Page 3 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“I’m relaxed everywhere,” I lied.

“Ladies’ choice.”

“My house. Ten o’clock. That will give me time to review this forum thing.”

“I will officially convey your wishes. Have you noticed that Frey is the fastest?”

“Yes. And Fen is most affable.”

“A good match because I suspect Frey may be ferocious in a pinch.”

“What sort of pinch?”

“Well, if I knew that I’d be a fortune witch, wouldn’t I?”

And we were back to our usual morning chat.

With the last fading rays of the day’s sun, I draped my magic shawl over my shoulders with a dramatic flourish and thought it was a pity no one had been there to see that. Stepping out into the lane, I invited my hounds to take a stroll to the village green. At their young age it takes time to get their attention when they’re beside themselves with excitement. But with patience, they finally settled and focused. I gave them a stern warning to remember to be beautiful border collie dogs. “And no chasing critters of any kind. Understood?” It’s not easy for dogs to sit and wag their tails at the same time. They have to balance on their haunches at least three inches off the ground. I took this as the doggy version of a solemn oath of obeyance and hoped I wasn’t wrong.

“Remember that show we watched about Australian muster dogs?” I asked them. “That proves that puppies can be phenomenal. If regular pups can do great things, so can you. So, there’s your bar. Are you up to it?” Continued tail wagging. “Excellent. Let’s go.”

So off we went to pick up take away from Molly’s like I’d promised Keir.

There were even more decorations than I’d remembered from the year before. Halloween lanterns were mixed with jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkins weren’t widely available in the U.K., but Lochlan commissioned a truckload to be flown in so that the town’s American celebrity judge would feel at home. Not that I didn’t feel at home already. Of course, I did. But it was the sort of sweet and considerate gesture that made me love my solicitor like a favorite uncle.

As I walked, I thought about Halloween and realized that I’d never been frightened by anything associated with it. As a child, it was about the delicious rite of costume selection, the anticipation of dusk, and plans for candy consumption to rival the reported excesses of the Roman noble class. The costumes were less memorable than the clusters of pedestrians in my suburban neighborhood at twilight.

The walk to Molly’s was made even more picturesque by the unusual quiet. Lanterns glowing cheerfully, but not a soul to be seen. I slowed as we passed the Hallows windows. All dark inside. I remember thinking that Maggie and Dolan must have gotten away at a reasonable time. For once.

When I reached the other end of the green, I turned around to look behind me. I’d never seen the village so completely deserted so early in the evening before. Turning to Fen and Frey, I said, “You’d almost think something magical was afoot. And perhaps not in a good way.”

My pups seemed unconcerned, which was comforting. I knew that, even at a relatively young age, they’d alert me to trouble. That thought was followed by the image of them scurrying out the dog door as fast as claws on wood floors would allow when they caught sight of my support bunny as the lamia lepus. Of course, they were much younger. And, to be fair, they had gone for backup, meaning their parents, the two adult fraighounds that lived across the lane with Lochlan and Ivy.

“You wouldn’t desert me if something bad happened, would you?” They wagged their tails. Conclusion inconclusive. I sighed. “Okay. You can come in, but stay by the door and behave yourselves.”

In the year plus that I’d been a Hallow Hills resident, I’d never seen Molly’s empty. Let me correct that. Jeff was wiping the bar. I put the dogs where I wanted them to stay and headed over.

“Hey, Jeff. Busy night, huh?”

He grinned. “Oh, yeah. It’s been a while since we had so many people on a Tuesday.” He bobbed his head. “Probably never happened before.”

Just as I opened my mouth to laugh, I saw Jeff’s eyes shift to something behind me. When I turned, almost thirty grinning faces yelled, “SURPRISE!!!”

An involuntary reflex made me grab a fistful of sweater near my heart. Naturally, I didn’t have heart issues and hadn’t had coronary problems even before I’d been blessed with the new and improved health benefits that come with being magistrate.

“Good glory!” I said. “What is this?”

In unison, the crowd shouted, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!”

Oh my. It had crossed my mind a few times throughout the day that it was my birthday, but I hadn’t expected to make a big deal about it. I’d considered adding a sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce to my take-away order so that I could light a candle later, but plans were still fluid.

Evie came rushing forward looking more radiant and beautiful than I could hope for. It was hard to tell if the glow was more because of being fae or being pregnant.

“Happy, happy, Mom. Did we getcha?”

“Oh, yeah. Big time. Where did you hide all these people?”

She shrugged. “Kitchen. Some had to wait in the alley.” Looking around, she added, “You got a lot of friends.” Her grin said it was lovely to see that since I’d never had many friends before. Cole hadn’t been very social and had wanted my leisure attention spent doing things for him.

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