Autumn Calling Read online

  “Actually it knocked at the door and then attacked me.”

  “Okay, now that is really weird.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “It’s really red and swollen, maybe we should go to the emergency room.”

  “No. It’s just a couple of scratches. They’re not deep.”

  “But birds carry all kinds of things.”

  “I cleaned up the one deep scratch. The others didn’t really break the skin, they’re just swollen.”

  “You sure? I’ll even drive that dog mobile we call a car,” Tori said, referring to the carpet-covered SUV Summer drove for the vet office they both worked at. It had floppy ears, a wire tail that wagged in the wind, and a tongue. Summer thought it was kind of cute, but Tori hated having any association with it. So for her to offer to drive was really saying how much she cared.

  “I’m good. Shall we go up to the house and see what Ms. Midnight has planned for us today?”

  “I can’t wait.”

  They headed through the graveyard. Nothing seemed to make Tori happier than magic lessons, except Nick, of course. Sully followed like a behemoth shadow, stopping to sniff here and there on the way.

  When Ms. Midnight opened the door she exclaimed, “Goodness, child, what happened?”

  Again Summer explained her encounter with the crow and his crew. The story seemed to disturb the elderly lady, and for the first time in a long time she saw that old familiar crabby face she’d seen so often from the window when she first moved into the cottage. It just dawned on her that maybe all that time it wasn’t her being grumpy but deep in thought.

  Tori looked to Summer when the cranky face was shown, but Summer just shook her head as if to tell Tori “leave it alone, I’ll tell you later.”

  “A little tea tree oil will bring the swelling down in no time and clean out anything that might have gotten in the wound. Tori, would you mind getting it? It’s in a small blue bottle in the bathroom cabinet, and cotton balls are in there as well.”

  “Sure thing,” Tori said, happily fetching the items for her.

  “Thank you, dear,” she said when Tori returned. With shaky hands she deposited a tiny bit of oil on the cotton ball and very gently applied it to several spots on Summer’s face. “There, now. That should help. I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m not exactly surprised either.”

  “Really.”

  “Oh, yes. Crows are often used to do the deeds of the sinister and lazy. And, I might add, witches. I find those with dark character resort to such fiendish acts. A good and fine witch will face her opponent when she attacks, but the dark ones, they enjoy their little tricks.”

  “So you think this is somehow related to the Macabre family.”

  “Most definitely. It used to be Yvonne’s signature card. I guess she’s still up to her old tricks, unless she’s taught them to another member of the family, which can never be ruled out. No matter who sent them, it still came from under the same roof.”

  “How awful,” Summer said.

  “But kind of cool, too,” Tori added, but she got a reprimanding look from both Ms. Midnight and Summer. “Sorry. I mean it’s awful they did this to you, but it’s amazing what magic they are capable of.”

  “The Macabre are very powerful, and not to be taken lightly by any means,” Aunt Myrtle warned. “Now, let’s get on with our lessons, shall we?”

  “Yes,” Summer agreed.

  “Definitely,” Tori replied.

  “Follow me into the salon. I’ve set up in there.”

  * * *

  The salon was a darker room than the parlor, and Aunt Myrtle had decked it out in all things gypsy. Brightly colored lavish scarves and pillows were eclectically placed about the room. The air was scented with cloves, lavender, and vanilla from the incense and candles burning. It was inviting and warm. Summer saw by the wide smile on Tori’s face that she was thrilled by the sights and smells.

  In the center of the room was a medium-sized table draped in azure velvet. It housed a tray containing a teapot and three cups, and in the center of the table was a huge crystal ball upon a pedestal of deep mahogany with carved dragon claws as feet.

  “Sit. Make yourselves comfortable,” Aunt Myrtle said, gesturing with her hand towards the table. When the girls sat, she grabbed a silk scarf and wrapped her head, giving her the final ingredient to her perfect bohemian scene.

  “The first thing we will do today is tea leaf reading,” Aunt Myrtle said as she poured each of them a cup of steeped loose leaf tea.

  Summer was not a tea drinker, nor was Tori, but the delightful smells it brought to the mood of the room were enchanting.

  “Empty your mind of your woes of the day, and take in the scents and ambience of your surroundings. Drink and enjoy,” Aunt Myrtle added.

  Summer watched Aunt Myrtle as she closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet and leisure of the process. Tori too seemed very relaxed. She stretched her neck, leaned her head to one side and then the other as if smoothing out the kinks that had been there. Summer felt warm and cozy, but she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself like her two table mates.

  When they all had drank their tea, Aunt Myrtle instructed them to put the saucer on the lips of the tea cup and flip it, depositing any extra liquid onto the saucer. “Now lift your cups, examine the tea leaves at the bottom, and tell me what you see.”

  Summer did as she was told and looked at her tea leaves, but she saw nothing but greenish brown muck staring back at her. What was she supposed to be seeing? Whatever it was, she certainly wasn’t seeing it. She looked up trying not to be noticed by the other two intently studying their cups. Summer looked back at her cup, looking harder this time for something other than the blob that was there.

  “Tori, let’s start with you. What do you see?”

  “Well, I see a frog, a guitar, a tree, an apple, an alligator, and a dagger.”

  “My goodness, that’s excellent. You have a real gift for this.”

  Summer looked again at her cup and still saw nothing but a blob. She craned her neck to see inside Tori’s cup thinking she must have done something wrong, but as far as she could see, Tori’s was more speckled blobs of nothing. What was she missing? What was wrong with her? She was supposed to have all this magic inside her, but there was absolutely nothing here.

  “A frog means you’ll be moving or changing your residence. A guitar is often love. A tree often means growth. Let’s see, um, an apple can mean some kind of achievement in business is coming your way. An alligator could be that you could be involved in some kind of accident in the near future. And a dagger almost always means there is danger ahead. Very good, Tori. Now your turn, Summer. What do you see in your cup?”

  “Truthfully? I see a blob of crushed leaves.”

  “Let me see.” Tori relieved Summer of her cup. “Hmmm. I see a cat, a sun, an upside down L, and a finger.”

  “What does the finger point at?” Aunt Myrtle asked.

  “Um, hmmm, I don’t know, maybe a dragon,” she said, contorting her face and tilting her head back and forth as if to see things from a different angle.

  “Amazing. I’ve never come across someone so quick to learn, Tori,” Aunt Myrtle said. Taking the cup from her and confirming what she had seen, she handed it back to Summer.

  Summer peered into the cup once more, looking for the items that Tori had found, but still saw nothing. Though when she spun the cup one direction, she thought maybe she saw an L. But then she lost it and decided she only wanted to see it.

  “According to your reading, Tori,” Aunt Myrtle said, checking the notepad she’d been writing on. “A cat usually means you’ll be having a quarrel with someone, Summer. A sun means power, an upside down L might mean you’ll be meeting some kind of shady character, but the last two are more important. A dragon means trouble, and a finger pointing at it means big trouble is on the horizon.”

  “So what does yours say, Aunt Myrtle?” Summer asked.

  “Well, I
see a coin, which usually means repaying a debt of some kind. A closed box, which can be finding something that is lost, and hmmm.” She fell silent then blurted out, “A house, which is security.” Then she quickly added more tea to the cup and took a sip.

  * * *

  “How about we move on to peering into a crystal ball?” Aunt Myrtle suggested. Summer nodded, and Tori just about jumped out of her seat, she was so excited.

  “I imagine there are many, many techniques to gazing. I suppose it’s all in how you were taught and what you are comfortable with. I like to close my eyes for a moment, take a couple of deep breaths and clear my mind of clutter. When I feel I’m ready I see what I can see. There’s no hocus pocus or special words to recite. The crystal ball is just another visual aid to your mind’s eye.”

  “That being said, Summer, how about you go first this time,” she suggested. Tori looked a little disappointed and Summer felt nervous. She shook her hands to loosen them and then laid her palms flat on the table, closing her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to relax and empty her mind. She opened her eyes and looked into the clear crystal ball the size of a large snow globe.

  The candles flickering in the room reflected in the glass as well as the image of a very intent and upside down Tori. Should she be seeing something else? Wasn’t green smoke supposed to build from within, and then some creepy face look out at her and tell her something surreal? It sure as heck wasn’t doing anything at the moment.

  “What do you see, Summer?” Aunt Myrtle asked.

  “Truthfully?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, I see Tori upside down.”

  “That’s something, but gazing into a crystal ball is not quite as literal as that. Let your mind wander a bit, and let your eyes relax and go out of focus,” Aunt Myrtle suggested.

  Summer refocused on studying the crystal ball for a moment or two, but had no luck.

  “Don’t worry about it, dear. Even the most powerful witches can’t do every kind of magic. We all have our weakness, but that doesn’t make you any less of a witch. Besides, clear crystal balls are often the hardest to use,” Aunt Myrtle encouraged.

  “Okay, Tori, you want to try?” Aunt Myrtle asked.

  Tori nodded eagerly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. Summer could see the intense concentration in her friend’s face. She said, “I see a butterfly, and a door that opens, and the butterfly goes through.”

  “Very good. And what do you think this means?” Myrtle asked her.

  “I think the butterfly must mean some kind of change or metamorphosis, and the door and going through it means I’m headed for some new opportunity or challenge,” Tori explained.

  “Excellent. I wonder,” Aunt Myrtle said with a pause.

  “What’s that?” Tori asked.

  “I just wonder if maybe you have gypsy blood in your genes. I’m stunned at have fast you’ve taken to gypsy magic and what a natural you are at it.”

  “You think?”

  “I do.”

  “I don’t know anything about my parents,” Tori said.

  “It might be worth looking into. The orphanage might have some recollection of who they were and what the circumstances were for your being put there,” Aunt Myrtle surmised.

  “That would be something, wouldn’t it, Summer?” Tori said.

  “It would,” Summer agreed.

  “Well, girls, I’m a little pooped. Maybe we can call lessons done until after lunch?”

  “Sure. We’ll get out of your hair,” Summer suggested.

  “Thanks for everything, Ms. Midnight,” Tori said as she left the room.

  * * *

  The girls chit-chatted as they made their way out of the mansion and past the medicinal herb garden Summer had put in the spring before. The plants were taking off and it was really looking sharp. Summer puttered around in the foliage at least a few minutes every day. Getting her hands dirty and becoming one with nature really relaxed her, especially when she was feeling down. Seemed no matter the time of year, there was always something blooming or budding. That new life always picked up her spirits.

  They sat on the bench overlooking the garden as they watched bees and flying insects busying themselves foraging. A large lilac-colored moth fluttered about getting Sully’s attention, sending him leaping and bounding after it.

  “So tell me,” Summer said, “What’s the plan with Nick? Will he be moving in with you? Will you be moving in with him and Jackson, or will you be looking for a new place to house just the two of you?”

  “I think the latter. I think my place is too small for two people and I don’t really want to move in with Jackson. Not that I don’t adore him, it’s just hard enough getting used to one man, let alone two.”

  “No doubt. It’s probably better that way. If you moved into your place, he’d feel like he was moving and changing YOUR stuff, where as a new place will be a fresh start for both of you.”

  “Exactly what I thought. We do so think alike, don’t we?”

  “We do. Have you started looking?”

  “Only recently. We’ve been playing with the idea, going to open houses and stuff like that.”

  “Do you think you’ll rent a house or an apartment?”

  “Our budget will allow for a small house.”

  “That is so cool. I’m so happy for both of you. What big and exciting changes you two are going through.”

  “It is a very exciting time, though it is a little scary, too.”

  “Change in general can be scary, but we can’t live an experienced life without change.”

  “Okay, now you’re sounding like Sister Margaret.”

  “Ha, I guess I do. I never thought I’d be accused of sounding like a nun, that’s for sure.” They both had a good long laugh

  “Is Nick terribly mad at me? He looked furious yesterday,” Summer asked.

  “Naw. He has that crabby look when he worries. I know he understands your side of things. It’s just he’s so protective of Jackson he forgets that your feelings count too. We talked a bit last night. He hadn’t realized Jackson hadn’t been in contact with you and I think that got him worried. But remember, in the end, if you’re not happy, Nick will understand. You have to do what you have to do. Maybe the relationship with Jackson right now isn’t the right time with all his secretive traveling.”

  “ We’ll see. I’m not ready to call it quits, but he’s certainly going to get an earful when he does call.”

  “Definitely. You know your face looks way better.”

  “It does? I’ll have to remember to put on more tea tree oil later since it seems to be helping. Crazy about those crows, huh?”

  “Very. Fun lessons today, huh?”

  “I think it was really cool how you seemed to just know what to do,” Summer said.

  “I did kind of, didn’t I? It was nice, considering all this magic stuff I’ve been trying to do with you and being so lousy at it, that I found something I can actually do.”

  “You’re not lousy at it. You lit that candle the other day,” Summer said.

  “THAT was cool. Tenth time’s a charm.”

  “Yep.”

  “Do you think I should take Ms. Midnight’s advice and look into my family history?”

  “I think you should if you want, but we already know you have a knack for gypsy magic. You don’t need a piece of paper to tell you what you already know, unless you think it would be fun to research.”

  “Thanks, Summer. That means a lot to me. I’ll think about it, but I definitely would like to explore the gypsy magic further.”

  “And you should. Maybe it’s your calling. I can see your goth look flowing over into an eclectic Bohemian one.”

  “I know, right? I was thinking the very same thing.”

  At the very same time both of their phones chimed very different jingles. They both pulled them out and looked at them. Sister Margaret, the only hipster nun who had an iPhone no
w that Sister Mary Louise had disappeared.

  “Girls…Bad news…Please come as soon as you can. I’d rather not give this over the phone or by text. ~Sis M.”

  “What do you suppose that’s about?” Tori asked.

  “Don’t know. Only one way to find out.”

  “Not the dog mobile. Please don’t make me ride in that thing.”

  “Don’t lie. I know you love it.”

  “I so don’t.”

  Chapter 3

  Despite Tori’s complaints they did drive the dog mobile to the orphanage as soon as they alerted Aunt Myrtle they would not be back until late, not knowing what Sister Margaret was referring to when she mentioned bad news.

  When they arrived, the little ones were playing in the yard with large clay-red rubber balls and hanging from jungle gym bars in their little plaid skirts and white shirts. It brought back a lot of memories for Summer as she watched the little girls running around screaming and being silly. She and Tori had a lot of good times here, and almost all of them involved Sister Mary Louise.

  As soon as the two girls entered the large double doors, a concerned but tight lipped Sister Mary spotted them and ushered them towards the Reverend Mother’s office.

  “Sister Mary, we’re here to see Sister Margaret, not the Reverend Mother,” Summer said.

  “I swear, I haven’t done anything wrong,” Tori said instinctively. Sister Mary gave her a reprimanding look as she herded the girls into the Reverend Mother’s office. The Reverend Mother was there talking with Sister Margaret but they stopped when Tori and Summer stepped in.

  “Girls, thank you for coming. Have a seat.”

  “I swear, I didn’t do anything,” Tori said to Summer.

  “What’s this about, Sister Margaret?” Summer asked as Sister Mary shut the door and left the four alone.

  “The Reverend Mother thought it best to have the news come from her,” Sister Margaret said, opening the way for the Reverend Mother to take over.

  “It’s come to our attention that Sister Mary Louise is dead, and given your relationship with her, we felt it would be best be the ones to give you the bad news,” she said, opening a newspaper and displaying it on the desk in front of the girls.