Shadow Child

by Wendy Wang

  Charlie entered the room and dust tickled her nose. This was a guestroom that Jen used mainly for crafts and sewing. No one slept here very often. Charlie finished and moved on to see how Ben was getting on.

  She peeked into Jack's room. The sigils had been drawn on the windows but there was no sign of Ben.

  "Ben?" She called.

  "Up here," he answered, but his voice sounded faint and distant. She followed it to the door leading to the attic.

  "Ben?" she said again.

  "Yeah," he said. She headed up the steep steps and found him writing the sigils in one of the gable windows. "Can't hurt to cover all the bases," he said.

  "Do you need help?" she asked.

  "No, this is the last one," he said. "And this is a good place to activate them. No onlookers and no negative energy."

  "Who do you think is negative?" Charlie asked.

  "No offense, but your uncle's energy can be negative," he said.

  Charlie shrugged. "He's a doctor. But he does believe. Because he’s seen. I don't think he's particularly negative."

  "Oh," Ben said. "I always pick up a negative vibe from him."

  "You are sleeping with his daughter," Charlie said. "So cut him some slack."

  Ben chuckled. "True. I hadn't thought of it that way."

  "You will, if you ever have a kid," Charlie said.

  "Noted," Ben said. He put his messenger bag on a nearby stool and began to rifle through it. "We need to set up a circle."

  "Sure," Charlie said and scanned the floor of the attic. She moved some of the stray furniture that had made its way up here closer to the box-lined shelves beneath the eaves. "There's not enough space in here for a standard circle."

  "That's okay," he said. He walked around the cleared space and placed four small black candles at the four cardinal points of North, South, East and West. "It doesn't have to be. It just has to be big enough to hold you and me."

  Ben pulled a silver lighter from his front pocket, flipped open the top and flicked his thumb across the flint wheel. Then he touched the flame to each candlewick. He faced Charlie and held out his right hand. "You ready to do this?"

  "As I'll ever be." Charlie took his hand and stepped close to him in the center of the circle. "So no altar?"

  "We’re the altar.” He cocked his head back and forth. “Sort of. Don't worry I've done this many times."

  "Good." She was struck by the softness of his hands. Tom had soft hands, too.

  Ben looked into her eyes. A soft, reassuring smile played on his lips. "Follow my lead. Join in when you feel comfortable with the invocation."

  "Got it," Charlie said.

  Ben took a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes. Charlie watched him intently, listening as he began the incantation.

  "From the north to the south, to the east and to the west, I beseech you blessed mother for protection from all spirits great and small who wish to enter this place. All the elements, fire, water, air, and earth, I beseech you to draw boundaries around this home where only the living can enter. Reveal those hidden from our eyes. Let the dead remain among the dead and the living remain among the living."

  "Reveal those hidden from our eyes. Let the dead remain among the dead and the living remain among the living," Ben repeated. He opened his eyes and gave Charlie a little nod.

  "Let the dead remain among the dead, and the living remain among the living," Charlie said joining in as he repeated the phrase again.

  "From the north to the south to the east and west," Ben said.

  "I beseech you blessed mother for protection," Charlie said.

  "From all spirits great and small who wish to enter this place," Ben said.

  The air around them crackled and Charlie's gaze slid to the windows. The sigils drawn on the glass glowed fiery yellow. Charlie's heart thudded against her rib cage. It was working.

  "We call on the elements — fire, water, air, earth," Charlie said.

  "Draw boundaries around this home were only the living may enter," Ben said.

  "Let the dead remain among the dead," they said together.

  The light of the sigils had changed, going from red to yellow to white as if they were etching the symbols into the glass. It excited her and frightened her at the same time to be part of this sort of magic.

  "And the living remain among the living."

  "As above so below," Ben said.

  "So mote it be," they said in unison.

  The air smelled like electrical ions floating around them, still crackling a little. The sigils had disappeared just as Ben said they would.

  "It worked," Charlie said, incredulous.

  "Did you really doubt me?" Ben said.

  "No, I guess I didn't," Charlie said. "This is just a little different than what we normally practice. More intense. More magic, I guess."

  "It all flows from the same place, Charlie," Ben said. "You want to go to your house and do this now?"

  "Maybe," Charlie said.

  "Did something change your mind?" Ben asked.

  "Well, if we do this, from the sounds of it, it means that Penny won't be around anymore," she said.

  "Who’s Penny?" he asked.

  "She's a dead chicken that haunts my house," Charlie said.

  "You say that like it's a good thing," Ben said.

  Charlie chuckled. "She’s grown on me.”

  “You may want to think about how much she’s grown on you before you do this,” Ben said. “Once we do it, she’s out for good.”

  “There’s no way to reverse the spell?” Charlie asked.

  “Not easily. It would take some pretty powerful magic,” Ben said.

  “Great,” Charlie said. “Lemme think about it.”

  “No problem,” Ben said.

  “Charlie!” Jen’s voice echoed up the staircase. “Ben!”

  They exchanged a concerned look. “Go on,” Ben said. “I’ll clean up and be down in a minute.”

  Charlie headed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about and found Jen standing in the middle of the living room floor, holding Ruby and her Uncle Jack gawking at the couch.

  “What the hell was that?” Jack said.

  “What happened?” Charlie tried to assess her cousin and uncle’s thunderstruck expressions.

  “Tom – “ Jen hugged Ruby closer.

  Charlie glanced around the room. “Where is Tom?”

  “He just…” Jen stared into Charlie’s face. “He transformed and then just disappeared.”

  “What the hell did I just see?” Jack asked.

  “Oh … fudgsicles,” Jen muttered. Ben’s heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.

  “Seriously, somebody tell me what the hell just happened,” Jack said. “Jennifer Elizabeth?”

  “I don’t know, Daddy,” Jen said. “I’m just as flabbergasted as you are.”

  “What?” Ben said.

  “Our spell is evidently working,” Charlie said.

  “What do you mean?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jen said. “The air changed and then Tom’s body just sort of morphed into his … um, natural form.”

  “What?” Ben’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

  “Y’all are going to make me lose my mind up in here, if y’all don’t stop talking in code,” Jack snapped.

  “Sorry, Uncle Jack,” Charlie said. “Maybe you should fix yourself a drink and then have a seat.”

  “Why?” Jack said.

  “Because you’re gonna need it, once I start explaining things.” Charlie patted him on the shoulder.

  "So the Grim Reaper is real?" Jack said. He looked like he'd been slapped. He sat back in his leather recliner and emptied his glass of bourbon in a few, deep gulps. "Is there anything else? I know about ghosts and witches and now this. The Grim Reaper is real and my niece is dating him? Why don't y'all just go ahead and finish me off now."

  Jen took his glass away and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned
a few minutes later with a nearly full glass of her father's favorite liquor. She took a long sip before handing it over to him.

  "Why do you need a drink?" Jack said.

  "Because Ben's about to answer your question," Jen said.

  "Do you really want to know?" Ben asked. Jack looked Ben in the eyes and something passed between them. Jack shook his head.

  "No, I guess I don't." He knocked back the rest of his drink and slammed the empty glass down on the small end table next to his recliner. "I'm going to bed. It is safe now, right? No more whatevers?"

  "Yes sir," Charlie said. "It is."

  The three of them watched as he disappeared around the corner and headed up the steps. Once he was out of sight, the knots in Charlie's shoulders relaxed a little.

  "I need to figure out what happened to Tom," Charlie said.

  "And you’re sure this thing can't be reversed?" Jen said. "I know this is ridiculous, but I just feel like the worst hostess ever."

  "I don't know. I'm gonna have to figure it out. No one's ever wanted to reverse it before," Ben said.

  "This has just been the worst night that I can remember in forever," Jen said.

  Charlie tried Tom’s cell phone again, but he didn't answer. "Dammit. I wish he would just pick up."

  "Maybe he's at your cottage," Ben said. "I cast him out of the house, not off the property."

  "That's true," Charlie said. "Why didn’t I think of that?"

  "Because this is just the worst night in forever, that's why," Jen said.

  "Are you gonna be okay?" Charlie asked.

  "Yeah, I'm going to be fine. She’s not gonna come back right?”

  “No.” Ben moved behind Jen and gently squeezed her shoulders. She leaned into him and her tense body relaxed a little.

  “Did Ruby fall asleep?” Charlie asked.

  Jen nodded. “I put her in my room. Hopefully, all this hasn’t scarred her for life.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Charlie said.

  “You go do what you need to do," Ben said. He wrapped his arms around Jen. “I’ve got this.”

  "Thank you," Charlie said and headed for the back door.

  Tom was waiting on her front stoop. He stood up as she approached, a smile stretched across his handsome face. "Looks like your spell worked."

  "Oh my gosh, are you mad?" she asked practically throwing herself into his arms.

  "No, of course not," he laughed. "There's nothing to be angry about. There's always some sort of price that comes with magic, especially protection spells."

  "Are you banished?" Charlie said. "I mean is that even possible. I mean you're —" she stopped herself before she said the D-word.

  "No I'm not banished. But I am exposed. I don't know what that spell was, but it forced me out of my glamour. And with your uncle sitting there I had to get out of there as fast as I could."

  "So you can't go back? Wearing your glamour?" Charlie pulled out of his arms, a cold, sinking feeling in her gut.

  "I'll ask Daphne how she does it."

  "It may affect her glamour too," Charlie said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You don't really think she dyes her hair a different color every week, do you?" Charlie said.

  "I had not thought about it,” Tom said. “But it makes sense now that you say it.”

  “Jen is terrified that you’re going to think she’s a bad host,” Charlie said.

  “That’s silly,” Tom said. “Not being allowed in this form is a small price to pay for Jen and Ruby’s safety.”

  Charlie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You are so sweet. I can make us dinner on Fridays on weeks I don’t have Evan.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I would never want you to feel like you have to choose between me and your family,” Tom said.

  “I don’t feel that way,” Charlie said.

  “I know, but your relationship with your family is too important. We can always rendezvous after.” He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. Her belly fluttered.

  “I would like that.” Charlie met his eyes and leaned in. Tom met her half way and pressed his lips against hers. She slipped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. When she was sufficiently dizzy with want she pulled out of his arms. “So you want to come inside?”

  “Absolutely,” he said and followed her into the house.

  Edwina sashayed up the stairs to the offices of Ruskin, Powers and Fields, her petticoats rustling. She loved that sound. It made her feel good. Made her feel feminine. Powerful. Men paid attention when she walked into a room, and her father’s law offices were no different.

  Charlie went along for the ride as soon as she recognized the feel of Edwina’s skin in her dream. Her mind focused on the woman’s thoughts, and how much clearer Edwina felt this time.

  “Good morning, Margie.” Edwina stopped at the secretary’s desk and flashed a smile at the older woman with the pinched face and cat-eyed glasses. “Is my daddy here?”

  “Yes, but he’s with a client at the moment Miss Edwina. Would you like to wait?” Margie said.

  “I think I’ll pop in and surprise Porter. See if he’ll take me to lunch. He’s not with a client, is he?” Edwina asked.

  “No, ma’am. He’s not. Do you want me to announce you?”

  “No,” Edwina said. “I’d rather surprise him.”

  The smell of tanned leather and lemon wood polish tickled Edwina's nose. She ran her gloved fingers over one of the tables in the corridor leading to the lawyers’ offices and stopped at the candy dish. She really shouldn't. She had her figure to consider. It had been a bit of a struggle to lose the baby weight. But now she was in tip-top condition again. She pulled her hand away from the opalescent dish and kept moving. Porter's office door was closed. She put her ear to the door and couldn't hear anything. Poor thing. Bless his heart, her daddy had him slaving away. A smile tugged at her lips and she turned the polished brass knob as quietly as possible.

  "Surprise!" Her smile quickly faded to a horrific grimace at the scene in front of her. Porter sat on the leather Chesterfield sofa across from his desk. She had picked it out along with two coordinating wingback chairs in a lovely navy velvet.

  "You don't think it's too heavy?" Porter had asked.

  "Of course not," she had said. "It's stately. Refined. Powerful like the lawyer you're going to be."

  Her stomach roiled at the site of Porter's pants down around his ankles. He pushed his secretary’s head away from his lap, and she fell back onto her rump with a shocked, harrumphing squeak.

  "Porter, what are you doing?" His secretary’s high voice, like a metal fork on fine china, scratched across Edwina's nerves. Porter jumped to his feet and struggled to pull his pants up. He almost lost his balance and Edwina wished that he had fallen right on that handsome face of his. Let the floor break his nose. Wouldn't that be wonderful? It would serve him right for doing this to her.

  "Edwina!" Porter said, zipping and buckling up his pants finally. He stepped over his secretary. "What are you doing here?"

  Edwina didn't answer him with words. As soon as he was close enough, she pulled the glove off her hand and slapped him across the face. Hard enough to leave a dark red mark.

  "You said you would stop," Edwina said. “You lied to me.”

  She cast a condescending eye at the young woman on the floor. "You're fired. Go see Margie about your paycheck right this minute. And don't you ever show your face here again. You hear me, girl?"

  "Porter," the young woman said sounding indignant. “Are you just going to let her talk to me like that?”

  Porter rubbed the spot on his cheek and gazed into his wife's angry face. "Get your things, Gloria, and do as she says."

  Gloria gathered herself off the floor, pushing one shoulder into Edwina as she passed. A moment later they were alone.

  "How could you do this to me again Porter? Do I need to march down the hall to my father's office and let him know about your…" S
he blew a breath through her nose. "Indiscretions. You have humiliated me. When is it going to stop?"

  Porter ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his tie. "It stops now. I'm sorry, honey. It won't happen again."

  He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. A chill wound its way into her chest. And she could not look away from Porter’s unsettling gaze. Why did his words sound so hollow? Why were his eyes so dead? Why was his kiss so cold?

  Charlie awoke from her dream and pressed her hand to her heart to settle the cold pang of sadness.

  "Poor Edwina," she said aloud.

  "Did you dream of her again?" Tom asked. She turned her head to find him propped up against the headboard, reading one of her old paperbacks, using the little book light she’d gotten him, to light the pages. She held her hand up and he took it and pulled it across his lap.

  "I did," Charlie said. "I have no idea what she's trying to tell me. I wish I could say for certain that she's the ghost that Jen saw in Ruby's bedroom.”

  “Maybe she is. Did you glean any new information about her?" Tom asked.

  "Only that her husband was cheating on her. And he was a lawyer in her father's firm. I just have a bad feeling about all of it, but I can’t pin it down exactly."

  "This just gets more interesting every time you dream about her," Tom said.

  "It does," Charlie mused. "Jen was right. It’s like a lifetime movie of the week. Or was, I guess. Bless her heart."

  "Do you still want to research her?" Tom asked.

  "I do," Charlie said. "I have to work until two tomorrow but after that I'm free. Would you like to meet me at the library?"

  "I would love to meet at the library. Now could I interest you in a little late night cuddling?" he asked. He waggled his eyebrows.

  Charlie laughed and sat up. "Is that your way of asking if I'd like to have sex again, Mr. Sharon?"

  "Yes it is," he said wearing a wry grin.

  "Then yes, I would be very interested in a little late night cuddling with you," Charlie said.