Tag: Fiction

If you’d like to start reading from the beginning, check out A Grave Mistake: Part 1

Magic has always existed. And, like radio waves, you can’t hear unless you have the right device tuned to the right frequency. What if someone gave you tools to tune into that frequency?

HAROLD WATSON
Day 1, 4:30 pm

Harold hated going to the doctor. In his opinion, they were a bunch of quacks who insisted on telling him he was getting old. He already knew that and didn’t need a bunch of pills each morning to remind him.

He hitched up his pants as he walked back into his house with his sandwich, his reward for going to the doctor’s office this morning. He’d been living alone for the last 3 years, ever since Elise, his wife, died. He missed her. He missed his family. He missed having people around. Today was Cole, his grandson’s, fifth birthday party and he was missing it because his son, Brad, and his family had moved across the country last year.

He sat down at the kitchen table and unwrapped his sandwich. He could imagine the party now. He’d have dressed up as the clown for the kids. He had a bunch of amateur magic tricks that Brad had loved when he was little. Cole would open his gift and as soon as he saw it he would give Harold a giant hug. Brad would smile at him because he’d be impressed that Harold knew his grandson so well. But that wasn’t right. He didn’t know his grandson at all. He’d tried going to the toy store to shop for a gift and he didn’t have a clue. All of the things he’d been interested in last year either wasn’t there anymore or it somehow seemed to young for him. Most of it, he’d never even heard of. How could one year make such a difference? After an hour of wandering through the aisles and listening to other kids screaming and crying, he’d finally given up and bought a gift card.

But if they still lived here, he’d be at the party and Cole would be blowing out his candles. He could see it as though it was happening in front of him. Cole’s friends would be gathered around him as he took a deep breath, the flames on the melting wax candles wavering.

He closed his eyes and blew as the flames flickered, then wisped out. Cole’s friends cheered, probably more because they could finally have cake than because Cole had blown all of them out. Cole opened his eyes and grinned. Then his smile faded into confusion.

“Grandpa?” Cole asked, cocking his head to the side.

The image wisped out before Harold and he was back alone in his living room. What had just happened? He sat for a moment in confused silence.

A few moments passed when his phone rang. He jumped in surprise.

“Hello?”

“Hey Dad,”

“I was just thinking about you guys today. How’s Cole’s birthday going?”

There was a pause.

“It was going really well until Cole thought he saw you.”

“What?” Harold said unevenly.

“Do you mind telling him that you are not, in fact, here?”

“Sure, sure,” Harold said, his mind spinning.

“Hi Grandpa!” Cole said, sounding excited! “That was your best magic trick ever!”

“Thanks bud,” Harold said.

“Are you coming back?”

“No, no it only worked the one time.” Could he make it happen again?

“Oh,” Cole said, sounding disappointed.

“But I saved it just for your birthday.”

“Oh yeah?”

“You bet! I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Happy Birthday Cole.”

“Thanks Grandpa!”

There was silence as Mike came back on the line.

“Not quite what I meant Dad,” Mike said, sounding exasperated. “But thanks. I have to go, but catch up soon.”

“Sure thing. Good hear from you.”

“You too. Bye!”

He slowly set his phone back down on the table. What had just happened?

A Grave Mistake: Part 3

Tales of magic have existed for centuries. Elves, witches, fairies, warlocks, spells, wands, cauldrons, potions. How much is of your stories are real? How much is folklore? What happens when the magic world seeps from the seams and leaches into your world?

NATASHA GILL
Day 1, 4:03 pm

Natasha Gill couldn’t remember arriving at the airport. She found herself sitting on a bench by the Arrivals gate holding a coffee in her hand that she didn’t remember purchasing and wearing different clothes than she remembered putting on that morning. She’d been planning on showing the Stevens’ house to the Marshalls that morning so she’d dressed in heels and a blazer. Now, her long brown hair was pulled back in a braid and she was in yoga pants and sneakers. New sneakers. When had she bought those?

She checked the clock on the wall and saw it was five hours fast. Her cell phone gave the same time. That meant her husband, Jason’s, flight was about to arrive and she hadn’t even dented her to-do list for the day. The last thing she remembered doing was walking out of her doctor’s office. That had been around 10:30 am that morning. She flipped her phone to the screen with her list.

Not only was “doctor’s appointment” checked off, but it looked like everything else too. Even things she didn’t think she’d get to until tomorrow. Doctor’s appointment. The laundry. Update her website. Take photos of the Hassan’s house. Grocery shopping. Clean the house. Pick up Amelia from school. Drop off Justin’s trumpet. Drop Amelia off at ballet. Check. Check. Check.

Halfway down the list: Show the Stevens’ house. Check. That one scared her. She had just started her real estate business and things were slow. She was counting on that sale. She didn’t know what was worse: not showing up at all or trying to show their home in whatever state she’d been in today. Had she been wearing these sweats?

She continued to scroll down the list and noticed that there were a number of items added that weren’t there this morning, including “rent car.” Why would she need to rent a car? She rifled through her purse to see if she had keys or a receipt. Sure enough, there was a rental agreement signed for today at the airport for a blue Acura SUV. After looking further she couldn’t find the keys and realized she must not have gone outside to pick it up yet.

She scrolled to the very bottom of her list and saw that the very last item hadn’t been checked off. Pick up car from Justin’s school.

The arrival doors opened as the first passengers from Jason’s plane began to file through, some greeting people who were waiting, others heading straight for the door or the luggage carousel. She quickly jammed the paperwork into her purse, checked her make-up, practiced a smile, then stood up on her tip toes see over the heads of those waiting in front of her. A few moments later, Jason came through the crowd. He grinned when he saw her.

“Hey beautiful!” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and rolled his carry-on behind him.  as they began to walk out to the car, rolling his carry-on behind him. As they walked outside, he started to walk towards the parking lot, but she steered him towards the rental pick-up.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“I had some car trouble, so I rented a car.” She smiled like it was no big deal.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Uh-huh.” She pulled the rental agreement out of her purse again as they arrived at the booth and handed it to the woman on duty.

A few minutes later they were on the road. “Wait a minute,” Jason said. “How did you get here if you didn’t have a car until you got here?”

That was a great question. How did she get out here? She cocked her head thinking fast. “Taxi.”

“Oh,” he said, pausing for a moment. Then he launched into the details of his conference.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Normally, she shared everything with Jason, but she was so rattled she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. At least, not until she understood it better. She knew he’d be concerned and would start asking questions. Good questions that scared her. Like how did she get out to the airport without a car and no sign of a receipt for a taxi. Why didn’t she rent a car in town? Had she been with someone? The black gaping hole of time in her mind scared her. What had happened to her today?

A Grave Mistake: Part 2