We entered the Grove silently and sat in the dark by the fire pit. I felt excited about all the things we were going to do, but I tried to relax.
Penny kindled a fire, and I built it up with the twigs and sticks we had collected. “I have the map,” Penny said. “Build me a nice bonfire, but don’t be surprised if it takes me an hour to cover all those roads!” She crept away into the darkness.
I had lots of time to think while Penny was gone checking to see if our fire was visible. All I had to do was keep the flames leaping, and I had a huge pile of wood ready. I thought about Penny’s mom, wanting to grow a garden. I wondered if she might get married to her boyfriend someday. He sure made us a beautiful altar, even though he didn’t know it. We should give him a gift in return — maybe some calligraphy or a fancy candle or something.
I put more large sticks in the fire. Did I want a boyfriend? I wasn’t sure.
Michael seemed nice. I just wasn’t sure.
I was glad we joined Search and Rescue. That first meeting had been kind of tense, wondering if they were going to accept us or laugh us out of the house. We were automatically on D team, the support people, and we would work with Mabel on rescues until we were permanent members. That would be strange having radio receivers that could go off at any time, day or night, to call us to a rescue.
I opened the bag Penny brought and looked through all the seed packets.
Gardening would be fun to learn someday. Maybe her mom would teach us after she gets good at it.
More wood on the fire. I looked through our Grimoire — there was getting to be lots of stuff in it. I thought of a couple of things I wanted to add, like a history of all our Wood Sprite ceremonies and magic.
“Hi!”
I jumped into the shadows and pulled out my knife in one quick leap.
“Penny!” I relaxed and went back to the fire.
“I’d hate to meet you in a dark alley!”
“I didn’t hear a thing! You’re really quiet,” I said.
“You’re just as quiet. You’ve just never snuck up on anybody yet.”
“I guess we’ll have to learn to listen, too! Did you see it?”
“Not a flicker, all the way around!” she said.
“Great! I’ve always felt really safe here.”
A minute later, we both stepped into the Magic Circle, each carrying a lighted white candle. I said, “We dedicate this Grove to God and his Spirits, as a safe place for Wood Sprites to do white magic. All good spirits are welcome here.” We set the candles on the altar and sat on the ground in front of it. My prayers were about Michael, that he would be a good friend and want to join the Grove. “God, please hear our prayers.”
I brought a small blue candle out of my pocket and set it on the altar.
“Spirits, we Wood Sprites have a special request on this Beltane eve. Penny’s mom is trying to be happy, and we offer this flame . . .” I lit the candle from an altar candle. “. . . hoping you will do what you can, and please help us to know what we can do to help her be happy.”
I brought out a green candle. Penny set the packets of seeds on the altar, then I said, “Spirits, we offer this flame for the fertility of these seeds, hoping you will watch over the garden they will grow in, and help the one who tends them to grow in knowledge and wisdom.”
Both the blue and the green candles were now glowing on the altar. I pulled out the Athame and laid it in front of them. “Spirits, I offer this blade of steel as Guardian of these spells, that it will bring good things if this magic is right, and that it will cut me if this magic is wrong.”
Penny looked at me strangely with her mouth open. I hadn’t told her I was
going to do that part.
When she had recovered from her momentary shock, she took out a dinner roll and said, “God, as we share this simple meal of bread grown in your fields, we will remember all the farmers and ranchers who have grown food, and we ask you to please help them wherever they are.” She broke the bread and gave me half. I chewed in silence, thinking of a farmer on a tractor. The image faded, and then I saw a farmer driving a plow pulled by oxen. Then I saw a farmer with just a hand hoe, working in his field.
We blew out the little candles and cleared off the altar. I said, “Thank you, Grove, for letting us celebrate and do magic here tonight. And thank you for hiding our Beltane fire from the eyes of the world.” We picked up the tall candles and went hack to the fire pit to roast marshmallows over the coals.