Page 104 of Sweetwater and the Witch

But first, a name change. She opened a drawer and took out the list of possibilities she had made. Decision time. Branding was important.

Chapter Fifty-Three

The dust bunnies were lined up on the tiered quartz benches when the sled arrived in the underground theater.

Ravenna, seated on the front seat with Ethan and Sybil, surveyed the crowd.

“They got here early this time,” she said. “I wonder how Harriet communicates with her buddies.”

Harriet, riding on the dashboard, chortled a greeting to her guests. A chorus of excited chortles responded. Several of the dust bunnies were so overcome with anticipation they bounced up and down.

Ethan brought the sled to a halt. “Something tells me this is the place.”

“Welcome to Dust Bunny Theater,” Ravenna said.

“We found it one day when we did some exploring,” Sybil explained. “Ravenna put on a little show, just for kicks. Harriet was thrilled. Somehow she got the word out to her pals.”

“This is amazing,” Ethan said, stepping down from the sled. “I’ve never seen a chamber like this in the tunnels.”

Sybil looked at him. “If you bring the cauldron, I’ll get the popcorn.”

Ethan chuckled and gave Ravenna a knowing look. “Cauldron?”

Ravenna glared at Sybil. “It’s a very large popcorn kettle, obviously. Thecauldronthing is Sybil’s idea of a joke.”

“Sorry,” Sybil said. “Couldn’t resist.”

“Right.” Ethan hoisted the huge kettle out of the cargo bay of the sled. “Where does the cauldron go?”

“Set it on the platform in the center,” Sybil said.

She picked up the large package of popcorn kernels from the back of the sled and followed Ethan to the stage. He set the kettle down. Sybil removed the glass lid with a flourish and dumped the contents of the package into the pot. At the sound of the kernels rattling on the bottom, another round of chortling went up.

“That’s a lot of popcorn,” Ethan said.

“The dust bunnies love the process as much as the munching,” Ravenna said. “Stand back.”

Energy sparked in the atmosphere as she rezzed some talent. Paranormal flames leaped under the kettle. When the first kernels popped, the audience went wild.

Ethan, Ravenna, and Sybil returned to the sled and sat down on the front seat. Ravenna reached into the back of the sled to get the wine. Sybil lined up the glasses on the dashboard.

The popping was louder now. It wasn’t long before the fluffy popcorn filled the kettle, pushed the lid aside, and overflowed. Ravenna cut off the flames.

The dust bunnies surged forward to chow down on popcorn.

Ethan sat on one end of the sled bench. He braced a booted foot onthe floor of the chamber and drank some wine while he watched the dust bunnies.

“They know how to have a good time,” he said.

“Maybe that’s why we find them so charming,” Ravenna said. “They remind us that we should take time to enjoy life.”

Sybil raised her glass in a toast. “They also remind us that it’s good to have friends.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Ravenna said.

Ethan put his arm around her. “So will I.”

“By the way,” Sybil said. “I have a little surprise for you two.”

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