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Dani’s school day starts off as nothing special. It also ends on an ordinary note as she heads home, passing the matching Colonial cottages framed neatly by iron fences.
The weird thing is though, Dani isn’t exactly sure what makes her want to stop today and watch a stranger tend to her garden — maybe, it’s the woman’s head of sleek fiery red hair that catches Dani’s eye at first — or, it’s the sight of two black cats basking in the sun on the woman’s front porch. She has been up and down this path dozens of times and can't recall ever seeing this particular woman hanging around the neighborhood before. She must be new to Salem.
The woman is notably attractive, that’s for sure, and even looks a few years younger than her own mother.
“ — Just standing there to spy on a stranger is rather rude,” the woman calls out suddenly without warning.
“Sorry —,” Dani starts, startled by her comment, “I just— ,” but then her excuse for peeping in falls short, because she knows it's not a good one. “What are you doing?”
“Now use your eyes again for observation. What am I doing?”
“… You’re collecting roots?”
The redhead chuckles. “Yes. Very good. I am collecting roots, and any other herb I need.”
“Herbs for what?”
“For my own family's remedies.” The woman uses her wrist to rid her forehead of sweat. “For my ailments, my luxuries, and my potions. Everything I want, little witch.”
“What — I’m not a witch!” Dani protests.
“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”
“What makes you think I am a witch?”
The woman kneeling in the garden merely shrugs. “Takes one to know one.”
Dani glares at her, getting ready to sprint away. “I should go.”
That following day, Dani peers around the corner and walks swiftly up to the redhead patting around in her private garden again.
“You’re back,” she mutters in amusement, only glancing over at Dani once. “I had a hunch.”
“Look, I —,” Dani blurts out, cheeks flushing red. “I can’t stop thinking about what you said yesterday.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I don’t know what you might have heard about me, lady, or whatever… but, I am not a witch. Okay? I didn’t sell my soul. I don’t go around cursing people and I do not feed on the souls of innocent kids.”
“Neither do I. Most witches had to change and transition with the times. Those are very old practices. Archaic.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with that information?”
“That’s for you to decide, isn’t it? Whatever you believe… it’s your choice. But just remember, I didn’t drag you back here by hook and rope and force you to listen.”
“But, you keep acting like you know everything about me already! Just stop, and forget I ever asked!”
“If witches unsettle you this much, Danika Dennison, then you should just leave it be from now on. Don’t waste your time with the rest of us. Trust me, no good comes from meddling.”
Dani returns on that third day despite the woman’s advice:
“Just humor me for a minute. If… you didn’t sell your soul, how exactly did you become a witch, then?”
The redhead laughs at this. “Witchcraft was already in my blood, like my sister’s, and my mother’s, and my aunts’ before that. Though all girls have the potential of becoming witches, figuratively or literally. It really depends on the girl.”
“Okay. But, why the gamble?” Dani presses, “I know with magic, there’s always a price.”
“There is. But… in the Craft, we learn how to gain more than we will lose.”
That’s when one of the woman’s cats approaches Dani with ease and begins purring loudly, arching against her ankles. Dani looks at the feline curiously, fondly, then back up at the woman, who smirks knowingly.
“Well. Merlin certainly seems to think you’re one of us.”
Dani visits the neighboring witch, Gillian Owens, after school to chat from that day on.
And soon enough, she comes to working in the garden beside Gillian for hours, learning certain things her Social Studies textbooks will not teach her in class. Dani's parents at home don’t complain. To them, it means Dani will stay out of mischief and she’s made a new friend, found a new role model — that Dani is charitable enough to keep a single middle-aged local woman company whenever she could.
“No, Dani,” Gillian prompts, and Dani sighs and looks over at her.
“No, what?”
“Don’t just scrape the soil back with your fingers like that. Roll it gently in the way you want it to go by using the heels of your palms. The Earth will be more kind to you that way. You don’t want any dead things finding their way back out.”
Gillian knows Dani’s making acceptable progress. The girl’s mind is far more open to the flow of magic, and her spirit is strong and willing.
She is growing confident in the Craft, and is far less frightened of her own abilities that were triggered.
Overall, Dani reminds Gillian of both Kylie and Antonia in so many ways that it’s freaky. But she loves it.
So far, with her help, Dani has learned to use a water bowl as a looking-glass to see various present events playing out as they were happening; and she could summon live pink snails right out of her cup of soup.
Tonight, Dani manages to ignite a single white candle (Owens Style) by simply breathing air over the wick, giving life to the emerging flame.
The current snowfall is soft and beautiful that Solstice Night.
Dani carefully lights the Yule Log in the hearth, and relaxes back against the sofa. The spoon that stirs her peppermint hot chocolate moves in circles on its own upon the floor next to her.
Gillian stares at the bottom of her own mug, making out the shapes in the chocolate residue leftover, swirling it slowly over and over in a Widdershins direction, looking for messages. “Hmm. Interesting.”
“What?” Dani wonders.
“It seems you’ll have a visitor soon, Danika.”
“What kind of visitor?”
“One long since past.”
As Springtide comes, Gillian travels out of state to visit her family and coven for a time, leaving Dani in charge of Merlin and Nyx while she’s away. But, as promised, she’s back in Salem by Beltane Day and happily celebrates the Sabbath with Dani again.
The Summer heat that follows is generous, rewarding the town for enduring another long hard Winter. So, Gillian eagerly invites the Owen clan out to the coast to see her latest apartment and finally, she introduces them to Dani properly in person.
Sally and Gary welcome her to the dinner table with polite, friendly smiles. The Aunts fawn over Dani mercilessly, gifting her with homemade chocolate cake and ginger sticks. And as expected, her nieces adore Dani too, finding it easy to make a real connection.
They swap stories all weekend long. The Owens girls tell Dani about Jimmy, and in turn, Dani finally feels safe and validated enough to fill in the gaps about what happened to her personally. She vents her feelings and experiences with the Sanderson Sisters, letting the damn open and everything comes flooding out. Both Gillian and Sally settle down on the sofa on either side of her, patting her back, reassuring her that it’s okay. They get it. After, Nyx curls herself upon Dani's lap, consoling her as well.
Then, Autumn arrives once more in all its colorful glory, and the last few Harvest moons are on the rise.
Meanwhile, Dani’s helping them to prepare the family’s altar for Samhain Night, since she’ll actually be joining them this year on the rooftop. Sally had sent Dani a black umbrella earlier this week by mail — one that was already blessed and charmed to take flight and all ready for the jump.
Gillian can feel how thin the Veil is growing. The spirits are restless and giddy for a revisit to this world.
Danika’s out there in the garden now, amidst the golden-red leaves, gathering the correct spices and fallen apples into her wicker basket. Her own ghost boy (the one she calls "Binx,") the Anti-Jimmy and now partially transparent, lingers at her side protectively, refusing to let her out of his sight for as long as he’s earthbound.
He materializes solidly just enough a few minutes later to lift Dani's wool coat from the bench and drape it over her shoulders.
Dani at seventeen, has a little greenhouse in the back yard now, near the trees. Her dad decided to build one for her as a birthday gift, because that’s all she wanted. Nothing more, and nothing else. Her mother doesn’t mind having freshly-picked flowers for the living room table either. She will be the one who maintains an herbal garden in Salem now. Max teases her about this sometimes when he comes home for the summer to stay a while. Who would ever thought she of all people would grow up with a strong natural green thumb and care so much about “planting shrubs” into soil?
The greenhouse is filled with various pots, vials, and jars overtime. A brass mixing bowl sits on the small wooden table placed in the far corner, surrounded by an assortment of handmade candles.
Gillian has moved back home with Sally, now that Sally’s had her third baby girl, Belinda, with Gary.
Dani visits them as often as she’s allowed to, since she was granted the honorable title of being Belinda’s Goddess-Mother at her official Wiccaning Ceremony recently. Dani always keeps her favorite picture of Kylie and Antonia happily holding little Belinda between them on an old leathery loveseat (the three girls sitting in a perfect tiny row, from red hair, light blonde, to dark brown) pinned to the doorframe of the greenhouse.
Still, Dani's hands roll over the dirt expertly outside everyday. There’s no time or room for dead things to rise from beneath. Her focus is solely on making the new things flourish, on what she has gained more than she has lost.