magical cures 07 - a charming fatality (2 page)

Another knock at the door caused us to turn our attention back to the door. Gerald Regulia and his wife, Petunia Shrubwood, stood on the other side, their baby nestled in Petunia’s arms.

“Look at his hair!” I squealed, grabbing baby Orin and smothering his face with kisses.

“Tell me about that unruly mop.” Petunia’s eyes rolled. Her hair was in a peculiar array today. Most days she wore her hair up in a messy nest on the top of her head. Today it was half up and half down. Noticing me looking at it, she commented, “I just don’t have the energy to fix it.”

Petunia was the owner of Glorybee Pet Shop and her spiritual gift was talking to animals. Her husband, Gerald, owned The Gathering Grove Tea Shoppe. He was a tea leaf reader. They made a great couple and fantastic parents.

“I could give him a good buzz.” Chandra Shango pushed her plump body into the shop, nearly knocking Petunia over. Her finger pointed to baby Orin. Her fingernails were polished blue with tiny gold stars painted on them. Chandra owned A Cleansing Spirit Spa, which was a cover for her spiritual gift of palm reading.

She was dolled up in a pink cloak and matching pink turban with a big purple gemstone in the center. Sprigs of her short raspberry colored hair stuck out of the bottom of the turban. She was rarely seen without some sort of head covering.

A black butterfly flew out of Petunia’s hair and floated down to the ground after Chandra shoved her way through.

We stood in a circle around it in silence. We all knew what it meant without saying a word.

Death.

Chapter Two

“I’m sure it means nothing,” Petunia said in a voice that seemed a long way off. “We must be going.” She took Orin from me.

“Yes.” Gerald cleared his throat and handed me a cardboard cup. “We wanted to wish you well on your adventures today.”

They rushed out, leaving the butterfly lying at my feet. Mr. Prince Charming batted it at, sending it close to the door.

Chandra didn’t say a word; she just rushed out behind them. With one swipe of his paw, Mr. Prince Charming knocked the butterfly out the door before Chandra slammed it behind her.

I gulped.

“Stop it.” Bella swatted the idea down that something bad was going to happen. “You go and have fun.” She reached out and grabbed both of my hands, giving them a good squeeze. “You have all the protection you need right here on your wrist.”

“Protection?” Oscar Park asked after he opened the door of the shop. “I’m all the protection she needs.”

A vague sense of light passed between us when our eyes met. He was the love of my life and my future husband.

“If I can only get her to set a date to marry me.” He peered at me intently. I saw the heart-rending tenderness in his gaze.

“I’ll make it soon,” I assured him. “Let me get this job started and see where it’s going before I add more stuff on my plate. You aren’t going anywhere are you?” I asked and brushed my bangs out of my eyes so I could take a nice long look at my handsome fiancé.

“You are stuck with me.” His blue eyes sparkled against his olive complexion. His black hair had the perfect amount of gel in it. He had on a grey tee-shirt and jeans. He stood there, devilishly handsome. The rich outlines of his shoulders strained against the fabric of his shirt.

“And I have you to protect me.” I batted my eyes, acting like a helpless lady, only they all knew better.

“You better get going.” Faith pointed to the clock. “I’m fine,” she assured me before I had the chance to ask.

“You are too.” Bella’s hands were clasped in front of her; she swayed back and forth.

“Okay.” I was about to take the next step in my life. “You ready?”

Meowwl
, Mr. Prince Charming growled. It was in my contract that he could come to Head To Toe Works with me. I couldn’t go without him.

“And you?” I grabbed Madame Torres off the counter and grabbed my messenger bag. 

“Are you kidding me?” Her face appeared in the center of the crystal ball. Her face pasty white, lips blood red, and her flaming red hair took up most of the ball. “It’s way too early for me to do anything.”

“Good. You can stay silent all day.” I stuck her in the depths of my bag and placed it across my shoulders. I picked up the suitcase where I had made a travel kit for things I might need on the job.

I was going to be sharing one particular potion with Tiffany and Burt’s company. A stress potion that was going to be turned into a lotion, so I had to have all the right ingredients.

Some of the contents included: an old scrying mirror, a black candle, black chalk, a box of matches, chunks of crystal and pyrite to enhance riches and psychic awareness, a vintage incense burner, a roll of charcoal tablets to burn incense, and of course, my secret blend of the stress potion Tiffany Rossen had fallen in love with during her snowed-in stay in Whispering Falls over Christmas. I also added photographic artwork and many magical vials, excluding the wisteria vine oil from Darla which I kept on the shelf behind the counter, and treasures for just in case I was in pinch situations. Though I didn’t foresee or rather, my intuition didn’t alert me of any danger.

“Are you sure you are going to be fine, because if you aren’t.” My hand gripped the handle of my little case. “Oscar will be right across the street.”

“I’m fine.” Faith assured me with a sweet smile. “And I’m going to be fine.”

“Right across the street,” I gestured over my shoulder at the Whispering Falls police department.

Oscar shared the sheriff’s position with Colton Lance. Both wizards. On the days he didn’t work in Whispering Falls, he was a deputy with the Locust Grove Police Department.

“Right across the street,” Oscar said with laughter, mocking me.

“Oh, hush.” I smacked him playfully before kissing his cheek. “I’ve never let someone actually work, work for me as in all day a few days a week.”

“But I’m always your fill-in, so this is no different. Go.” She rushed me out the door and onto the small porch of the shop. “Go put your magic all over the world. Make us proud.”

“The world,” I sighed knowing this was a big step for our little village. I was actually going to go out into the mortal world and deliberately perform magic in lotions for people to actually feel less stressed. This was a big step. No wonder my stomach hurt.

“Are you okay?” Oscar asked and put his arm around me. That wonderful smell of his circled around my nose and lifted my spirits.

“I’m great.” I smiled to myself as I spoke. Excitement started to stir in my heart. “I’m really great.”

“You are going to be great.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice. He pulled me to him and embraced me. “I’m so proud of you. So let’s set a wedding date so I can call you Mrs. Oscar Park.”

“No pressure.” I looked up at him and stared into his big blue eyes. His lips slowly descended onto mine.

My first day of work at Head To Toe Works headquarters was going to be fine. Just fine.

Chapter Three

“Here we go.” I opened the door to the Green Machine, the loving name I had given my ’88 green Chevrolet El Camino. My cloak I had put on before I left the shop swung around me like a warm blanket.

 Like always, Mr. Prince Charming jumped in and quickly found his spot on the dashboard on the passenger side. He curled up, letting the warmth of the early morning sunshine streaming down into the window warm his fur.

I looked to the left of the shop at Chandra watering her drowsy daisies and moonflowers in the window flower boxes of A Cleansing Spirit Spa. Then I looked into down at Glorybee where Petunia had Orin tucked in a pouch across her body as she feed Clyde, her pet macaw who sat perched up in the window on a display.

I looked right of the store. Arabella Paxton, owner of Magical Moments and the daughter of Gerald’s first marriage, was touching each of the flower arrangements outside of her shop. She was a flower spiritualist. She was able to tell a lot about a person or even their future when her customer would pick a flower. She was truly magical and lovely. Plus the best dressed shop owner in Whispering Falls. She always wore the latest fashions. Her long hair flowed down the back of her black tee that she paired with a pink crinoline knee length skirt. Adorable.

Arabella was also the granddaughter of one of the Marys. Mary Lynn to be exact.

The Marys are the Order of Elders in the witch community. Past Presidents of villages around the world. They rarely show up but when they did, you knew something bad was going on or something needed to be put in order. That was why our Village Council had called them in to take a look at the contract between me and Head To Toe Works.

“It’s your big day!” Arabella touched a funny looking plant I had never seen before. A mushroom sprouted at her touch.

“What is that?” My curiosity got the best of me.

“Shroomroot! Great for lots of things.” She waved her fingers. “Have a great day!” She stepped inside her shop.

“Are you leaving?” Isadora Solstice yelled from across the street. She stood on the front porch of Mystic Lights. She was the spitting image of Meryl Streep. She never wore anything other than a crisp shirt with an a-line skirt with her black pointy laced-up boots. Today she was dressed head-to-toe in black.

“I am.” I waved.

“You have Madame Torres with you?” She asked in her mothering way about my snarky crystal ball whom I fought with more than used as a familiar.

“I sure do.” I patted my messenger bag before taking it off over my head and dropping on the seat of the Green Machine.

“I’ll talk to you when you get back.” She turned and headed into her shop that was a cover for her gift of reading crystal balls and seeing into the future.

In fact, Isadora, Izzy for short, was responsible for bringing Oscar and me to Whispering Falls. Both of Oscar’s parents were part of the witch world and, long story short, Oscar grew up across the street from me in Locust Grove and Izzy knew exactly where to find us.  She was the lucky one who informed us of our witch heritage causing me to pass out a few times over the course of the first week. Now I was old hat at it and embraced every single moment of my life.

By working with Tiffany Rossen at Head To Toe Works, I was going to be able to help the entire world with a stress free life by bringing a product using my purpose in life. At least I hoped I was going to.

I took one quick glance around Whispering Falls and put one foot in the car.

“Wait! Stop!” The exhausted voice of Eloise Sandlewood, Oscar’s aunt, came from the distance near Glorybee. Her short red hair was a dot in the distance. Her arms flailed above her head. Smoke flowing behind her.

As she ran closer, I could hear the swish of her teal summer cloak shift as she hurried. Incense in her hand created more and more smoke.

I got back out of the car and she stood in front of me running the wand of smoke up and down my body.

“Be the light, light worker, a light within, inspiration, awakening, soul, white witch, witch, magick, heal the world, help others, oneness, book of shadows, meditation, love, peace, safety is your grace,” she chanted a few times.

I closed my eyes and let the spell she was casting fill my nose and soak into my soul. Eloise was an incense spiritualist and I felt the closest to her since she was Darla’s best friend and knew me before I knew me.

Every morning, before dawn, Eloise walks down the street with her incense cleansing Whispering Falls before the day even begins.

“I’m so glad I caught you before you left.” Her soft voice made me open my eyes. She had the loveliest pale face with the most mesmerizing emerald green eyes.

“Thank you.” My heart leapt. I was one lucky little witch who had a lot of people who loved her. “I’m so glad I saw you too.”

Over her shoulder, Oscar stood in the window of the police station. He blew me a kiss.

“I don’t have to turn around to know who you are staring at.” She reached in her cloak and pulled out a smudge stick. “You must smudge the headquarters before you start work.” Her brows drew together in an agonizing expression. “Do you understand, June?”

“Yes.” I gratefully took the smudge. “I packed everything but a smudge stick.”

Which was kind of strange since I was the one who performed all the smudge ceremonies in Whispering Falls.

“Now you have everything.” She patted me. “My little protection cleanse will help you get through today and keep your feet planted,” she said in an odd yet gentle tone that meant business.

I pulled her into my arms and gave her a warm embrace.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“And start thinking about this wedding to my nephew.” She pulled away and held me at arms length. “I love you like a daughter, June Heal.” She took a step back. “Why don’t you come by for dinner tonight after work?”

“I think that sounds great.” I knew I would have a lot to tell her and Oscar so killing two birds with one stone was perfect.

Eloise left as fast as she came. With her words of encouragement and her cleansing spell deep within me, I got into the Green Machine and started her up, not bothering Mr. Prince Charming a bit as he happily purred.

“I never thought we’d be back in Locust Grove making cures,” I said to Mr. Prince Charming when we passed the old wooden sign heading out of Whispering Falls. It read
Come back to Whispering Falls, A Charming Village, soon!

“We will be back tonight.” I smiled, never happier to be part of both worlds that I adored so much.

Chapter Four

Head To Toe Works headquarters was a big spread-out campus on the far west side of Whispering Falls. Not just anyone could drive up the compound drive and get in; there was a large security stand in the middle. One side was for the coming and the other side was for the going.

“Good morning.” The man in the security guard uniform stepped out in front of the Green Machine with his arms extended out in front of him, palms out facing me. “Please put your car in park.”

I did what he asked. His head looked side-to-side and down my vehicle. He waved to another man who was inside the block building situated in the middle of the road. The man emerged from the building with a long stick and big round mirror on the end. He stuck the mirror under my car and walked around the entire perimeter.