Page 50 of The Neighborhood Witch

Elizabeth.The name coursed through his mind. His final thought.

“Hugo!” Alice shouted into the sky.

His eyes snapped open. Her voice echoed off of the waiting trees.Alice!He couldn’t muster the name, only the thought.

Hugo was only a few feet away from the trees. Their limbs quickened with anticipation in the chilled wind. A wood branch rose and smacked Hugo in the face. Not a tree limb, but the familiar sight of brown with streaks of black and ovals of tan.

Hugo wrapped his arms and legs around the broomstick. The inertia caused him to slide off the side. Galahad barrel-rolled with Hugo’s limp body, desperately attempting to stabilize their momentum. Hugo found the bicycle seat. He slowly rose, grabbing thehandle with a firm grip. His eyes focused on the treetops zipping past at great speed. He leaned in.

Hugo kicked the broomcorn bristles. “Fly, Galahad! Fly!”

Hugo and the broom circled around the top of Wildgrove Park at a great speed. He pulled back on the handle, rising higher into the sky. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the smooth hickory. The wind rushed across his face. The chill in the air was of no concern.

They climbed higher and higher, almost perpendicular to the ground. He raised his right hand and gave a two-finger salute toward the crescent moon. With a wink, he grabbed the handle and descended.

Their vertical descent gained speed. They fell with purpose toward the trees below. Barren limbs awaited the duo.

“Not yet,” Hugo commanded.

They continued their rapid descent.

“Not yet.”

They were within yards of the trees. Their limbs quickened their pace with the breeze.

“Not yet!”

Galahad pushed against Hugo’s hands, but Hugo resisted altering their course.

They were within feet of the trees.

“Now!” Hugo shouted, rearing back on the broom handle.

They pulled out of their tailspin and sailed along the treetops. They circled around, reducing speed, before descending back into the clearing to a waiting Alice.

Hugo’s heart raced with exhilaration. His cheeks were red with wind burn. A smile… a long-forgotten smile… played across his face. He tried to catch his breath. The thrills of the night’s activities were still fresh in his mind. He placed his feet on the ground and leaned back into the seat.

“Good boy,” Hugo reassured Galahad as he patted him on the handle. “You did good.”

“What the fuck was that?” Alice yelled as she was now deep into the thicket of the trees. She trudged back.

“That?” Hugo pointed to the sky before nonchalantly leaning back in the seat. “That is what we in the business call expert flying. Natural skills.”

Alice rushed over to Hugo and shoved him in the chest. He rocked back and forth, nearly falling off the broom if not for his left foot propping him up.

Alice hugged him, burying her head in between his neck and shoulder. “You scared the shit out of me.” Alice’s muffled voice tickled Hugo.

He wrapped his arms around her, weaving his right hand into her vibrant purple hair, gently massaging the back of her head. They held together, interwoven as one, for what felt like an eternity. Hugo had not experienced this in months. He didn’t want it to end. He leaned in closer to Alice and whispered, “Maybe I’ll teach you to fly like that someday.”

Alice relinquished her hold on Hugo and gave him another shove.

He chuckled at Alice’s frustration. “I’m kidding.”

“Gally, dump him,” Alice commanded.

“Wait, wait…” Hugo’s voice trailed off as Galahad bucked up into the sky, dumping Hugo back onto the cold, damp ground.

The thud resonated through his back. The earthy, musty smell wafted over his nose.

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