A Witchin' Winter's Night

by Isabel Micheals

“For the record, I think we should do it. CeCe’s right. Scroogey needs to be put in her place once and for all. More importantly, we’re just the witches to do it. I’ll be the Ghost of Christmas Past,” Camille replied, as she looked around for more gingerbread cookies.

  Knowing that she would probably regret this tomorrow, Symone gave in and said, “I’ll be the Ghost of Christmas Present.”

  “Excellent! Then that means I’m the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,” Cecelia exclaimed with delight.

  “Don’t you think you’re a little too excited about being a large, faceless wraith that people often refer to as a phantom?” Camille asked.

  “Not really. The three Ghosts all represent choices in life. Obviously, Scroogey has made some bad choices over the years that have created the bitter individual she’s become, but my ghost will have the opportunity to show her what her future will look like if she doesn’t make the right choice. Should she choose to ignore me, then I’ll just scare the crap out of her until she eventually comes around because they always do. In every version of “A Christmas Carol” I’ve ever watched, the miser not only recognizes the error of his or her ways, but also becomes a nicer, kinder person full of Christmas cheer, which is exactly what a Christmas Witch should possess.”

  “You really are evil,” Symone laughed, as she stuffed another brownie in her mouth. “Now, let’s watch “A Christmas Carol”. I sense we’re going to need the inspiration in the future.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Cecelia replied, as they settled in to watch Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol”.

  The rest of the night involved good friends eating, laughing, and enjoying the true Spirit of Christmas.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Christmas Eve – One Year Later

  It had been the longest year of Cecelia’s life without her friends. Valentine’s Day was usually a holiday they celebrated as being young, single, and free. Free of complications that often came with men. Free to do whatever they pleased. Free to make their own choices in life and to be their own heroes. Yeah, it was all crap. Yet, it didn’t seem as bad when Camille and Symone were with her joining in the jokes and laughter. But this year, there was no fun or laughter. There was only loneliness laced with a tinge of sadness. Without all of the distractions, it had become abundantly clear that she had chosen to isolate herself from the rest of the world, especially Dillen.

  Although she had promised the girls that she would try harder in the love department, she had failed miserably. The idea of going out on a limb and approaching Dillen without the backup of her girlfriends was daunting. She needed their support, encouragement, and shoulder to cry on when things went South, because in her world, they always went South whether she wanted them to or not. Her life as a necromancer was hard enough. She had no desire to add rejection from her one true love to the mix. Was Dillen her one true love? Although the verdict was still out in her book, Symone and Camille seemed to think so and had no problem reminding her of it—over and over again.

  While she had caught glimpses of him around town when she’d been out and about, she couldn’t make herself approach the man. He just looked so darn good and she didn’t want to ruin the moment because of her inability to use her words. For some reason, she was always tongue tied around him. Not to mention, his scent was completely and utterly intoxicating and made her want to climb him like a tree. Everything about Dillen was manly and she would have enjoyed exploring him over and over, night after night, but that wasn’t in the cards—at least for them. Yet, she had managed to survive Valentine’s Day by the skin of her chinny-chin-chin.

  St. Paddy’s Day and the Fourth of July weren’t any better. However, the hardest holiday had been All Hallows Eve. Although the day had started out well with her reviving the fiancé of a young woman who was obviously head-over-heels in love, the end of the day had been a nightmare—literally. First, there was the strange woman who showed up on her doorstep with the head of her Sire. She was hungry and needed his guidance in creating a harem of bloodsucking vampires, so she did the only thing she could—brought them together in Never-Never Land. Then, there was the gentleman who pleaded with her to bring back his wife and mistress because Little Willy was lonely. Who in the Hades names their penis, Little Willy? Seriously? The sad part is that those were the highlights of All Hallows Eve because things only got worse.

  Thank the Goddess it was finally Christmas Eve! Not only would she reunite with old friends, but she’d also rejoiced in some friendly faces. Torn between anxiety and excitement, she had been baking for months to make up for all they had missed over the last year. She had the DVD cued up. The house smelled like homemade Christmas cookies. The Christmas tree smelled of fresh pine cones and was ready to be trimmed. Yes, they still had to complete Scroogey’s stupid challenge without using their magic. But seriously, how hard could it be shopping like humans on Christmas Eve?

  In fact, she had been intently studying Christmas shows and had picked up a few tips from the humans. She had grabbed several sales papers that promoted the different deals happening in each store. She had even come up with a schedule and a plan of how they would overcome Scroogey’s ridiculous challenge with flying colors. From browsing through the sales ads, she had decided the best place to start was at a Megastore called Wally World. It seemed like anyone and everyone would be there, which meant the store would probably be bursting at the seams with Christmas cheer. Something, she was in dire need of at the moment.

  The minute her doorbell rang, she knew it was her best gal pals. Elated that the time had finally come, she rushed to the door and swung it open like a mad woman. “I can’t believe you are finally here.” Unfortunately, her smile quickly faded when she realized that it was Scroogey. “Oh, it’s you.”

  “Of course! Who did you think it was?” Scroogey asked, ignoring the defeated look on Cecelia’s face that secretly brought her a little joy. She was slowly, but surely breaking the witch of her ridiculous Christmas cheer.

  Sighing deeply, Cecelia shook her head to clear the cobwebs and said, “Never mind. What do you want?”

  “I’m here to remind you of your obligation. Where are your little, annoying friends? Are they bailing on you? I certainly hope not because it would violate the deal and you would all go to jail for your past crimes.”

  “No one’s bailing on anyone, Scroogey. Sorry to ruin your fun! Now, let’s get this show on the road. Goddess’ knows, we don’t have all night,” Camille said from behind them.

  Cecelia grinned from ear to ear. She had never been so glad to hear Cami’s booming voice, or see Symone’s beautiful mocha smile. “You’re finally here,” she yelled, almost knocking Scroogey over, as she rushed to hug them.

  “Yes, we are girlfriend. We’d never let you endure the Wicked Witch of the West alone. Besides, she’s going to get what’s coming to her sooner rather than later,” Symone said with a wink and a knowing smile. She had been practicing all year to be the Ghost of Christmas Present and couldn’t wait to scare the living daylights out of Scroogey.

  “Are those gingerbread cookies I’m smelling?” Camille asked, already heading toward the kitchen.

  Laughing at her best friend’s antics, Cecelia shook her head and said, “Some things never change. Thank the Goddess!”

  “Laugh and ignore me while you can. But I assure you, I’ll have the last laugh when I’m locking you behind bars for the next the next five-to-ten years,” Scroogey interjected, before disappearing from the room.

  “What Christmas bug crawled up her butt? I swear, the woman has had it out for us since day one and our only crime was trying to befriend her. If I wasn’t sure before, I am now. Operation Bring Scroogey to Her Knees is on. Watch out Dickens because we’re about to put a new twist on an old Christmas Carol,” Symone said with conviction.

  Returning from the kitchen with a platter of assorted Christmas cookies in one hand and a large mug of hot chocolate, Camille surveyed the living room and realized
their archenemy had left. Shrugging her shoulders as if it was no big deal, she asked, “What’d I miss?”

  “Nothing really. Just Scroogey having a temper tantrum,” Cecelia replied. “Anyways, let’s not dwell on her. We have bigger fish to fry tonight.”

  “That’s so true. But before we start, let me grab some goodies,” Symone said, as she rushed into the kitchen, only to return a few minutes later with the platter of double, chocolate-chip brownies and her own mug of hot chocolate.

  Cecelia was so happy to be with her friends again, she simply watched in amazement as they devoured the treats she had made for them. Goddess, she had missed this. The camaraderie. The friendship. The love. The joy blossoming in her heart from being with family because they were her family. She couldn’t have been happier at the moment. Christmas truly was the most wonderful time of the year.

  “Now that you’re both settled, I want to know everything. Tell me what all I’ve missed this past year,” Cecelia demanded.

  “I went out on a couple of dates this year. But honestly, my heart just wasn’t in it,” Camille confessed. “Finally, I just gave up because it didn’t feel right. Know what I mean?”

  “Yep,” Symone quickly replied. “I tried too, but nothing. Every single time a date went South on me, I had to stop myself from popping over or picking up the phone to tell you about it. I really missed you guys. Being without you a whole year was really rough, and just for the record, let’s never do it again. We need to squash Scroogey like a bug and move on with our previously recorded lives.”

  “I agree on both accounts. My year was full of misery and loneliness. I couldn’t even muster up enough courage to open my mouth and insert my foot where Dillen was concerned. The man makes me nervous and not necessarily in a good way,” Cecelia confessed.

  “Wait! I thought you liked Dillen,” Symone said.

  “I do like him. I just don’t like turning into a bumbling idiot when I’m around him. My face turns a bright pink and I become all flushed. No words escape my mouth because my tongue is holding them hostage. He probably thinks I’m a mute.”

  “He does not think you’re a mute or a freak,” Camille said in a soothing voice.

  “I never said he thought I was a freak,” Cecelia quickly countered. “Do you think I’m a freak because I’m unable to talk when I’m around him?”

  “No, sweetheart. Of course not,” Symone replied, glaring at Camille, who was totally ignoring her.

  “Yeah, what she said,” Camille agreed, as she took another bite of her sugar cookie.

  “It’s obvious that this year has been depressing for all of us, so let’s talk about tonight. CeCe, I know you have a plan. Lay it on us,” Symone encouraged.

  “I’ve really missed you guys. I thought after our refreshments, we could go through the sales papers. I’ve been researching how the humans shop at Christmas time and discovered that they save a lot of money by purchasing their items when they are on sale. In addition, there are several stores they like to visit frequently during Christmas Eve.”

  “Do you have the names of the stores?” Symone asked.

  “Not only do I have the names of the stores, but I also have their sales papers. I thought we could look through them, decide what we want or need, and then come up with a plan to divide and conquer. I think the first place we should try out is this Megastore called Wally World.”

  “There’s really a place called Wally World?” Camille asked in fascination.

  “Sort of. It’s the nickname humans’ use, but it’s grown on me. I could use a new television and they will have several of them for sale around six o’clock tonight.”

  “Ooh! I wouldn’t mind a new television myself. I’ve become addicted to Jerry Springer and football,” Symone admitted.

  “Really? I never would have imagined you enjoying the violent shows,” Camille replied.

  “What do you mean by violent shows?”

  “Well, football involves a lot of tackling and so does the Jerry Springer show. Someone’s always sleeping with someone else’s husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or cousin. You name it and they’ve done it, which usually ends up with someone fighting on stage when the truth comes out.”

  “She’s got a point there, Symone,” Cecelia agreed.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s probably because of all the pent up anger I’ve been harboring over the last year. I mean, let’s face it. Scroogey has really done a number on us. It took everything I had not to rip out her hair earlier,” Symone admitted with a heavy sigh.

  “Me too! She really knows how to put the Grinch in Christmas,” Cecelia solemnly replied.

  “Enough,” Camille demanded. “We will not spend tonight wallowing in self-pity. If we do, she continues to win and I will not allow that to happen. We’re going to peruse these sales papers and then drive to this Wally World place because momma needs a new pair of shoes—or maybe ten if the mood strikes. Once we’ve beat Scroogey at her own game, we’re coming back here to trim the tree and celebrate. At the stroke of midnight, Operation Bring Scroogey to Her Knees will commence. We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

  “Damn, girl. Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Symone teased.

  “Damn straight!”

  It took a couple of hours for them to peruse all of the sales papers Cecelia had collected, but it was well worth it. Symone had decided that she needed not one, but two eighty-eight inch televisions, as well as a new Blu-ray player. Camille wanted new shoes, handbags, cosmetics, and several hats for the upcoming year. She also needed a new outfit for New Year’s Eve, even though she didn’t have a date. Yet. Cecelia had decided on a television, a Keurig, a Kitchen Aid mixer, a pair of designer shoes, and of course, a new hat. The best part about their list was that most of these items could be purchased at the Wally World.

  “Now that we have our list, let’s divide and conquer,” Cecelia ordered in a commanding voice that lit a fire under everyone. Not only would they beat Scroogey at her own game, but in the end, they’d make her pay—and pay dearly.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The drive to Wally World had taken an hour, which had Camille climbing the walls. She had always been impatient, but tonight was different. There was so much electricity in the air that Cecelia knew it was going to be a magical night. The women had decided that if they were going to shop like the humans, they might as well look their best. So, each went with the outfit they were wearing last Christmas Eve, the infamous night they had gotten into trouble with Scroogey.

  Symone looked even more gorgeous in her short, red, sequined dress with faux fur and killer red Gucci leather knee-high boots than she had last Christmas Eve. It was obvious she had done something different with her make-up that simply made her skin glow. How she was going to shop in four-inch stilettos was beyond Cecelia, but who was she to judge? The woman was a true diva when it came to fashion. Camille looked equally gorgeous as the quintessential fifties pin-up girl in her long, black Vera Wang evening gown. The way it hugged her curves, she was guaranteed to turn more than a few men’s heads tonight. There was a radiant glow around both of her friends, which Cecelia attributed to the Holiday Spirit floating in the air. She was decked out in a black Coco Chanel mini dress with white faux fur at the bottom. Her red, Gucci ankle boots had never looked better. To say they were ready to take on the patrons in Wally World was an understatement. Not only were they going to dazzle their new, unsuspecting audience, but they were going to kill it regarding Scroogey’s challenge.

  As they walked into the entrance of Wally World, they looked fierce and on point, which was evident by the looks they received from the other shoppers. Hair blowing in the wind, they could have easily been models on a runway or the Angels in an episode of Charlie’s Angels. The Christmas music playing in the background only increased their level of confidence. In an effort to make Scroogey eat her words, they moved with purpose and a single goal in mind. If one hadn’t known better, some might have said their entran
ce had been choreographed by a movie director or professional dancer.

  “Ladies, let’s do this,” Camille ordered, as she stopped and took in the scene before her. It was chaotic, invigorating, and a bit scary if she were being honest. Quickly scanning the store, it was obvious that the shoppers of Wally World didn’t play when it came to grabbing their Christmas presents. There were different lines going in multiple directions, not to mention pallets of televisions and other items wrapped in plastic. The workers were doing a choreographed dance that only they knew the routine to, which was amazing in and of itself. It was like a well-oiled machine. But like most machines, one little wrench could cause everything to fall.

  Cecelia wasn’t sure if it was the energy from the crowd egging Cami own or the overload of sugar she had inhaled in the car. Either way, they were ready for battle. On their way to the electronics department, Cecelia couldn’t help but do a double take when she noticed the strange guy dressed in Christmas decorations. He sported a black vest covered in holly, candy canes, beads, and Christmas balls. Under his vest, he had on a red shirt showcasing the Grinch. His jumpsuit looked like someone had vomited Christmas Ornaments all over it. The hat on his head was an abomination and his boots didn’t match, as one was red and one was black. Yet, what puzzled her the most was his name—Jingle Balls. Who in the Hades referred to themselves as Jingle Balls? The young boy talking to him who seemed absolutely fascinated by the older man was even more puzzling.

  She was still trying to wrap her mind around Mr. Jingle Balls when she heard Symone and Camille let out a loud gasp of horror. They had been unexpectedly confronted by a strange looking woman whose hair was not only bigger than the state of Tennessee, but also contained several red and white Christmas ornaments. To say her hair had nothing on Pippi Longstocking’s would be an understatement. Not only did it stick out in huge rolls from side-to-side, but there were Christmas balls attached at each end. The middle section of her hair stood straight up on the top of her head and contained more Christmas Ornaments, or maybe eggs. Ugh! The verdict was still out. She could have been expressing her joy of the season or hatching a nest of birds in her hair. Either way, not only was it gross, but it was also obvious she had used a ton of hairspray to pull off the look. The make-up on her face looked like a chemical peel gone badly, especially the black surrounding her eyes. In some ways, she looked like the Joker’s long, lost wife from the movie Batman. You know, the one with Jack Nicholson as the Joker where he constantly insists that Gotham needs an enema?