Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“I was wondering when you would come to see me again,” she says with a mysterious smile. I can’t help but be drawn in by her energy. It’s as if she holds all the answers, not just those to my immediate questions about where the bikers went and when to expect them back.
“I planned to wait for an invitation but figured it would be rude to keep to myself any longer.” It’s not quite a lie, but definitely not the reason for my visit either. I can only hope she doesn’t notice. The woven blanket draped over the chair she points out depicts the Fool card of Tarot’s major arcana, which is rather fitting, considering that this is the very start of my new journey. If I treat this meeting as a reading, that would make her the High Priestess, or perhaps the Empress.
Which one is it?
“I wanted to give you time to settle in. I know you’ve had a turbulent arrival,” Brigid says, standing next to the kettle with the golden light hitting her face. She’s kind of iconic for how she lives as the village witch and doesn’t give a fuck. I wish I could be like her when I grow up.
I clear my throat as she places a little plate with uneven homemade cookies in front of me, then steps back to the stove when the kettle starts an elongated whistle. “I heard you make jewelry. Creep gave me this beautiful amethyst, and I wish to have it made into a necklace,” I say and place the tissue-wrapped crystal on the coffee table. Was there ever a better excuse to visit an all-knowing witch? Not only does it explain why I’m here but also offers a very good reason to talk about the person I desperately want to ask about.
“That’s a lovely piece, I should be able to do that,” she says without looking at the table as she pours water over the tea leaves. “It’s very sweet that you want to keep it on you, I’m sure Creep will be moved even if it can be hard to tell what he thinks at times. I hope you two are getting on well?”
I didn’t expect to blush, but heat burns my cheeks, and I give an awkward laugh, because the truth is that my relationship with Creep is very new and fragile. I don’t want to throw myself in too deep too fast, in case things turn sour in the future, as they often did with my exes, but I can’t help the emotions he is making me feel. “It’s still fresh. I don’t want to jump the gun, but we do have a good connection.”
Brigid strolls over to me and puts a cup of steaming tea on the table, then picks up my crystal and rolls it between her long-nailed fingers. “Is this what you really came to discuss? I’d be happy to do a reading, or go deeper into both your birth charts.”
I won’t be able to hide anything from her, so maybe I should give up now and avoid striking her as dishonest?
My shoulders drop, and I pick up one of the cookies before sinking into my chair. “I’m confused and worried,” I say, capturing her gaze as she settles across from me and pours tea from the steaming pot. When she crosses her legs, and rests both arms on the pillows at the sides of her armchair, I feel as though I’m facing the incarnation of a goddess, who has somehow agreed to an audience with me by inhabiting Brigid’s body. Her eyes are dark with all the knowledge I wish to possess someday, and when she reaches for my hand, I offer it to her without thinking.
She has pleasant hands, cool and dry to the touch, and when she’s holding me like this, speaking becomes a bit easier somehow. “I’ve been through some really bad relationships. I’m worried about once again making the wrong choice.”
Brigid nods with a little frown. “Ah. The crossroads. You’ve already been forced out of your home by fate, but now you’re in freefall between several unknowns. It’s not an easy position to be in. What do you fear most as an outcome?”
I laugh, despite not feeling amused at all. “Death, you know, the usual. Serious injury. Pain.” My hands have found each other and are now clasped together so tightly they both ache when I pull them apart. “He’s been nice so far, but I no longer believe my first impression.”
Brigid hums and leans back in her armchair with a cookie of her own. “I understand. Creep poses no threat to you. He’s saturnine, but more like… a spider. He is more afraid of you than you are of him. But if you tie your fate to him, you tie it to Vulture Hollow, and living here is not without its dangers. Drink, so we can look at the dregs together.”