Penny started middle school. For the first time in two years, we were in the same school. I realized I had really missed having a Sprite around during the day. They even let her be in eighth grade P. E., so we would be able to run together. But the teacher said we had to be on different teams when doing team sports. That was fair.
Michael started high school. That made me sad.
It took a lot of talking, but Penny finally agreed to go with me to the pool.
I could tell she was dreading it. When we got there, I was ready to dive in, but Penny took half an hour in the locker room.
“What’s
wrong,
Pen?”
“I’m scared, that’s what’s wrong. And I don’t like you calling me Pen. I just don’t know if I can do it anymore, that’s all.”
“Okay. Forget I’m your friend for a minute. I’m the leader of the Grove, and if you want to be a Sprite, you have to try. You don’t have to swim 4
miles, or even one mile, you just have to do your best. Okay?”
Penny looked at me. Her eyes looked sad. I reached out my hand to her.
Something was changing between us. I could feel it. We were both in middle school . . . and we were both adolescents now. The little five-year-old Penny I once knew was long gone. Even the nine or ten-year-old super-swimmer Penny was gone. I was the leader of a Grove of Wood Sprites, and she was my assistant. She had to at least try. “We’ll just get our feet wet today, okay?”
She took my out-stretched hand. “Okay. No challenges or dares, or I’m leaving.”
“I promise. And I’ll stay right with you if you want me to.”
We walked out to the pool, and I was glad that hardly anyone else was there. Penny looked white. We went to the shallow end and sat on the side, dangling our feet in the water.
“How does it feel?” I asked.
“Terrible. But I want to try. You’ve never laughed at me before.”
“And I won’t now. You’re my best friend, remember?”
“Lots of people have best friends who would sell them out for a nickel,” she said.
“Not
Sprites!”
Penny smiled. After a few minutes, she slid down into the water and stood there as tense as I had ever seen her. It was only three feet deep. I slid in too, and we walked around together. Penny tried bobbing down so the water came up to her neck.
“I feel so stupid!” she said.
“Want to float? I’ll spot you.”
She did it. After a minute, she nodded at me, so I let her go. Floating didn’t bother her . . . but she couldn’t swim. She couldn’t put her face in the water. Penny — known all over three counties for her swimming speed and endurance — Search and Rescue C team member — was reduced to a pathetic dog paddle.
I stayed with her and did whatever she did, or spotted when she wanted me to. We were standing on the side when some of the college swim team members came in.
“Hey, Penny! Will you swim with us?”
Penny looked at the deck and shuffled into the locker room.
At the October Search and Rescue meeting, she told Jack what had happened, and that she couldn’t be on C team anymore. He told her to let him know as soon as she was back in action.
I was working on Issa’s cloak one evening alone, but I was thinking about someone else. It used to be just once in a while that I thought like this, but
now it was getting to be all the time. I could see him in my mind, climbing trees or playing his recorder. He was a good friend . . . but I was thinking about more than friends.
Issa was a little bigger than Michael, so I adjusted the pattern. Michael. I could see the shape of his body, especially in his swim trunks. Looking at him, even in my mind, made me tingle inside. His arms wrapped tightly around me — that was what I wanted. Tightly. Squeezing me all he wanted.
But how? Issa said I’d be grown up now if I was Jewish. I’m 13. Michael’s almost 15. I could just ask him. “Michael, will you be my . . .” No. I want him to ask me. I won’t know if he really loves me or not unless he asks. I’d say YES! and anything he wanted to do after that would be okay. Anything.
We all gathered at my house the Saturday before Halloween. Penny was in a good mood again. She was always proud to be my assistant when we were doing Wood Sprite things.
“This book of yours is very special. Did you say it was the only one?” Issa asked.
“It was the only one with that cover the bookstore got in, and no one wanted it . . . but me,” I said.
“My rabbi helped me. The words are from the Zohar, the Book of Radiance, a work of Jewish mysticism written about 1280. This is what it looks like in normal Hebrew letters.” Issa showed me his paper. “And underneath is what it means.”
We all read the meaning of the mysterious Hebrew letters to ourselves.
“Isn’t that like something about magic we’ve learned?” Penny asked.
I nodded, smiling. We all stared at the strange phrases for several minutes more. Penny opened the Grimoire to a new page, and Issa carefully lettered in the Hebrew, working right to left. Then I did the meaning in English.
He smites the sea into seven streams and directs it into seven precious vessels, which he calls Greatness, Strength, Glory, Victory, Majesty, Foundation, and Sovereignty.
He made beings to serve these vessels: each a throne supported
by four columns, with six steps to the throne, in all ten.
Altogether, the throne is like the cup of the benediction about which ten statements are made.
There was a special feeling in the room, and we were all smiling — like a secret had been revealed, a treasure chest opened.
Michael dumped a bag he had brought. Halloween cookies! In the middle of each was a little sugar pumpkin. We munched as we talked.
“Did you finish it?” Michael asked me.
“Yep.” I opened a drawer and brought out Issa’s cloak. “This is the cloak of the Druidic Bard. We all have one.”
Issa grinned as he unfolded it. “Thank you!”
“Try it on!” Penny said.
“It should be big enough to go over clothes and a jacket,” I said.
Issa stood up and put it on. “It’s . . . very nice! Even a hood!” He tied the belt. “I bet you can really disappear in one of these!”
“Look inside!” Penny said.
“Pockets. What should I keep in them?”
“We all carry fire-making pouches. You’ll get one soon,” Penny said.
“Michael has his recorder, and I have Tarot cards. Then we put all the candles and stuff we need in them so we won’t have to go in and out of the Magic Circle.”
Issa looked happy as he took it off and carefully folded it.
“Any spells on Halloween?” I asked.
“I have a placement test coming up. Is a spell to help me okay?” Michael asked.
I answered. “Only if you ask for the patience and wisdom to help you study, not just to have all the answers pop out of thin air.”
Issa gave me a funny look.
“I see what you mean,” Michael said.
I think Penny saw Issa’s funny look. She said, “We have strict rules so our magic will always be white, and not break God’s laws.”
Issa
nodded.
Penny went on. “My sister is trying to decide if she should change her
major in college or not. She asked my opinion, and I told her I’d think about it. Does that sound okay for a Tarot reading?”
“To me,” Michael said.
“Me too,” I said.
“It’s on a school day, but maybe if we go right at 3:00 we could make jack-o-lanterns,” Michael said.
“Yeah!” Penny said.
“Will that music be ready, Michael?” I asked.
He nodded. “It’s perfect for Halloween!”
“Who’s bringing the pumpkins?”
“I can,” Issa said. “Four?”
“Great!”
We decided on pot-luck things, and then spent about an hour working on the study book. Both Michael and I had new stuff to add to it. Issa had been reading it, and it was really helping him to understand the magic we did. We went over our Halloween plans again to make sure we were prepared. The only thing we kept secret from Issa was that we were going trick-or-treating.