by Les Goodrich
“What the hell was that?” asked Carol and she stood still watching the store and the girls in one wide gaze.
“What was what?” asked Jordan and Brit turned with raised eyebrows and an innocent tilt.
Carol’s mouth twisted to the left and she relaxed her posture. She shook her head once.
“If you two had jumped or even looked twice when a candle and a book fell off the shelves in the back, then I might believe you have no idea what did it. But you didn’t flinch. You might as well come clean and tell me what that was.”
“It’s a Lutin,” Jordan said with her head down a notch. “We conjured it by accident.”
“We?” chirped Brit.
“Okay, I,” said Jordan and Carol put her hand over her eyes then wiped her face down to her chin and breathed in as if she might wipe away what she had just heard.
“For the love of Jet Owens, how did you conjure a Lutin into the store?”
“Well this customer, a guy. Cute. Was buying a book that had banishing and conjuring seals in it. The Danican book. He couldn’t understand how the two seals were different because they look the same so I tried to explain that it’s not how they look but how you draw them that matters, and he still didn’t get it.”
“And then?” Carol asked with her eyes closed and her head tilted back.
“And so I drew the banishing seal on the back of the email sheet. And when I drew the conjuring seal the damned thing just popped onto the counter.”
“And the customer saw it?” Carol asked looking at Jordan who refused to look her in the eye.
“Hell yes he saw it. It landed right in his face.”
“What did he do?”
“He jumped up onto the wand case and I tried to freeze him but—,”
“Not the Lutin, Jordan, the customer.”
“Oh. He shit his pants and ran out of the store. I tried to freeze the Lutin but it was too fast.”
“It was awesome,” Brit said and Carol shot her a look and Brit was quiet again.
Carol took a deep breath and turned back to Jordan.
“Why didn’t you just let Brit draw the seals?”
“Hey!” Brit protested and Carol said, “I’m sorry honey. But really you two. A Lutin? How long has it been in here?”
“Not fifteen minutes,” Jordan said.
“Okay,” Carol composed herself. “Two things. First of all, as far as conjuring goes. It’s like sex. You take a chance when you do it casually, because you just end up with whoever is happening by.” Jordan's smile was extinguished by Carol’s quick glare.
“You two are lucky it was only a Lutin. This town is crawling with Lutins.”
“It’s the cats,” said Brit.
“No Brittany it’s not the cats!” Carol asserted and Brit looked down and Carol went on.
“Secondly, the full moon is the day after tomorrow. Now if you don’t want a dozen of those damned things in here I suggest you catch it well before then. And just give me a break with the conjuring recklessness. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jordan said, then added, “It was just a mistake. I guess the Lutin was within earshot, or whatever, right as I drew the seal.”
Then Brit said, “Maybe The Poison Apple witches sent it. Like they sent it to wait, or to sneak in somehow.” Carol looked to her then to Jordan and the girls looked to each other and the heat in Jordan's eyes could have lit Brit on fire.
“Why would you say that?” Carol asked and she saw the look Jordan gave Brit and the three stood. “Well,” Carol said, “out with it.”
The girls told Carol about the credit card hex, and Jordan's spell to counter it. They told her about Darkspell following Brit. And they told her what they suspected about the writer guy and him going to The Poison Apple after using his card at the shop and Carol listened in silence until they had finished when Jordan said, “And that’s about it,” and Carol looked at each of them a few times before she spoke.
“I take one day off,” she said with a pause then she flew into action talking as she moved about the store.
“I thought I said to tell me anytime you guys have an issue with that store. Did I not?”
“You did,” the girls both said at once and Carol pulled her wand from her purse and began to cast some incantation around the store perimeter on the inside. She called to the girls.
“And this Darkspell incident. Those twins that followed Brit. That was before, or after the credit card thing?”
“It was before,” said Jordan, “and they’re not twins. Not even sisters.”
“I hate those little creeps,” Brit said, and Carol kept talking.
“Okay fine. Jordan you did the right thing with the credit card hex mirror and a good job of it from what you girls tell me about sales today.”
“Thank you,” said Jordan.
“I’m not finished,” Carol said and went on. “But I want full coverage. Mirrors for the whole store. Can you do that tonight?”
Jordan followed Carol around as she cast the protective spell with her wand aimed at the baseboards and corners and answered her. “When you say full coverage how many mirrors are we talking about?”
“Just two. One for the front and one for the back.”
“I can do that,” Jordan assured her and together they rounded through the Crooked Cupboard room and back out to the front where Carol spoke to Brit.
“Brit. Can you recharge the Witch Catchers tonight? We need one up front and one in the back, like the mirrors.”
“Spell Cathchers,” Brit said and immediately regretted it.
“What?” Carol snapped and looked up from her wand as she finished at the door where she had begun.
“We say Spell Catchers now. Witch Catchers is witchist.”
“Witchist,” Carol said.
“It implies that all witches send bad spells. The balls catch spells. Not witches.”
“Can you just recharge the damn things Brittany?”
“Yes. How do I do it?”
“You just rinse them with clear water then hang them outside to dry overnight. Preferably on a full moon, but we’ll take whatever we can get.”
“Got it,” said Brit and she went to gather two of the several glass Witch Catcher/Spell Catcher balls from their spots in the front window.
“I’ll text Tanner and ask him about any rune protection he knows of. He can set that up when he comes in tomorrow,” Carol said partly to herself and the three came to a stop at the front and Carol spoke in a more hushed tone.
“Now listen to me you two. If The Poison Apple witches are following you around, and hexing the credit card machine, you can bet they’re working up to something worse. That’s how they do things. They escalate. They’d never waste their time with petty stuff unless it was for a bigger reason. They’re trying to get some kind of aim at the shop. There was a time when this sort of thing could be resolved with a chat, but these days. I’ve fought it out with Gwen more than a few times over the years, and I’ve known every witch that ever worked for her at that store. Whatever this is about, it’s just the beginning. All we can do right now is secure the shop. Reset our magickal passwords as it were. You guys do the things I asked, and I’ll get Tanner to dig up some old rune magick for us, and that should stop them for a while.”
“And what are you gonna do?” asked Jordan and she immediately added, “With all due respect.”
“No it’s fine,” said Carol. “I’m gonna find out exactly what that bunch is up to.”
“How?” asked Brit.
“I have my ways,” said Carol and she moved toward her office in the back, her voice trailing into the shop. “You two have about forty-eight hours to get the Lutin out of here before the full moon rises. Sunset on Friday. You’re both responsible for it. Get it out of here. If you need any help, I’ll be in my office, but I wanna know what you come up with before Brittany leaves for the day.” Carol’s office door closed.
Brit and Jordan stood in the front and Jordan sipped the l
ast of her basil iced coffee and looked to Brit.
“What was that about the cats?” Jordan asked.
“Lutins shift into cats. Well, white cats. An all white cat is a Lutin in disguise. They can get into houses like that. Like if you invite it in as a cat. Once it’s inside I think it can stay a cat forever if it wants. But they can only reproduce as a Lutin. They just sort of multiply. No one knows exactly how, but it has something to do with the full moon. If a non-cat Lutin is inside on a full moon they can multiply. Like crazy I think. I blame the cats for spreading the Lutins, but apparently I’m wrong about something with that. Who knows.”
“So how do we get it out of here by Friday? You saw how wicked-fast that thing is. And I think it can turn invisible. Or slip between dimensions or something.”
“I don’t know, but the stuff I read about them was in O’Shea’s Guide to Goblins and Hobs. We have a copy of that in here don’t we?”
“In the Crooked Cupboard. Saw it when I was dusting the other day.”
“Okay,” said Brit and she moved around the counter to go for the book, then stopped. “On second thought, you go see what else is in the book. I’ll do a few online searches for Lutins or getting rid of them.”
“Deal,” said Jordan and she turned to the back.
“But bring the book up here while I count out of the register. I’d like to go home sometime this century.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jordan said.
Brit scanned through her online Lutin searches and Jordan flipped through the book. Jordan made notes on a notepad and Brit opened relevant items in individual windows and after about fifteen minutes Jordan said, “Whaddya got?” Brit pulled up a few of the pages and spoke.
“Okay. A Lutin can only multiply on a full moon night, from sunset to sunrise.” She looked up to be sure Jordan was paying attention. “It can only multiply in its Lutin form. And here’s the important part: it can change from a cat to a Lutin only when it’s outside.”
“Really?” said Jordan.
“Yeah. But it can always change from a Lutin to a cat, no matter where it is. It’s like a defense mechanism.”
“That’s awesome, because listen to what I found,” Jordan said and looked to her notes. “The one thing Lutins really love is milk.”
“Milk,” Brit said. “Like regular old milk?”
“Yeah, milk. But as a Lutin they’re severely lactose intolerant.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I swear. So they will always change into a cat to drink it. A white cat I guess. They can’t resist.”
The girls looked at each other and Jordan continued.
“So if what you found is right, we can catch it. We’ll never catch it as a Lutin. But if we can trick it with milk, into shifting into a cat while it’s inside, we can catch the cat.”
“And once it shifts into a cat while it’s inside, it can’t change back into a Lutin,” Brit said thinking out loud.
“Until it’s outside, right,” Jordan agreed, “and it can’t multiply while it’s a cat.” As she finished speaking Tanner walked in.
“Right,” Brit said, then looked up and said, “Hi Tanner. Can’t stay away from here can you.”
“Guess not. What can’t multiply while it’s a cat?” and Brit answered him.
“A Lutin. There’s one loose in the store.”
“How’d it get in here?”
“Never mind that,” said Jordan. “What’s up?”
“Got a text from Carol. I was at Stonecloak so I came over. She said we need some rune protection. What’s that all about?”
Jordan and Brit told Tanner about The Poison Apple, the hex, and Darkspell.
“Crazy,” said Tanner and he went to the back to talk to Carol. He knocked on her door and partially opened it.
“Hello,” he said.
“Oh hi hon. Come in”
Tanner stepped into the small office and Carol turned in her desk chair.
“So the girls told you what’s going on?”
“Some of it. They weren’t super clear about why The Poison Apple is messing with us.”
“We don’t know why yet, but leave that to me. What we need is any rune protection you think’ll help the shop.”
“Off the top of my head I’d say that at a minimum we should put a dedicated Thurisaz rune outside the front door.”
“What about the back?”
“Not necessary. One will do it. The Thurisaz rune is associated with the thorn. Imagine a hedge of thorns. It means obstacles. Protection. But also stubbornness, pride, and a way to deflate the false.”
“Outstanding,” Carol said. “Can you do it?”
“In about five minutes, but since we’re all here, we should do it together.”
“Great,” said Carol and she got up and the two went to the front.
Tanner explained the reason for the Thurisaz rune and everyone listened. They all trusted whatever Tanner said about the runes. When he was finished he took a large black permanent marker from the front table and Jordan brought the stepladder from the back. Brit, Jordan, and Carol watched as Tanner stood on the ladder and drew the rune, about two inches high, on the tan stucco above the front door.
They went back inside. The girls told Carol their plan to catch the Lutin and she seemed pleased but added, “We’ll celebrate once it’s gone.” Tanner returned the ladder and spoke casually.
“If you guys can’t catch the Lutin then Chris and I will try to get it. I have a faeire trap I’m working on and it might be big enough. Might have to reinforce it with copper though. Plus, Chris said he wants a cat, so, let me know how it goes.”
With that, Tanner sat on a chair under the bookshelf and began to read his copy of The Poetic Edda.
“Absolutely not,” Carol said. “I’ll not have the store burned down with Tanner and Chris chasing a Lutin through here. The girls will catch it and that’s that.” She had said Tanner’s name as if he weren’t there but she knew he could hear her. She walked back to her office for her bag and as she passed the spot where Tanner sat he said, “Fine,” without looking up.
Carol made her way back to the front so Brit could leave but she stopped at the book case seats.
“If your friend wants a cat, there are easier and less potentially life-wrecking ways to go about it than trying to keep a cat-shifted Lutin around.” She said.
“You’re right,” Tanner looked up from the book.
“And thank you for doing the rune.”
“My pleasure.”
As the two chatted a customer came in. A mom with her son of about ten years old. Jordan helped the woman as she looked through CD’s searching for one suitable for relaxation. Maybe meditation. Something with no words. As they talked about the options the little boy walked through the store and seemed mesmerized by the displays of crystals and gems. He sat on the floor under the gem cabinet and poured over the small polished stones in their little boxes on the shelf below. He picked one of each type up and studied it before replacing them carefully. Jordan watched him. The mother called his name.
“Lucas. Be careful with things in here.”
“He’s okay,” Jordan said and the boy smiled and went back to inspecting the rocks.
Brit came back to where Carol and Tanner were and said she was counted out and was ready to leave. Carol thanked her and the three looked forward when the register chimed. Jordan sold the lady a CD and after putting it in the bag she pulled a white homemade coloring book from her backpack.
“And this is for you,” Jordan said and handed the coloring book to the boy.
“Thank you,” he said and he smiled at Jordan and the mom said, “Thank you,” and the two left.
“I really wish she wouldn’t do that,” Carol bristled and she stalked to the front as if to berate Jordan about something but she said nothing once there. Brit and Tanner watched from the relative darkness of the lamplit bookshelf area. Brit sat down, as if to wait for the air to clear before heading
out the front door.
“Man, that bugs Carol huh?” Tanner said.
“No doubt,” Brit agreed.
“I’ve seen Jordan give those coloring books to kids before and Carol always grumbles about it. What’s the big deal?”
“It pisses Carol off because of what the books do. Jordan gives the coloring books to kids that seem magickal, or pagan, or whatever. I don’t know. Maybe just to kids that aren’t full-on terrors. Kids that seem cool maybe. The coloring book is a spell. The kids just color them any old way. But then, if it’s in them to be a witch, when they turn sixteen they’re drawn back to the shop. Or I guess to wherever Jordan is at that time.”
“To the shop,” Tanner said and Brit went on.
“Yeah probably. The shop. So she can help them learn about witchcraft. Help them, if no one in their family can.”
“So why the huffing and puffing about it from Carol?”
“Because Carol looks at it as interfering with their free will. Meddling I guess. It just irks her. Mostly because Carol herself used to hand out coloring books just like that. But somewhere along the way she changed her mind. Decided it was, you know, against the whole don’t tinker with people’s lives part of witchcraft.”
“But she never seems to say anything to Jordan about it.”
“Oh I’m sure she has once or twice. But there we get into another level of the whole don’t tinker thing. Maybe Carol thinks Jordan has to figure it out for herself.”
“But if it bugs her that much, why not just tell Jordan she can’t do it in the store?”
“Maybe. But I think there’s another reason Carol never gives Jordan a hard time about it.”
“Why’s that?” Tanner asked as Brit stood to leave.
“Because Jordan was her coloring book kid.”
Chapter 7
Ghosts and Clues
Carol walked home in the failing light and street lamps sputtered on above her. She pulled her door closed, turned her green outside porch lights on, and fed Jasmine who purred around her feet in the kitchen. Carol headed up the stairs to her library. She opened the console record player and flipped through her albums. She chose five calm records and stacked them onto the spindle with a vintage Django Reinhardt record on bottom and engaged the play switch. The first record dropped and spun and filled the room with delicate guitar sounds. She opened her patio doors and cool night air creeped along the floor. She stepped out and brushed a few leaves from each of the chair seats.