It was a big ball of pink and she aimed it at Mrs. Little, who was already lost in her own mind. The magic swirled at a fantastic rate, and as it started to work, Mrs. Little’s memories were projected around us.
“You know how some people are born with tails?” an Aunt Tillie from the past asked Mrs. Little—they looked to be thirty years younger than they were now. “Well, I’m going to give yours back.”
The memory version of Mrs. Little gasped. “I never had a tail.”
“You did. Your mother tried to teach you to wag it. She gave up because you weren’t smart enough and had it lopped off at the vet.”
I glared at the back of the real Aunt Tillie’s head. “You just can’t stop yourself from being nasty, can you?”
She didn’t respond. It was the concentration on her face that made me realize she didn’t have control of the spell. “Seriously?” I strode forward and engaged with the magic so I could help direct it toward Mrs. Little. “When you need help, ask for it,” I barked.
“I didn’t need help,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “I had it.”
I shook my head, then did a double take when I saw two of her. It had to be another memory. Both women—the real one and the one from the past—glared at Mrs. Little with the same obnoxious dislike.
“She’s the Devil,” the memory Aunt Tillie said. “Do you know what should happen to the Devil?”
“He should be drowned in a lake of ice,” the real Aunt Tillie replied.
They both dissolved into laughter.
“Well, that’s creepy,” Thistle said, her jaw swinging back and forth. “That is just uber creepy.”
“Why are there two of them?” Clove complained. “Isn’t that a sign that the world is ending?”
“That’s the answer to the riddle,” Thistle said. “The apocalypse won’t come with rain or fire. No zombies or sickness. It will come in the form of Aunt Tillies.”
“You’re definitely on my list,” Aunt Tillie hissed. “You’re such a little pain in my butt.”
The magic grew again, and I had to exert more power to rein it in. “Focus,” I ordered her. “Finish this. You’re just being difficult now.”
“You’re all on my list.” Despite the threat, Aunt Tillie kept working. It took five full minutes for the spell to return to the size it was meant to be, the second Aunt Tillie disappearing during the process. Then it was inserted in Mrs. Little’s head.
She didn’t watch any of it. She was down for the count.
When we finished, everybody left the house but Evan and me. We tucked Mrs. Little in and turned off the television.
“Do you think it worked?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “I hope so.”
“Because you want to torture her again too?” Evan’s eyes twinkled.
I shrugged. “Anything is preferrable to what we just witnessed.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw a hint of movement through the window. Aunt Tillie was doing a little dance on the lawn. All I could do was shake my head. “We won’t know untiltomorrow. We’ll let her sleep and see where things go from there.”
Evan slung his arm around my shoulder and grinned. “Come on. Let’s see what sort of retribution you get for being on Tillie’s list this time.”
“Don’t encourage her.”
“I have to. I’m her number one sidekick.”
“Not for long. Crusty is coming in hot.”
“Yeah, I’m kind of curious how that is going to work out.”
He wasn’t the only one.
2
