I took a deep breath, and I opened the gate. The goose came charging at me, but I came prepared… I tossed a handful of oats on the ground, and immediately, the goose began to voraciously consume them! I thought perhaps I should mention this method of entry to Aldrich so he could collect the taxes owed to the city, but it would have to wait until after I spoke with Missus Dimmesdale- I needed to stay on her good side for a while! I smirked at the success of the tactic I deployed, and I pulled the handle of the entrance to the haberdashery…

Nothing happened! The door was locked! I furrowed my brows as to why her shop wouldn’t be accessible in the middle of the day like that, so I made another attempt to unlatch it. It still didn’t work, so I tried knocking. I didn’t hear any movement inside, but I still strove to get her attention, “Hello? Missus Dimmesdale? …I’m only here to browse your ware, I swear!”

“She isn’t there,” Megyn informed me as she and Annabel came up to the fence. “If she was, we wouldn’t have taken this route! …Not that there’s any reason we would want to avoid her…”

“Do you know when she’ll be back?” I pressed them.

Annabel shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest notion! But, while we have you, we have some questions for you…”

The two of them had a gleam in their eyes that they often sported when encountering juicy gossip, but it didn’t phase me in the slightest in this instance. I came to ask Missus Dimmesdale about them, so it was opportune that she wasn’t present since they were! For once, I could return their avaricious expressions, and I gladly let them know, “Actually, I have some questions for you first…”

“She knows!” Annabel gasped.

“Run!” Megyn advised her cohort.

They scurried away, and I needed to catch them. Based on the conversation in the millener, it sounded like either one of them could be the traitor, or they at least know who it is, so I had to extract this information from them! “Wait!” I called out to them. I bounded off of the porch, but Missus Dimmesdale’s birds wandered onto my path forward. I couldn’t get around them in time, and when I finally reached the gates, they were gone.

Disappointment overwhelmed me since this lead turned out to be such a bust. I couldn’t get the facts straight from the horse’s mouth, and my secondary source was absent. I considered waiting for the haberdashery to reopen, but I didn’t know how long that would take. The fowls had eaten all of the oats that I doled out, and the goose now gazed at me impatiently, which made it unclear how long it would remain docile. I sighed, mounted my steed, and set off for home empty-handed.

“Another day was stolen from us, Cole,” I conveyed as we traveled down Pumpkin Patch Lane. “Yes, that means we may enjoy August’s company for longer, but we’ll still have to endure Naenia’s ridiculous curses if we don’t find that traitor soon! I’m tired of everyone treating me like a wicked witch, and it would mean so much to August to put this matter to rest, so we have to do it! But what can be done to get us closer to the answer?”

“Right there, Cormac!” Drusilla barked from the other side of my house.

I put Cole away in his stable, and I denoted, “It sounds like the day isn’t the only thing getting stolen from us…”

My curiosity piqued- they were usually too afraid to set foot onto my property, so what activity were they engaged in that compelled the troublesome twosome to enter my land? I was clueless as to what to expect when I beheld them, but I definitely didn’t expect to see my nettling neighbors there with a ladder! Naturally, I queried, “What are you doing?”

“Oh, thank the Lord, you’re here!” Cormac breathed a sigh of relief. “Please, take over this task! We were dreadfully close to doing actual work!”

“Shall I go get Doctor Crane to evaluate you?” I needled them in the same manner they once did to me.

Drusilla griped, “Not you too! Anne and Henry visited our Pumpkin Shop, and we were telling them about how we learned about chunks in honey, and they didn’t believe us when we said it was beneficial! They thought we were daft for suggesting that! Can you imagine?”

I attempted not to appear too guilty about that. With so much going on, I completely forgot about that excuse I concocted with their servants, and I didn’t prepare myself for the eventuality that, in fact, honey was not supposed to have chunks. All I could think to do as I drummed something up was to feign innocence. “They didn’t believe that? I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t!”

“Too right you are!” Cormac concurred with my false pretense. “The help is too busy restocking our shelves, so Drusilla and I had no choice but to come here and fetch it ourselves so we could prove our point!”

“Would you do us a favor and retrieve it for us?” Drusilla petitioned me.

I wanted to roll my eyes at the premise of, for the second time this week, someone who wasn’t nice to me expected me to act nicely to them! I would have made up some excuse not to do it if the honey was actually up there, but I had it hidden in my house! I wanted to survey them as to why they presumed the chunky honey was in that spot, but I couldn’t tell them that I never put it in a tree like I said I would, so all I could do was try to convince them to give up on this endeavor. “You shouldn’t have to go out of your way to show them the truth! If they don’t believe you, to heck with them!”

Cormac insisted, “Oh, no! I’m not going back with nothing! I’ll just get it! Drusilla’s eyes went wide with worry, so Cormac reassured her, “Oh, it’s no different than climbing up a staircase! I can do this!”

For a moment, I became very worried that they wouldn’t find anything and realize we had deceived them, but when I saw what pathway they were taking, I focused on something else… “Don’t go that…!” Too late, they tripped over a brick and fell into some mucky water! I didn’t know if I wanted to vomit or laugh, but in a voice that was kind enough to hopefully avoid their ire, I informed them, “That’s a cesspool!”

“Cormac! It’s in my hair!” Drusilla wailed.

“It’s okay, darling! We can wash it off in the river!” Cormac reassured her. Drusilla didn’t appear to get much solace from that though, and she sobbed ceaselessly as they walked towards the woods.

I decided to feel a bit of amusement at their misery after all of the strife they caused, and I chuckled slightly as I prepared to go inside, but then a thought occurred to me… The petulant pair would most likely be gone for at least a half hour as they tried to get that mess off of themselves, which meant Rue, Dill, and Hazel would be in the Pumpkin Shop without their prying eyes! A window finally opened up for me to discuss their expertise in supernatural subjects! My heart skipped a beat at the premise of this afternoon not being a waste after all, and I ran towards the farm next door.

Optimism filled my veins, and I could have skipped to the front of their farm! I didn’t because that would have looked strange, but I was overjoyed since I felt I’d finally get some much-needed answers. I didn’t think anything could spoil my good mood, but as I was about to enter the Pumpkin Shop, I heard Naenia’s voice cry out, “Wait, you’re not already in there?”

“You!” I reacted in shock as she manifested next to a pumpkin display. And, just like that, all my positivity drained away. Aggravation set in while I mentally prepared myself to deal with another cumbersome catastrophe, and I rubbed my temples hoping I could sort this all out prior to Cormac and Drusilla returning. “What did you do?”

“Do you want to interrogate me about it, or do you want to save your friends from my handsome hex?” Naenia catechized with an annoyingly cocky grin.

I scowled knowing I had no choice but to play her game, but preceding my departure from her, I warned, “This isn’t over!” Naenia didn’t respond other than to snicker slightly, and I begrudgingly sped into the store.

Aside from a large space full of all sorts of pumpkin products, I was greeted by Henry nearly running into me! That didn’t surprise me because an inane incantation was afoot, but what did surprise me was that he continued this action around the perimeter of the space! Anne commanded him, “You imbecile, quit this nonsense!”

“I… wish… I… could!” Henry breathily told her. “I… think… it’s… a… spell!”

“Oh, please!” Anne reacted in disbelief. “I bring up moving my mother into our home, and suddenly you’re under a spell?” Right after she spoke, she involuntarily began to jog around the room. “Oh, you weren’t lying!”

Dill declared, “I’ve got you!” He attempted to intercept Henry, but Henry kept moving, and Dill got dragged around Henry’s trajectory. “I didn’t think I meant that literally!” After Dill let go, he also started pacing the area. 

Anne complained, “I’m not wearing the right shoes for this!”

“What do we do?” I hurried over to Rue and Hazel to discuss this before either of them was forced into this jinx. I hastily added, “Also, Cormac and Drusilla are bathing in the river because they tried to get the honey from a tree and fell into a cesspool!”

“That’s hilarious!” Hazel giggled.

Rue scolded her, “Hazel! That’s not nice!” Rue subsequently snorted at the premise, but she swiftly returned to a more serious demeanor. “I could light a candle…” She commenced in cantering like the others, and she took back her previous sentence, “I can’t light a candle!”

I articulated to Hazel, “There’s always something nearby that can remedy the issue!”

“Maybe we can trip them,” Hazel suggested. She rolled a pumpkin at Dill, but Dill easily hopped over it. “Hey! I thought you had bad knees!” 

“I…do!” Dill winced as he continued his trek.

Hazel began to bound about the Pumpkin Shop, and I felt slightly overwhelmed with all of the runners constantly passing me. It was hard to think, and I was tempted to go outside to clear my head, but then I saw Naenia leering from the window, and I renewed my determination to take action. Something in that room was going to help, so I marched over to another shelf. They had some skin creams lined up, and I thought that worked against the magic at Sunflower Goods, so perhaps it would work the same here. I strove to open the bottle, but preceding me being able to do that…

Anne bumped into my elbow, and the force of this pushed me into a table of pumpkin seed oil! I anticipated her giving me an apology, but instead, she huffed, “Will you hurry and save us already?”

Incensed by the insinuation that I wasn’t doing my utmost to get them a cure, I yelled, “I’m working on it!” I threw a bottle of the pumpkin seed oil at her under the assumption that she would dodge it like Dill did with that pumpkin, but then…

“Oh, thank the heavens!” Anne breathed a sigh of relief prior to collapsing onto a pumpkin-patterned rug. With her face down from exhaustion, Anne chirped, “You saved me first!”

“Yes! That’s certainly what I was trying to do!” I fibbed. 

I handed the others a bottle, and thankfully, each of them halted their movements! They all flopped onto the floor from physical weakness, and Henry canvassed the crowd, “I’m dead, aren’t I?”
Naenia glowered at me furiously through the window, and I mockingly stuck my tongue out at her. I would have loved to have mocked her further, but at that juncture, Cormac and Drusilla entered. Both of their faces paled at this spectacle, and Drusilla shrieked, “What on Earth happened here?”

“Well… Anne and Henry don’t care about the honey anymore!” I half-kidded with them as I dashed out the door.

I impelled Cole to halt when I saw Aldrich in the road staring at a building in sheer horror! I was very concerned for everyone’s safety in that instance, but I also got rather annoyed that a spell commenced prior to my arrival at the milleners. I emitted an exasperated exhale at yet another obstacle preventing me from obtaining the information I sought as I inwardly prayed that whatever Naenia concocted this time around could get vanquished before Bloomed Bonnets closed, and I joined Aldrich’s side. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence, so I was prepared to contend with something intense! I took a gander at the shop, and I saw…

“Uh, sir…!” I made a bid to get his attention.

“Yes, Clarinda?” he finally acknowledged me.

As politely as I could, I asked him, “What are we looking at?” As far as I could tell, the yard was pretty picturesque with its neatly-lined picket fence, immaculate bushes and flowers, and content geese and chickens ambling about the premises, so I could figure out what was instilling such fear in him.

Aldrich answered, “Missus Dimmesdale owes us back taxes…”

“Is she okay?” I ventured a guess. That was the only possibility that made sense to me as to why he would behave like this.

“She’s a witch!” Archibald exclaimed as he hobbled over to us. “Evil has overtaken this building!”

Aldrich regained a little of his usual demeanor as he rebuked Archibald, “Evil? What? No! She just owes the city money!”

I furrowed my brows at this entire situation. “I’m sorry, what’s the problem here?”

“Witches!” Archibald insisted.

“Grandfather!” Quinn came running into the vicinity. “Stop accusing people of heresy! We need to buy you a new hat!”

Archibald spat, “There’s nothing wrong with my old one!” He took his headwear off, and we could see that it had a lot of holes.

Aldrich briefed me, “I can’t go in there! Not with them there!” He indicated to the chickens and geese.

“Seriously?” I cried out incredulously. Initially, I viewed this apprehension as totally baffling, but then I recalled what occurred with the nest on my roof in the previous afternoon. “Well, birds can get feisty, I suppose…”

“Not these birds!” Quinn disputed. “They wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Aldrich regained his unease about the premise, so Quinn volunteered, “I’ll go get it for you!”

Aldrich warned Quinn, “Be careful!” Quinn paid him no heed as he opened the gate. As soon as he set foot in Missus Dimmesdale’s yard, a goose furiously ran towards him! Quinn screamed and ran down the road, and the goose closely tailed him! Aldrich articulated, “I gave him warning! I’m legally not responsible for this!” He glimpsed at Quinn’s figure in the distance, and he sighed, “I better go find someone who can help the poor lad!”

I shook my head at the general buffoonery of this scene, and I was about to mount my horse once more when I noticed Archibald wandering off again. I felt bad for Quinn always having to track him down, so I grabbed his wrist and told him, “No! You’ll wait for your grandson at Bloomed Bonnets!” I held Cole’s reins like a lead and led both of the males in my proximity down the street.

“Will you hold still?” I irritably conveyed to Archibald as I tried to hitch Cole to a post.

“No! I don’t want to be here!” Archibald stubbornly stated.

Passersby stared at this spectacle, and I groaned, “What in the world is taking Quinn so long? Did he run into a vicious swan as he was fleeing?” 

Archibald remained as petulant as ever, and I could feel a headache forming. A part of me felt as though I should cease pursuing this endeavor to gather clues and make another attempt later in the week when the universe was more willing to cooperate with me, but since I was so close to a possible source of answers, I wasn’t willing to give up so easily! I wracked my brain trying to drum up a solution, and only one idea sprang up…

I prevaricated to Archibald, “There’s a witch inside of Blue Bonnets!”

“Really? Where?” He darted inside before I could give him a response.

“Oh, great! You just released a nuisance into the shop! Why did you have to go and do that?” Fawkes carped as he passed me and headed towards the entrance.

I defended myself, “Well, I had to do something until his grandson comes back! I’m just…!” It suddenly dawned on me that I had a much better well of knowledge about the activities of the town traitor here now! Fawkes portrayed the news of the land from a viewpoint that flattered the British, so he was my number one suspect! If anyone had any insight about the subject, it was the crier! Especially a possibly corrupt one! I was ready to rush in and interrogate him, but then…

A flash of purple flew over the roof, and I moaned, “No! Not now!’ For a second, I convinced myself that I had simply imagined that sight, but when I heard Naenia’s distinct cackle in the distance, dread flooded my veins. And then I became annoyed again- I had two people in this shop who might have given me some much-needed information, and she had to show up prior to me even getting to ask them a single question! I decided to speed inside and get as much as I could from them preceding the start of the mayhem…

“Excuse me?” Ronald gawked at Archibald in aghast.

“I HAVE GOT YOU, WITCH!” Archibald hollered.

Ronald responded to him, “I heard you! I simply don’t understand how you could make such an accusation!”

Archibald pointed a knobby finger at the ledger in his hand. “There! You have a spell book!”

“It’s a regular book!” Ronald corrected him.

“This one’s perfect!” An older woman spun around to admire herself in the mirror as she donned an ornate hat.

Ronald apprised her, “That one costs a pretty penny!”

She shrugged that notion off. “Oh, don’t worry about that! Ever since I got fowls to guard my yard, I’ve saved a ton of money on taxes! You see, when it’s time to collect…” She eyeballed Fawkes, and she whispered, “His friend is here! I’ll tell you later!”

Archibald butted in, “Ah-ha! I found your potion! Witch!” 

After clicking his tongue in vexation, Ronald let him know, “That’s a mug of tea! And it’s not even mine! It belongs to Missus Dimmesdale!”

“Then you-!” Archibald began to accuse her.

“Witches aren’t real!” Missus Dimmesdale asserted.

Archibald contended, “Yes, they are! When I was a boy, I witnessed the trials firsthand…”

I snickered slightly at the amusement of these interactions, but I couldn’t afford to wait any longer since Naenia could strike at any moment. I casually strolled up to Fawkes, and I pretended to browse at the hats close to his position. He glared at me initially, but when he espied what headwear I was considering, he couldn’t resist commenting, “Those are male hats!”

“Are they? …I mean, I knew that! Women wearing masculine hats are all the rage in Paris!” I grinned and hoped that I was convincing. Judging from Missus Dimmesdale’s side-eye, it appeared I was not. I cringed as I anticipated the reaction Fawkes would give me…

“Really?” Fawkes puzzled.

I confirmed, “Yes! See?” I donned a tricorner hat, and I alarmed myself when I saw my image in the mirror. It looked quite strange with my dress, but I attempted to convey confidence when I spoke to Fawkes, “See? Fashion!”

Fawkes still seemed skeptical, but then he accepted my claim, “If you say so! I don’t know much about worldly affairs!”

“What are you talking about?” I balked at that concept. “You’re the town crier- it’s your job to know these things!”

“No, it’s my job to report it!” Fawkes differed. “My sources give me the facts, and I repeat them with my loud mouth. It’s beyond my scope of duties to seek out the facts!”

My curiosity piqued- I often wondered where he got his reporting from, and I longed to uncover the truth on that matter! I didn’t want to frighten him off, so as nonchalantly as I could, I inquired, “Who are your sources?”

I could imagine what devious scoundrels he had been associating with, and my excitement heightened tremendously until he merely replied, “Harvest Town Tavern patrons.”

“What?” I couldn’t express how deeply disappointed I became by that anticlimactic reveal. “You get your news from your drinking companions?” 

“No! Well, sometimes, but mostly, I meet with government officials and read certain documents,” Fawkes filled me in.

I challenged him, “So, how do you know these people are giving you accurate facts?”

He gestured to indicate his lack of insight on the topic I raised. “What am I supposed to do? Go to all these places and verify each and every tidbit I’m given? I’m too old to…”

All of a sudden, a set of ropes attached to a wooden seat appeared before us! Fawkes gawked at it quizzically, and I groaned- for a minute, I forgot that old crone was due to ambush us! I backed away from it and advised Fawkes, “You should distance yourself from that!”

“Why?” he wondered. In that exact instance, the swing scooped him up and began rocking him to and fro! “Oh, that’s why!”

“Witchcraft!” Archibald vociferated.

I admitted, “Well, you’re not wrong!”

A swing manifested by Archibald and collected him too! As he swayed, he raged, “Get me off of this doohickey!”

“I’ve got you!” Ronald reached up and grabbed his feet, but all that did was make him ensnared too! He was closer to the ground than Fawkes and Archibald, which made him constantly make contact with his merchandise! “My inventory!”

“Oh no, you don’t!” Missus Dimmesdale weaved around her swing’s advances, and for a while, it seemed as though she could avoid this spell, but just when she assumed she won, it seized her! She wailed, “What did I do to deserve this?” She mulled that over for a moment, and then she remembered, “Oh, right!”

Archibald grumped, “I finally caught a witch, and I can’t even bear witness at her trial!”

Ronald defended me, “She’s not a witch! I don’t think anyone trying to curse others would put themselves in harm’s way! It would have been daft to make herself trapped with that awful smell and the horrible noise that we endured next door!”

“Thank you!” I shouted in relief. Since he supported me, I communicated to Ronald directly, “The traitor did this! We need to find them in order to stop this madness! Do you know anything about them?”

“I don’t know anyone who would betray us to the British!” Ronald relayed to me. “I know a couple of people that would be willing to consort with their handsomest soldiers though!” He indicated to the Vantassel twins, who quickly moved away from the window when they realized they were being watched.

Missus Dimmesdale piped in, “I thought you were going to say something about Annabel and Megyn! You wouldn’t believe what I heard about them! Apparently, they… Oh, this hat is lovely!”

She grabbed a purple hat with lavender blossoms on it as she swung over it, and she tried it on as she swung. I was about to press her to reveal the rest of that rumor- not that I was interested in swapping sordid stories, but if it was related to the traitor, my ears were open! Before I could get a question out, her swing disappeared! “That’s it!” I celebrated. I tossed a lavender hat to the still trapped men, and thankfully, their swings released them too! I was ready to resume my enquiry, but then…

“I’ve got to go!” Missus Dimmesdale scurried out of the back door.

“What did we miss?” Aldrich canvassed us as he and a somewhat bruised Quinn entered into the store.

“It’s her!” a young woman with pale skin, dark hair, and a large hooked nose exclaimed as she peered out of the window surrounded by sunflowers.

“Who?” another young woman who looked exactly like the first one queried.

Rolling her eyes, the first woman relayed to her counterpart, “Don’t be thick, Louise! Who do you think?”

Louise scathed at that remark. “You do realize we’re exactly alike, don’t you, Lisa? If you call me thick, you’re insulting yourself too!”

“You’re my twin, not the image in my mirror!” Lisa shot back. “Listen, there’s no time to bicker over who inherited the brains! Look outside!”

“That’s a black stallion!” Louise gasped. “That’s not the Dobbin widow, is it?”

Lisa reported, “Ever since she moved into the Round House on Pumpkin Patch Lane, weird stuff has been happening!”

Louise delightfully dished, “I also heard she’s shown very little mournfulness over her husband’s death! Do you think we can get her to tell the full truth over the matter?”

“I very much doubt that!” I conveyed to them with my arms folded.

“Welcome to Sunflower Goods!” Lisa and Louise said in unison.

Involuntarily, I uttered, “That’s disturbing!” I realized instantly that I had said something offensive, and since I needed their help, I had to hurry and smooth things over. “That is to say I apologize for disturbing you while you’re working, but I could use your assistance on something…”

Lisa chirped, “You sure do! We’ve got just what you need right here…”

She grabbed my wrist and led me to the other side of the store, and I was quite confused about what she thought I needed. Did these women know that I was on a quest to unmask the traitor among us? I also theorized that perhaps they heard about the wearisome witch’s ceaseless presence in Lynnbrook, and perhaps they had a remedy of some sort in their shop! My initial impression of Lisa and Louise caused me to believe that these were not serious people, but I started to regret that opinion until…

“This is a favorite with ladies who are beginning to advance in years!” Louise presented a jar of lotion with a sunflower and elderflower on the label to me. “It helps restore your youthful glow!”

“Actually, I’m not here to buy any… What do you mean, advanced in years? I’m only forty!” I objected to their characterization of my appearance.

Lisa donned an uncomfortable frown. “Oh, sure! That wasn’t obvious at all!”

The sisters covertly snickered, and I had to really tamp down my temper. As vexing as they were, Poppy confidently told me that they were the best to go to for information, so I couldn’t storm out like I wanted to. I collected my wits, and I began to question them, “Would you be able to help me with-?”

“Do you know where the Vantassel sisters went? Ah, there they are!” Abigail came running up to Lisa and Louise in a near frenzy. Luckily for me, she was too swept up in a fervor to notice me standing there, and I took advantage of this distraction to slip away unseen. I positioned myself behind a display of candles so I could hear when the conversation ended, and Abigail dramatically announced, “You’ll never guess who’s in town!”

“If it’s that German actor again, I’m not interested!” Louise affirmed.

Lisa gazed at her in surprise. “You’re not?”

Abigail also glimpsed at her in astonishment. “You’re sure? I’ve heard he’s quite the lover…”

“He’s not that great!” Louise became startled by her own words, and she hastily added, “From what I heard…!”

“What, did you and Wolfgang…?” Lisa pried.

Abigail cut in, “Later! You have to hear who visited Rustic Retail! He said he might come here to look for animal feed! Prepare yourself, you’re about to be visited by-!”

A trim lad with a long, reddish-brown ponytail and freckles ran up to the trio and raved, “Ladies! There’s a foreigner outside! He looks Greek!”

“Ronald! I wanted to tell them!” Abigail pouted.

“Well, why didn’t you?” Ronald snapped back.

Abigail seemed poised to dole out a scathing retort to Ronald after that bout of brashness, but then the man of the hour entered into the facility. I grew curious about who inspired this hullabaloo, so I peeked at the doorway. I was expecting an extraordinarily handsome beau, but he was pretty plain and old enough to be my father! His facial features were slightly different from most people’s in this region, but nothing about him was outstanding! At least, not to me…

Lisa sighed, “He looks so exotic!”

I emitted an exasperated exhale, and Abigail glanced over after she heard it. I ducked down low and covered my mouth as if that would somehow cover up the noise I already made- I didn’t want to deal with her on most days, but I especially didn’t want any drama today! I feared a confrontation with that malicious gilflurt would take away the twins’ appetite for lending me a hand, so I prayed that something would turn her attention away from my presence…

“Signomi!” the Greek man broached the gossiping group. “Which one of you is the shopkeeper?”

“I’d be happy to help!” Ronald chirped.

Louise corrected him, “He will not! He owns Bloomed Bonnets next door!”

Ronald got sheepish for a second, but he quickly rallied back up as he proudly communicated to the Greek man, “Alright, fine! Those two sisters own this store. But, if you ever need any millinery services, I’m at your service!” He leaned in and apprised the man, “Also, if you ever need to hear the best rumors in town, come find me!”

“Oh, don’t listen to him!” Abigail advised the Greek man. “Come find me! You were just at my husband’s place of business…”

“Uh… Alright…” The Greek man looked rather confused. He decided to let it go and addressed the twins, “I was told you have an animal food blend that I need…”

Ronald relayed to him, “They do! It’s right over-!”

Lisa interjected, “What’s your name, sir?”

“Horkos,” he let her know with a bit of hesitation in his voice.

“Well, Horkos, go to Ronald if you’d like to buy a hat! Come to us for the feed you need!” Lisa smirked at Ronald.

Ronald threw his hands up indignantly. “Fine! You take him! I see someone in purple entering into my shop, so you know what that means- royalty!”

I cringed upon hearing that observation. There was only one person in this region that I knew who would wear that color, and if I was right, it meant we were in for a heap of trouble! Also, I sincerely hoped that she would never learn that anyone ever associated her with that of a royal person! I poked my head out to view the window in order to verify my hunch, but preceding my ability to do that…

“Clarinda! What on Earth are you doing?” Abigail ogled me incredulously.

“Uh…” I recognized how odd it must have appeared to see me peeking out from behind a stack of candles like that, and I tried to come up with a plausible rationale for this behavior, but all I could think to say was… “I was shopping here, but I just remembered that I need to replace my cap, so I’m going to run next door! Excuse me!”

I made a mad dash for the exit, and Abigail attempted to stop me, “It’s a bit rude of you not to stay and chat for a minute! You really ought to join us!”

My hands were on the doorknob when she uttered that statement, and it was so tempting to proceed without acknowledging her recommendation since I didn’t want Naenia to strike the millinery without somebody there fighting back, but I didn’t want a room full of gossip-mongers telling the entire town that I was disrespectful, so I turned around and politely verbalized, “I would love to, but I have a prior engagement, so…”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Abigail insisted.

“Yes, I am!” I attempted to open the door and leave, but the knob wouldn’t budge! I suddenly realized where Naenia’s true target was, and since I knew she would ambush us at any moment, I turned back around and catechized, “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

Ronald entreated me, “Could you talk to them away from the exit? I have a client to meet!” He also attempted to leave, but he didn’t have any better luck than I did. “What in the blazes? The door won’t open!”

Abigail seethed, “What? You’re trying to unleash a spell on us?”

“No! I was trying to leave!” I refuted her.

“Ooh! We’re about to experience magic? That sounds like fun!” Louise gushed. Suddenly, an extremely foul odor enveloped our senses, and Louise gagged, “Oof! But it doesn’t smell like fun!”

Everyone in the room pinched their nostrils, and that mostly mitigated the problem. Lisa broadcasted to us, “For the record, that stink did not come from our shop!”

All of a sudden, a shrill ringing echoed throughout the space! Louise griped, “That’s not fair! We can’t plug our nose and cover our ears!”

“What do we do?” Ronald inquired.

“We need to find the source of this debacle!” I replied.

Ronald asked, “And then what?”

I answered, “Uh… One step at a time!”

We ransacked the store trying to unearth the origin of this hex, but it seemed rather devoid of anything physically unusual. Eventually, Horkos petitioned us, “What are we looking for exactly?”

“Anything that doesn’t look like it belongs in a sunflower shop,” I filled him in. “A weird weather pattern, a strange ailment on someone’s body, a monster straight out of a storybook…”

“Oh! We were supposed to report monsters? I saw one over there by the soap!” He pointed to a shelf by the window closest to my horse’s hitching post. 

I cried out, “You saw a monster and didn’t say anything???”

Horkos defended himself, “I’m a stranger to this land! I don’t know what you consider unusual!”

“You think we normally have monsters in our store?” Lisa balked at that notion.

“Hush! We still want him to buy from us!” Louise advised her sister.

I gingerly approached the section Horkos referred to, and I was ready to expose our monstrous foe as well as combat its advances, but as soon as I unplugged my nose, I hacked from the stench. “Oh my heavens! I think that ghastly scent is fermenting without ventilation!”

Abigail criticized me, “You’re not doing anything to help us! You want us to suffer!”

“What can we do to help?” Ronald probed.

“I don’t know! It’s so hard to think with that horrible noise!” I waved my arms in frustration, and it registered to me that I accidentally pointed to Abigail. Abigail expected me to correct myself, but instead, I moved on, “Does anyone have any ideas on how we can lessen the effects of this horrible spell?”

Louise offered, “Hold this candle under your nose!”

After she lit a candle, she handed it to me. It didn’t remove the awful offense to my nose, but it did make it less intense. I had no clue what to do once it was released, but I at least knew it couldn’t leave if we couldn’t! I instructed the others, “When it’s released, start throwing random objects at it! On the count of one… two… three!”

As soon as I moved one of the soaps, a small, brown creature with a stubby body but long arms and legs ran out! Abigail screamed as it ran towards her, and after she cowardly fled, it crashed into the skin salves behind her. The sunflower oil/elderflower cream crashed on it, and once it was buried, it moved no more…

“Oh, what a relief!” Lisa breathed in alleviation.

“Yes! We can breathe again!” Louise concurred.

Ronald grumped, “I’m glad you two are pleased! My royal client just left!”

Abigail breathily articulated to me, “You…! Oh, I’m all of a dither! …When I collect myself again, I’m going to condemn you for this misdeed!” 

I sarcastically relayed to her, “Great! I can’t wait!” 

After I marched out the door, I unhitched Cole and noted that everyone was watching me, although it seemed like it was for various reasons. I emitted an exasperated exhale, and as I headed home, I decreed that I would find out what the Vantassel twins knew about the traitor on another day.

“Tell me again, why is this necessary?” Poppy asked me as we walked down Pumpkin Patch Lane away from the Round House.

“Because I’d like to attend this event without ridicule and criticism,” I answered her. 

Poppy gazed at me in confusion. “Why don’t you just tell those boors to stick their opinions where the sun doesn’t shine?”

My eyes went wide from the audacity of that proposal. “Oh, no! I couldn’t! It isn’t very polite!”

“Neither are they!” Poppy shot back. I nodded in acknowledgement of the truth in her statement, but she could tell I wasn’t sold on the idea, so she urged me further, “No, really! You’ll feel a lot better if you put them in their place!”

“That may be so, but I… I couldn’t! I’m not that bold!” I sheepishly conveyed to her.

Poppy asserted, “That’s because you care too much about what other people think! I’m not saying don’t ever show consideration for the needs of others, but you have no obligation to get everyone to like you! Some reprobates never will no matter what you do, so simply worry about pleasing yourself! If someone doesn’t like it, too bad for them!”

I took a moment to drink in her words, and then I responded, “I suppose that’s true! Although, it will take some practice! I spent my whole life getting nagged into submission! My parents raised ten children by strictly enforcing the rules- there were severe consequences if we disobeyed! And yet, somehow, the house was always noisy and chaotic! I’m not sure how that worked out! But, in any case, I married Thorn to get away from all that, and while he was gone a lot, his mother stayed in my realm and constantly pointed out my faults! She did it under the guise of teaching me how to blend in with high society, but in reality, she was controlling, and nothing I did was ever good enough for her! I wish I had the fortitude to tell her off!”

“But she’s not here, is she?” Poppy probed.

“For the love of Pete, I hope not!” I partly kidded.

Poppy bolstered me, “You’re on your own now! You’re free to do as you please!”

I celebrated, “Huzzah to freedom!”

She echoed me, “Huzzah to freedom!” The two of us laughed, and then she questioned me, “If you had no intention to confront the individuals who act meanly towards you, then why are we going to Fawkes’ Storytelling Hour? Don’t tell me you…!”

“For the last time, I do not fancy Fawkes!” I outcried as I inwardly condemned the doltish Aldrich for accidentally starting this rumor.

“Oh, thank the Lord!” Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. “You can do a lot better! Well, so could his wife, bless her soul! When we get to the town square, I’ll help you find the biggest stud in this horse ranch! Is there anyone in Lynnbrook you have in mind already?”

I could feel my cheeks flushing furiously as August instantly came to my mind! I didn’t dare to utter that to her though- she seemed pretty trustworthy, but she was friends with Abigail, Megyn, and Annabel, and I didn’t want to risk that juicy tidbit reaching their devious ears! I imagined she might have had the intention to keep a secret sometimes, but I was sure that, on occasion, her blunt attitude might lead to a slip of the tongue, so I couldn’t reveal my thoughts to her. Instead, I told her, “I’m not going there to meet a suitor. I’m searching for information…”

Poppy puzzled, “What kind of information? News? Because Fawkes is holding a storytelling function this evening- you won’t learn much except maybe how good he is at spinning a yarn!”

“I already knew he was good at that!” I muttered as we entered into the town square. The denizens we passed all stared at me with suspicion, but no one dared to dole out anything negative to me with my travel companion close by, so it seemed as though my ploy had succeeded! It was a wonderful development, but I couldn’t give Poppy any real answers without baneful listeners picking it up. I wasn’t even certain I wanted to divulge any secrets to Poppy! I couldn’t leave her hanging either since I was depending on her to continue doing me a favor, so I wracked my brains to unearth a solution… “I’d like to learn more about the culture of the city! Everyone has so many different practices, and I merely wanted to find out what gets everyone out of bed in the morning!”

“Oh, you want gossip!” Poppy surmised.

I denied that allegation, “No, no, no! This is purely for academic purposes!”

Poppy evidently didn’t believe me since she filled me in, “If you’re trying to get the latest rumors, your best bet is Sunflower Goods!”

“Sunflower Goods?” I repeated in slight surprise.

“Yes!” Poppy confirmed. “Two sisters run that store, and they hear everything that’s happening in Lynnbrook! Wives go there for cooking oil, husbands go there for flowers to apologize to the wives for what they said about their cooking, and all of the unmarried ladies get their skincare supplies in order to make themselves glow enough to find flower-buying husbands to cook for! Everyone ends up there sooner or later, so if you’d really like to know who is getting into whose bed, they’re the women to see!”

I started to correct her, “Oh, I’m not trying to-!” I didn’t finish that sentence because the storytelling hour was about to begin, but as the crowd gave Fawkes their fullest attention, I pondered that perhaps these sisters were the best ones to discuss any out-of-the-ordinary activities that may lead to the traitor…

Fawkes dramatically recounted, “Once upon a time, there were two naughty children named Hansel and Gretel. They ate all of their parents’ food, and soon, there was nothing left…”

“Psh! He would twist it to make the heroes sound like villains!” I quietly remarked. “That scoundrel will probably side with the evil witch too!”

“As they went through the woods to get jobs that financed their terrible dietary habits, they passed a poor, lonely witch,” Fawkes narrated. “She was so destitute that the only building materials she could find to build her house were sweets…”

It was such a ridiculous premise that I couldn’t resist scoffing at it, “Really? It wasn’t to lure kids into her home so she could eat them?”

The kids gathered in front of Fawkes gasped in horror at the idea I raised, and one little girl fretted, “Does the witch really do that?”

“Only because there’s nothing else for her to consume!” Fawkes contended.

“Nothing else is around? She lived in a house made of sweets!” I protested.

Fawkes bickered with me, “If she ate her house, where would she live?”

I argued, “She’s in the woods! There are building materials all around her! Plus, if she’s so poor, how did she afford so many sweets?”

“You can make gingerbread on an open fire!” Fawkes stubbornly insisted. “And she could use magic to speed up the process!”

“If she could do magic, then why couldn’t she use it to build a normal house?” I quarreled.

Fawkes catechized, “Listen, who’s telling the story here?”

I retorted, “At the moment, nobody!” He appeared to have more to say to me, but then…

A woman in the crowd shouted, “Prynne, no! Get down from there this instance!”

As it turned out, the “there” Prynne’s mother wanted her to get down from was a small cyclone! Oddly enough, it didn’t seem to generate enough force to affect anything else but that little girl! As the other spectators watched in shock, Prynne responded to her mother, “I don’t know how!”

“You don’t know how?” Prynne’s mother roared. “Well, you simply…!” Apparently, she couldn’t think of anything either, but prior to her coming up with anything, a cyclone scooped her up too! Prynne’s mother petitioned her daughter, “Are you sure you don’t know how? Because that sure would be helpful right now…”

“She did it!” A man pointed to me in an accusatory manner. “She’s getting her revenge for the town crier’s anger over her disruptions, and she-!” Preceding him completing his sentence, a cyclone scooped him up also.

I canvassed the collective, “Why would I punish other people if I was angry with Fawkes?”

A lady theorized, “You know he cares deeply about the citizens he serves, so by inflicting misery on us, you make him…” She glanced around and wondered, “Where did he go?”

From within a cyclone, an old bloke put in, “He’s probably looking for a weapon to fight back against these maelstroms!” 

“Well, in case he doesn’t return, we should-!” I began to recommend.

“What do you mean, ‘if he doesn’t return?’ Did you do him any harm?” an elderly female interrogated me right as she got swept up in a cyclone.

I gritted my teeth, and I rephrased my motion, “Regardless of who may or may not be currently present, we need to figure out the commodity that will get rid of this jinx! There has always been something in the environment that remedies the situation so far, which means we should try different-!”

Prynne excitedly vociferated, “Maybe my dolly will protect us from the jinx!” She brought a poppet out of her pocket and presented it to the cyclone she was in, but all it did was suck it into its depths.

“Prynne! Don’t help her! “Prynne’s mother scolded her. “She’s not here to help us!”

“Listen, Missy!” Poppy marched up to Prynne’s mother and confronted her. “Right now, Fawkes isn’t here, and Clarinda is, so if you want to get out of this unstable state, maybe you should try being nicer to the one person who’s helping you!”

A patroness with a tray full of gingerbread cookies stomped over to me and demanded, “You’re Clarinda? I’ve heard you have romantic intentions with my husband! Well, you better leave him alone because Percy is mine!”

I wholeheartedly agreed, “Yes, he is!” She blinked in astonishment at my aloof response, but preceding any other outbursts, I asserted, “No more distractions, please! We need to solve this conundrum fast or-!”

“Ooh! I want a cookie!” Prynne exclaimed.

“Grab one as you spin by!” Missus Fawkes instructed as she held the tray up to the cyclone.

When her baked goods broached the cyclone, the cyclone retreated! Before I could announce this discovery, Prynne’s mother hollered, “Now isn’t the time for sweets!”

I disagreed, “No, here! Have one!” I tossed one into Prynne’s cyclone, and the cyclone disappeared! Missus Fawkes as well as everyone else seemed stunned by this sight, but I continued to toss the gingerbread cookies into the cyclones. One by one, they all vanished! When all the cyclones were gone, I dared to hope for a thank you from at least one victim, but then…

“You ruined my baking!” Missus Fawkes carped. “I was going to hand them out at the end of Percy’s story!”

“You were going to feed children gingerbread after they heard a story about a witch who eats the children that ate part of her gingerbread house?” My brows furrowed at what possibly could have motivated her to believe this plan was at all a great idea.

Emerging from within a nearby bush, Fawkes popped out and justified this preposterous arrangement, “The witch had no choice- she was starving, and they almost made her homeless!”

My exasperation piqued, and I gave up on trying to argue with this aggravating assembly. I threw my hands up in frustration and began to walk away, but I felt something suddenly encircle my legs! I presumed it to be another spell, but to my surprise, it was…

“Thank you!” Prynne beamed at me.

“You’re welcome!” I smiled back at her full of gratitude for her recognition. Finally, there was a positive development for a change! I wanted to prolong the moment, but Naenia manifested in front of us! She glared in our direction prior to disappearing again, and when I glanced back at Fawkes’ spectators, I sulked slightly knowing nobody else witnessed that. I turned back to Prynne and requested, “If you can convince anyone that what you saw was real, can you please tell me how you did it?”

I was awoken to the sound of gentle tapping at my kitchen window. I groaned, “Now what?” After all of the sleep I lost the previous night, I was looking forward to slumbering late into the morning. The noise wouldn’t let up, so my plans seemed destined to be ruined! There were gaps between each small clink, so I knew it couldn’t have been a person rapping on the glass. I presumed it was another spell, so I grumped, “Naenai’s new scheme must be to deprive me of enough sleep so I can’t think of solutions to these vexatious hexes!”

When I glanced downstairs, I didn’t see anything unusual, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything… I put my mules back on and lumbered down the steps. When I glimpsed into the kitchen, I noticed that the sounds I heard were small pebbles, and I wondered, “Is a person doing that or another supernatural pest?” I approached the window, and…

“Clarinda! Are you just waking up?” Abigail gasped from the road adjacent to my property.

“Yes, but so what? I don’t have a job, so I can wake up when I choose!” I retorted.

Abigail snickered, “Someone certainly had a late evening!”

I corrected her misimpression, “It wasn’t from a gentleman caller, if that’s what you’re implying!”

“No, that’s not what I meant! I know you don’t have any lovers- the town crier is married!” Abigail tittered.

“Ugh! For the last time, I wasn’t flirting with Fawkes!” I rubbed my temples out of frustration. “I have better tastes than that!” Abigail looked the Round House up and down in a judgmental fashion, so I let out an exasperated exhale before asking, “What do you want?”

Abigail sprouted a malicious grin that certainly did not bode well for me. “I’m glad you asked! As it so happens, I’m on my way to the courthouse…”

I jested, “The courthouse in Lynnbrook? Are you lost? Or do you intend to file a case in Massachusetts? New York perhaps…”

“Enjoy your jokes while you can! Soon, you’ll get taken in by the authorities!” Abigail seethed.

“Oh, will I?” I folded my arms to convey my deep skepticism. “You do realize that even if you view someone’s style as a grievous offense, that doesn’t actually make it a crime, right?”

“There are bound to be some bylaws that condemn this hideousness! But perhaps I’ll leave that for another day. This morning, I’m going to a judge to have him charge you with intentionally causing a public disturbance!” Abigail peered at my visage to gauge my reaction to such a pronouncement, and when my expression did not alter in the slightest, she probed, “Did you hear what I said? That’s a serious violation of the law!”

I coolly responded, “I heard what you said! What I didn’t hear you say was what evidence you had against me!”

Abigail laughed derisively at me, “You don’t think I can prove it? Well, unfortunately for you, Cornelius was a witness! He saw you on the streets looking for a strange creature!”

“And?” I prompted her to go on.

“What do you mean, and?” Abigail puzzled. “We caught you red-handed!”

I disputed her ridiculous argument, “No, you have proof I was outside at night searching for something spooky! I was hardly the only one, too! Cornelius, in fact, also wanted a cure for that commotion! The courts won’t bring any charges for seeking out a remedy for something scary!”

Abigail stubbornly insisted, “I know you had something to do with the origin of that oddity! You moved into this haunted house, and you released the evil spirits that dwelt within to frighten us all! I just know it!”

“Do you know anything that will hold up in a court of law?” I pressed her. She sullenly crossed her arms, so I concluded, “That’s what I thought! Why don’t you go back to the town square and spread baseless rumors about someone else! You’re good at that!”

“Alright, I’ll drop it for now, but mark my words, I’ll get you somehow!” she snarled. She turned around to walk away in a huff, and she nearly ran into a brown horse! There was a handsome man with red hair and the same golden-brown eyes as me sitting on the steed, and a small, red-haired boy as well as a little blonde girl rode in the farmer’s wagon that got towed behind him. The three of them gawked at Abigail in bewilderment, and Abigail appeared equally as stunned. Abigail inquired, “How long have you been there?” No one replied, so she stormed off.

I saw the trio’s arrival, but I didn’t see the passengers’ faces as I bickered with that bitter gossip–monger, and now that I had, I inwardly moaned. Outwardly, I pleasantly greeted the man, “Alexander! You didn’t tell me you were going to pay me a visit!”

Alexander chuckled, “Well, telling you would sort of defeat the purpose of a surprise!”

“Well, at least allow me a few minutes to get dressed before you invade my home<” I requested with a smile.

“Why? We shared a room for the first eighteen years of your life- why should you feel embarrassed to show off something I’ve seen before?” Alexander joshed me. I threw my hands up in defeat, and Alexander directed the children, “Thomas! Madison! Go see your aunt while I put Franklin in the stable!” 

Thomas refused, “No way! I choose life!”

Alexander furrowed his brows. “Excuse me?”

“That lady said there were evil spirits there!” Madison whined. 

“Oh, come now!” Alexander balked at that notion. “That lady was obviously cracked in the nob! Aunt Clarinda wouldn’t associate herself with anything wicked!”

Under my breath, I tacked onto that, “At least not willingly…”

Alexander queried, “Did you say something?” I shook my head, and his attention returned to his kids. “We came a far distance to see her! We didn’t make this long journey for nothing! So, go!”

Thomas and Madison started crying, so I cringed slightly prior to articulating, “Give me a minute to get dressed, and we’ll go to the Harvest Town Tavern.”

I gingerly entered inside of the large room full of wooden tables and various townsfolk eating, drinking, and playing games, and at first, I breathed a sigh of relief because there didn’t appear to be any troublemakers present at that juncture. I gestured to an empty area in the corner, and I suggested, “Let’s go over there where we can be alone.”

“Ooh! You want to be alone with a good-looking fellow! How exciting!” Annabel gushed as she and Megyn came out of the entrance to the outdoor privies.

“How scandalous! He’s a married man!” Megyn indicated to Alexander’s ring finger.

I apprised the troublesome twosome, “He’s my brother! Also, just for the record, I highly doubt that a philanderer would bring his children to his escapades!”

Annabel and Megyn noticed Thomas and Madison for the first time, and Megyn feigned politeness, “Oh! Welcome! How nice of you to visit your aunt!”

“One of our aunts- we have four! And five uncles!” Thomas conversed.

“Wow! Your parents had ten children?” Annabel reacted in astonishment. “Everyone survived?”

Alexander responded in a leery manner, “Yes! But don’t ask us how! Our parents never really figured out their secret!”

Madison canvassed the adults, “What’s a philanderer?”

Annabel and Megyn opened their mouths to answer her, but I shut that down, “She doesn’t need to know that! Now, we’re going to sit down if you’ll excuse us…” I ushered the kids away preceding the pestering pair getting a chance to say anything else.

“Salutations! Thank you for visiting our…!” The barmaid recognized me, and her cheery demeanor evaporated. “Oh, you’re back, are you?”

“Certainly! Why would I be?” I beamed at her, but she ogled at me in distrust, so I politely entreated her, “Can we get four hot chocolates, please?”

After the barmaid left, I observed Megyn and Annabel stationing themselves by the bar so they could get an eagle eye’s view of our conversation. I tried to ignore them as I apologized to Alexander, “I’m sorry that you came all this way to see my new home only to get stuck at a tavern!”

Alexander tittered, “That’s alright! We mainly wanted to visit you! We missed you!”

“I haven’t been out of Raven Nook that long, though!” I chortled.

“But, you’re still far away from us! I had to view for myself that you were doing alright,” Alexander glumly expressed. The barmaid plopped the hot chocolates rather hard onto the table, and Alexander gazed at me in concern.

Recognizing that he had gotten a bad impression of my life in Lynnbrook after less than an hour of his arrival, I attempted to paint my situation here in more glowing terms, “I’m most certainly alright! I have a lovely cottage with a beautiful garden, and I’m getting a lot of writing done! Things may not be perfect…” I glimpsed over to see Annabel and Megyn having a lively discussion with the barmaid as they peered at our table, and I strove to omit the irritation out of my voice as I completed my thought, “…But I don’t regret selling the estate and moving here in the slightest!”

Alexander raised his eyebrows at that premise. “Really? No regrets whatsoever?”

“Really!” I insistently stated.

“Stand back, boys! We’re in for some more magic!” Leonard boisterously kidded with his friends as they peeked inside from the terrace.

Before Alexander argued any further, I elaborated on my stance, “Okay, so there are some cads in this town, but nothing could persuade me to buy back the Delaney Residence and return to my old life!”

Alexander countered, “What about Raven Nook? You were better off living by us!”

“No, I couldn’t!” I refused. “There are too many unpleasant memories associated with the city!”

“You could build more memories there!” Alexander contended. “Why don’t you come home with us?” I studied him a little, and he somewhat nervously asked, “What?”

I answered, “Did you come here on your own volition, or did she persuade you to do this?”

Alexander shifted rather guiltily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! What makes you believe I didn’t simply come out of love for my sister?”

“What about the money we got from-?” Thomas quizzed him.

“Quiet!” Alexander hushed him. I stared at him crossly, so he admitted, “Alright, so she bribed me to visit you! But I wanted to see you anyway!”

I catechized, “Why does she want me back? Throughout my twenty-plus years with Thorn, we never got along! You can’t claim his mother misses too!”

Madison let me know, “She says she has another uncle for us!”

“Another uncle?” My eyes went wide with worry at what that could have possibly entailed.

“She arranged a marriage between you and another merchant- Silas Carrington,” Alexander revealed.

I recoiled at that concept, “Silas Carrington? He’s old enough to be my grandfather!” 

Alexander took a stab at convincing me to go forward with it, “At least you wouldn’t have to be married for long!”

“Forget it!” I emphatically denied that proposal. “I no longer have any need to marry out of necessity! Besides, she doesn’t own me! She has no right to decide who I marry! This isn’t Medieval Europe! We’re fighting a war to get away from that continent!”

“Why do you want to stay here?” Alexander griped. “Clearly, you’re not happy where you’re at!”

Right after he said that, August passed by the window. My heart fluttered, and I knew I couldn’t go anywhere far from him. He accidentally knocked down a broom, and it reminded me of Naenia’s spells. I couldn’t leave the area and allow her to continue with her pox unchallenged! Annabel and Megyn’s cackling made me think that some of my neighbors here deserved her dark magic a little, but glancing back at August, I was reminded that if Naenia won, the Americans would lose a piece of precious land! I couldn’t do that to the country I loved or the man I… But, how would I explain all of this to my brother?

I forced out a giggle and conveyed to Alexander, “Are you basing this off of individuals who are inebriated in the middle of the day?”

“Fair point!” Alexander chimed as he consumed his hot chocolate. As we all enjoyed our beverages, I just prayed that the villainous witch wouldn’t strike until after Alexander left so he would believe my assertion and report that lie to another witch I once called my mother-in-law!