Page 65 of A Dream of Stars and Curses

‘No,’ I say. ‘I can’t think of—’

I freeze. I can think of something, but I didn’t... I thought it was a dream. It certainly didn’t feel real at the time, but if that’s what Kate means, then someone was in my house at night while we were sleeping, and that makes freaked-out shivers run all over me.

‘There was a man.’ I consider how to phrase it as I speak, so the words come out slowly. ‘I got up late one night because I was thirsty, and there was a man in my kitchen. I was, like, eighty percent asleep at the time. I didn’t think it was really happening. Lady didn’t exactly panic at the stranger in the house, either, so I thought it was a dream. Is that it?’

There’s an odd mixture of relief and worry on Kate’s face. ‘Yes, I believe that’s it, but since you were so sure it was a dream, allow me to confirm a few things. As a lucid dreamer, how experienced would you say you are at telling the difference between your dreamscape and the waking world?’

I pout. I happen to know the difference very well... when I’m actually in a lucid dream. Even for me, not all dreams are lucid. I do still have the regular variety.

‘Pretty good,’ I say. ‘Normal dreams still happen, though. I can lucid dream at will, but that doesn’t mean I do it every night.’ Sometimes, I just need sleep without Mischief throwing shade at me over something. Sometimes it’s nicer to wake up and not remember any dreams, or to not have worked through this problem or explored that idea while I was sleeping. It’s a great ability to have, but I like baking, too, and I don’t do that every day just because I can. Some days—okay, most days—I prefer to buy my cakes ready-made.

‘So it’s possible that you wandered through the house half-asleep and mistook something out of place for a dream?’

I nod. ‘Yes. I don’t think it’s ever happened before, but I don’t see why not.’ Our minds explain away things we don’t understand all the time. The guy in my kitchen didn’t make any sense, so I just assumed he wasn’t really there. I hug myself. ‘Who was he?’

‘In a moment. Did you say anything to him?’

I try to remember, but it’s like forcing yourself to remember a dream as soon as you wake up—the harder you try, the faster it fades.

‘I think I asked him what he wanted, who he was, if he represented any fears...’ Standard lucid dream protocol, basically.

But Kate looks increasingly worried. ‘Before you saw this man, did you notice anything else? A streak of good luck around the house, maybe, or broken objects that were miraculously fixed over night?’

I shiver. ‘There was a cup. I dropped it one morning and didn’t have glue to fix it, but it was repaired the next day. I figured Bonnie found some glue and did it.’ But I never asked her about it or thanked her. There were other things going on. I completely glossed over it. If I had, could I have avoided this whole thing? If I had thanked her for repairing the mug, she would have told me that she didn’t touch it, and I might have found that a little suspicious.

‘I take it all this bad luck started after you saw the man?’ Kate asks.

I try to think if there was anything before then, but I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary. There were a few small things, sure, but it definitely got a lot worse after that.

I nod in response.

Kate sighs in relief. ‘You’re not cursed, Esta. You’ve got a boggart.’

I blink at her. ‘A what now?’

She frowns. ‘A boggart. We briefly talked about brownies and boggarts when we went for a walk through the forest. Don’t you remember?’

I remember her mentioning household spirits, different types of elementals... and being surprised to find out that brownie isn’t pronounced like the chocolate cake but as broo-nie. Kate must have mentioned boggarts right after that, when I was too busy being overwhelmed with all the information.

So, really, this is Kate’s fault. She over-taught me.

‘I... remember something, but no details,’ I admit. ‘I’m sorry.’

Kate sighs again. ‘Don’t be. It was a lot to take in, and since it was our first lesson together, I didn’t go into much detail. It was merely part of the overview I gave you. I’m glad we have solved this mystery.’

Hearing her say those words is like cooling balm on a scorching blister. We’ve solved the mystery. Everything can go back to normal now.

‘What do I do? Is there any way to turn a boggart back into a brownie?’

Kate nods. ‘I know of a way. Do you want to do it now, or would you like to sleep first? You look like you haven’t slept all night.’

I glance towards the windows. More light than I expected streams in through the curtains. I really did spend all night feeling sorry for myself.

‘No, let’s do it now,’ I say. ‘I want this over with.’

‘If you’ll allow it, I will call Leverett and Bonnie later. I think they’ll be interested to know that all your disagreements were likely due to a wronged household spirit twisting their emotions.’ Her eyes turn stormy, and I’m suddenly very grateful that we’re on the same side. Under her breath, she says, ‘I can’t believe a boggart tried to manipulate me.’

At first I’m not sure what she means, but then I remember that one chat we had where she snapped at me, once. It’s not like her to lose her patience, and Kate looked confused about it at the time. Hardly a crime, all else considered, but I can see why she’s annoyed.

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