Autumn Calling Read online

Page 8


  She shut her laptop with a click and headed to lessons with Aunt Myrtle.

  Chapter 10

  Aunt Myrtle was full of energy that morning as Summer joined her for lessons.

  “My dear Summer, what would you like to learn today?”

  “I get to pick?”

  “Why not? We’ve covered most of the mandatory battle stuff. Seems like you should try something that interests you, though I must insist you still practice your wards, fireballs, and elemental thurmagy in case of an attack.”

  “How do I pick?”

  “You can go through the grimoire, if you like, or just tell me what you’d like to learn.”

  “It sounds silly, and Morti seemed mortified when I mentioned it, but it would be amazing to fly.”

  “ Don’t let Mortimer intimidate you. When he was a boy he did all kinds of crazy things and experiments. He’d like you to believe he’s all business, but he was not always that way. He’s flown a few times, though it did not end well for him. Your grandmother and I, on the other hand, had a much better time of it.”

  “Really? You and Ivy flew.”

  “Of course. What witch doesn’t want to try her hand at flying?”

  Summer was so relieved by this, especially after Morti had been so negative at the mere mention of such a thing.

  “First you need to choose your means of flying.”

  “And that means…what?”

  “Well, we don’t sprout wings my dear, although I’m sure there’s a potion for that somewhere in the grimoire. No, the way Ivy and I flew was to enchant an item. Mortimer, on the other hand, decided that was not how to do it and that the flying came from within. He was wrong.”

  “What did you choose as your means?” Summer asked.

  “I chose a bicycle. Think Miss Gulch in the Wizard of Oz. It gives one an actual seat for comfort and the ability of steering, whereas a broom has no mechanism of the sort.”

  “Good point.”

  “We thought so, Ivy and I.”

  “I suppose a car is out of the question?”

  “If you’re going to use a car, then just use it. It doesn’t need to fly.”

  “Well, I was thinking if I wanted Sully with me.”

  “Ah, yes. That is a problem. That’s why most witches have smaller familiars than a hellhound. But we hellhound lovers have to stick together, right?”

  “Right. My first thought was a big comfy chair, like a recliner.”

  “Nice, however, there’s the steering issue.”

  “True. Hmm. Can I think about it?”

  “Of course, my dear. In the meantime, we’ll make the enchantment potion for whatever you decide on.” Aunt Myrtle licked her thumb and quickly flipped through the pages of her grimoire. “Ah, here we go. Here’s a list of items we’ll need. Better chop those herbs or we’ll be here all day. It takes a while to boil it down, so chop chop.”

  Summer laughed as she quickly jotted down the ingredients and high-tailed it out of the kitchen to collect the items they needed. She hadn’t been so excited and delighted in, well, she couldn’t remember how long. Everything had been so “doom and gloom” since she had found out the truth about her family and their entanglement with the Macabres. It felt good. This gave her a light at the end of the tunnel. Well, this and Daniel. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. He’d been her go-to person for strength, comfort, and friendship, something she’d always received in the past from Tori. Daniel had been a godsend, and she was falling hard for the gorgeous fallen angel.

  When she returned to the kitchen with all her ingredients, Aunt Myrtle showed her the proper techniques for preparing the potion and getting it settled into the cauldron for a good long boil. The pot rumbled with bubbles, and steam swirled upwards in a spiral before evaporating and disappearing from sight. The potion itself smelled good. Not something one would eat, but aromatically titillating. Rosemary was the most prominent scent, but the other herbs and ingredients could be detected if one were so inclined to try and decipher its contents. Though she felt sure a normal person would not suspect the tongue of a toad, or the toe nail of a hippopotamus, among other things.

  It was purple in color and odd things bobbed around on the surface. She enjoyed potion making. There was often a time to sit and talk, or prepare later additions. She and Aunt Myrtle had become quite close. She was a sweet old woman, and knowledgeable of so many different things. She certainly had seen her share of sadness and death in her time, but despite it all, she could still laugh and enjoy life. Summer thought back on her first dealings with Aunt Myrtle, when she only knew her as the scary, rather crabby looking lady who stared at her from her bedroom window as she regained control of the overgrown mess of the herb garden. Things had certainly changed.

  “Good now. We just wait for this to boil down. Might be an hour or so.”

  “When do we add the ermine fur?”

  “That’s the final task.”

  “Do I need to do anything to prepare it?”

  “No, though sometimes out of boredom from waiting, I chop it up a bit.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you, Mortimer received a note from Hunter. He says he’s got news and is flying back the end of this week.”

  “Is the news good?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “I’m sure Jackson will be glad to come home.”

  “I don’t believe he is coming back with Hunter. Word is he’s staying indefinitely. Something about his family.”

  “Oh,” Summer said, wondering if all was okay and if Nick would blame her for Jackson’s decision to stay.

  “Why? Was there something between you and Jackson?”

  “No, not really, I mean we had a date or two, but it was too early to tell before he went to Japan. Besides I’ve found someone else to spend time with.”

  “I see. I’m glad to hear you have someone.”

  “Me, too. He’s very special.”

  “Special is ALWAYS good in my book, especially when your face brightens at the very mention of him.”

  “Does it?” Summer blushed and raised a hand to her cheek.

  “I remember that feeling. My Robert made me feel that way too,” Aunt Myrtle said, with such sadness that it made Summer’s heart ache.

  A tear slid down Myrtle’s cheek before she smiled, wiped it away and said, “Now enough of that drivel. I was thinking for tomorrow’s potion, we should do a ‘growth inducer.’ I like to use these when I have a need for an herb that hasn’t been sown yet, but I’m in need of its seeds. It’s just a little time saver, although if you wait, the seeds are much better allowed to grow in their own time. Magic can’t always replace what good ol’ Mother Nature and time can offer.”

  “Sounds amazing. Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

  “Now that’s what every teacher wants to hear,” Aunt Myrtle said with a big smile.

  * * *

  With a vial of purple furry goo in hand, Summer went in search of something to enchant. There was small barn-like building on the grounds that served as a garage for Aunt Myrtle. A dusty old Studebaker rested inside, so thick with dust the color was not easily decipherable. It looked like something Fozzy Bear drove in a Muppets movie, with its round bullet looking nose and smiling grill.

  She could almost see a younger version of Aunt Myrtle and her sister Ivy tooling down the road, the wind whipping through their girlish 1950’s hairdos, laughing like they hadn’t a care in the world.

  There was a broken-down motor bike that maybe Uncle Mortimer had once ridden. Its front tire was missing, and parts had been removed and fanned out from the vehicle as if someone were trying to find what ailed it. There were pieces of beat-up and worn-out furniture that time had not been kind to, and who knew what critters now called them home. Summer found it fascinating. It smelled of old grease, stale earth, and mildew inside the barn, and Summer couldn’t help but think of all the memories and stories each orphaned trinket deposited here could of
fer if it could speak.

  Several pieces of what Summer could only suppose were tractor attachments were strewn around and rusted beyond repair, though she never did find a tractor. There was also a long abandoned area where herbs and dried leaves hung in bunches from the eaves above, covered in blankets of cobwebs. This must have been where Aunt Myrtle dried her herbs during the winter before she stopped maintaining the garden.

  What a treasure trove of items she gazed upon: mason jars of preserves long past their goodness date, coffee cans of screws and nuts, and one container of pennies that weighed a ton. She could have spent the entire day in here perusing the discarded litter, but she was here –on a mission to find something to enchant.

  Under an old horse blanket was a bicycle. She wondered if it was the one Aunt Myrtle said she enchanted and flew with her sister. It had spot rust, but all in all, it was in pretty good condition considering its age. She would use that as a last resort, not wanting to take away from Myrtle and Ivy’s fun on the bike. She could also find a tire for the motor bike, though it would be better if it had all its parts in place. She came across a push scooter that might work in a pinch, though there was no taking Sully for a ride on it.

  In a dark corner near the hanging herbs she saw hay bales with something strangely shaped under an ancient holey blue tarp. She grabbed one corner and lifted it to find an old tricycle made for an adult. It was dusty, but otherwise in excellent condition. It looked as if it had once had a large basket on the back, if one were so inclined as to bring groceries home from shopping. It was kind of cool-looking. She hopped on the bale and rolled it down so she could get a better look at it. She could bolt a piece of wood where the basket was, and it would be a perfect platform for Sully to sit behind her for a ride.

  After giving it a good bath and pumping up the brittle, cracked tires with an old bike pump, she checked with Aunt Myrtle if it was okay to use.

  “I think it’s perfect,” she said inspecting it from her perch on the porch. “Now, when you’re ready, here is the incantation you must recite to make the magic in the potion activate.” She handed her a piece of paper rolled up like a small scroll.

  “And how do I turn it off?” Summer asked.

  “No need. It will only respond to your voice and words. It’s not like it will float about unmanned.”

  “Well, one can never know for sure.”

  “So very true, child, so very true,” Aunt Myrtle said with a smile.

  “I noticed a bicycle when I was in the barn. Is that your flying machine?”

  “It is indeed, though it hasn’t seen the tops of the trees in a very long time. Will you be taking your bike for a spin this evening?”

  “Maybe. I’d like to get a platform mounted to the back in case Sully wants to ride, but unless something comes up, yeah. I think I will. Is there any advice you might give a fledgling flyer?”

  “Don’t come in too steep when you’re landing or you’ll flip it. That is, until you get more experienced. And stay close to home. If you do have an accident, at least you’ll be close by and can walk home, or we can hear you holler for help.”

  “Good idea.”

  “But most importantly,” she said seriously.

  “Yes?”

  “Have fun, my dear. Have fun.”

  * * *

  The sun had set by the time she had found bolts and a rather large crate she thought would fit him. Sully lay on the grass nearby, lazily chewing on a log from a downed tree in the woods behind the house. He occasionally gave Summer a glance to see what she was tinkering with, but didn’t really pay much mind to it.

  “Are you ready, Sully?” she said to the hellhound.

  He looked at her sideways raising his ears to show his interest.

  She pulled the vial from her pocket and uncorked it. “Here goes nothing,” she said. She poured the contents down the slender frame and handle bars. The purple furry goo clung to it and dripped its excess. Retrieving the scroll from her pocket she said,

  “Goddess of Air

  Most just and fair

  The gift of flight we do abet

  Your munificence we’ll not forget

  I’ll soar like an eagle through clouds up high

  Beholding a beauty that’s only seen by sky

  Then safely return from whence I came

  Never again to be the same

  Your loyal servant I’ll always be

  Now mote it be and times it by three.”

  The purple muck spit and smoked then a shower of what looked like glitter shot from it like an explosion, making Summer jump back in surprise. When nothing else happened she decided it was time to try it out. She seated herself on the squeaky yet large comfy seat than patted the wooden box behind her.

  “Want to go for a ride?” she asked Sully.

  His ears perked up and his tongue emerged from his mouth as he panted in eagerness. She patted the inside of the large crate again and he got to his feet, sniffed the wood, looked at her again for confirmation and then leapt in.

  “All righty then…Now what?” she said to herself. Sully licked her cheek from behind.

  “Any ideas?” she asked him, but he only nudged her with his nose.

  “Giddy up” she said. Nothing happened.

  “Up!” she said. Again nothing happened.

  “Gosh darn it. What do you suppose makes it gooooooo,” she said as the trike took off like a bullet. “I guess that’s the word, huh, Sully?”

  He licked her and made a squeal as his jowls flapped happily in the wind.

  “Wooooo-hooooo! Auntie Myrtle… Look at us!” she bellowed as she swooped down near her aunt’s bedroom window. Summer waved at her when she beamed a wide smile from behind the window pane holding onto the curtains. She waved back at the two flying by.

  “Look, Sully. There’s Morti. Shall we give him a scare?” she said devilishly to the tickled-pink hellhound pup behind her. He nudged her hard in the neck and licked her. “Here we go,” she said steering the tricycle towards the unknowing cat. They dive bombed the feline, making him screech and run. Sully barked and barked as if laughing, saying “Again.”

  Summer did follow Aunt Myrtle’s precautions of staying over the property, and that was okay, because she still didn’t feel super confident in maneuvering the trike and she was worried Sully might fall out if she did anything too fast. They flew over the tree tops, some tapping the cracked rubber of the tires and the moon shone brightly to light their way. It was magical in every sense of the word. The view was astonishingly gorgeous, with the mountain’s darkening purple and the clouds still reflecting the pink orange of the sleeping sun.

  It was cool, almost nippy and she was glad her gigantic furry hellhound was behind her giving off a tremendous amount of body heat. A swoop past the graveyard and Summer spied her beautiful dark angel below waving at them. Sully barked as they whooshed by the tree Morti had scurried up in his fearful retreat from them previously, and he hissed as they went by once more. She applied the brakes and angled the tricycle towards the cottage bungalow she called her home where an impatient man waited for them to land.

  The seat squeaked as they touched down without jarring and came to a complete stop. Sully jumped out of his box and galloped to his new best bud, Daniel, for a rough ear rubbing and loud belly pats before Sully rolled over so all fours in the air, waiting for a good belly rub from Daniel.

  “Well, look at you?” he said standing from his crouched Sully-itching pose, wrapping a strong forearm around Summer’s tiny waist and pulling her to him in one fell swoop, planting a hungry yet tasteful kiss on her eager lips.

  “Having fun?” he said when he pulled away from her lips for a breather.

  “I am. Finally I see magic for more than the doom and gloom of war and defending myself. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to Aunt Myrtle for doing this. I feel like a whole new person. I really needed that.”

  “You did and I’m grateful to her too. I haven’t seen you smile like
this in a long time. You’re as radiant as the sunshine when you smile.”

  She pulled him closer and put her head on his warm chest.

  “You’re shivering,” he said.

  “Yeah. It’s a little cold up there,” she admitted.

  “Let’s get you in the house and warmed up,” he said rubbing her arms and guiding her into the house. “I’ll start a fire.”

  Chapter 11

  It seemed to Summer this week was the week for returns. Hunter would be flying in tomorrow with news from the east, plus Dr. Stuart wrote and said he was heading back from vacation the day after. She felt now that she had some magic under her belt, she could maybe go back to work, part time at least. She missed office life, and though it could be unpredictable, it also had its consistencies. A little “same old, same old” would be a godsend right about now.

  She made sure the glass door had been repaired, the building power-washed, and had the janitor come in for a once-over on the inside. It would be good to see Dr. Stuart. He was more like an uncle that Summer worked for than a boss, and she had missed his antics and affable ways.

  As for preparations for Hunter? Aunt Myrtle was taking care of that. Maybe she missed Hunter as much as she had missed Dr. Stuart. They had become good friends before he’d left for Japan. Having Hunter back would also give Summer a welcome reprieve from Morti’s crabbiness, as she assumed they would work him back into the rotation of lessons.

  Before he had left she had enjoyed her history class with him. In school, history had been her least-liked subject, after math, but somehow Hunter made it interesting. Maybe it was because the history he was teaching was personal; specifically related to witches, magic, and her new found family. She wondered if he had missed his following and maybe should have been a teacher of some sort. Not everyone can teach though. Some do and probably shouldn’t, but there’s great patience and talent in teaching and making it fun for those learning. Those were the teachers Summer had enjoyed in school.