by Paula Lester
It was wonderful. It was majestic. It was also agony. She couldn’t make sense of any of it, didn’t know where it was coming from, and behind her eyes, a small, stabbing pain grew into a very large one. Her legs felt like useless blubber attached to a torso filled with water.
Was this what death felt like?
She felt herself falling. She heard the smack as her head hit the floor.
The last thought she had before a sweeping cloak of blackness enveloped everything was—so much for enjoying my fifties and living my way.
Chapter 2
Cascade blinked up at Hottie McHotterson, who stood in the entryway of her home, smiling. It was like he was in a toothpaste commercial—his teeth were so bright that she almost felt like covering her eyes for a second. “I’m single, straight, and available,” he said. The tiniest hint of a dimple appeared on his right cheek.
He held a hand out toward her, but as she reached to take it, he pivoted and began using a hammer to pound at her partially coral-colored walls. Bang, bang, bang!
Where had that hammer come from? Her heart thudded with alarm as she tried to understand what Hottie was doing.
Then her eyes flew open, Hottie was gone, and she stared up at the white, popcorn textured ceiling in her foyer. What in the world?
It took a minute, but Cas realized the hammering was real. Someone banged on her front door. But why had she been dreaming on the floor in the entryway in the first place?
Her mind was foggy. She strained to sit up. The last thing Cas remembered, she’d been painting and having a glass of wine. Geez, she’d only had one sip.
Cas managed to stand and rubbed at her eyes, which felt swollen, like she’d been crying for hours. She took a deep breath, finally feeling the fuzziness at the edges of her consciousness begin to recede.
The package!
She remembered it all now: SunSprite Delivery, the funny man and his pink van, and the strange package he’d given her to open. She looked around the floor for the mysterious stone but couldn’t see it. Instead, pieces of a gorgeous aqua and turquoise vase she’d inherited from her mother and kept on a table in her foyer now covered the tile. Her eyes welled up with tears. She pushed them down. Cas reminded herself that the vase was a thing and not her mom.
She must have tipped it over somehow. Cascade did a quick pat-down. OK, no obvious injuries—that was good. Tomorrow, however, she’d probably be sore from the fall.
Someone still knocked on the door non-stop. Giving the floor one last pass with her eyes, wondering what could have happened to the river stone, she smoothed her hair down, and pulled the door open.
“Happy Blossom Day!” A wall of sparkles filled the air. A high-pitched, screeching horn noise shattered the air. Cas winced and covered her ears. As the glittery confetti hit the ground, Cas saw a woman on her front stoop, blowing into a noisemaker.
Cas blinked several times, wondering if she might have a concussion. Wow, this one looked stranger than the delivery guy. But the woman didn’t disappear or change and now spoke excitedly.
“I’m Juniper Crossings, and I’m here to greet the new witch! Where’s the lucky young person?” Juniper’s curly hair stood out in all directions as though she’d touched a Tesla coil. She appeared cross-eyed, but as Cas studied her more, she realized it was an optical illusion from the ultra-thick-paned glasses she wore. The giant round, red frames clashed with Juniper’s strawberry-blonde hair.
Cascade stared at the woman. Did she say greet the new witch?
Juniper peered back through the thick glasses. Her eyes fixed on Cascade’s open mouth. After another second of no response, she mumbled, “Oh bother, this is going to be one of those houses. Okay, let’s see.”
“Hello!” she said, speaking louder and over-pronouncing every syllable. “I’m Juniper Crossings and I’m,” she pointed at her chest, “here to greet the new witch. WHERE IS THE YOUNG PERSON?”
Cascade took a step back. “I’m not hard of hearing. I’m confused. Young person? Witch? I’m not sure what you mean. I’m the only one who lives here,” she managed to sputter out.
“Only one, you say? Huh. I’m sure I have the right house. Hold on.” Juniper shrugged a giant purple knapsack off her back, set it on the concrete stoop, and rifled through it, murmuring to herself all the while. She started pulling things out of the sack, one by one, and dropping them next to it.
“I followed the witch’s hat, I’m sure of it. Where did I put that iPad? I know I stuffed it back in here when I arrived and fished the whistle out. Hmmm.” The strange woman pulled a jump rope, a cowbell, and half of a peanut butter sandwich out of the knapsack, dropping them on the stoop. A tiny, yellow bird suddenly flew out. It fluttered over Juniper’s shoulder and peered into the sack too.
Despite the weirdness of the situation, Cascade couldn’t help but smile and think for a second about how wonderful it would be to have a pet. Maybe she did have a concussion.
“I can’t imagine how I could have gotten it wrong. Oh, here it is!” Juniper triumphantly held a small iPad up over her head. “Okay, let’s have a look at this together, shall we?”
Cas couldn’t help herself—she stepped out onto the stoop for a better look. The sun had set, and the violet and purple shades of twilight filled the sky. The street was quiet. For half a second, the thought crossed her mind that maybe she was still lying in the foyer, knocked out and dreaming. Cas pushed the thought aside. As strange as it was, she was wide awake, and this was happening. A crazy-looking, absent-minded but so far harmless stranger stood on her stoop, talking about witches and flashing an iPad.
Well, she’d been hoping for a later-in-life adventure, so she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Her mom used to say that all the time, before she died. Cas had never understood it until she was older.
Maybe this woman had the wrong address. She could be one of those entertainers who did themed witch or wizard kid parties.
But what kid’s party would be this late?
Cas studied Juniper’s iPad, which showed a map of her neighborhood at the street level. The wild-haired woman touched the screen and it zoomed in on Cas’ green house with a black witch’s hat hovering over it.
“See?” Juniper sounded pleased with herself. “It’s your house that’s been marked. Someone in it has blossomed, for sure! There are no mistakes in this program; the developers made it with iron-clad magic. You’re positive you don’t have an adolescent in there?” She peered through her glasses at Cascade and stretched to peer into the house. A crease appeared in the middle of Juniper’s forehead as she strained to see inside. She looked back at Cas and raised one eyebrow.
“No. It’s only me,” Cas said. “I’m a divorcee who never had kids.”
“Well, you can’t be the newspring. You’re too old. Uh. . . I mean . . . that is to say . . . witches blossom at puberty, usually. And you’re, well—past puberty.” Juniper trailed off, giving Cas a small, apologetic smile.
“I’m way past puberty,” Cas confirmed with a chuckle, and Juniper looked relieved. “Now, what’s all this about blossoming and newsprings and witches?”
“I’m Juniper . . .”
“Crossings. Yes, I got that. But who are you? Who do you represent? Why are you at my house with an iPad and confetti and a whistle, talking about witches?” Cas always believed in being polite. But a person could only abide so much nonsense before getting rude.
“I work for the Department of Newspring Wellbeing and Services. When a new witch comes into his or her powers, we’re notified, and I go to their house to greet them, offer an official welcome to the magical community, answer any questions they might have, and make sure the family knows about all the current resources available to them. But I’m sure you know all of this.”
Witches, huh? Department of Newspring Services? Cas had to give the woman credit. Her delusion was very thorough.
A burst of adrenaline suddenly shot through Cas, causing her heart to beat faster and a
slight tingling feeling in her whole body. She’d wished for some excitement and here it was, in the form of Juniper Crossings, right on her own front stoop. She could either turn away and go back to her painting or embrace whatever madness this unexpected visitor might be bringing into her life. It didn’t take her long to decide.
She was going back to her painting.
Excitement was one thing. Jumping head first into full-out craziness was another. Cas looked Juniper over. The other woman appeared odd, and at the moment, rooted to her doorstep. It seemed smart to entertain her a bit, keep things pleasant, and send this Juniper person on her way.
“Um, a witch? No. In fact, I don’t really have much of a family,” Cas answered. “So, you must have me confused with someone else. Sorry about that, but now I have to go. Wait—I probably shouldn’t ask this—”
“You may ask me anything. That’s my job.”
“Yeah, thanks for that.” Cas debated the wisdom of asking a silly question but decided to indulge anyway. “Why did you think I should know all of this?”
Juniper started and gestured at Cas from head to toe. “Dear, I can practically smell the power coming off you. You’re a witch, of course. Probably from a long line of them with juice like that. But that doesn’t explain why my newspring locator would be off.” She shook the iPad and slapped it a few times. “It must be going hinky. Now, they told me how to reboot this silly thing...”
Juniper stabbed and poked, flipped the device over, then poked and prodded some more. When she pulled a screwdriver out of the backpack, Cas decided to step in.
“Here, let me. I have one of these.” She leaned over and pressed one of the buttons until the screen went dark. “It will take a few minutes to boot back up.”
“Thank you. If it was up to me, the entire department would run on crystals and potions. But oooh nooo! My new supervisor loves techno-magic. Says it’s efficient. I think it’s ludicrous.”
They both peered at the black screen for a few seconds before meeting each other’s eyes. An awkward moment passed.
Juniper rocked on her heels. “So strange we haven’t met before, you living so close to Crystal Springs. What’s your house?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You know, your house of magical study. Or are you a generalist?”
Cascade shook her head slowly. “I’m not what you think I am.”
“Pshaw!” Juniper chuckled. “Of course you are. Someone with your potency? Your aura is like watching a lightning storm. I have a degree in auraneisalogic studies. Not a witch! You’re funny.”
Juniper slapped her leg and laughed. But then she noticed Cascade.
“You’re not laughing. Aren’t you joking?”
“Nope.”
“Have you conducted any experiments lately? Tried to brew up a new potion? Sometimes a witch will tinker with the wrong spell and their short-term memory goes bye-bye. That’s what I guessed earlier when you weren’t catching what I was throwing.”
“I’m afraid not. No.”
Juniper frowned. The iPad beeped as it turned back on. She tapped at the screen. “Impossible. This program is never wrong. I don’t understand.” She glanced from the iPad to Cascade and back to the device. “Unless somehow... you...are the newspring? No. How could that be?
“Hmm. This is far outside of my normal duties. I’ve never cared for an adult newspring before. In fact, I’ve never even heard of someone blossoming at your age. Er, sorry again.”
Cas waved off the woman’s apology and edged backward. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I know I’m almost fifty. It’s not news to me. So, you believe these new witches bloom . . .”
“Blossom.”
“Yes, of course. They blossom at puberty and their families care for them? Teach them how to be witches and all that?” Cas rested a hand on the door. It was time to end this conversation. But as she moved away, the other woman moved closer.
Juniper nodded, her curls bouncing around her head. “Precisely!”
“None of that ever happened to me. Sorry. You must have the wrong house. If you’ll excuse me.”
Cas started to close the door, but Juniper planted her palm against it with a loud smack.
“I want you to listen to me very closely, Cascade Lorne,” Juniper said in a steady, low-pitched tone.
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s in my locator program but forget that. Did anything out of the ordinary happen to you today? Anything?”
The change in the woman’s voice made Cas pause. This conversation was going from strange and whimsical to plain strange. It was getting dark, and there still wasn’t a neighbor in sight. She locked a firm grip on the door and glanced at Juniper’s hand.
“It’s been nice chatting, but I have to go now.”
“This is important.” Juniper followed Cas’ gaze and dropped her hand away. “I apologize for seeming peculiar. But dear, this is vital. Did anything strange happen today or even earlier this week?”
Cas shook her head and started to shut the door. “Sorry I couldn’t be of help, but you have a good night.”
Juniper didn’t respond. She made a twisting motion with her fingers.
Cas saw the movement and gave the door a quick shove. It moved an inch and refused to budge further.
“Was that a yes or no? Anything odd happen?” Small, tight lines appeared around the edges of Juniper’s mouth.
No matter what she did, the front door wouldn’t close. Cas pushed at it, yanked the doorknob, and wiggled it back and forth. She gave up with a snort and squinted at Juniper, exasperated. “Yes, something odd did happen right before you came.”
The other woman gave a small, encouraging nod for her to continue.
How could she get rid of this Juniper woman when the front door wouldn’t shut? Cas rubbed her forehead and relented. “Somebody sent me a rock.” She turned around, hoping to spot the stone nearby. But it wasn’t anywhere in sight.
“It’s not here anymore. What could have happened to it?” She searched the foyer, even grabbing a stir-stick and submerging it into paint can to feel whether the stone had fallen into it.
To Cas’ chagrin, Juniper and the bird followed her inside the house.
“A rock?” Juniper asked, looking even more bewildered than her normal resting face appeared.
“Someone delivered a package to me before you came. I opened it, and there was a rock inside, covered with strange writing—like hieroglyphics but different. I touched it and I must have blacked out, knocking over my vase.” Another twinge of regret shot through her at that thought, but she pushed it away again and continued. “I woke up when you banged on the door. But the rock isn’t here now.”
Juniper clucked her tongue and her brow furrowed again. “A stone with writing on it? Without it here, I have no way of telling if it was cursed or not.”
“Cursed! What are talking about? There’s no such thing as cursed objects.” Cas threw her hands up, frustrated with the conversation. The tiny yellow bird performed loops around her head.
“This seems to be out of your league. And frankly, this is out of my wheelhouse too. A witch who thinks she isn’t a witch. I’ve never!” Juniper tapped an index finger against her lower lip. Suddenly, Juniper nodded once and her facial features smoothed out.
“I’ll take you to the High Court. They can figure out what to do with you.”
“High Court? What’s that?” Cas caught herself. What was she doing? “Never mind. This has gone too far. You should leave now before I call the cops.”
“Don’t be silly. The police you’re talking about are for humans. The High Court, however, is the governing body for all witches in this division. It’s comprised of five sirens, and they handle things like this. They have an office building in Crystal Springs,” Juniper answered matter-of-factly, positioning them in the middle of the room.
“That’s it!” Cass shifted and grabbed the woman by the elbow. “We’re done. You and your little bird h
ave to go.” Without warning, she hiccupped.
A tiny storm cloud, complete with a flash of lightening, appeared over Juniper’s head. Thunder clapped and rain poured down in sheets on her and the yellow bird.
Juniper glared at Cas as she wiped rain water out of her hair. “This is magic. Your magic. You, Cascade Lorne, are a witch.”
Cas stared at the rain cloud, mouth agape. No. How?
She dipped a hand under the cloud. Warm droplets splashed against her fingers. “I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you definitely need the High Court. You have zero control over your power. Who knows what you could do? They’ll help to sort this mess out. Well, here we go then.”
Juniper made a flicking gesture with her wrists and fingers, and suddenly, they were both inside something.
Cascade jumped about six inches in the air, and when she landed, the surface under her feet wasn’t her living room’s carpet. It was like she was inside a transparent, rubber bubble. There were several plush armchairs in the center. But the stench! It was like fourteen bodybuilders had worked out in the thing and left their body odor behind to fester. The smell almost had a physical presence, making the air heavy and a little cloudy.
Cas turned on her heel to stare wide-eyed at Juniper.
But the other woman busied herself settling into a blue velour armchair. She buckled a seat belt.
“Strap in. The ride might be a little choppy.”
Before Cascade could move an inch, Juniper moved her hand again and the bubble structure began to spin. At first, the view of her living room rotated in a slow circle. There was a sudden pop, and then nothing.
The living room—her whole house—was gone.
There was no turning back now, even if she wanted to.
Chapter 3
Cas lost her footing as the bubble spun faster. She crashed into a chair and fumbled to get the seat belt buckled. She remembered what her former dance teacher had said about doing spins: focus on one spot to keep from getting dizzy.
