(tw: slight cursing)
He pauses and then laughs nervously.
I stare at him.
"…Wait…you're serious?"
"As shit."
"Watch your mouth, young boy," my Mom warns me and I sigh.
"Sorry. Look, Eef, my Mom was a witch. And still is, but not fully. She did a ritual so she could become a ghost and then killed herself. She thought she could be more helpful when she was a ghost, but she didn't know that ghosts can only stay at places they loved the most when they were alive. Luckily, her place is this forest."
He blinks. "She's…right here?"
I nod.
"Uhm…Where?"
She reaches out and touches him on his arm. "Do you feel the coldness?" I ask.
His eyes widen. "Oh. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. What? How…How is this even possible?" He backs up from Mom and me.
I shrug. "It is."
"So…so all of your tarot readings were true?"
"Yeah."
"So that girl's crush…was a rapist?"
"Probably, yeah."
He brushes his hair through and stands up, walking in a circle. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Why not? So let me get this straight. You're a witch and your mother is a ghost and she's right here."
"Also I have a ghost pet cat. His name is Cheshire."
He stops. "Okay, that's actually adorable. But jesus fucking christ, okay. Okay."
I stand up and walk over to him, cupping his face in my hands, even though I'm at least ten centimeters smaller so it looks weird. "Calm down. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Can you do that for me?"
He closes his eyes and does what I say. After he calms down, I take my hands away. "Are you okay now?"
He nods. "Yeah, I think."
"Let's sit down and talk."
"Yeah, okay."
We sit on the grass in a circle with my Mom in it too. "I'll try to answer all of your questions."
He glances to his side where Mom is. "So…she's right beside me?"
"Yep."
He nods a few times. "Okay," he says in a bit of a high pitched voice. "So like…how does the whole…witch thing work?"
"It's kinda complicated, so long story short. There is one big god, his name is Fate. He's a little bitch sometimes. Most of the time, actually. Then there are his kids, we don't know how or where they came from, but they are his kids, small gods. Time, Space and Life. And they all have like other small guardians, like Life has one that is a guardian of lakes and such. And witches become witches just because…Fate. He picks his favorite humans, basically."
"So…like what happens after witches die? Or normal humans? And are there any others like…people with powers or something like witches? And are there any kinds of witches?"
I smile. "Whoa, there. Too many questions. So what happens after death…well. Witches, like my Mom did, can do a ritual to become a ghost. We can also become ghosts when we die a specific death but we still don't know what kind of death that is. Or, we become one of the gods' little servants."
"You live…to end up serving?"
"Well it depends, you know? There are many factors that decide where you're gonna end up serving."
"And humans?"
"It's the same."
"So after a person dies…what happens? Like you spawn in your position right after?"
"You go to this…I don't want to say court but it's technically a court where there are all gods and Fate decides your…fate."
"This court is…somewhere? Like you guys have a world to yourself?"
"It's not a world for us, but for the servants. Like they all live there like we do here. We can go there, but we don't really want to most of the time since this world is better to live in and enjoy before ending up in that place for the rest of time, you know?"
He nods. "Yeah, it makes sense."
"Your next question was about kinds of witches? So yeah, there are. My Mom was a kitchen witch with plants. Then there's me, I'm a spell witch with tarot. But I can't use spells until I'm eighteen. Then there are the lunar, death, sea and many other kinds of witches."
"And how do you know which witch you are?"
"So how it works is that Fate picks families that have at least one witch in them so they can teach their kids. When a witch is born and comes into contact with another witch, the kid starts glowing with an aura in the witch's eyes. The color represents what kind of witch they are."
"And…can a witch lie to the other?"
I shrug. "Yeah. But our world is built on trust, or it wouldn't work."
"Uh-huh…and are there any other people like witches? Like…I don't know, vampires or something."
I can't help but laugh. "Vampires? Do you think vampires exist?"
"Well I just discovered ghosts and witches do so I'm not sure anymore, honestly."
"Yeah, no. But fairies exist. And sirens. And elfs. And many more."
"So the usual fairytale people?"
"The way fairytales arose were witches in this world telling them around as stories. The witch writers who took inspiration from their own world."
"But earth…there are only witches here, right? There aren't elves and fairies?"
"They have their own world."
He blinks. "How many worlds are there?"
"Couldn't tell you," I snort. "Too many. But they all have 'the normal people' and then us."
He rubs his eyes. "Fucking hell, okay. That's…jesus. If fairytales arose from witch writers…Did the Bible too?"
Mom laughs. "This boy has some good questions," she says with a smile.
I smile too. "Nope, those were just normal writers and people who believe other people a bit too much."
"Isn't your world built on trust?"
"But is your world?"
He pauses. "That…is a damn good observation. Wait. Can a person become a ghost?"
"Yeah, but not with the type of death. Only if they do the ritual or drink a potion, but that would take longer to explain."
"Why would witches choose to die and then go to the other world rather than staying here though?"
"Ghosts can only stay at places they loved the most when they were alive, so it's a big limit witches mostly don't want. Some do. Some don't. Some fell in love with a human and chose to live here as ghosts. But they had to have the same favorite place."
He hums. "And…why did you tell me?"
"You thought I was talking to myself. Couldn't let that slide."
He smiles. "But you thought I would believe you?"
"I believed you would believe me. Tarot cards told me to trust myself, and I trust you, so."
He looks me up and down and then sighs weakly. "Okay. Not what I expected from today, but why not?"
He's silent before saying suddenly: "Is there a way I could see ghosts?"
I turn to Mom. "Is there?"
She thinks. "I do think so…But I'll have to check my books. Why?"
"Why?" I repeat her question.
He shrugs. "Well it seems really weird that I can't see your mom and it would be more practical."
I nod. "Yeah, you're right."
"Wait here, I'll go get the book so we can see," says Mom and floats away to her cabin.
"Mom went to get her books to see what is needed. I'm not sure if it will be a ritual or spell or a potion."
"She lives near here?"
"Yeah, when I was a kid, we built a small hut in the forest. She lives there now."
His eyes soften. "That's cute."
I nod and look at the lake for a long time. Its blue color shines in the sun and small fish swim around it. I breathe out from my mouth and a pile of steam comes out. It's getting cold.
I only now notice that I'm actually freezing. It's nearly the end of December and Life's winter servants are blowing bitter air around.
Eef suddenly moves closer and takes my hands into his and breathes his warm breath into them. "You're cold, aren't you? Did you run away?"
I can feel my cheeks getting redder. "Yeah, from my window. I didn't know it's this cold."
"Your dad…doesn't know I suppose."
I immediately know he's not talking about me running away. "No, he wouldn't believe it.
"Strong christian, huh?" As his hot breath brushes against my fingers, I can't help but want to feel it also elsewhere. I frown at this unusual feeling.
"...Yeah…"
"Are you cold, sweetie? Should we go to my house?"
Mom flies back, bending over from the weight of at least six or seven books.
I quickly take my hands away and stand up. "Yeah. Mom's here, let's go to her house. It'll be warmer there."
Eef stands up too. "Oh okay."
On the way there, my Mom eyes me up and down. "What was that about, dear? 'Just nice'? You sure?"
I can't be more glad Eef can't see or hear her right now. "Shut up."
Eef turns to look at me but I just shake my head. "Mom."
He nods in acknowledgment.
When we get to the cabin, he looks around. "You have it so pretty in here. Your mom planted all these flowers?"
"Yeah, she's really proud of them."
"And also all those trees." Mom points to a row of trees in excitement.
"And all those trees," I repeat her actions.
Eef smiles. "She's done a very good job."
She looks at me with proudness in her eyes. "I like him."
I laugh and glance at Eef walking to Moms small garden, talking about how those flowers have a big meaning in Greek mythology. "Yeah, me too."
She nudges me with her elbow with a sly smile.
We go inside where Mom makes us tea. "Tell him it's from home-planted flowers and herbs," she tells me as if I was a messenger, but I have no other option.
"Really? It's very tasty."
I roll my eyes at how Mom hums with enthusiasm. "You should back off with the compliments or she's gonna fly to the moon."
"At least someone gives me any," she replies with narrowed eyes and places my cup before me.
I frown offendedly. "When have I not complimented you?"
"When have you?"
I open my mouth to reply but Eefs laughter interrupts me. "You two fight like an old married couple, even though I can only hear one side."
I sigh and shake my head. "Can you make him see ghosts?"
She ignores me for a few moments before responding. "Yeah. But I need certain ingredients that are only in Liadel."
"Oh, that's not a big problem, I can go there."
She bites her lip, her attitude changing immediately. "Alone? You know I don't like you going alone there. Bring Eef."
I purse my lips. "Hmm, would it work?"
"Yeah, it should. Blindness is only on earth."
I nod slowly. "Yeah…Okay, I'll take him."
"Take me where?" asks Eef while taking a sip from his colorful cup.
I also take my cup into my hands, letting them warm up. "To Liadel, our world. Mom needs one specific ingredient from there and she doesn't want me to go alone."
His eyes widen. "Oh, sounds cool. But won't I like…not see anyone?"
"No." I shake my head. "There's this thing called the Blindness. It's used in different worlds so normal people don't find out about us, but it isn't like that in Liadel."
"So…won't you get in trouble for telling me about you?"
"Well…it's not a rule that humans can't know, it's just that we don't want the whole world to know. It would create unwanted chaos. But we can tell the trusted ones."
He nods. "Okay, that makes sense."
"There are some official things we'll need to do, but that can wait." I turn to Mom. "What ingredient do you need?"
"I actually need two. First one is easy, you can buy it in any herb shop there, it's called the Ghost Rose. It's pale white and I need its thorns. The next one is a bit harder, but it's going to be winter in a few days with the ball, so you can steal it there."
"The Punch of Death?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, we can do that. Luckily, it's gonna be the weekend."
She sits down next to me. "Also don't forget to bring the mask and a dress."
I groan. "Shit, I forgot about that. Where should I borrow one?"
"I think you could find some in stores."
"On the exact day? I don't think so, everything's going to be sold out."
She hums. "You're right…You could go the day before?"
"Tomorrow? Hmm…Okay, and we can sleep in some inn."
Eef speaks up. "An inn? You still have inns there?"
I nod. "Yeah. We're going tomorrow, we have to borrow some dresses and masks for a ball we'll have to go to to steal a bit of punch. How much do you need?"
"One glass should do."
"Okay. Can I take one of those potion glass bottles you have?"
"Sure." She stands up and searches for one in her cabinets.
Eef looks at the floating bottle that is then put down in front of me with carefulness. "We have to go to a ball? In dresses?"
"Yeah, Fate has a rule for his balls that everyone needs to wear dresses. And only there is the punch."
"Why only there?"
"Well not only there, but one spoon costs around fifty gold, which is around thousand dollars. It's free on the ball."
He whistles, surprised. "Wow, why do they give it out for free?"
"Fate has an infinite budget for these balls."
"That's…insane."
I take the bottle and put it inside my pocket. "Yeah. He's gonna be there too with his children. You'll see how much of a bitch he is."
Mom nods her head. "You're not wrong on this."
I take a quick look at the clock only to discover I've been out for about two hours. "I have to go, or Father will know I ran away."
"Okay, sweetie, be careful."
"So I should tell my parents I'm gonna stay at yours?" Eef asks.
I nod. "Yeah, we'll go here after school and Mom's going to teleport us. Well, basically. I'll explain tomorrow. I have to go, but I can go walk you to the train station?"
He stands up and drinks his tea like its tequila. "No, but I'll walk you to your house. I can go to the train station alone."
I turn to Mom and smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She grabs my cheeks and connects our foreheads. A bit of pain slides down my body when she rubs her thumb on the place Father hit me on. "May Fate be with you, dear."
"May he be with you too," I reply in low voice.
On the way back to my house Eef asks me a whole lot of other questions.
"So is there a school for magic? Like did you visit Hogwarts?"
I seriously look into his eyes. "You do know that Harry Potter isn't real?"
"Well, yeah, but something similar at least?"
"There are schools for learning magic," I admit, "but those who don't want to go there don't have to. Mom wanted me to have a normal childhood, so she taught me spells and tarot."
"Oh. And where does your magic come from?"
I purse my lips. "You mean if it has a core somewhere?"
"Something like that."
"Our magic comes from within. It's settled in our souls, where it leads us forward to living a fulfilling life while serving Fate."
"So if I get this right. Witches are just updated versions of people?"
I have to laugh. "Yeah, basically. We're the rare kind amongst the basics. Don't take it personally though."
He scoffs. "Please, wouldn't even think of it. So does your magic have its limits?"
"Tarot generally doesn't have limits, it can answer any questions. But it's the person's job to actually know to read into the details. But spells do. It isn't that magic has its limitations, however the person. Every witch has their own body and soul limits. It depends on their strength and will."
"Huh…but you'll know when you'll be eighteen. You can't use spells until your eighteenth birthday?"
"It's not impossible, we can use them before, but it comes with consequences. If I were to use a spell right now, my body could go through abnormal changes. It could even kill me. Since I'm almost eighteen, it isn't very probable. But sixteen year olds are still at risk."
"So eighteen is like the age?"
"Yeah. To prevent kids from using spells and harming themselves, Fate released a rule that says no one under eighteen can use spells or will be punished depending on the seriousness of the spell."
"Seriousness?"
I nod. "Yes, there are three types of spells. First ones are the ones that don't include any people, second that include only you and the third that include other people as well."
"So what punishment could you get?"
"It could be just an admonition or full on jail."
"Shits real there huh?"
"Yeah but we don't kill each other," I glimpse at him and he bows his head in acknowledgment.
"Fair enough."
We get to my backyard and he hugs me. "Take care, okay?"
I smile into his shoulder. "Okay. We'll meet at Mom's place after school. I have to ask Father if I can sleep over now. If he won't allow it…" I bite my lip, thinking.
"You can just tell him that we have to do a project and we have little time so you have to sleep over?"
I back up. "Okay, I'll try."
He nods and smiles. "And if he won't allow it.. we'll arson him alive."
I laugh. "Okay, we'll arson him alive. See you tomorrow."
I climb up the wall to my room and silently shut the window. I look at Eef sneaking through the forest so Father won't see him.
I sigh with my lips curved and rub my eyes. This weird feeling I have never felt suddenly slowly spreads through my heart to the tips of my fingers. It makes me want to giggle uncontrollably and hide my face behind my hands.
That feeling leaves when Father shows up. "What do you want for dinner?"
He always pretends nothing happened. As if we had a normal relationship. As if he had cared about what I want for dinner, or breakfast, or lunch. As if he had cared about something more than my grades. As if he had cared about me.
"What do we have?" I ask and sit down on my bed.
"Not much. I can make ham and eggs."
I nod. "Yeah, that sounds good. Can I have just two?"
"Okay," he says and turns to leave, but I stop him.
"Can I sleep over at a friend? We have to do a big project quickly because it's due on Monday."
"For how long?"
"The weekend."
"Okay. Why didn't you start sooner, though? Are you this lazy?"
Without letting me answer he leaves without touching the door.
I fight sighing and get up to close it.