Page 1 of Witchful Thinking

May

lily of the valley and hawthorn

Chapter One

Whenever it rained in Freya Grove, New Jersey, Nana Ruth Naomi Caraway, the matriarch witch of the family, said the same proverb to her eldest granddaughter, Lucy.

“You don’t know how deep a puddle is until you step in it.”

With her plastic barrettes and baby teeth, Lucy had nodded, awed by Nana’s never-ending words. They sounded so wise, but of course she, having only started kindergarten that year, didn’t know what Nana was talking about at all. Nana leaned on her cane, squinted at the downpour from the warmth of their communal living room, and nudged little Lucy with her bony elbow. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she opened the door and ushered Lucy outside into the rain. Together, they splashed around in the puddles on the sidewalk, their joyful laughs echoing out onto Summerfield Street. Afterward, they came back inside, dried off, and had cookies and hot mugs of loose tea. Nana showed Lucy how to read endless possibilities in the bottom of a porcelain cup through tea leaves.

That rainy afternoon was the first time Lucy learned that she, like everyone else in her family, was a very special person. Plants bloomed and opened under Nana’s attention and touch. Pots and pans bubbled with sweet and oily brews that were left to simmer for hours. Nana knew when the phone was about to ring before it made a sound and when visitors were coming over. Dressed in a pink calico house dress, she rolled the Mercury dime between her fingers while she scanned aged, stained pages of the ancestral spell book.

Nana was with the ancestors now, but the lessons remained rooted in every spell Lucy completed. Now when it rained, Lucy felt a grief so deep and swift it cut across her chest. She might have jumped in the puddles back then, but now Lucy avoided all big and small waters.What was the point of messing up her shoes? Her weather app alerted her to any surprising thunderstorms headed to the Jersey Shore. She had collapsible umbrellas in both her purse and desk at school. She didn’t jump into bodies of water without looking, and she, as TLC warned years ago, didn’t go chasing waterfalls. Lucy avoided surprises by keeping her behind home and staying away from places she had no business being.

No surprises. Just the way she liked it.

That’s why she loved the Founders’ Day Festival.

It took place the second week of May; it lasted for five days and was the unofficial start of the beach season in the Grove. All fun at the festival was structured and predictable. There was always the knockdown game, the Madame Zora fortune booth, funnel cake stands, and the Ferris wheel, which sparkled on the grounds. As she and her sisters drove to the festival from their family’s house in their beat-up car, giddiness bubbled within her. Amusement rides, food trucks, and booths set up in Grove Park were illuminated in the near distance. Lucy parked the car and practically sprinted over to the festival, her sisters trailing two blocks behind her.

This event signaled the end of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation. She breathed in the fresh-cut grass and let out the stress of getting her final marking period grades in on time. The sun set, and the festival lights lit up the large park. Seagulls drifted on the thermals, searching for abandoned french fries. The ocean breeze, calm and inviting, wafted through the air. She stood at the edge of the fairgrounds, scanning the white and purple booths and smiling at the citizens—both human and non-human—who shared the same magic in their eyes. It was nice to see goblins and ghosts out on the prowl, rubbing shoulders with their fellow neighbors.

The Grove was out to play.

She smiled, but there was a sense of hesitancy inside that made her stand still. Tonight was her first time out in public since she and Marcus broke up over winter break. She’d used the cold season to recharge, drink huge cups of clove and cinnamon tea with honey, and prepare charms for the impending spring. But it was time. The seasons had changed, and she couldn’t hide away at home any longer. Once spring bloomed, so did she, so she ventured out into the Grove. Her soul mate and destiny waited.

Cheers caught her attention like a forgotten song playing over the radio. Carnival barkers enticed people to try their luck. Squeals from passengers filled the air. The scent of delicious salty, buttery popcorn and fried dough eased her nerves. As a teacher, she wasn’t running toward the end of the school year but rather throwing herself over the line like an Olympic racer trying for a photo finish. There were only so many times she could deal with that one colleague asking the unnecessary, long-winded question after every staff meeting and being asked to cover another class during her lunch break.

She wasn’t burnt out; she was burnt to a crisp.

Summer was in her reach if she only held on for a little longer.

“Hey!” Callie walked up to her, knocking her out of her musings. “You didn’t wait for us to pay the meter!”

A small wedge of guilt hit her stomach. She gave her youngest sister a weak smile. “I didn’t want to miss anything.”

“Were you trying to ditch us?” Callie looped an arm around Lucy’s shoulder and pulled her in for a quick side hug.

“I thought about it.” Lucy held back a laugh. “All’s fair with festivals and funnel cake.”

Callie pinched her arm. “Rude. Wait until I tell Sirena.”

“Right.” Lucy glanced around, found Sirena, and sighed. “I don’t think she cares.”

Sirena stood off on the sidewalk, catching up with a dapper-looking man.

“Welp. She’s gone.” Callie looked in Sirena’s direction and let out a groan. “Is that Felix? Why am I not surprised?”

Lucy sighed sarcastically. “Of course. He probably wanted to talk about catering.”

She eyed them for a long moment. Her senses tingled her neck. From the way Sirena laughed and played with her two-tone goddess locs and how Felix leaned into her space, it was apparent that she wasn’t rushing to join them.

Callie lowered her voice and nodded over at Felix. “No one laughs that loud when they’re talking about appetizers.”

Lucy quietly agreed. Felix, with his constantly crooked smile, loved to talk to Sirena for “just a moment.” Despite the obvious chemistry between the two friends, neither of them had made a move to go out on a real adult date. Nana had a saying when it came to matters of adult life and love: Fish or cut bait. You either made a move or you left a person alone. Felix did nothing, even though Sirena was tossing bait his way. Lucy hoped for her sister’s sake that she’d stop chumming his waters.

“I guess it’s just you and me tonight, kid,” Lucy said.

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