Category: Jan2020

“Well, the easiest way to keep a secret is to pretend it doesn’t exist.” Walt, a short wrinkled man in a black business suit, gestured at the open, empty elevator. Cameron stepped in, unsure why the company vice-president was interested in him.

Cameron glanced at the panel while the old man joined him in the elevator. Two columns of buttons numbered 1-12 lined the panel. The number ‘7’ was listed in the same small box that held the other numbers, but there was no illuminated button next to it. He watched the old man touch the smooth spot where the 7th-floor button should be; the polished metal sunk in. It popped up again invisible and perfectly smooth with the rest of the panel when he pulled his finger away; the elevator doors closed.

“There’s a seventh floor!?” Cameron said in surprise. Walt nodded; Cameron’s eyes widened.

“Then… we really grow babies here?” he asked.

“We do a lot more than that, but the nursery is your new assignment,” Walt replied.

“Why me? I didn’t apply for a new position, and I’ve only been here for a year.” Cameron was genuinely curious, though he also wanted to be able to explain to his friends how he got promoted over them.

“The truth is we hired you for this job, but we needed you to complete a probationary period. Paperwork, medical exams, and trust-building, you know how it is.” Cameron nodded.

“Yeah,” Cameron chuckled. “I visited your doctor more this past year than I ever did in 43 years of being alive. And, thank you, Sir. I’m honored Sharp Development trusts me enough to give me this position. But I don’t have any experience with infants or any biological sciences,” Cameron shrugged. Walt nodded.

“Don’t worry. At Sharp Development we employ people, not positions. Trust me, you’re perfect for this job.” Cameron could tell Walt meant what he said. Something about the older man’s confidence in him inspired Cameron to believe in himself too.

“If this guy at the top thinks I can do this, then I probably can,” Cameron let the thought run through his mind for encouragement.  He subconsciously stood up straighter and puffed his chest out.

“So, what are my duties?” Cameron asked. The elevator slowed its ascent.

“When I said we grow babies, I meant it quite literally,” Walt said. The elevator came to a stop. “Ms. Sharp, our owner, is growing fae-children for experimentation.” The door chimed. Albert gestured for Cameron to step out first.

“Huh?” Cameron asked as he stepped out into a surprisingly dim hallway. Several toddlers started walking and wobbling toward him. “Fae?” he turned to face the old man still in the elevator. Walt nodded.

“Faeries, vampires, werewolves and so on.” Cameron paid closer attention to the approaching infants. Some were unusually pale, some had fur and some had wings; all of them had fangs.

“Uh, I’m not -” Cameron protested and tried to step into the elevator. His foot banged an invisible wall that prevented him from getting in.

“Don’t worry,” Walt said. “You can handle it. You don’t need any special training to be eaten.”

“…AND I’M TIRED OF TIRED OF THIS DAMN JINGLE TOO!” The small golden music box shattered against the floor between the two men. Its lid popped off and small golden gears spilled out onto the floor. “God that felt good,” Craig chuckled to himself.

“Duuuuuuuude,” Drew mumbled. “Frank’s gonna lose it! You know how attached he was to that thing.”  Craig smiled at Drew.

“If it was so important he should have taken better care of it, instead of leaving it laying on top of his desk where anyone could knock it over.” Craig adjusted the knot of his tie. “He’s practically begging for something to happen to it,” Craig asked Drew with a cocked eyebrow. “Right?”

“What’s right?” Frank walked up to the two men; all three of them shared a cubicle space. The late 30s, balding man glanced at his watch as he waited for an answer.

“Uh, I was asking Drew here if he saw the jerk that knocked over your music box,” Craig eyed Drew again. “You didn’t see anything, right?” At the mention of his music box, Frank gasped. His eyes fell on the shiny mess of sprockets on the floor.

“OH… my… god..,” Frank covered his mouth as tears flooded the corners of his eyes; he fell to his knees on the white tiles. His body shook with heaving sobs.

“Hey, it’s just a music box,” Drew offered with a friendly pat on the shoulder. Frank shook his head slowly.

“You don’t understand…,” he said. After a few awkward moments of sobbing, Frank straightened up on his haunches and glanced at his watch. “Who did it?” he asked.

“Well Craig-” Drew offered; Craig interrupted.

“Yeah, no. I didn’t see the asshole either,” Craig gave an exaggerated shrug.

“Well, shit. Nothing I can do,” Frank chuckled to himself, then stood up. He smiled at Drew and Craig. “Hey, you guys wanna grab a beer tonight?” he asked suddenly.

“Yeah man,” Drew glared at Craig. “We’ll keep you company tonight. I wanna hear why that music box was so important to you.” Frank immediately burst into laughter.

“Important my ass,” he said. “That shit’s cursed.”

“Huh?” Craig and Drew asked simultaneously.

“You said if you didn’t wind it, something terrible would happen,” Craig asked. Frank nodded.

“Yeah. The thing is practically a baby. If I don’t wind it every hour it screams in my head until I do. I mean SCREAMS,” Frank emphasized the word. “It was a bitch trying to get some sleep.”

“And all you had to do was break it?” Craig asked. “Man, you’re an idiot.” Frank shook his head.

“It was cursed,” Frank repeated. “Of course I tried to break it, I couldn’t. The only way to get rid of it is to pass it on.”

“So…,” Drew stepped in front of Frank to ask. “How does it get passed on?”

“Someone else has to try and break it, then they get the curse themselves.”

“But.., it’s broken, right? It doesn’t work any-AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”   Craig’s question was interrupted by his own screams.

“The only good witch is a dead witch, right dad?” Juno pressed her lipstick smudged fingertips to a worn, wrinkled picture on her way out the door. The mid-30s woman always made a habit of kissing her father goodbye each time she left for a mission. The small gesture always reminded her why she did what she did, and for whom. This particular day was special. After years of brutal interrogations; one witch at a time, Juno finally got a lead to the top. Hazel the witch queen not only lived in the nearby forest; she also made frequent trips to town in disguise.

One of the first spells Juno’s father taught her was a ‘true vision’ spell. It was an expensive spell that was almost not worth the effort. The spell only lasted about five minutes and the main ingredient was diamond powder. However, Juno was so gifted with magic she somehow developed her own version. A version she could hold indefinitely and it did not cost her more than a stray thought. When using the spell, her father’s eyes would glow with a dull, golden sheen. Her own version caused brilliant golden stars to shine in the center of her eyes. She never showed him.

He never outright told Juno she was adopted before he died, but she was smart enough to figure it out. Once she understood his profession she realized the truth and was hesitant to show off her magic.

Juno spent most of the morning pretending to window shop while waiting. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday and most of the city wandered downtown filing in and out of shops. She was sure the witch queen would show up. Juno kept her true vision spell active behind a pair of sunglasses while she browsed the shops; then, at noon, she caught sight of a magical aura.

Juno saw wild, purple energy swirling around a violet elderly woman. She focused and realized the energy formed the shape of an ‘old woman’ around a younger woman; it was a magical disguise. The woman’s purple magic was so distracting that Juno almost missed three other violet auras. They were much weaker and positioned around the old woman in a triangle formation.

“Too easy,” Juno smiled to herself. Over the next ten minutes, Juno wandered to each of the three guards and made them disappear. She didn’t know how she knew the spell, much less how it worked. But, in her mind, it was a simple ‘Banishment’ spell. With a touch, she could send someone somewhere. She didn’t know or care where. She touched each of the witch queen’s guards with an accidental bump, and they disappeared into a black hole.

After she banished the third guard, Juno refocused her attention on Hazel. Now that she identified the witch queen, Juno let her magical sight fade. The mystical, purple energy immediately became solid to her normal eyes. Hazel appeared to be an aged woman with long silver hair. Juno wanted to wait until the right moment to approach her; then, it happened. With a casual glance at her surroundings, the old woman noticed her guards were gone. Panic flashed across her wrinkles. Juno walked to the worried old woman.

“Everything okay, grandma?” Juno asked with mock concern. She expected the witch to continue the act and ask for help; she did not expect a gasp of surprise.

“JUNO!??”  the woman’s frail hand covered her mouth, water pooled in the corners of her eyes. “It’s you!” Juno stepped back.

“How do you know my name?” Old Hazel looked at the crowd around them, then grabbed Juno’s hand.

“This way!” Despite Juno knowing the age was an illusion, she was still surprised by Hazel’s strength as she led Juno away and into a dark alley. As a precaution, Juno loosened the knife on her left thigh.

The moment they were in the alley’s shadow, the age melted off Hazel in a purple cloud. Though she was no longer a lifetime older than Juno, the woman still seemed to have several years on her. She appeared to be in her early 40s with short salt and pepper hair and prominent laugh lines. She also seemed familiar to Juno.

“Do you remember me!?” Hazel asked.

“H-..Hazel?” Juno pretended the memory was fresh even though she learned the witch queen’s name several months ago.

“YES!” Hazel yelled and immediately wrapped her arms around Juno in a hug. “I’m your big sister Hazel!” Juno felt warm, wet drops fall on her shoulders. ”I thought you were dead!” Hazel pulled apart and smiled at Juno through her tears.

“That horrible witch hunter killed our mother while I was out collecting ingredients. I couldn’t find you anywhere I thought he killed you too,” she explained while the tears continued to fall. “What happened?”

“He raised me,” Juno replied. By the end of her statement, a silver blade was resting against Hazel’s neck. Hazel’s eyes clouded over with confusion. “Until a witch killed him.”

“No,” Hazel whispered. Her head almost swiveled, but she fought off the urge to shake her head; the blade felt sharp. “He was obsessed! Insane! We’re good witches! YOU are a good witch!” Juno huffed with a slight smirk.

“Hah. That reminds me of his last words to me,” Juno stepped closer to Hazel and stared into her eyes. “The day he saw me use magic, the day he found out what I was. Do you know what he said?” she asked.

“What?” Hazel whispered. She was hesitant to vibrate her vocal chords more than she needed to. Juno’s smirk grew into a sinister smile.“The only good witch is a dead witch. He charged at me with this knife,” Juno applied pressure then slid the knife to her right leaving behind a delicate red line that quickly overflowed. “So I killed him.” Hazel’s eyes rolled backward and she collapsed. “Look at that, I guess you are a good witch after all.”