The Witches #11 (part 2) - A Halloween Adventure

‘So we’re thinking art inspired witches, yes?’ Daphne asked. It was unusual for them still to be undecided on costumes at this late stage, but Tulip’s late contender of “museum witches” had knocked out all plans for flowers to be the theme.

The only problem was they still couldn’t make up their minds, not when there were so many sub-categories to explore.

‘I’m still not sure,’ Lilac said, deftly scooping seeds out of a pumpkin and tossing them into a bucket, which Tulip was filling with hot water and occasionally cackling over. ‘What do you think, Tulle?’

Tulip stuck an arm elbow deep into the mixture and began to mix it, looking up only when prompted. ‘Oh… I think we’re going to be growing our own pumpkins for years after this. I wonder if they’d grow in the sea? We could send some seeds with Foxglove to try.’

‘Too high salt content,’ Lilac said, tossing more seeds at Tulip and slicing the top off a new pumpkin. Tulip and Daphne looked at each other.

‘Well… if we went as abstract-’ Daphne began, but Tulip interrupted with an exclamation. 

‘Yes?’ Lilac queried, spoon raised.

‘That’s it! Pumpkins!’

—

The house was empty and silent. Each room was dark but for a trail of tea lights sitting on the table, glowing from a doorway, nestled upon a window frame.

No sounds came from behind Daphne’s door, Tulip and Lilac weren’t ensconced in their own rooms and the kitchen held nothing but a glowing pumpkin.

‘Hello? Lilac?’ Foxglove called, gazing around the empty house. It wasn’t like the sisters to be absent when they were expecting visitors and Foxglove, invitation in hand, was only a few minutes early. A sense of unease crept over her, quickly followed by an icy breeze and a clunk from the front of the house.

‘Hello?’ she repeated, drawing closer to the pumpkin and eyeing each door suspiciously. Foxglove herself didn’t mind being scared, but Tulip hated it and thus Foxglove had never known the sisters to do anything even remotely spooky with their celebrations. Which made this all the stranger.

Suddenly there was a bang from the back of the house and a crash from the room just off the kitchen.

Foxglove screamed.

 End of part 2.

  The Witches is a serial story, published every week on Thursday/Friday. For the week of Halloween, there will be a special week of stories and surprises.