The Witch (6 page)

But there were denizens of the basement who loved the heat and wished the cranky furnace would never quit its job. A field mouse, who had burrowed in from the outside, sidled up close to the warmth. It sniffed the air, trying to sense food, its nose twittering quietly in the dark. The mouse sat up on its hind legs, the front legs stiff with anticipation, but it didn’t like the odor in the air. Didn’t like the chill that tried to wrap itself around the heat of the furnace. Didn’t like the barely perceptible whine echoing in the basement. The field mouse’s ears flicked several times before the mouse fell back down on all four legs to scurry for the hole through which it had gained admittance.

The box on the table pulsed, the beasts throbbing to the beat of their mistress’ wishes, the grunts and groans verbalizing their frustration, energy igniting the tiny figures on the box.

A forked tongue pierced the air, stretching forth from the front of the wooden box, flicking the air, scenting for power. Finding none, the tongue popped back inside two thick lips that cut through pudgy scarred cheeks.

Gnarled fingers and blackened hands massaged the sides of the box, seeking to obtain the twisted fiends’ release. But the tiny demons found themselves cemented to their prison.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and a tiny voice called, “Mommy? Mommy?”

The jumble of bodies on the box quivered in joy.

“Yes, yes, come down here, little one. We await your commands.”

With outstretched hands the beasts beseeched the child.

“Release us from our prison, and we’ll obey only you.”

One, two, three stairs squeaked from a child’s feet.

“Mommy, are you down there?”

“Much better, we are here!”
shouted the beasts, but their tiny voices couldn’t carry to Stephen’s ears.

“Mommy, are you hiding on me?” Stephen asked, his hands gripping the banister as he stared into the dark basement.

“Silly boy,”
called a bestial voice, its body rolling back and forth in agony.

“Another step,”
entreated a spindly demon who worried his hands constantly.

“Daddy doesn’t want me coming down here, Mommy. He says it’s dirty and cold and not very nice in the basement. I never tell him about us doing magic in the basement. I never talk about the colors, the sounds, and figures we played with. Especially not about the little uglies. They gave me the creeps like those movies Dad likes to watch.” Stephen released the banister and sat down on the step, his knees pulled to his chest.

“Don’t hesitate, little villain,”
snapped a misshapen bird, its beak slightly bent to one side, its beak firmly attached to the wood.

“I guess Dad wouldn’t mind if I talk to you from the steps. It’s warmer up here, and I only got on my pj’s.

“Aunt Rosemary’s coming to visit tomorrow. I told Daddy we should still go visit you, but now that you’re back I guess we don’t have to drive way out to the ocean anymore. Did you like Aunt Rosemary? Daddy says you felt sorry for her because of Robin.”

“She got the child she deserved.”
Mommy’s harsh voice almost broke through the vacuum separating mother from son. She tried to take his hand and lead him down the steps but his flesh seemed too far away.

“Bring the babe closer, woman. Bring him to us, and we will fulfill your wishes.”
The beasts voices spoke in unison.
“We will sing to him the same lullabies that you did. We will cradle his soul safely in our hands. We will tend to his hungers and rub our own salve into his wounds.”

“Momma, why can’t I see you anymore?”

“Your eyes can’t see in the dark, my sweetness. The spirits I brought into this world can help you see, but you must go to them.”
Stephen’s mother blew her son a kiss before the world of the dead retrieved her.

“Now look happy to see your aunt when she comes through the arrival door, Stephen.”

“It’s okay, Dad. We don’t have to visit Mommy ‘cause she visits us now.”

Jacob looked down at his son and found himself feeling both proud and bewildered. Could this be Stephen’s way of making the best of things? At some point he’d have to put a stop to his son’s fantasies, but not now. Cathy had been dead only a short time. Let the boy find his own way through the grief.

“There she is now! Wave, Stephen.” Jacob leaned down to whisper in his son’s ear. “And don’t forget to smile.” Suddenly Jacob’s face broke into a broad grin.

A woman with round spectacles and dyed charcoal-black hair squinted into the waiting crowd. Her ashen complexion appeared to be dotted with cherry-colored paste, and her lips nervously mumbled unspoken words. Her white teeth glinted when she caught sight of Jacob and Stephen. She rushed forward into Jacob’s arms.

Jacob gingerly held Rosemary’s frail body. He judged her to be about five feet ten and weighing all of one hundred pounds.

“I’m so sorry about Cathy, Jacob.”

“You’ve mentioned that before, Rosemary. Stephen’s been looking forward to your visit. Right son?”

Jacob’s stomach tightened when he saw Stephen almost shake his head, but quickly the boy recouped and nodded with a big smile on his face.

Rosemary stooped and clasped her nephew to her chest. Her kisses wetted down most of the boy’s face.

“Your mom is waiting out in the parking lot. We didn’t find the best of spaces, and she worried I might get a ticket.”

Rosemary stood and gripped Stephen’s hand tightly. Jacob thought he saw his son wince.

“That’s Mom. She worries about everyone and everything. She doesn’t know how to mind her own business. But I don’t have to tell you, Jacob. You’ve had far more patience with her than my Will.”

“How is your ex-husband, Rosemary?”

“Still looking for a job. Trying to hit me up for money. I told him it’s like trying to get blood from a stone. Every penny I make goes toward Robin’s health.”

“She staying with her father this weekend?” Jacob asked.

“And his hoochie-koochie.”

“Dad, what’s a hooey-kooye?” Stephen asked.

“We’ll look it up in the dictionary later, son.”

“Aunt Rosemary, what’s a hooey-kooye?”

“It’s the young girl your uncle is seeing.”

“Then she’s a who and not a what. Is she as young as Molly?” Stephen kept asking his questions all the way out to the car, and the adults stalled for answers.

Mabel swung open the door of the car and rushed out to greet her daughter. The two spent five minutes hugging, admiring, and questioning each other until Jacob reminded them that he didn’t plan on paying for overnight parking.

On the way home, Rosemary and Mabel never stopped talking, and Jacob managed to tune out the shrill voices. He found his way home by rote and pulled into the driveway.

“What are we doing here?” asked Rosemary.

“You’re staying with Jacob and Stephen,” Mabel replied.

“Oh, Jacob, I couldn’t intrude at this time. My goodness, you and Stephen must just be beginning to adjust.”

“He volunteered as soon as he heard you were coming,” Mabel said.

I did?

Jacob realized nothing had been said about where Rosemary would stay until he had suggested his own home. But he thought he hadn’t a choice.

“If you insist, Jacob. I wouldn’t insult you by refusing.”

Insult me!

“It’s going to be a wonderful weekend. We can take Stephen to the zoo and afterward stop to get that awful chili he so loves.” Mabel ran her fingers through Stephen’s hair.

“It’s Mom’s birthday,” he said.

Jacob broke the moment of silence by offering to carry Rosemary’s overnight bag into the house.

“Thank you, Jacob,” Rosemary said, stepping out of the car. “Perhaps we should ask Stephen what he’d like to do today.”

Behind Stephen’s back Mabel violently shook her head at Rosemary.

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you run up to your bedroom and get that special birthday card you made for Mom?”

“But, Dad, it’s not meant for everyone to see.”

“You showed it to Molly and me, didn’t you?”

Stephen nodded.

“Then why not show it to Grandma and Aunt Rosemary?”

“Because they won’t care.”

“No, no, Stephen, we do care,” said Rosemary, dropping to her knees in front of the boy. “Grandma and I got so excited about seeing you that we hurriedly started making plans. However, we also want to do something today to remember your mother. Can we sign our names to your birthday card?”

“Did you forget your card?”

“I think it would be more special if we signed your card; more likely she’d notice your hand-made card over anybody’s else’s.”

“There’s plenty of room on the card for everyone’s name,” Stephen said. “I’ll go get it.”

When the boy ran into the house, Mabel turned to Rosemary.

“Jacob and Stephen go to the seaside every weekend to visit Cathy. Just once I’d like to wean Stephen away from this obsession.”

“There’ll come a time soon enough, Mom, when he’ll have such a full life he’ll barely remember what Cathy looked and sounded like. Let him be. If he wants to go to the seaside we can stop on the way back at a nice fish restaurant.”

“I’m shocked, Mabel.” Jacob stepped forward. “You always ask if he prays for his mother and whether he asks about her.”

“I know, but a few minutes of prayer is different than spending a week planning for the weekend visit to his dead mother. And taking her own life …”

“I don’t think Stephen remembers,” said Jacob.

“My God, he found her hanging in the basement!”

“Mabel, calm down. He’ll be back soon. I don’t think he clearly remembers what he saw. He was only down there a few seconds when I called him up.”

“But he’s the one who told you,” Mabel said in a hushed voice.

“He said he thought Mommy needed help. I didn’t allow him back down in the cellar. Matter of fact, I put the cellar off limits.”

“Is the door locked?”

“No, Mabel, locking the door would only draw attention to the basement. Next thing I know I’d find him in front of the basement door with a hand full of bobby pins trying to pry open the lock.”

“He’s right, Mom.”

The front door opened, and Stephen came running with his hand-made card.

Inside the house everyone signed the card but were surprised when Stephen said it wouldn’t be necessary to drive to the seaside to deliver the card.

“Mom’s still here with Daddy and me. We don’t have to go anywhere else to be near her,” he announced.

Stephen slowly opened the basement door. The slight squeak made him pause for only a moment. He wore his heavy cable Irish sweater over his pajamas. The sheepskin slippers fit snugly around his feet. He kept one hand pressed against the sweater and used his other hand to hold the banister.

He didn’t want to use the flashlight until he had managed to descend most of the stairs. Certainly he didn’t want his father to catch him going to the basement. Midway down the stairs he couldn’t wait any longer; he whipped the flashlight from under his sweater and pressed the button. The bright lightcast some shadows, and Stephen turned to make a run back up the steps, but since he didn’t see anything he expected, he stopped.

Mommy’s spirit might be in the basement, but not her body. His shaky hand scanned the room with his flashlight.

“It’s after midnight, Mom, happy birthday.” He let go of the banister in order to pull his handmade card from under his sweater. “Everybody signed it. Dad, Grandma, and even Aunt Rosemary. She’s visiting and sleeping upstairs in the guest room. Grandma went home after dinner, but she’ll be back in the morning.”

Stephen placed the flashlight on a step and folded the card into the shape of an airplane. Holding the card, he swung his arm far back before lurching forward, setting the plane free in the air.

“Air Mail.” He giggled, moving his foot excitedly, sending the flashlight rolling down the steps one at a time.

Stephen stood in the dark and looked down at the floor where the flashlight rolled slowly toward the furnace before stopping.

“Drat!” his little voice muttered. He looked behind him and could see the open door and the moonlight lighting the hallway.

“Umm, Mom, I’m not supposed to be down here,” he said turning back to the basement floor. He held his breath for several moments, listening for the sound of footsteps. The bedrooms were all on the second floor, he thought; maybe they couldn’t hear what went on in the basement.

“I should be getting back to bed, but I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday.”

He thought he heard a whimper, a sad sound that made his heart ache.

“Mom, is that you? I hope I didn’t make you sad by telling you Aunt Rosemary is here. She doesn’t seem so unhappy having Robin as her child. Robin may not be able to walk, but she’s lots of fun and makes everyone laugh. I think Aunt Rosemary is lucky to have Robin. She’s better at telling jokes than I am. Honestly, I think she may be a little smarter than me, even. Not a lot, but sometimes she understands things I don’t. I know she’s two years older, but I have the feeling she was smarter than me two years ago. Besides, I don’t believe Daddy’s story about witches making putty out of nerves. I don’t think any witch has cursed Robin. She’s too nice.”

With his eyes he searched for the plane and saw that it had made a perfect landing atop the ugly box.

“Can you read it, Mommy? If not, maybe the uglies can read it to you.” He thought for a second. “Can they read?”

The plane tilted and almost fell off the box, but it appeared glued.

“Come, read it to your mother, little man.”

Stephen descended one step.

The furnace clicked off.

“Little man, don’t make us wait.”

Stephen quickly ran down the stairs and picked up the flashlight, almost toppling over into the furnace. His hand barely touched the furnace door, but he pulled back quickly while letting out a small cry: “Ouch.”

The whimper started again.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not really hurt.”

The plane wavered back and forth on top of the box but never fell. Stephen thought it might be taking off. Curious, he took a few steps closer.