Witch - By Fiona Horne Page 0,52

shape of three women in long, dusty black dresses and what looked liked witches’ hats, except instead of having a point, the tops were round. The women were bent over like hunchbacks. One of them pointed a crooked finger at me.

‘You asked of the water,’ she said, her voice crackling like fire.

‘Yes,’ I said, my own voice croaky.

‘What do you want with us, spirits?’ Dean spoke up, and I was grateful for the support.

‘We have a message for the one who calls,’ the second bent woman said in a high, reedy voice, like wind whistling through sharp grass fronds on a prairie plain. ‘But knowledge must be earned,’ she added.

The third spirit stepped forward – or, more accurately, rose up, floating a metre above the others. Her voice was deep and booming.

‘Close is the answer you seek

But treachery abounds and danger will be found

The devil plays with his nettle and binds the worlds

between and around, up and down

The ocean flows before it ebbs

When night becomes day, blood will be shed

Watch out behind you; have your back

Tarry not – for it is time you do not have.’

I shuddered and waved my arms in the air, trying to brush these apparitions away. They started to shriek and scream, and spires of red light formed in the centre of the star. They looked like flames, but there was no heat. It was like we were watching a movie.

The flames became a funeral pyre, and I realised we were watching the three women burn – they were the witches of old we had been talking about only days before.

The red wall of flames leapt up to the ceiling, and I thought for a moment that the roof might catch alight. But then in an instant the witches and the flames were gone. The air immediately felt less dense and sticky.

‘That was intense,’ Alyssa said. ‘It was like they were telling us a riddle or something.’

‘I think they were trying to help us solve the mystery,’ Dean said.

‘Did anyone write it down?’ I asked.

‘I did.’ Alyssa held up a sheet of parchment. ‘I came prepared.’

I sat still and quiet for a moment. It was cool we’d done a séance, but I was feeling quite shaken by the intensity of it all.

‘Maybe we should finish up now?’ I looked to Brenda.

‘I think so,’ she said. ‘Everyone please focus on the sphere of light.’

We hushed, and the light around us started to hum louder as we fuelled it with our attention.

Amelia spoke. ‘Spirits and ghosts, thank you for attending. We bid you farewell and goodnight.’

‘The circle is open but unbroken,’ Brenda said.

The light around us evaporated until we were sitting in the candlelight again.

‘Whew!’ I said, stretching my arms over my head. ‘That was a lot to take in. I’m exhausted.’

‘Me, too,’ said Dean. ‘But I want to work on that riddle. Alyssa, can I borrow the parchment for tonight?’ He looked around the room to the rest of us. ‘That’s if nobody minds me taking a first look?’

Personally I did not want to reflect further on this strange night for now, and there was also a beach party I was supposed to be heading to . . . with Bryce. We all glanced at each other and nodded.

‘Sure,’ Alyssa said, handing it to him.

I got to my feet but noticed Brenda was still sitting on the floor, straight-backed and with an odd expression on her face.

‘Brenda?’ I touched her shoulder and she jumped, shaking her head like she was coming out of a trance.

‘Vania,’ she said in a quiet voice, ‘let’s speak privately for a moment.’ She rose slowly rose to her feet. ‘Birthday-girl chat,’ she said to the others.

She took me by the hand and led me to her small office behind the counter, closing the door.

‘Vania, I had a vision as the séance ended that made me concerned for Bryce,’ she said.

Suddenly it was like a dark cloud had encased us. I felt smothered in the small room.

‘What did you see?’

‘Some kind of accident or misfortune,’ she answered. ‘He needs protection, but we can’t tell him, because if he knows then he might attract the danger to himself. We are being given the chance to protect him – that’s why I was shown the vision.’

My heart was racing. ‘What can we do?’

Brenda opened a drawer in the desk and took out a black wooden box. There was a cross inscribed on the lid with a line through it in red – it looked like