’m, uh, Raul’s cousin. I’ll be working here from now on.”
“Good,” said Elise. “Nice to meet you. Well then, I’ll see you all in a few days!”
Elise threw the apron to me and rushed out the door with a bounce to her step.
“Seems like we’ll need to start working now,” said Tessa.
“Do we not get to put our stuff away first?” said Luna.
“Seems like today’s too busy. Don’t worry, we’ll teach you as we go,” I said. I sent Luna to the storage closet to retrieve an apron for herself. I tried to follow her, but Tessa held onto my hand.
“Something wrong?” I said.
She looked at me and shook her head.
“No,” she said. The witch planted a kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes to embrace it. It was short, but so, so sweet.
“Things are about to get hectic,” I said.
“With you by my side, I can handle anything.”
Author Notes
A Witch’s Guide to a Good Brew has been on my mind for some time. I don’t remember how the idea of a witch coming to work at a coffeeshop came from, but I’m certain it started after I read a book on espresso in summer 2017. Coffee drinking has been a big part of my life for quite some time, and I wanted to capture some of its mysticism.
A Witch’s Guide is my second published book but, unlike my first book Flame Over Empire, it was written with the intention of publishing on Amazon from the start. I had a lot of crazy ideas in mind, but ultimately, I felt that telling a more focused story was best. Writing this story was an adventure, and I hope you readers enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I set up a website (http://www.joserc.com/) where I plan on posting updates on the writing process and anything else that comes to mind.
I’ve grown fond of the Twisted Cauldron and look forward to exploring the world and its characters again soon. Look forward to a follow-up to A Witch’s Guide to a Good Brew soon!
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