Post by StoryGirl83 on Dec 10, 2013 0:45:52 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Three – Paint Brushes and Candles
10:27 AM (1:27 PM in Duxbury)
Dragging his eyes away from the strange mode of transportation, Sam turned to look at his mother. "Where is it, though?" He’d grown up knowing that this woman, his mother, had most likely given her life protecting him, and he’d grown up knowing only what little Dave could remember about their father, because Kirkland had known almost nothing. Now, he had the chance, no matter how small, to get to know both of them a little. He wanted to see his father soon, and that meant finding his tombstone, something he’d never been able to do before.
Rebecca stopped her steps and looked at her youngest child. "Don't you know?"
He shook his head. "No, Mama. I've never seen Papa's grave." He’s tried on more than one occasion to find it, but he’d never been successful.
Rebecca sighed and, without stopping to explain, she began to chant, "Take that which is hidden, bring it near. As we have bidden, visions clear."
All around them things changed. Trees withered and died. Healthy green grass turned first to brown and then to dirt. A small stone path lead out in front of them, stopping at a rickety wooden fence. There was a gate, but it was open. And inside . . . inside stones appeared and wooden crosses, markers.
"This has been here all along?" Dave asked in wonder.
"Why was it hidden?" Sam wanted desperately to know.
A sad look crossed her face as she faced her sons. "It started because Elisa tried ruin one of the graves. ‘Twas a boy she used to play with and apparently she blamed him for dying and thought ruining his grave would make him want to ‘wake up’ or so she claimed.”
“Excuse me,” Paige interrupted. When everyone looked at her, she said, “I hate to do this, but we really have to keep going. Every minute is more dead.”
Arielle gulped and nodded. “More chances that Mother could become infected,” she whispered.
“You’re mother is mortal?” Cilly asked.
Arielle nodded. “Dad is the witch of the two.”
“Cilly?”
Cilly heaved in a deep breath. “Later, we’ll talk.”
Arielle shook her head. “I do not think that will be happening. My sister wishes anonymity and if I can, I intend to give it to her.”
Deciding to ignore them, Paige looked over at Rebecca.
In response Rebecca looked down at the grave at her feet and got down on her knees. “Sorry. On my way back to town I came across the Richmonds preparing for their sacrifice. Me it seems.” She looked up at them and asked, “We’re going to need some supplies if we are going to make this work. A broom and candles, thirteen of them. Art thou able to get these?”
“Candles,” Paige mumbled, sounding amused. “Of course candles.” She disappeared in the same manner that her son had.
Shaking his head, Sam looked over at his mom.
Arielle was standing next to her, digging into her pocket. To his surprise, she pulled a small paintbrush out of her pocket. “Will a paintbrush do in place of a broom?”
Rebecca looked at the paintbrush and smiled. “Yes, I do believe that will do. ‘Twill be a bit more time consuming, but it should still work.”
“I could go home and see if we have a broom somewhere in out house,” Cilly offered. “I’m not sure we do, but it’s possible.”
“Why wouldn’t you have a broom at your home?” Rebecca asked.
Cilly wrinkled her nose. “We have more efficient ways to clean.”
“There are more important uses for brooms,” Rebecca assured her. “The broom is used to sweep evil from your path.”
“I can do that,” Arielle announced as she got on her knees next to Rebecca. “Where do I start? Dad says that there is a way of magic and we must do it properly or not at all.”
“And is he right,” Rebecca told her with a smile. “There are times when doing anything even doing it wrong is better then doing nothing, but it is very likely that it not only won’t work, but it will cause problems or its own. Do you know which way is east?”
“Huh?” Arielle looked around at the forest surrounding them. “I am not sure.”
Sam looked up through the trees at the sky. The sun was pretty high up in the sky which definitely didn’t help much. “’Tis midday, isn’t it?”
Arielle considered the sky, but didn’t say anything at first. “The hotel was that way,” she told them as she pointed away from them. “And if I remember right, the forest is east of town, so that means east is that way.”
“Very well,” Rebecca said. “I will need you to start sweeping on that side of the grave and sweep toward the west. Never sweep back, just east to west. Pick up your broom and start, again.”
“I can do that,” Arielle repeated as she began to do what Rebecca had directed her to do.
A sound behind him, had Sam looking around to see Paige reappearing with a brown bag made out of something that looked like paper in her arms.
“I’ve got candles,” Paige announced as she put the bag down. “Where do you want them?”
“Eeee!”
They looked back at Arielle who was staring at the brush in her hand. “It is sparking.”
“’Tis what is supposed to happen,” Rebecca told her with a smile. “It is sweeping away the evil. That means that your paint brush works in place of a broom.”
“Oh, good.” Arielle tentatively swept at the ground, again. “I was a little concerned that the sparking meant I messed it all up.”
“You did just fine,” Rebecca assured her. “Now, Paige, if you would put those in a circle around the grave, we can begin.”
Paige got to work putting the candles into a circle. Cilly and Arielle helped her and quickly the candles were set up. That’s when Paige pulled out what looked like a strange, red gun and started shooting fire out of it at the candles, lighting their wicks. Sam found himself watching, fascinated.
Once all the candles where lit Rebecca stood and walked over to stand in front of her husband’s tombstone, outside the circle of candles. “Everyone stand in a circle, including you Arielle.”
Arielle looked at her in surprised. “Why specify me?”
“You are the only one here who is not related to my Patrick,” Rebecca reminded her. “Which is why I want you to cast the spell.”
“Mother?” Dave asked, sounding confused as he stopped walking to his place near the grave and looked at her. “Won’t that weaken the magic?”
Rebecca smiled. “Not in this case. I believe that the spell that prevents me from reaching him is sealed with my blood, mine and Caroline’s, so having someone who is not of our blood is likely to work better instead of worse.”
“Come on Davie, let’s find Papa,” Caroline grabbed his hand and looked up at him with a smile.
Davie grinned down at his little sister. “I think I like that plan.”
With her older two children occupied Rebecca turned her attention to Arielle and asked. “Do you know the spell to summon a spirit?”
Arielle nodded. “Shall we begin?” she asked as everyone found their place in the circle. When no one responded she began to chant. “Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to us, we summon Thee, cross now the Great Divide. Beloved spirit, Patrick, we seek your guidance, we ask that you commune with us and move among us.”
Wind rushed around them, pulling their attention to and fro. It blew around in a circle, putting out the candles one by one until all thirteen had been extinguished.
“Hello, my love.”