Free A Tale of 3 Witches by Barbra Annino, Christiana Miller Page A

hold him accountable for the pregnancy. And Paul wasn't at all sure how much of the little girl's DNA was actually human, regardless of what Mara said. Gus, on the other hand, would happily dump Paul's body in a stream and take over father duty, if Paul so much as looked at the baby cross-eyed. So they all co-existed in a tense balancing act.
    *   *   *
    Apollo and Aramis, ever on the lookout for treats, trotted over when Mara opened the donut box. She gave them each a piece of glazed donut and sat down on the couch, sipping her coffee, while Gus finished sorting through the mail Mara had brought in.
    He handed an envelope to Mara. "Here's one from the dead letter department."
    It was addressed to Tillie MacDougal.
    "Aunt Tillie! You've got mail!" Mara called.
    Aunt Tillie shimmered and appeared in the armchair. Gundleshanks hopped down to sit on her shoulder.
    "Well, don't keep me in suspense, child. What does it say?"
    Mara opened the envelope and an invitation slid out, along with a handwritten note.
    "This looks like fun." Mara said, reading the invitation out loud. "Spend a haunted weekend at The Geraghty Girls Guest House. Tour the most haunted spots in Amethyst and end the weekend with a Halloween festival and parade."
    "Sounds like a job offer, Tillie," Gus said, through a mouthful of donut. He looked over Mara's shoulder. "Is it from undead_monster.com?"
    Mara laughed. "Now that would be funny. Jobs in the afterlife. Wouldn't that make it hell?"
    "Maybe that's where Tillie is. In hell, holding down a job as your spectral nanny."
    Tillie sniffed. "It's not a job, it's a calling."
    "Your occasionally homicidal spectral nanny."
    Mara rolled her eyes. "I don't think so, Gus. And she'd never hurt the baby."
    "I wasn't talking about the baby. I was talking about you ."
    "I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, young man." Tillie snapped. "Don't let me get started on what you've done--"
    "--Would you both hush up and let me read this note?" Mara said, unfolding the note.
    Surprisingly, they both quieted down.
    Mara squinted at the name, not sure if she was reading it right. "It's from someone named... it looks like Birdie. Is it Birdie or Bridie?"
    "It's Birdie. How lovely. I haven't seen Birdie in ages," Tillie said, settling back down. "A personal invitation. Of course, we'll go. I can't wait to see what she's up to."
    "Too bad you're dead," Mara said.
    "But you're not." Tillie said, pointedly. "And you could use a vacation. You said yourself, this trip sounded like fun."
    Mara looked up from the note. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Vacations are for single people with no responsibilities. I'm not going to go dragging a baby to a haunted holiday."
    "Pish tosh," Tillie snorted.
    "I'm with you, Til. How can anyone pass up a Halloween vacation?" Gus said. "Hey, look at that. Me and Tillie agreeing. Is it getting chilly in hell, Til?"
    "You'd better mind your manners, young man." Tillie snapped.
    Mara ignored both of them and read the note.
    Gus looked over her shoulder and gave a low whistle. "Wow. And I thought I was the Queen of Melodrama.
    "Well? What does it say? Don't keep an old ghost in suspense."
    "Dear Tillie," Mara read. "This is crucial, I'm afraid. There's a great trine aligning in the stars and the portents are centering on Amethyst. My granddaughter continues to fight against her destiny. We must have a gathering of elders to meet the challenge ahead. We need you, desperately. I've set aside a room for you at the B&B. Please, hurry."
    "Well, that settles it," Tillie said, standing. "Pack your bags."
    "Tillie! I don't even know what half of the words in that note mean. I'm not going to drop everything to go on some cryptic journey."
    "It means she needs your help. You'll have to leave the baby here."
    "I can't do that. And what about the dogs?" Mara protested.
    "Figure it out. The clock is ticking."
    "This invitation was for you. Not me. I'll just call her and tell her--"
    "You are not going to call Birdie