Free Shamanka by Jeanne Willis Page B

mentions the dead butterfly, the resurrection chant. She recites it softly to herself. Ruth Abafey closes the window hastily. “It was the draught, not your incantation.”
    Sam smiles; the witch protests too much. “So, Ruth, you know of no spell that can bring a person back to life?”
    â€œSpells are cast to focus the human mind. It is the mind that is powerful; therein lies the magic, my dear.”
    Note that she doesn’t say it’s
impossible
to bring someone back from the dead – just that it goes against the moral code of witches. And while she says that magic cannot create miracles, she doesn’t deny they may occur. Unfortunately, that’s not how John Tabuh interpreted it. When Ruth refused to give him a resurrection spell, he thought three things:
    1. She has the spell but is too mean to give it to me.
    2. She doesn’t trust me with it because I’m as useless as my father thinks I am.
    3. There is no such spell, resurrection is impossible and my father is a liar.
    All of which was rather negative, but don’t be too harsh on him; he had a lot in his mind – far more than you realize because you don’t know the half of it yet.
    â€œWhere did my father go after he left here?” asks Sam. “Did he say?”
    It seems that he wanted to continue his search for Kitty in the hope that she could shed some light on the fate of his daughter. He’d told Ruth he was off to visit a friend of his father’s, someone with a reputation for finding missing persons; a certain Mrs Reafy.
    â€œBut that’s who I was on my way to see!” exclaims Sam.
    â€œThere’s a surprise,” yawns Ruth. “It’s three minutes past three in the morning. I’ll sleep in this chair, you can borrow my bed and tomorrow you can be on your way.”
    Sam tosses and turns on the witch’s mattress, thinking of her father and Lola and wishing she could find them and say, “Hey, I’m alive! Now we can all be happy.”
    But are
they
still alive? Maybe her dreams would tell her – but how can she dream if she can’t sleep? Perhaps it would help if she read for a while. She picks up the witch doctor’s notebook and tries to open it, but the pages refuse to turn. She has no choice but to study the list on the inside cover again. Right at the top, jostling for position with Mrs Reafy, are three other names.
    Effie Ray, Bart Hayfue and Ruth Abafey.
R ECIPE FOR MAGIC PROTECTIVE OIL
    While many essential oils have healing properties, it’s important to focus your intent to enhance this recipe magically. Witches define magic as the ability to create change by force of will; in other words, you may get what you wish for if you really put your mind to it.
    You need:
    A small sterile bottle, clearly labelled
    3 tablespoons base oil (sweet almond or wheatgerm)
    3 teaspoons frankincense
    1 teaspoon juniper berries
    1 teaspoon fennel
    3 drops of rue
    Method:
    1. Gather ingredients during a full moon.
    2. Pour the base oil into the bottle.
    3. Add rest of ingredients.
    4. Replace lid. Store in a cool, dark place until needed.
    5. Anoint your temple with a thin smear, also your third eye and wrists.
    6. Go about your intent with courage.
    WARNING: DO NOT DRINK

MRS REAFY
    I t’s Wednesday morning and, according to the witch, Wednesday is the best day to travel.
    Just to make sure, she’s anointed Sam with home-made Magic Protective Oil. Is it really magic? The more you believe it, the more potent it becomes – or so I’m told. If you truly believe, it’ll make you feel invincible. Your enemies will notice this and because you appear so powerful, they’ll leave you alone and pick on someone weaker. This oil will also protect you from fierce animals. Even if you are frightened the herbs will disguise the smell of fear and they’ll go and tear the throat out of some other poor wretch.
    The train journey to St Albans is not