“Life isn’t all about gifts and shindigs. You did your best. Now that the situation has changed, you’ll be able to do better. He’ll treasure them all the same, knowing that boy. He’s a special one.”
And he was too. Maybe not in the way baby Pearl was special, but still special. There was a whole lot of love in that boy. Just, thank the Goddess, not an ounce of magic.
Even if the boy wished otherwise with just about every breath he took. Mason loved his magic. Real or not.
I glanced over at Kimberly. “You know, you might be putting way too much pressure on yourself over this. I mean, it’s Halloween, right? That child is likely to think that the whole celebration is all about her. Does she really need a special party too?”
After all, Nancy and Mason were working hard on their haunted path to the hilltop. Luckily, they’d roped Ruby and Amie to help them with it this year. Last year’s fiasco had just about done me in. But then that had more to do with having Kimberly’s water break right in the middle of it than the actual shindig itself.
But bringing my mind back on track... this whole place was going to be swarmed with people of all ages, and all in costume and having fun. Just try telling baby Pearl they weren’t here for her. Go ahead, try.
Kimberly turned a few more pages, and then finally gave a half-hearted shrug. “Okay, so maybe the party is more for me this year than for her. But I don’t just want to rely on the Halloween thing for her celebration. That kind of feels like... cheating. She needs a special time that is all about her.”
I chewed my cheek, thinking about it. “Okay. But does it have to be a themed party? What if we just had the whole family over and told everyone to give her one special gift, just from them? Mason could put on a magic show for her. Nancy could bring out Sassy.” I paused to give a shiver. That doll still gave me the creeps. “We could make the whole day about her, and then the bonfire on the hill that night would just be the icing on the cake.”
Besides, Mom had always been all about Halloween. The woman had probably insisted on being born again that night, knowing her. Sharing her birthday with All Hallows Eve would be a blessing to her. Not the curse that Kimberly seemed to think it was.
But I didn’t like to bring up the whole Mom’s soul thing too often in front of Kimberly. She was doing better with it, but there were days when she still struggled with the whole concept.
Perfectly normal in my mind. There were still days when I struggled with it too. It just wasn’t the natural order of things.
Or maybe it was. Maybe reincarnation was an everyday occurrence, and we were just none the wiser. Even if that was true, baby Pearl was still an anomaly. She bloody well remembered who and what she was. And I don’t think that had ever been the case before with a person who was born again. Of course, I could be wrong.
“An entire day of special presents just for her? You mean make the party last all day?”
I thought about it and gave a small nod. “That sounds about right. Everyone is going to want a little time with baby Pearl on her special day anyway, right? Why not come up with a timetable to give everyone their own special time slot? Seems to me that would be a lot better than all of us just sitting around the table and her opening all the presents all at once.”
Plus, the added benefit would be free babysitters for the child while we all pitched in to get the haunted trail and bonfire ready. Sounded like a win-win to me.
“Okay. At least for this year, that should work. But be thinking about something really special for her second birthday, okay? I don’t like repeating myself with parties.” Then she turned to me with a glint in her eyes. “Don’t suppose you’re willing to tell me what your special present to Pearl is? Just in case, you know, we were to duplicate it or something?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Nope. It’s only fitting that baby Pearl be the first to know what my gift is. But you have my word it won’t be a duplication of yours.” And then, because it was Kimberly, and I was in a giving mood, I added. “Besides, the gift isn’t final quite yet. I’m still working on it.”
She grinned at me. “You’re as stumped as I am, aren’t you?”
I took a deep breath and then blew it out. “No comment.”
Chapter 3
Whose bright idea was it that everyone give baby Pearl just one special present from the heart?
Oh yeah, that would be me. Way to put the pressure on myself.
I was sitting in my little living room, alone, and staring at that dang stuffed dragon. It was kind of special. I mean, it was fashioned and specially made to resemble her favorite baby toy. That was something.
It just wasn’t enough. Not by half. It needed... more. Lots more.
There was shouting out in the main house, so I shoved the dragon behind my loveseat, which barely covered it, and went out to see what all the ruckus was about. I should have known.
Baby Pearl was riding her broom again. And cackling like a, well, cackling like a witch, I guess you’d say. Not that most of us really cackled anymore. But then Mom always had been old school.
Not only did her mother, Kimberly, hate it when she did that, broom riding simply wasn’t a safe indoor activity. Of course, that thought just made me shiver, because it brought up the thought of outdoor riding.
That wouldn’t be safe either. Just no good options for broom rides anymore. Especially when the rider isn’t even one yet.
Kimberly’s wild eyes looked to me for help. “Can’t you do something, Opal? Unmagic the broom or something?”
I just looked at her. That might work... if that darn broom had an ounce of magic in it. Trouble was, it didn’t. The magic was being supplied by the rider. But I didn’t think she wanted to hear that right now, so I just went with a headshake. “Sorry.”
It took both of us five minutes to catch the slippery baby on broom. You think a toddler can get around fast? Add a flying broom to the mix. We’d still be chasing her if Nancy hadn’t chosen that moment to come downstairs just as baby Pearl was starting up them.
She grabbed hold of baby Pearl as she tried to fly past and lifted her from her ride. Baby Pearl stopped her cackling, and the broom dropped to the stairs under it.
Baby Pearl started squirming, trying to reach down to get her hands on the broom. Not quite possible from the height of Nancy’s arms. I saw the look of concentration come into her eyes and lunged up the stairs for the broom just as it came up off the floor.
“Oh, no you don’t. That’s enough broom riding for the day.”
Kimberly stood behind me on the stairs and reached her hand out. I handed over the broom. I knew when I’d met my match on that one. Baby Pearl was her daughter, not mine. “That’s enough broom riding for longer than today. I’m putting this somewhere safe.” Her eyes met baby Pearl’s pout. “You’re just going to have to use your legs, little Missy. That’s what the Goddess gave them to you for.” She held up the broom. “This is for much, much later in life.”
She stomped down the stairs, and now I had two pairs of concerned eyes looking at me.
“You don’t think she’ll get rid of it, do you?” Nancy whispered.
Until that very second, I’d kind of had worries of that myself, but then I remembered Kimberly’s scrapbooks. No way would she destroy such an important memory in her child’s life. “I think the broom is safe.”
Then I looked baby Pearl in the eyes. “And you brought this on yourself, child, so don’t you dare go whining about it. Babies aren’t meant to ride brooms, you know. And your mom is right about the walking too. You need to exercise those legs of yours. You don’t want to keep that baby fat forever, do you?”
Baby Pearl’s eyes widened, and she stopped squirming. It might have been playing dirty pool, but my Mom had always been super conscious of her weight. It was a battle she had fought right up to the end. She was never what you would call fat, mind you, but she had been a mite, well, soft around the edges.
That softness on the outside had driven her nuts
too. Something inside baby Pearl’s brain seemed to remember that too. She had a second chance to be the svelte, trim young witch she’d always wished she could be. It wouldn’t do to blow that so early in life.
But I could also see the sadness in baby Pearl’s eyes as she looked after her mom. Maybe I could negotiate a truce of some kind?
It was worth a try, anyway.
Nancy took the unhappy baby back upstairs. “I’ll try to distract her a bit with blocks and some dancing.” Then she looked at me. “Our mini-fridge is fresh out of chocolate milk and soda, though.”
Ah. That must have been why she was coming downstairs in the first place. “I’ll bring some up in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” And the two of them disappeared into the kids' quarters. Mason and Nancy shared a small apartment of their own. Each with their own room, mind you. Wouldn’t want to give the town anything to talk about there. And they even had a nice-sized playroom between them too. For the most part, the two of them got along great, but there were times when that in-between space was much appreciated by both of them. I had a feeling those times would become more frequent as the two of them got older.
I found Kimberly in the kitchen. She was just standing there in the center of the room, staring at the broom in her hand.
She glanced up as I came in. “A part of me wants to burn the dratted thing, just so you know.”
I nodded. I got that. “But you won’t, will you?”
Kimberly scrunched up her nose. “No. I won’t. I really, really want to, though.” Then her eyes met mine. “What am I going to do with it, Opal? It’s not safe for her to be riding it around the house. For her or us.”
She had a point. The broom handle wasn’t all that sharp, but it was still kind of a pointed object, and baby Pearl could get going pretty dang high up when she took a mind to. Going pretty dang fast too. Nothing and nobody was safe from that child on her broom.
I stared at the offending broom for a minute, thinking hard. “What if I could put a limiting spell on it? Something that would only allow her to get maybe two feet up off the ground?”
Kimberly looked at me. “You can do that?”
Truthfully, I wasn’t so sure how that would all work out, but I had an entire family of powerful witches at my back. So what I said was, “I’m a witch, ain’t I?”
She nodded slowly, then held the broom out to me. “That would be a start, anyway. I still don’t like the broom riding thing, but if we could keep her closer to the ground, it would help.”
I put the baby-sized broom in my apartment and shut the door before I took the drinks up to the kids. I wasn’t taking any chances. Baby Pearl might be able to call the broom to her, but I didn’t think she’d have much luck if there were actual walls, doors, and ceilings in the way. Good thing she’d never learned a teleportation spell, isn’t it?
But the whole time I was doing those somewhat mindless tasks, my brain was whirling.
I just might have an inkling of an idea for a very special present for my little goddaughter after all. And it all started with that tiny broom.
Chapter 4
I have to admit, I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Looking over my day’s handiwork, I finally felt one overly large burden lift from my shoulders.
Well, partly anyway. There was still more to be done to the present before it could be presented. Like getting that blasted limiting spell in place and working. I was truly hoping I hadn’t oversold my ability on that one.
Time would tell. A family conference call might be in order. But when the ruckus outside my door started up again, I knew that would not happen right at the moment.
Nancy and Mason had done a good job of keeping baby Pearl distracted for the morning. But a rambunctious toddler can drain even the kids’ energy level. Especially a rambunctious toddler with more than a touch of magic in her system.
Around noon, they called for reinforcements. Hence the ruckus. Looked like my turn at the wheel.
I glanced at the tiny broom and then carefully placed it in the closet and shut the door on it. Then I tripped the child safety lock on the door. With the magic barrier in place, that little broom would not be going anywhere anytime soon.
At least, not without a grown-up letting it out. No telling when one of us would have enough of trying to distract baby Pearl and do just that. I just hoped I wasn’t the one to cave first. That caving should be saved for Kimberly. Her decision.
October in Michigan could go either way when it came to weather. So far, we’d been lucky. Especially for this late in the month. It wasn’t exactly warm out, but a light jacket and we were ready to go.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, the older kids rallied when they found out I was taking baby Pearl up to the hilltop. Mason loved our woods, but he wasn’t allowed to roam around in them without someone older with him. He was getting close to being given permission, but at six years old... well, we didn’t feel he was quite up to the responsibility of it all.
Not to mention the fact that my woods backed up into a kind of state preserve with acres upon acres of trees, grass, and plants. That had kind of been the selling point when Sapphire and I had bought the place all those years ago. Lots of lots of magical ingredients in those acres. The ease of access made it all that much better.
Unfortunately, that also meant that there was a very real danger of losing oneself in those very magical woods. And Goddess help us, we didn’t want to lose the boy.
Jackets were put on, and the four of us—me, Nancy, Mason, and little baby Pearl—started out on our walk. Technically, I could have used the harness still, but baby Pearl was quickly starting to outgrow the thing. And it was starting to be murder on my back too.
Besides, baby Pearl could walk now, and a big part of taking this hike up the hill was to help her burn off some energy. One needed energy to work magic. Less energy meant less magical mischief from the tyke.
At least, I hoped it did. Otherwise, I’d be wearing myself out in the meantime, all for nothing.
“Come on, Pearl,” Nancy said, grabbing the toddler’s hand. “I’ll show you where the squirrels live.” Then she looked up at me. “We should probably take them some food, shouldn’t we?”
I nodded. “A couple ears of corn might be graciously appreciated.”
She ran back into the house and came out with three ears. Made sense. One for each child. The squirrels would appreciate that. They loved it when we came up the hill with offerings of friendship. Namely, food that they didn’t have to hunt down.
Baby Pearl did better than I’d expected her to. She walked the whole way up that hill. I was pretty sure the three of us would be taking turns carrying her back down it again. But at least going down was easier than coming up. That helped.
When we reached the top, the squirrels did their part in distracting baby Pearl. I’d been smart enough to pack a small backpack with a blanket to sit on and snacks and drinks for everyone. So we munched along with the squirrels. Afterward, the squirrels put on a show of daring leaps and chases to entertain the kids.
Kind of thought just maybe the Goddess put them up to that. But then again, maybe it was just their way of saying thank you and come again soon. And bring more food, of course. That last part went without saying. Well, it all went without saying. At least in words.
We stayed for about an hour before I noticed baby Pearl’s nose getting a little pink. Time to head back. While I stretched and tried to get my body working again after that long on the ground, Nancy started picking up our food wrappers and water bottles. And little Mason folded up the blanket and stored it away in the backpack.
All in all, I’d say we all had our eyes off of baby Pearl for thirty seconds max. Unfortunately, that was all it took.
She was gone.
Nancy’s wide eyes stared up at me in panic. My panicked eyes stared right back at her.
“Where is she?” she asked.
I motioned in a circle. “Spread out. With her
little legs, she couldn’t have gotten far.”
I went to the left, toward the trail back down the hill, but there was no sign of her. Mason went to the right, and Nancy went straight ahead.
Unfortunately, they had the same luck I did. Which is to say, no luck at all. What the heck? Did Mom have some kind of invisibility spell I didn’t know about?
A stealth spell wouldn’t be this thorough. Those spells didn’t really work when someone was actively looking for you. They only helped when people didn’t have a clue you were where you were.
Not the case here.
We met back up in the center of the clearing, our eyes looking out all around us. No way could this be happening.
Then baby Pearl cackled, and my heart froze for just a tiny second as my eyes closed. I couldn’t even look. I knew where we’d find her.
In a tree.
“She’s up in a tree, isn’t she?” I asked, still not looking.
“Yup,” Nancy said.
I swallowed and nodded. “How high up?”
“Pretty high.”
Yeah, I’d been afraid that would be the answer. I took a deep breath and looked. Very high, indeed.
Nancy and I might have been dismayed and worried. Not Mason. He was in awe.
“That’s so cool. How did she do that?” And then his little face fell as he realized the answer was magic. Something he’d never have.
I didn’t like the disappointment on the boy’s face, but that was something I’d have to deal with later. Or better yet, let Kimberly deal with. She was doing very well in her studies to become a witch. She was starting to be able to craft spells of her own. Not exactly magic, but it could come pretty dang close.
But again, a worry for another time and another place. Even if my mind was wanting to think of anything other than the serious problem at hand.
Witch Reborn Box Set: Books 1-3: Includes Gemstone Coven Holiday Shorts 1 & 2 Page 46