Page 117 of Crazy Thing

“Is it true?”

“You really saved the waterfall?”

“Oh, tell us it’s true!”

“I, uh…” I start, a little overwhelmed by all the attention.

Ziggy proudly loops her arm through mine. “He sure did. Darius has single-handedly saved the waterfall for all of us,” she announces.

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Brighton!”

“You’re our hero.”

“We’re so grateful that you defeated Edison, that greedy bastard.”

The old ladies huddle around me. Some are patting me on the back. Others are full-out hugging me. Two of them offer me freshly baked brownies, making sure to mention that they’re of the ‘special’ variety.

Heck, even the woman who once put a hex on me is being nice today.

“It worked. My spell worked,” Ms. Holly tries to pat my cheek.

I flinch, jumping a mile backward. “I knew it. I knew you tried to kill me,” I shout accusingly, startling the crowd.

But now that I think about it, ever since I started spending more time with Ziggy, I haven’t been experiencing all those weird symptoms anymore.

My ear doesn’t hurt. My eye hasn’t been twitching. I can’t remember the last time I had a migraine.

Either Ziggy is my magical cure, or taking some time to slow the hectic pace of my life has been good for myhealth.I’m going to assume that it’s a bit of both. I couldn’t have achieved one without the other.

Right now, I can’t help but wonder if my hex is over. Maybe I broke it with my recent good deeds.

The old woman rolls her eyes. “Kill you? I didn’t try to kill you, idiot. I cast a love spell on you.”

“A love spell?” I echo.

She nods. “I knew that if you found the woman for you, you’d stop being such a money-hungry terror around town. That hard heart of yours was practically begging for some affection.”

Rainbow stomps into the conversation. “That is absolutely ridiculous, Holly. This has nothing to do with a love spell. It’s astrology. I checked on the synastry. Ziggy and Darius are soulmates. It’s written in the stars. They were bound to find each other.”

“I think it had to do with the magic of the waterfall,” someone else adds. “Ziggy and Darius have been working tirelessly together to block the privatization of the land. Falling in love with each other is their reward from the universe. The powers of those waters make people fall in love all the time.”

The old ladies are arguing now. They can’t agree on whether it was Holly’s spell or the astrology or some other mystical phenomenon that brought Ziggy and me together. It’s a battle of superstitions.

But I’m too distracted to engage in the debate. Because Ziggy is looking at me with so much adoration and pride in her bright blue eyes. It’s an honor to be appreciated by the locals, but Ziggy’s opinion of me is what matters most.

Hell—I’d buy every waterfall in the country to keep that look on her face.

“Will you dance with me?” I ask, leaning down tomurmur in her ear. “I believe I have a big mistake to undo from when I was a stupid teenager.”

Ziggy blushes.“I’d love to dance.”

I grab her hand and lead her away from the booths—and from prying eyes. We don’t stop until we hit the area of the festival that has upbeat live music playing.

“What are you thinking?” she asks, our bodies pressed together and moving in sync.

“I only want to dance with you at all hippie festivals from now on,” I confess.

She whimpers, leaning her head on my collarbone and hugging me tighter.

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