The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook*

by Shannon Barczak

  As I packed my small collection of books up, I came to the bottom shelf and noticed my yearbooks from High School and College. I started flipping thru the pages, laughing at some pages, smirking at others, especially those filled with Suzy and her annoying cheerleader friends. I also read the little things my friends had written through the years.

  A small pang of regret reverberated through me when I saw those notes. I may not have been the most popular girl, but I did use to have a great circle of friends. Unfortunately, we all went our separate ways after High School, scattering all over the country. At first we tried to see each other in the summer but after a while some of my friends stopped coming home due to jobs or travel. We still "saw" each other on Facebook and sometimes reminisced, but it wasn’t the same.

  My college friends, the same thing, even though I wasn’t a loser, I guess I always held back a little of myself from all of them. Maybe subconsciously I sensed that I probably never would see them again, and I was happy about that now. With evil vampires wanting to kill me, I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about a boyfriend or a roommate getting caught in the crossfire.

  One person I was not willing to give up yet was Polly. I grabbed my phone and sat in my pile of memorabilia as I dialed the bakery’s number.

  “Yummy Yuma Bakery, how can I help you today?” said Jon my bubbly cashier/ server

  “Hey Jon, how’s it going this morning?" I asked

  "O.M.G. Willa! I can’t believe it. When Polly told me you were going out of town for a few weeks I almost died. Traipsing to Ireland to see some long lost estranged family? Oh my goodness, I said. There is no way, no freaking way. You live, breath and sleep the bakery. I know it’s like for a funeral or something because someone died, but still, it’s good for you to get away!" Jon said enthusiastic as ever.

  I burst out laughing. “Yes, it takes a death in my family that I didn’t even realize I had, to get me to take a vacation."

  “Well, I for one am all for it. You don’t need to worry about a thing. Between Polly, Eric and I, we will keep this place running like well-oiled Chippendales machine,” Jon assured me

  “You’re funny,” I chuckled.

  "If that amuses you wait until you hear my request. Handkerchiefs Willa, I love Irish linen handkerchiefs. I have some framed, but I would love a few more in our powder room we are redoing. Can help me out girl?” he asked

  “For you, I would chain a bunch of little old ladies to a sewing machine and make them work day and night until their fingers are bleeding to get them done. I might even get some hot Irish guy to hand deliver them to you.”

  "Now you are speaking my language girl!”

  I smiled. “So how’s business this morning? Have there been any unusual requests? Are there any catastrophes that I should be aware of before I board my flight to the Emerald Isle?”

  “Smooth as a baby’s bottom,” Jon answered. “We just got done with the morning rush. Polly and Eric are gossiping, I mean conferring serious like, over some orders that came in today.”

  “That’s fantastic, music to my ears,” as well as a sickness to my heart I added silently. “I’ll miss you Jon, thank you so much for being the best employee."

  “Thanks sugar, I will miss you, but you’ll only be away for a few weeks. Unless of course you meet some gorgeous Irish farmer or pub owner that will sweep you off your tired feet, knock you up with a bunch of kids and before you know it, Bam! You’ll be hanging laundry on a green hilltop singing ‘Whiskey in a Barrel.'” he finished singing the first few bars.

  I snickered and shook my head. “A girl can only dream. Get Polly on the phone before you start singing ‘Danny Boy’ please.”

  “Bye Hon, safe trip, give my love and condolences to your mom and dad."

  "Will do,” I said

  “Hey Willa,” said Polly as she got on the line. “Hold on a second.”

  “Eric,” she yelled. “You owe me ten bucks. I told you she would call before noon.”

  "You guys are placing bets? If you have that much time, you can clean the ovens before you go all Vegas on me."

  “I assumed you would call,” she said. “So what’s going on? I couldn’t believe when Cecily told me that your Dad’s brother, who he hasn’t talked to in like twenty years, died and you guys were all flying to Ireland and had to stay awhile to settle his estate. I just couldn’t believe you were going as well, I thought it would take a Presidential order for you to leave the bakery.”

  “It is not easy, but it’s the only option I have,” I answered truthfully. “So Jon said things are going good today, you got a few new orders?"

  “Yup, Mrs.Krankowsky came in and ordered a cake shaped like a hula girl for Mr.K’s birthday. She wants it just as tacky as the one he’s had in his Caddy for fifteen years. Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Sumners? Well, their daughter came in, and she is throwing them a surprise fiftieth wedding anniversary party and wants us to replicate their wedding cake. It was cool; she brought in their wedding album and everything, and you would have loved it."

  Tears started trickling down my face. I tried hard to swallow the huge lump that started the minute Polly started telling me about the new orders. Mr. K was one of my best customers; he was loud and told the crudest jokes, but he did it all in good- natured way. His wife was just as funny as she pretended to be exasperated by him, but you could tell she thought he was amusing.

  Mr. and Mrs. Sumners though were simply my favorite customers. From the first day, the bakery opened they came in every Friday. They would have their coffee and scones before they went on to do their drugstore and grocery shopping. The realization that I had missed out on the meeting with their daughter and looking through their wedding pictures made me sad. I wasn’t going to be a part of re-creating their wedding cake, and it made everything just hit home for me.

  “Wow, yeah,” I choked out. “That sounds marvelous. I’m sure you’ll do an excellent job on both.”

  “Are you all right?" Polly asked

  “Yeah...I’m ok. It’s just hard, you know...” I replied trying hard not to sob

  “Oh jeez Louise, it’s only a few weeks, we’ll be good.”

  “I know, all of you rock and if I didn’t have you this would be even harder. Don’t forget to call in Karen and have her come help you. It sounds like you might need it,” I added, Karen was a recent empty nester and a whiz at frosting and piping.

  “Already on it, she’s coming in tomorrow."

  “Perfect. Well, I guess I better go, we’ll be boarding soon." Get off the phone before you lose it, I thought to myself

  “Cool. Have a safe flight, and I’m sorry about your Uncle and the whole family thing."

  "Thanks Polly, I’ll be in touch when I can."

  "Ok dokey. Hey are sure you’re ok? I just had this weird feeling come over me.” Polly said suddenly anxious

  “No, I’m fine, what’s so weird? Have you’ve gone off your meds again?" I joked

  "Ha, Ha, no, it’s just I had this feeling like I would never see you again. Willa don’t get on the plane. That’s it. I’m predicting a crash or something.”

  “Or you're just cuckoo for cocoa puffs?”

  "Well we all know that but seriously it was strange,” she said

  “Well, maybe Jon is right then. Out in the wild green yonder, there's a fabulous Irish guy who is going to sweep me off my feet, convince me to marry him, and live in his big white farmhouse."

  "Eww, that is so vanilla, the farmhouse not the guy,” Polly said

  "We’re all different. I’m pretty sure your idea of happily ever after is some guy in chains and tattoos that will sweep you off your feet in his Airstream camper."

  "Don’t hate on the Airstream,” she countered

  “I’m not hating on the Airstream a.k.a. your humble abode; I am mentally sticking my tongue out at you though."

  "Well, I’m mentally sticking my good old middle finger out at you so there you go,” she replied.

  “What am I goi
ng to do without you? Seriously though Polly, I love you, you're amazing. Take good care of my baby."

  “No problem, no worries and right back at ya,” she said

  “Bye Polly." I said trying hard not to let her hear me cry.

  “Bye Willa. Have a safe trip and give my regards, condolences and all that good crap to your parents."

  “Consider it conveyed. Bye.” I said disconnecting the phone. Tears were now flowing pretty rapidly down my cheeks. How can I just walk away from this? In just a few hours, I had already missed something. How am I going to handle missing out on this every day? I sat there for a longtime and cried until finally my legs cramped up and forced me to get moving.

  I stood up and threw the last few things into the box. I was giving the place a last perusal when my mom knocked on the door and let herself in my cottage. The minute she walked in the living room and saw my face she flung her arms open and waited while I made my way over and stepped into her embrace.

  “I’m all right,” I said. “I just called the bakery and lost it for a moment there.”

  “Have you thought about what you want to do in regards to the bakery?” she asked softly

  “Yeah, well, a little. I think the best thing for my own sanity is to turn it over to Polly or Eric. Offer them a hugely discounted rate to buy me out. I would just give it to them for free, but I’m sure they won't take it. I guess the hardest thing is for me to come up with a story as to why we’re never coming back."

  "Between the three of us I’m sure we can come up with something plausible. You know I was thinking? I’m not sure if it’s still there, but I bet the Island could use an excellent bakery,” my mom said, smiling apprehensively.

  “Mom, I can’t even wrap my head around that right now. I can’t replace what I have built here. I can’t replace Yummy Yuma, although ‘Scrumptious Skye Confections’ does have a nice ring to it… Not that I have been thinking about it or anything.”

  "We’ll just have to give it some time. When we get there and get settled, we’ll help you figure it out.”

  “We’ll see,” I shrugged. “So have you come to check on my progress, give me a little kick in the butt to get a move on?"

  “Yes and no. I came over for another important reason." Cecily said as she sat down on my couch.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?" I asked. “Are you finally going to go ‘Hey, you’ve been punked’ because right now I got to say I’m not sure I would even be mad."

  My mom laughed. “No, this is something much better. I think it's time for you to start exploring your powers. I came over to undo the spell that has masked your magical inclinations. It’s time for you to learn to be a Caster, darling."

  My stomach began to coil with nervousness and excitement the minute my mom got done talking. Magic, it was a simple word that was wreaking havoc on my stomach right now.

  “OK, Glenda. Let’s get this party started."

  Chapter Six

  “First things first, I’m going to do a spell that will unleash your magic. I’m not sure what you will feel or if there will be any reaction after all this time. You might sense a subtle change, like small electrical currents, running up and down your body, or you might not feel anything at all. Some Casters are always aware of their magic and their auras around them and some, like me, only seek it when they want to use it."

  “So by a small current do you mean stick a finger in a light socket small? Or static cling spark small?" I asked. I had a mental picture of me jumping in the air with my hair standing on end like a cartoon.

  “Slight,” my mom said. “I need you to sit still while I undo the spell and we’ll go from there. Let's go sit out in the sunshine. Sometimes it’s best to be surrounded by the elements when you first start.”

  “All right let’s roll,” I said walking through the cottage. Outside I tilted my head up towards the sun to absorb its warmth.

  We both walked towards the edge of our property near the river and sat down in the grass sitting towards each other. My mom clasped both my hands in hers and started to murmur:

  Fire, Air, Earth and Water I call upon thee

  Aid me in undoing this spell that I have woven

  With no malice or harm to none I love

  Unleash this magic that I have suppressed

  For as I will so mote it be

  I sat there for a few minutes as my Mother continued to chant. I hate to say it, but I felt nothing, nada, zilch, zip. I guess the idea of a bright light surrounding me and lifting me off the ground was a stretch. I was a little disappointed though. I imagined a little spark of magical static enveloping my body.

  My Mother opened her eyes and looked at me. “It’s done.” she said raising her head towards the sky. “Blessed be by the Gods."

  “Ummm, not to sound ungrateful to the...Gods, but was something supposed to happen to me? I mean, how do you even realize the spell is gone?"

  My mom smiled. “Willa your aura is pulsating right now. It’s quite lovely. Your energy is pretty strong."

  "Huh, if you say so Obi Caster One but honestly I got nothing here. I'm exactly the same as I was a few minutes ago."

  “What I want you to do next is open yourself up to the elements...”

  “If you say open your chakras, I’m sorry but there's no way I can sit here seriously.” I interrupted

  “I want you to be aware of your surroundings and your place in them. Close your eyes and search out the earth, the air and the water."

  "What about Fire?" I asked

  “Once you open yourself up, we will do a simple spell to cast witch fire. Fire is the first task learned and the last to lose amongst all Casters. To create it you must first prepare yourself with the others,” she answered

  I closed my eyes, my mouth twitching a bit. I felt a little silly sitting here in the grass searching out the elements. Slowly I began to relax and open myself up to the surrounding nature. I could smell the rich earth beneath me. I also started to pick up a whiff of the dryness of the sandy soil that surrounded the perimeter of our property. An earthy smell of soil, grass and flowers seemed to envelope me and my eyes popped open as something tickled my cheeks. The grass, which was cut short, had grown into three foot little green and brown swirls around me.

  "You're doing it honey. The Earth is showing she recognizes you and gives you her blessing as one of her own,” my mother breathed. “Give her thanks and try the others now."

  I almost didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in this warm, earthy embrace, but I softly muttered thanks and started to search out the Air. Since the day was hot and dry, it was hard to get even a whisper of it. Slowly a warm caress of air came around me, lifting my hair and almost pressing soft, wispy kisses all over my face and arms. I cracked my eyes open for a second because I thought I must be floating five feet of the ground. Disappointed my butt was still firmly in place; I closed my eyes again and realized this was the Air’s way of welcoming me. Not with an angry tornado but a soft, gentle hello. I again gave thanks for accepting me and moved on to seek out the Water.

  I suppose since I lived on the river, and it was a stone’s throw away from me, I had saved it for last. I foolishly thought it was going to be easy. Soon I realized the river was not gentle or embracing like the Earth and the Air. It was raging and powerful. On the surface, I was pulled in by a gentleness that lulled me into complacency but I started to get hit with the currents of its changing moods. The Water and I were almost in a battle of wits. It was testing me. It was testing my strength, testing my allegiance, my fledgling power. I'm not sure how to explain what I did. Even today I cannot explain how I did it. I pushed down deep inside of me, almost like I was swimming against the current. Finally, after what seemed like hours I could sense a slight shift in my favor.

  A light mist began to fall over me, and a huge smile came over my face. I felt like I had been through a war and back. I understood at once what the Water was saying with her light mist. She had acknowledged my effort, and wh
ile I may never tame her, I had proven my worth as her equal. I gave her reverent thanks and opened my eyes. I let the elements of the earth; air and water surround me for a moment. Without even asking my mom for direction, I praised them all again and gently sent them on their way.

  Afterwards my mood was almost indescribable. Immense joy, happiness and most of all, calming peace tingled throughout my body. The term ‘One with Nature’ had nothing on this, I wasn’t just one with nature, I was part of each aspect of life. I could still sense it coursing through my bones.

  "Amazing,” my mother said. “That was simply amazing to watch. The first time I called upon the elements it took me hours, you did it in less than thirty minutes. I just sat here transfixed, Willa. You are more than ready to be a Caster."