Don't Worry, Be Ghostly
October 8
“Did you see the paper yet today?” Mart asked Dan as he and Trixie joined their friend at his table in the back of the diner. Wimpy’s was filled with students from both the middle and high schools, and the restaurant buzzed with talk that centered on spirit sightings and ghostly encounters.
Dan shook his head and slid over in his seat to make room. “No. I think they may still get the newspaper delivered at the main house, but unless it has to do with horses or wrestling, Uncle Bill doesn’t care, and I usually just read stuff online. Why?”
“The headline is ‘Ghost Mania Sweeps Sleepyside.’”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Are you ready for this? The paper is holding a contest for kids to submit ghost stories and artwork. The council has announced that there’re going to be ‘ghost walks’ every Friday and Saturday night through Halloween, and apparently several local businesses are getting together to organize some kind of scavenger hunt thing where you have to search their stores for a ‘hidden ghost’ and if you find it, you win a prize or get a discount off any purchases.”
Dan stared at his friend. “This is insane.”
“No kidding.”
“I don’t get it. How’d it get this far this fast? I mean, it was only a week ago that we first went out to Lisgard House and two days later when Di launched her plans.”
“Small towns,” Trixie said with a shrug. “You gotta remember, after the stunt we had to pull at the game Friday night, word really got around. October’s usually kinda a slow month, so now everyone has something to get excited about.” She leaned over and raised a hand to signal to the waitress. “I’m starving. I missed lunch entirely today.”
“Assisting the dearly departed?” Dan asked sympathetically.
“More like the not-so-dearly departed. Some teacher who’d worked at the school for about a hundred years, as far as I could tell. She had some choice words for we ungrateful young hooligans of today. Do you know what I had to do to finally get rid of her? Write, ‘I will not talk in class’ on the board in Mrs. Grossman’s room fifty times! Fifty! She actually stayed there and counted. Sheesh… Oh, c’mon! It’s not funny.”
Already fighting smiles, Mart and Dan burst into laughter at her indignant expression. “Yeah, it is, Freckles. It really is. It would’ve been even better if Mrs. Grossman had come in and caught you.”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t erase it. I figured Di would appreciate that. How are we doing with our business plan? The office hours thing? I really need school time to be school time, you know? ”
“Vernon popped in on me this morning when I ran by Lisgard House to make sure there hadn’t been any living visitors overnight. He said he’s already put out word that we’re the kind of old school witches and warlocks that haven’t been seen around here in a long time, to maybe warn off any poltergeists looking for trouble. And he said he could also let it be known that we’re prepared to help those in need, but that they have to ‘respect our valuable time.’ His words. Not mine.”
“Huh. Okay. So maybe that’ll work.”
“That, and I’m still thinking we shouldn’t abandon the idea of business cards and flyers…”
It took almost twenty minutes from the time they put in their order until their food finally arrived. Trixie surveyed her plate glumly and sighed. “I ask for a burger and fries and I get a tuna melt and broccoli. I hate Suck Days.”
Dan reached over and swapped his plate with hers.
“You don’t have to do that! I was gonna go tell them at the counter that they messed up my order.”
“It’s okay, Freckles. You’re hungry and who knows how much longer it would take to get your order right. I don’t mind eating this instead.”
She flashed him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Danny Boy. And I totally take back what I said this morning about your taste in clothing.”
Mart nodded his head toward the door. “Here comes Honey. Also? Are we planning to do anything about that?”
Trixie turned in her seat to watch the young couple dancing near the jukebox. “You mean the extras from Grease? They’re adorable. And since they haven’t asked for our help, I say we let ‘em be.”
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Honey exclaimed in a rush as she hurried to their table. “I didn’t think Di was ever going to let us go! She came up with a new cheer for this week’s game and wanted us to practice it over and over. If you thought the ‘we’ve got spirits’ instead of ‘we’ve got spirit’ thing last week was bad? Wait ‘til you see what she’s cooked up now!” She laughed ruefully, brushing a few locks of hair from her face. “At least she’s loving it. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen her this excited about anything, especially the Halloween bash.”
“No worries, Hon,” Trixie said, glancing at her watch. “We still have a little time before we’re supposed to meet the professor.”
“Good! I’m going to order myself a milkshake, then. I think I earned it!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where are we meeting Professor Lee?” Honey asked as they stepped out into the bright, late afternoon sun.
Trixie crooked her thumb over her shoulder. “By town hall. We’ve decided to split up. You and Dan will go with him to the historical society so Dan can show him the stuff he found last weekend. Mart and I are gonna pay Philip Macy a visit.”
“Oh! I thought you guys said he was a fraud? Do you think he can help anyway?”
“We don’t expect him to be much help as a source of information,” Mart explained as they strolled along. “But I’m hoping to pick up some things from his shop.”
Honey regarded him curiously, the obvious question in her eyes.
“We still haven’t found Sarah’s grimoire, but we’re taking Vernon’s warning seriously. I did some research online about talismans. Apparently, the best ones are made from more than one object. You should have your main pendant of some kind, but after putting that on a chain, if you add other things, like crystals, that’s supposed to magnify the magical properties… and holy crap, I cannot believe I’m even saying this, much less planning to make us a bunch of magic necklaces.”
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” Dan shot his friend an incredulous look. “Are you saying we’re gonna have to wear necklaces with shiny rocks or something? Seriously?”
“A necklace or a bracelet. It’s funny how the part about magic powers is no big deal to you, but you’re stressing about how uncool you think you’ll look wearing it,” Mart responded dryly.
They stopped at a street corner to wait for the light. Honey patted Dan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. The way things have been going lately? You’ll probably just start a trend. You watch. Everyone will want their own ‘ghost necklace’ once they see yours.”
“Ooooh… ghost necklace? What’s a ghost necklace? Can I have one?”
Trixie, Dan, and Mart traded glances and then, in unspoken agreement, pretended not to notice the speaker. Unfortunately, Honey, seeing the way her friends had stiffened and gone quiet, spoke before she could think the better of it. “Someone’s here? There’s a spirit with us now?”
Trixie shoulders slumped. “Office hours,” she muttered before forcing a smile for her friend’s sake. “Yeah. We’ve got another one.”
“Oh!” Honey lifted a hand in a tentative wave. “Um, hello?”
“No. He’s over here. And… down.”
“Down? Oh. Oh, no.” Honey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “A child?”
“Who you callin’ a child?” the man demanded.
“Not a kid, Hon,” Trixie told her. “He’s… a pirate.”
“He's a what?”
“Think Jack Sparrow. As a Little Person.”
Honey’s hazel eyes widened. “Um…”
“I’m no pirate, Cookie,” the man said, thumping his chest with one hand. “I’m an actor. Davie Marks. I was between gigs and doing the rounds of birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs when I had an unfortunate encounter with a Twinkie, a roller skate, and an open manhole.”
“Right. Well, that explains the outfit, at least. And I’m not sure I want to know any more details about the other part.”
The light changed and they resumed their walk. “All right, Davie Marks,” Trixie said as they turned toward Sleepyside’s main square. “What is it you need from us? And if you say you’re upset ‘cause you never landed a major motion picture role? We can’t help you with that.”
“Nah… that pirate ship has clearly sailed,” Davie replied with a snicker. “But what makes you think I need your help with anything anyway? What? Is it ‘cause I’m a Little Person? You think I can’t handle myself?”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Really? You’re goin’ there already? It’s not the height thing. It’s the being a dead guy thing.”
“Humph. I’ll have you know I am perfectly happy in my… current state.”
“So why’d you come to us?”
“I just wanted to know about these ghost necklaces you were goin’ on about! Oy! Curiosity kills more than cats, eh?”
“Oh! There’s Professor Lee,” Honey said suddenly. She picked up her pace and the others followed.
The professor was waiting for them on a bench next to the statute of Horace W. Mundy, one of Sleepyside’s founding fathers. He rose as he saw them approaching.
“I’ll jump! I’ll do it! You watch!”
“We know!” Dan, Trixie, and Mart hollered at the same time.
Honey and the professor both started in surprise. “Guys?” Honey asked uncertainly.
“He’s still at it,” Mart explained, pointing to the roof of town hall. “It would be safe to say our mission last night was an epic fail. Our joyless jumper apparently isn’t going anywhere soon.”
“Ahhhh!”
“Holy shiitake mushrooms!” Davie exclaimed as they watched the leaper fall. “Now, that guy’s got some issues.”
“Says Captain Crunch,” Trixie retorted.
“Ha! I think I like you, girl. I can tell that you’re a spunky one. I like women with spunk. They’re a lot of fun.”
“Oh, whoa! Reel it in, dude,” Dan said sharply. “Don’t be getting any wild ideas.”
“Hooo. So the boyfriend speaks, eh? Relax, Romeo. I ain’t gonna be putting the moves on. She’s a bit young for my taste. But just so you know? If I did want your girl? You wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Trixie said. “Just a friend.”
“Yeah,” Davie snorted. “And I’m the star player for the Knicks.”
Honey smiled crookedly at Professor Lee. “This is an awful lot like being in the room with someone in the middle of a phone conversation, huh?”
“I’ll jump! You don’t believe me, but I will! Arghhhhhhh!”
“That’s a very good way of putting it,” the professor replied with a soft chuckle. “And good evening. How has everyone been since we last spoke?”
He made absolutely no mention of seeing Trixie just the afternoon before and she felt her trust in him rise even more. “It’s Suck Day,” she said, sighing. “Worst day of the week.”
“Ah. And I take it we’ve got a… friend with us?”
“That we do. He says he doesn’t need anything from us, though. Just wants to hang out, apparently.”
“Fascinating! I’ve been working late into the night, researching everything I can find that seems to relate to your experiences. I know it’s a school night tonight and our time is limited, but perhaps we could get together this Friday as well, to compare notes?”
“We’ll probably be at Lisgard House,” Dan told him, “still looking for the book. You want to meet us there?”
“That would work. I’d like more time to explore… uh, with your permission, of course.”
“And I can join you,” Honey added. “Our game this week is on Saturday.”
"I'll do it! I'll jump!"
The professor regarded her blankly. “Game?”
“Football. I’m a cheerleader.”
“Oh. Right. Of course. So, we’ll head over to the historical society now, then get together again on Friday. Sounds like we have a plan.”
“Actually, Professor, this is where Trix and I leave,” Mart said. “Dan and Honey will go with you. We're going to go shopping. Hopefully, we’ll find what we need to make the talismans Vernon recommended.”
Davie tossed his hands up in the air, a disgusted look on his face. “Geeze Louise. A trip to the historical society or shopping for rocks. How will I ever choose? I’ll catch up with you kids later. See you around, Spunky.” With that, he was gone.
Dan reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, tossing them in Mart’s direction. “I’ll ride home with Honey. You guys take the van and pick me up before school in the morning.”
“Thanks, dude. That’ll make things easier.”
Trixie could see the concern in the professor’s eyes as he glanced her way. She nodded almost imperceptibly. She was still considerably freaked out by the whole ‘I’m a witch” bombshell, but she was holding it all together as best she could. He gave her an encouraging smile before saying good night, then turned to follow Honey and Dan as they started across the square.
“I’ll jump! I’ll do it! You don't believe me!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crescent Moon shop stood on the corner of Hawthorne and 6th Street. It was doing a fairly brisk business for a Wednesday night, and it was evident to Trixie and Mart that most of the customers were there in a festive mood for Halloween, not as serious practitioners of any sort of pagan or Wiccan rituals.
Philip Macy was clearly enjoying both his captive audience and the sales ringing up at the register. He kept up a steady stream of chatter, most of it involving eager spirits reaching out to their loved ones.
“Do we know exactly what we’re looking for?” Trixie asked her brother as she took in the rows of tables covered in everything from silver candle sticks to trays of polished rocks. The smell of burning incense was heavy in the air, and she felt a headache coming on.
“I’m kinda hoping the right things just sorta jump out at you,” Mart admitted.
“Huh?”
“A talisman is supposed to be something that works as a charm for the wearer. It gets its power from a source that charges it. Imbues it with energy. We have to buy whatever objects we want, then… uh, purify them and activate them.”
“How the heck do we go about doing that? Purify them? Activate them?”
“It’s still a bit sketchy for me. I know it’s gonna involve a spell of some kind. But, well, I was talking to Dan at school today and we both agreed on something. That amulet? We think you’re the reason it’s doing its thing.”
“Me? Why me? Dan’s the one who can’t get rid of it.”
“I know. But Dan’s convinced he’s just some kinda… bearer.” Mart stopped next to a display of amethyst crystals and studied them for a moment. “You remember when he first showed it to us? When you accused him of looking for a profit? You touched it then. We’re thinking that’s what actually activated it.”
Trixie blew out a low breath. “Well, if that’s the case, then we’re gonna hafta hope I can do it again just by touching something. It’s not as if I was trying to… uh, ‘imbue it with energy.’”
“Good evening. May I help you find anything? Eye of toad? Foot of mole? Secret decoder ring?”
Trixie turned around to find Jerry Vanderhoef standing behind her. “Bug repellent?” she replied. “I find I’m suddenly in need of it.”
“How ‘bout ‘instant party guests’?” he fired back with a sneer. “You’re gonna need ‘em when no one shows up to your stupid Halloween bash this year.”
Mart rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Right. It’s only the most talked about event at school, but no one is gonna actually attend.”
“That’s right, smartie boy. You know why? ‘Cause some of us have had enough of your exclusive little club. Blake Keene’s dad agreed to let us hold a real party in one of his old warehouses. We’ve already hired the DJ, straight from the city. You can have your lame bash. Anyone who’s anyone will be at our Halloween Night of Horror.”
He strolled off with a shout of laughter. Trixie watched him join a few of his friends in the check-out line. “That… jerk! That creep! That insufferable, brain dead cre-“
“Trix,” Mart broke in calmly. “Let it go.”
She whirled toward her brother. “Let it go?” she echoed in disbelief. “How can you say that? He wants to ruin our annual party. Think of how much this could hurt Di!”
“Di’s our head cheerleader, even though she’s only a junior. She’s one of - if not the - most popular girls in school. Honey is right up there, too. Jerry’s vastly overestimating his position in the social hierarchy and vastly underestimating ours.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a brief hug. “And remember, " he intoned in a mock-serious voice, "two of us are Beldens.”
Trixie slowly smiled at him. “Thanks, Bro,” she said sincerely. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I really do appreciate it when you’re there to talk me back off the ledge. Okay. Let’s refocus. Jerry’s a rat, but we have bigger concerns.” She paused and pointed to a basket with a collection of metal pendants. “If we’re really going by my gut instincts? My gut instincts are saying ‘you want this.’”
“Did you see the paper yet today?” Mart asked Dan as he and Trixie joined their friend at his table in the back of the diner. Wimpy’s was filled with students from both the middle and high schools, and the restaurant buzzed with talk that centered on spirit sightings and ghostly encounters.
Dan shook his head and slid over in his seat to make room. “No. I think they may still get the newspaper delivered at the main house, but unless it has to do with horses or wrestling, Uncle Bill doesn’t care, and I usually just read stuff online. Why?”
“The headline is ‘Ghost Mania Sweeps Sleepyside.’”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Are you ready for this? The paper is holding a contest for kids to submit ghost stories and artwork. The council has announced that there’re going to be ‘ghost walks’ every Friday and Saturday night through Halloween, and apparently several local businesses are getting together to organize some kind of scavenger hunt thing where you have to search their stores for a ‘hidden ghost’ and if you find it, you win a prize or get a discount off any purchases.”
Dan stared at his friend. “This is insane.”
“No kidding.”
“I don’t get it. How’d it get this far this fast? I mean, it was only a week ago that we first went out to Lisgard House and two days later when Di launched her plans.”
“Small towns,” Trixie said with a shrug. “You gotta remember, after the stunt we had to pull at the game Friday night, word really got around. October’s usually kinda a slow month, so now everyone has something to get excited about.” She leaned over and raised a hand to signal to the waitress. “I’m starving. I missed lunch entirely today.”
“Assisting the dearly departed?” Dan asked sympathetically.
“More like the not-so-dearly departed. Some teacher who’d worked at the school for about a hundred years, as far as I could tell. She had some choice words for we ungrateful young hooligans of today. Do you know what I had to do to finally get rid of her? Write, ‘I will not talk in class’ on the board in Mrs. Grossman’s room fifty times! Fifty! She actually stayed there and counted. Sheesh… Oh, c’mon! It’s not funny.”
Already fighting smiles, Mart and Dan burst into laughter at her indignant expression. “Yeah, it is, Freckles. It really is. It would’ve been even better if Mrs. Grossman had come in and caught you.”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t erase it. I figured Di would appreciate that. How are we doing with our business plan? The office hours thing? I really need school time to be school time, you know? ”
“Vernon popped in on me this morning when I ran by Lisgard House to make sure there hadn’t been any living visitors overnight. He said he’s already put out word that we’re the kind of old school witches and warlocks that haven’t been seen around here in a long time, to maybe warn off any poltergeists looking for trouble. And he said he could also let it be known that we’re prepared to help those in need, but that they have to ‘respect our valuable time.’ His words. Not mine.”
“Huh. Okay. So maybe that’ll work.”
“That, and I’m still thinking we shouldn’t abandon the idea of business cards and flyers…”
It took almost twenty minutes from the time they put in their order until their food finally arrived. Trixie surveyed her plate glumly and sighed. “I ask for a burger and fries and I get a tuna melt and broccoli. I hate Suck Days.”
Dan reached over and swapped his plate with hers.
“You don’t have to do that! I was gonna go tell them at the counter that they messed up my order.”
“It’s okay, Freckles. You’re hungry and who knows how much longer it would take to get your order right. I don’t mind eating this instead.”
She flashed him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Danny Boy. And I totally take back what I said this morning about your taste in clothing.”
Mart nodded his head toward the door. “Here comes Honey. Also? Are we planning to do anything about that?”
Trixie turned in her seat to watch the young couple dancing near the jukebox. “You mean the extras from Grease? They’re adorable. And since they haven’t asked for our help, I say we let ‘em be.”
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Honey exclaimed in a rush as she hurried to their table. “I didn’t think Di was ever going to let us go! She came up with a new cheer for this week’s game and wanted us to practice it over and over. If you thought the ‘we’ve got spirits’ instead of ‘we’ve got spirit’ thing last week was bad? Wait ‘til you see what she’s cooked up now!” She laughed ruefully, brushing a few locks of hair from her face. “At least she’s loving it. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen her this excited about anything, especially the Halloween bash.”
“No worries, Hon,” Trixie said, glancing at her watch. “We still have a little time before we’re supposed to meet the professor.”
“Good! I’m going to order myself a milkshake, then. I think I earned it!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where are we meeting Professor Lee?” Honey asked as they stepped out into the bright, late afternoon sun.
Trixie crooked her thumb over her shoulder. “By town hall. We’ve decided to split up. You and Dan will go with him to the historical society so Dan can show him the stuff he found last weekend. Mart and I are gonna pay Philip Macy a visit.”
“Oh! I thought you guys said he was a fraud? Do you think he can help anyway?”
“We don’t expect him to be much help as a source of information,” Mart explained as they strolled along. “But I’m hoping to pick up some things from his shop.”
Honey regarded him curiously, the obvious question in her eyes.
“We still haven’t found Sarah’s grimoire, but we’re taking Vernon’s warning seriously. I did some research online about talismans. Apparently, the best ones are made from more than one object. You should have your main pendant of some kind, but after putting that on a chain, if you add other things, like crystals, that’s supposed to magnify the magical properties… and holy crap, I cannot believe I’m even saying this, much less planning to make us a bunch of magic necklaces.”
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” Dan shot his friend an incredulous look. “Are you saying we’re gonna have to wear necklaces with shiny rocks or something? Seriously?”
“A necklace or a bracelet. It’s funny how the part about magic powers is no big deal to you, but you’re stressing about how uncool you think you’ll look wearing it,” Mart responded dryly.
They stopped at a street corner to wait for the light. Honey patted Dan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. The way things have been going lately? You’ll probably just start a trend. You watch. Everyone will want their own ‘ghost necklace’ once they see yours.”
“Ooooh… ghost necklace? What’s a ghost necklace? Can I have one?”
Trixie, Dan, and Mart traded glances and then, in unspoken agreement, pretended not to notice the speaker. Unfortunately, Honey, seeing the way her friends had stiffened and gone quiet, spoke before she could think the better of it. “Someone’s here? There’s a spirit with us now?”
Trixie shoulders slumped. “Office hours,” she muttered before forcing a smile for her friend’s sake. “Yeah. We’ve got another one.”
“Oh!” Honey lifted a hand in a tentative wave. “Um, hello?”
“No. He’s over here. And… down.”
“Down? Oh. Oh, no.” Honey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “A child?”
“Who you callin’ a child?” the man demanded.
“Not a kid, Hon,” Trixie told her. “He’s… a pirate.”
“He's a what?”
“Think Jack Sparrow. As a Little Person.”
Honey’s hazel eyes widened. “Um…”
“I’m no pirate, Cookie,” the man said, thumping his chest with one hand. “I’m an actor. Davie Marks. I was between gigs and doing the rounds of birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs when I had an unfortunate encounter with a Twinkie, a roller skate, and an open manhole.”
“Right. Well, that explains the outfit, at least. And I’m not sure I want to know any more details about the other part.”
The light changed and they resumed their walk. “All right, Davie Marks,” Trixie said as they turned toward Sleepyside’s main square. “What is it you need from us? And if you say you’re upset ‘cause you never landed a major motion picture role? We can’t help you with that.”
“Nah… that pirate ship has clearly sailed,” Davie replied with a snicker. “But what makes you think I need your help with anything anyway? What? Is it ‘cause I’m a Little Person? You think I can’t handle myself?”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Really? You’re goin’ there already? It’s not the height thing. It’s the being a dead guy thing.”
“Humph. I’ll have you know I am perfectly happy in my… current state.”
“So why’d you come to us?”
“I just wanted to know about these ghost necklaces you were goin’ on about! Oy! Curiosity kills more than cats, eh?”
“Oh! There’s Professor Lee,” Honey said suddenly. She picked up her pace and the others followed.
The professor was waiting for them on a bench next to the statute of Horace W. Mundy, one of Sleepyside’s founding fathers. He rose as he saw them approaching.
“I’ll jump! I’ll do it! You watch!”
“We know!” Dan, Trixie, and Mart hollered at the same time.
Honey and the professor both started in surprise. “Guys?” Honey asked uncertainly.
“He’s still at it,” Mart explained, pointing to the roof of town hall. “It would be safe to say our mission last night was an epic fail. Our joyless jumper apparently isn’t going anywhere soon.”
“Ahhhh!”
“Holy shiitake mushrooms!” Davie exclaimed as they watched the leaper fall. “Now, that guy’s got some issues.”
“Says Captain Crunch,” Trixie retorted.
“Ha! I think I like you, girl. I can tell that you’re a spunky one. I like women with spunk. They’re a lot of fun.”
“Oh, whoa! Reel it in, dude,” Dan said sharply. “Don’t be getting any wild ideas.”
“Hooo. So the boyfriend speaks, eh? Relax, Romeo. I ain’t gonna be putting the moves on. She’s a bit young for my taste. But just so you know? If I did want your girl? You wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Trixie said. “Just a friend.”
“Yeah,” Davie snorted. “And I’m the star player for the Knicks.”
Honey smiled crookedly at Professor Lee. “This is an awful lot like being in the room with someone in the middle of a phone conversation, huh?”
“I’ll jump! You don’t believe me, but I will! Arghhhhhhh!”
“That’s a very good way of putting it,” the professor replied with a soft chuckle. “And good evening. How has everyone been since we last spoke?”
He made absolutely no mention of seeing Trixie just the afternoon before and she felt her trust in him rise even more. “It’s Suck Day,” she said, sighing. “Worst day of the week.”
“Ah. And I take it we’ve got a… friend with us?”
“That we do. He says he doesn’t need anything from us, though. Just wants to hang out, apparently.”
“Fascinating! I’ve been working late into the night, researching everything I can find that seems to relate to your experiences. I know it’s a school night tonight and our time is limited, but perhaps we could get together this Friday as well, to compare notes?”
“We’ll probably be at Lisgard House,” Dan told him, “still looking for the book. You want to meet us there?”
“That would work. I’d like more time to explore… uh, with your permission, of course.”
“And I can join you,” Honey added. “Our game this week is on Saturday.”
"I'll do it! I'll jump!"
The professor regarded her blankly. “Game?”
“Football. I’m a cheerleader.”
“Oh. Right. Of course. So, we’ll head over to the historical society now, then get together again on Friday. Sounds like we have a plan.”
“Actually, Professor, this is where Trix and I leave,” Mart said. “Dan and Honey will go with you. We're going to go shopping. Hopefully, we’ll find what we need to make the talismans Vernon recommended.”
Davie tossed his hands up in the air, a disgusted look on his face. “Geeze Louise. A trip to the historical society or shopping for rocks. How will I ever choose? I’ll catch up with you kids later. See you around, Spunky.” With that, he was gone.
Dan reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, tossing them in Mart’s direction. “I’ll ride home with Honey. You guys take the van and pick me up before school in the morning.”
“Thanks, dude. That’ll make things easier.”
Trixie could see the concern in the professor’s eyes as he glanced her way. She nodded almost imperceptibly. She was still considerably freaked out by the whole ‘I’m a witch” bombshell, but she was holding it all together as best she could. He gave her an encouraging smile before saying good night, then turned to follow Honey and Dan as they started across the square.
“I’ll jump! I’ll do it! You don't believe me!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crescent Moon shop stood on the corner of Hawthorne and 6th Street. It was doing a fairly brisk business for a Wednesday night, and it was evident to Trixie and Mart that most of the customers were there in a festive mood for Halloween, not as serious practitioners of any sort of pagan or Wiccan rituals.
Philip Macy was clearly enjoying both his captive audience and the sales ringing up at the register. He kept up a steady stream of chatter, most of it involving eager spirits reaching out to their loved ones.
“Do we know exactly what we’re looking for?” Trixie asked her brother as she took in the rows of tables covered in everything from silver candle sticks to trays of polished rocks. The smell of burning incense was heavy in the air, and she felt a headache coming on.
“I’m kinda hoping the right things just sorta jump out at you,” Mart admitted.
“Huh?”
“A talisman is supposed to be something that works as a charm for the wearer. It gets its power from a source that charges it. Imbues it with energy. We have to buy whatever objects we want, then… uh, purify them and activate them.”
“How the heck do we go about doing that? Purify them? Activate them?”
“It’s still a bit sketchy for me. I know it’s gonna involve a spell of some kind. But, well, I was talking to Dan at school today and we both agreed on something. That amulet? We think you’re the reason it’s doing its thing.”
“Me? Why me? Dan’s the one who can’t get rid of it.”
“I know. But Dan’s convinced he’s just some kinda… bearer.” Mart stopped next to a display of amethyst crystals and studied them for a moment. “You remember when he first showed it to us? When you accused him of looking for a profit? You touched it then. We’re thinking that’s what actually activated it.”
Trixie blew out a low breath. “Well, if that’s the case, then we’re gonna hafta hope I can do it again just by touching something. It’s not as if I was trying to… uh, ‘imbue it with energy.’”
“Good evening. May I help you find anything? Eye of toad? Foot of mole? Secret decoder ring?”
Trixie turned around to find Jerry Vanderhoef standing behind her. “Bug repellent?” she replied. “I find I’m suddenly in need of it.”
“How ‘bout ‘instant party guests’?” he fired back with a sneer. “You’re gonna need ‘em when no one shows up to your stupid Halloween bash this year.”
Mart rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Right. It’s only the most talked about event at school, but no one is gonna actually attend.”
“That’s right, smartie boy. You know why? ‘Cause some of us have had enough of your exclusive little club. Blake Keene’s dad agreed to let us hold a real party in one of his old warehouses. We’ve already hired the DJ, straight from the city. You can have your lame bash. Anyone who’s anyone will be at our Halloween Night of Horror.”
He strolled off with a shout of laughter. Trixie watched him join a few of his friends in the check-out line. “That… jerk! That creep! That insufferable, brain dead cre-“
“Trix,” Mart broke in calmly. “Let it go.”
She whirled toward her brother. “Let it go?” she echoed in disbelief. “How can you say that? He wants to ruin our annual party. Think of how much this could hurt Di!”
“Di’s our head cheerleader, even though she’s only a junior. She’s one of - if not the - most popular girls in school. Honey is right up there, too. Jerry’s vastly overestimating his position in the social hierarchy and vastly underestimating ours.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a brief hug. “And remember, " he intoned in a mock-serious voice, "two of us are Beldens.”
Trixie slowly smiled at him. “Thanks, Bro,” she said sincerely. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I really do appreciate it when you’re there to talk me back off the ledge. Okay. Let’s refocus. Jerry’s a rat, but we have bigger concerns.” She paused and pointed to a basket with a collection of metal pendants. “If we’re really going by my gut instincts? My gut instincts are saying ‘you want this.’”
