Page 66 of Wishing for a Werewolf
“It’s those feral cats again!” Mrs. Greely shakes her cane at the flowers for a second before it droops, and her expression goes from vexed to confused. “And… hedgehogs? Do we have hedgehogs here? I thought they were native to Europe.”
They are, but the town’s protection spell must have picked hedgehogs as the best animal to use to disguise the animate pumpkins. Time to get creative. “People bring them over as pets,” I say. For all I know, it’s not a lie, but this next part sure the eff is. “A bunch of them got loose and live in the woods near the waterfall.”
The elderly woman humphs, her eyes tracking the pumpkins as they whirl across the green.
Hannah hurries past with Severin, and soon enough, they’ve stashed the walking tulips and rolling pumpkins inside another stand of bushes, contained by a fence of his shadows. My bestie shoots me a thumbs up, and we share agrin. Never a dull moment in our magical small town!
Rune and I continue to circulate around the carving tables, with me pretending to give design advice that actually comes from him.
Everything’s going well until a high shriek of dismay cuts through the air. A little girl stands sobbing over the smashed remains of her pumpkin, which has fallen to the ground.
“We’ll get a new one,” her father promises.
“There’s no time!” she wails.
She’s right. The judging starts in only ten minutes.
“I hate this,” I whisper-hiss. “I wish I cou—” I stop myself from using the w-word just in time, but it makes me wonder. Why do I have this power if I can never use it? Lifting my chin, I say, “I wish her pumpkin didn’t get damaged when it hit the ground.”
A ripple of magic flows through me, spiraling out into the world. The splattered pieces of pumpkin slide toward each other, coming back together like a film run in reverse.
“Hey, look! It’s alright!” I crouch to pick up the now intact jack-o’-lantern and offer it to her. “The grass must have cushioned its fall. It didn’t get hurt at all!”
The little girl’s sobs choke off as she snatches the pumpkin from me, a smile splitting her face.
Her father frowns down at the pumpkin. “But I saw—”
“A trick of the light,” I lie and wave a hand. “You know how it is once the sun starts to set but before it’s dark enough for the streetlights to really seem to work.”
Then the town’s protection spell kicks in, muddling his memory, and his expression eases. “Yes. A trick of the light.”
The little girl throws an arm around my neck and pressesa kiss to my cheek before whispering, “I know it was you. Thank you.”
“What do they look like?” I whisper, pointing at the twins.
“Like werewolves! Are they wearing their Halloween costumes a day early?”
“Something like that.” I grin as she turns back to her parents. Here’s one of the next generation of witches.
Then even more delight fills me. I used my magic, and it wasn’t a mix-up or a mistake. My magic did something beneficial. I can do good with it. For the first time since my powers kicked in, I feel a thread of hope.
When I rejoin him, Rune leans over to rumble in my ear, “That was a very good thing you did.”
“I used my magic!” His approval adds to my giddy happiness until I can’t keep it in. I throw my arms around him. “And it didn’t mess up!”
He hugs me close, the firm solid strength of him intoxicating. I want to wallow in his heat, my heart pounding for a whole new reason.
Mrs. Greely calls time from the judging table, jerking us apart. All the last-minute entries hurry to add their pumpkins.
Rune and I walk the table side by side, and I’m so glad he’s doing this with me, because I’d never be able to choose.
As we agreed, he picks several winners instead of only one. I never like the contests with only one, not when there are so many great entries. We dole out the ribbons I made: funniest pumpkin, scariest pumpkin, best children’s entry, and best overall.
The little witch beams at me when she wins the best children’s prize. Jared snaps pics of all the happy winners. Ferndale Falls is too small to have an official newspaper, but he runs a small website that everyone in town reads.
As everyone starts to wander away from the green, Mrs. Greely gives me a satisfied nod.
I look up at Rune. “We did it! We completed your wish to host the pumpkin carving contest.”
