Page 75 of The Neighborhood Witch

Hugo lowered his head in thought before nodding back.

Alice’s reflection smiled. “Go on,” she said. “Go join her.”

“On or off?” He pointed to the light switch.

“Leave it on.”

Hugo gave her a wink and disappeared back behind the wall.

The sound of Christmas merriment grew louder with each step as Hugo descended the stairs. The nails on Max’s feet clacked against the hardwood floor. Alice’s giddy excitement as she riffled through wrapped packages. The sound of Christmas music. Nothing modern, but old classics as Alice preferred. Hugo didn’t even recognize some as they were in a Gaelic tongue. The smells of cinnamon, dried oranges, and pine greeted Hugo as he moved into the entryway of the living room.

He stood there and took in the sensations of the moment. The Yule log crackled in the fireplace. Melting wax candles of green and gold adorned the mantle between hanging stockings at both ends. Their bubbly, gnarled, icicle like drippings nearly clawed their way to the floor, like ghostly apparitions of Christmas past wanting to join in the festivities of present day. A large red candle stood in the center; it was large enough to burn for a week. This was the Christmas candle—the symbol of the returning light through the darkest of nights.

The decorated Christmas tree, nearly as tall as the ceiling, was nestled snugly in the back corner of the living room on the other side of the red velvet couch. Streams of gold and silver lined the walls. Greenery of holly, pine cones, and wreathes decorated the room onevery surface. They competed for space alongside Alice’s usual assortment of maximalist possessions. Some nearly fell off, but Hugo knew there was enough magick in the living room to keep them in place.

This felt right to Hugo. This felt like home. He burnt the sensations of that morning into his memory.

Max was busy snooping and smelling every present. Galahad followed Max, mimicking her every movement. Alice removed her presents from beneath the tree. She sorted the brightly colored packages in order of the ones that she wanted to open first, alternating between large and small. Alice raised her head away from her duties toward Hugo standing in the entryway.

He pointed to the greenery that hung above his head. “I’m standing under mistletoe.”

“Well, you know what that means,” Alice said with a mischievous grin.

He returned the grin with a come-hither stare. She stood and approached him. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back behind her ears. She pouted her lips. A smolder in her eyes. He stood up tall with his chest out. Alice stopped short and blew him a kiss.

“First. Presents,” Alice said as she tiptoed back to her bounty laid out on the ground.

Hugo didn’t feel disappointed. He chuckled and added this moment to his slideshow of memories.

Hugo joined Alice on the floor. Max wormed her way into his lap.

“Okay. Okay. Merry Christmas to you too,” he said.

Galahad followed suit and laid across Alice’s lap. Hugo and Alice both smiled at each other for a moment. It felt like an eternity passing in an instant. They laughed and rubbed their respective pets.

“Give me. Give me,” Hugo said.

They tore into their presents. They opened their presents one at a time and explained the special meaning behind the gift. Alice snapped up a large package in purple paper with silver ribbon.

“Wait!” Hugo said. Startled, she paused. “Open that one last.”

“Well, now I want to open it even more.” Alice turned the neatly wrapped gift to examine all sides. It was the only one wrapped in purple paper.

“It’s special.”

“That’s really not helping this situation.”

“Go ahead,” Hugo said with a giddy glee.

Alice’s eyes widened. She wildly ripped the paper as if it was of no importance to her. She dug through the contents inside. The purple paper gave way to a black cardboard box. She flung open the lid. Her jaw dropped as if all the excitement left her body.

Hugo recoiled slightly out of fear that he misjudged his special gift. Alice cupped her mouth. She leaned in closer to examine the contents.

“Do you…” Hugo began. “Do you like them?”

Alice pulled out a stone mortar and pestle.Alice Primrosewas engraved in purple letters along the side of the bowl and the pestle. She pulled out six more, each engraved with her name in a different color.

“I thought no one could take them from you if they had your name on ’em,” Hugo explained. “And I got different colors, so you can coordinate them to individual spells.”

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