September 1936
Nora hopped eagerly up the steps to Audrey's room at the back of the long hallway decorated with sanded mahogany wooden floors and periwinkle walls, her curly blonde hair flouncing at her shoulders as she pranced toward the double doors at the end of the hall.
Rap rap rap! Her fist tapped the oakwood door delicately to let Audrey know that she was inside.
The door began creaking as it gently moved inward, opening away from Nora in a motion so slow, it almost seemed painful to her. She winced at the sound that came from the hinges of the door, but maintained her optimistic smile nonetheless. Finally, the door slowed more (if that was even possible) to a halt.
Nora poked her head slightly forward, hesitating at the doorframe.
"Mrs. Audrey?" She called, for a moment regretting speaking at all.
"The door is open, darling!" The voice of an elderly woman chimed from inside the room that was decorated in various shades of purple, from amethyst to plum. Nora stepped in and looked around in awe of the beauty that was the Supreme's bedroom. The door swung shut rather quickly, yet somehow
"Your room is marvelous! I've never seen a room of such beauty."
"Thank you, darling. Purple is quite a marvelous color. It can be calming or disconcerting, depending on the shade. I appreciate its versatility." Audrey sat in a off-white wicker chair facing the balcony, the curtains leaving a framed view for her of the beautiful garden in the backyard. Her legs crossed, covered by her coal black dress that contrasted starkly with the chair. She'd yet to look at Nora.
"I can understand why you'd feel that way! I do agree about purple... what a wonder, Mrs. Audrey," Nora smiled cheerfully at her mentor. "By the way, if I may ask: what made you decide to show me your chamber?"
"Have you never wondered about how it was that I became the Supreme of this coven?"
"No, I never gave it too much--"
"Well, you should always be mindful of the history of the coven. Always," Audrey cut her off, irritated.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Audrey," Nora whispered delicately as her eyes fell to the smooth floorboards and dragged over toward the faded violet area rug that separated Audrey's hand-carved eggshell rocking chair that the confusingly upset Supreme was currently rested in. The rug seemed to fail in its attempt to hide the several indentations left from Audrey's many adjustments of the chair's position over the years.
Audrey quickly returned to a chipper tone. "Don't fret, my dear. I only mean that such an extraordinary witch as you should have extensive knowledge of the history of our ancestors... that's all," she reiterated with a soft smile.
Nora's eyes perked up a bit as she let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't in trouble.
"Anywho," Audrey continued, "I thought I might tell you the story."
Audrey rose on two feet, spreading her arms as a thin, lilac shawl tossed itself across the room and onto the Supreme. "Follow me, out to my favorite place," she commanded as she stepped out toward the same door she had just closed only a few minutes ago. On her way there, Audrey pulled the door open with the flick of her finger and she stepped slowly through the hallway. Nora quickly jumped up from her chair, following on the heels of Audrey. She knew exactly where they were going.
Audrey slid open the glass door effortlessly and stepped out into the garden. "Such beauty... such grace," she said as she looked at the spectrum of color that splashed across the petals that held their place at the ends of each and every vine and stem reaching out from the damp soil that filled the courtyard behind the building in various mounds to form what would almost appear to be a collection of perfectly-bordered, colorful spots over an otherwise shamrock canvas. "Each time that I step out here," Audrey uttered, "I am reminded of the beauty that this world has to offer.
