“Heh. See the new one last night?” Toni asked.
“Of course!”
“I can’t believe that the murderer turned out to be the coat check girl.”
“Good twist.”
“They used a lot of Oscar last night. There’s never too much Oscar.”
“I’ll say,” Toni smiled then looked across the room. “Gotta get that table.”
Dorothy watched Toni walk across the room. She was so young and pretty. Toni had that youthful energy that people wanted to connect with. She was lively and cute, interesting and interested. A perky girl like Toni never had romance issues. At least, she didn’t last month when it was her birthday and the coven cast the spell for her.
Toni always had something or someone on the go. That’s how it was with those fire signs. Always on the move, always on a new adventure. Whereas Dorothy hadn’t had a romance in ages. She saw cute guys every day when she worked at the store but she never really felt that zing, that pull.
She looked across the room at the various men sitting at tables. Nothing wrong with any of them, she determined. Young, old, regulars, tourists, all the guys looked pretty cool in here on this day. Yet, how would she ever approach any of them?
Like that guy sitting over by the window. He had short dirty blond hair and eyes so blue she could see them gleaming from where she sat. He was staring at his phone, no doubt playing a game or messaging someone while his lunch mate, a pretty woman with long blond hair, sat and poked at her own phone screen.
She sighed.
It seemed like such a waste. Two attractive people sitting in a booth, likely for dinner and drinks, and they couldn’t even appreciate each other.
Dorothy sipped her water. She put her glass back down and stared over at the couple. The woman had put her phone on the table. The man continued to tap away at his.
Dorothy stared at the lady’s phone. It glimmered under the bar lights and she wondered if it moved. She pushed it hard with her mind. The phone flew from the table and landed on the floor. The man looked up as the woman stared in disbelief.
“What the... ?” Dorothy heard her speak.
“Huh?” the man put his phone on the table as he leaned over to scoop hers from the floor. “You’d better be careful, those things will break.”
“Good thing I bought that safety case,” the woman said just as the man’s phone slid from the table and landed on the floor.
“What?”
They both looked at the phone on the floor and the phone in his hand. He handed the phone back over to the woman. She put it on the table as she watched him pick up his phone. Her phone slid across the table and fell towards the floor again. This time she caught it before it dropped.
“Too creepy. Is this place haunted too?” she asked loudly as she looked around the restaurant.
“I heard that weird things happen in Hermana,” the man said. The couple nervously laughed.
Dorothy smirked as she played with the lime on her glass. The couple clutched their phones, talking animatedly to each other about what had just happened.
That’s better.
“What’s so funny?” Toni asked as she brought Dorothy her food.
“Just having a little fun,” Dorothy grinned, looking over at the couple.
“Playing with the tourists again?” Toni asked.
“Of course. We have to give them something to talk about!” Dorothy said as she lifted her sandwich and took a big bite. Toni laughed.
“Keep those tourists dollars coming, honey!” Toni said.
“Tourists keep this city running, that’s for sure,” Dorothy said. “Are you doing the market this weekend?”
“I might pop by but I’m not doing any palm reading. I’ll be beat from this place.”
“I’m going to do a few hours on Saturday at the booth since I don’t have to work. It’s great to have seniority some times.”
“Honest, Dorothy, I still think you should come work here. You’d make twice as much, with tips and all, than you do cashiering.”
“Too much work, Toni!” Dorothy laughed. “Too much memorizing and running around. It’s easy work, being a cashier. I stick in one spot, yap to people, scan the items, collect my check and more important, my health insurance. Boom. I still have energy left over for a life!”
“I have energy for a life, lots of it!” Toni said.
“You’re younger than me. Believe me, honey, one day you wake up and realize your get up and go, got up and went.”
“I think everyone is different,” Toni said. “I plan to stay young forever.”
“At any rate, I have a good plan there and if I change jobs after all these years, I won’t have that good plan anymore.”
“I get it,” Toni nodded. She hurried off to another table.
As Dorothy finished her sandwich, she saw that the couple were still talking to each other, their eyes staring into each others’ just a little longer, their hands touching, their phones still untouched between them.
Her birthday was very soon, and the coven would cast a love spell for her. Since the coven had started their goal of casting a love spell for each member over the years, she had seen Natasha, Madeline Adele, and Toni all meet people shortly after their birthdays. It was her turn now.
What sort of man would the spell bring to her?
Chapter Three
Eight of Pentacles: Taking pride in working can bring great results.
Dorothy was the first to arrive. Even though she was often late, on this night, she wanted to be early. Really early.
It was a lovely spring evening. Not too hot, not too cold. The weather, in fact, was perfect for the emerald green cape with hood that she had found on one of her trips to New York City in the fall. The cape was too light for winter, but it was the perfect thickness for the unpredictable coastal spring weather. She carried a brown leather satchel and had a pair of soft leather gloves stashed inside in case it grew cold later on. Her hair was protected by a little green cap that matched the design of the cape. She had even worn her green, suede boots. They weren’t the most comfortable, especially on the network of cobblestone streets that lay between her little cottage and Lucy’s gothic manor.
Lucy’s house loomed in the darkness, lit widows staring out at the world like watching eyes. The lulling sound of the waves along with a distant honk from the street or foghorn from the ocean punctuated the clip of her boots. None of the other ladies or their cars seemed to be in sight. Dorothy walked up the stairs to Lucy’s front door. Before she reached for the big brass knocker, she took a deep breath.
Everything will be different when I leave here tonight.
Dorothy clanked the knocker and waited.
“Good evening, Miss Dorothy.” Sophie, a red-haired young woman in a black and white French maid uniform, opened the door. She smiled as she saw Dorothy and curtsied.
Dorothy stepped in, breathing in the delicious scent of burning herbs and exotic oils before turning to Sophie.
“Good evening, Sophie,” Dorothy said. “I hope I’m not too early.”
“Not at all,” Sophie said, taking Dorothy’s satchel as Dorothy removed her cape. Dorothy sat on a small chair to unbuckle her boots.
“My, those are beautiful,” Sophie said as she kneeled down to help her. Dorothy sat back and let Sophie fiddle with the brass buckles.
“I picked them up on my last trip to New York. They were expensive, even on sale, but really, have you ever seen such a gorgeous green?” Dorothy asked. Sophie pulled off the first boot and stroked the suede as she placed it on the boot carpet in the front hallway by the door.
“It’s like an emerald. And so soft...” Sophie returned to work on the second boot.
“It’s soft on the inside as well. Fits better than a glove. I hope it doesn’t rain!” Dorothy laughed.
“It’s not supposed to. Just the usual damp but nothing more.”
“They had a pair with a higher heel, but it’d take me three days to wal
k here on these cobblestones. Hermana by the sea with cobblestones is no place for high heels.”
“Only jumping from car to club!” Sophie grinned.
“Absolutely!”
Sophie pulled the second boot off and set it by the first. She brought Dorothy thick black socks as well as her regular robe.
“Thank you, Sophie,” Dorothy said as she took the robe and socks.
“You’re welcome, Dorothy. And Happy Birthday!” Sophie curtsied. Dorothy curtsied back.
“Aw, thanks, sweetie.”
Sophie left. Dorothy walked into the maze of hallways. She peered around for Lucy, wondering if she was waiting for her in one of the rooms. Dorothy closed her eyes, sensing the air, waiting for a vibration or a strand to wiggle out of place, perhaps a chord not quite in sync with the others. At last, there was a bump. She opened her eyes. Dorothy headed towards one of the ground floor guest rooms and sure enough, there was Lucy sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs.
Lucy smiled, her long grey hair spilling down red velvet cushions. Her long thin fingers gripped the arm of the chair, her voice quiet and husky. Her tiny feet barely touched the floor. She cocked her head, staring at Dorothy with large, milky eyes.
“Don’t mind me. I can’t get up right now. I need to save my strength for the ritual,” Lucy said. “I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Dorothy.”
Dorothy walked over to Lucy and kissed her on the forehead. She hugged the frail, bony High Priestess.
“Thank you, Lucy,” Dorothy said. She looked at how the rings that had adorned Lucy’s fingers for years seemed like they would slip off any minute, how the flesh hung from her arms in fragile folds. “Have you been eating okay?
“Oh, yes. I eat as much as ever,” Lucy said. “I eat as much as ever but I’m just wasting away. I guess that’s what happens when you’re old. You just waste away until one day you just wither up and blow away and that’s that.”
“I’m not so sure...” Dorothy said.
“My dear, look at me. I used to be big, much bigger than you. And now, even though we all live longer, our bodies still seem in a big rush to hurry up and die. If they don’t get us from the inside, they’ll get us from the outside. Our species wasn’t meant to last a century.”
“I think it is,” Dorothy said. “Each generation lives longer, it’s a marvelous thing. Our modern knowledge mixed with ancient history... why can’t we live forever?”
“Do we want to?”
Dorothy sat down in the overstuffed chair across from Lucy.
“I want to. I want to do many things.”
“And now, on your birthday, you can wish for whatever you dare to dream.”
“I’m not sure what I wish for. I’m pretty content with my life,” Dorothy said. “When I really think about it all, I have my little cottage, my clients, my job that gives me great health insurance, and the ability to travel sometimes. What more do I really need? Well, except romance I guess.”
Lucy laughed.
“You almost had me going there... of course you want romance. Or at least some good loving!” Lucy’s eyes grew bright, and for a moment, Dorothy saw the young, green-eyed Lucy hiding beneath the wrinkles and crepe paper flesh. Lucy leaned forward.
“One of the problems with living so long is all of the options. There are so many choices. And society has bred into us this fear that if we make a choice, you will lose out on other opportunities. Choices made out of fear shouldn’t be the point of life. Of love.”
Dorothy opened her mouth to comment but Lucy continued on.
“I’ve told you ladies for years, or at least those of you who have been with us for years, that the grass might be greener on the other side, but you never know for sure. If something is working in the moment, just enjoy the moment. Don’t worry about what is down the road. We may not wake up tomorrow anyway.”
Dorothy nodded.
“I mean it, Dorothy. I know you worry. You want all your ducks in a row. You want high romance, high class, wined and dined 24/7 but it’s not possible and it’s not real. You have to enjoy the highs when they come along and realize that highs aren’t forever. And don’t feel bad about it because there will always be another high one day. Don’t push, don’t steam roll, don’t demand impossible answers when there are no answers to give. Live in the moment. Open heart, open mind.”
“I’m pretty sure you’ve told me all this before, Lucy,” Dorothy said.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve told you all this many times before, Dorothy, and you still don’t hear it. Perhaps this time it’ll stick.” Lucy’s eyes twinkled.
“It’s surely a matter of opinion, this love stuff. You think people should have many romances whereas I think I should have one grand romance.”
“And yet you have many romances...” Lucy said.
“But I WANT one grand romance.”
“And perhaps one day, you will find your life mate, but in the meantime enjoy your many romances and don’t be disappointed that every experience doesn’t end with a ring.”
“None have ended with a ring and I’m not getting any younger.”
“And so the time or the person hasn’t been right. Yet. So then heed my advice. Open heart, open mind. You’ve seen it work for your coven sisters. It will work for you too.”
* * *
Twelve hooded ladies stood in a circle in the grand room where some of them had been performing rituals for decades. The room was large, with high ceilings that ended in a domed skylight. There was a large circle embedded in the scarlet rug where the witches stood. The overhead lights were dimmed.
Each witch, including Dorothy, held a white candle.
There were puffs of smoke wafting across the room from various incense pots that hung from elaborate candelabras mounted in the walls. Candles flickered in the far corners of the room and in circles around the ladies and in front of them. The scents of roses and frankincense were pungent. Several small tables were spread around the room, and on them were bowls of fruits and berries, more candles, tiny ornate items, old books, golden bells, and more.
Lucy sat on an ornate golden throne at the end of the room. She was too weak to stand for the spell. She had hobbled into the room with the help of a cane and had bravely begun the ritual standing with the others, but then, she relinquished her self to her throne. Though her body was frail, her voice filled the room and bellowed out to the heavens.
“On this night, we beseech Venus the Goddess of Love to show her mercy for Dorothy and bestow upon her, the richly rewarding romance that will spark her senses and bring joy to her heart.”
The ladies all kneeled, their candles flickering between their fingers.
“Bring love and romance to Dorothy,
Bring passion and fulfillment to Dorothy!” They chanted.
Dorothy watched the ladies around her, chanting for her, hoping that maybe this time she’d be lucky, and he’d stay.
Dorothy loved the love spell, but she knew it wouldn’t guarantee a forever romance. A good run of loving, for sure, but likely not a lifetime full.
Was she cynical? She never used to be. But as the years ticked by, she wondered if she’d ever really truly love any one, at the same time someone loved her. All of her coven sisters had the same issues. The love spells came on their birthdays and they’d find a lover for a month, or even a decade, but that passionate connection always came to an end at some point.
So far, none of the witches had held on to their loves but boy did they have some great sex.
Life could be worse, Dorothy smiled. Even if she didn’t find a long-term husband, she knew some hot sex was in her very near future.
Hermana was a small town so when the well ran dry with the locals for potential bedmates, as it always did, there were always tourists to play with and tourist season began with Beltane. Maybe her love spell would bring her a tourist. A tourist who would fall in love with her and her little house and never leave.
She could live with that.
>
With a start she realized she was dreaming. She shook her head and focused, to better participate in the ritual.
The witches were at the part of the spell where she had to go put her candle in the sand to douse it. They all chanted the words that Lucy spoke, their voices raised in a joyful pitch.
They returned to the circle and stepped out of their robes. They raised their hands to the sky as they chanted. Dorothy was led into the center of the circle by Natasha and Maggie. Once Dorothy was in the center, Natasha returned to her spot in the circle. Maggie carried a large bowl of fruit and berries, then placed it beside Dorothy and then returned to her spot.
Dorothy raised her hands too, letting the energy from her sisters flood through her. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her pussy ached to be touched, her nipples were rigid.
One by one, the witches came to her and smeared her with a fruit or berry from the bowl. Each witch took her time, running her fingers up and down Dorothy’s body, whispering words from the spell as they trailed the juices along her quivering flesh. Dorothy moaned, the touch of their warm fingers making her tremble, her pussy growing wetter with every touch.
Once the last witch had drawn on Dorothy with the juices, the witches joined hands. They danced around Dorothy who laughed and moaned, her body vibrating with joy and pleasure.
The ritual was completed with the witches singing in joyous harmony, a song that spoke of lasting love and fabulous passion.
Dorothy tingled from her fingers to her toes. She’d been so alone for too many months now; it was time to embrace a new romance.
No being coy, she wanted to get laid. And soon.
There was no reason the spell shouldn’t work for her.
“I feel so alive!” Dorothy said as the circle was ended.
“It’s a great ritual,” Gwen said. “I always feel so good when we do it.”
“I always feel good too but now I’m so horny I could just go out and do anyone!” Dorothy blurted.
There was laughter.
“Well, let’s make sure we help you get your new lover before you lose your mind!” Toni laughed as they made their way into the next room to feast on cake, drink champagne and laugh.
Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color Page 3
