Chapter 6
Chapter six
My jaw dropped. I snapped it shut with an audible noise. A ghost was not the most surprising thing I'd experienced since I'd stepped into my aunt's dainty, yet hard-to-fill shoes.
I was still debating with myself whether I should approach the brunette and her ghost, when they decided to move on.
“One question,” I quietly said to Cosmo. "The woman with the earrings, is that her handler or, what do you call it, her spirit guide? No, that’s wrong. Wouldn't the spirit be the guide?”
“She's totally human, the person the ghost is connected to. It’s like you and me. We have a special bond, and so do Adriana and her great-great-niece.”
“Okay, should I prepare to meet more ghosts here in Crystal Springs?”
“I shouldn't think so. To be honest, she is the first fully formed specter I have met since the turn of the century.”
“Which century?”
“The 20th, of course. May I say, she's by far the most delightful one.”
“I'm glad to hear that there is nothing I need to worry about on their behalf.” At least I hoped there wasn’t.
“Indeed. Whatever quest they are here for, it shouldn’t interfere with ours.”
On that reassuring note, we decided to leave the park.
By now storm clouds were gathering, and I had no intention to end up drenched, and neither did Cosmo.
We made it as far as the bookstore, but the second we reached its door, a closed sign popped up, followed by another handwritten sign: "Back in 15."
I grumbled under my breath, "It's so unfair.”
“You do that too once in a while,” Cosmo pointed out.
I had to agree that other librarians or booksellers might have pressing issues of their own, so instead we paid a visit to the neighboring store.
Age of Aquarius offered an interesting selection of hand-poured candles in different colors and different scents that were supposed to aid relaxation, enhance creativity, lessen anxiety, and other useful purposes when burned.
An assortment of crystals and jewelry deepened the New Age theme, and tarot cards came in such a great variety that they took up a whole case of their own.
Taped to the wall next to it was a laminated poster announcing the services of two tarot readers, with their pictures.
One of them was the woman with the pixie cut. Her name was Leila; the other tarot reader was called Keith, a man of indeterminate age with piercing blue eyes.
I purchased a candle in a tin. Its label said it would help with difficult tasks.
The fragrance was pleasant too, with a hint of warm spices, so even if it did not improve my odds of purchasing or winning the bids at a reasonable price, it would smell nice.
Cosmo tugged at the harness to lead me toward the cash desk.
I paid for my purchase, had it wrapped in brown paper, and headed back out again. After another stop for a hot chocolate with whipped cream for me and a few treats for Cosmo, we returned to the auction house.
The muffled sensation remained, although my body reacted less strongly this time around.
Yet it was still bad enough to stop me from determining which of the objects was the one I was destined to buy. On the plus side I could see the third item, because nobody blocked my view.
It was an old-fashioned jewelry box with several drawers, covered in dusty black velvet and decorated with rhinestones that formed crescent-shaped symbols
I opened the drawers. They were empty. “Not this one then,” I muttered.
Cosmo sat upright and fixed me with his stare. He swished his tail, to signal me to think again. Of course. The drawers were lined with velvet as well. It was easily possible that a parchment with a spell was hidden underneath the fabric.
At least this item, according to my catalog, had no minimum bid. I estimated that it would go for $10 to $20 maximum. After all, at a first glance there was nothing overly special about it.
The humming in my ears returned, so I decided to leave before it got worse. Cosmo appeared to agree, because he rubbed his head against my arm.
We returned to our lodgings. Both Cosmo and I were exhausted. He, because he hadn't had a nap in hours, and I, because I'd been attacked by magic several times.
We decided to take a short nap. When I woke up again, it was after our usual dinner time. I had a quick look at the guide to eateries that Posy had told me about and ordered a pizza to be delivered.
Cosmo stirred when the food arrived. Posy had called my room phone from the reception, and I went to pick up the pizza box. She offered me a ceramic plate and stainless-steel cutlery to go with it.
“Thank you,” I said. I piled them up on the box when my new friend Alphonse and his owner approached the reception desk.
“Hello again,” I said.
Paul smiled at me. “Well, good evening, my dear lady.” Then he turned to Posy.
“Alphonse just picked this up on the sidewalk, outside the town hall.” He handed her a doll the size of my hand, made of fabric and stuffed with cotton wool or another similarly soft material.
It was dressed in a business suit, and somebody had drawn cowboy boots on its feet.
“I was wondering if you have an idea who this belongs to.”
Posy inspected the doll. “No, I can't say I do. It looks home-made to me. It could be meant to be a dad or a grandpa. Well, I'll ask around at the kindergarten tomorrow.”
“I hope you’ll find the owner. Good night.”
With that, he and Alphonse returned to their room and I to mine. While I tucked into my pizza and Cosmo devoured a tin of his favorite tuna, we discussed our bidding strategy.
“I wish there was a way that I could see what others are bidding online,” I fretted.
“Why?” he asked.
“Sure, we’ll go to the live auction tomorrow, but what if somebody has already outbid me online?”
“Shouldn't the auctioneer tell people what bid they're up against?”
“Yes, but somehow... I know it’s one of the corniest lines in history, but somehow, I've got a bad feeling about this.” I wasn’t much of a risk taker at the best of times when it came to money, and here, a lot more was at stake. Losing the spell-book would be like failing my aunt and her last wish.
Cosmo cleaned his whiskers, licked his lips, and jumped up onto the ottoman to snuggle up to me. “In this case, and just this once, I think it’s justified to put up a bid online now and use a spell to lock it in.”
“That’s possible?”
“If we get this right, then, yes, nobody else will be able to outbid you on the internet.”
“What about the other witch or witches?” The thought had just occurred to me that my opponent might have a coven of her own. There was strength in numbers after all.
“What about them?”
“Can't they do the same?”
“There’s only one way to find out. I’ll help you.”
“Okay.” With shaking hands I lit the candle, opened the auction house website and used my bidder number to place my bids for the three lots.
All the time I was typing, Cosmo’s paw rested on my leg and he purred in a steady rhythm. I pictured the items in my mind and silently created a spell where they lifted off the table, floated through the air, and ended up in my hands, again and again and again.
I stopped the mental images and snuffed the candle, with a light-headed sensation. The magic left me drained yet also exhilarated.
Cosmo, who seemed similarly exhausted from using his powers, hopped onto the bed and patted the pillow with a paw. “We need to sleep. We've got a busy day ahead.”
“True.”
“And Bex? I believe in us.”