Saturday Night Séance

by S.J. Drew

there to help the heroes

  Making it easy to be brave.

  The hero and princess need do nothing

  And they will be handed a good fate

  No wonder the bad fairy is so angry

  And her heart so full of hate.

  Refrain:

  What comes of the bad fairy

  She's done her job and played her part

  There is no happy ever after for her

  Outcast and alone in the dark.

  The heroes lack competence

  She's the one who must be clever

  But for them victory comes easy

  But for the bad fairy, never.

  No matter who deserves to win

  The stories all end the same way

  A reward for the royal pair

  And doom for the dark fey.

  Track 2 - Unhappy Medium

  The Interview:

  Jana: The next track title is kind of a pun, right?

  Lee: Kind of?

  Nico: Okay, it's a pun. So the music shows a definite '80s pop influence. Why?

  Lenore: We liked the juxtaposition between the concept, which is an unhappy person, with the generally upbeat and slightly synthesized feel of '80s pop.

  Jana: Wow, okay, we're going to have to up our game here, Nico.

  Nico: Yeah. So I'm guessing this was where the album title and cover design came from?

  Lee: Yep.

  Nico: So what was your inspiration for this?

  Anna: Well, we've all seen commercials and stuff for psychics and people who say they can talk to the dead.

  Lenore: And of course there's the classic romance, Ghost, about a medium. By the end of it, she was not very happy with her gift.

  Jana: So you ran with that idea?

  Belle: Pretty much. Being a medium is one of those things that sounds like it should be cool and there's a bunch of stories about it, but practically, don't people have enough problems dealing with the living? So this song really is straightforward. It's not much fun listening to the dead all day.

  Nico: Your albums seem to have this theme, like, you take the supernatural and then kind of twist it to show it's not that cool. How come?

  Lenore: It's an easy target.

  Lee: That, or superpowers, like comic book characters. And we didn't want to go there.

  Jana: Easy target?

  Belle: It's a monkey's paw sort of thing, or a genie's wish. A lot of media portrays the supernatural as ultimately this totally awesome thing everyone should want to be part of, with a few exceptions.

  Lee: Like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," for example.

  Belle: Right. So we think about the consequences. Again, like the medium, being able to contact the dead seems like a great gift, but what if you can't turn it off? There are a lot of ideas we can play with like that.

  Nico: I didn't know you thought about this so much.

  Anna: Hey, we're trying to be rich and famous with this concept, so we'd better think it through, right?

  Jana: [laughs] I guess that's true.

  The Story:

  "Halloween shows are the best," Leah said as they got ready for the show. "Our theme does the work for us."

  "I'm not always happy with the costume choices," Nora replied. "We look like witches again, and not in a good way."

  "Hey, I'm a musician, not a miracle-worker. Witches wear black dresses and tall pointy hats."

  "And short skirts?" Isabella asked.

  "Hey, you've got leggings too."

  "With skulls on them."

  Leah rolled her eyes. "Everyone's a critic. I can't wait until you see my next idea. I'm working on a set of costumes based off of Queen."

  "Whoa, how is that going to work?" Maryann asked. "We're supposed to look identical."

  "Well, yeah, of course, but you have to admit, it would be interesting if I dressed us all up like Freddie Mercury in any one of his stage outfits."

  "Fine, witches' costumes it is," Nora replied with a sigh.

  "Hey, it could work!"

  "Please just don't start sewing until you show me your sketches."

  "Ladies, let's just get out on stage," Isabella sighed.

  "I'm just happy these costumes are warm," Maryann said as they followed Isabella's lead.

  The Downtown Halloween Festival took place at a large central park. Two streets were closed off and thronged with vendors and people in costumes. There were two stages set up; one for Nevermore and the Ravens, and one for the various costume contests. The night was clear but chilly, even for a Midwest October. The band had their own songs to perform, but they mixed in Halloween-themed covers and started with "Witchy Woman."

  Isabella felt the wind shift and frowned. By the fourth song, she had the distinct feeling of something being off in the area and so when the women switched up instruments, she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. The banishment charm was written in Japanese kanji. She stuck the charm to back of the bass and started the next song.

  Maryann felt the spell activate and gave Isabella a puzzled look, but since she was on drums, Isabella didn't notice. The air seemed to clear as they played.although the atmosphere didn't quite go back to normal. Maryann didn't get a chance to ask Isabella about the spell until the end of the show when they were packing up their gear.

  "Isabella, why did you cast a banishment spell?" Maryann asked.

  "She did what?" Leah blurted. "I never notice these things."

  "There was something in the wind I didn't like," Isabella answered. "I'm not sure what, exactly, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some protection. I don't like to take chances around Halloween. The Veil is too thin."

  "And we've already had too many weird Halloweens," Leah agreed.

  "Weird Halloweens? You say that as though other days are normal," Nora said wryly.

  "That's a good point."

  They had almost finished packing when a person in a black hood and cloak hurried up to the van. "I need your help," said a female voice.

  "Okay, and things have taken the predictable turn for the weird," Leah sighed. "It's Halloween and all, but you're going to drop the mystery."

  The woman pulled down the cloak, revealing a familar face but unfamilar pale blond hair. "Do you remember me? I'm Rowan Weber."

  They stared for a moment at Isabella's doppelgänger. With her hair now a shade closer to Isabella's, although lighter, the similarities in how they looked were even more obvious. Even her clothes looked like the band's costumes.

  "Oh, Madame Crow Jinx," Maryann said finally. "You're hair looks better blond."

  "Thanks, I mean, that's not the point. I need help and I think you can help me."

  "And I'm going to guess you don't want to talk here but go someplace safe so you can explain the whole problem to us?" Leah asked, thinking, "I wonder if she dressed up as a witch for Halloween or if those are her actual clothes?"

  "Well, yes, of course," Rowan said, looking agitated.

  "Great. We love Saturday night seances."

  "It's not really like that," she replied.

  "Well, we need to finish loading up and then we can head to the hotel. You're a long way from Florida," Nora said.

  "Yeah, tell me about it. Listen, can we go back to your hotel room to talk? Maybe it won't look for me there. Also, I took the bus so can I get a ride?"

  "Sure," Maryann said brightly.

  "Can you maybe load that stuff up faster?" she said.

  "Can you maybe help us?" Nora replied snidely. She hadn't quite forgiven Rowan for using her ability as a natural medium to take advantage of the grieving.

  "Fine, fine, just tell me what to do."

  The group was soon packed up, although Rowan's anxious aid was barely more of a hindrance. They rode in silence to the hotel as every time they tried to ask Rowan what was going on, she asked them to wait until they got "someplace safe."

  Finally they checked in and went up to their adjoining room
s. They sat down in Isabella and Nora's room. Rowan pulled some chalk out of her purse and made wards on the doors and windows.

  "Well, that's going to make tomorrow pretty weird for the cleaning staff," Leah said, watching her work.

  "Hey!" Rowen snapped. "I'm not doing this because it's funny. I'm really worried."

  "Okay, I'm sorry."

  Maryann and Isabella noted that Rowan's wards were derived from Western ceremonial magical traditions, although not within any specific one they were aware of.

  "Would you mind if I put up some protection too?" Maryann asked.

  "Please."

  Finally Rowan finished her work and sat down in the chair by the desk. "I won't bore you with the details since they don't matter right. After the visit by your great-grandmother," she said sullenly, looking at Isabella, "I got out of the medium business. It was a hell of a thing too."

  "What made you realize my great-grandmother was right?" Isabella asked.

  "Oh, just the fact she bypassed all my protections and metaphysically slapped me upside the head," Rowan replied. "I should say, I'm not ungrateful for that, but it was pretty upsetting at the time. I've gotten my life straightened out and I thought everything was fine. Not fun, but fine."

  "What did you do?" Nora asked sharply.

  "Well, I don't have a lot of resources, so I got on a Ren Fair circuit. Called myself 'Sable Rose' and did tarot readings and things like that."

  "So still cheating people?"

  Rowan glared at her. "I didn't cheat anyone. I gave them a full reading with a full deck. I'm just not very good at divination, and well, as they say, buyer beware. People who go to those kinds of things looking for real magic are just fooling themselves."

  "Usually," Leah muttered.

  Rowan didn't hear her. "Anyway, it wasn't a bad way to make a living while I tried to figure out something better. I thought I'd be fine. And I was wrong which is why I came looking for you."

  "Why did you