A Witch of a Time

by Amanda M. Lee

  I patted his arm. “We’re known to take a few shortcuts from time to time.”

  “What should we expect?” Teddy asked. “Will the ghost … or wisp … try to kill us?”

  “It’s not interested in murder,” I said. “It’s just … lost.”

  “Define lost,” Jack said.

  “Haven’t you ever just felt like you belong somewhere?” Bay asked. “Haven’t you ever had a moment where you knew you were found?”

  Jack shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “Then you haven’t had it,” Bay said. “It can come from an unlikely place.” She glanced at Landon. “The simple act of resting your head on someone’s shoulder can make you feel it.”

  “Or running your fingers through someone’s hair,” Thistle said.

  “Or when someone smiles at you,” I said, glancing at Sam and basking in the grin he sent my way. “It just happens.”

  “And Marian needs to be found?” Dad asked.

  “She needs to be restored,” I corrected. “She’s fragmented.”

  “So, what happens when you call her?” Teddy asked.

  “Hopefully, she’ll be able to communicate with either Bay or Aunt Tillie,” I said. “The circle should bolster her power and make the wisp strong enough to give voice to its thoughts. Thistle and I can usually hear a ghost once Bay registers its presence. Sometimes we can even see them, although it’s rare.”

  “And if it doesn’t communicate?”

  “Then we’ll have to figure something else out,” I said.

  “If this doesn’t work, I’m done,” Aunt Tillie said. “I already missed Jimmy Fallon last night. I’m not missing The Walking Dead tonight.”

  I scowled. “Thank you for the encouragement.”

  Aunt Tillie was nonplussed. “Let’s get this show on the road.” She extended her hands, Bay and Thistle joining with her – and then me – and focused on the center of the circle. “We call upon the powers of the West. Let us help this spirit on her quest.”

  “We call upon the powers of the North,” Thistle intoned. “Let us help this spirit go forth.”

  “We call upon the powers of the East,” I said, ignoring the wind as it picked up. “Let us release the overpowering beast.”

  Bay pressed her eyes shut. “We call upon the powers of the South,” she said. “Give form. Give solace. Give words to her mouth.”

  I arched an eyebrow in Bay’s direction.

  “What? I didn’t have time to come up with a good rhyme,” Bay complained. “It’s harder than it sounds.”

  “You did fine, baby,” Landon said, scanning the area as the leaves started to rustle. “Just concentrate. I’ve got your back.”

  “We all do,” Jack said, moving to the spot next to Landon so they could protect Bay’s vulnerable figure together. “We’re right here.”

  It was almost summer, but the leaves on the ground from the previous fall were still present. They started to cycle, taking form in the middle of our circle. They whipped – and whipped – and whipped. The cyclone before us had enough power to toss our hair, but not weaken our resolve.

  Bay spoke first. “Marian?”

  I detected a hitch in the cyclone. It didn’t last, but it was there. “You made contact.”

  Bay nodded. “Marian, we’re not here to hurt you. We want to help. Please, let us help. Talk to us.”

  The cyclone continued spinning.

  “We want to know how you died,” Thistle said. “We want to put you to rest.”

  No change.

  “Hey, some of us have television to watch tonight,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re starting to bore me. Daryl needs me.”

  We all shot her angry looks.

  “What? It’s a big deal,” Aunt Tillie said. “If Daryl dies, I’m going to start a riot.”

  I bit my tongue. She was helping with the spell, but her heart wasn’t really in it. I decided to take a different tactic. “Do you want to know about your children, Marian?”

  The cyclone decreased its pace.

  “They grew up, you know?” I said, looking to Landon for help. “They were happy. They got married. They had children of their own.”

  Landon stepped forward, unsure. He could see the cyclone, but he obviously had no idea if he was helping. “Ava married a soldier,” he said. “He was career military, and he retired last year. They live in Georgia. They had two children. A boy and a girl. Their names are Marian and Scott.”

  I nodded encouragingly.

  “Raymond married a nurse,” Landon continued. “They live in Florida. They had three children. Two girls and a boy. Dylan is going to college soon. Alice and Madison are both in high school. They’re happy.”

  The cyclone stilled some more, and then it spoke. “What about Will?”

  I looked to Landon.

  “Will is gone,” Landon said, uncertain. “He was convicted of your murder, and he spent thirty years in prison before he died of cancer.”

  The cyclone started howling.

  Bay furrowed her brow, considering. “Did Will kill you?”

  The cyclone wailed.

  “We can’t understand you,” Bay said, her voice even. “If you want us to understand, you have to take form. We can help. I promise. Just … please … take form.”

  The leaves exploded, causing everyone to duck for cover. We never let go of each other’s hands, and when the dust settled, there was an ethereal form where the cyclone used to be. She was blonde, at least I think she was blonde. The green tint to the mist made it hard to tell, but that was my best guess. Her bone structure was angular and defined, but her face was tortured. Her mouth worked, but no sound would come out.

  We waited.

  We finally heard noise. It was low, but it was clear. “It wasn’t Will.”

  Landon moved closer to Bay. He didn’t touch her, but he was interested. “What happened?”

  “We were on vacation,” Marian said.

  “Witnesses said you had a nice dinner,” Landon said. “They said you and Will seemed happy. They said there were no signs of unrest.”

  “We were happy,” Marian said. “We were … content. We had forever in front of us, and happiness around us.”

  “What do you remember?” I asked.

  “I had to go to the bathroom,” Marian said. “Will was asleep. The bedrooms didn’t have individual bathrooms then. That’s different now. They were at the end of the hall. When I left the room, Will was asleep.”

  “Where were the children?” Landon asked, his hand resting against Bay’s hip.

  “They were in the adjacent room,” Marian said. “They looked like angels in the moonlight. They were happy. There was a fair in town that day. They had a good time. I checked on them. They were just so … beautiful.”

  We all waited.

  “That was the last time I ever saw them,” Marian said. “My last memory of them is … wonderful.”

  Landon, ever the investigator, had to press. “What do you remember next?”

  “I went down to the bathroom,” Marian said. “Nothing strange happened there. I was on my way back to the room when I heard a noise. People were arguing downstairs. I shouldn’t have gone. I know that now. I should have climbed back into bed with Will and ignored the fight, but it sounded like someone was crying.

  “I went to the top of the stairs,” Marian continued. “I followed the voices. It was Dick and Sue.”

  I wrinkled my forehead, searching my memory.

  “Dick and Sue Warner?” Landon pressed.

  “They were the owners,” Marian said. “They were so nice when we arrived. I know now that it was an act.”

  “What were they doing?” Landon asked.

  “They were fighting,” Marian said. “Sue was crying. She said Dick was a … .”

  “Dick?” Aunt Tillie supplied.

  Marian nodded. “They fought for a long time. Sue said he was going to get caught, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She said she wouldn’t risk the i
nn for his … compulsions.”

  “What compulsions?” Landon asked.

  “He gambled.”

  Landon nodded.

  “He was in debt,” Marian said. “The inn was in danger.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I hid at the top of the stairwell,” Marian said. “I didn’t want them to hear me. He hit her. I covered my mouth so he wouldn’t hear me, but I didn’t walk away. I should have walked away.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I soothed. “You couldn’t have known what would happen. You were on vacation.”

  “I made a noise,” Marian said. “Sue ran from her husband. I was going to go back to my room, but it was like I was frozen. He found me on the top of the stairs. He followed the noise.”

  “He strangled you, didn’t he?” Landon asked, trying to ease her story burden.

  Marian nodded. “It didn’t take long. I remember … I remember trying to scream, but no noise would come out. My last thought was of Will. I wondered what he would think when he woke up and I wasn’t there.”

  “Did Dick kill you in the inn?” Landon asked.

  Marian nodded.

  “Do you remember anything about this place?”

  Marian shook her head. “Should I?”

  “This was where your body was found,” Landon said.

  “And Will was convicted of my murder,” Marian finished.

  “What happened to Will wasn’t fair,” Landon said. “I can’t make excuses. He’s gone. He’s moved on.”

  “You need to move on, too,” Bay said.

  “I can’t,” Marian said. “I need … justice.”

  ‘There’s no justice left to get,” Landon said. “Dick and Sue died twenty years ago. They’re not here.”

  “He got away with it,” Marian said, her face pinched with concentration. “He murdered me, and he got away with it.”

  “He didn’t get away with it,” I interjected. “He may have, at the time, but karma caught up with him. It always does. If you do good in this world, it will come back to you. He died a hard death. He had cancer, too. He fought because he was desperate to survive, but all his efforts were in vain. Karma came for him.”

  Marian focused on me. “Then why am I still here?”

  “Only part of you is,” I said. “The other part of you has moved on. The other part of you is … .”

  “With Will,” Bay finished. “He’s waiting for you.”

  Marian looked hopeful. “Do you think he’s really waiting for me?”

  “I know he is,” I said. “He loved you. He would never have hurt you. He’s waiting for you.”

  Marian was conflicted. “Do you promise?”

  I was unsure how to answer, so I went with my gut instinct. “When you love someone, they’re always waiting for you. Love transcends everything – even death.”

  “I’m tired of being here,” Marian admitted. “I’m tired of … hating.”

  “So, don’t hate,” I said. “There’s no one left here to hate. They’ve already been dealt with. You can’t go back in time. It’s impossible.”

  “You can go forward, though,” Bay said. “There’s nothing left for you here. Go to Will. Wait for your children. Find … peace.”

  “How do I leave?”

  Bay shrugged. “I don’t know. You just have to … .”

  “Let go,” I finished.

  Marian smiled. “Do you really think it will be better … over there?”

  “I think he’s just over that ridge,” I said, pointing. “Find him. Love him. Revel in a reunion that’s been decades in the making. Find happiness.”

  Marian nodded. “Thank you.”

  On either side of me, Thistle and Bay clasped my hands tightly.

  “We call upon the power of the four winds,” I said. “Go with honor. Go with peace. Go with the knowledge that we will never forget you, and your story will never be forgotten.”

  The leaves started churning again.

  “Clove?” Sam was worried, and he was behind me, his hand on my back.

  “She’s leaving,” I said.

  “Are you sure?”

  The leaves exploded, knocking everyone to the ground with the force of abandoned vengeance – and longing. “I’m sure.”

  “Holy crap,” Dad said, laughing. “That was … amazing.”

  It wasn’t the best of all worlds, but it was the best of Marian’s world. Life moves on. Ghosts find peace. And witches?

  “I’m hungry,” Aunt Tillie announced. “I need some food before The Walking Dead. Come on.” She snapped her fingers. “Someone needs to give me some chocolate cake.”

  Well, witches find their own form of happiness. Hey, chocolate cake does sound good.

  Wicked Brew

  A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short

  Amanda M. Lee

  One

  “Have you seen what’s going on outside?”

  I glanced up, fixing my gaze on my cousin Bay as she shuffled into the front library of The Overlook excitedly. She always manages to find me – even when I’m trying to get some peace and quiet. If I didn’t know better, I would think it was a special ability. Unfortunately, we’re so codependent, she just knows me – and where to look when I’m trying to hide.

  I dropped the book I was reading onto the window seat and peered outside, grinning despite myself when I realized what she was referring to. “What is she doing now?”

  “She’s mad,” Bay said, lifting my legs and shifting them so she could settle next to me on the window seat. “Open the window so we can hear.”

  “Go outside if you want to hear,” I protested. Sheesh. A person wants five minutes of peace. Try finding it in this house. Why do you think I’m always grumpy? “I’m reading.”

  “No way,” Bay said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “If we listen inside, then we won’t be targets when Aunt Tillie blows. If we go outside, she’ll curse us just because we’re there. Come on, Thistle. Stop being a pain.”

  She had a point. I sighed, but I shoved the window open. I always love it when my mom and aunts go after my great-aunt. I just hate it when they inevitably back down – and they always do.

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” Aunt Tillie said, her hands impatiently gesturing as she faced off with her three nieces. “I am an adult.”

  “We’re not trying to tell you what to do,” Winnie said.

  “You’re trying to tell me what I can’t do,” Aunt Tillie said. “That’s the same thing.”

  “Hey, we don’t care if you want to sell your wine,” Aunt Marnie said. “You just can’t do it at a stand at the edge of the driveway. It’s illegal.”

  “Technically, selling my wine is illegal no matter what,” Aunt Tillie pointed out. “I don’t have a license.”

  “Yes, but everyone looks the other way if you do it on the sly,” my mom said, twisting her hands nervously. My mom is terrified of Aunt Tillie. Taking her on makes her nervous. It makes me laugh.

  “They’ll look the other way if I do it here, too, Twila,” Aunt Tillie said. “Who in their right mind would report me? They know I’ll do something terrible to them if they do.”

  “You can’t go around threatening people with curses,” Winnie said. “That’s why people in this town are so suspicious of us.”

  “People in this town are suspicious of us because they’re cowards,” Aunt Tillie said. “They fear what they don’t understand. It’s not my fault I’m the only genius in a town full of idiots.”

  “So, wait, now you’re a genius?” Marnie was incensed. “It doesn’t take a genius to know that you can’t sell wine at the side of the road.”

  “Don’t ever tell me what I can’t do,” Aunt Tillie said. “I am still the boss of this family.”

  “No one is the boss of a family,” Winnie countered. “And, technically, we own this land. We – the three of us – not you. Our mother – your sister – left it to us. You can’t set up a wine stand on our prope
rty. I’m sorry. It’s just not going to happen.”

  Aunt Tillie narrowed her eyes. “Do you really want to take me on over this?”

  “We’re not taking you on,” Marnie said, stepping up so she was shoulder to shoulder with Winnie. I couldn’t help but notice that my mom was cowering a few feet behind them. “We’re just telling you how things are going to go. For once, you’re going to listen.”

  “Well, we’ll just see about that, won’t we?”

  WE found our mothers in the kitchen a few minutes later. They were talking in hushed tones, and all three of them looked worried. When they caught sight of Bay and me, they plastered identical fake smiles on their faces.

  “Hello, girls,” Mom said. “This is a nice surprise. Are you here for dinner?”

  “It’s barely noon,” Bay said, snatching a cookie off the cooling rack in front of Marnie.

  “Oh, are you here for lunch then?” Winnie asked. “It should be on the table in a half hour or so.”

  Bay and I exchanged humorous looks.

  “Where’s Aunt Tillie at?” I asked, utilizing my best “innocent” voice in an attempt to irk them.

  “How should we know?” Mom replied. “You know very well, Thistle, that we are not your great-aunt’s keepers.”

  “She’s probably down at her greenhouse,” Marnie said. “The construction is just about finished. She’s been excited to pick out items to plant.”

  “And it won’t be pot, right?” Bay asked. Her boyfriend Landon was an FBI agent, and he was well aware of Aunt Tillie’s “special” field. He didn’t believe her glaucoma claims, but he chose to look the other way – mostly because Aunt Tillie’s magical wards kept him from being able to find the field. I don’t think he’d ever turn her in, but I can see him accidentally burning it down if he gets the chance.

  “We’ve warned her about illegal crops,” Winnie said. “She promises that the only thing of interest she’ll be growing in the greenhouse is basil.”

  “Why is basil of interest?” I asked, slipping my hand beneath Bay’s so I could grab the cookie she was aiming to steal. She shot me a look as I stuck the cookie into my mouth. She’s easy to rile, and I enjoy doing it.

  Marnie made a face. “It’s a joke,” she said. “That was supposed to be your name, after all.”