Seeing Witchy Things

by Leigh Raventhorne

  Jake and Toby were laying side-by-side in front of the sliding glass door, Jake doing much better today, it seemed. Although they didn’t touch because of the chill factor, there probably hadn’t been more than a finger’s width of space between them all morning. They both turned their heads to the center of the room, ears perked, just as Rand appeared there.

  “Good morning,” he said, wiping his face with a little white towel. That was new and weird. How could a ghost be sweaty, I wondered, thinking of the frostbite I got every time I touched one.

  “Good morning to you. Been working out in the gray zone? How does that even work?”

  He gave me a slow half-grin. “Even spirits gotta work at it to stay lookin’ this good,” he teased.

  I had no idea if ghosts really needed to work out or not . . . but if this one kept running around sans the shirt, I might just end up with a hot flash. Shake it off, Rox. You’re not some teenager panting after every hot guy you see, you’re a mature woman. You’ve been divorced for, what? Five minutes?

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever!” Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my laptop.

  “What are you looking so serious about there,” he asked, wrapping the towel around his neck.

  “I’m just thinking about how we’re going to find Stella once we’re down in New Orleans. I mean, even though we have a general location now, it’s a big place full of a lot of people. It might take a while. All of the hotel rooms I’ve looked at online are crazy expensive. There’s got to be a more affordable way.” The choices were mind boggling and I was still in shock from some of the exorbitant prices. I sighed and shut the laptop off.

  “What about camping?” he suggested with a shrug. “Cruella’s rig looked like a plumber’s van on the outside, so she could park just about anywhere without anyone asking questions, but it had everything she needed on the inside. I don’t know how you could get any cheaper than that.”

  “Uh, no. Nooo way. She’s half my age and about half my size. There’s no way all four of us are cramming into a sardine can and driving that far. That is not happening.”

  “It's not like Jake and I actually take up space, you know.” He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. “What about a motorhome?” he suggested.

  “That’s not a bad idea. Some of the newer ones are almost apartments on wheels. I’ve seen pictures of them online before. And they have plenty of room . . . but, driving something that big, by myself, that far? Also not happening.”

  “What about driving your Jeep down and buying one already there?”

  Was he serious? “You’re thinking pretty freely with my money there, aren’t you, mister?”

  “Hey, I'm just trying to help. What’s up with you?”

  “I’m just . . . kind of easily overwhelmed, right now, I guess. It seems like an impossible task is all.” Even though I’d had the night to sleep on the idea of a road trip, it still seemed unreal.

  “Didn’t we settle this yesterday? I don’t think you have much choice. Elmer’s grandma was pretty adamant that you need to find this aunt of yours and figure out whatever it is that’s going on with you and your jewelry.”

  “Items of Power.”

  “Whatever.” He looked pointedly at the tray full of water glasses with my mom’s jewelry or Items in them; a reminder that we still didn’t know for sure what they were.

  I turned my laptop on again and let the boys outside while it was booting back up, reminding them to be quiet since the new neighbors were still out there. When I turned around again Rand was gone, so I made myself another cup of coffee and got comfortable while I searched for campgrounds in New Orleans, Louisiana. Surprised at how many there were, I read through advertisements that touted intrigue, folklore, jazz music, and seafood galore—prepared with French, Creole, Caribbean, and African influences. They had me at ‘seafood’. Maybe this could be a little bit of a vacation, too. A change of scenery would be good, right?

  Rand reappeared beside me, fully dressed in another fresh outfit. How the heck did he have a wardrobe?

  “Find anything good?” he asked.

  “I think I discovered why Stella went there, and the reasons she never left! Water, weather, food, music, and excitement—what else is there?”

  “That does sound pretty good, doesn’t it?”

  “It does and then some. But can you even eat? Or drink? I’m not much of a drinker, but apparently bars are a big thing there, especially in the French Quarter.”

  “Sadly, no—but I can smell, see, and hear just fine. Don’t worry about me, as long as there are places that allow dogs, I should be set.”

  “There are plenty of options and you were right about campgrounds, by the way. They’re definitely a lot cheaper than hotels and most are dog-friendly. It sounds like several are even on major bus routes in and out of the French Quarter, which will save me driving and looking for overpriced parking. Oh, check this one out—Old Crow’s Haunted RV Park. Public transportation and private shuttles to Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, and the French Market. Right on the water, at Lake Pontchartrain. They have an RV park, a marina, a seafood restaurant, and a bar right on site. And they rent RVs already hooked up and ready to go for about half as much as most of the hotels I’ve priced. The haunted thing though, what do you think?” I asked.

  “Booo! Duh? You’re talking to a spirit, asking if ghosts bother him? Really?”

  “Yeah, you’ve got me there, I guess. I might as well call this one just for the heck of it, and see what they say.” I picked up my phone and started entering the numbers.

  “You know you can just click the little phone icon, and if your phone is linked to your Google account it’ll dial it for you, right?”

  “Shut up, mister know-it-all. I’ve managed to get by for forty-one years pretty well doing things my way— Hello? Is this Old Crow’s Haunted RV Park?”

  The voice on the other end of the call sounded weird. Kind of like a southern woman with a nasally, heavy-breather kind of voice. Maybe. It sure didn’t give me a good mental picture, though.

  “Yes, I’m calling to inquire about potentially staying at your RV park. I see that you have several that you rent by the day, week, or month. Do you have any openings?” I asked.

  The line went quiet for a minute. Just as I began to think I’d lost the connection, the voice came back, “Yas’m. We gots a cancellation, we do. Just got it too, we did. Won’t last long. Dat’s our very bes’ unit, it is.”

  “How much is it?” I asked.

  “Dat’s a t’irty-eight foot Forest River with t’ree slide-outs. Is huge, it is. All hooked up, clean as a pin, and ready ta go, it is.”

  “That’s wonderful. How much is it?”

  “Gots t’ree AC units up top, it does. Full bath, ‘n a queen bed. Gots ever t’ing y’need, it does.”

  I took a deep breath and waited another two seconds before speaking. “I really just need to know how much it is, otherwise I have several other places to call.”

  “Lemme see . . . I mean, don’t hang up. Me see how much. You want week, or mont?”

  “Monthly rate, please.”

  Rand moved over in front of me to get my attention asking, “Monthly? How long are you planning on being there?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and raised my eyebrows. What kind of a question was that anyhow?

  “You pay cash—you get fer fifteen-hunnerd dollar a mont. Okay?”

  “That sounds perfect. I’ll take it.”

  Rand’s eyes about bugged out of his head. “Hello? You’re going to just rent it without even looking at a picture or anything?”

  “Sshhh!” I turned my head away from him, giving him my best evil slit side-eye.

  He threw up his hands and disappeared.

  “Rent start t’morra. You send five hunnerd t’rough Paypal as friend to—”

  He gave me the details and I sent him the five hundred. He told me to bring cash for the rest and for any additional months I may want and sent pictures of t
he thing inside and out. Apparently, it was part of the standard procedure. It looked impressive, and seemed like a deal, being it was less than a hotel room would have been, with three times the space plus a kitchen. I decided I wasn’t showing Rand the pictures after the episode he threw. Let him sweat it!

  ***

  Later, when Sam finally got up, I was still mentally working out the details. I’d come downstairs after putting the jewelry back in Elmer’s box and was in the process of putting together two bowls of salad for lunch, loaded up just the way we both liked them. Before she made it down the stairs to the kitchen, I took a quick look out the window to the back where Rand, Toby, and Jake now relaxed in the shade. They’d been playing out there for the last hour. He’d reappeared within minutes of his outburst, acting as if nothing had happened. That seemed to be his way so I decided to let it go.

  “Good morning!” Sam said, as she entered the room. She looked around the room and out the windows to the backyard. “I see Toby laying by himself in the shade, but I’m guessing he’s not alone?”

  “Nope. The three of them have been roughhousing out there for a while. They should be all tired out by now. And it’s afternoon, by the way.”

  Sam came over to me and put her hand on my arm and then looked out at Toby. “It’s not working for me today. What’s up with that?”

  “I don’t have any rings on,” I said, holding up my hands.

  “It’s just so weird that you can see them because of getting your head banged around.”

  “I don’t recommend it.” I was nervous about what I needed to tell her next, so I figured it was best to just throw it out there and get it out of the way. “I, um, rented a place down in New Orleans for a month.”

  Sam stopped, shook her head a little and said, “I’m sorry, what?”

  “After the mess I caused the other night, Grandmam and Rosemary feel that what they’ve tried to teach me about their family’s Items and magick isn’t enough. They’re pretty insistent that I try to find my aunt to learn about my family’s magick, before it’s too late. Ten years ago she was still alive, and had a New Orleans mailing address. I need to go down there and talk to her in person. I found a place that will accommodate Toby and I while I try to piece this all together. Rand and Jake will be along, too. There’ll never be a better time than now, Sam.”

  She sat down at a bar stool, looking past me with a sigh. “I suppose you’re right about the timing, but Rox, hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re not supposed to make big decisions anytime soon after anesthesia or head traumas?”

  “I’m aware of that, Sam, but it’s been plenty long enough. Think of it like I’m going on a vacation. I will be back, you know? I just don’t want to cause any more chaos because of my ignorance and it’s not like I can just turn off what’s going on in my head, right? With Rand and the dogs along, I’ll be safe. I might even have some fun! Wouldn’t that be just weird?” I joked.

  “When do you leave?” she asked. Apparently, I’d convinced her I’d thought this through.

  “Rent starts tomorrow, so as soon as I can.” I chewed my lip, feeling guilty. “I know it’s short notice. Will you be okay?”

  She waved her hand at me reassuringly. “I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you. Though I will miss having most of my meals prepared when I get home.”

  Relieved, I pushed her bowl of salad over to her. “If I had more time, I would have at least put some meals in the freezer for you. I wanted to help you with everything in the attic, but I need to pack tonight. Do you want to wait until I get back?”

  “No. I’ll invite Annie and Tess over and we can go through it. We’ll make a party of it. Any chance you can leave us any jewelry to cure hangovers?” She laughed when I threw a piece of lettuce at her. “I know, I know. It wouldn’t work for us anyway.” She bumped my shoulder, her voice more serious. “It’s going to be weird not having you around. Will you check in regularly and let me know you’re okay?”

  “Yes, mom.” I bumped her back. “I will touch base with you. If I don’t call, I’ll text. It’s only for a month, remember? And, just think—you can have Dr. Hottie come keep you company. You know, you still haven’t told me if he can cook.”

  The smile that tugged at her lips told me everything. “He can. He’s a pretty good cook, actually. Not on your level, but he’s got a lot of potential. We were going out again tonight, but I’ll cancel so I can help you pack.”

  I turned to face her, pointing a finger at her for effect. “Samantha Stone, don’t you dare cancel your plans tonight. I am a forty-one year old woman–I know how to pack a bag. And I’m not going to be gone that long, remember. A phone call, that’s how far away I’ll be.”

  “That reminds me — wait here, I’ll be right back.” She hurried out of the room only to return a few seconds later with a pencil length box. She set it down in front of me. “This is, was, for your birthday yesterday.”

  We didn’t normally do gifts anymore. Dinner or lunch with the girls had replaced that years ago. We rarely even did cake, since Tess and I were usually watching our weight. Touched, I carefully unwrapped it and lifted the lid. Inside were two beautiful silver chains.

  “Those are wheat style rope chains in sterling. I noticed some of those pendants and rings are silver and I know you used to wear mostly gold, when you even wore jewelry. There are two different lengths, so you can wear them together for a layered effect. Or, if you wear more than one pendant, you don’t need to worry about them touching. Not that I would know if that would even be an issue.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “And I thought these would look nice.” She leaned over and flicked my swathe of grey hair. “Especially with this.”

  “They’re gorgeous, Sam. I can’t believe you did this.” I stood up and hugged her. “What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?”

  “Hey, girl, thick and thin, we’ve been through it all. And you would do it all for me if our roles were reversed.”

  “Damn straight, I would.”

  She pulled back in mock surprise. “Did you just swear, Roxanne Bonacci?”

  She knew I almost never swore. It was just one of those things I’d never felt the need for and because of that, they rarely swore around me, even if they did still tease me about it. Heck, freaking, dang, and darn were about as close as I came to cussing. Surprisingly, even Tess, who could outswear a sailor, had mellowed her language.

  “Yes, I did, Samantha Stone.”

  “I’m so proud of you!” She wiped a fake tear away.

  We finished the rest of our lunch while she asked me questions about the park we would be staying at. By the time, everything was cleaned up, I knew I really needed to get upstairs to pack.

  “Have fun with Leo tonight, Sam. I’m going to turn in early and hopefully get on the road first thing, so I’m going to say goodbye now, in case I don’t see you before I go.”

  “I’ll be up, so don’t you dare leave before we say our goodbyes in the morning.” Her voice brooked no argument.

  “All right, then. Go get ready for tonight. Love you, Sam.”

  “Love you, too, Rox.”

  Chapter 8

  I got up even earlier than Toby usually woke me up these days, as did Sam, just as she’d said. I planned to split the sixteen hour drive in half into two, eight hour days of driving. “I’ll be in touch constantly,” I promised again.

  “You’d better, and you’d better be careful, too!” she warned.

  We exchanged hugs, she scratched Toby’s ears, and we piled into my Jeep—Rand riding shotgun, and the dogs in the back seat—as I waved goodbye. It’s a good thing ghosts didn’t have luggage, because mine filled the cargo space up completely. My Amp’d yellow Jeep Wrangler had been a splurge after my parents had passed and I loved it.

  After calling both Annie and Tess the night before to tell them what was going on, knowing they would never let me live it down if they heard it secondhand, I’d packed exactly as if I were truly going on a vacation
. Except I was also bringing the bookbag and Elmer’s wooden box along, in case I did find my aunt, so I could hopefully learn what I needed to. As an afterthought, I grabbed Birdie’s knitting needles. I didn’t really think I would have time to sit and relearn how to knit, but who knew?

  With Rosemary and Grandmam to call on while I was in down there, I felt I had plenty of backup. I didn’t bother calling them about the new jewelry, since the journal hadn’t shown any different information after the cleansing.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve done any sort of a road trip,” I told Rand, once we were on our way. “I don’t know if I’m nervous or excited. How about you?”

  “This’ll be my first time since—you know. I’m a little bit excited and a little apprehensive, too. I don’t know if things will be any different for me or not. I guess we’ll find out.”

  “You boys good back there?” I asked, just after merging into traffic from the entrance ramp onto the expressway. Jake had already disappeared and Toby had gone back to sleep. “Well, they didn’t last long. Can you still feel Jake? We didn’t lose him, did we?”

  “He’s fine. I can still sense him back there so he’s just conserving energy.”

  “Do you need to rest more, too?” I asked Rand.

  “I’m good but, are we there yet?” His mischievous laugh brought a smile to my face, too.

  “Don’t you make me pull this car over, mister,” I teased. We both laughed at that and the memories it brought back, no doubt.

  I have to admit, traveling with ghosts is easier than traveling with people. They never have to make pit stops, get hungry, or complain. They just disappear if they get bored or tired. Rand was pretty considerate, though. He kept me company most of the time, talking to me to make sure I stayed awake and such. Every couple of hours or so I’d stop at a rest area and let Toby stretch his legs and do his business. It was when I had to go that presented a bit of a problem. I knew he’d stay if I told him to, but for appearances sake, I put his long leash on and fastened it to a shade tree as close as possible. I couldn’t very well lock him in the car, in this heat. He stayed, nobody bothered him. It worked.