I grumbled to myself as I pulled on my fancy-dress witch tights, but in truth I wasn’t massively bothered; I was getting used to the idea that he’d seen it all already.
Ten minutes later I twirled in front of the mirror. I was wearing a sexy little black dress, the black and white striped tights, and some black pointed heels. I had a witch’s hat ready and a broomstick for good measure.
The irony of my outfit struck me as hilarious. I’d bought it days ago, before I knew any of the inherited witch stuff. Now I almost wished I’d gone with the cat costume that had looked super sexy. Unfortunately I had decided that it was too sexy, it just wasn’t me – I’m much more a kooky witch than a sex kitten. We are what we are, I giggled to myself.
“You can come back now.” I raised my voice.
Peter floated back through the wall. He wolf-whistled at me, which I appreciated, so I struck a pose for him. “Very nice,” he said approvingly. “So did your aunt have any advice on helping me cross over?” he asked, and I felt really selfish for making him wait.
“Sorry, Peter. She said it was pretty complicated. There’s something in my mother’s Grimoire but I haven’t looked at it yet. She did say there was a witch in her Coven that might be able to help, though.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “That’s great. When can you see her?”
I groaned inwardly. I really didn’t want to do this tonight of all nights, I wanted to go the party and see Sean.
“She’ll be at The Seven Sisters for a Coven meeting tonight…” I said slowly, trying to think of a way out of it. “But let’s look at the Grimoire first, maybe there is something I can do.”
We both sat on my bed as I flicked through the pages.
“Here it is.” I found two spells, one for banishing a ghost and one to help a willing ghost cross over.
“Oh damn. Ideally we need your bones.” I was grossed out at the idea of touching bones, even if Peter knew where to find them. I was certainly not going to dig up any dead bodies. “Oh, or a ghost willing to stand inside a cast circle; we have that! The tough bit, apparently, is that we have to connect, and it takes a powerful witch to do that.” I paused, not keen on telling him that so far I was pretty much a bust as a witch.
I heaved a sigh. I would have to give it a go; it was that or tell him I would rather go to a party than help him cross over.
I looked at the clock; it was only six-thirty but it was already pitch dark outside. The autumn nights were really drawing in.
“We have some time. Let’s give it a try,” I said. “I’m only going to do a really simple circle, because I’ve never done anything like this on my own before, OK?” I got up and collected the white candles I had just been given by Iris.
I set four candles down in a large circle and turned off all the lights. My curtains were open and the room was now lit just by the full moon outside. I seated myself in the middle of the candles with a box of matches, some incense and an incense holder.
“You’d better come sit in here as well,” I said to Peter. “Apparently, once the circle is cast you shouldn’t be able to cross in or out. We mustn’t swear in the circle, and if I leave it, it will break, so have we got everything?”
Peter nodded; he looked worried but he came and sat down beside me.
I opened the Grimoire in my lap and began to put into practice what I had learned from my aunt that day.
I tried to remember where the sun rose each day so I would know which way was East.
I began to recite: “Watchtower of the East, Guard and Bless this Circle.” I lit the first candle. “Watchtower of the South, Guard and Bless this Circle.” I lit the next candle and then repeated the words for West and North. When all four candles were flaming away, I lit the incense. I let the smoke follow me as I slowly turned round in a full circle and said, “As above and so below.” Then I waved the incense a bit to make sure the circle was fully cleansed, before putting it in the incense holder.
I stifled the urge to giggle; I must have looked ridiculous, especially as I was wearing my full-on witch costume. I bit my lip and managed to get a more serious look on my face.
I seated myself opposite Peter in the middle and held out my hands palm-up.
“Do you think you could rest your palms on mine?” I asked him. He lightly put his ghostly hands over mine and I resisted a shiver as I felt him there.
“OK, this is the tough bit; we have to concentrate on each other, like a Vulcan mind-meld.” I closed my eyes and tried to sense him without them. I was concentrating so hard I didn’t hear anyone come into the house.
“Emily? What time are you planning to leave tonight?” It was Duncan’s voice right outside my door. The doorknob turned and the door began to open.
“Don’t come in!” I shrieked. I threw my hands out towards the door and there was a blast of yellow energy. The door, which was now half open, slammed shut again, knocking Duncan back through it and into the wall of the hallway. The candles flared up for a moment and then went out.
“Oh no!” I scrambled to my feet and opened my bedroom door. Duncan was sprawled out in the hallway completely unconscious, and there was a massive crack in the wall where he must have hit his head.
“What just happened?” I asked Peter desperately.
He shrugged. “Some pretty strong magic? Is it supposed to come out of your hands like that?”
I looked down at my hands, expecting some evidence of magic, but they looked normal. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so.”
I slapped Duncan’s cheek lightly, trying to get him to wake up, but he didn’t react. I felt a bump on the back of his head and there was a matching red mark on his forehead where the door must have really whacked him.
“Help me drag him into my room, quickly, before the parents get back,” I said over my shoulder.
Peter gave me a look and I remembered he couldn’t touch anything. So I dragged Duncan by his ankles through my door; he weighed a ton.
“I need help! I’ll be in so much trouble for this. They might not even let me go to the party.”
I switched on the lights and scrabbled in my bag for my phone. I tried to ring Iris, but got no answer. I was starting to panic when inspiration hit me. I went over to the window, opened it and yelled, “Bob!”
He was there in seconds, a black shape appearing against the moon. I stood back and he flew in.
“Yes, Mistress?” He looked sleepy, and I wondered if birds went to bed as soon as it got dark.
“I need you to find my aunt and tell her I’ve knocked Duncan out. By accident,” I added as Bob tipped his head at me questioningly. “I was casting a circle and he came into the room; I sort of blasted him.”
“Blasted him, Mistress?”
“Yes,” I held my hands up to Bob, “Like this, and some kind of burning light came out of my palms and hit the door and it knocked him out.”
“You didn’t say any kind of spell?” Bob looked intrigued.
“No, is that normal?” I already knew by the look on his face that it wasn’t.
“Were you pointing your wand at him?” Bob seemed to be trying to comprehend what happened as much as I was.
“No. I already told you, it came out of my palms. Look, never mind that. Can you find Iris or not?”
“Yes, of course, Mistress, I’ll be as quick as I can.” He gave me one more speculative look and then flew out the window.
I went into the bathroom and ran a flannel under the tap, and then returned to my room and applied it to Duncan’s forehead.
“Do you think I should ring an ambulance?” I asked Peter.
“How will you explain it?” he asked sensibly. “He’s only knocked out. I’m sure I saw a spell in your book, when we were looking through it earlier, to ‘Revive’ a person.
“Oh, great idea. Though I doubt I could make it work, let’s have a look.”
I retrieved my Grimoire from the circle.
“Yes! Here it is. Oh pants, it’s pretty complicated. I need a load of stuff.” I went round the room collecting what I had.
I had to run downstairs to get an apple, a glass of water and a bowl of some earth from the garden, but then I was ready.
I sat back down inside the candles and grimaced at Peter. “Wish me luck.”
I cut the apple in half with my Athame on a mirror to double the strength of the spell, and reading from the Grimoire I said “I offer this apple to the Goddess and ask for the power of the full moon to fill me.”
I removed one seed from the apple and, cradling it in my palm, I said “Seed of life, I give you air,” then I blew on it. “Seed of life, I give you earth.” I planted it in the bowl of earth. “Seed of life, I give you water.” I watered the earth. “Seed of life, I give you fire from the father sun and light this candle to guide you.” I lit a red candle and stood it in the earth. Then I picked up my wand, pointed it at Duncan and intoned:
“By earth, air, fire and water, let the power of the elements reside.
In perfect love and perfect trust, this man I want you to revive.
This is my will, hear my plea, as it harm none, so mote it be.”
Once again nothing happened at all. I gave a wail and dropped my wand. Storming over to Duncan, I shook him hard. “Revive, Revive, Revive!” I sobbed in frustration.
This time the light burst out of me in like a ring around a planet, and then it slowly grew and grew, until – whoosh – it exploded outwards. Out of the window I could see the light fill the garden and beyond, and then everything went dark again.
My bedroom light flickered and then came on again.
Duncan sat up; the mark was gone from his forehead and he looked fine. I slumped in relief.
“Who the hell is that?” Duncan asked, looking over my shoulder.
I turned my head and gasped. Peter wasn’t a ghost anymore. I’d “revived” him too. He was now a handsome sixteen-year-old boy, standing in my room, and that suit I had been unable to place? It was a pair of striped pyjamas.