Everyday Witches

James got home from the market, having negotiated the sale of some young cattle, and parked his truck in the driveway beneath a large tree. The day was starting to heat up and the truck would be brutally hot next time he got in, even in the shade. As he turned the ignition to off, a strange prickling sensation ran up the back of his neck and he reached a hand up to massage the skin. He glanced warily around the yard, but nothing seemed to be out of place. He climbed quickly from the truck and closed the door with a soft click. Then he scented the air, glancing from one end of the property to the other once again. There wasn’t any sign of recently used magic and he didn’t see anyone around. He whistled sharply for Kojack, but there was no response. Strange, but it was possible that he and Jude were out of earshot. Standing in the shade of his truck, he pulled out his focusing stone and completed a quick protection ritual, just in case. He had been on edge ever since the strange occurrence with the Gaia the night before, and had been subconsciously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He walked quickly towards the house and used the key to open the front door, turning the lock as quietly as possible. Since he had gone to the market today, Maria had made plans to meet up with Cammie in town. She probably wasn’t home yet, but if she was he needed to make sure that she was okay without alerting any possible intruder. He hoped that he was just being paranoid, but Maria had experienced the same sensation last night when the Gaia first showed them the strange disturbance and he feared that it might be more than a coincidence.

He walked stealthily though the house, checking each room in turn until he ended up at the back door that led out from the kitchen. Maria hadn’t come home yet and he had found no sign of an intruder. He stood with a hand on the doorknob, peering out through the little window and debating with himself over whether he should call her now or check the rest of the farm grounds first. He decided that wherever she was now, she was probably fine and he probably ought to check around the yard first, just in case.

He gently tugged the kitchen door open and then, stepping through closed it just as gently behind himself. A good portion of the farm yard was visible from the porch, but there were also endless hiding places. He scanned the yard thoroughly but there was only endless acres of corn fronds, waving in the wind and the silhouettes of the farm buildings and horse ring. Jude should still be around somewhere, finishing up the morning chores, but there was no sign of him or Kojack. Calculating the risk of giving away his position, James went ahead and issued another loud whistle. Kojack, with his sensitive hearing, would certainly be able to hear him from most anywhere on the farm grounds. He waited a moment, but there was no bark and no sound of thundering paws across grass.

Although the tingle was gone now, James skin began to crawl with worry. He stepped down from the porch and headed purposefully across the field towards the horse stable. Surely Jude would’ve finished with the cows long ago, and if he was still out in the field the stable would be the likely place to find him now. He’d told his son not to worry about the corn, that he’d work on it when he got home from the market. The only thing he’d needed to do this morning was tend to the animals and then get ready for the kid’s lessons this afternoon.

On the way to the stable James studied the grass, looking for any telltale tracks or anything that didn’t belong. There were several sets of fresh tracks leading off in different directions, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. He didn’t know what he’d expected to find but finding nothing at all was almost worse. Finally, he came up to the stable and he slowed to a crawl, listening closely. Other than the occasional whinny or heavy clop of a hooved foot, there were no obvious signs of anyone inside. He circled the building and reached the stable door, which was hanging open a few inches.

Laying flat against the wall, he peeked around the door and peered inside. The horses were all safely tucked into their stalls, but Astro seemed a bit agitated. He whinnied a few times, the whites of his eyes showing more than usual. A discarded horse brush lay on the ground, several feet away from Astro’s stall. It wasn’t like Jude to be so careless with their tools. James slipped into the stable and walked over to it, warily.

He picked it up and looked at it, feeling a little bit of dread rising in his chest. The ground near where the brush had lain appeared to be swept clean and although there was no sign of a struggle, there were no remaining footprints either. Astro’s trough was also empty and he knew that Jude would never have left without feeding his favorite horse. Heading over to the hay bale, he forked out a bundle and took it over to Astro’s stall, depositing it in the trough for him. Then he scoured the stable for any sign of what may have happened to his son.

**

Marge had come home the night before to find the boys home and in bed for the night, but Jeff hadn’t come in until quite late. She’d given up and gone to bed after being home for about an hour and had woken momentarily when he’d come in and kissed her goodnight. This morning, they’d had a few minutes to talk and then he’d headed out to work again.

Apparently, some drug addicts had broken in to Wally’s, the local pharmacy in town and had stolen all of the syringes and quite a bit of opiates too. The police captain was fit to be tied and had assigned the case to Jeff, with the understanding that he better get it solved, or else. While Marge appreciated her husband’s job, it was always a bit miserable at home when he had a big case like this. He might be gone for the better part of the week or even two, leaving Marge to care for the boys alone. And then when she did get to see him, there’d be precious little time for anything other than the routine.

Since the Johnson’s house was quite full already with their family of five, the out of town visitors had rented accommodations. Sarah and the kids had rented a room just for the night, and had taken a flight back to Portland this morning. Sarah had a little shop that sold crystals and other paraphernalia to the quirky citizens of her hometown, witch and human alike. And although she had a part timer that worked for her, she didn’t like to leave the shop alone for too long. Marge’s parents had gone ahead and rented a cabin on the outskirts of town for the weekend. They were doing some sightseeing today but would be coming over for dinner tonight.

After Jeff had left for work, Marge had busied herself with little things like laundry and cleaning, but all the while her mind kept going back to the strange omen they’d seen in the Gaia the night before. What did it mean? And what could they do about it? She had comforted herself with the fact that her family was safe now, after last night’s ceremony, but she wasn’t so sure anymore.

She picked up a photo frame from the end table by the couch. It was the photo they had taken the year they’d gone on vacation to that little beach town on the Texas coast. Cade was still a baby and the other two were spindly little things, but each one had a grin on their face. And she and Jeff looked so happy, decked out in their beach wear, with sun kissed skin and sun bleached hair. With a sigh, she set the photo gently back onto the table and straightened the knickknacks that decorated the rest of the surface. She had faith that the Gaia ultimately worked things out over time, but she didn’t want anyone she loved to be caught in the crosshairs in the mean time.

Reassuring herself that everything would be fine, she wandered into the kitchen and looked around the familiar space. She was planning on cooking dinner before the family arrived tonight, but it was too early to start cooking now. She could go ahead and thaw the meat for the casserole though. She wanted to be sure to have everything ready before her mother arrived and took over her kitchen. Although her mother could irritate her to no end sometimes, she also loved her dearly. Some of her favorite childhood memories were from time spent in the kitchen, baking together. It was still her favorite place in the house to be. She pulled the package out of the freezer and, unwrapping it, laid it out on the counter to thaw. Then she looked around for what to do next. Right now the counters were spotless and everything was in its place, but she could kill some time by making some cookies to take to Maria later. She would need to drop Ricky off there in a couple of hours for his lesson with Jude and she owed her friend an apology for the way she had acted the night before anyway.

Pulling the flour and sugar out of the cabinet, she set to work making the dough and then remembered that she had some fancy dark chocolate morsels that would be just perfect for the cookies. As she rummaged around the cabinet searching for them her phone began to ring. Exhaling sharply she stood up too fast and knocked the back of her head on the shelf above. Marge was too polite to swear but she uttered a few choice words as she dusted the flour from her hands and searched the kitchen for her phone. She found it on the dining table, halfway beneath the morning paper and reached for it quickly; hoping to answer it before whoever it was hung up.

Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered, holding her other hand against the aching spot on the top of her head. “Hello,” she said, sounding a little more irritated than she had planned on.

“Marge,” came the worried reply from the other end of the phone. “Have you seen Jude today?” James went silent, waiting for a reply.

“Jude? No, I haven’t. We’re planning on heading over there in a little bit for his lesson with the kids, but I haven’t seen him yet.”

James cursed and then exhaled loudly into the phone. “Sorry Marge, but I’m really worried. I got home from the market and I got one of those strange sensations like you and Maria had last night, when the disturbance in the Gaia appeared. When I searched the farm I realized that Jude is missing. Also Kojack. He’s not answering his phone and I have no idea what could have happened to him. He just up and disappeared right in the middle of his morning chores.”

Marge pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and settled heavily into it. She held the phone to her ear with one hand and held the other to her forehead, worried. “James, I don’t know what to say. I haven’t heard from him but it definitely isn’t like him to skip out on farm work. Did you find anything off that might explain what happened?”

“Not really, I mean it looks like something could’ve happened in the stable. The floor seemed to be wiped clean, with no footprints at all. But that was it. And there was no sign of any magic being used at all. If this were the thing that the Gaia was going on about, wouldn’t there be a huge magical signature?”

Marge thought it over before responding. “It seems like there would be. The Gaia wouldn’t show a disturbance like it did without a magical element present. So the two things may or may not be connected. But it seems like an awfully strange coincidence to have this happen right after the disturbance presented.”

“You’re right, I think it has to be connected in some way. There has to be some foul play here. Jude would never just leave without feeding the horses, and he always answers his phone. Maybe someone attacked him and they just didn’t use any magic, to avoid alerting me to their presence. I honestly wouldn’t have been so quick on the draw if it hadn’t been for the Gaia’s odd manifestation last night. Someone could’ve done something to him and I might not even have noticed until he didn’t show up for the lessons this afternoon.”

Marge stood up quickly and shoved the chair back under the table, causing the little vase in the middle to rock precariously. “That’s it, I’m coming over. Whatever it is that happened to him, we’ll figure it out together.” James agreed and Marge ended the call. She grabbed the cookie dough and stuffed it into the fridge, shoving the unused ingredients to the back of the counter to be put away later. Then she hurried down the hall.

Sticking her head into Ricky’s room, she knocked loudly on the door frame. Ricky pulled off his headphones and looked up from his spot on the bed in surprise. “Ricky, your Eagle scout meeting for this afternoon has been canceled. Something came up with the scout master.” Her gaze flicked over to Cade, who was reclining on his own bed and didn’t know the truth yet about Ricky’s afternoon lessons.

Ricky glanced over at his brother too and then said hesitantly, “What happened to the scout master? Is he okay?”

Marge chewed on her lip, uncertainly. She took a deep breath and nodded, a fake smile blossoming. “He’s fine, sweetie. Something just came up, so we’ll have to reschedule.” She paused. “And I’ve got some errands to run, so I’m going to go out for a little bit.”

Ricky’s eyes narrowed and he looked at his mom accusingly. “I could run errands with you,” he said, deducing the plan at hand.

Marge shook her head rapidly. “No, sweetie, not this time. It’s not anything you’d be interested in anyway. Tell Brandon that I’ll be back by dinner, okay.” She walked over to the bed and leaned over to hug Ricky tightly, running a tender hand along the curls on the back of his head. She patted his shoulder gently and then walked over to Cade’s side of the room. He was oblivious, playing some little game on his handheld device and making little blasting noises along with it as he played. She gave him a gentle kiss on the top of his head and then turned and hurried back out of the room.

**

Callie had woken up the morning after the ceremonies with a minor headache and a major pang of regret. She’d lain under the fluffy purple duvet for almost an hour after waking, going over everything that had happened the night before. She had a full life, with the salon and her friends and all; but there was something about Jude that she just couldn’t get over. Aside from all that stupid farm stuff he loved so much, he was charming and clever and undeniably handsome. She loved the sight of him in just his jeans and t-shirt, muscles bulging as he wrangled the horses on the farm. She just couldn’t see herself living there. But for the first time last night he had seemed to be interested in making things work between them.

When she’d finally dragged herself out of bed, she’d wrapped a satin robe over her lacy negligee and gone out to the kitchen for coffee. As she sat on the balcony of her apartment, watching the city wake up and sipping at her warm brew, she’d thought long and hard about what she really wanted for her future. Up to this point she’d just been enjoying life, cruising through without giving the future much thought. But after that moment they’d shared while sitting on the blanket last night, she was beginning to wonder what it would be like to wake up next to Jude everyday. That comment about having children had just slipped out; there was just something about him that brought out the flirtatious side in her. But now she wondered if maybe it could be a reality, and she kind of liked the idea. Looking into his eyes she saw something different; something that she hadn’t even realized before that she might want. Home. A family.

There were plenty of guys to hang out with in the city, but she had yet to find a witch that she clicked with, and she was sure that she and Jude could be good together if it just wasn’t for that stupid farm thing and his failed binding. The look he’d given her when they were sitting with their faces only inches apart had made her melt, and even though they’d left things in a rough place they’d held hands throughout the ceremony. There was definitely something between them. She toyed with the idea of whipping up one of the fragrance potions that she’d given to Ricky, to boost their chances. It would up the infatution level considerably between them. But the issue definitely wasn’t a matter of a lack of attraction, it was an incompatibility of situation. The potion might cause him to overcome his hesitancy concerning her and nudge him towards choosing the city life she loved. But she really didn’t want to force anything on him. When all was said and done, would he be happy? She really didn’t want to have to keep dosing him the rest of their lives in order to maintain what really should be an easy, natural thing.

There was always the possibility of her agreeing to his demands and moving out to the country with him. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she considered the option, picturing her expensive Louis Vuittons getting ruined in the mud. And the smell of the farm animals was God awful. She’d likely never get it out of her clothes if she lived out there. But there had to be some sort of compromise they could both live with.

With a sigh, she drank down the last sip of coffee and pushed her chair out from the little wrought iron table. Gathering her silky robe around her she stood and then carried her coffee cup back into the kitchen. She set it in the sink to wash later and then went back into her room to get dressed. Slipping out of her robe and negligee, she stood in front of her closet, looking for something to wear. She riffled a hand through the fabrics and settled on a little flowered dress that would be perfect for the summer heat and the salon this afternoon. As she pulled it over her head something trickled out of the pocket, landing on the floor beside her bare foot.

Pulling the dress down over her thighs she leaned over to pick up the object that had fallen to the floor. It was a necklace with a smooth wooden pendant, made of rosewood, which was linked to the divine female energy and the heart chakra. Her mother had given her this dowsing pendant years ago and she had always had an affinity for the art. She had forgotten that it had been in the pocket when she put the dress up last time.

An idea forming, she put the necklace chain around her neck and knelt to peer up under her bed. There were several various boxes and things crammed underneath, but the one she was looking for was an old wooden box. She shifted a few things around until it came into view. Then she pulled gently until it slid out from under the bed. Lifting the lid, she found what she was looking for. Her old divination mat. She had let so many things that had been a big part of her life go when she had moved into town after graduating from high school. Partying and working at the salon she hadn’t had much time for things like this, but maybe…

She carefully lifted the rolled up mat from the box and, setting it on the floor, ran a hand across it to unroll it. She ran a hand across the thin cork surface, remembering fondly when she and her girlfriends used to have sleep overs and ask it all sorts of questions. It was still in good shape and might be just what she needed today. Popping lithely to her feet, she scooped up the mat and brought it in to the kitchen. She laid it reverently across the dinner table and went over to the spice cabinet, digging around until she found a bundle of sage.

Lighting one end of the little bundle, she walked through the apartment, bundle in hand. She waved it in front of her, letting the sweet smelling smoke disperse through the air, purifying the space as she went. When she had made a circuit of the entire apartment, she set the smoldering bundle in an ash tray and returned to the table. She lifted the necklace from around her neck and held it by the chain above the divination mat.

Closing her eyes, she thought about Jude. She pictured the way he had looked the night before, and the emotion laden conversation they’d had. Then she appealed to the Gaia to reveal whether or not their differences could be reconciled in a way that they would both enjoy. Opening her eyes, she saw that the pendulum was beginning to swing towards ‘YES’ on the divination mat. Her heart fluttered and she started to smile.

Suddenly, a chill swept through her, beginning at the base of her neck. It rose upwards and then spread out through her limbs. She dropped the pendant in surprise and jumped back from the table. Then she rubbed briskly at each arm, warding off the chill. She reached forward to pick up the pendant again and was overtaken by a tamer version of the original shock. An insistent image of Jude came to her mind and she froze. She had the strangest feeling that something important was happening, but she didn’t know what it was. It seemed to have something to do with Jude though.

Setting the pendant back on the mat, she hurried to her bedroom and retrieved her phone from the charging spot beside her bed. She dialed Jude’s number and waited impatiently while it rang. After what felt like an eternity the call went to voicemail. She waited a few minutes and then tried again. Voicemail again. Setting the phone down beside the divination mat she sat down at the table and rolled the dowsing pendant idly between her hands. What now?

**

A creaking sound startled him from his slumber, followed by a thin strip of light that shifted across the floor. The floor? Was he sitting on the floor? He tried to move and his head screamed in protest. His hands were locked together in front of him and they seemed to be chained to something that kept him from moving very far.

He moved both hands together towards his face and, ever so lightly touched the aching spot on the side of his head. It pounded in response and a wave of dizziness overcame him. He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for the rushing sensation to pass. The creaking sound came again and the sliver of light grew, illuminating his face. He could hear the sound of someone speaking outside the door and he quickly closed his eyes, hoping to be able to overhear something important.

“I just don’t understand why this is necessary.” A female voice drifted in through the door gap.

“We’ve had this discussion a million times.” The male voice was familiar; Jude knew that he should know who it was, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “This is the only way we’ll be able to get the Gaia to accept you. There’s something about him that the Gaia loves; it can’t get enough of him. And the spell said that we could use it to make the Gaia accept you too.” There was a sound like wheels scraping the floor and then the creaking sound came again as the door was pushed open further.

“But I don’t understand why I have to be a stupid witch at all.” The female voice was bordering on petulance now. She sounded like she must be pretty young.

“Because I’m a witch, Daniella. It’s who I am. And we can’t be together unless you’re one too.” The male voice was bordering on whiny now too, but he was obviously trying to contain it. “I love you, and I know you love me. And this is the only way we can be together. It just has to work.” The last sentence was said with quiet conviction and was almost too soft to hear.

“But you could just give all that up. I don’t get why it’s so important to you. If you love me, then let’s just get out of here. We could move to Austin and get an apartment. Get jobs at the local Dairy Queen and just live.”

The male voice snorted and let out an angry sounding chuckle. “Do you really think that’d work? I’ve told you, the other witches will never abide a witch living with a human. They’d never leave us alone once we’re discovered. This is the only way.”

“But Chad…” Chad! Oh my gosh, thought Jude. It’s Chad. “Why can’t you just separate yourself from the whole thing? Give it up, leave it behind.” The sound of wheels squeaking across the floor started up again, like they were bringing something into the room he was in. He opened an eye just a sliver and saw the two of them standing near the doorway, beside a wheeled cart.

Chad exhaled loudly in exasperation. “Because, Daniella. Being a witch is in my DNA. The Gaia isn’t going anywhere. I’m a part of it and it’s a part of me. And severing the connection would only make me feel the lack for the rest of my days. But I don’t want to live without you either.”

The sound of footsteps pattered across the room and they grew louder until Jude could sense someone standing directly over him. Whatever they were going to do, it was going to happen now. He braced himself for impact. The toe of a sneaker nudged at his arm repeatedly and he blinked his eyes open, the brighter light coming in from the fully open door giving him an instant headache. He tried to lift a hand to cover his eyes but remembered they were chained together when his hand reached the end of the chain and bounced back. He brought them both up together and held them loosely in front of his face.

A hand reached out and swatted his hands away, leaving his face exposed to the light. “Rise and shine buttercup,” Chad said, in a sing song voice. “We’ve got a little something we need to do.”

Jude shrunk back against the wall, looking around for something to defend himself with. The room was bare except for the plate in the wall that his handcuff chain was attached to, and the little rolling cart they’d brought in with them. The walls were discolored or faded in spots; remnants left behind from the furniture and wall decorations that had lived in the room before being moved out to create this cell. He studied the moving cart in hopes of finding something that could help.

It was narrow, just around six inches wide and maybe eighteen in length. There were four wire shelves that held several small boxes of some sort and two of the shelves held plastic bags like you’d find in a hospital. Saline. There were a bunch of saline bags on one of the shelves and then what looked like empty saline bags on a separate shelf. Wincing, he looked up at Chad and the woman, his vision finally clearing enough for him to see them clearly. Chad looked just as he had when he and Marge had come to visit. Messy brown hair, a baggy t-shirt and shorts. The woman was around his age and had light brown hair that was cut in an artful way that fell in soft layers around her face. She was slim and wore a pair of short jean shorts and a strappy tank top. Chad had a firm look on his face, but (was it Daniella? He thought it was) looked uncertain and a little worried.

“Don’t worry,” Chad said loudly and slowly, as if he were deaf or something. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just need some of your blood.” He reached into one of the little boxes on the cart and pulled out a syringe. Then he took one of the empty bags and hooked it onto a little clip on the top of the cart. One of the other boxes held tubing and he pulled out a length and attached it to the bag. Daniella hung back behind the cart while he worked.

Jude cleared his throat and just that little movement set his head to spinning and throbbing again. He waited a moment for the sensation to subside and then tried again. “Uh, Chad… What’s going on man? Why are you doing this?”

Chad, who was kneeling beside the cart, directly in front of Jude looked up from what he was doing and stared intently at Jude. He didn’t respond immediately. Finally he said, “We need your blood for a spell.” He looked back over his shoulder at Daniella and then turned back toward Jude. “She’s a human and the Gaia won’t accept her. But I found a spell that should fix the problem. And it requires the blood of a witch that is beloved by the Gaia.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal and went back to pulling supplies from the cart.

“Um, okay. But couldn’t you just ask? Did you really have to kidnap me and bash my head in?” Jude brought his hands back up to touch the spot on his head and winced.

Chad let out another exasperated breath and set the tape he was holding on the floor in front of him. “Right. Like you’d just give it away willingly. I’m not an idiot.” He held a hand out to gesture with and spoke in a high falsetto. “Um, excuse me sir. I know you’re here because you think I’m a murderer and all, but would you give me some of your blood please? I have a human that I need to trick the Gaia into accepting.” He rolled his eyes and rubbed vigorously at his face. Then he picked up the tape from the floor and opened a box that held some other type of needle. He held it up and inspected it closely and then nodded.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Jude said hurriedly. “There’s got to be some other way. You know, I actually have a human that I love too, but there’s no way that all of this is worth it.” He looked pleadingly at Daniella, who was still standing behind where Chad crouched.

“He’s right,” Daniella said softly. “How can we do this to him?”

Chad turned to face her. “It’s just a little blood Daniella. He won’t miss it. And it’ll grow back.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Now get over here and help or get out.” Daniella nodded and inched forward until she was standing beside Jude.

“Okay, hold his arm still, and I’ll get the needle in.” Daniella reached down to hold one of Jude’s arms out straight, cradling it in both of her hands. Chad brought the needle in close to the crook of his arm. He poked a finger at the veins, rolling them around to test them. “Let’s hope that YouTube is a good teacher,” he said, and then jabbed the needle into Jude’s arm.

**

Kojack woke up in an unfamiliar place. He tried to stand up and shake, but his foreleg was injured. He tried again, holding the injured leg gingerly in the air and standing on the other three. He was able to stand and he shook himself vigorously, sending a spray of grass and dust from his coat. He looked around to get his bearings.

The place was familiar, but it wasn’t home. He didn’t know how he had gotten here. An image of a woman played out in his memory and then an impact, followed by pain. Then nothing. He looked around for Jude, but he was nowhere to be seen. He scented the air. Jude had been here at some point, but there were other smells that were more overpowering. He tried to move, but found that he was held by a tether that was attached to the wall. He paced back and forth, testing the limits of his tether. It didn’t allow for much movement. He sat back on his haunches and let out a pitiful howl.

Across the grassy expanse there was a dense corpse of trees. The howl got the attention of the pixies who had built their nest nearby and several of them froze, looking across the yard to the very bad place. The pixies knew of this place, and not to go there because there was a very bad man who had captured many of them and held them captive.

One of the pixies flew to the very edge of the tree line, being careful not to step out of the shade provided by the large tree overhead. He saw the injured dog who was chained to the house. Hurriedly, he flew off towards his nest to tell the others.