by N. M. Howell
Hopefully, by typing out a bunch of stuff beforehand, it would make the article much easier to write afterward. I really needed the weekend to unwind and let loose a little bit, and I didn’t want to be focused on work the whole time.
“You excited for the Halloween party?” Zack asked me.
I pretended I couldn’t hear him and continued typing away at my keyboard.
“I know you can hear me,” he repeated.
I glanced up at him and pulled out the earbuds. “Sorry, couldn’t hear you. What’s up?”
“Your headphones aren’t plugged in, you know.”
I glanced down at the headphone jack on my laptop and saw that he was right. Well, crap.
“Sorry, just lost in thought,” I said quickly, trying not to look like a complete idiot. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you’re excited for the Halloween Party.” He smirked and I could feel my face growing hot. Dammit! The last thing I needed was for him to think I was embarrassed. I was not going to let that man think he had any power over me.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I shrugged. “Should be fun.” I put my earbuds back in and turned my attention back to my laptop.
“JoAnn and I are really looking forward to it,” he continued. “She’s picked out a costume for me and everything.”
I sighed, giving up my attempt at getting any work done.
“Oh, great. So, I’ll see you there.” I didn’t even try to hide the annoyance in my voice. Zack knew full well what his coming here did to me. He had a perfectly good job at the university back in New York, and I suspected part of the reason he accepted the position, apart from his disturbing new relationship with my editor, JoAnn, was because he knew it would drive me mental. His misogynistic attitude towards the female students in his class and his sleazy attempts at flirting really put me off of him at school, and I never made any attempt to hide my feelings towards him. Or lack of, in any case. I felt like his attitude was some sort of cruel way of getting back at me for ignoring his advances and brushing him off as the pig-headed idiot he was.
“Looking forward to spending time with you tomorrow night,” he said.
“Yep, ditto.” I made no attempt to hide the sarcasm in my voice. I packed my laptop away in my bag and left the office without saying another word. I just really didn’t have the emotional capacity to deal with him. Not after he took my job, wooed my boss, and made every attempt to ruin my life since coming here.
I paused to take a few deep breaths of the cool autumn air outside of Mrs. Pots’ Bakery before going in to grab the cake displays she wanted. Stretching my arms high above my head and closing my eyes, I inhaled and exhaled deeply, letting the motion relax me. After a few deep breaths, I felt better, and was ready to tackle the party preparations with the girls.
The display trays were scattered around the shop, but it didn’t take me long to track enough down. They barely fit into the bike bags I brought, but I managed to somehow balance them all between the bags and awkwardly cycled my way back towards the house.
When I arrived, I began unloading the cake displays on a table in front of Mrs. Pots, who immediately busied herself with laying them out on the tables in a tidy order. She hummed as she worked, ignoring me as I placed the last of the trays in front of her.
“So, Mr. Bramley sold the cafe,” I said conversationally as I watched the last of the decorations get strung up.
“What, seriously?” Bailey asked. She dropped what she was holding and stared at me. “Why?”
“I’m assuming he didn’t want to be reminded about Ryan,” I answered.
Bailey fidgeted with her fingers and stared down at her feet in silence. The poor girl was still taking it hard, and she didn’t seem to be fully recovered from the events of a few weeks ago.
“So, does that mean no cafe?” Rory asked.
“He sold it to someone,” I said, feeling my cheeks blush.
Rory raised her eyebrow at me and tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for me to continue speaking. When I didn’t, she prompted, “…Who?”
“Jordan O’Riley.”
“WHAT?” Bailey gasped, immediately cheering up. “Really? That hot cop?”
I laughed. “Well, I guess he’s not a cop anymore. He’s a restauranteur, or whatever it is they call themselves.”
“So, the cafe will stay open?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not exactly. He’s turning it into a dessert shop.”
A loud clang came from behind Mrs. Pots as she dropped what she was holding. We all started in her direction and she let out a loud Hmph noise.
“Did you know about this?” I asked her.
“Of course, I did,” she snapped back at me. Mrs. Pots when turned to face us, a look of sheer anger on her face. “Those good for nothing city people bringing their fancy dessert shops to our town,” she huffed. “They’re going to put me out of business for good, that’s what’s going to happen. Curse the lot of them.”
“Mrs. Pots,” Jane gasped. “That’s not very nice. Do you even know these people?”
“It’s the same person who made the cakes that Mr. Bramley imported from the city. Mister Fancy-pants Wong and his outrageously overpriced desserts.”
I walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Mrs. Pots. They won’t steel your business, I’m sure of it. I doubt there’s a market for that sort of thing here, anyway.”
“Besides,” Bailey said. “You’ve got a loyal customer base, and you’re the town’s favorite baker, hands down. No competition.”
Mrs. Pots sighed. “I still wish they would just disappear for good. That place has bad vibes written all over it. Bad spirits in there; I can feel it.”
I noticed Mrs. Brody smirk, then turn to face the other way so Mrs. Pots wouldn’t notice.
Mrs. Pots claimed she could speak to spirits, which we all dismissed as completely ridiculous as she’s not a witch. Although, I had a feeling she had some sort of strange affinity for the otherworldly. How, I didn’t know.
“I think the decorations are complete,” Mrs. Brody chimed in. We all took in the incredible scene before us: the endless lights strung up between the trees, the decorated tables across the lawn, and the many baskets and barrels full of treats for everyone to share.
“It looks remarkable.” I was in awe.
“Just you wait until tomorrow,” she said. “This is nothing.”
I raised my eyebrow but didn’t say anything. I knew better than to ask, and would just wait to see what sort of mischievous plan she had for the following night.
“Why don’t we make a bonfire and all have a drink and relax?” Rory suggested.
“Great idea. I’ll grab the ciders from inside.” Bailey bounced off toward the house. The idea of a drink seemed really nice right about then.
Rory and Jane set about building a fire in the fire pit near the edge of the bluff, and I helped bring up a few chairs. The sun had nearly set behind the trees and the sky was glowing a deep purple color.
I sat down in a low-backed chair next to the growing fire and took in my surroundings.
Mrs. Brody had turned on all the lights and the rear yard simply glowed. The decorations were beautiful, if not eerie, and the lights created these flickering shadows across the grass.
“Oh, very cool,” I said, noticing the strange little metal things I had found in the boxes earlier. They were light cases, and the shapes cut into the sides cast shadows on the surrounding areas from the lights set behind the metal. The effect was really cool, giving the impression that there were ghosts and other spooky things about. In truth, there actually were, but most people didn’t need to know that.
Once the fire really started roaring, everyone took a seat around the perimeter and relaxed while Bailey poured out the ciders and handed them to each of us.
“Well, you girls certainly have done well for yourselves here. This looks absolutely marvelous,” Mrs. Pots said after a few long momen
ts of silence when everyone simply took in the magic of the environment.
“It is something, isn’t it?” Mrs. Brody answered, looking around proudly at what she had accomplished.
“Simply magical. You should all be so proud. Tomorrow will be an absolute treat.”
“Mrs. Pots,” I said, somewhat reluctantly. I then paused, not sure how to formulate what I wanted to ask her.
“Yes, dear?” The small plump woman looked over at me from her sunken chair.
“You seem awfully comfortable around people with magic,” I said. “How did you come to be part of the community?”
Rory shifted uncomfortably beside me, and I could immediately tell that I may have asked something I shouldn’t have.
“Sorry, never mind,” I added quickly. “Didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh, no, dear, it’s perfectly all right,” she smiled at me. “It’s a good question.”
She sat pondering for a moment, and we all watched her in silence as she pieced together what she was going to say.
“It would have been my daughter,” she said. “Or my husband, I guess.”
“I didn’t know you had a family,” I gaped.
She sighed, a certain sadness filling up her bright eyes. “I did. Not anymore.” She took a long sip from her glass of cider.
“You see, my husband came from a long line of witches. Showed no magical ability himself, unfortunately, but his whole family was full of witches and other such magnificent creatures. His sister, Twila, was astonishingly talented, though, and our daughter took after her, I think. Little Annie showed remarkable talent.”
I watched Mrs. Pots speak, afraid of what she was going to say next. I knew for a fact that she lived alone in town, so I suspected this story couldn’t end very well.
“She died about twenty years ago,” she continued. “Freak accident; no one could have prevented it. She and her aunt Twila were both killed in an accident. Tore me and Bill apart, too. He’s living down in Florida with his family. Haven’t spoken in some years, now.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Pots.” I had no idea. My heart was breaking for the poor woman. I also felt rather terrible, as I’ve considered her a close friend since moving to Brimstone Bay, and not once did I think to ask whether she had a family at one point. I just assumed she had always lived alone, devoting her life to that little bakery.
“Oh, it’s fine, dear,” she said. “Happened so long ago. I’m just so happy to have you girls so I can feel the joys of being surrounded by magic again.” She sighed deeply, then got lost, gazing into the fire.
We all lost ourselves as well, entranced by the flames coming from the hot fire in front of us.
“Let’s have some fun, shall we?” Mrs. Brody said in attempt to lighten the mood. She flicked her wrist before the fire, and the flames transformed into a myriad of wondrous shapes, all dancing and folding into one another.
Bailey then took over the show from Mrs. Brody, changing the flames from unnamed shapes to cats, chasing each other around the coals. We all laughed as one of the cats bit down on the other cat’s tail. I swear I could almost hear the hissing sound come from the shape of the cat in the fire.
Mrs. Pots was beaming at the fire, absolutely enthralled with the beauty of the magic happening before her. She began humming a tune and clapping her hands, creating a musical rhythm as the background to the cats performing in the fire.
“What are you girls dressing up as tomorrow night?” Mrs. Brody asked us as Bailey refilled her mug with cider.
“I was thinking of going as a witch,” I laughed. “Seems fitting.”
Mrs. Brody laughed at that. “Oh, how clever.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, it’s a secret, dear. You’ll see tomorrow night.”
“How about you, Mrs. Pots?” Rory asked.
“Nothing fancy, I’m afraid,” she answered, taking a break from her melody. “I’ll be serving cakes and goodies all night, I don’t want to get a costume all dirty. I was thinking of going as a baker, which seems to go along with River’s highly original costume theme.”
“Oh, come on, that’s cheating,” I laughed. “You wear baker’s clothes all day at the bakery. That’s nothing new! It’s not like I go around wearing robes and a witch hat.”
Mrs. Pots shrugged. “Well, if you come up with a better idea before tomorrow, let me know. What about the rest of you girls?”
Rory, Bailey, and Jane began to giggle.
“It’s a secret,” Jane said. “You’ll all see tomorrow.”
I raised my eyebrow at them, curious as to what devious plan they had cooked up this time.
“Give us a hint,” I said.
“Nope,” Bailey said simply, crossing her arms. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
4
The house had a buzzing electric energy about it when I woke up the next day.
I could already hear the sound of feet shuffling from the floor above me, and knew my housemates were awake. I reached over for my phone on my bedside table and groaned when I saw that it was only 6 am. I was no stranger to waking up early, and often loved to go for runs first thing in the morning as the sun came up, but it was nearing winter and it was dark outside, and my room was drafty and I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed all day curled up under my comforters.
I rolled over and pressed one of my pillows over my face to try and muffle the sounds of the morning so I could get at least another hour or two of sleep.
That dream was short lived when I heard a loud meow in my ear and felt a paw prod at my neck.
I sighed and threw off the pillow to be met by three little fuzzy faces looking down at me.
“Hey guys,” I said through a loud yawn. Big fat momma cat came up and plunked herself down on my chest, pinning me to my bed. “Thanks, Momma. Now I have an excuse to stay in bed.” She closed her eyes and purred as I scratched her behind her ear.
Soot and the new little kitten, Agnes, curled up together next to me, and I closed my eyes to try and fall back asleep. Only I could feel my eyes growing itchy, and a sudden sneeze spooked the cats off my bed and pulled me out of my groggy state.
I sighed and stretched, then grudgingly pushed myself out of bed to get started on the day.
There would be last minute preparations to help with for the party tonight, so I grabbed a towel from the pile in the corner of my room and went to have a shower.
Mrs. Brody had me working to the bone all morning, setting up tables and putting out more decorations. She had an entire room full of stuff that had to be brought down to the beach, which was definitely a task in itself, given the fact that there were about one hundred stairs between our backyard and the beach down below.
The day went by really fast, and I was actually feeling quite excited for the party. It would be nice to have an excuse to hang out with other people in the town for once.
The band had arrived and was setting up in the backyard when I decided to head back inside to get ready and put my costume on. Luckily, my costume consisted of a hat and a cloak, so, it wouldn’t really take any time at all.
The girls, on the other hand, had been hidden away in their rooms for hours, working on their secret costumes. I had no idea what they were up to, but I could bet it would be amazing.
It sounded like there were bombs going off upstairs. Loud crashes and bangs followed by loud giggling came from the floor above me as I got changed. I resisted the urge to go upstairs and see what they were up to, but curiosity was nearly getting the better of me.
“What do you think they’re up to?” I asked Soot as he jumped up on my bed beside me. He flopped over onto his back for some much overdue belly scratches. The poor cat had missed being the center of attention since Agnes and Momma turned up. He purred loudly as I scratched.
Another loud clang came from the floor above me and I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore them.
I rummaged through my makeup bag and realized I really didn’t have any
proper costume makeup. My kit consisted of mascara and lip balm - not really Halloween appropriate. This was the one day per year you could really go all out with your makeup and wardrobe, and I definitely needed more than what I had to take full advantage.
Between Rory and Bailey, those girls had every type of makeup under the sun, and after a few more loud bangs came from above me, I decided to see what they could do to help. Climbing up on my bedside table, I knocked my fist a few times against the ceiling. “Hey, do you guys have any makeup I could borrow?” I called up through the floor.
The room upstairs went quiet for a minute, then a small glittery makeup bag with the letter B appeared on my bed. “Thanks, Bailey!”
The loud noises resumed upstairs, and I could only imagine what sort of mess they were creating.
Poking through Bailey’s makeup bag, I noticed there was nothing sophisticated about its contents. I dumped the contents onto my bed and saw purple glitter eye shadows and bright pink lipsticks. I sighed to myself, then picked up a sparkled black eyeliner pen and began carefully painting it across my lids.
After twenty strenuous minutes of applying makeup, I took a step back and looked at myself in the mirror. I hardly recognized the girl looking back at me. Sweeping, glittery cat eyes and glossy red lips were startling, but, for one night, what the hell.
I grabbed my witch’s hat that I bought at a pop-up Halloween shop in town and placed it upon my head. Well, I definitely looked the part, now. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
Music sounded through my window as the band began to play.
“I guess that’s my cue,” I said to the cats, who were watching me intently as I had attempted to do my makeup. I swung the black cloak over my shoulders and went to join Mrs. Brody in the backyard to greet the guests.
Streams of people were already arriving, and the festival was in full swing. Mrs. Brody had hung a large banner between two trees near the rear of the yard that said “Hallows’ Bay” on it. The lettering flickered and glowed in the moonlight, and I guessed Mrs. Brody wouldn’t be holding back on her magical tricks tonight.
I poured myself a mug of hot cider, then went to go chat with Mrs. Pots, who was busying herself behind the food table, setting out her last minute cakes and treats.