Charmed Cookies: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Cindy Stark

Author:Cindy Stark [Stark, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackberry Moon Publishing
Published: 2024-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Once we reached the far side of Skipper Lake, Nali directed us to each take a lantern from the boat, and we disembarked. Her father followed behind, carrying the cauldron of mulled wine that we’d also use in our ceremony. Once we’d gathered in a circle on the bank of the lake, Jenny took the lead. “Follow me, if you please.”

The woods felt like a world apart, a place where time stood still. Dried leaves crunched beneath our boots as a thick, swirling blanket of mist clung to the ground, wrapping around our ankles as we carefully trekked forward. A dirt trail led us into the trees, where I heard the occasional rustle of wings in the branches of ancient oaks that reached toward the sky.

We walked wordlessly until a natural clearing opened before us. Tall pines formed a protective circle, their trunks creating a barrier from the outside world. I didn’t know which coven member had chosen this spot, but the energy there was incredible.

In the center, we arranged ourselves around a large stone altar that someone had erected in the past, its surface slick with moisture and etched with runes too old to decipher. My blood pulsed with the thick energy of Samhain, a heady mix of life and death, of the past and the future. Unseen entities swirled around me, and I sensed those who had crossed over, lingering just beyond my reach.

I wondered if, perhaps, my parents might make an appearance, but I kept my expectations low. Even if they didn’t, the night would be memorable.

Birdie and I had created a special spell for Gertie to surprise her. Since my aunt and I had known and loved her granddaughter Aimee, Birdie seemed certain we might be able to invite her spirit away from the cemetery she usually haunted using the potent power the coven would create that night.

If everything went according to plan, Gertie might see and speak with Aimee for the first time in years.

The Goddess had gifted me with the ability to see ghosts, so I’d already connected with my lost childhood friend, but the most Gertie could experience was messages relayed from her granddaughter through me.

If the old witch could talk with Aimee herself, even if only for a moment, I knew it would give her the peace she so desperately sought. Though Gertie rarely showed vulnerability, I knew her grief was an unspoken weight she carried beneath her barbed words and crotchety demeanor. But first we would carry out the traditional ceremony to honor our ancestors and fill the sacred area with magic.

Gertie approached the altar and placed a woven basket filled with herbs. The rest of us followed suit, adding our own offerings for the departed. I laid down sprigs of rosemary and lavender, their scents mingling in the damp air, as I mentally sent up a wish that my parents would receive my love.

Kookie sat perfectly still next to me as I did, her bright eyes wide and alert, and I was certain she sensed the same energy.

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