Free Witch of Christmas Past by Kendra Ashe Page A

about it made my stomach twist into knots.
    Standing at the mirror I did my usual teeth brushing ritual before going to my bedroom to comb out my tangled wet hair. Since I still had awhile, I figured I’d let my hair air-dry.
    Wrapping up in my bathrobe, I padded barefoot to the kitchen. I poured me some more soda, but I wished I could have something a lot stronger.
    Taking my soda to the table, I sank into a chair and started the task of sorting through the mail.
    One piece of mail caught my attention right away. It was a large envelope, and it looked to be from the post office.
    I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. There was a letter from the post office and a very old looking envelope.
    The letter was short.
    Isabelle Cooper
    This piece of mail has been repackaged due to damage. We apologize for the delay in delivering your mail. The letter was found in the postmaster’s desk with instructions to deliver to the above address in December of this year. Please contact us if you have any problems.
    Sincerely
    Bradley Page
    USPS Storm Cove Postmaster
    Dropping the letter to the table, I turned my attention to the envelope. The writing was faded and difficult to read.
    Shock set in as I recognized Granny’s handwriting. The letter was postmarked 1883.
    But was that even possible?
    Had the post office really held onto it for over a hundred years?
    If true, there had to be a particular reason why Granny wanted it delivered at a specific time.
    I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. It was yellowed with age, but the writing wasn’t nearly as faded as it was on the envelope.
    My Dearest Isabelle
    I hope this letter finds you all well. I know for you, it has only been a few months since the last time we were all together, but for me it has been years. I have tried every trick in my pocket to find a way back to my family, but nothing is working. Writing you a letter from the past was the only way I could get a message to you. I know you will all want to know what has become of me.
    The Ripper believed I was dead when he threw me overboard that night, but he didn’t know this old witch. A few knife wounds are easy to heal with the right spell. All might have turned out okay, but there was a strange glowing fog that night. When he tossed me out of his boat, I went under, but when I surfaced, I was no longer off the Coast of Mystique Island. I came up in the Thames. I have been in London since that night, but I now live over a hundred years in the past.
    There is a portal offshore of the lighthouse. That’s where we were when I went in. I know there must be one on this side of time, but as of yet I haven’t been able to find it. I believe the portal is activated by magic, and I also think I know who the witch is. She sends people to different points in time to gather information for her.
    The witch cannot cross time or she risks not being able to return. Her magic may not work in the future. I believe this to be true as my magic is very weak here. This witch sent the Ripper, and I believe she has also sent someone else, but I have no idea who that person is.
    Find someone with the spell to open the portal for that side. It is the only way. It must be done during the full moon. I know that much. I am in Whitechapel, and I am known as Stella the witch doctor.
    If you are not successful, please know how much I love and miss you all. Also, do not worry about me. I am as happy as can be expected under the circumstances.
    Love Always
    Granny
    Stunned, I let the letter drop from my hand.
    So I had been right. Granny wasn’t dead. She was just living in a different time.
    But where was I going to find a witch old enough to know the spell, and powerful enough to use it?
    If Annabelle hadn’t been turned into an airhead, she certainly had the power, but she probably wouldn’t know the spell.
    There were the witches up at Moonlight Dell, but I still didn’t trust them. Rayanne was up to