Read Online Bruja Brouhaha by Rochelle Staab - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rochelle Staab
Tags: Mystery
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four-year-olds, broke loose and darted across the room to a braided little girl on the chair next to Nick. Mrs. Lopez hesitated. The baby shrieked in her arms.
“Take the baby and go with Helen,” I said. “I’ll watch your children.”
Mrs. Lopez whispered
gracias
and followed the nurse into the hall to the exam rooms. The boys stood side by side on a chair, fighting to push each other off. Before I could reach them, one jumped down and made a break for the front door.
“Whoa.” I caught him by the scruff of his T-shirt. “I bet there are games in the playroom for boys just like you. Does that sound like fun?”
He nodded his brown curly head and then pointed at the little girl. “Is Maria allowed, too? She’s six.”
“Yes, but here’s the deal. The gamekeeper only lets quiet children in the playroom. Think you and your brother can be quiet for a little bit? Good games. I saw them.”
Both boys agreed with enthusiasm. This childcare thing was easier than I thought. I sat next to Maria and let the boys crawl onto my lap. But the boys didn’t just sit. In an endless succession of motion they squiggled for comfort, picked at each other, and toyed with my hands and arms with sticky fingers.
Maria, in pink from her T-shirt down to the laces on her sneakers, had Nick engaged. “And then the witch put a hex on us because I know because I heard her and there were lots of sirens last night then today my baby brother fell down the stairs and my mother said we can’t go outside to play anymore until the hex is gone or the witch is dead.”
“Don’t worry, Maria,” I said. “There are no such things as hexes.”
Maria glared at me. “Are too. The hex pushed my baby brother down the steps. My mother said so.”
Nick, in a voice serious enough to hush a courtroom, said to Maria, “Scary stuff. I think your situation requires an
antidoto
. Do you believe in magic?”
She nodded slowly.
“Fairy godmothers and good spells?” He leaned in, as if to share a secret.
Another nod from Maria. The boys slid off my lap and huddled at Nick’s knees.
“You’re in luck,” Nick said. “I happen to carry magic hex-breaking pills. If I give each of you one to break the hex, will you promise to behave and obey your mother?”
The children bobbed their heads. Nick rose, turning his back to us. I heard a small rattle as he slipped something out of his pocket.
He faced us. “Open your hands.”
Three small palms stretched in front of him.
Nick put an oval white mint into each hand. “Put this on your tongue. Don’t chew. When the magic pill dissolves, the hex will be gone.”
The boys shoved the mints in their mouths.
Maria studied the mint, doubtful. “This is a Tic Tac.”
“Are you sure?” Nick said. “Sometimes magic comes in disguise.”
Maria turned to me. “Do you believe in magic pills?”
Her big brown eyes shone up at me, waiting, as I mulled a way to translate my skepticism into child-speak. “I believe in the power of little girls,” I said.
She squinted at me, unconvinced, and popped the mint into her mouth.
A health care assistant in blue scrubs approached our little group. “Are these the Lopez children?”
“Yes,” I said. “Are you the gamekeeper?”
Her chuckled
yes
satisfied the boys. She took their hands, and they trotted with her toward the playroom door in the hall off the lobby.
Maria lingered in front of Nick. “Can I have magic pills for my Mom and baby brother, too?” He gave her two mints. She thanked him and ran after her brothers.
Nick caught me shaking my head. “What?”
“Oh, I don’t know—advocating magical thinking, giving candy to children?”
“All children engage in magical thinking. The mints made the kids feel safe and in control.”
“Nice. But I’d rather stop the hex rumor from snowballing,” I said.
“We could wait for the whole family to come out, then weigh them down with facts. While we’re at it, we can tell them about Santa
“Take the baby and go with Helen,” I said. “I’ll watch your children.”
Mrs. Lopez whispered
gracias
and followed the nurse into the hall to the exam rooms. The boys stood side by side on a chair, fighting to push each other off. Before I could reach them, one jumped down and made a break for the front door.
“Whoa.” I caught him by the scruff of his T-shirt. “I bet there are games in the playroom for boys just like you. Does that sound like fun?”
He nodded his brown curly head and then pointed at the little girl. “Is Maria allowed, too? She’s six.”
“Yes, but here’s the deal. The gamekeeper only lets quiet children in the playroom. Think you and your brother can be quiet for a little bit? Good games. I saw them.”
Both boys agreed with enthusiasm. This childcare thing was easier than I thought. I sat next to Maria and let the boys crawl onto my lap. But the boys didn’t just sit. In an endless succession of motion they squiggled for comfort, picked at each other, and toyed with my hands and arms with sticky fingers.
Maria, in pink from her T-shirt down to the laces on her sneakers, had Nick engaged. “And then the witch put a hex on us because I know because I heard her and there were lots of sirens last night then today my baby brother fell down the stairs and my mother said we can’t go outside to play anymore until the hex is gone or the witch is dead.”
“Don’t worry, Maria,” I said. “There are no such things as hexes.”
Maria glared at me. “Are too. The hex pushed my baby brother down the steps. My mother said so.”
Nick, in a voice serious enough to hush a courtroom, said to Maria, “Scary stuff. I think your situation requires an
antidoto
. Do you believe in magic?”
She nodded slowly.
“Fairy godmothers and good spells?” He leaned in, as if to share a secret.
Another nod from Maria. The boys slid off my lap and huddled at Nick’s knees.
“You’re in luck,” Nick said. “I happen to carry magic hex-breaking pills. If I give each of you one to break the hex, will you promise to behave and obey your mother?”
The children bobbed their heads. Nick rose, turning his back to us. I heard a small rattle as he slipped something out of his pocket.
He faced us. “Open your hands.”
Three small palms stretched in front of him.
Nick put an oval white mint into each hand. “Put this on your tongue. Don’t chew. When the magic pill dissolves, the hex will be gone.”
The boys shoved the mints in their mouths.
Maria studied the mint, doubtful. “This is a Tic Tac.”
“Are you sure?” Nick said. “Sometimes magic comes in disguise.”
Maria turned to me. “Do you believe in magic pills?”
Her big brown eyes shone up at me, waiting, as I mulled a way to translate my skepticism into child-speak. “I believe in the power of little girls,” I said.
She squinted at me, unconvinced, and popped the mint into her mouth.
A health care assistant in blue scrubs approached our little group. “Are these the Lopez children?”
“Yes,” I said. “Are you the gamekeeper?”
Her chuckled
yes
satisfied the boys. She took their hands, and they trotted with her toward the playroom door in the hall off the lobby.
Maria lingered in front of Nick. “Can I have magic pills for my Mom and baby brother, too?” He gave her two mints. She thanked him and ran after her brothers.
Nick caught me shaking my head. “What?”
“Oh, I don’t know—advocating magical thinking, giving candy to children?”
“All children engage in magical thinking. The mints made the kids feel safe and in control.”
“Nice. But I’d rather stop the hex rumor from snowballing,” I said.
“We could wait for the whole family to come out, then weigh them down with facts. While we’re at it, we can tell them about Santa
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