Kitchen Witch

25 | Preparations

Charlotte sat perched in her favourite spot, legs tucked under her, leaning back against the pretty yellow daisy print pillow, a cup of steaming tea balanced on her knee, staring out the big bay window. She placed her cup and saucer down on the seat bench, the china clinking softly, and pulled a pen out from behind her ear, tapping it against her notebook. "Chamomile to soothe, lavender for peace, peppermint for clarity–" Charlotte rhymed off the herbs on her list, mentally checking them over. She had spent the last couple of days collecting and preparing ingredients for the ritual later that evening. "Lemon balm and valerian–" To further relax and promote forgetfulness. She was considering adding skullcap for its mild sedative effects as well. Perhaps even more important than the herbal elements for the tea, she had spent time crafting a meaningful ritual. The waning moon provided the perfect backdrop to symbolize the ritual of dispelling the memory. But she needed to do more than just gently ease it away; she needed to banish it from her friend's lifeline. This is where she hoped that her affinity for wind would come in handy, physically pushing the spell and memory out to sea. The most crucial part of this ritual depended on Charlotte and her ability to focus her magic and her intention to free Maratha of the memories of her son.

Her own memories of Alex had become stronger since Martha's arrival. She kept picturing his sweet little face, always glued to her own daughter's side, the dynamic duo of trouble. The two had grown apart in their later years, with different social circles. But he had gallantly asked Airlie out to the senior prom when she had broken up with her boyfriend days before. He committed a hundred percent, as was his nature, to performing an elaborate prom proposal that made her feel special and eased her broken heart. He had been so vibrant and kind.

Charlotte got up from her seat and walked to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for Martha. She had barely eaten since her arrival, appearing even more thin than usual. Sarah's words kept turning in the back of her mind, mixing with her memories of Alex and making her question if she really was doing the right thing. Maratha had barely left her bed since that night on the dunes. Charlie had stayed in with her, his big head resting on her legs. Charlotte thought back to the look on Maratha's face, the pain and desperation as she asked for help and knew that she was doing the right thing. With a renewed resolve, she set about making breakfast, knowing they would both need their strength that evening.

Sarah finished giving instructions and reluctantly left the market to her employee's charge. It wasn't that the young girl wasn't capable; it was just that Sarah couldn't remember the last time she left the store opening in someone else's hands. But today, she needed to get to Riley before he set off on a tour. She wasn't sure how receptive he would be given their last conversion, so she came bearing gifts of the liquid gold kind and some cinnamon rolls for good measure. She had become increasingly worried about Charlotte's intention to create a spell powerful enough to erase someone's memory. She hadn't met Martha and couldn't begin to fathom the pain the woman must be in, and understood her asking for Charlotte's help. But Sarah was protective and wasn't convinced that the use of such powerful magic wouldn't end up harming her friend. She hoped that Riley could put aside his misgivings and help her get Charlotte to see sense.

Sarah pulled up to the harbour, which was notably less busy than during the spring lobster season. Most fishermen had moved on to help with tuna, some fished for cod or mackerel, and others like Riley took tourists out to fish until the fall lobster season. Sarah balanced a cardboard tray with two coffees and the cinnamon buns as she made her way to Riley's slip. Sure enough, he was out on the boat's deck securing fishing rods for the day's group.

"I come bearing gifts." She called out as she held onto the boat's side, as it gently swayed in the water and confidently swung a leg over to hop down onto the deck. Only to get stuck halfway, forgetting that her short legs weren't quite long enough to pull off the move while balancing a tray of coffee. 

 "Shit–some help, please."

"Good lord, you could have waited–" Riley took the tray from her hand and, with his other, helped her over the edge. "But thank you for the coffee." He said, eyeing up the tray. He placed it down and passed her one of the steaming cups while claiming the other for himself. "So get to it, you didn't just stop by with coffee out of the goodness of your heart."

Sarah tried to look offended. "It's Char–"

"I told you I needed time–"

Sarah took a seat on one of the benches. It was cool and slightly wet from the morning mist. "I'm worried–I'm afraid she's in over her head." Sarah proceeded to fill Riley in on Charlotte's guest, rushing her words, getting more agitated and louder as she told the story.

Riley, used to Sarah's lightning-fast speech, leaned back against the side of the boat, blowing on his coffee, trying to keep up with the details. As she got further into the story, he again found himself questioning his sanity for even believing that any of this was possible. He wrestled between disbelief, anger at Charlotte for not being honest from the start and, worse of all, genuinely being worried for her well-being. Riley set his coffee cup down, the contents sloshing out the lid's tab. Whether it was his ego or his mind just trying to find some sort of self-preservation, he looked Sarah square in the eyes. "I think it's best that we leave Charlotte to her private matters and get back to our own business."

Sarah recognized immediately that he had shut down the conversation, and, knowing Riley, there was no point in pursuing the matter further. But she had noticed a look, a drop in his grumpy mask, that told her that he was worried, too. She just had to hope that she had planted the seed and that it would take root.