closed the door, she answered, “Not if I call you first.” They smiled at one another and she escaped before any more uncomfortable topics arose.
* * * *
“W hat do you mean you’re not bringing her here?” Charlotte demanded . “This is a huge moment in your life. I’ve been here for everything. Your first step. Your first word. Even your first kiss. These days that babysitter would have been fired.”
He grinned at the memory. “I told you. I have something special planned. If it’s any consolation, I’m taking your advice. Candles, roses, atmosphere...the whole nine yards.” He continued to unload his bag from the Farmer’s Market and popped a strawberry in his mouth.
“Yes, but where?”
“I’m not telling you, my dear. Goddess forbid you decide to take a walk for the first time in a couple hundred years.”
Charlotte made a noise that sounded like she’d just shivered. “I’ll have you know I don’t care that much. I was just curious.”
“Sure, you don’t.” Ethan laughed. After a long silence he asked a question he’d always wondered about. “Charlotte, how come you never leave the house?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
She lowered her voice an octave and said, “You can’t handle the truth.”
He chuckled. “I’m a grown man now. I think I can handle the truth.”
She sighed. “There’s a whole stream of ghosts walking by. Many of them don’t even know they’re dead. It’s like zombie central out there.”
“Seriously? How come I can’t hear them?” He dumped the strawberries into a colander and rinsed them.
“Like I said. They don’t know they’re dead and they don’t even know you’re there. It’s not like they want to eat your brains.”
“Got it. So why don’t you just dodge between them?”
“Look, I don’t ask you why you don’t like spiders...”
“Who said I don’t like spiders?”
“Oh, well. It was a shot in the dark. There must be something you’re afraid of. Something irrational...”
“Yeah. I’m afraid you’re going to show up as I’m making love to Brigit and ruin the moment.”
“Why would I do that?”
He shrugged. “Curiosity, probably. I’ve got to go upstairs and pack my candles.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Ethan knew she could pretty much come and go as she pleased throughout the house, but he wished he could figure out how she appeared at her destination almost instantly when she wanted to.
He reached the attic where he kept all his supplies, and which he used as his sacred space. His altar greeted him like an old friend. I don’t have time for a complete ritual, but perhaps I can entice the Goddess to bless the night to come.
Then he got a flash of inspiration. He dashed to his book of shadows and looked for the spell he had used before regarding right decisions and outcomes. The witches in his coven protected themselves and others by asking that their spells and intentions be for the common good. But he could relax if he did a spell specifically geared to what he was about to do with Brigit.
“Ah. Found it.”
“What did you find?”
“Oh. I forgot you were here, Charlotte. Can you give me some privacy please? I’m about to work a spell.”
“You do realize that you invite all helpful spirits to attend your rituals, right?”
What could he say? It was part of the wording he always used. “Perhaps you can sit this one out. I don’t want to be distracted by your opinions—not that you’d interrupt to express them. It’s just that I already know what you think, and I don’t want it to influence me.”
Charlotte sighed. “Oh, all right. I’ll see if I can turn on the TV by myself.”
“Don’t blare it. I need quiet in order to concentrate.”
“Sheesh. Any other orders, Captain?”
Ethan ignored the dig, set up the altar and surrounded it with salt to protect himself from any harm. He placed candles in the four quarters inside the salted circle, and lit the
* * * *
“W hat do you mean you’re not bringing her here?” Charlotte demanded . “This is a huge moment in your life. I’ve been here for everything. Your first step. Your first word. Even your first kiss. These days that babysitter would have been fired.”
He grinned at the memory. “I told you. I have something special planned. If it’s any consolation, I’m taking your advice. Candles, roses, atmosphere...the whole nine yards.” He continued to unload his bag from the Farmer’s Market and popped a strawberry in his mouth.
“Yes, but where?”
“I’m not telling you, my dear. Goddess forbid you decide to take a walk for the first time in a couple hundred years.”
Charlotte made a noise that sounded like she’d just shivered. “I’ll have you know I don’t care that much. I was just curious.”
“Sure, you don’t.” Ethan laughed. After a long silence he asked a question he’d always wondered about. “Charlotte, how come you never leave the house?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
She lowered her voice an octave and said, “You can’t handle the truth.”
He chuckled. “I’m a grown man now. I think I can handle the truth.”
She sighed. “There’s a whole stream of ghosts walking by. Many of them don’t even know they’re dead. It’s like zombie central out there.”
“Seriously? How come I can’t hear them?” He dumped the strawberries into a colander and rinsed them.
“Like I said. They don’t know they’re dead and they don’t even know you’re there. It’s not like they want to eat your brains.”
“Got it. So why don’t you just dodge between them?”
“Look, I don’t ask you why you don’t like spiders...”
“Who said I don’t like spiders?”
“Oh, well. It was a shot in the dark. There must be something you’re afraid of. Something irrational...”
“Yeah. I’m afraid you’re going to show up as I’m making love to Brigit and ruin the moment.”
“Why would I do that?”
He shrugged. “Curiosity, probably. I’ve got to go upstairs and pack my candles.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Ethan knew she could pretty much come and go as she pleased throughout the house, but he wished he could figure out how she appeared at her destination almost instantly when she wanted to.
He reached the attic where he kept all his supplies, and which he used as his sacred space. His altar greeted him like an old friend. I don’t have time for a complete ritual, but perhaps I can entice the Goddess to bless the night to come.
Then he got a flash of inspiration. He dashed to his book of shadows and looked for the spell he had used before regarding right decisions and outcomes. The witches in his coven protected themselves and others by asking that their spells and intentions be for the common good. But he could relax if he did a spell specifically geared to what he was about to do with Brigit.
“Ah. Found it.”
“What did you find?”
“Oh. I forgot you were here, Charlotte. Can you give me some privacy please? I’m about to work a spell.”
“You do realize that you invite all helpful spirits to attend your rituals, right?”
What could he say? It was part of the wording he always used. “Perhaps you can sit this one out. I don’t want to be distracted by your opinions—not that you’d interrupt to express them. It’s just that I already know what you think, and I don’t want it to influence me.”
Charlotte sighed. “Oh, all right. I’ll see if I can turn on the TV by myself.”
“Don’t blare it. I need quiet in order to concentrate.”
“Sheesh. Any other orders, Captain?”
Ethan ignored the dig, set up the altar and surrounded it with salt to protect himself from any harm. He placed candles in the four quarters inside the salted circle, and lit the
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