After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1) (7 page)

The rocks look natural, but are arranged unnaturally,
as if someone deliberately moved these giant boulders to create the circular shape
of the clearing. The rocks are stacked creating ledges, similar to manmade
shelves. A variety of fallen branches, sticks, twigs and pine needles gather in
the crevices while moss grows in the shaded areas of the rocks, creating a
juxtaposition of hard and soft.

The ground is made up
of flat shale rock, and is covered with fallen leaves, moss, and pine needles.
Old fallen logs are situated around the circle creating natural seating. The
dense forest surrounding the clearing provides complete privacy for anyone inside
and one would have to know exactly where to look in order to find it.

Very few people know
this spot even exists on the property, so deeply surrounded by the tall trees of
the dense woods. The trees create a canopy overhead, making it impossible to
see the clearing from above but still allow just enough light from the sun and/or
moon to penetrate past the thick boughs, branches, and leaves.

Two large gray boulders
overlap one another at the entrance of the circle, so only someone knowing this
space exists can find their way into the clearing. Moss and pine needles cover
the ground so completely that even with the four of them walking, their steps
are soundless. When they finally step into the clearing, their approach is so
silent that both Marcus and Peter start upon their arrival. The conversation
they were having ends abruptly when the family they were discussing enters the
space.

“Grandpa Marcus! GG
Peter! We didn’t know you would be here!” Chloe squeaks, overwhelmed with
excitement to have everyone together. She is so surprised to see them that it
takes a moment for her to notice that the clearing has been transformed by several
objects that are somewhat familiar to her.

Inside the circle,
sitting atop a light purple cloth with a pentagram is a wooden box with two
candles burning brightly. The light from the candles illuminates the other
objects that would otherwise be difficult to see in the shade on this cloudy
day. The objects include a chalice, two crystals, a small gold bowl that looks
like a cauldron, a knife, and various herbs and oils.

Marcus and Peter say
nothing as they watch Rowan, Chloe, and Kaiden take everything in. Liam finally
speaks up and encourages the kids to walk toward the center of the circle and
take a seat next to their elders.

Just under her breath, Chloe
whispers to
herself
, “I knew it.” She is somewhat
relieved to discover that whatever is happening to her is expected, even
welcomed. She has been afraid of saying anything to anyone for fear of being
made fun of, or worse, being thought of as crazy, but for the past year or more
she has experienced what she can only call ‘unusual’ moments.

Last spring as she
transplanted seedlings to the garden, she said a few words to encourage their
growth and pictured herself sharing her energy with the plants. Within a day,
all of the seedlings had grown at least a ½ inch or more. She began saying those
words every time she planted and tended her plants, and her lush gardens were
evidence that whatever she was doing was working. She found herself whispering
words when she wanted to do well on a test or when she was lost for words among
a group. She has felt much more self-aware and self-confident as she’s
continued to discover her abilities.

She spends Saturdays at
the library researching witchcraft and spells, hungry for information about
what she already suspects about herself. She recently decided that she was
going to attempt a spell on her own. Standing here before her family and the
altar, she is relieved that she can share what she has been experiencing. As
she opens her mouth to speak, her GG Peter makes eye contact with her and
shakes his head, pleading with her to stay quiet. At that moment, Chloe
realizes that while she has discovered her own abilities, her siblings have not,
and may not even be aware of what they are.

Rowan could not be more
confused by what she is seeing. She recoils at the sight of the altar and
immediately begins backing away from her family. She looks at Chloe who clearly
shows understanding and at Kaiden who looks just as confused, as she imagines herself
to look. How could they? she thinks to herself. She
can feel the rage building inside of her. No! I will not accept this!! I do not
want to be a part of this!! Why me? This is so not fair!! All of these thoughts
bombard her as she takes in every aspect of the circle and the altar.

She looks at the people
she trusts most in the world and feels utterly betrayed. She hates everyone and
if it weren’t for her dad blocking the entrance, she would run back to the
house and hide in her room forever. She is ready to lash out at everyone until
she looks at Grandpa Marcus’s calm face.

He has always been so
good to her. She knows she is his favorite grandchild, and he has never held
back from telling her so. When she was little, he would frequently bring her small tokens.
He would quietly give these to her while Chloe and Kaiden ran out to the car to
see if he brought them any gifts or treasures, knowing that he usually did.

In her room she has a
box of stones, shells, dried flowers, pebbles, and crystals that he has given
her over the years. He says she reminds him of himself when he was young — all
offense and defense, and although she doesn’t really know what he means, she
accepts the gifts greedily. She never told her siblings because she knew if she
did then the treasures would end.

She once overheard her dad
telling him to stop playing favorites, but Grandpa Marcus said something about
her needing a little extra protection. Although she wasn’t sure what he meant
by that, she was glad that he never stopped. He cut back on the gifts that he was giving
or made sure to bring something for everyone, but she noticed that she always got
the best of whatever it was; whether it was the prettier stone, the bigger
cookie, or as she got older, the prettier piece of jewelry. Whatever it was, he
made sure the best of the bunch was hers.

For him, she decides to
hold back everything she is thinking and waits to hear what he has to say
before leaving. In her heart, she knows that he will not do anything to hurt
her and whatever this is — he will protect her. She heads into the circle and
sits down next to Grandpa Marcus.

Kaiden looks at the
three men that he looks up to the most in the world. He has no idea what is
going on, but completely trusts them no matter what they have to say. He looks
at his siblings and is somewhat surprised by the relieved look on Chloe’s face.
When he looks at Rowan, he can’t help but feel bad for whatever she is going through. Rowan does not adjust well to change and hates to be different — unless it benefits her in
some way. He can see and feel the anger and resentment rolling off of her.

Somehow Kaiden knows that he is
looking at the tools of a witch, but doesn’t understand why the men in his
family have them. Aren’t only women witches?
he
thinks
to himself. He reflects back on his history class and the discussion of the
Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. He doesn’t remember hearing anything about
male witches, so maybe whatever is happening is
only
going to affect Rowan and Chloe and not himself. He is
somewhat relieved until he realizes that whatever is going on includes his dad,
granddad, and great granddad. Afraid of nothing, he pats his dad on the
shoulder and heads into the circle ready for whatever is about to go down.
Following them into the circle, Liam sits down across from his kids and
nods at Marcus.

Once everyone is
standing or sitting within the circle, the energy inside becomes electric.
Marcus turns to Peter and asks, “Shall I start, or would you like to do the
honors?” Peter looks at Chloe and encouraged by her excitement, he raises
himself from the log he is sitting on, feeling his 80 plus years more than
ever.

“Dear one,” he says to Chloe,
“I know you already have some idea of what is going on, but I ask you to be
still and take in everything we say before asking your questions.” Chloe nods in agreement.

“Beautiful Rowan, I can
tell you are holding back so much anger and confusion and I promise that what we
are about to tell you will only enhance your life — not the opposite, which I
am sure you are thinking.”

“Kaiden, you are so
brave. Fearless even. We are so very proud of the young man you have become and
your legacy does not change no matter what we say here today.”

Peter continues, “As
you well know, Liam is not your real father. He is your father in every way
that matters as he has raised you, guided you, loves you, and has been there
for you from the beginning.”

Liam interrupts, “And
that will never change.”

Peter raises his hand
to stop Liam from saying more, “That goes without saying, Liam, and is also true
of us,” he says, gesturing to himself and Marcus.

“I’m not one to beat
around the bush, so I’m just going to spit it out — the story we told you about
your birth mother is not true.” He pauses to allow that to sink in before
continuing. “She was not the niece of the women who lived in the house prior to
your family, nor does she even exist. There is no niece, there is no mother —
there is only each of you.”

“That’s impossible,” Rowan
says,
standing up, ready to bolt. “Everyone has a
mother. How else could we be here? Did we hatch?”

Marcus can’t help but
chuckle at her question, “No. You did not hatch, Rowan. Please, sit back down.
This will go much quicker if you just listen to what GG Peter has to say.”

As Rowan sits back down
she moves closer to Chloe who is emanating comfort and safety.

Once Rowan is settled
near her sister, Peter continues, “I’m sure at this point in your lives and
education you have all heard of reincarnation, yes?” he asks, and smiles when they
all nod their heads in agreement.

“Excellent. I will not
go into great detail about the Eastern religions and philosophies or the Western
viewpoint on the subject. Instead I will focus on your history.”

“You are the
reincarnation of the three women who lived in this house before,” Peter
explains, watching as confusion crosses their faces.

“Even me? But, but… I’m not a woman,” Kaiden
stutters.

“Even you, Kaiden,”
Peter continues. “As you already know, reincarnation is a cycle, the transfer
of one’s soul or spirit to a new life and a new body after a biological death. Reincarnation
presents souls with the opportunity to grow and learn during an existence, so
eventually your soul can stop the cycle and spend the rest of its days in the
Summerland.”

“What is the
Summerland?” Chloe asks.

Peter smiles at his great granddaughter, who
can’t resist asking questions and doesn’t hold back. “The Summerland serves two
important purposes. First, it provides a place for your soul to rest before
your next reincarnation. Secondly, and most importantly, it is the ultimate
destination of the reincarnation cycle. It is believed to be a sort of paradise
where your soul will feel nothing but happiness and pleasure.”

Marcus adds, “After the Summerland, your souls came back
“home,” only in new bodies and new forms, so we know that your souls still have
some learning to do. There was about a month between when the women died and
you reincarnated, which we know was enough time for the process to complete.”

“But how do you
know
we are the reincarnation of the old
women who lived
here
?” Kaiden asks.

Marcus and Peter look
at each other, and Marcus takes over the explanation for his dad, “Because Kaiden,
the women were witches and we helped them to cast a spell that would ensure
that their souls would come back here after the Summerland.”

“You have to understand
that you… er… they, had lived in this house
their whole lives. They spent years fixing up the house just the way they
wanted it, planting the gardens, and creating a safe haven for themselves. If they hadn’t cast the spell that they did,
they could have had a different reincarnation with a much harder life than this
and they would not have had our protection.”

Liam adds, “And the
grounds here are sacred — they have a special “
magic
” to them that give more strength to your craft.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Chloe interrupts, “So, our souls are reincarnated in order to grow and learn,
but how are we growing and learning if we are back to our “safe” place instead
of facing situations that challenge us? Based on what I’ve learned, it is the challenges in
life that provide the most opportunities for a person to grow and learn? Could your protection be keeping us from
completing
our journey and preventing us from staying
in the Summerland?” Chloe asks.

“I’ll take this one,”
Peter chimes in. “Excellent question, Chloe. You have to know that our families,
The Alexanders and the Scotts, have been intertwined for many generations. Aldo,
my father, and your great, great grandfather, was here when the women were born
in the house. He helped raise them, just as Liam here is doing for you. We have
kept records of your reincarnations prior to now and for this latest
reincarnation, as far as we can see, the most significant difference is in how
you are living. You see you all are interacting with your community, with other
people. The generations before you did not interact with anyone other than with
each other, and, well, us. They stayed home, on this land — never leaving the
property. They were afraid of being outcasts because of their… unique
abilities. Times have changed and in general, people are more accepting of one
another nowadays.”

Marcus jumps in adding, “Psychologically
speaking, interaction between human beings brings up a variety of emotions, including
love, anger, hate, anxiety, jealousy, need, desire, etcetera, which you have
all probably felt at one time or another, or maybe even on a daily basis. When
you interact with a wide variety of people, you are exposed to many situations
that lead to different experiences. Those experiences will help you to learn and grow.”