Page 106 of The Neighborhood Witch

“You have to help me,” Hugo said. “She’s hurt, and I don’t know what to do.”

There was no response.

“You have to help me.”

No response from the mirror.

“Are you there?” Hugo stood up taller.

He looked down to the floor on the inside of the mirror. Alice’s mirror reflection lay motionless on the black and white checkerboard tile. Hugo’s eyes widened with terror. He shook the mirror.

“Hey!” Hugo yelled. “Wake up. I need you.”

There was no response. Her body face down. Lifeless like Alice downstairs.

“I need you. Please help.” His hand slapped the wall.

No response.

As his heart raced and his breathing became labored, he stood there thinking. “What do I do?” he said in a low, hushed voice.

Esmerelda Honeydew.The name popped into his mind.

He hurried back downstairs. His hands braced against the walls; he leapt down a few steps and into the hallway. He scrambled to find Alice’s oversized, rectangular black and purple purse. He unzipped the top and fumbled through the contents. He tossed aside various items, searching for Alice’s phone. On the bottom, his prize awaited. He pulled out the phone and called Ez.

The ringing felt like an eternity. Each dial tone was more excruciating than the last. He heard a click.

“Hello?” Hugo yelled.

“You’ve reached Ez. I’m not able to come to the phone at the moment because I’m probably working behind the bar. You know what to do, kiddo,” Ez’s prerecorded voice said through the phone.

Hugo waited for the beep. “Ez! Ez, it’s Hugo. Alice is in trouble. I need help. Please call back.” He hung up the phone.

Then he stood in the hallway. He crept toward the living room entryway, not wanting to look at the red velvet couch. It felt eerily reminiscent to entering Hill Funeral Home’s viewing room the year before.

Hugo enteredthe viewing room with half steps. He tried to delay the inevitable as long as possible. If he didn’t enter the room, then it wasn’t real—not to him, anyway. The room was empty, except for Hugo and one other occupant.

The place smelled of lilies and lavender. White folding chairs were organized neatly into rows on either side of a center aisle way. A wooden lectern was placed in the front left. Floral arrangements were spread out in the front of the rectangular room. In the center, there was a tan wood coffin with one half open, revealing the occupant.

Hugo approached with half steps. His eyes focused, and his lips quivered. His eyes watered, but he held back tears as long as possible until a solitary tear fell. As he drew closer, he focused on her smiling face. The auburn wig placed on her head. She appeared to be at peace. No longer in pain. His Elizabeth…

“Focus!”Hugo yelled. “Focus. Help her.”

He dialed Ez’s number again. Once again, he got the voicemail.

“Please call me back, Ez! I need your help.”

He placed Alice’s phone in his pocket. He searched around for something, anything. He glanced down the hallway to the shattered tea cup. His eyes focused on the liquid on the floor.

Liquid. Drink.Wine!

Hugo flung open the door leading into the basement. The smell of mildew and dampness filled his nose. He leapt into the darkness. The stairs creaked as he hurried down. He braced himself against the wall, taking a risk with every hurried step. He lunged for a step below, and his foot slipped. He stumbled but grabbed ahold of the railing, preventing him from falling and smacking his head into the cinderblock wall. He picked himself up and continued.

He stretched into the darkness for the light pull string. His arm flailed into the air, searching, hoping. He felt the twinepull string. His fingers wrapped around it and gave a tug. The light illuminated the empty basement. Hugo rushed over to the wooden door. He pushed on the cast iron handle revealing the dark room inside.

Hugo snapped his fingers. Nothing happened.

“Of course,” he said. “Alice, we need to have a conversation about motion sensors.”

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