Page 7 of My Inherited House Might be Haunted

I got an immediate nod of agreement. Cheerio.

I snagged my favorite throw blanket—the shop sometimes got a bit chilly—and bundled it into a comfy ball, stuffing it into a semi-empty drawer near the register. It was out of line of sight unless someone leaned over the counter. Then I carefully picked up my intruder with both hands and gingerly settled it onto the blanket before tucking an edge around it. With fall approaching, and it wearing such scanty clothing, they had to be a little cold. It certainly felt chilled to me.

They gave me a sweet smile, acting bashful, and tugged the blanket more snuggly around its body before resuming eating the peppermint with gusto.

All right, my stray was settled. I was ready for business. I ducked around the counter and went straight for the door, unlocking it and flipping the sign toOpenbefore turning and retreating to my padded stool behind the counter.

None too soon, either. My first customer hurried in and barely gave me a greeting. “Morning, Calix! I need some Moon Drops, and do you have any of that infused chocolate?”

“Morning, Maggie. And I have both. How much do you need?”

“At least a box of each, please.” Maggie grabbed the box of Moon Drops herself. She looked a bit scattered this morning, with a distinct tilt forward as if her monthly cramps were killing her.

Being a man, I couldn’t sympathize, but I could supply the goods to relieve her suffering. My shop specialized in helping everyday ailments with a touch of magic. Not that most of my clients were aware of that last bit.

I picked out a box of chocolates from the back row of shelves. I’d learned not to leave these out for regular clients, as kids couldn’t seem to resist getting their hands all over them. The chocolates were infused with rosemary, magnesium, and a bit of moon-touched sugar. The sugar was one of the key ingredients, as the crystals soaked up the moon’s power and cooled the heat of the body’s cramps. My clients craved it badly during their monthly cycle because it eased their symptoms.

I rang Maggie up, putting both items in a bag, but not before she opened the Moon Drop box and swallowed a pill whole. That bad, huh?

She smiled, then took her goodies and ran.

Most of the next hour went much the same, with people dashing in for a quick purchase and then dashing out again. I’d have to do something about my stock of chocolate, as they almost wiped me out in the course of that hour. Maybe a bit of cooking was in order tonight.

But with my morning rush over, I had ten minutes to spare for my guest. The peppermint stick was mostly devoured by now, leaving it in a sleepy sugar-induced coma on the blanket. I took a picture of it and shot it over to my sister.What is this?

Phaedra called me immediately. “What do you mean, what is this?Did you pay absolutely no attention when Grams went over European mythology?”

“In my defense, I was growing that year and I slept through practically everything but herbology.”

She sighed, an older sister exasperated with her younger brother. “That is a Brownie.”

“Oh. It’s sort of cute.”

“Yes, they are.Why do you have one?”

“It snuck into my shop last night. I caught it licking a peppermint stick.”

“And of course you’re now taking care of it.”

I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see it. What was I supposed to do, throw the poor thing out on its ear?

“All right, well, this might be a good thing for you. If you’re interested in actually inviting it to be part of your household, at least.”

“Uh…why?”

“Brownies are caretakers of a home. Or a shop or wherever. If you come up with a good bargain, it will stay and help you maintain the place. Offering it its own place in your house, with meals and such, is a good way to win over its loyalty.”

I thought about not doing my own cleaning again. Wow, yes, let’s do that. “So three solid meals a day and its own place. Is that all? Oh, and can you tell gender?”

“Yes, that’s all. And you can by asking.”

“Cool beans. Thanks, sis.”

“Wait, did the Brownie get through your side door?”

“Yeah. I really need to get it fixed.”

“You’re a witch,” she reminded me patiently. “Fixing spells are well within your capabilities. Why aren’t you using them?”

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