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“It’s not?” Bradley echoed.

“No. I think…Just a moment.” The woman spun around and sashayed into her house, leaving the front door open and Devra and Bradley standing confused on the step.

After a few minutes, Bradley leaned over to Devra. “Maybe we should follow her inside?”

Devra’s eyes widened nervously at the thought.

Luckily Gladys returned then with a thick book held open in two hands. “Yes, here it is, right here. This is the spell I used.” She used her thumb to flip deeper into the tome. “Every good spell has a counter-spell. The balance of yin and yang. Light and darkness. Fire and water.”

“Naturally,” Bradley agreed.

“And here we are.” She rotated the book and thrust it into Devra’s hands. “See, it isn’t me you need to apologize to. It’s Rover.”

DEVRA

After numerous thank yous, Devra sprinted toward the van, gripping the counter-spell tightly while she tossed Bradley the keys, him whisper- shouting, “What does it say?” all the way to the van.

“Hope to see you at work tomorrow, Bradley,” Gladys shouted from her front stoop. “The store is going to fall apart without you.”

Bradley didn’t seem to hear the woman, the witch. He sat in the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut without replying. The engine rumbled to life as Devra strapped into the passenger’s seat. “What does it say?” he asked again.

“It says it’s an apology spell. A way to make amends to an animal spirit.” She began to read: “For those who wish to undo the woes of a wrongful death, this spell must be cast at sunset on the same day as the incident that unleashed the original hex.”

“So for you,” he said as he drove, “that would be the day the mouse was killed. December twenty-fifth.”

“Christmas Day.” The idea shuddered through her.

“What exactly does the spell entail?”

“Seems it’s a two-part process. A chant that must be recited three times, followed by…a sacrifice.”

“A sacrifice?”

“The offender must offer up to the spirit a piece of their…heart.”

“It can’t be as ominous as it sounds. I’m guessing it’s more metaphorical?”

She finished reading the spell in its entirety. Twice. “The sacrifice part is so vague. How will I possibly know if I’m doing it right?”

Bradley parked the van outside her house and snatched the book from her hands, reading the spell over twice himself. “There’s a reference here, see? This is only a summary of the original spell.” He flipped the book over and studied the cover. 101 Witchy Spells All Aspiring Wiccans Should Know. He checked the copyright page. “Published in 1983. But the reference…” He flipped to the bibliography. “Wow. It was originally written in the 1800s. This spell is old.”

Devra shivered.

“This is great. I’m sure if we track down this source text, we’ll get a better sense of what the sacrifice involves.”

Devra was almost sick with worry, but Bradley, sweet Bradley, only shone with optimism. And Devra thought she might very possibly love him for it.

“Come on. Let’s get to your computer.”

They ran up the front walkway.

“Wait.” She grabbed Bradley’s elbow just as he reached the lower step.

“Why? What—”

Snow battered down from the roof and onto the landing in front of them, followed by a sharp dagger of ice.

“Wow. Close call.” Bradley gave her a look. “How’d you know?”