Witchscape

by Y G Maupin

  “Dinner is ready,” she said, as she walked back to the kitchen to begin serving,

  “I won't be home. I have some family business to discuss with Albert. I’ll be back later tonight.’ he said, lifting a smart grey fedora from the ornately carved mirrored rack in the entryway.

  “But,” Soledad started, and her husband turned to her quietly. “Be safe,” she spoke into her chest, as her head hung low. That scene, while nothing new on any weeknight, still made an impact on Anesta. The front door closed quietly as it did most nights of the week when her father went out. And their mother did not complain, put her foot down or sob trying to hold him back. She just let him go. There had been no point to argue. It was the way he was and she had married him anyway.

  Anjolie made her way to Anesta now sitting on the couch, lost in her thoughts.

  “I have to go back. Can we go home? I have something I want to talk about with you before I cross back and it is private. It is between us and our family,” Anjolie explained.

  Anesta nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

  Birdie had volunteered to drive to the liquor store and was maneuvering her little economy car when she spotted her mother leaving the real estate office down the street from the main square of the town. She pulled over to the sidewalk and jumped out of her car.

  “Hey you, where did you go the other morning?” Birdie was genuinely concerned.

  “Oh that,” her mother waved away. “It was nothing. Just that Carl texted me to come meet him to drive out to see some more properties, he had an eye on and I knew you weren’t really too interested in going out for breakfast with me...” she drifted off.

  Birdie was irritated. It was true that she didn't have that much interest in spending that early time with her mother, but the way she had left abruptly and without explanation, had been thoughtless.

  “Yeah well, that was still not very nice of you to show up and then leave without telling me.” Birdie felt annoyance creeping up. Thinking things through instead of reacting impulsively was a trait they both shared. Only one woman was actively trying to work on it.

  “So what’s going on? What are you doing downtown today?” Carol asked, looking in her purse for her sunglasses.

  Birdie sighed. She really couldn't tell her mom what was REALLY going on. Her mother was more involved in herself and really only asked to appear courteous.

  “Um, I'm doing some research with some friends. Uh, Mom. Are you staying at your house or are you?” She let the question hang there for her mother to interpret. Carol slid her sunglasses onto her face and slowly pursed her lips. She flipped her long blonde hair, the only physical trait she passed to her daughter and sniffed with disdain.

  “I’m at my house for the time being. Why?” She was defensive in her delivery. Whether she didn't want to admit that she was rarely not in the company of a wealthy man or that she was home by herself, she was prickly about the answer.

  Birdie hemmed. “I just want you to be safe, Mom. There’s weird stuff going on around town and I just worry about you if you’re going to be at home alone.” Birdie was embarrassed. She loved her mother despite the embarrassments she had put her through publicly. Carol’s free spirited antics were quirks that had been humiliating to Birdie when she was younger and although they weren't as flagrant in the last five years, Birdie could still feel the sharp twinge of pain when she saw people giggling as her mother walked away with her latest conquest on her arm,

  “You could always move back home to protect your poor old mother” Carol replied coolly.

  Birdie’s shoulders slumped. “Well. We both know that wouldn't work out so.”

  Their awkward exchange was getting to be too much. “I just wanted to check on you, Mom. I’m glad everything is ok and that you’re staying safe. I’ll see you.” Birdie walked back to the drivers side and looked back at her mother, who was walking towards her car as well. Shading her eyes over the glare of the declining afternoon sun, Birdie squinted and observed the departing figure walk further away from her. Her heart broke to not have a close relationship with the one person that she shared the most time with since birth. But she couldn't force her to be a mother anymore than she could force herself to toughen up and not feel the pain. She got back in her car and continued her shopping errand.

  Twenty Four

  T sat cross legged cupping a mug of tea. She was shaken from her nightmare and was intermittently gulping air as she controlled her sobbing. It had been real. She could still feel the strong branches and sinewy vines circling her wrists and ankles. It reminded her of a classic horror film of a woman that had been defiled by a tree branch. While that had not happened to her, having the tree man breathing down on her face squeezing her body tight to his tree trunk had been frightening. Adding to the terror was when he merged into Jackson’s dead features to seduce her. That truly had been disturbing.

  Sarah draped a light cashmere throw around T’s shoulders and gave a reassuring light squeeze. “We’re here with you. You are not alone,” she whispered. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  T shook her head. Biting her lips she closed her eyes and took another sip of the weak calming tea that Sharon had made her. She felt comforted by her friends around her. She needed them now more than she ever had. With all the information and events in the last twenty-four hours, her head was spinning with thoughts and confusion. This was her fault! The people dying had been her fault! If they couldn't fix it and make it stop, it would still be her fault. She shook her head trying to erase the reminders of everyone that had been affected and that were still in harm's way.

  “What can I do? I don't even fully remember what I said when I cast that spell,” she said.

  Alice leaned in. “You didn't write down what you were intending to ask for?” She was shocked.

  “Come on, I was hurt and my emotions took over.” T was ashamed to admit. “I ran out to the back porch and screamed out loud and then,” she stopped, suddenly remembering her next step.

  The other women turned around, waiting for her to finish her sentence. When she didn't they drew in closer. T’s words hung there, undecided and fruitless.

  “Then what?” Beryl interrupted the silence. This was getting to be annoying. She was starting to remember why she hated female friends in the first place. Emotional drama.

  T set down her mug, stood up and drew the shrug tighter around her shoulders.

  “There’s a tree in the back. The closest one to the house. I can see it from our bedroom window. The branches reach out to it, I could step out the window and sit in it if I wanted to. I’ve always wanted to. But that day when I ran outside I was upset so I ran to the tree and I.” she stopped again. No, she thought, It hadn't meant anything.

  “What?” Sharon asked, on the edge of her seat.

  T was in a dream like trance for a short moment. “I ran to the tree and put my arms around it. I hugged it and cried so hard. I was telling Jackson to love me, to not leave me and that I needed him. That I would do anything and everything for him to love me like he did if he would just come back and hold me. That I would marry him and have as many children as he wanted,” her voice dropped down and she was ashamed. Ashamed for being weak and betraying what she had felt in her heart. Ashamed that she had been so stubborn in the first place; to have hurt their relationship. And ashamed that her emotions were childish and selfish.

  “What are you saying?” Beryl asked. T couldn’t mean what she thought she meant.

  T started crying again. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was doing or thinking and it shouldn’t have meant anything. I just felt so much comfort when I was hugging the tree and so when I went to do my spell I did it under the tree and no.” she stopped abruptly. “There is no way that I connected to the tree to make anything else happen that is happening now. That’s absurd and no.” She was emphatic, pacing the floor of the study.

  “Whoa, weird,” Beryl pronounced.

  “It’s not weird, it's p
reposterous,” T’s voice was shaky, as she asserted what could have no other explanation. “That’s just crazy. There’s no way.” she continued.

  Alice stood in front of T to stop her pacing. “No, it's not crazy. It can happen. Tree or spirit or forest god, whatever we want to think it was, it has happened and action is needed. Godfrey will be here tonight after he closes the shop. I’m going to make a room ready here.” Looking over all the women she firmly added. “We already know that we need to be vigilant with the additional spiritual intentions that are surrounding us. Now we have to personally prepare ourselves to make a connection tonight.” She looked at their faces, a mixture of surprise and trepidation. “We need to gather our personal tools and prepare ourselves to be the strongest we have ever been in a circle. We can't take a chance with being afraid or doubting ourselves. Go do what you need to do, but be back here before five. That gives us,” looking over at the desk clock, “an hour and a half just about.” Alice exhaled shortly and put her hands on her hips. “This is just the first step towards finding out if we have what it takes to make this madness stop. I’m hoping that we can decipher a solution, or else we’ll be chasing our tails for the rest of our lives.”

  Anesta drove home in silence. She knew that her sister would be waiting for her when she got home. “Spirits can’t ride in cars,” her sister revealed. “So I’ll see you. Please come home quickly.” Anesta made it home in fifteen minutes and rushed in to find out what Anjolie wanted to tell her.

  The little ghost girl was sitting on the couch when Anesta entered. Anjolie looked sad, with her shoulders slumped and her hands clasped in her lap.

  “What? What’s wrong? Please tell me what you couldn’t say over there.” Anesta pleaded, setting her purse down.

  “Your friends won't win,” Anjolie replied sadly.”The spirits are stronger and there’s more of them. What T did was stupid and now that they have the chance to be alive again there’s nothing that can stop them,” Anjolie reasoned.

  Anesta was confused. “Is that what you wanted to tell me? What about what you said about our family?”

  Anjolie waved her hand. “Give me a moment, this is a lot to get out. It's not easy,” she complained.

  Anesta sat next to her sister and looked at her with sadness. “I’m sorry. I haven't asked you how you felt about this whole thing, coming out and revealing yourself to all the others. Are you ok with that after what you’ve witnessed?” she asked. Anjolie nodded her head in silence.

  Anesta began again. “ You really think that this is bigger than us? I agree. I think that we might be wasting our time. The most we can gain is a better understanding of what we can do to ask them to stop or to close whatever is driving them to push through.”

  Anjolie looked up at her. ”You know if you close the passage there is a chance I might not be able to come back to see you again, That isn't fair. Before all this happened I was able to be by your side. Even though then, I wouldn't say anything to you because I was afraid that you would be scared of me, I wanted to be there to comfort you and help if I could. Now we are talking to each other and you know I’m here,” she paused. “I don't want to go away.”

  Anesta felt the little girl's sadness touch her heart. She didn't want her to go away either. Gently she asked, “Why don’t you just cross over into a body?”

  Anjolie looked up sharply at her sister. “No! I won't steal someone’s life like someone stole mine. It took me a long time to figure out what happened to me when I died. I didn't understand why that happened and that I wouldn't be able to go back and be with you and Mama. I was scared and alone for so long, until I got used to it. Little kids shouldn't be scared and alone, Anesta.” she was fierce in her response. “Also, they shouldn't die because some gross man wanted to touch them and they were fighting them to get away.”

  Anesta stiffened up with a gasp. “What!?”

  Anjoli, remembering that afternoon, scrunched her face as she struggled with the confusion.”I didn't know that he had followed me to the bathroom. After we had been swimming, it was time to cut the cake and so everyone went inside. I had to pee really bad so I went to the little changing room bathroom by the garage. The man followed me and pushed the door to get in and blocked it with his body,” she spoke with lifeless eyes. “I was shocked and scared. I already had my swimsuit bottoms off and was peeing but as soon as he walked in I couldn’t pee anymore. I was so shocked when he started unzipping his pants, so I started to scream.”

  Anesta’s mouth dropped open. “Dear God, Anjolie. Who was it?”

  “Some friend of the family when it happened. There were so many people at that party, which is why no one noticed I wasn't there. No one cares about grown ups at a kids party, so he must not have been missed either,“ she drifted off. “I kept screaming over and over and he put his hands over my mouth and nose and he was squeezing so hard. I started to see shooting stars and then the next thing I know, I was in the pool in the deep end and I was dying. He had placed me there. I guess he waited to make sure that no one else was in the yard and he did it quickly.”

  Anesta was overwhelmed. When they came to her that her sister had died, they had said that they thought she had been running and slipped on the wet tiles, hitting her head and sliding into the pool where she drowned. Now that she knew what happened, not only was she saddened at the loss of her twin, she was angry that it was at the hands of a disgusting pedophile.

  “Could you recognize him now if you saw him?” Anesta asked. “Have you seen him from the other side?” Anjolie nodded.

  “That was the other thing I wanted to tell you. It was someone that started to come around Mama right after I died. He was the man that was married to her until she had to go away to the hospital. I don't want to say his name.”

  Anesta collapsed back into the couch. Delbert Cross. He was Mama’s boyfriend for so many years, despite her lapses in mental cohesion. He had always been so kind to them both after Anjolie’s death. She was dumbstruck. “But Anjolie, they weren’t married.”

  Anjolie nodded. “Yes. He married her right before he helped to put her away. He made it seem like it was all your idea when he needed her to go away, so that he could be closer to you. He was always watching you. He wanted to make sure Mama was put away before he made his move on you.”Anjolie’s eyes narrowed. “But I stopped him.”

  Anesta gasped. “Dear gods, Anjolie, you killed him didn't you?”

  Clay Johnson was not in his room. The nurse at the station looked over the detectives badge and said, “He left hours ago. He wasn't hurt. They just wanted to have him checked out.”

  Damn, thought Dan. He didn’t have enough reason to talk to the kid, since in reality this was considered the jurisdiction of the FBI. Maybe he could still try to see if the parents would let him talk at home. While he was crossing the street, he noticed ahead of him already on the sidewalk an older woman talking to herself. Homeless and alone, he thought. Suddenly he saw the woman jerk herself around screaming and clutching at her legs. Her body moved spasmodically as she threw herself into oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the median. Her body hit the hood of the car, was airborne briefly, before falling and rolling into the gutter. He had never seen anything like that before. The after effects, sure, many times. And he had seen many men shoot themselves or get shot by police. But never a woman, certainly not one of this age and in such a violent way. He rushed along with the rest of the bystanders to see if there was any way to help. He made it to her side as she was warbling her last words. “Don’t make me, no I don't want to,” and then she was gone.

  Twenty Five

  Carla was headed toward the town square from the rundown part of town. She was so angry, but had to admit that she was glad to see that with all the walking she had done she wasn't tired. What she was, was fed up. She had been racking her brain during her walk back into town, trying to think of someone specific or random to kill. None of her friends lived in the little town. They had all moved once they were
married and she and Todd had only gone back on occasion to visit or to go boating on the lake. If she wasnt so determined she would have been miserable. Miserable and confused, And what was the deal with the cat? Spirits coming back and cats talking, she had seen it all now. Up ahead she could see a group of people surrounding several vans that looked like the kind that gathered during national catastrophes. She walked quickly to see if there was anyone dying in a fire or crash that she could shove her way through to make her move, but all she saw were news people huddled over cigarettes and guys with boom mics on their phones. She overheard their conversations.

  “Yeah it's a great story, but nothing that different from what we see every other month around the country. Two dead teachers and a coworker that was a good guy gone bad, Only thing that’s weird is the kid that was shot at like seven times and all the bullets missed him. We’ll be back with a live feed in an hour.”