Free A Hint of Magic by Alaine Allister Page B

down.
    His eyes widened.
    “Can I help you, Zack?” she asked coolly.
    “I uh…I…no,” he mumbled, obviously caught off guard.
    Then without another word, he climbed back into his truck and drove away.
    Clarissa went inside and called the police.  She provided a description of Zack’s truck and advised that he had a container of open alcohol in his vehicle.  She had no idea if the police would actually follow up, but it was worth a try.
    She sat down, still thinking about the strange business with the broom.
    She picked up her phone and then hesitated.  She really wanted to call her aunt, mostly to reassure herself that she wasn’t imagining things.  But it was early.  Actually, it was basically the middle of the night.  It would be rude to call and wake Matilda up, wouldn’t it?
    Suddenly Clarissa’s phone rang.
    She let out a shriek and dropped it on the floor.
    The cat looked at her like she was a moron.  After all, that was what phones did:  they rang.
    Clarissa gingerly picked the phone up and checked to see who was calling.  It was her aunt.  That was strange.  In fact, it was way too coincidental for comfort.  “Matilda?” she said in a trembling voice.  “Is everything alright?”
    “You can call me day or night,” Matilda replied cheerfully.  “I don’t mind.”
    “How did you…?”
    “I’m a witch,” Matilda laughed.  “And I happen to be a witch with mild psychic abilities.  I might not be able to pick winning lottery numbers, but I’m very intuitive – especially when it comes to people I care about.  I could tell you were thinking about me.”
    “That’s so creepy!” Clarissa exclaimed.
    “When you were a kid you thought my powers were fun,” Matilda reminded her.
    “I was like, four.  I didn’t know any better.”
    “You’re still every bit as feisty now as you were then, I see.  So what’s up?”
    “Uh, my broom,” Clarissa replied.  “Tonight it seemed like it had a mind of its own.”
    “It doesn’t,” Matilda replied calmly.  “You control the broom, just like you have the power to make objects levitate.  It’s all you, my dear.  But the level of concentration required to perform your magic varies considerably depending on the time.”
    “Um…what does that mean?”
    “When there’s a full moon, you’ll find the broom far easier and less taxing to maneuver.  The same goes for lunar eclipses – and if I’m not mistaken, there was a lunar eclipse tonight.”
    “How can you talk about this stuff so nonchalantly?” Clarissa demanded.
    “I live it every day,” Matilda replied, sounding unconcerned.  “To me, it’s normal.”
    “So you’re telling me I can fly on a broom just like witches in the cartoons do?” Clarissa asked incredulously.  The thought was absurd.  Even though she had witnessed traces of magic here and there for herself, sometimes she still wondered if her eccentric aunt was completely insane.
    “Well not exactly like the witches in cartoons.  Cartoons aren’t real, silly.”
    “Witches aren’t supposed to be real either,” Clarissa couldn’t resist pointing out. 
    “So I’m not real?  You’re not real?  Give me a break,” Matilda laughed.  “I really do have to be getting back to sleep.  I have an early morning class to teach at the college tomorrow.  Promise you’ll be careful with the flying broomstick, okay?  Don’t go too high until you get a feel for it.  And steer clear of power lines – I nearly made that mistake myself once!”
    With that, Matilda hung up.
    Clarissa stared at her phone in utter disbelief.  Her aunt had claimed she would guide Clarissa in her pursuit of magic, helping to ease her into the world of witchery.  Yet Matilda had a bad habit of neglecting to tell Clarissa Very Important Things. 
    How did Matilda teach college courses for a living when she was so scatterbrained?
    With a sigh, Clarissa stood up. 
    She briefly contemplated going back to bed, but she