She shoos me to the table. “Sit, sit, sit. Let me make breakfast for my granddaughter.” Her warm smile is so infectious that I can’t help but beam back.
I sit down and look outside to see Aradia feeding some chickens at the back of the garden.
“You have chickens?” I ask. Surprisingly it’s not something you see in the back yards of the city.
“They’re Aradia’s. Her babies: Omelette, Quiche and Cluck Norris. Don’t ask about the names.” She laughs. “But they make fantastic eggs.”
She brings over a plate of scrambled eggs made with peppers and tomatoes from their garden. I pour myself and my grandmother a cup of herbal tea and she sits to join me.
“You still feel overwhelmed by all of this, huh?” She sips her tea from the pretty china teacup.
“Kind of. I feel relaxed, like I know you, but I don’t really, do I? God, that sounded rude, sorry! This whole thing. It’s a bit wild.” I’m overexplaining because I’m nervous. But she just keeps her calm and kind energy which helps me relax my shoulders.
“Totally wild. Just take some time to rest. Now, this boy. Gregory? I can sense you still have feelings there.” She actively listens to what I have to say.
“I do.” It feels weird that she’s reading my feelings, but I guess that’s what witches do, right? “But he’s hurt me, really hurt me, and I feel we are just different people.”
“Mmm, I can feel the pain, my love. It’s fresh raw pain. It’ll take some time to heal that, but you’ve come to the right place.” She smiles and pours us some juice.
“Grandmother?” The word feels alien in my mouth.
“Granny sounds a little more relaxed, don’t you think? But it’s entirely your choice! I just find Grandmother rather formal.” She does a little chuckle.
“Sorry, Granny, why did my mother keep me from you?” I ask.
My granny narrows her eyes and takes a sip of juice. She clears her throat.
“Your mother felt it was best to bring you up in a place that gave you more opportunities than we could offer. This house has been passed down through generations. We didn’t have much when the girls were small. I only started making more as they got older and I had more time to paint, and Aradia grew into the fantastic yoga instructor and garden extraordinaire. Plus, we make a pretty penny at the fairs we visit.”
“But couldn’t she have done that, and you still be around?” I can’t help but feel resentful of my mother for keeping me from this life.
“She felt best to cut that tie, and as much as it pained me, as your mother I had to respect her wish.” Her eyes look sad, as if the pain of losing me and my mother is still very new to her.
But I feel a bit deflated by her answer. Surely, she could have just turned up and been there regardless of what my mother had decided. I feel like my granny isn’t telling me everything.
“I can see that isn’t what you wanted to hear. And I understand if you’re cross with me. It’s true, I could have done more,” she says softly.
I wish she would just stop reading my mind.
“Yeah, maybe.” It feels awkward, so I decide to change the direction of the conversation to the fire which I have a vaguememory of being lit by the click of her fingers. “So, the fire last night, did you…?”
“Did I what, dear?”
“Use magic?”
She sits back in her chair and smiles. “Yes, Harriet.”
My eyes light up like a child’s on Christmas morning. “So, you guys can do magic?”
She smiles at my expression. “A little, yes. It depends on the witch…” She says it so casually like it’s common knowledge.
I can’t help but wonder. “Could I?” I ask quietly.
“Most definitely.” She grins at me.
I sit there in my chair thinking about what she has just said. That I could do magic. Me? Harriet Montgomery? I feel totally out of my depth.
Aradia interrupts our conversation by coming in from the garden. She helps herself to a piece of toast and a sip of Granny’s orange juice.
