Page 112 of The Neighborhood Witch

A shadow impatiently shuffled around on the other side of the black sheer curtain, surrounded by the sunny spring day. The knocks echoed once more before Alice gripped the knob.

She flung open the door. The warm spring air filled the hallway. Her eyes adjusted to the bright light. She found Esmerelda Honeydew waiting on the other side. Her head was tilted to the side, and she was frowning. She tapped the heels of her flats on the gray porch boards. One eyebrow arched.

“Hello, Ez.”

“First of all,” she said. “You called me last night and left some inaudible message.”

“Oh, right,” Alice replied. “The message. Sorry about that. I can explain. It was actually—”

“Then you didn’t return my calls,” she interrupted.

“Again, sorry,” Alice pleaded. “I had a good reason.”

“And then I had to drive all the way over here to make sure you’re okay,” Esmerelda scolded.

“I appreciate that. I really do.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, kiddo. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Oh yes,” Alice said. “Please come in.”

Esmerelda stepped inside. Alice closed the door, revealing multiple pairs of shoes. Alice noticed Esmerelda’s discerning look over the extra shoes. Esmerelda removed her overcoat and placed it on the rack next to Hugo’s black leather jacket. Two additional jackets were hung as well. One, a tan man’s jacket. The other, a woman’s overcoat. Esmerelda surveyed the empty living room. She glanced upstairs, waiting for her welcoming knocks of wood against wood. There was only silence.

“Everything okay, kiddo?”

“Fine,” Alice responded as she disappeared back into the kitchen. “I’m making tea. Would you like some?”

“I never pass up a good cup of tea,” she said. “I received an interesting news alert on my phone this morning.”

“Oh, what was it about?” Alice grabbed the kettle to pour the steaming water into a purple, ceramic teapot. She felt as if she already knew the answer.

“It’s a funny thing. I have news alerts set up for any sort of witchy activity that would be in the news.”

“Oh.” Alice cringed. The events of last night played out again in her mind. “Anything in particular you want to be alerted about?”

“You see, when you’re helping to hide someone in a small town, you’ll want to keep tabs on them. Like, oh, maybe setup news alerts from the local town paper with keywords likewitch,or I don’t know,broomstick.”

Alice set the kettle down. Her shoulders slumped as she prepared herself for one of Ez’s scoldings. “Those are some good keywords.”

“To my surprise, I had an alert this morning from a certain small-town newspaper, which happens to be the very same town where a certain witch is hiding out. The article described how people saw someone flying through the air on what they thought was a broomstick.”

Alice reappeared in the kitchen entryway. Her lips disappeared as they compressed into her mouth. “First of all, that wasn’t me.” She exclaimed, holding a finger in the air. She held up another. “Second of all, there is a very good explanation, which I will tell you… most of the details.”

Esmerelda arched her eyebrows. Her eyes shot annoyed glances toward Alice.

“Every detail,” Alice said before disappearing again behind the wall. She grabbed the purple, ceramic teapot and exited the kitchen.

Esmerelda gave a final glance back up the stairs before proceeding down the hallway. She took a seat at Alice’s dining room table. She peeked through the bay window toward Hugo’s house. Alice set the teapot down on a quilted black holder and checked to see what captured Ez’s attention. The white paint was blinding in the sunny midday sky.

Alice smiled and took her seat. She snapped her fingers, and two black tea cups flew in from the kitchen toward the table. Three more followed and rested on the table in front of the other chairs.

Esmerelda’s eyes widened. “Expecting more visitors?”

“No,” Alice replied.

Ez snapped her fingers. The teapot rose from its position and hovered over her cup. The steaming, hot liquid poured out as the teapot tipped over. The teapot righted itself and sat back down on the holder once the cup was nearly full. Esmerelda picked up her cup, blew on the tea, and took a sip.

“Start talking,” she said.

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