by Les Goodrich
Gwen stood like a china doll in the center with her dark and theatrical gowns draped in casual elegance and her pale face, white eyes, and ivory lips glowing ghostly in the morning cold.
Darkspell stood as silent as ever in almost matching schoolgirl outfits of darkest maroon and black plaid skirts, white silk shirts, and everything else black and pulled tight like their hair, their eyes, their stockings, and their patten leather shoes.
“Here is your order Gwen. But only when we have our friend back,” Carol asserted from the cold stone street.
Gwen turned her face a fraction down toward Carol as if she had only just noticed her there. “Fetch our guest,” Gwen uttered in a slow whisper and Datura went back into the store and Darkspell did not blink, or stammer, or fidget, much less flinch. One minute passed and Datura opened the door and stepped back out to Gwen's side and she was conspicuously alone. Gwen turned to her. Datura refused to look at Gwen. She looked straight ahead to the three witches on the street.
“She’s gone,” was all Datura said.
“Gone?” Gwen burst in a fury that blasted air over Tanner, Jordan, and Carol where they stood and rustled leaves on trees across the street behind them. She resumed her impeccable poise. She breathed deeply. She looked to Carol for some sign but saw none.
“Courage now,” Carol said in an almost silent whisper that only Jordan and Tanner could hear. “Where is she?” Carol asked Gwen in an accusatory tone.
“I thought you might know,” Gwen responded from the porch.
“Why would I? You better hope she’s okay,” Carol said and Gwen raised one eyebrow. The two witches stared at each other but between them no clue was given and they both quickly realized they were dealing with an equal and Gwen looked away, knowing any more staring was pointless. Carol would never reveal a single thought to her. Nor she to Carol so that was that. Gwen looked to Datura but she instantly knew Datura had nothing to offer so she turned back to Carol and the slightest look of anger crossed her expression then was gone and only her pale vacant gaze remained.
She looked down to Darkpell but their thoughts were concealed from her and she knew there was no breaking in. She had tutored them herself. She pressed them anyway and they both turned to her and in their collective absent expression was a slight wonder and admiration and Gwen took it to be their admiration for Brit having escaped somehow, and she acknowledged that thought with the most calculated tip of her brow then looked away. Dracaena glanced to Ella’s eyes for a fraction of a second then they looked to the street. Gwen knew nothing and never would. In their hearts they laughed. Their held hands squeezed.
“If you don’t have Brittany, then why would I ever consider handing this painting and these books over to you?” Carol asserted and she put her hand on the dolly handle.
“Quite right,” Gwen said in an iced and remote tone of disinterest. She stepped to the rail edge and lifted her wand. Tanner and Jordan drew their wands and Carol stepped forward and pulled out her wand as well. Gwen grinned a poison sneer. She flourished her wand at the items on the dolly. “Relic-Inferno,” she spoke and the painting and box of books erupted into searing blood-red flames.
“No!” shouted Jordan and she tried to grab the painting but was burned back.
“Hinder-Tide!” Carol yelled with her wand swinging and water flooded the blazing items but fell away hissing to no avail and gurgled into the gutter and drained away and the candy apple red flames burned on as before.
Tanner and Jordan and Carol tried several other spells and Tanner kicked at the crackling dolly and its burning goods and Jordan continually cried, “No!” and desperately knocked at the bonfire with a pitiful palm frond stick she found in the street.
Carol grabbed Jordan and pulled her back, the three of them defeated, and they stood and watched the painting, the books, and even the metal dolly burn to paper-thin ash.
“I’ll get you for this!” yelled Jordan and she lurched to go after Gwen physically but Tanner and Carol wrestled her to the cobblestone ground and the three writhed until Jordan stopped fighting them then they sat and watched the pile of ash burn away and scatter to the wind into nothingness. Breeze lifted and the Sun stood up to cast the harsh light of morning on the pathetic scene.
Gwen laughed one frail laugh and went inside her store and Datura and Darkspell followed.
Carol gathered Tanner and Jordan to their feet and with her arms around each one they walked toward the river and the fort. They rounded the corner to the south and all three were smiling and stifling laughs.
“Outstanding job you two. Jordan you should win an Oscar for that performance,” Carol said.
“I could damn sure use some coffee after that,” Jordan said. “Let’s go see Mims at Coastal and find out what the hell’s going on over there. I think we’ll be wanting our favorite newbie witch back.”
At Coastal Coffee Mims was opened but still doing a few things like making iced green tea for the day and arranging new pastries in the case. Carol, Jordan and Tanner walked in and tried to stay out of the stream of morning coffee customers by hanging at the two-seat bar in the corner and Tanner stood.
“Mims!” Jordan said.
“You’re the big hero,” Carol added.
“Well more like a tiny hero,” Mims admitted as the last customer in line took their coffee outside. “It was Prisma who found Brit.” Prisma peeked into the shop and when she saw only witches she came dancing out from her spot at the barstool counter behind the biscotti basket.
“I did it! I found her!” Prisma beamed and she danced in one spot with her elbows lifting and she sung, “Brit escaped. She’s hiding. Tell Carol or Jordan right away. Brit escaped. She’s hiding. Tell Carol or Jordan right away, Uh-huh.”
“She’s a bit wound up already. I gave her a chocolate covered espresso bean.”
“You rock Prisma,” Jordan said and she gave the little faerie a high-five. “How’d you find her?”
“Well, I’ll tell you, it wasn’t easy. There I was, surrounded by dark witches.”
“You were surrounded by dark chocolate,” Mims smirked.
“Dark witches own that store. I think,” Prisma said and when the door opened she sat behind her basket again.
“What store?” Tanner asked Mims. “Where is she?”
“The chocolate shop across from Delano’s on Saint George. And dark witches don’t own it. A husband and wife from Winterpark own it. They’re Ashenguild witches. They’re nice.”
“Oh I know them,” Carol said. “They gave a presentation at the Litha Festival last summer.”
“Do they come into the store?” Jordan asked.
“Hardly,” Carol said and she moved into line behind a young man.
Carol ordered hot Earl Grey tea and Tanner and Jordan got lattes. Mims made the drinks and helped other customers in a smooth multitask flow and the shop grew busier. When they had their drinks they said bye to Mims.
“And bye Prisma, you rock,” Jordan said to the room and the three left to walk to the chocolate shop and find Brit.
Brit was coming out of the chocolate shop just as they walked up. It was a joyous reunion and everyone hugged and talked and agreed they were happy but tired. Carol, Tanner, and Jordan walked with Brit to her campus apartment to be sure she got there safely. They told Brit about Carol’s plan and how it had worked.
“The old decoy loot plan, huh?” Brit said.
“Exactly,” Tanner said. “It was beautiful.”
“Yeah,” Jordan added. “Once Gwen found out you were gone, she destroyed the spellbooks and painting out of spite. How did they kidnap you? Where were you?”
“It was Marshal. He tricked me and led me into a trap and Datura cornered me.”
“What!” burst Jordan and she stopped walking. Brit took Jordan by the hand and moved her along again.
“They tattooed him,” Brit said. “I don’t know when. I think he’s been their hexpawn since that first day he went there.”
“Ca
n we help him?” Tanner asked Carol.
“Screw him,” Jordan said.
“I’ll have to look into it. Maybe,” Carol reflected.
“He’s the least of my worries. What if Datura or Gwen come after me again?” Brit asked.
“Gwen won’t bother you Brit,” Carol assured her. “She holds no grudges. She wastes no energy. Now that you’re of no value to her, she’ll move on to other schemes. If she does anything, it’ll be trying to find out how you escaped. If she can’t figure it out—and I know this might sound crazy—she’ll respect you for it. She’ll never bother you again. How did you escape by the way?”
“I think I’ll just keep that to myself for now. Let’s just say I had help.”
“What kind of help?” Tanner asked.
“The most unlikely kind,” Brit said and they hugged at her door and then they all went to their respective homes.
Carol met Tanner on the docks at midnight and they loaded the painting and books into her Volvo.
“We’ll store these in my garden shed out back,” Carol said closing the hatch. “You and the girls are welcome to come study them any time but that’s the safest place for them. I’ve given that little building the most elaborate forms of protection both magickal and mundane. No one can see the shed from any street, and no one would think to look in it if they could. Any attempt to break into it would be futile.”
***
Tuesday Jordan was scheduled to go in at noon and close so that morning she took her coffee to the beach. She sat and watched the small waves rise and fall over the reef and small surf break upon the sand where it percolated down and she wondered how far down the water went. She thought about their trip and the Keys and all of the things they had done and seen. She sat on a towel and pushed her feet into the wet sand. She waded in ankle deep water and walked in the direction of the inlet then walked back to her spot and sat. She had already decided to go when she saw Shay swim up.
“Hey you,” Shay called as she rode in on a small wave. She curled to a stop and Jordan ran down to her.
“We got it,” Jordan said. “We got the painting and the book!”
“You did it!” Shay shouted and she turned in a circle and sat upright. “The spell. Can you do it?”
“It’ll be a while before we can interpret it all but, yeah I think so. Then I can come swim with you and the dolphins.”
“And I can walk downtown with you and drink coffee in a cafe and listen to jazz music and chase boys!” Shay said and she was bouncing with joy. “We’ve searched for this our entire lives Jordan! And you did it. You really did it.”
“Yeah. We met Mako and Pearl.”
“Oh good. Isn’t Pearl beautiful? Mako too. So cool. Did they help you?”
“Kind of. Their pirate friend's didn't. But yeah, Mako and Pearl were cool. And we met a mermaid named Coral who looks like a dorado and lives in deep water.”
“A pelagic. Awesome. Was she fast? Did you see her go fast?”
“She was faster than our boat. She could fly. She helped us so many times. She crashed the smuggler pirates who stole the painting and got it all back for us. We were held captive by Fomorians who choked us and we fought ghost pirates on a beach in the Bahamas. We met a kid named Freddy who helped us too. And we saw flying fish and great turtles and lightning in the clouds at night that struck in the black sky and looked like cartoon lightening flashing in a black fishbowl.
“We got back safely and we tricked the Shadowclan witches and now they believe the painting and the spellbook was burned to nothing. You and us at the shop are the only people in the world who know the mermaid spell still exists.”
“That’s so exciting,” Shay said. "Let me know as soon as you figure any part of it out. I want to read it someday too. Maybe on Tanner’s boat.”
“He’d love that. He’s become quite the mermaid friend since our crazy trip.”
***
Jordan went in to close at noon. Tanner had opened with Carol, and Brit came in at one. Carmine had come in, browsed in The Crooked Cupboard, and spoken briefly to Tanner. With everyone there Tanner gathered his courage and when no customers were in the front he stopped Carol at the register. Brit walked up from the back. Carmine stopped by the wand cabinet and smiled and Jordan who was resetting the front bay window for Yule saw him there and shook her head. Tanner moved from behind the counter and spoke.
“I have to tell you guys something.” He was nervous and he hoped fiercely in his heart they would all still be his friends when he told them. He looked to Carmine who nodded in support. “I’ve decided to dedicate as an Ashenguild witch. Carmine is going to help me.”
For a long moment everyone was silent. Then Carol moved to Tanner and gave him a strong hug. “Good for you Tanner. You’ll be a fine Ashenguild witch. We could use some balance around here and I hope you’ll stay here with us for as long as you can.” She turned to Carmine. “You take care of him, okay.”
“Always,” Carmine promised.
Brit stepped to Tanner and hugged him. “We love you,” Brit said. “We love you for exactly who you are. As long as it’s not Shadowclan.”
Tanner smiled and Jordan moved to hug him as well and she kissed his cheek. “If this is your decision then you know I support you. You have to follow your heart.”
Tanner was overwhelmed with happiness and relief. He knew he would always have a home in the shop and for the first time he knew he had done the right thing.
“And I apologize for mentioning your craft name in front of those cowans Jordan,” Carmine said in sincerity. “I thought they were friends of yours. You must understand, where I come from, only witches would ever be in a witch shop. Can you please forgive me?”
Jordan was shocked and she had hated Carmine for so long it had almost become a reflex. She looked at Tanner to see if Carmine were telling the truth. Tanner nodded. “Sure,” Jordan said then she went on to ignore Carmine and she walked to the back. “Rock on Tanner,” she said on her way and she meant it.
Carmine went to browse, and everyone else melted back into working mode. Tanner would soon count out but he still had the register. On the shelf above the front table he saw a glimmer and when he looked he saw a figure in the visitor spell mirror.
“Look! I can see it. I can see it. A customer coming!” he shouted unable to refrain his enthusiasm and not considering who might be around. Brit moved to see what he was talking about. Together they looked to the mirror. A sixteen year old girl looking from wall to wall along Artillery Lane and glancing at papers in her hands.
The shop door opened and the young girl stepped in and looked about. She had straight shiny brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a black shirt, black cotton jacket, jeans, and pink high-top tennis shoes. A black leather bag over her shoulder. She glanced around the store then looked to the papers in her hand. She walked up to Tanner and Brit at the counter.
“I think someone here gave me this a long time ago. It was a pretty girl. Is she here?” the young girl asked and she placed a curled and faded faerie coloring book on the glass between them.
“Oh my god,” Brit said and the young girl seemed embarrassed. “Oh it’s okay hon,” Brit said to the girl. “It’s okay. Jordy! Someone is here to see you,” she called into the shop.
“Who?” Jordan called and she walked to the front.
When Jordan saw the girl standing there she felt like she was seeing herself. Their eyes met and Jordan saw the nine year old girl who had stood in that spot so long ago. The little girl who had asked Jordan if magick was real twenty times while her mom shopped for incense and candles. The little girl who had clutched the coloring book Jordan had given her like a treasure, wide-eyed and filled with joy. She saw that same little girl before her now, but so grown up. Jordan shook with an unexpected nervousness. Almost fear.
She felt two loving hands on her shoulders and without looking she could tell it was Carol. “Go ahead,” Carol whispered to her. “It’ll be fine. I
promise.”
Jordan moved to the girl and they shook hands.
“I’m Casey,” the girl said. “I found this cleaning my room and the second I saw it I had to come find you. I remembered you. I remembered that you were so nice to me. You must love this place if you’re still here.”
“I really do,” Jordan said and she led Casey into the store and they sat at the bookshelf chairs to talk. “And this store will love you back if you let it.”
“It’s exactly the way I remember it,” Casey said looking around. “There’s something so special about it. It feels like coming home.”
Carmine left. Brenna bustled in. Carol and Tanner readied to leave for the day. Brit counted in to the register. Casey and Jordan agreed to meet in the afternoon the next day.
Outside of Avalon Spellshop the purple flag ruffled in the late afternoon breeze. Yule was coming. In the potted areca palm sandalwood incense smoldered. The fragrant smoke trailed up and around and snaked its way along Artillery Lane and out onto the Saint Augustine streets where a thousand tourists made their way and a thousand ghosts lurked among them.
Bells on sailing masts in the harbor chimed and their frail echoes danced along the oak-shaded streets, and everywhere an unexpected alley, narrow passage, or courtyard stitched together the haunted buildings, old homes, and proud inns that made up the country’s oldest city. A black cat darted along then turned down a side street, undoubtedly on a most urgent errand.
Author’s Note
Writing The Retail Witches was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life as a writer. If you had fun reading it, please write a quick review on Amazon here: (link).
While working on the book I went to Saint Augustine to research the streets, places, and buildings. I went on ghost tours, hung out in the shops and coffee houses, and got a feel for the area. I wanted to set the book there because I live in Florida, and Saint Augustine is kind of our unsung hero. South Florida (where I live) gets all the attention, with Key West, Miami, tiki bars, Jimmy Buffett, and all that. I went to Saint Augustine as a kid, then a few years ago for a weekend and I love how it has a completely different feel compared to the rest of Florida. It celebrates being old, haunted, and historical. Everyone is friendly and proud of their town.