Time of the Witch

by Mary Downing Hahn

  "Here she comes!" Wanda grabbed my arm and pointed as Twyla ran out of the woods. Although I expected to see Maude pursuing her, she was alone. There was no sign of the old woman.

  "Give me the things," Twyla gasped.

  Wanda thrust the box into Twyla's outstretched hand, as if it were burning her.

  "Stand back," Twyla said.

  As she broke the threads that were sealing the box shut, I recognized them for what they were: strands of my own hair. Shuddering, I remembered the times Maude had stroked my hair, running her fingers through it till it had hurt. She had been pulling out strands of it to use in the spell.

  Removing a box of matches from her pocket, Twyla ignited the contents of the box. A tall flame rose, illuminating Twyla's face with blue light. She drew a circle in the earth, set the box down within it, and seized our hands. Chanting, she led us around the circle, using words in a language I'd never heard.

  The flame rose, taller and taller, bathing us all in blue light. Looking into its depths, I thought I could see all the things Maude had predicted for us quivering there. Then, as quickly as it had flared up, the flame shrank and went out, leaving the three of us standing, hand in hand, in ordinary darkness.

  For the first time that night, Twyla smiled. Giving our hands a quick squeeze, she released us. "I think it will be all right now," she said softly.

  Throwing my arms around her, I burst into tears and Twyla held me, letting me cry, stroking my hair, murmuring comforting sounds, until her voice and the wind in the trees blended together like a lullabye and I relaxed.

  "Come." Twyla lifted my face and kissed my cheeks and wiped my nose with a handkerchief. "It's all right now, Laura, it's all right. The spell is broken."

  "But it was all my fault." I felt tears fill my eyes again.

  Twyla shook her head. "Maude took advantage of your unhappiness, Laura. It was natural for you to want your parents to stay married, to want to go home, to want your life to stay the same. You didn't know Maude's price, you didn't know her terms. You mustn't blame yourself for wanting your parents to love each other." Twyla hugged me. "Wanting love isn't wicked, Laura, but sometimes it can lead to wickedness."

  Putting her arm around my shoulders, Twyla led us to the car. "Come on, let's get you two home before we all catch pneumonia."

  "But what about Maude?" Wanda asked as we drove up the road. "What happened to her?"

  Twyla shook her head. "You don't need to worry about Maude any more. Forget her."

  "Did lightning strike her house and burn her up?" Wanda grinned at me, obviously relishing the idea.

  Twyla smiled. "No, nothing that dramatic happened, Wanda." She paused a moment to push her damp hair out of her eyes. "Let's just say that Maude has been more or less defused. I really don't want to talk about it. You'll understand the next time you see her, Wanda."

  Wanda and I looked at each other, trying to understand what Twyla meant. I remembered that Maude had wanted to strip Twyla of her powers but hadn't the strength to do it. Had Twyla possessed that sort of strength? Mystified, I pressed a little closer to her side, grateful for her protection.

  By the time we got to Wanda's house, I was exhausted. With a boost from Twyla, the two of us climbed through Wanda's window. Waving good-bye, we watched Twyla slip away down the hillside, without even rousing the dogs, and drive off into the darkness.

  "You sure look a sight," Wanda said, staring at me in the soft glow from Charlene's little lamp.

  "I couldn't look any worse than you do." As quietly as possible, we tiptoed into the bathroom, cleaned up as best we could, and crept back to bed.

  Although Wanda fell asleep almost at once, I lay awake for a long time, worrying about Jason and my parents and Aunt Grace. I was almost afraid for morning to come. Suppose I went home and found everything exactly the same?

  Chapter 16

  The morning sun woke me, but I lay still for a few minutes, waiting for Wanda to show some signs of life. As soon as she stirred, I bent over her and whispered, "Are you awake?"

  Wanda screwed up her face and shook her head. "Uh uh, not yet. It's too early to wake up."

  "I've got to go home, I've got to see if everything's all right." I got out of bed and groped around the floor for my clothes. My T-shirt was still damp and my shorts were crusty with mud, but I pulled them on anyway.

  "My lord, you look like you tangled with a bobcat in a pigpen," Wanda said. "You got scratches all over you. What's your aunt going to think?"

  "Maybe she won't notice."

  "Maybe. If she's got her eyes closed, that is." Wanda got out of bed and pulled on a pair of overalls and a T-shirt. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I feel half-starved from not eating anything last night. Don't you?"

  I shrugged. "I'll probably feel hungrier after I know Jason's better."

  Out in the kitchen, Annabelle was having a cup of coffee and singing along with the radio. "Well, that storm really cleared the air, didn't it? It's just beautiful this morning, the best-looking day I seen in a long time." She smiled out the window at the blue sky as if she'd polished it herself. "Even the birds sound happier," she added.

  "What's for breakfast? I'm half dead from starvation." Wanda sat down at the table and looked at Annabelle.

  "Well, there's coffee, fresh made, and cereal and toast." Annabelle looked at us, noticing our appearance for the first time. "You all look awful. How'd you get all scratched up like that? Did you go out in that storm last night?"

  "Well, just a little. We couldn't sleep, Annabelle." Wanda grinned at her grandmother and took the bowl of cereal she offered her. "Bananas on top! You just think of everything."

  Annabelle smiled. "Well, don't go out in no more storms like that. You could've been struck by lightning and then what would I have told Grace Randall?"

  When I'd eaten enough breakfast to satisfy Annabelle, I got up to go home.

  "I'll walk with you," Wanda said, leaving Annabelle happily washing dishes and singing a sad song about a no-good boy who ran away from home and broke his mother's heart.

  Outside the air was fresh and clean, just as Annabelle had said, and we walked together down the road, talking about Maude and wondering what Twyla had done to her. When we got to the edge of the grove, we paused and looked at each other, then peered ahead of us into the shade.

  "I don't see her," Wanda whispered. "But I hear a crow."

  "So do I. What should we do? The only other way to my house is down by the creek and we'd still have to pass the path to her house."

  "We could hold hands and run through." Wanda put a finger in her mouth and chewed at her nail.

  "Okay. I'll get my aunt or somebody to drive you home, so you won't have to come back by yourself." I reached out for her hand and we ran down the hill and into the grove.

  The road was muddy and cool from the rain and the air smelled of wet moss, damp bark, and moist earth. Bursting out again into the sunshine, I took a deep breath and laughed. "Not a sign of her!"

  "Maybe she's dead, like in The Wizard of Oz. Twyla just melted her away."

  Singing "Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead," we ran up the lawn to Aunt Grace's house, almost dizzy with excitement.

  We found Aunt Grace in the kitchen, bent over her drawing board, sketching a grove of trees outside the window. When she saw us, she sprang up, her face happy. "Oh, Laura, I have good news!" She nearly swept me off my feet with a big hug. "Jason is better this morning, much better! Your mother called about an hour ago."

  I hugged her back as hard as I could. "When can I go see him?"

  "As soon as you can get ready." Aunt Grace drew back and smiled at me, then looked puzzled. "How on earth did you get so scratched up? You look as if you fell in a briar patch."

  I looked down at my scarred legs and shrugged. "Wanda and I went for a walk last night. I guess we sort of wandered off the path."

  "You weren't out in that storm, were you?"

  "Just a little."

  "Well, n
o harm done. Go on upstairs and change your clothes. We'll go as soon as you're ready."

  "Can we drop Wanda off at her house on the way?"

  "Of course." Aunt Grace smiled at Wanda. "Would you like a cup of coffee while we wait?"

  Wanda nodded and looked at the picture on the drawing board. "It sure is nice seeing you painting again. I just love the way you draw."

  Aunt Grace smiled. "I was sitting at the table having my first cup of coffee and the light was so pretty on the trees, I just had to paint them. I'm glad you like it."

  Leaving them in the kitchen, I ran upstairs. As I reached the bathroom door, Carol stepped out. She was enveloped in a cloud of warm steamy air and smelled of shampoo and soap and conditioner.

  "Isn't it wonderful about Jason?" she said. "I've been so worried about that little guy." Carol shook her head. "And your poor Daddy, it's been an awful strain on him. Are you going to see him?"

  "As soon as I get cleaned up."

  Carol stepped away from the door and smiled. "Well, the bathroom's all yours. Hope you don't mind it all steamy, but I just love long, hot showers. All that water feels so good, opens your pores, lets your skin breathe."

  I nodded and closed the bathroom door, hoping she'd left enough hot water to open my pores a little.

  When I came downstairs, Aunt Grace and Wanda were finishing up a sinkful of dishes and chatting like old friends. "Ready?" Aunt Grace asked.

  After dropping Wanda off, we drove into Harrisburg and parked in front of the hospital, a rambling old frame building that looked like a turn-of-the-century hotel, enlarged with brick additions and bristling with fire escapes.

  Inside we wandered down miles of brown linoleum hallways, past door after door of sick people watching us go by. Some had flowers by their beds, some had dozens of get-well cards stuck in their Venetian blinds, and some were just lying there, looking sad and lonely as if they hoped we were coming to see them. I didn't want to look at them, but I couldn't help it. I peeped in each door, glimpsing people of all ages, and if I didn't see their faces, I saw their bare feet poking out from under sheets.

  "Jason's room is just around this corner," Aunt Grace said. "He'll be so pleased to see you, Laura. I know he's missed you."

  "You're sure he's better?" I felt my knees getting kind of trembly. I didn't want to see Jason if he looked awful; I wouldn't know what to say, what to do.

  "Oh, yes, Laura. He's much better. His fever went down overnight and he says the pain in his legs is all gone. The doctors are absolutely mystified. They've never seen anyone recover as rapidly as Jason has." Aunt Grace smiled at me. "Don't be frightened." She squeezed my hand and led me to Jason's door.

  And there he was, sitting up in bed, smiling. "Laurie!" he cried, "Oh, Laurie, I've missed you!" His face was pale and he looked thinner, but his smile was as big as ever.

  "Oh, Jasie, Jasie, I've missed you too!" I sank down on the bed and hugged him. "I'm so sorry you've been sick!"

  "Now, now, Laura, no tears." Daddy smiled at me from a chair next to Jason's bed. "He's been a brave boy and he's all right now."

  Jason smiled. "That's right, Laurie. Even the doctors said how brave I was." He shot Daddy a look and then turned back to me. "Where's Wanda?" He peered around my shoulder as if he expected to see her lurking in the hall.

  "She couldn't come, but she said to tell you she's glad you're better. Everybody was worried about you, even Annabelle."

  Jason looked pleased. "When I come home, you and me and Wanda can build a great big sand castle. It can have towers and stairs and a moat around it and a dungeon underneath."

  "We can build a regular Camelot all our own," I agreed. "And you can be the king, Jason."

  "Don't forget this, son." Daddy picked up a brand new football and tossed it to Jason. He missed it, and it landed on his table, knocking his pitcher of water into Mom's lap.

  "I'm sorry!" Jason's eyes filled with tears and he looked from Mom to Dad, as if he weren't sure which one he should apologize to.

  While Mom blotted up the water with a towel from the bathroom, Daddy retrieved the football. "No need to cry about it," he said. "Just shows you need some practice. As soon as you get home, I'll teach you a few tricks." He ruffled Jason's hair and smiled at me.

  "But first of all, the castle," I said firmly. "Because you can't just get out of bed and start playing football and stuff like that." I looked at Daddy out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't say anything. He just sat there tossing the football from one hand to the other as if he were thinking about something else.

  Turning back to Jason, I started describing the sort of castle we could build. I guess we spent half an hour planning it, from turrets to dungeon.

  Suddenly Jason leaned toward me, his face worried. "But what about Maude, Laurie? She'll see us at the creek."

  I shook my head. "She won't come, Jason."

  "How do you know?"

  "I just know. You don't have to be scared of her."

  "What's this about Maude?" Mom looked up from her magazine. "Did she scare you, Jason?"

  Jason glanced at me, remembering his promise not to mention Maude. "She's a scary old lady." He picked at the fuzz balls on his blanket, his face hidden.

  Daddy smiled. "Oh, Jason, your imagination carries you away so easily. Next you'll be saying she's a witch."

  "She is," Jason whispered so softly only I could hear him. "I know she is."

  Just then a nurse came into the room, pushing a cart that tinkled with bottles and test tubes and all sorts of sinister medical things. "Well, it's time to run a few more tests, Jason," the nurse said. "The chief vampire wants some more of your blood."

  "Oh, no." Jason lay back on his pillows. "Not again. My arm already looks like a pincushion."

  "Everybody out," the nurse said, "unless you like the sight of blood."

  "Well, old man," Daddy said, "I think I'll take your sister for a ride. I haven't seen much of her lately."

  "But she just got here." Jason stuck out his lip, and for the first time in my life I was glad to see it. More than anything else, that pout said Jason was feeling like himself again.

  "I'll see you tomorrow when you come home," I said, giving him a kiss.

  Daddy patted Jason's head. "Be good now and don't break this nice young lady's heart."

  The nurse giggled and Aunt Grace said, "Leave that to you, right, George?"

  Outside the sun was hot, and I winced when my bare legs touched the vinyl seats in the car. As we pulled away from the hospital. Daddy noticed a Dairy Queen down the street. "I could really go for a nice, cold shake, couldn't you?" Turning into the parking lot, he took a space vacated by an old pickup truck full of sunburned teenagers. "What kind do you want?" he asked.

  "Usually all they have is vanilla," I said, following him up to the counter.

  Thé girl at the window reminded me of Charlene. She had the same easy smile and slow way of moving as she took our order. Like Charlene, she wore her hair long and winged back from her face, and her cheeks were powdered orangy red. When she handed the shakes to us, she smiled at Daddy.

  While he paid for the milkshakes, I wondered if Charlene would come back to Blue Hollow. Now that the spell was broken, maybe she'd see that Eddie wasn't really so hot as a husband and father. It was funny to catch myself thinking that some people might be better off not married to each other, that some kids might be happier not living with their own fathers. I could see now that Wanda had been right when she'd said that she and Annabelle and Charlene were all the family Tanya Marie needed.

  As we drove away, I sipped my milkshake, but it was too thick to come through the straw.

  "What's the matter? Don't you like your shake?" Daddy asked.

  "It's too thick and it's got too much vanilla in it. It burns the back of my throat." Turning my head, I looked out the window for a while, watching the scenery flow by. Fields, hills, mountains, woods, their monotony broken by scatterings of farms and an occasional store or church.
And the sky, always the sky, high and clear and blue without a single cloud.

  Turning back to Daddy, I looked at his profile. With the wind from the open window ruffling his hair, he looked more like Robert Redford than ever. "Are you and Mom definitely getting a divorce?"

  He looked at me, his face puzzled. "I thought you knew we were, Laura. Probably next winter sometime."

  "I just wondered if Jason's being sick had changed anything."

  He shook his head. "Not really. It's funny though. For a while, when he was in intensive care, we talked about staying married for his sake. He seemed to need us both so badly." He sighed. "But it would have been a mistake. I just don't think we could be happy together, your mother and I. In the long run it would have been bad for all of us."

  "But you must have been happy when you first got married, you must have loved each other then. How come it all stopped?"

  "People change, honey. Their feelings change too." He looked at me. "I know you're disappointed, Laura, but you've got to accept it, you and Jason both. After all, I'm divorcing your mother, not you. I'll always be your father and I'll always love you. That's one thing that won't ever change."

  I nodded and sipped some of my milkshake. It still tasted bitter, as if there were something nasty in it that all the sugar couldn't hide. "Are we going back to Aunt' Grace's already?" I asked as Daddy turned off the main road.

  "I thought we'd pick up Carol and take her with us. She's probably pretty lonesome in that big house all by herself. You don't mind, do you?"

  "I thought you and I were going by ourselves."

  "I want you to get to know Carol better, Laura. You'll be seeing a lot of her next fall when you're back home."

  I didn't want to ask the next question, but I had to know. "You're going to marry her, aren't you?"

  "We're thinking about it, honey. You like Carol, don't you? She thinks you two are just terrific." He smiled. "She's a wonderful girl, she really is."