Autumn Calling (3 page)

“Well, I see a coin, which usually means
repaying a debt of some kind. A closed box, which can be finding
something that is lost, and hmmm.” She fell silent then blurted
out, “A house, which is security.” Then she quickly added more tea
to the cup and took a sip.

* * *

“How about we move on to peering into a
crystal ball?” Aunt Myrtle suggested. Summer nodded, and Tori just
about jumped out of her seat, she was so excited.

“I imagine there are many, many techniques
to gazing. I suppose it’s all in how you were taught and what you
are comfortable with. I like to close my eyes for a moment, take a
couple of deep breaths and clear my mind of clutter. When I feel
I’m ready I see what I can see. There’s no hocus pocus or special
words to recite. The crystal ball is just another visual aid to
your mind’s eye.”

“That being said, Summer, how about you go
first this time,” she suggested. Tori looked a little disappointed
and Summer felt nervous. She shook her hands to loosen them and
then laid her palms flat on the table, closing her eyes. She took a
couple of deep breaths and tried to relax and empty her mind. She
opened her eyes and looked into the clear crystal ball the size of
a large snow globe.

The candles flickering in the room reflected
in the glass as well as the image of a very intent and upside down
Tori. Should she be seeing something else? Wasn’t green smoke
supposed to build from within, and then some creepy face look out
at her and tell her something surreal? It sure as heck wasn’t doing
anything at the moment.

“What do you see, Summer?” Aunt Myrtle
asked.

“Truthfully?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I see Tori upside down.”

“That’s something, but gazing into a crystal
ball is not quite as literal as that. Let your mind wander a bit,
and let your eyes relax and go out of focus,” Aunt Myrtle
suggested.

Summer refocused on studying the crystal
ball for a moment or two, but had no luck.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. Even the most
powerful witches can’t do every kind of magic. We all have our
weakness, but that doesn’t make you any less of a witch. Besides,
clear crystal balls are often the hardest to use,” Aunt Myrtle
encouraged.

“Okay, Tori, you want to try?” Aunt Myrtle
asked.

Tori nodded eagerly. She closed her eyes,
took a deep breath, and let it out. Summer could see the intense
concentration in her friend’s face. She said, “I see a butterfly,
and a door that opens, and the butterfly goes through.”

“Very good. And what do you think this
means?” Myrtle asked her.

“I think the butterfly must mean some kind
of change or metamorphosis, and the door and going through it means
I’m headed for some new opportunity or challenge,” Tori
explained.

“Excellent. I wonder,” Aunt Myrtle said with
a pause.

“What’s that?” Tori asked.

“I just wonder if maybe you have gypsy blood
in your genes. I’m stunned at have fast you’ve taken to gypsy magic
and what a natural you are at it.”

“You think?”

“I do.”

“I don’t know anything about my parents,”
Tori said.

“It might be worth looking into. The
orphanage might have some recollection of who they were and what
the circumstances were for your being put there,” Aunt Myrtle
surmised.

“That would be something, wouldn’t it,
Summer?” Tori said.

“It would,” Summer agreed.

“Well, girls, I’m a little pooped. Maybe we
can call lessons done until after lunch?”

“Sure. We’ll get out of your hair,” Summer
suggested.

“Thanks for everything, Ms. Midnight,” Tori
said as she left the room.

* * *

The girls chit-chatted as they made their
way out of the mansion and past the medicinal herb garden Summer
had put in the spring before. The plants were taking off and it was
really looking sharp. Summer puttered around in the foliage at
least a few minutes every day. Getting her hands dirty and becoming
one with nature really relaxed her, especially when she was feeling
down. Seemed no matter the time of year, there was always something
blooming or budding. That new life always picked up her
spirits.

They sat on the bench overlooking the garden
as they watched bees and flying insects busying themselves
foraging. A large lilac-colored moth fluttered about getting
Sully’s attention, sending him leaping and bounding after it.

“So tell me,” Summer said, “What’s the plan
with Nick? Will he be moving in with you? Will you be moving in
with him and Jackson, or will you be looking for a new place to
house just the two of you?”

“I think the latter. I think my place is too
small for two people and I don’t really want to move in with
Jackson. Not that I don’t adore him, it’s just hard enough getting
used to one man, let alone two.”

“No doubt. It’s probably better that way. If
you moved into your place, he’d feel like he was moving and
changing YOUR stuff, where as a new place will be a fresh start for
both of you.”

“Exactly what I thought. We do so think
alike, don’t we?”

“We do. Have you started looking?”

“Only recently. We’ve been playing with the
idea, going to open houses and stuff like that.”

“Do you think you’ll rent a house or an
apartment?”

“Our budget will allow for a small
house.”

“That is so cool. I’m so happy for both of
you. What big and exciting changes you two are going through.”

“It is a very exciting time, though it is a
little scary, too.”

“Change in general can be scary, but we
can’t live an experienced life without change.”

“Okay, now you’re sounding like Sister
Margaret.”

“Ha, I guess I do. I never thought I’d be
accused of sounding like a nun, that’s for sure.” They both had a
good long laugh

“Is Nick terribly mad at me? He looked
furious yesterday,” Summer asked.

“Naw. He has that crabby look when he
worries. I know he understands your side of things. It’s just he’s
so protective of Jackson he forgets that your feelings count too.
We talked a bit last night. He hadn’t realized Jackson hadn’t been
in contact with you and I think that got him worried. But remember,
in the end, if you’re not happy, Nick will understand. You have to
do what you have to do. Maybe the relationship with Jackson right
now isn’t the right time with all his secretive traveling.”

“ We’ll see. I’m not ready to call it quits,
but he’s certainly going to get an earful when he does call.”

“Definitely. You know your face looks way
better.”

“It does? I’ll have to remember to put on
more tea tree oil later since it seems to be helping. Crazy about
those crows, huh?”

“Very. Fun lessons today, huh?”

“I think it was really cool how you seemed
to just know what to do,” Summer said.

“I did kind of, didn’t I? It was nice,
considering all this magic stuff I’ve been trying to do with you
and being so lousy at it, that I found something I can actually
do.”

“You’re not lousy at it. You lit that candle
the other day,” Summer said.

“THAT was cool. Tenth time’s a charm.”

“Yep.”

“Do you think I should take Ms. Midnight’s
advice and look into my family history?”

“I think you should if you want, but we
already know you have a knack for gypsy magic. You don’t need a
piece of paper to tell you what you already know, unless you think
it would be fun to research.”

“Thanks, Summer. That means a lot to me.
I’ll think about it, but I definitely would like to explore the
gypsy magic further.”

“And you should. Maybe it’s your calling. I
can see your goth look flowing over into an eclectic Bohemian
one.”

“I know, right? I was thinking the very same
thing.”

At the very same time both of their phones
chimed very different jingles. They both pulled them out and looked
at them. Sister Margaret, the only hipster nun who had an iPhone
now that Sister Mary Louise had disappeared.

“Girls…Bad news…Please come as soon as you
can. I’d rather not give this over the phone or by text. ~Sis
M.”

“What do you suppose that’s about?” Tori
asked.

“Don’t know. Only one way to find out.”

“Not the dog mobile. Please don’t make me
ride in that thing.”

“Don’t lie. I know you love it.”

“I so don’t.”

Despite Tori’s complaints they did drive the
dog mobile to the orphanage as soon as they alerted Aunt Myrtle
they would not be back until late, not knowing what Sister Margaret
was referring to when she mentioned bad news.

When they arrived, the little ones were
playing in the yard with large clay-red rubber balls and hanging
from jungle gym bars in their little plaid skirts and white shirts.
It brought back a lot of memories for Summer as she watched the
little girls running around screaming and being silly. She and Tori
had a lot of good times here, and almost all of them involved
Sister Mary Louise.

As soon as the two girls entered the large
double doors, a concerned but tight lipped Sister Mary spotted them
and ushered them towards the Reverend Mother’s office.

“Sister Mary, we’re here to see Sister
Margaret, not the Reverend Mother,” Summer said.

“I swear, I haven’t done anything wrong,”
Tori said instinctively. Sister Mary gave her a reprimanding look
as she herded the girls into the Reverend Mother’s office. The
Reverend Mother was there talking with Sister Margaret but they
stopped when Tori and Summer stepped in.

“Girls, thank you for coming. Have a
seat.”

“I swear, I didn’t do anything,” Tori said
to Summer.

“What’s this about, Sister Margaret?” Summer
asked as Sister Mary shut the door and left the four alone.

“The Reverend Mother thought it best to have
the news come from her,” Sister Margaret said, opening the way for
the Reverend Mother to take over.

“It’s come to our attention that Sister Mary
Louise is dead, and given your relationship with her, we felt it
would be best be the ones to give you the bad news,” she said,
opening a newspaper and displaying it on the desk in front of the
girls.

The headline read, “Woman found by hikers.”
It went on to say that a woman identified as Mary Louise Shaw was
found near Hell’s Hole Creek yesterday. How she died had not been
determined, only that it looked to be of unnatural causes.

“Sister Mary Louise is dead?” Summer said in
disbelief. It was bad enough that she had disappeared, but now she
was dead? Her face grew hot and her eyes welled with uncontrollable
tears. She looked towards Tori to see her silent and stoic, as if
frozen in time. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed in the limp
hand that sat in her lap.

The Reverend Mother nodded to the sister,
who jumped up and appeared between the two girls. An arm went
around each of them, pulling them to her. The girls relented and
cried quietly against her shoulders. “There, there, girls, it will
be okay. The Lord has a special place carved out to receive those
like Sister Mary Louise.”

After the girls had a little cry and pulled
back from Sister Margaret, the Reverend Mother continued. “I’m so
sorry, girls. I know how much you cared for her, and she you. I
didn’t want you to find out on your own, and since Sister Mary
Louise was part of our little family, I felt it was my
responsibility to inform you of her passing.”

“What will happen to her?” Tori asked.

“When the police release her body, we will
receive her remains and have her buried in the churchyard.”

“Won’t her family want to take her?”

“She hadn’t any, dear, but she does here,
and we will provide her with a proper burial and services. She was
dearly loved, girls. I’ll make certain she has a beautiful
spiritual departure despite how her life might have ended. I
promise.”

The girls nodded to the sister who handed
them each a gladly received tissue. “I’m so sorry, girls. If I can
do anything,” she stopped and then corrected herself. “If we can do
anything for either of you, you have only to ask myself or Sister
Margaret.”

“That’s right, girls. We’re always here for
you—always.”

Summer said a barely audible “thank you” as
Tori sat in her chair half-dazed. Without even thinking, and purely
automatic, both girls said minimal goodbyes and left the room. When
they made it to the dog-mobile, they both sat in silence for a very
long while taking in all said.

Summer hadn’t even realized she’d taken the
paper with her until she set it next to her thigh on the seat.
Reality seemed to stop in the confines of the automobile. Children
laughed and played in the school yard, birds chirped, even a bee
buzzed by the windshield. Reality existed out there, but in here
the two girls ached for time to stop and mourned their loss of
Sister Mary Louise.

Summer started the car and headed to the
Mausoleum bar. She knew Tori would need Nick to help her through
this grief. While she drove in silence, she reached for Tori’s hand
and held it tightly within hers. When they arrived at the
Mausoleum, a grateful Tori hugged her, depositing a few tears on
Summer’s cheek from her own. “Thanks, Summer. You always know just
what I need.”

Summer smiled. Tori shut the door, ran to
the bar, and went inside, but not before giving one last wave to
her friend.

Summer wished she had a boyfriend to run to,
but Jackson was on the other side of the world, and even if she did
reach him on the phone he’d be asleep. There was nowhere else to go
but home, where she found a happy hellhound waiting for her on the
porch. He seemed to know something was amiss and he lifted her hand
under his head for her to pet him.

She did give him a little scratch on the ear
but it was about the only energy she had. She unlocked the door and
went inside, locking it behind her. Sully followed her to the bed
where she plopped down and had herself a good long cry. Sully never
left her side and lay his head on her thigh, watching her and
keeping her company.