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Authors: Kerry Barrett
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about this?’
Suky shook her head.
‘Talk to them before you do anything,’ I begged. Magic was out of my comfort zone at the best of times. Changing the rules was way too much for me to take in.
‘I’m not going to do anything,’ she said. She looked very sad for a moment. ‘My magic isn’t really working just now.’
I had realised her power was dimmed, so I nodded.
‘It’ll come back though, right?’ I said. ‘Eva’s came back.’
‘Hopefully,’ Suky said. She rested her head against the pillow on her chair. ‘Once all this is over. But…’
‘What?’ I asked. Suky was always so confident, it shook me up to see her so unsure of herself.
‘Before I found out about the cancer, I knew something was up,’ she said. ‘Some of my spells were going wrong.’
‘Wrong?’
‘Not working. Sometimes working too well.’
‘Harry said there had been a bit of trouble at the café,’ I suddenly remembered. ‘Is that what she meant?’
Suky nodded.
‘What sort of thing?’
‘Stuff I did myself,’ she said. ‘Not the other bits that Eva and your mum do. Just the things people actually asked me for help with.’
I grimaced. Somehow the fact that it was help that people had sought that had gone wrong seemed worse.
‘The first one was that prickly woman from the newsagent,’ she said.
‘Was she prickly before her spell went wrong?’
Suky made a face.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And worse after. She wanted a happy holiday. She said she and her husband had been saving up for this trip to see their son in Australia and they wanted it to be the holiday of a lifetime.’
‘And was it?’
‘Well, yes.’ Suky screwed her whole face up. ‘Not in the way she meant, though. More in the emergency landings, lost travellers’ cheques, cancelled hotel bookings and, erm, snake bite, way.’
I stared at her.
‘Yowzers,’ I said. ‘That’s not good.’
‘Another one came to ask me for good luck for her daughter who had a job interview…’
‘And?’
Suky gave a small cough.
‘Well, let’s just say she didn’t get the job.’
Despite myself I giggled.
‘It doesn’t sound too bad,’ I said. ‘What about the spells that worked too well?’
‘One woman wanted to add a bit of spice to her marriage,’ Suky said, lowering her voice. ‘I think she’d been reading that 50 Shades of Grey .’
‘Oh no.’
Suky nodded, grim-faced.
‘She was insatiable,’ she whispered. ‘Dragging him down alleyways, even. I’m not sure he minded, but when the spell wore off poor Millicent must have been mortified.’
‘Millicent?’ I said, thinking of the woman with the tam o shanter.
‘Yes, she’s the reason I’m so worried,’ Suky went on. ‘Have you noticed anything about the café?’
‘It’s not very busy,’ I said, trying to be diplomatic.
She winced.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of. You know what Claddach is like – everyone knows everyone else. Well, some of the spells that went wrong were for people who like to talk – especially that Millicent and the prickly one from the newsagent. There’s nothing they like more than a good gossip.’
‘And you’re worried they’re telling people their spells didn’t work?’
‘Well, worse than that, really,’ she said. ‘I’m more worried they’re talking about us – and turning folk against us.’
She paused.
‘In my experience,’ she said. ‘People are accepting of witches as long as we’re doing what they want us to do. If things go wrong, they turn very quickly.’
Suky looked so worried that I wanted to reassure her, even though I’d seen how quiet the café was. I was fairly sure worrying over work wasn’t the best way to spend the time while you were waiting for your radiotherapy session.
‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ I lied. ‘It’s probably just a blip and a few unfortunate coincidences. I think perhaps all the worry over your illness is making you a bit paranoid.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’
Suky shook her head.
‘Talk to them before you do anything,’ I begged. Magic was out of my comfort zone at the best of times. Changing the rules was way too much for me to take in.
‘I’m not going to do anything,’ she said. She looked very sad for a moment. ‘My magic isn’t really working just now.’
I had realised her power was dimmed, so I nodded.
‘It’ll come back though, right?’ I said. ‘Eva’s came back.’
‘Hopefully,’ Suky said. She rested her head against the pillow on her chair. ‘Once all this is over. But…’
‘What?’ I asked. Suky was always so confident, it shook me up to see her so unsure of herself.
‘Before I found out about the cancer, I knew something was up,’ she said. ‘Some of my spells were going wrong.’
‘Wrong?’
‘Not working. Sometimes working too well.’
‘Harry said there had been a bit of trouble at the café,’ I suddenly remembered. ‘Is that what she meant?’
Suky nodded.
‘What sort of thing?’
‘Stuff I did myself,’ she said. ‘Not the other bits that Eva and your mum do. Just the things people actually asked me for help with.’
I grimaced. Somehow the fact that it was help that people had sought that had gone wrong seemed worse.
‘The first one was that prickly woman from the newsagent,’ she said.
‘Was she prickly before her spell went wrong?’
Suky made a face.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And worse after. She wanted a happy holiday. She said she and her husband had been saving up for this trip to see their son in Australia and they wanted it to be the holiday of a lifetime.’
‘And was it?’
‘Well, yes.’ Suky screwed her whole face up. ‘Not in the way she meant, though. More in the emergency landings, lost travellers’ cheques, cancelled hotel bookings and, erm, snake bite, way.’
I stared at her.
‘Yowzers,’ I said. ‘That’s not good.’
‘Another one came to ask me for good luck for her daughter who had a job interview…’
‘And?’
Suky gave a small cough.
‘Well, let’s just say she didn’t get the job.’
Despite myself I giggled.
‘It doesn’t sound too bad,’ I said. ‘What about the spells that worked too well?’
‘One woman wanted to add a bit of spice to her marriage,’ Suky said, lowering her voice. ‘I think she’d been reading that 50 Shades of Grey .’
‘Oh no.’
Suky nodded, grim-faced.
‘She was insatiable,’ she whispered. ‘Dragging him down alleyways, even. I’m not sure he minded, but when the spell wore off poor Millicent must have been mortified.’
‘Millicent?’ I said, thinking of the woman with the tam o shanter.
‘Yes, she’s the reason I’m so worried,’ Suky went on. ‘Have you noticed anything about the café?’
‘It’s not very busy,’ I said, trying to be diplomatic.
She winced.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of. You know what Claddach is like – everyone knows everyone else. Well, some of the spells that went wrong were for people who like to talk – especially that Millicent and the prickly one from the newsagent. There’s nothing they like more than a good gossip.’
‘And you’re worried they’re telling people their spells didn’t work?’
‘Well, worse than that, really,’ she said. ‘I’m more worried they’re talking about us – and turning folk against us.’
She paused.
‘In my experience,’ she said. ‘People are accepting of witches as long as we’re doing what they want us to do. If things go wrong, they turn very quickly.’
Suky looked so worried that I wanted to reassure her, even though I’d seen how quiet the café was. I was fairly sure worrying over work wasn’t the best way to spend the time while you were waiting for your radiotherapy session.
‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ I lied. ‘It’s probably just a blip and a few unfortunate coincidences. I think perhaps all the worry over your illness is making you a bit paranoid.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’
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