Farrah looked up from the corner table she used as an office and guard tower. “Of course, hon. I’m guessing you want privacy?” When Keelie nodded, Farrah led her out to her truck, and they clambered up into the high cab. “You pregnant?” Farrah asked right off. Keelie shook her head. “Good. You quittin’?”
Keelie noted Farrah looked a lot more worried about the second option, which was gratifying.
“No. It’s just…” She looked down. “If I tell you something personal, do you promise you won’t tell Cash? Or anyone?” Farrah nodded, and Keelie gathered up her gumption. “Something funny happened today while I was at the falls, and—”
Farrah’s whole damn face changed, from concerned to…delighted? Amused, even?
“Something happened at the falls?” she prodded.
“You’re not going to fire me if I tell you something totally bananas, right?”
Farrah reached over and grabbed Keelie’s hand in her plump, beringed ones. “Honey, something funny happened to me at the falls once, when I was younger. Did the water feel…different?”
The weight lifted off Keelie’s chest.
“Yes! Like…like honey and sunshine. For a minute, it’s like I wasn’t even wet.”
“And let me guess. Then you heard a voice, but there was no one there.” A significant look. “No human there, that is.”
Keelie was so relieved she felt her eyes tear up. “Yes. Yes, exactly. It’s Gary.”
Farrah’s crinkled eyes were dancing. “Your donkey? You took your damn donkey to the falls?”
“He goes with me on all my trail rides, and he tried to hump my foot, and my horse ended up in the pool, and I bailed into the falls, and now my stupid donkey won’t stop hollering sonnets at me.”
Farrah did not call her crazy or shove her out of the truck or fire her. Farrah threw back her head and laughed. “And you weren’t expecting any of this?”
“Why the hell would I?”
“Oh, honey.” Farrah squeezed her hand. “Your mama was supposed to tell you all about this—” Her face fell. “But your folks passed before they could tell you, didn’t they? Both your folks.”
Keelie nodded. How could she forget the worst day of her life?
“And nobody else in the family ever mentioned it?”
“Nobody told me anything about talking donkeys.”
Farrah released Keelie’s hand and settled back in her seat. “Okay, I’m gonna give you a quick explanation for something real complicated because I can already see that we’re gonna have a busy Friday night, but…you’re a witch.”
She paused for effect, and Keelie gasped and said, “Me? But I try to be so nice—”
“No, honey. Anactualwitch. Arcadia Falls is full of ’em. Throw a rock at dinner service, and you’ll hit one. If you’re fromone of the old families, they dunk you in the falls when the time is right, which activates your powers, along with a dab of blood. Most folks take an animal they like, a cat or a dog, because if you’re lucky, you get a familiar out of it. That’s why your donkey is talking. You’re an Arcadia Falls witch, and that donkey is your familiar. He’ll live as long as you do, not that anyone else will ever notice.”
Keelie’s head fell back against the headrest. “A witch. You think I’m a witch.”
“If your donkey is talking to you, yes. That’s pretty much the only reason. I just can’t believe nobody told you.”
Keelie’s mind was reeling. “Well, my parents died, and my grandma and Cash took care of me. Are they witches, too?”
Sadness shone in Farrah’s eyes. “No way to tell. Sometimes it skips a generation. But if you leave, you lose your powers.”
“What powers?”
Farrah glanced longingly back up to her restaurant, and Keelie wished they had hours to talk about it instead of maybe three minutes. “Everybody has a different knack—something you’re good at—but it’s not like in the movies. My mama told me it was like math. If you’re good at math, you’re probably not Einstein, but you’ll get good grades and make a fine accountant. If you study and read up, you’ll be even better, and if you get the right calculator and notebook, you’ll be even better than that. So once you find your knack, there are ways to improve your power and reach, but let’s just say Arcadia Falls has a lot of nice accountants and no Einsteins. D’you understand?”
“Not really—”
“Well, we can talk more later. For now, I need you in your apron. My power is with animals, which means it’s no help running this restaurant. For that, I need great servers like you.” Sheopened the truck door and looked back fondly. “But I’m happy for you, honey, and I’m sorry it caught you by surprise and gave you a scare. Be nice to that donkey, and he’ll be your friend for life.” She reached into her truck’s cup holder for a nickel and closed her hand around it. When she opened her fist, a polished stone was there, a heart-shaped piece of rose quartz. Keelie plucked it off her palm, marveling at it.
