Spells A Bayou Magic Novel - Kristen Proby Page 0,47

the darkness. “Ah, there it is. I can’t believe I remember this.”

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” I admit. “We never had secrets from each other.”

Is that hurt I hear in my voice? Maybe. It’s never been like Millie to keep something from me.

“This wasn’t a secret from you,” she says as she pulls a wooden box out of the hole.

“Is anything else in there?”

“No, just this.” She turns off the flashlight and shoves her phone back into her pocket. She sits on the dusty floor beside me and blows dirt off the top of the box. There are two entwined hearts carved in the top. “I didn’t remember this until we came up here. This is so cool. Like something out of a movie.”

“Our whole lives are like something out of a movie, Millicent. I’m dying to know what’s in that box.”

“Okay, let’s see if I remember how to open this thing. You push here, and tug there, and…” The puzzle box opens, and Millie smiles at me in excitement.

“What is it?”

She takes some dried flowers off the top. “These flowers were in my hair when we got married in the park.”

The crown of blooms is faded from time but still intact. When the time comes, I’ll revive them so she can use them again.

She gingerly sets the flowers aside, careful not to break any of them, then reaches in for the next thing.

“I wrote this letter,” she says as her eyes fill with tears. The envelope is yellowed with age and sealed with wax.

“You should read it.”

“Before I do, I need to clarify that when I stowed this all away, I didn’t know that we’d ever be here again.”

“Of course, not. We’ve lived all over the world, and each rebirth was random in time. Sometimes, it was only a few years later. Others, a hundred years passed before we were born again.”

“Exactly. So, I didn’t put these in the wall thinking that I’d find them again later. Everything in this box just meant the world to me, and I didn’t want them to be someone else’s.”

“I understand, a stór mo chroí.”

“Before I read the letter, look at this.” She pulls out a tiny pair of shoes from the box and gives me a watery smile. “Her shoes.”

“So tiny.”

She sets the footwear beside her flowers, then opens the seal on the envelope.

“I’m nervous. I don’t remember what this says.” She unfolds the paper and clears her throat.

“Dear Lucien,

With your unexpected passing, I know that it won’t be long before my life will also be finished. At least, this time around. I know I’ll see you again soon, but the unknown of how long that might be leaves me with an unyielding ache in my chest. I long to hear your voice, to feel your strong arms around me, just once more.

Our daughter has gone to live with your parents. She’s happy out on the farm with the animals and her very own puppy. They’ve promised me that they will teach her our ways and make sure she knows how very much we both love her.

I’m spending these last days in our house, committing every moment here to memory with the hopes that those memories will follow me through to the next lifetime, wherever that may be. Each life with you is precious, a mhuirnín, but this one was extra-special. I was convinced that this would be the time we would grow old together, enjoy our children and grandchildren, and live a somewhat normal life.

But that wasn’t meant to be. I know you’d tell me not to be angry. That there’s nothing we can do about the hand that fate dealt us.

But I am angry, my darling. For you’ve been torn from me once again, and I’m left here to mourn you. My only solace is the knowledge that the pain won’t last for long.

You are my heart. My beloved. And my soul being linked to yours is the greatest joy and honor.

Because my time grows near, I don’t want these few possessions to be found by anyone else. They’re private, just between the two of us. I know I’ll never be back here, in this time and place, but it’s my hope that no one finds this hiding spot until the house is one day torn down. I’ve put a spell on this attic, ensuring that it will remain as it is for no less than one hundred years.

I love you, my treasure.

Millicent

Tears fall down her cheeks as she