Page 25 of Woods of the Raven

Delia’s eyes filled fast. “I hope my parents are at peace.”

“I’m sure they are,” I soothed her.

“Did you hear Skokse after your grandmother died?” Cass asked.

“Yes I did. He checked on me too, and my grandfather had me feed him to let him know I was okay and I wanted to stay.”

“And he knew because someone told him.”

“Yep. Long time in these parts. But what helped me was that I was raised to ask if I didn’t understand something. Most people, as you know, don’t go looking for answers but instead default to thinking that whatever happened couldn’t have been what they thought.”

“That’s what happened to me before I came to live here,” Delia said. “I was sure I saw my parents watching me, and they were always smiling.”

“I’m sure they were there,” I told her.

Cass sighed deeply. “I’m so glad you were here today. Would it be okay if we stopped by for a visit sometime?” She bit her bottom lip.

Delia looked worried and hopeful at the same time. As though I would say no.

“Actually,” I said with a grin, “maybe you guys would like to help me assemble my witch’s ladders for the fall festival this coming weekend. I’m so behind. I can feed you, and we can talk, but I can’t pay you. All the money goes to the animal shelter, and the dogs and cats need every—”

“Oh, I’ll help,” Delia rushed out.

“Me too,” Cass said excitedly.

“Check with your folks first and let me know. You’ll have to come by to tell me since I don’t have a phone, but Rita’s great about popping in on her way anywhere.”

“We could come after this,” Cass suggested.

I squinted at them. “Aren’t you supposed to go back to school after this for pickup?”

Cass shook her head. “No, we’re being dismissed from here. Mrs. Cho told us.”

“Fine, but you both need to call the appropriate people, because I don’t have a phone at my place, and your uncle will arrest me for kidnapping,” I assured Cass.

“No doubt,” she agreed. “I’ll call my dad.”

“We both have cell phones, you know,” Delia told me.

“You still have to call them before,” I made clear.

“When you say you don’t have a phone, you mean a land line, right? You have a cell.”

“I don’t, no.”

They both looked at me like I’d crawled out from under a rock.

“I don’t have electricity, so no internet either.”

They continued to stare.

“Just call the appropriate people,” I groused at them. “Way to make me feel old.”

“Not old,” Cass said as we all started walking again. “Just…how do you live without internet? That’s crazy. Seriously, how?”

I rolled my eyes and told them to sit down and get their wreaths made. They were both laughing at me.

THREE