The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 26: The Market

The silence was tense.

" A Katshituashku," Her brother said, with the same sick sort of curiosity he's had in his voice the whole conversation.

"Apparently."

"A Katshituashku! May, you had a Katshituashku in your forest!" His voice was manic with excitement. Her brother always had a thirst for the unknown.

"Mmmhmm. I sure did."

"A Katshituashku hasn't been seen in years! They hunted these lands before the colonizers came! And Oh, my magic, May! You touched it." His tone sharply veered from excited to scolding.

"Only a little."

"They are literal man-eaters and you touched one."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes I did. Let's move on."

"What in the world is happening over there Massie?"

Her fingers fiddled with the pink quartz she wore around her neck. "Nothing much."

He scoffed. "Oh, for sure. Nothing much. Just dragons, werewolves, and Katshituashkus!"

"Don't forget the Ozark." She said, unhelpfully.

The line was silent for a second before her brother broke out in colorful and creative swears.

Oops. She had forgotten to mention the Ozark.

It took a while to calm her brother down. It is unheard of to have an ancient being, an old-world monster, not to mention a dragon, show up.

Massie considered it a great honor.

Her brother considered it a great curse.

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Massie woke up early. Today was the start of the farmers market. She would be running a booth in town every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the next four weeks.

The time leading up to the markets was always nerve-wracking. The preparation and the planning made her anxious. Now the anxiety turned into eagerness. This year the boys would be with her. She couldn't wait for them to see all the exciting things the market had to offer.

She had cash for them to spend. It was a surprise. They were eager to hide rocks but now they would be able to explore and buy things that caught their fancy.

She hitched a little trailer to her car and loaded up the table, chairs, and tubs she would need. She put boxes of goods in her trunk along with snacks and drinks for the day.

She wondered what Wren would do with all the free time.

He had been different since they came back after meeting the Katshituashku . He would watch her, calculating like he was figuring out a difficult riddle. She hoped the answer he found was good.

She started breakfast, the day was starting soon. The boys would need to be dressed and fed before heading out.

She used the time she was cooking to overthink. Making breakfast muffins was repetitive. Her body knew the motions and followed the rote memory as she triple-checked the things she packed in the car. She was sure she packed her iPad and card reader, but was she sure she packed a cash box? She would need to make sure she brought an inventory list and a portable charger.

Her magic knew the second Wren stepped off the stairs and made his way to the kitchen, but her body was so comfortable with him that she didn't turn to look at him.