Witches in Flight Read Free Page B

you and Auntie
Nat are shiny almost all of the time.”
    Melvin considered himself a humble man.   But he knew exactly what Aervyn was
seeing in the lovely Natalia.   A rare
wisdom.   And it tickled his heart,
that to a small boy with unfathomable magic, wisdom was shiny.
    ~ ~ ~
    --------------------------------------
    To: [email protected]
    From:
Nat < [email protected] >
    Subject:
The waters are calm. Mostly.
    --------------------------------------
    Hello
Jennie,
    I hope it’s a joy to walk in fame again for a couple of
days.   I know we very rarely honor
your genius around here, so enjoy the adulation.   We all need a touch of that in our lives.
    We only have bits and pieces to report.   Lizard and Elsie have been tiptoeing
around both each other and the marvelous feats of opening they accomplished
last week.   Caro reports lots of
strange early departures and late arrivals—two roommates in avoidance
mode.
    She also believes that Elsie is readying, although she’s not
sure for what.   I do know that
sometimes stillness comes just when we need it, although I admit to being
insanely curious about where she will step next.   I’m less worried than I used to be—the woman with
enough guts to hang on to that trapeze isn’t going to be able to go into hiding
again, even should she want to.
    Lizard’s bravery was no less stunning, and apparently her
response has been an unprecedented level of crankiness.   Lauren is surprised, but she’s always
been adaptable—partly because she’s always known exactly who she is.   Those of us used to hiding in the
shadows take a little more time to get accustomed to the bright sunlight.   And to me, at least, Lizard’s poem let
us know she’s not going to go willingly hide in the dark of stupid any longer.
    I saw Freddie drive by the other day.   I wonder if he has any idea that his bus is the reason
Lizard still seeks the light.
    Jamie is reading over my shoulder now, and he says this is
awfully mystical for a report.   He’s just grumpy because Aervyn only brought back two cookies from
Vero’s house.   Apparently he and
Melvin managed to consume the rest.
    I wouldn’t mind growing up to be a mystical and wise cookie
monster one day.
    Lots
of love,
    Nat

Chapter 3

    --------------------------------------
    To: [email protected]
    From:
Jennie Adams < [email protected] >
    Subject:
Re: The waters are calm. Mostly.
    --------------------------------------
    To
the wise Nat and anyone else reading over her shoulder,
    So those two are still avoiding each other, are they?   That’s an interesting state of affairs,
but I’m going to hold tight to the fact that their first reaction for each
other was joy.   I didn’t expect it
to stick—neither of them is secure enough in their own skins yet for that,
but I trust that love will prevail.
    And if that fails, we’ll try cookies and meddling.
    Elsie’s flying was indeed one of the most beautifully daring
things I’ve ever seen.   You know,
of course, that she was only able to stretch out her hands into the sky because
you showed her how.   I have a photograph
of those hands I’m happy to give you.   And one of the love on your face as you watched her fly.   It is the second of those that reaches
deepest into my heart.
    Lizard is cranky because, of our two students, she is the far
more self-aware.   And while she
might try to wriggle off that hook in public, I don’t know that she’s ever had
a whole lot of space to hide in her own mind.   There are so many bits of truth she could have chosen to set
loose at the Starry Plough—and she chose that one.   Gave her biggest chain a name and
shrunk it down to six letters.   While she might be kicking herself all over Berkeley for it now, she has
to know exactly how magnificent a choice that was.
    And yes, Freddie is why she could do it—but not the only
reason.   Lauren’s security in herself
is slowly leaking into Lizard’s heart.   You