by Ava Day
“You can make it up to me by tackling the bathrooms,” I reply as I toss a wet sponge at her. She catches it with a sour look on her face.
From his perch on the ladder, Brent just shakes his head while he continues to tape the corners in preparation for a fresh coat of paint in probably fifty years. I motion for Joy to come over to counter and flip through some of the catalogs with me.
“Oh, that's a great coffee maker. Wow, look at that espresso machine!” Joy gets excited about kitchen equipment pretty easily.
“You’re in charge of the kitchen, so you need to help me figure out what we need to buy. Do you think this mixer will work?” I ask.
“Of course it will Penny, most people are still using their great grandma's stand mixer. Those things were built to last,” she replies. I try to prove her wrong by plugging it in, but to my own chagrin it actually turns on and starts spinning.
“I was serious about the bathrooms though. Could you start work on those? I just waded through a bunch of trash in the kitchen.”
“Sure, it's not like we have a murder to solve,” Joy says rolling her eyes. She stalks of with a bucket of water, gloves, brush, and dust mask. I prop the front door open and start hauling bags of trash out into the alley. The door to the basement is still closed tightly to my surprise. Just to be sure I go over and give it a tug. Yep, still locked.
It takes me more than a few trips to haul all of the trash out to the dumpster. My next goal is to get the box office looking nice. I pull the Marty McFly cardboard cutout from the tiny space and place it just inside the entrance to the auditorium. I can't wait to hear Joy scream when she finds it.
Returning to the box office, I look through the dirty panes of glass out onto the street thinking back to how many people must have come to this ticket window. I really hope our venture will be able to bring this magnificent old building back to life for the people of Spring Valley to enjoy. There are stacks of papers on the ticket counter. Grabbing a trash bag, I start sorting through them to see if there are any worth saving. Lots of flyers for what movies were playing at what time of the week. There is only one screen so they could only show one or two movies a night. Small towns keep it simple.
Moving onto the drawer below the desk, I rifle through the old ticket stubs and waded up gum wrappers. A business card tucked away in the corner catches my eye. Picking it up, I notice that it has a few runic symbols hand written on the back. I flip it over to find an address and phone number. This has to be something that the sisters stashed in here. I dial the number and get a message saying that the line has been disconnected.
Not wanting to let this piece of the puzzle go so easily, I search the address on my phone. It's listed as a magic shop. Seriously? Now I'm even more intrigued by this little bread crumb. Brent is working diligently on applying a new coat of paint to one of the walls of the lobby. I find Joy in the bathroom with her face covered by a dust mask, pulling gunk from the sink.
“Hey, I'm here to offer you a deal,” I say
“Anything,” she replies.
“I think I have a lead on our mystery.”
“Oh, really? Where to?” she asks.
“Here,” I say holding up my phone for her to see the directions.
“Looks like it's time for another adventure,” she says, pulling off her dust mask gleefully after she peels the gloves from her hands. Before we head out to the car, I stop at the bottom of the ladder that Brent is working from.
“We are going to take a little road trip. I don't think we'll be gone too long. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem. Going anywhere interesting?” he asks.
“I found a business card in the box office and I was hoping it would lead to some clues about Laverne. Joy and I now have an address to a magic shop.”
“A magic shop? Are you messing with me?”
“No, I promise. You’re out of the dog house,” I tell him.
Joy is tapping her foot impatiently by the door and rolling her eyes at us. Hopping in the car, I let the phone blurt out directions as I look out the window, watching the green hills roll past. The shop is only in the next town over, but it's still a good 45 minute drive from Spring Valley. It's nice to get to do some more sightseeing instead of being stuck inside all day. Not that I don't want to open the Beacon as soon as possible. The past week has been packed full of stress and I haven't had a chance to just relax with my thoughts while on a nice car ride.
Spotting the sign for Dark Cove, I tell Joy that it's our exit. We pull off the highway and continue down the road a few miles until it turns into Main Street. This place is even smaller than Spring Valley. A single four way stop sign marks the center of town and we make a right turn. A couple more blocks and we're pulling up to the curb in front of Crazy Harry's Magic Trick Emporium.
“What the heck, I thought you said it was a magic shop?” Joy asks.
“It did, but it didn't specify what kind. The name didn't even show up when I searched it on my phone,” I say defensively.
“We're here anyway. Might as well pick up some gags. Maybe a whoopee cushion or a hand buzzer,” she replies wryly, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
“Come on, let's just go in. I enjoyed the car ride at least.”
“Is this place even open?” she asks as we step out of the car.
The windows are covered from the inside with black drapes and there is a pile of junk mail sitting in front of the door. I look down the street and this whole town seems closed. There are no other cars parked along the street or pedestrians walking anywhere. It's a ghost town.
“I'm not sure that we haven't entered the Twilight Zone, Joy,” I say skeptically. Only half joking with her, I get the sense that something strange is going on here. As Joy puts her hand on the door handle a small arc of electricity shoots from her fingertip to the metal.
“Did you see that?” she asks, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Yeah. Are you alright? Did that hurt?”
“No, not really.”
Joy is hesitant to try her luck again so I step up and pull the door with my sleeve over my hand. To my surprise, it opens easily. The interior of the stored is well lit. I notice music playing over the intercom just like an old department store. Crystal balls line the shelves behind the glass counter.
“This place is way bigger than it looked on the outside,” I mumble.
Joy starts off towards the back of the store. Gowns, robes, and capes make up the majority of the rainbow of colors that are packed tightly together on endless racks of clothes. I step up to the counter and look down into the case to inspect the neatly arranged magic wands. Amulets and loose crystals fill the next case. Unconsciously, I clutch at the amethyst around my neck. It reminds me of the pendants I'm currently staring at. Joy comes running up to me with a beautiful gown on a hanger.
“Penny! Look, this is so cool,” she gushes as she holds the garment against her body and twirls around.
“That dress reminds me of the costumes we found in the basement of the Beacon.”
“Hmm,” she says holding it at an arm’s length away to inspect it. “You're right.”
“There is so much stuff packed in here and I haven't seen one magic trick. It looks more like the auditorium at the Beacon. With better lighting,” I reply.
“Did someone mention the Beacon?” a man's voice speaks from thin air.
“Yes, I did. Where are you?” I ask.
“I'm right here,” he replies and from one second to the next a man in a crisp tuxedo is standing behind the cash register. “Harold Beaucatcher the third, at your service.” The man tips an invisible hat which make me wonder if he's wearing one that I just can't see.
“Nice to meet you Harry,” Joy says, sticking her hand out. Harold takes it delicately and places a kiss on the back of her hand.
“And who might you be?” he asks turning to me.
“Penny. Why were you hiding?” I inquire.
“One must be careful
in this town. Never quite sure who is friend and who is foe,” he responds while eyeing me suspiciously.
“Well, I’ll be upfront. We’re here about a potential murder. Did you know the sisters that used to own the Beacon?” Joy interjects.
“I may or may not have heard of two sisters that owned that particular building some years ago, yes.”
“Let’s cut to the chase here buddy,” Joy says. “We have seen Laverne’s' ghost and we found her body in the basement. All we need is some more information on who or what killed her.”
“Why don't you ask her yourselves?”
“What do you mean? If we could why would we be here?” I say.
“You are wearing an amulet of dimensional communication or did you not realize the treasure around your neck.” Harry points at the amethyst.
“The only problem is that we haven't seen her in the past few days,” I explain.
“Two witches should have no problem summoning a spirit.”
“We're not witches,” Joy says.
“Oh, but whether you realize you are is not the question. Both of you have magic within. Does a spring not flow regardless of whether or not it is found?” he replies, raising an eyebrow at Joy.
“Harry, you are one weird dude,” Joy laughs.
“So I have been told.”
“Can you tell us anything else about Laverne? Even Beth, she's missing too,” I say.
“These are all good questions that I cannot answer. At least not this specific moment in time. Now, if you'll please let me get back to my important work.” With a flourish of his cape, Harry blinks away once again.
“Penny,” Joy says. “Will you pinch me please because this has to be a dream.”
“Oh my dearest Joyce you will awaken from this dream or you will not when the time is right,” I say doing my best impression of Harry.
“I’m still here,” Harold’s voice calls out from behind us.
“Sorry!” we both reply in unison, scampering towards the door.
This trip was not the most informative use of our time but it was nice to meet another witch. What are men who use magic even called? Joy heads outside, but I stay behind to inspect the reagents lined along the back wall. Unlike our stash back at the theater, these are labeled in plain English. Ash of a Phoenix, beetle wings, and rat tail are just some of the items I spot. Outside Joy is waiting by the car tapping her foot.
Chapter 13
“This place give me the creeps, Penny. I haven't seen a single person out on the street,” she remarks.
“What's odd to me is that there aren't any cars parked on the street. That's a mystery for another day though. We have work to do back home,” I reply.
The ride back to Spring Valley is quick and we both arrive at the Beacon feeling like we wasted half the day on chasing our tails. Brent is still working on getting a fresh coat of paint on the walls. I decide to grab a roller and help him finish up the hallway outside of the auditorium. From here I can listen to Joy swearing like a sailor as she cleans the bathroom.
My mind wanders back to the encounter we had at the magic shop. Harry was able to sense the magic inside of us that had been awakened. With every passing day, I'm becoming more of a believer that magic is real. Dark Cove was an eerie town, but maybe that strange feeling has something to do with our newfound sixth sense? I'm still trying to decide if Harry is someone that we should be afraid of or if we should ask for his help discovering more about our own magic.
The first coat of paint goes on quickly while I'm lost in thought. Stepping off the ladder, I go find Brent. I can't seem to locate him in the lobby, so I go to ask Joy if she's seen him. As I step into the bathroom, I am pleasantly surprised at how quiet it is. Then I see that Brent is scrubbing down the toilets.
“Where is Joy?” I ask.
“She said she had some research to do. I needed a new project anyway,” he replies.
“You don't have to make excuses for her. Do you want me to lend a hand in here?”
“No, I've got this.”
“Alright, just let me know if you need anything,” I say as I turn to hunt for Joy.
“Will do.”
I step into the auditorium and have to suppress a scream as I come face to face with the Marty McFly cutout I put right inside the doorway to scare Joy. Looks like that plan backfired on me. Climbing into the balcony, I spot Joy sitting on the floor cross legged with a book propped open in her lap.
“Hey, you snuck past me,” I accuse her.
“I did not. You were daydreaming and I waltzed past you. Big difference. Besides, Brent was happy to help. We have important business to take care of. In case you forgot.” she shoots back.
“Have you found anything in your exhaustive search?”
“I think so. This is a spell to summon a spirit. It's taking me a long time to decipher all of these spells, but I'm getting better at reading these runes.”
“Yeah, me too,” I answer as Joy hands me the book with her finger marking the spell she wants me to read. I skim over the text. We have some of the ingredients, but I'll have to look on the shelves for the five things I haven't seen yet.
“What do you think?” Joy asks cocking her head to the side.
“A little complicated, but it looks good to me. Then again, what do I know?” I hand the book back to her.
“Penny, do think that Harry was right? That we have magic inside of us now?”
“I don't know, Joy. It’s possible. More strange things have happened to us in the past few days that our entire life.”
“I was afraid that was the case.” Joy glances up at me with a worried look.
“Aren't you excited? I thought you always wanted magic to be real?”
“I did! Now that it's actually a thing I can do, it's scary. Like a whole other world of new and dangerous rules to understand. We don’t have anybody to help us to learn,” she says.
“Don't worry, I feel the same way,” I admit as I sit down next to her and sling my arm across her shoulders.
We sit in silence for a few minutes and ponder what the future will hold for us here in Spring Valley. If our business will be successful or fail. Will my relationship with Brent survive? One thing I know for sure is that I’ll always have Joy. I stand up, stretching my body like a cat and head back into the lobby. Joy scurries after me with the book tucked under her arm. I point to the cardboard cutout as we pass it.
“Didn't you see this?” I say.
“Of course, I'm not blind.”
“I was hoping to get a good scream out of you.” I admit.
“Maybe a week ago that would have worked, but after waking up next to a real ghost, it's not so scary. Besides, I couldn't give you the satisfaction of hearing me scream,” Joy laughs.
Back in the lobby Brent is up a ladder again, doing some touch ups. This place would still be trashed without his help. As I approach the ladder to tell him how grateful we are, the ladder shifts and starts to fall. I panic and throw my hands up to protect myself, making eye contact with Brent. He seems more surprised than panicked. Suddenly I realize that the ladder isn't crashing towards me anymore. An idea springs to mind and I push my hands gently forward. The ladder begins to tip back onto all four of its legs.
“Penny! How did you do that? Was it a spell?” Joy asks excitedly.
“No, it just happened,” I reply, stunned. Brent climbs down from the ladder quickly and comes over to us.
“OK, what just happened? I was ready to jump off the ladder, but I was held up with it by some invisible force. I couldn’t have jumped even if I wanted to,” Brent explains.
“Um…”
“Did you hook a safety cable to the ladder while I wasn’t looking?”
“No, I…” Crap. How do not tell him what’s going on now? “I wasn’t really lying the other day when I told you about the ghost and the spell. I started to tell you the truth, then realized that I sounded like a total loon, so I back tracked.”
“Are you
serious?”
“You just saw it your own eyes, didn’t you?”
“I guess. But…”
“Magic isn’t real, I know. Yet here we are in this theater with shelves full of occult supplies, a dead body in the basement and her ghost making sporadic appearances, and now, telekinesis. I have fricking witch powers. Great,” I say with a shrug.
“Why don't I have powers?” Joy whines.
“Maybe you're not mature enough?” I retort.
“Neither of you are mature enough,” Brent snaps. “Stop screwing with my head. It’s not funny.”