Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color

by Sèphera Girón

  The broom was heavy. She touched the rugged end of the stick and ran her hand along the wisps of twigs bound at the other end.

  The words of Lucy rang in her head.

  “Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and light,

  Send this broomstick into flight,”

  Dorothy held the broom out in front of her. She closed her eyes, drawing down the power of the moon into the broom.

  She repeated the magic words that Dorothy had shared.

  “Moonglow goddess, Venus rise,

  Mercury flows as we ride the skies.”

  The broom trembled in her grip. Dorothy dropped it. The broom hovered in the air for a second then fell to the ground.

  “What the?” She stared down at the broom and though the darkness was thick, the broom glowed slightly as it twitched. Dorothy took a deep breath and focused. She flexed her fingers, remembering the vibrations that had tickled her.

  Dorothy said the combination of words again as she knelt down to pick up the broom. This time it settled into her hands easily without twitching. She straddled it, maneuvering it under her as if she were sitting in a chair. Before she knew it, the broom whisked her into the air.

  “Oh, no!” Dorothy cried in both wonderment and fear, hanging on so tightly her fingers ached. “No!”

  Dorothy’s legs hung over the side of the broom as if she were riding a horse side-saddle. A position she didn’t particularly care for when riding a horse on the ground and definitely not embracing with joy while hurtling through the air. The broom climbed higher into the sky. The wind was cool against her face, but the further away the ground became the more she was fearful of falling.

  “It’s a good thing I’m not too afraid of heights but even this is higher than the highest roller coaster I’ve ever been on. I might even be higher than the CN tower at this point!”

  The broom climbed a bit higher until it was well above the ocean and then it swept around in a giant circle, giving Dorothy a view of Hermana. She was shivering from the cold windy drafts from the ocean that drifted up to her through thick fog and splashing waves. There were a couple of giant ships far away in the ocean, lights twinkling, likely cruise ships on tour.

  The broom picked up speed as it flew further and faster, this time creating a circle eight.

  “It’s kind of like surfing, I guess. I’m getting the balance of it now,” Dorothy said to no one.

  The broom twitched beneath her fingers and she pushed it down slightly to get a little closer to the earth as it really was just a bit too high for her. The broom gently dropped a few feet and continued in its circle, cutting easily through the fog and ocean spray.

  Next time I try this I’m definitely going to bring some sort of light so that I can see further in front of me. I would hate to hit a bird or a bat.

  The broom lowered again although she hadn’t touched it and it swooped across the tops of the highest buildings in Hermana. She wondered if anyone could see her or if she were invisible. A witch riding a broomstick might not be that unusual of a sight in this part of town, but it was her first solo broom ride and she wasn’t sure how many of the other witches rode brooms. None of them ever spoke about it. Despite being a closely-knit coven, with many of them involved in each other’s lives for decades, the Craft was still full of secrets, especially from sister witches.

  Now that she was flying high, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she discovered who else besides Natasha experienced the joy of flight.

  The broom flew rather close to a road, skimming along the roofs of a couple of cars zipping along, likely from Boston to Rhode Island. Dorothy chuckled and hoped no one recognized her. It would be hard to explain riding a broomstick when she had a perfectly working car in the garage. Of course, a car didn’t provide the magnificent views that she was seeing right now.

  Although it was dark out, all the lights in Hermana were on, including beautiful revolving floodlights from the park that continued to celebrate Beltane. There was a spotlight over-arcing down one street along with several other lights brightly shining beside it. The broom lowered again, and Dorothy saw that there were a lot of people gathered around the lights, along with some giant cameras and many trucks.

  They’re shooting a night scene!

  The broom swooped around again this time even closer and Dorothy saw large, tall chairs with names on them. They were giant director chairs just like in her favorite movies. She didn’t such a thing existed. There really was such a thing as giant director chairs with names on them. The broom swept her right down close towards an empty chair that said “Oscar Dominion” on it. The broom lurched straight up again after she caught a glimpse of the name and her heart pounded wildly. She already knew Oscar Dominion was in town after having seen him at the gym but now he was here at the night shoot and she just had to figure out which actor was him.

  She lowered the broom down in nearby street and took a second look as she climbed off of it. She wanted to leave it parked in the bushes, but Hermana was a tricky place. With her luck, a random ghost or animal might find the broom and run off with it. Lucy wouldn’t be too happy with her if she lost the broom on her first ride. She kept it in her hand as she stopped and stared at herself in shop windows. Dorothy fussed with her hair while looking into the reflection, using the storefront as a mirror. She moved the strands around, smoothing it out. She pulled out a little hat from her cape pocket but then pushed it back in again. A hat wasn’t going to help at this point.

  I hope I don’t look like I’ve lost my mind!

  She reached into another pocket and pulled out eyeliner and lipstick and dabbed some on where she felt she needed to freshen up her look. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but she did her best. She put them back and then adjusted her cape. She pulled her hood up over her hair hoping that the shadows didn’t show that she wasn’t looking her best, but she didn’t look so bad either. She took a deep breath and wrapped a hand around her new broomstick.

  She made certain that her clothes were smoothed out and not all windblown from sitting on that broom and made her way down the street, walking carefully so that her boots didn’t click on the cobblestones and disrupt the shoot. She made her way over to the glow of the lights and found a small group of local citizens standing and watching a scene being filmed.

  There was a camera on a little cart that was driven by a man while another man balanced a camera and yet another man balanced him. As the car drove along the road, three actors ran behind it in their costumes. The actor in front was covered in what she presumed to be fake blood and ran with his mouth open although he was quiet. The other two actors wore hoods covering their faces (much like ski masks but not quite) reflecting the true spirit of Scary Haunted Tales. The three people ran for several feet until the director yelled, “Cut” and they stopped.

  The actors all put their hands on their knees, breathing heavily. As the crew bustled around, moving gear and cameras, the little car drove back to where it had started, and they readied themselves for another take.

  * * *

  Dorothy stood with the other civilians as they whispered excitedly about whom they had spotted so far during the shooting.

  “I think the whole cast is here tonight,” a woman said excitedly.

  “Even Oscar Dominion?” asked Dorothy, wondering if anyone could hear her heart slamming against her chest.

  “Oh, yes. He just did a scene. I think he went to his trailer for a bit,” a young man said. “I think he’s been working out more than ever, he was really pumped up.”

  “Do you think he’ll shoot another scene?” asked Dorothy.

  “I think so but not tonight.”

  “It didn’t look like he was getting changed to go home,” a woman said. “I’ve been watching him like a hawk all night so if he left, I would know it.” The woman laughed a little bit as she waved her hands excitedly. “I know, I know, I’m a married woman but, hey, I can have a crush, too!”

  Dorothy looked over to the trailers l
ined up down the road. She knew she could figure out which one he was in if she walked by them, but she decided to stay where she was and enjoy watching the scene being shot for a few minutes.

  “How long have they been shooting tonight?” asked Dorothy.

  “I’ve been here since sundown,” said the young man. “They had a few camera setups and laid the tracks for the dollies, but I don’t think they actually started shooting any real scenes until about an hour ago. I’m sure they’ll be at it all night. You know how Hollywood is.”

  Dorothy laughed.

  “I don’t really know how Hollywood is, but I’ll take your word for it. I know they work very long hours so if they’ve only been at work for a couple then they’ll be here for many more I’m pretty sure.”

  Dorothy looked over towards Oscar Dominion’s trailer area again.

  “It’s nice to see I’m not the only fan,” the lady said with a chuckle.

  “Oh yeah, I am,” Dorothy said as the broom twitched in her fingers.

  The broom lurched again which caused Dorothy to stumble against the people she was standing beside.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Pardon me,” she said. “I-- I stumbled. I must have caught my boots in the cobblestones. I’m so sorry.”

  “Oh, no worries, lady.”

  The broom moved again, and Dorothy realized that she wasn’t going to be able to stand there watching the scene being shot because the broom was being impatient about going somewhere else. Dorothy walked away from the little clump of voyeurs and whispered to the broom.

  “What do you want? Why are you twitching and moaning? I just wanted to watch the scene being shot for a few minutes. It’s not every day Hollywood comes to town.”

  The broom floated up in the air and she had to pull it pretty hard to bring it back to her. The effort caused her to grunt. She looked around, but luckily no one seemed to be have seen what happened, even though she was still pretty visible had any of them turned around.

  She ran around the corner and then in the shadow of a store, she hopped on the broom. It rose into the air like a helicopter between the stores and then shot quickly towards the trailers. It floated alongside the small temporary structures. There was a sharp pang in her stomach and she caught her breath. The broom hovered just long enough for Dorothy to see “Oscar Dominion” stamped in thick black ink on a small white placard just below a small window on one of the trailer doors, and then it climbed up into the sky. Dorothy wondered if anyone had seen her flying by, but it seemed that every one’s focus was on the movie stars or the director or the actors who once again were running along the road.

  The broom soared back over the ocean, only this time Dorothy was lower to the waves, her boots practically skimming the foaming surf. Sea salt splashed on her with every undulating pull of the sea. The water was so dark and so mysterious that it reminded her of the Black Mass she had seen in her living room the previous night. She wondered if she should tell Lucy about the ceremony she’d witnessed, but Lucy had so much on her mind that bothering her about something like that just didn’t seem fair at this point. Lucy was worried about an “ancient evil” and Dorothy’s trivialities would only annoy her.

  Dorothy wasn’t sure she wanted to bring the other witches into ideas about the Black Mass just yet either. For all she knew, someone in the coven could be doing it. While the bond of the coven was strong and they were all theoretically “sisters” because of that connection, witches were notoriously jealous. It was usually jealousy which stood in the way of any progress in any coven. Who knew how far witches could have brought the world if they weren’t always in-fighting? There was always the often-unspoken battle, the vying at any cost, to become the most powerful witch. And in this coven, it could very well be happening, especially now that Lucy was fading.

  It was growing colder, the waves splashing her as the midnight winds blew across the water.

  Her cape was wet, and she was shivering.

  Should I go back to the set? But I have to work tomorrow and it’s already so late...

  The broom skimmed the top of the water like a dragonfly on a hot summer day. Suddenly it was pulled under. Dorothy saw a hand before she fell into the ocean. As she flailed about in the waves, she took several deep breaths and calmed down. Freaking out would do no good. She moved her arms slowly as she rolled onto her back. She needed to discard the heavy cape, it was making her sink but she shivered so much she could barely swish her arms. She stared up at the moon. The ocean was so cold. So very cold. What grabbed the broom and was it coming for her?

  A hand clamped around her leg and she was dragged down, deep into the water. She didn’t have time to scream as her head followed her body beneath the surface, through thick tangles of seaweed, down into the darkness where even the moon way above her winked out.

  Just when she thought she’d drown, she shot up in the sky, flying once more. The broom had scooped her up and propelled them to freedom. Dorothy shivered so much she thought she’d fall.

  “What the hell was that?” she cried out. “What the hell was that?”

  They sped through the air, her mind racing. The cold was too much.

  “Darkness, blanket me in your warmth

  Leave the damp, wind behind,

  I’m yours, darkness, as you are mine.”

  Her clothes shifted and fluttered, growing warmer and dryer.

  “Thank you for saving me, broom. Now, stay high so nothing can grab us. Goodness,” Dorothy said.

  As the broom landed by her little cottage, she straightened out her cape, and hair. She looked at the broom in her hand.

  Should I go back?

  It remained lifeless, just a regular broom. Dorothy sighed. She wanted to see Oscar again, well, she never got to see him at all. But the broom had other ideas. The broom had brought her home.

  “Why did you bring me home before I could see him?” she whispered to the broom as she let herself in. As she turned on the lights, she leaned the broom against the wall. The damp musk of the sea filled her nose. She unfastened her cape and held it out in front of her. It was heavy and damp once more, the drying spell worn off.

  “You’re what stinks. No, I can’t go back to the set with these lovely smells all over me,” she sighed. She brought the cape with her into the bathroom. She removed all her clothes and took a shower, washing her hair quickly to rid it of the salt water before it crusted to her scalp.

  “What the hell was that thing? Did it want me? Or was it just trying to scare me?” She narrowed her eyes, turning over all the likely candidates who would love to mess with her head.

  Too many.

  Well, no one could say she hadn’t had some interesting lovers in the past.

  Oh, but my future... oh I was so close, could smell his sweat, could feel his energy though we went by so quickly.

  Dorothy stepped out of the shower, towelling her hair and then wrapping it up in a fresh towel. She wiped her body from head to toe with a towel, then took a third, large fresh towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself.

  She hung the cape up on a hook to dry off. She yawned, staring at it, imagining Oscar chatting with her between takes, if he’d been there. If the broom hadn’t taken her away...

  One day, Oscar.

  Chapter Seven

  The Emperor: A powerful man may seem scary but underneath, he’s just a teddy bear.

  Dorothy took a small vintage perfume atomizer from one of her vanity drawers. She sat on a little wood chair that was made to match the vanity mirror set. She lifted the atomizer to her face and spritzed several times.

  “Ah, moon water, I hope you work as well as they say. I don’t want to ever look old.”

  She peered into the mirror, looking for crows’ feet around her eyes and marionette lines along the sides of her mouth. She lightly smoothed the moon water into her face with upward strokes. She returned the atomizer to its spot under the sink and then reached for a small vial from a little storage box that held several vial
s with words handwritten on their tiny labels.

  As she unscrewed the lid, the fresh smell of roses filled the bedroom. She plucked a cotton-tipped stick from a canister and pressed it against the vial opening. She tipped the vial just enough to moisten the swab and then recapped the small bottle. She dabbed the oil along her jaw line and at her temples.

  Mmm... smells like a rose garden in the spring.

  Dorothy pulled on her best yoga pants; emerald green spandex brightened by violet flowers woven down the leg zippers. Donning her matching sports bra and workout top she stole a quick glance in the mirror. Not bad for a witch her age. She turned to the side, examining her profile.

  Yes, getting back to the gym was definitely a priority. All those long days of either endlessly standing or endlessly sitting were creating a muffin top and her clothes were getting tight.

  Her gym clothes were getting even tighter so it was time to nip that rose in the bud.

  Especially if she wanted to entice fit and trim Oscar Dominion!

  She slipped her matching green and purple sneakers into her gym bag and set it on the couch.

  What else, what else?

  She circled the room, her gaze darting around as she searched for gym gear, tapping her mouth with her fingers as she thought. She saw her water bottle and scooped it up.

  Ah, yes, water and a towel.

  She filled the bottle from the tap and tossed it into the bag.

  She added an apple and an energy bar for good measure. She stared at the bag. Her stomach fluttered. She took a deep breath and yawned. Stretching her arms out, she yawned again. She was excited but also exhausted. Her nocturnal adventures were catching up to her.

  “But first, another cup of coffee...” Dorothy refilled her mug and sat on the couch. She flipped on a sitcom and stared at the screen, and then at the broom that was parked in the corner by the door. As the brain fog cleared, she paid less attention to the show.