A Witch's Curse Read Online Free PDF Page A

her legs under the desk. Carolyn picked him up to scratch him behind his ears. Pacing back and forth in the large library, Carolyn said, “This still doesn’t mean they were real witches who could cast spells or curses, does it? There is only one way to be sure, I’m going to try one of Grandmother’s spells. If the spell works, then Mrs. Burns is right, and I guess I’m a witch too. You’ll still love me if I’m a witch, won’t you, Chester?”
    Chester continued to purr while rubbing his chin against her arm. “Why can’t people love as unconditionally as cats?”
    Setting Chester down on an overstuffed , leather chair, Carolyn went back to the desk and sorted through her grandmother’s spells. Finding the one she wanted, she said, “This will be the perfect test. I lost Mother’s bracelet somewhere during the move, and I’ve searched everywhere. If this works, then I’ll be a believer.”
    Carolyn read the spell several times then lit a candle she found alongside the papers in the desk drawer. Concentrating on the bracelet, she recited the words, “Goddess of the Moon, hear me now and help me find that which I seek. I invoke the law of three so that what once was lost will now return to me.”
    Carolyn repeated the incantation two more times before extinguishing the candle. Leaning back in the creaky chair, she said, “I guess all I can do now is to wait. I wonder how long one of these spells take?” Glancing at her watch, she jumped up, “I’m late! I promised Mags I’d meet her for lunch. Guard the house for me, okay Chester? I won’t be gone long.”
    Carolyn whizzed into the Fillet o' Sole parking lot with minutes to spare. She spotted Maggie sitting at a table in the far corner, two glasses of white wine sitting on the table.
    Maggie held her hands up defensively in front of her. “Before you start, I know this is the middle of the day and you don’t normally drink, but I thought we should give your inheritance a proper toast.”
    “ Don’t apologize, Mags. After what I’ve just been through, I could use a drink.”
    “ Why? What happened? Another dream I hope?”
    Carolyn related all the weird goings-on she had, starting with last night’s dream and her waking up to find her clothes tossed around the room, the upsetting visit from her new neighbor, Mrs. Burns, and all she had said about Carolyn's family.
    “ Wait a minute. Is that her name…Burns? I told you about the crazy old woman who comes in every week asking all kinds of personal questions about you, didn't I? You remember the one I mean? The real nebby nose? That old bat needs a new belfry to haunt.”
    “ Yeah, I do remember you telling me, and I suppose she could be the same woman. But...”
    “ But what?”
    “ But, she made me think about all that's happened since I moved in, and what she said makes about as much sense as anything else I could imagine.”
    “ There is a ghost in the house, I tell you—it’s haunted . You should move out before something bad happens to you.”
    “ I can’t. I’ll lose my inheritance if I do.”
    “ Screw that. Your health is worth more than a few dollars. We're doing all right at the store, so money can't be the issue.”
    No, money is not the issue. The issue is my family. The house is all I have of a family I never knew. By living there, maybe I can find some connection; find my roots, as they say.
    “ Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked.
    Carolyn hadn’t notice her approach and came close to knocking over her wine glass when the waitress spoke. Without looking at a menu, she said, “Uh, yes. I’ll have the special.” Then, while Maggie ordered, Carolyn drained her wine in several quick swallows and ordered another.
    Glancing around the mostly empty restaurant, and keeping her voice low, Carolyn continued. “I looked through my Grandmother’s papers and I found a lot of handwritten spells.”
    “ What kind of spells?”
    “ The usual, I guess. Love spells, truth