Last Witch Standing (Mountain Witch Saga) Read Free

would just have
to bite the bullet and let her take off – and hope it didn’t crash.
    “I will.” Katie smiled.
    “Just for a second, we can’t let it get too far.” He turned
to Jimmie. “We’re going to have to take it to the park next time. There’s not
enough room here.”
    Dan taxied the plane to the far end of the parking lot and
turned it until its propeller faced them. He handed his sister the controls and
stood behind her. “Push where I tell you. Slow and gentle or it‘ll crash and
bust and we won’t be able to fly it anymore.”
    “Okay,” Katie said.
    Dan motioned her to pull back on the throttle. She did, and
the plane taxied towards them. After it gained flight speed, Dan said, “These
are the controls to make it take off. Slowly, and I mean slowly, pull down on
this.” He gestured toward the control.
    Katie pulled back. The plane edged up, then back.
    “Okay, good. A little bit more, Katie.”
    Katie obliged and the craft rose into the air at a perfect
45-degree angle.
    Jimmie punched Dan lightly in the shoulder. “She’s better
than you.”
    “Okay, Katie, I’m gonna turn it for you.” Dan adjusted the
ailerons and the plane turned back towards them before reaching the street. He
allowed his sister to circle the plane several times before landing it for her.
    “Good job,” Dan said.
    “Yeah, Katie. You should be an astronaut!” Jimmie grinned.
    “Listen, we’d better head back,” Dan said. Mrs. Edwards was
in the front yard of their house waving at them.

Chapter 4
     
    Sunday, April 2, 1972
    Earth
     
    “What are you doing?”
    Dan flinched. “Don’t do that!”
    “Do what?” Katie asked.
    “Sneak up on me.”
    “I’m not sneaking!” Katie looked up at her brother.
    “I’m straightening the top.”
    “Are we gonna fly it today?”
    “How? How are we going to fly it, Katie?” Dan turned
towards the window, where the rain beat down in torrents. “It would be ruined.”
    “Don’t they fly airplanes in the rain? It was raining when
we went to pick Dad’s friend up from the airport and they were flying planes then.”
    “Don’t be stupid. Those were real planes. This is a model.
The rain would kill it. If the wind didn’t tear it apart first.”
    “I am not stupid!” Katie put her fists on her waist.
    “Sorry. You’re not stupid, Katie. Could you please go and
let me work on this alone?” Dan forced a smile.
    Katie hopped off the bed and left the room without a word.
A few moments later, Dan could hear his little sister on the stairway making
plane sounds. She was probably pretending to be a plane taking off.
    “Dinner, children,” their mother called from downstairs.
    Dan put his model down. The imperfections had been filed
out, the decals straightened, and a second coat of paint added. It looked good.
Now, if only he could fly it. He looked out the window. The wind whipped the
nearest limbs of the oak in the front yard against the house; rain came down in
a flood, nearly horizontally. Even if, by some miracle, the weather cleared, it
would still be too wet to risk flying.
    “Darnnit!” He stood up and started for the stairs.
    The places were set. That should have been Dan’s job, but
his mother probably recognized his preoccupation with the model airplane and
discouragement at not being able to fly it.
    The macaroni was still steaming, and after saying grace,
Dan served himself a large helping. In the flower decorated crockpot mini
sausages kept warm, the aroma of the barbecue sauce marinade inviting. For
vegetables, they had a mix of corn, peas and carrots.
    “Katie, slow down,” Patricia Edwards said, after watching
her daughter skewer one sausage after another and put it into her mouth.
    Katie put her fork down and chewed and swallowed what
remained in her mouth. She was a definite carnivore, Dan observed for the hundredth
time.
    “You want to play a game?” Katie turned to Dan.
    “No.” Dan put another bite of macaroni in his mouth.
    “Now,