by Tonya Kappes
“Hi!” I waved. I darted across the street, avoiding a couple of cars driving down Main Street. Mr. Prince Charming made it over to them before I did. “Look at sweet baby Orin. Isn’t that adorable?”
I ran my finger over the top of the small baby black top hat that matched the one on Gerald perfectly.
“Thank you,” Petunia had pulled Orin’s baby blanket up clear to his eyes.
“Can I see his sweet face?” I asked and smiled.
“No.” Petunia shook her head. Her hair was falling down from the usual top-knot. Half of her hair was up and half was down, not on purpose. It just looked like she had gotten out of bed and walked down the street. “Keeping the chill off of him.”
“Yes.” Gerald barked underneath his mustache. “Chill off of him.”
Gerald and Petunia’s glances interchanged again. Petunia continued to tuck the blanket even tighter around Orin. She acted like an anxious child who had stumbled upon something she shouldn’t have. Or maybe I had stumbled upon something or a conversation they didn’t want me to hear.
“Oh.” I gestured my finger up and down Gerald’s typical outfit of black suit with grey pinstripes and tux tails. “You should get Orin a little outfit like yours.” I winked trying to break the ice, only a haunting suspicion told me they didn’t want to hear my chitchat.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, noticing the dark circles under Petunia’s eyes.
Baby Orin had really rocked their little spiritual world. They were used to caring for each other and Petunia was used to caring for the four-legged creatures of the community.
“It’s fine.” Petunia’s chin nodded up and down fast. “All fine.” She grabbed Gerald by the elbow and jerked it toward her. “We have a village council meeting this afternoon, we must go or we will be late.”
“Oh, yeah!” I had forgotten all about the meeting. “Oscar will be there. Do you want me to babysit Orin?”
“That would be great!” Gerald puffed up.
Petunia jerked her hand from the crook of his elbow and smacked his arm. “No she cannot!”
“But June loves Orin. She might be able to help,” he muttered under his breath and turned his head away from me as though I couldn’t hear him.
“I can help.” I rocked back and forth on my heels. My intuition was nagging me, but I buried the feelings deep in my toes. I could see there was something wrong. I didn’t know what, but something was happening between them and if I could take baby Orin while they went to the meeting, then I would.
Petunia crossed her arms and jammed her hands under her armpits. Gerald unhooked the straps of the baby carrier and handed it to me with Orin tucked inside. Before I could protest, Gerald had that thing strapped across my body and snapped in the back. Baby Orin hung on me like a baby kangaroo Joey. I tugged on my bag underneath Orin and moved it around my body, letting it rest on my back.
“Ah.” I peeled back the cover to get a look at the sweet sleeping baby and nearly fell over. “Oh.” My voice fell flat.
“See!” Petunia reached toward the snuggly bundle. Gerald smacked her hands away. “She will tell the world.”
“What happened?” I asked when I noticed Orin had a full man’s mustache. Now I hadn’t been a spiritualist long enough to see any of the villagers have children, but I did know that babies weren’t supposed to have full mustaches. “I mean, he’s cute, but what happened?” My lip curled and I leaned my head to the right to get a better look.
Mr. Prince Charming jumped on his hind legs and put his front paws on my thigh to get a better look.
“And him.” Petunia buried her head in her hands.
“We don’t know what happened.” Gerald chest heaved up and down. “He woke up that way a couple of days ago. We went to the doctor in the middle of the night, but he knew nothing.”
I didn’t even know where parents went to see a pediatrician, especially a spiritualist pediatrician. It was going to be a long time before Oscar and I even talked about having a baby.
“But we love him.” Petunia stepped up between me and Gerald. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know you do.” I put a flat palm on Orin’s back and my other hand rubbed up and down Petunia. “You have people here who love you and want to help out.”
“If the doctor can’t help us, who can?” Petunia cried. “And look at me.” She used both hands to push her hair back up in the messy updo I was used to seeing her in. She used one of the twigs like a Chinese chopstick to keep it up.
A bird popped its head out from underneath the massive head of hair and dove right back in. A feather floated down next to Petunia. Gerald grabbed it out of the air and held it toward me.
“Orin loves his face to be brushed with feathers.” He pushed it in my face.
I took it from him and stuck it down in my bag.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked.
“I told you, he said he didn’t know.” Gerald’s voice muffled and quieted as people walked by. Constance Karima was one of them.
Her eyes met mine. Hers lowered, mine popped open. Then she gave me a suspicious sideway glance as if telling me she wasn’t happy I hadn’t stopped by to see Patience. Really with Constance away at the village council meeting, it would be much better. I really did have a clue what was going on with Patience.
“Did Orin have tests run or . . .” I shook my head trying to grab for any sort of ideas that came to me. But I had nothing. I knew nothing about babies.
“Orin is not a mortal baby,” Gerald’s voice lifted. Petunia kept her hands on her face. “They just don’t do tests like they do where you grew up.”
“Oh.” I decided to keep my questions to myself. They were on edge and they obviously didn’t want my opinion, which really meant nothing since I had no experience raising any kind of baby. Still, I did plan on trying to help them any way I could.
“We have to go. Are you sure you don’t mind watching him?” Gerald asked.
“I’m positive. I love this little guy.” I looked down at Orin sleeping soundly. He was still just as cute with the man-mustache. Cuter.
Both parents gave me a concerned look.
“I’m fine.” I put one hand on each of them and pushed them away from me and Orin. “Go! You are going to be late.”
“I don’t even want to go,” Gerald scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“I bet June would like a little winter carnival.” Petunia sounded confident on what I might like. “Right, June? I believe you were mortal once. They love a carnival.”
“I did.” I smiled trying to keep the peace. It was hard to dampen the memory of the sweet, delicious tastes of funnel cakes and gooey, fattening elephant ears.
“See! And most of our tourists are women. All are mortals.” Petunia had a good point.
I nodded.
“What is exactly going on?” I had bits and pieces put together but not the whole picture.
“Petunia called an emergency council meeting to get a sudden change in the bazaar plans approved.” Gerald looked at his wife and then back to me.
“I think it would bring more people to the bazaar as well as keep them here longer which turns into more money for the village economy.” Petunia shrugged.
“That is what this emergency meeting is about?” I questioned, finding it odd they would need to meet on such a decision.
“Yes.” Gerald’s brows lifted. “I guess we better get going before we are late.” Gerald rubbed baby Orin’s back. “It wouldn’t be good if the village president was late.”
Gerald put an arm around Petunia. To anyone else it would look as though he was keeping her warm from the cold air, but I knew he was comforting her about two things. First was her worry about baby Orin staying with me and second was the fact she was worried about why he had grown a mustache.
I snugged Orin tight to my body and even covered him more with the edges of my cloak as I watched Gerald and Petunia cross the street and disappear between A Charming Cure and Magical Momen
ts on their way to The Gathering Rock.
The Gathering Rock was behind A Charming Cure up the hill between the shop and my cottage. There was a big rock and a cleared area where all the village meetings and gatherings were performed. Normally I was asked to give a cleansing using my special sage sticks, but not this time. If it was just a vote about a silly carnival, there was no need to cleanse.
Maybe subconsciously I knew that’s why they hadn’t asked me, so my intuition wasn’t going off, but my insecure meter was. Who knew? All I did know was that Mr. Prince Charming had given me a brass bell charm to ward off evil and baby Orin looked like an old man.
Chapter Seven
Two Sisters and a Funeral was located on the edge of town. It was a two-story Victorian red brick house, typical of mortal funeral homes. It was the only building that didn’t look like the rest of Whispering Falls, nor did it have a fun gate with a walkway. It was a typical southern looking funeral home. The large Victorian home with big glass windows and a large covered gathering porch on the front. The inside of Two Sisters had the same look. Heavy and thick dark crown molding framed the walls along with thick threaded wall-to-wall carpet. The entrances of the rooms were large and also outlined in the heavy dark crown molding.
I had never been to a full funeral service at Two Sisters, but from what I had heard, Constance and Patience had a way of making the service feel more like a celebration of life instead of death. Everyone walked away from A Two Sisters and a Funeral services, saying they felt their loved one was there and it was a little…well…magical.
“Come on,” I said in a hushed whisper to Mr. Prince Charming. There was no way I was going to go in there alone. There was just something about going in a place where dead bodies were hanging out. Not to mention ghosts.
Constance and Patience Karima’s spiritual gift was helping the dead get to the other side. I was sure that was how families felt like they were celebrating their loved one’s life instead of the end.
“I said to come on.” Mr. Prince Charming was standing on the bottom step of the funeral home and not budging. I lifted my hand in the air and wiggled my wrist, the bracelet jingled. “You got me into this. Come on,” I demanded through my gritted teeth. “I’m not going in there without my fairy-god cat.” My brows lifted. “Got it?”
I opened the door and Mr. Prince Charming reluctantly ran in ahead of me.
I stepped into the long wide and dark hallway. The walls were draped in long deep-red fabric that hung from ceiling to floor. I couldn’t imagine dusting those things. The pale yellow carpet with small red diamond designs lined the floors. Four large heavy ornamental wooden doors, two on each side, were shut. The massive staircase at the end opened up to a wraparound balcony.
“Get back here!” Patience screamed, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Thunderous footsteps boomed overhead. I looked up. Patience’s pet ostrich jolted across the balcony above. His neck swooping forward with each step and loose feathers flew behind him.
“Stop!” Patience wobbled after him a few seconds later. She stopped in mid-wobble. One foot planted firmly on the carpet while the other was stuck in mid-air behind her. Her head slowly turned toward me and looked down. She clipped her mouth together and planted the other foot.
She pushed her glasses up on her nose. She squeezed her beady little eyes at me and huffed. The hot air came out of her nose and fogged up her glasses.
“What are you doing here? Constance isn’t here.” Her arms hung down her sides and she picked at the edges of her orange housedress. “And what the hell is that?” She pointed to baby Orin.
“And it’s baby Orin.” I twisted my body so she could see. Her face contorted. “With a hat.” I said like it was normal to put a top hat on a baby. “And he has a mustache.” I shrugged. “Guess what’s coming to the village for the bazaar?”
I knew Patience would be the first of us spiritualists in line at the carnival. She loved to have fun in a child-like kind of way even though she was elderly.
Out of nowhere, a small yellow ball bounced down the stairs and landed right next to Mr. Prince Charming.
Rowl! Mr. Prince Charming jumped, twisted in the air, batted the ball and hid behind my legs.
“That!” I pointed to the ball. “That!”
“I. . .um. . .I,” Patience hurried as much as she could hurry, pumping her arms as she bolted down the hallway.
I darted up the stairs with Mr. Prince Charming right behind me.
“Oh, no you don’t!” I screamed darting down the hall after her. “If you want me to take you to the carnival, you have to answer some questions about that ghost boy!”
The door at the end of the hallway closed. Immediately I went to that door and opened it, even though the feathers had stopped at a different door.
When the door was fully opened, the shock of what was inside nearly knocked me over. A room full of caskets lined up, one after the other. Color after shiny color made me dizzy.
I put my hand on the doorknob and yanked the door back to me. I turned and planted my back against the door. What stood on the other side of that door gave me the full on heebie jeebies.
Mewl. Mr. Prince Charming taunted me from the hallway. I swear he had a smile on his face as if he was saying I told you not to come in this funeral home.
“Why?” I asked. “Why do I have to have fairy-god anythings that are so unhelpful?”
Madame Torres and Mr. Prince Charming loved giving me a hard time. I doubt anyone else had that problem. Oscar carried a wand in his gun holster and I never saw him even have to use it but once. It never gave him a bit of trouble that time. He pulled it out, pointed it and it worked. No fuss. No back talk. No nothing.
Mr. Prince Charming must’ve felt bad because he walked in and out between my ankles doing his signature figure-eight move that told me going into the casket room was going to be okay.
I closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath through my nose and ignored the smell of death that shot into my lungs, and let out a long steady stream of air through my mouth. I closed my eyes, turned the doorknob and flung the door open.
“Patience, I’m not playing.” I planted my feet firmly on the ground and put my hands on baby Orin. He was getting fidgety. I was sure my heart rate had woken him up from his deep sleep. Or at least caused him to stir. “I won’t take you to the carnival. I can’t wait to bite into a crispy, juicy caramel apple. They are so juicy I have to wipe my chin so many times from the dripping goodness.”
All the caskets were sitting on top of the church carts, gurneys, but the one rattling caught my eye.
With my eyes trained on the chattering death box, I slowly made my way over to it and knocked on top the silvery steel casket.
“Go away!” Patience screamed from inside.
“Okay, so your sister came to me and said you were going nuts,” I put my mouth closer to the closed casket. It was time to come clean. “I don’t think you are nuts. I think you have more going on with your spiritual gift than you care to tell anyone.”
I backed up when I saw the top begin to open.
“I think you’ve always had Constance to rely on and you’ve never had your own spiritual experience,” I said.
It was true. Every personal experience I had ever had with the twins was always the result of something Constance had said or done. Patience just stood behind her agreeing with everything she had said.
The top fully opened and Patience lay in the cream, silk lined casket with her hands neatly crossed over her torso like she was the owner of the deathbed.
“You might be right,” she squeaked out.
“I know I’m right,” I said and pointed to my gut. “I know I’m not supposed to read other spiritualists, but you are blinking like one of them Las Vegas casino signs. Not only to me, but also to Constance. She knows something is going on and she wants me to fix you.”
Patience sat up. She used her fingers to fluff out her tight-knit curls on the back of her head t
hat had been flattened while hiding in the casket.
“I don’t know what to do.” She wrung her hands.
“You have to let me help you.” I put my hands out to help her out of the casket.
“No.” She smacked my hands away. “I can get out of here without your help. I’m talking about the you-know-what.”
“I can help you with both.” I grabbed her hands and helped her out of the casket. “I can certainly help you with your little ghost problem.”
“He won’t go away. No matter how much I ignore him.” Her eyes darted to the door and the yellow ball bounced in. A little giggle escaped her and she kicked the ball back to the door.
“You encourage him.” I looked back at the door and didn’t see anything but the ball. I wasn’t privy to seeing ghosts and that was fine with me. I think that would be almost as bad as being a funeral home director like the Karimas. “You can’t laugh at him and expect him to leave you alone. Besides, aren’t you supposed to help him go to the other side?”
“He won’t go.” She hung her head down and shuffled her toe on the carpet. “I don’t even know where he came from.”
Her answer had hammered me. “What?” I asked. “How can you tap into your gift and not help?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I’ve always done it with Constance, but she doesn’t see him.”
The him she was referring to was a little boy. He loved playing with the yellow ball and messing with the other spiritualists. In fact, he almost ruined my wedding.
It was not a secret that Aunt Helena and Eloise didn’t see eye to eye on the type of wedding Oscar and I should have since both of them were the only living relatives we had. Both wanted to preserve our heritage and hadn’t been willing to budge on the rituals. The little ghost boy loved to hang around Mr. Prince Charming, but my ornery cat clearly didn’t like the little boy. I had no idea this little boy was around. I had mentioned out loud to Mr. Prince Charming how I wished I could have the wedding I wanted for my heritage, and the little ghost boy heard me, poisoning Eloise. Not enough to kill her but enough to make her sick on the eve of my wedding during my bridal shower. I ended up putting two and two together and figured out the yellow ball belong to a ghost. Not to mention I had caught Patience talking to the ball. Then I knew she saw him. Luckily I was able to give Eloise a potion to undo the poison.