Everyday Witches

James returned from Gage’s shop and parked his truck in the driveway, cutting off the engine. He sat for a minute, listening to the clicks and whirs of the cooling engine and gazing out the windshield. The sun had gone down and the stars were beginning to appear, one by one. He searched the sky for constellations and found Lyra, the harp, blazing to one side of the windshield. He pulled off his cowboy hat and leaned his head back against the seat, remembering how he and Maria used to love stargazing, back in easier days. When they’d first started dating it had been a habit of theirs to take a bottle of wine and some snacks up to the top of Pedernales peak, spread out a blanket and just lay there for hours, talking and looking at the stars. Maria was an expert on astronomy and she always had some obscure little tidbit to share. But then Jude had come along, and James’ father had passed, leaving the farm entirely in James’ care. Between running the farm full time and raising a kid, not to mention the ever present witchly duties, those precious visits had become too few and too far between.

And now here they were, in the most dire of straights, with Jude’s disappearance. James was almost certain that he had everything he needed to make the locator spell now, after visiting Gage’s shop. The older man had recommended using scales from a Siren as the added ingredient to tune the spell. They were a rare item, considering that most Sirens didn’t give them up willingly; but James had been lucky to find that Gage had some on hand. James knew he ought to be rushing through the spell right now, but the day had been so crazy already that he just needed a moment to think. He rolled down the window and the cooling evening breeze wafted in through the window, smelling faintly of fresh cut grass and the jasmine that was planted up by the house. He breathed deeply, savoring the scent. Then he watched as the last of the day’s squirrels chased each other up the trunk of the large oak beside the driveway, chattering softly.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves he reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the little bag from Gage’s shop and his cowboy hat, settling it back onto his head. He rolled the windows back up, leaving them open just a little so that the truck wouldn’t heat up too badly in the morning. Then he pulled the keys out of the ignition, cramming them into the pocket of his jeans and climbed out of the truck. He was dawdling and he knew it, but he was worried about what would happen if his spell didn’t work. It was way more advanced than the spells he regularly worked with and even dipped a little more on the darker side of magic than he usually dared to tread. But if it didn’t work, they might never be able to find Jude. And the thought was more than he could bear. The love of a father for his son was something that a man just couldn’t comprehend until they’d experienced it first hand. It killed him that he didn’t know what his son was going through right now or what to do about it. As he strolled slowly up the walk towards the house he worked on focusing his concentration on his footsteps as his boots met the pavement, trying to clear his mind of all worry in preparation for his spell casting. By the time he reached the front porch, Maria was standing in the doorway waiting.

“Hola, my love,” Maria said, as James climbed the steps up to the porch. “Did you find the final ingredient for the spell?” Her petite face was lined with worry.

“I did, sweetheart. Gage had some Siren’s scales that he said should work perfectly as the final ingredient.”

James gave Maria a kiss on the cheek as he moved past her into the house. She gently closed the front door behind them and then followed him into the kitchen. Maria took a seat at the table while James set the bag on the kitchen table and then walked over to the cooking area, where they kept their potion and spell making supplies. The cabinet beneath the sink was filled to the brim with all the ingredients and implements they should need. Kneeling in front of the cabinet, he dug around until he was able to locate the little bottle of fairy dust and the carrier oil. Then he lifted out the large stainless steel cooking pot. He carried the items over to the table and set them down in front of Maria, who was resting her head on her hands and staring blankly at the wall. She looked up as the heavy pot landed on the table with a thud and gave James a wan smile.

“You okay, sweetie?” James reached for her hand and held in in both of his own.

“I’m fine, love,” she said wearily. “I’m just worried about him.” She used both hands to gather up a few dark tresses of hair that had pooled around her collar and smoothed them back behind her shoulders.

“Me too, sweetie. Let’s get a move on then.”

James ran a hand along her cheek and kissed her softly. Then he headed back across the living room towards Jude’s room, resolving to end this thing now. The spell would work, it had to. He just needed to find something of Jude’s to add to the rest of the ingredients. As he headed down the hallway he debated over what he should use for the spell. A biological agent would be the most obvious choice, since it would be unequivocally tuned to Jude and would have the least possibility of contaminating the spell with anything other than the essence needed.

He approached the doorway and reached for the knob, feeling guilty about trespassing like this. It was his son’s personal domain and he very rarely set foot inside; particularly not without being invited. Sometimes these things were unavoidable though. He pulled the door open and reached for the light switch, flicking it on and then looking slowly around the room. It was desolately bare and lifeless without his son in it; working on his homemade fly fishing lures or maybe watching T.V. And right now Kojack should be coming up to him and sniffing around his legs, waiting for a pat on the head. His throat tightened with emotion and he coughed softly to clear it.

Across the room, on the other side of the bed sat Jude’s dresser, where he kept his personal grooming tools. James padded across the carpet and stopped in front of it, perusing the items that lay scattered across the top. He saw the ornate crystal decanter that Marge had given him for his daily potion and picked it up, running a finger along a ridged surface. He wondered how Jude would fare, wherever he was without it. He pictured him tied up in the woods somewhere, covered up in forest animals and a cloud of winged fae. He laughed despite himself, but it faded quickly and was replaced with a frown. That was the least of their worries right now. Someone must have abducted him, and they were going to get to the bottom of this.

He set the crystal bottle back onto the dresser top and picked up a hair brush that sat near it. It was one of those boar bristle brushes that worked well for fine hair, like Jude and his mother both had. Luckily it hadn’t been cleaned recently. He plucked at the bristles and came away with plenty of strands. It would certainly be enough for the spell. Setting the brush back onto the dresser he hurried out of the room and back towards the kitchen.

Maria had already gotten out all the ingredients and laid them out in a neat line near the spell pot. She was standing over the table, tapping a finger anxiously against the back of one of the chairs. She looked up and smiled hopefully as James appeared at the end of the hallway.

“Did you find something?”

“Yeah, I think this will work.” James held up a hand with the hair salvaged from Jude’s brush. He strode across the living room and handed it to Maria.

“Perfect! I think we’ve got everything we need now. I found the compass in the garage.” She set the hair on the table and picked up a small compass that they’d bought at a tactical shop a few years back. She handed it to James.

James flipped it over and inspected it closely. “Yes, this should do just fine.” He set it back on the table and then went to the bookshelf in the living room to retrieve his book of spells. Although his son was grown now he kept it hidden behind some more innocuous reading material in case of human visitors. Shifting around a few novels on the top shelf, he revealed the important volume and then, plucking it from the shelf, carried it back into the kitchen. He flipped through the pages until he found the one he needed and then set it down on the table. Then he pulled his rune stone from his pocket and clenched it in his left hand so he’d be free to work with his right.

Very carefully, he measured the right amount of carrier oil, which was just a neutral substance that would allow the ingredients to incorporate. He poured it into the spell pot and then set the bottle aside. He asked Maria to pop the top off of the bottle of fairy dust. She uncorked the lid and handed him the bottle and then walked over to the stove, turning the burner on so that it would be warmed by the time James was ready to heat the spell. James measured out the correct amount of dust and then added it to the mixture. As he added the strands of Jude’s hair and the Siren’s scales he had gotten from Gage, he recited the litany of words that were listed in the spell book. As soon as he began the incantation the air grew cool and charged with magic. The hair on his arms raised in goose bumps and Maria’s hair began to float as if a cool evening breeze had infiltrated the house.

He reached for a wooden stirrer that had been passed down through his family for generations. It was formed of black walnut wood, one of the most durable and smoothest grained woods; and had a carving bearing the Celtic tree of life near the top. He gently dipped it into the forming potion and began to twirl it counterclockwise in the bowl, all the while chanting the ancient words that would shape the spell. The overhead lights flickered and Maria flinched, but James was too focused on his task to notice. This was heavier magic than your standard spell, and it required undivided attention. The temperature in the room steadily dropped until every exhalation spawned a foggy mist. The air itself glowed with the green haze of the Gaia. He completed the ritual incantation and the required number of stirring rounds and picked up the pot and the spell book, carrying them over to the heated stove. Just a touch of heat would be enough to quicken the spell. If he were to overdo it the oil would spoil and the spell would be ruined.

He set the pot onto the stove and said the final few words, the magical charge in the room growing exponentially. He allowed the potion to heat for about a minute, until a loud noise like a crack of thunder ripped through the kitchen. The lights throughout the house flickered again briefly and Maria’s hair and dress billowed around her in waves. James breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the completed spell off of the stove, setting it on the nearby counter top.

“Hot Damn! It worked! All we have to do is apply it to the compass now and we’ll be all set!” James smiled at Maria, and it was the best that he’d felt the whole day. They were finally making some progress and had a real shot at finding Jude.

**

Marge was headed over to the Murphy’s, simultaneously trying to hurry the drive along and also needing the time to process before she arrived. After Winston had told them about his congestive heart failure she had immediately burst into tears. Although she knew that her parents were aging and that things were bound to happen, actually having to deal with it was something else entirely. She knew that this wasn’t a death sentence and that the condition was manageable, but it did carry the risk of a heart attack and that was terrifying.

And then, shortly after dinner Jeff had gotten a call from the police department about a missing person and had had to turn around and go right back in to work. He was technically still working on the case of the burgled pharmacy, but missing persons cases always took precedent and this time it was all hands on deck. There was no telling when she might be able to see him again or whether they’d have any meaningful time together any time soon. And right now there was just so much to deal with.

She tried not to worry too much about it as she sped down the thoroughfare to meet up with James and Maria. At least there were steps to take now in the search for Jude. And Winston would most likely be fine as long as he monitored his diet and exercise. And Jeff would eventually be home. She flipped the radio on and sang along with an old Fleetwood Mac album to try to clear her mind as she drove. She needed to be clearheaded in order to help with the search for Jude and if she let herself drown in worry now it wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Before she was really ready the landscape around her had changed from the familiar city streets she frequented to the treelined fields and large expanses of farmland that surrounded the Murphy farm. She took the final turn and pulled up into the driveway outside the house, still feeling overwhelmed and anxious. People dealt with heartache all the time though and she was tough. She knew she’d make it through this and that her family and friends would too. She just needed to manage to be present for this and to see it through. Taking a few deep breaths, she turned the car off and climbed out, heading up the walkway to the house.

Maria and James were out the door before she even made it to the porch and she waited on the sidewalk while they locked up. They hurried down the steps and greeted Marge, shepherding her on to the car. Marge’s SUV was roomier than the truck so she volunteered to drive while James and Maria navigated with the compass. When they were all settled into the car Marge started the engine and turned the volume down on the radio.

“So it’s working?” She turned to look at James, who was in the passenger seat. He held the compass up to the light and nodded.

“Yep. It’s pointing due North, so we need to head away from town for now.” His expression was a strange mix of worry and hopeful excitement.

Marge eased the car out of the driveway and back onto the road. “Should I go slow, or just try to hurry it up?” If they went too fast and drove right past him they could end up driving in circles for ever trying to get back on track.

“Just go the speed limit, I guess,” James replied. “We’ll course correct if need be.” He stared fixedly at the compass as if willing it to tell him Jude’s location, right now. “It’s still holding steady, so just stay the course and I’ll tell you if it starts to turn.”

Marge nodded and accelerated until they were driving at the speed limit. The Murphy corn fields gave way to several large cotton fields and then a large unfarmed, wooded expanse. Everyone sat in tense silence, peering hopefully out the windows as if Jude might just suddenly appear.

Finally, Marge couldn’t take the silence anymore and said, “You don’t think it’d be the wild fairies, do you? You know they’re known for abducting humans from time to time, and Jude is definitely a special witch.”

James replied without looking up from the compass. “One of the first things I did when I realized Jude was missing was to look for a changeling. I didn’t really expect to find one but I figured better safe than sorry. I didn’t find anything though.”

The Celtic community in Ireland and the surrounding areas had been steeped in fae lore and so James was all too familiar with the notion of fairy abductions, and the changelings that were often involved in these cases. The wild fae were notorious for abducting humans from time to time, and although witch abductions were more rare it wasn’t unheard of. In many of these abduction cases, especially involving young children, the fairy culprits would whisk away their chosen victim and leave behind a replacement for the person; known as a changeling. The changeling was most often a fairy who bore some resemblance to the person that was abducted; but sometimes they would leave something else to serve as tribute, such as a wooden statue. None of the trio knew of anyone with any actual experience with the situation, but the stories were all too familiar. The practice of fairy abductions had mostly faded into the realm of legend before any of them were even born, but the possibility in a situation such as this was hard to dismiss.

“But there wouldn’t necessarily be a changeling,” Maria said, sounding worried. “He could have been taken simply for his skills in nature and his attachment with the Gaia. He is definitely a special witch and could be valuable to them.”

There were also cases in which adults were abducted just to strengthen the genetic stock of the fae, or because they had a certain talent or trait that was desirable to the fairies. In these cases there was no changeling left behind and no proof of where they’d gone. If this was the case, it would be nearly impossible to rescue Jude.

James snorted and glanced back at his wife, returning his attention quickly to the compass. “It wasn’t fairies. They used to proliferate back in old Ireland, but fairy abductions are so rare these days as to be nonexistent. And I don’t think there were ever very many documented cases here in the U.S.”

Marge took one hand off the steering wheel and gently thumped the side of her purse, which sat on the console between the front seats. “Annabelle, what do you think? Do you know anything about abductions by the fae?” A buzzing sound came from the interior of the large purse and a moment later Annabelle and Price flew out. Annabelle looked around the darkened car interior for a spot to land and then settled into the cup holder by the dash. Price followed along and settled into the other one.

Marge reached over and clicked the radio off entirely so they would be able to hear Annabelle speak.

Annabelle cupped a hand around her mouth and hollered loudly since she would need to be heard over the car engine. “I heard some tales of the sort when I was back in the nest, but I don’t think that the practice is very common. And I don’t think that it’s the case here because whatever happened, they took Kojack along with Jude. If it were fairies who abducted him, they would have no need for a dog.”

“Good point,” Marge replied. “So we’re back at square one now, but at least we have the compass.”

“Wait a minute,” James said rapidly. “The needle’s turning. We need to turn left as soon as possible.”

“Okay, no problem,” Marge replied. She reached up to wipe off a bead of sweat that was forming on her brow. Then she adjusted the air conditioner vent. Her mother had always insisted that ladies didn’t sweat, they glowed; but Marge always felt like a pig when she sweated. They drove past the end of a small corn field and Marge turned the car down a side road that bisected the fields.

“Okay, we’re back on track,” James said, relieved. “Um, wait a minute. Slow down.” He slapped a hand frustratedly against the side of the compass. Then he tapped the glass surface with a finger nail. “Damnit! I don’t know what’s going on with it,” he said, vehemently.

Maria popped up from the backseat and craned her head over James’ shoulder to look at the compass. The needle was spinning randomly around in circles.

“That’s strange, what do you think happened?” Her voice sounded strained.

“I don’t know,” James replied, distractedly. “Marge, pull the car over, will ya’?”

She eased the car onto the shoulder and put it in park. Then she leaned over the console to look at the compass too.

“What the heck? Did it just start spinning like that?” She had to force herself to breath deeply, starting to panic. This was their only shot at finding Jude. What were they going to do if it didn’t work?

“It’s been working just fine and then all of a sudden it just did this,” James said, his words clipped with frustration and anger. He shook the compass violently and looked as if he was thinking about throwing it out the window.

“Calm down, mi amor,” Maria said soothingly. She reached a hand around the seat and massaged one of his shoulders. “Is there anything we can do to fix the spell? Is there a rune you could cast? Or perhaps we could spell the compass again?”

James exhaled loudly and shook his fist. “I don’t know. I don’t know of any runes that would help, but I guess we could go back home and try spelling the compass again if we have to. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on with it before we go all the way home though, okay?” Maria murmured her assent and Marge nodded. “Okay, let’s back up a little bit and see if we can pick up the trail again. Marge, can you head back to Jay Blvd. and then backtrack a little bit? Then we can turn around and see if the compass picks up the trail again.”

“Sure, no problem,” Marge said, putting the car back into gear. She turned the vehicle around and continued to the stop sign. Then she turned back in the direction from which they’d come. She followed the road along for about a half mile and then asked, “Anything?”

James was holding the compass in both hands, staring at it and willing it to work. “The spinning slowed just a minute ago. It’s looking like it might work again. He was silent for a moment and then said, “Yes! It’s working again. Okay, turn back around.”

Marge angled towards the shoulder and then made a u-turn in the road, heading back in the opposite direction. She crawled along almost at a snail’s pace, waiting to see what would happen with the compass. As she drove, she peeked over at it several times.

“Marge, watch the road,” Maria said sharply. “If you kill us all in a car wreck we’ll never be able to find Jude.” She tsked softly.

Marge dutifully turned her eyes back to the road. “I’m sorry,” she said, guiltily. “I just wanted to see what was happening. The suspense is killing me.” She plodded along slowly until they had almost reached the street where they’d turned off before.

“Just a minute,” James said warily. “The needle is starting to turn again. It’s saying that we should turn off again. Just slow down a little bit and take the turn.”

Marge nodded, chewing on her lip in concentration. She slowed to a crawl and then turned down the side street.

“What now? Should I keep driving, or do you want me to pull over?”

“Just keep driving slowly for a minute and let’s see what it does.” James stared at the compass hopefully, clutched tightly in both hands.

The SUV continued down the road until James yelled. “Stop! Damnit!” The needle had started to spin in hectic circles around the compass again. Frustrated, James tossed the compass onto the floor board of the car and pounded a fist into the roof.

Marge flinched but didn’t complain. She pulled over to the side of the road again and when James had calmed down she asked, “What now?”

James took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, maybe there’s something in this area that’s interfering with the spell. How about we try a different road? We could go back out to the main road and then turn down a different street and see where the compass leads us from there.”

Marge nodded but didn’t reply. She put the car back in gear and headed out again. The atmosphere in the car was charged with tension as they followed the road back the way they’d come. She weaved randomly through the streets for several minutes checking periodically with James to make sure the compass was still working. It seemed to be working fine until suddenly it stopped again.

“Damnit all,” James shouted.

“By the green Earth,” Marge said, sharply.

Maria put her head in her hands and began to cry. James was still fuming but he turned around in his seat and ran his hand gently across her head, murmuring soothing words to her. When she looked up at him her chocolate brown eyes were so dark they were almost black, as if they were cloaked in the night itself. He reached over to gently wipe the tears that were slipping steadily down her cheeks. His heart ached for her and for their son; lost to the night and who on the green Earth knew what else. After a minute he said, “Alright Marge. Let’s head back to the house and regroup. We’ll come up with a plan B.”

**

Kojack was so tired he was nearly wobbling, but he was determined to make it back home. He couldn’t move as quickly as he usually did with his injured leg. The additional injuries were also slowing him down tremendously, but he was making steady progress. If he could just make it back to the farm, James would know what to do.

The night around him was an inky black, with few streetlamps this far outside of town. The air was still redolent with the scents of oil and exhaust but was beginning to carry a hint of the corn and cotton fields that were nearby home. He was definitely on the right track. Suddenly, he struck a half erupted root with his good foreleg and without the injured one to catch his balance he tumbled to the ground, face first. A shock like a lightning strike ran through him when his head hit the ground, and then again when he landed on top of his injured leg. He howled mournfully and laid his head on the soft grass, his sides heaving. Sleep. He needed to sleep for awhile, and when he was rested he would continue his journey.

As he slept the restless sleep of exhaustion and injury he dreamed of better times. Of days spent prowling through the wildflower dotted grass with his litter mates, running and tumbling over one another in gleeful play. Lying in the sun dappled shade of the huge maple that had grown in the yard of the house where he’d lived with his mother before Jude had brought him home to live. The first time he had seen Jude as a youngster; smiling and joyful when he picked him as his companion and familiar. Long walks in the woods, exploring the endless trails and caverns, and running free through the rolling hills. When he had rested long enough, he arose and continued his journey.

*Author’s Note*

Throughout the writing of this novel I have included scenes and references that are based on folklore and legend surrounding the type of world the Everyday witches live in. For this chapter I wanted to include a section on fairy abductions because the tales are legendary and fascinating in our world and my favorite stories are ones that weave in a little fact or legend along with the fiction. I think it adds a bit of authenticity and mystery to the world that is created in the story. I have heard stories about fairy abductions for a very long time but this is the first time I’ve come across the version with the Changelings. These are some of the sites I came across while researching for the scene, in case you’d like to look into it yourself-

Abductions by Fairies faery tithe, changelings, kidnappings and Rades