Page 16 of Marcus-stiltskin

“Don’t what?”

She meets my eyes. “Don’t think just because things are changing around you that letting it happen is enough. You must push through and face it full on.”

“You swear you’re not going to tell me I have a secret destiny?” I ask.

She chuckles. “No more so than any of us.” She stacks the cards up and puts them back in the box. “Alright, let’s try to get you a familiar.” She looks around until she finds Porshetta sitting a few feet away. “Porshetta, can you bring me an apple?”

“Is Porshetta your familiar?”

Darla shakes her head. “Porshetta is her own pig. She graces me with her presence and I’m grateful for it.”

Porshetta lumbers up to all fours, then waddles away only to reappear with an apple in her mouth. Darla takes it from her,wipes it off on her skirt and then takes a pen and writes on the apple.

“What are you writing?” I ask, curious what a spell to find a familiar would look like.

She just shakes her head. “Just our intentions. Asking the universe to bring you your familiar.” She wraps up the apple in a paper towel, puts it in a plastic shopping bag and ties it off. “Don’t open this until you get home. Put it outside on your window sill and you should see something soon.”

“Only if the deer don’t steal it first.”

She smiles. “They won’t. Unless your familiar is a deer.”

“What do I do then?”

“Put corn out for it?”

Chapter Seven

In Which Things Get Even Better

My stop at Darla’s messes with my whole afternoon. I skid into the driveway with just an hour to get changed and out the door for my usual Thursday shift at the Wild Hare. I take the apple Darla cast a spell on and set it on my window sill before running inside and looking for a suitable stage outfit and clean sweats.

I’m back in the car, driving rather unsafely down the driveway when the rattle of the car knocks my purse off the passenger seat. Everything goes flying across the floorboard. I slow to grab it and feel the car hit a rather large bump with the front tire. I’m late and incredibly tempted to just move on, but there are so many animals out here. It would be cruel to leave a dying animal out here alone in pain.

I shove the car in park and hop out, checking under the car for anything and finding it empty before coming around to the front.

My heart sinks at what I see.

Freddie K. is laying there, just in front of my front tire, his little paws sticking straight in the air. Dread fills my gut. Did I justkill a dog? Marcus’s dog? I’ve never hit something remotely pet-shaped before in my life. I inch closer to the poor creature, trying to prepare myself for blood or guts. I’ve just gotten my nerve up to kneel down and touch him when Marcus’s voice calls from the front door of the fire station. “FREDDIE K., IT’S DINNER TIME!”

Freddie K immediately reanimates at the word “dinner.” He farts a fart louder than anything his size should be able to make, rolls over, and looks at me.

“What?” I ask.

He shoves his fluffy head under my hand like Willow, so I scratch his head for a moment until he gets bored of me and trots off toward the fire station.

I stare after him, utterly confused. Why was he asleep in the driveway? Does he have some dog form of narcolepsy? I move around the car and see the culprit–a large rock just behind the car.

“Sarah? Sarah! Is that you?” Marcus calls from the front door of the station. Thankfully, he seems oblivious to Freddie K.’s near death experience. He smiles his magnetic smile and waves me over. I cross the drive and he moves carefully across the grass to meet me halfway.

“So, I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me tomorrow night? We could drive into the city and grab some dinner.”

“I’d love to, but I work weekends.”

“Oh, that’s right. I remember you telling me at Soojin’s. What about after work?”

“We don’t usually get out until two or three.”

“Two or three? Oh, do you work at that bar…the Wild Rabbit?”

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