Page 81 of A Dream of Stars and Curses

‘Do you have any milk in your fridge?’ Kate asks. ‘Cake or oats would be good, too. Even better if you have both.’

‘We have milk and...’ I check the fridge to make sure. ‘Some unopened double cream, but no cake and definitely no oats.’

We’ve never been huge on oats, but it’s a crime that there’s no cake. Aside from it apparently being a great offering, Bonnie and I have earned some cake. It’ll be the first thing I buy once this is over. Maybe, if the boggart chooses to hang around once it’s a brownie again, we’ll offer it a slice, too. Better late than never?

‘Do you have any clothes you can spare?’

I look at Kate over my shoulder from the fridge. ‘Only what I’m wearing since I can’t go upstairs. Why?’

‘All the things I listed make excellent offerings, but giving a brownie clothes is a good way to get them to leave. I imagine you’d prefer to not have a brownie at all?’

I start to nod but stop myself. It would be safer, but I can’t pretend that having a helpful household spirit doesn’t sound useful. It repaired my mug once, and I know better now.

I get the double cream out of the fridge and shrug. ‘I guess I’ll leave that up to it.’

For all I know, it’s been here as long as we have, and we never had a problem. And what if it’s lived here longer than we have? I wouldn’t feel right kicking it out, even if it did get one of my old, worn shirts for it. Frankly, that sounds more like an insult than a present.

‘Let’s go to the shed,’ Kate says. ‘The actual offering won’t take long. We’ll know whether it accepted by tomorrow morning, though I advise against keeping an eye on the offering.’

I nod. I’m in this mess because I ran into it in the first place and questioned it about all the things it hates to be asked about. I got the point that brownies don’t want to be seen just fine. What’s the point in making a peace offering if I then spy on it through a window?

‘So... how does this work if I can’t see it or talk to it?’ I ask as we reach the shed.

Kate gives me one of her smiles full of secret wisdom. ‘Have you ever prayed before?’

I blink. ‘No. I’ve never been religious or believed in God.’

I’ve invoked gods plenty of times, but that’s mostly because I don’t believe in God and therefore didn’t feel right invoking him, as most other people do. I know it’s used regardless of belief, but it’s never felt right for me. I never mean any specific gods when I do it—it’s just a habit I adopted that felt a little more natural and probably started in a rebellious phase.

Although, after everything I’ve read in my books lately, there could be an impossibly large number of deities around.

Kate laughs quietly to herself. I feel like a kid in primary school who got five-plus-seven wrong.

I raise my eyebrows at her. ‘Are there gods?’

Kate chuckles again. ‘The important thing right now is how you approach this boggart. Learn how to treat a common household spirit before you mingle with deities, hm?’

Point taken. We had a friendly household spirit who was here because it likes to help, and I managed to piss it off by complete accident. Fuck knows what would happen if I met a deity. Probably best if I stick to my own neighbourhoods for now or forever, actually.

‘Fair point,’ I say. ‘So this is like praying?’

Kate nods. ‘In a sense. We believe your boggart is behind this door, so this is where we will leave its offering. All you need to do is introduce yourself, then explain what you’re leaving and why. Be honest—boggarts detest lies and will know when you’re trying to deceive them.’ She chuckles again. ‘So do gods, in fact.’

I swallow. I can do that. I clear my throat, but instinctively feel Bonnie’s and Leverett’s eyes on me. They are in the garden right next door. But when I look behind me, the garden is empty. They must have gone inside to give us some privacy... or rather, to give me some privacy, since Kate is here to teach me the steps. She isn’t the one who’s about to talk to a door.

Except, I’m not really addressing the door but the boggart behind it. The creature responsible for... well, I don’t know what exactly, but enough of the things that have gone wrong lately that I feel entitled to a bit of anger. The thought disappears as soon as I think it. The boggart has messed with me and my loved ones, but in its eyes, I committed the first crime by seeing it and questioning it. If I can hopefully end it all with a bit of double cream and an apology, why wouldn’t I?

I sit in front of the door. It feels less like I’m lording over it and more like I’m talking to a friend. We’re far from that dynamic, but who knows? Maybe it really will stay around and we’ll get there after a few shared cakes.

‘Erm... Hi. I’m Esta. I, erm, live here.’ Strong start. ‘I’ve brought you a present. Please accept my offering of cream.’ I blush as I say it. By its very nature, the boggart won’t respond, so there’s a chance it isn’t here and I really am just talking to a door. I open the double cream and place it in front of me. ‘Sorry, I should have brought a bowl or a glass or something.’ Just giving it the plastic container feels disrespectful, but it’s too late now. ‘I hope this is okay. I have milk, too, if you’d prefer that, though I suppose you won’t tell me. I, erm...’

I’m very aware that I’m waffling, but it’s not like Kate gave me a script. She said to be honest, so I figure it’s better to spill every thought into the space between us than to hold something back.

‘I’m sorry I disturbed you that night, and I’m really sorry I asked for your name and why you were there. I honestly didn’t even know I was awake. I’m used to lucid-dreaming and asking other dream characters why they’re there, and I thought you were one of them.’ I blush deeper. Do I need to say this much? Maybe hearing how awkward I am will help. All this has got to reek of honesty. ‘I offer you this cream in apology. I won’t demand you leave us alone, but I’m happy to leave you regular offerings if you reconsider.’ It feels right. This way, my life gets to return to relative normal, and the brownie gets something good out of it, too. ‘So, erm... I hope you enjoy the cream, and I hope my offering is good enough. I...’

I really don’t want to be cursed anymore.

So, I take off my shirt and place it next to the cream.

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