The Halloween Pumpkin Spell, page 3
“Thanks so much for doing this, Amelia,” Marina said as she carried the pumpkin into my house.
“She didn’t have a choice, my dear,” Ruprecht said as he and Camino took their leave.
“That’s not a very big pumpkin,” I remarked. It had looked somewhat bigger in the photo.
Marina shot me a withering look. “Really?” There was more than a measure of sarcasm in her tone. “That’s exactly why I need you to make it bigger and more attractive.”
I had no idea what an attractive pumpkin looked like, but I wasn’t going to ask.
Marina looked around the room. “Where should I put it?”
I resisted the urge to say something rude, and beckoned to her. “Follow me. I’ll do the spell in the kitchen.”
We walked into the kitchen. I indicated that Marina should put the pumpkin on the kitchen table.
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re going to do the spell in here?”
I nodded.
“What sort of spell are you going to do?”
I had no idea, but simply said, “You leave that to me. Will I call you when it’s done so you can collect it?”
She shook her head. “No, would you mind if I left it here until tomorrow? I’m worried that the more I move it, the more it’s likely to get damaged. I’d like to collect it in the morning and take it straight to the Halloween fair, if you don’t mind.”
“That will be fine,” I said, making a mental note to tell Alder not to make pumpkin soup. I eyed Hawthorn and Willow doubtfully. “I suppose the cats will leave it alone.”
“They have the same names as your grandmother’s cats,” Marina said. “In fact, they look just like them.”
I was a bit surprised by her remark. “How would you know?”
“Mother described them,” she said, “but I suppose black cats and ginger cats are quite common.”
Hawthorn and Willow appeared offended at being called common, as they ran out of the room. Either that or they realised Marina wasn’t going to feed them.
“Okay, I’ll text you and send you a photo of the pumpkin as soon as the spell works. Mind you, I don’t know for a fact that it will work. It might surprise you to know I’ve never done a spell to make a pumpkin larger and more attractive.” I was unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
Marina narrowed her eyes. “Just do the best you can.”
“I promise you I’ll do the best I can, but as I said, I’ve never done it before so I have no knowledge of the outcome. I’m not the Delphic oracle,” I added haughtily.
Marina patted my shoulder. “I have every confidence in you, Amelia.”
As soon as Marina left, I looked through my books of spells. I knew I’d have nothing in my Book of Shadows about making a pumpkin bigger and more beautiful. Why, the whole idea was ridiculous!
There was nothing in my book of ancient and contemporary spells about making anything bigger or more attractive. There was a spell to make someone irresistible, but I was afraid that if I cast that spell on the pumpkin, someone might eat it before it could get to the fair.
I looked through all my books in turn, but came up blank. There was nothing I could adapt. Most of the spells were for love and romance, or were money or protection spells. The only self-improvement spells I could find were to stop being angry and to help one’s memory. There were spells for stopping gossip and dealing with thieves, and spells for removing curses as well as spells for cursing.
Finally, I decided on a success spell mixed with a spell to obtain one’s desires. Ruprecht always said it was the witch’s intention that made the spell work, not the tools used in the spell. I reminded myself I would simply have to focus on the pumpkin getting larger and more attractive.
I couldn’t resist sniggering. What did an attractive pumpkin look like? I looked at the pumpkin Marina had bought. It was a Queensland Blue—I knew that by its grey skin. That was about all I knew about it. I didn’t know much about pumpkins, only that this was an Australian variety. I suppose the name was a dead giveaway.
I opened my Book of Shadows and thumbed through to the spell to obtain desires. I gathered five pink candles, five purple candles, and five orange candles. I went into my altar room and fetched a bottle of Power Oil and a bottle of Success Oil. I saw to my dismay that I was completely out of Success Oil. I turned the bottle upside down, but there was scarcely a drop left. I would have to make some more, but at least I wasn’t under any time pressure to do so. I could do without it this time.
I looked through my cupboards and fetched cinnamon, sandalwood, frankincense, and five finger grass. Lucky I had some five finger grass—it was hard to get in Australia and I had ordered it from a botanica in New Orleans. I also fetched a piece of High John the Conqueror root that I also ordered from New Orleans on a regular basis.
I dropped the ingredients, along with some lemon flowers, into the empty Success Oil bottle.
The sensation that something bad was going to happen pricked my skin. It was Halloween, but in the southern hemisphere we were celebrating Beltane, the spring fertility festival. We also celebrated Halloween, but the northern hemisphere was also celebrating Samhain, the time the veil between the living and the dead was slender.
I took the Power Oil back into the kitchen. I put the pumpkin on the floor and arranged the candles around it. I dressed the orange candles with the Power Oil by moving the oil in an upward direction. I wondered if I should use Health Attracting Oil. I bit my lip and considered it, but decided the spell should be all right without it. I dressed the other candles with the Power Oil. I suddenly remembered I needed to lock the cats out of the kitchen so ran to the door and shut it.
When I returned to the pumpkin, I realised I hadn’t written a spell. I made one up on the spur of the moment. I said,
Magical pumpkin I wish you to grow
So that you will do well at the show.
It was such a ridiculously lame rhyme that I couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles. I realised I hadn’t said anything about the pumpkin looking attractive. I thought for a while and then said,
Your beauty will come to the fore
And you will stay like it for evermore.
I clutched my stomach once more, laughing at my dreadful rhyme. A part of me was guilty at taking the spell so lightly, since it was so important to Marina. And after all, her grandmother had a pact with my grandmother. It’s a wonder the house hadn’t done something to admonish me.
I decided I should take the whole thing more seriously. I turned my attention back to the pumpkin. I focused on it being bigger. I picked up my lighter and lit the first candle. I commenced the spell.
I had just finished saying the second rhyme when Camino burst into the room.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were doing a spell. Have I broken the circle?”
“No, only my concentration,” I told her. “I wasn’t casting a circle. I was up to the part where I was making the pumpkin more attractive.”
“You could certainly cast a spell to make me more attractive, Amelia,” Camino said.
She had a straight face, so I had no idea whether or not she was joking.
“Anyway, I need your help. The sash window in my kitchen is stuck and I just can’t budge it.”
“Do you want me to come over after this is finished?”
She shook her head. “Oh Amelia, could you please do it now? The blowies are getting inside. They’re really bad lately.”
I sympathised. Blowflies were particularly nasty in some parts of Australia. The large, noisy, and not to mention dirty blowflies were abundant in small country towns around this time of year. “Okay, I’ll pop over there now. Don’t let the cats in the room with the pumpkin.”
“I’ll stay right here and guard it.”
The rain was beating down relentlessly. I sprinted to Camino’s, taking a shortcut over the low boundary fence on the way. A white ute sped past me. It gave me a bad feeling and I wondered if I was being watched. I dismissed the fanciful notion and let myself into Camino’s house—houses in the country were rarely locked—and went into her kitchen. After a lot of struggling and swearing, I managed to get the window down. Camino’s house was a Victorian house like mine, and the sash windows were original. She really needed to get this window fixed or at least put a flyscreen on it.
I opened the front door to leave and nearly ran into Kayleen. “Kayleen! What are you doing here?”
Her hand was on the door. I figured if I hadn’t been there, she would have simply let herself in. Some people in town had reported that they came home to find their mail in their house. Kayleen certainly didn’t have a good grasp on the concept of privacy.
Kayleen narrowed her eyes at me. “Where’s Camino?”
“She’s not here.”
“Her car’s in the driveway.”
I sighed. Kayleen would try the patience of a saint. “She’s at my place.”
“So why aren’t you with her? Snooping around? Breaking and entering? Should I call the police?”
“Camino asked me to fix her sash window, not that it’s any of your business,” I snapped.
Kayleen stuck out her tongue at me. “Wow, marriage certainly hasn’t improved your temper. Things not going well in your marriage?”
“Things are going fine, thanks very much. Do you have a parcel for Camino?”
“Yes I do.” She pulled a small, thoroughly wet package from behind her back. “You’ll have to sign for it, Amelia.”
“That’s fine.” Kayleen had to be the most irritating person imaginable.
While I signed, Kayleen was craning her neck to look over my shoulder into Camino’s house. “Looking for anything in particular?” I asked her.
“You are in a bad mood, Amelia! Are you still upset that Craig didn’t ask you to marry him?”
I bit my lip. “You’re most welcome to Craig,” I told her. When I arrived in Bayberry Creek, Craig had asked me out on a date. I soon saw what sort of person he was, and I discovered he was dating several other women at the same time, one of whom was Kayleen. Until I met Alder, my judgement in men had been rather poor.
“Well, I’ll be off on my way,” she said. “Some of us at least have to work.”
I shook my head and glared at her departing back. I waited until she drove away before I went back to my house, as I didn’t trust her not to double back.
The rain had not eased, so I climbed over the side fence and ran up to my house. At least the frogs were happy. I’d never heard them so loud.
The cats were asleep in the living room. I hung my coat and walked down to the kitchen. When I opened the door, I gasped.
The pumpkin was huge. I had never seen such a large pumpkin, and what’s more, it was no longer a Queensland Blue. Rather, it was a bright orange pumpkin. Perhaps the spell considered that Queensland Blues were not the typical Halloween pumpkin.
I rubbed my temples hard. I was actually surprised the spell had worked so well. I pulled out my phone and took a few photos for Marina before texting them to her.
I looked around for Camino, but there was no sign of her. I had thought she was going to wait for me to return. “Camino!” I called out. “Camino, are you there?” I walked through the whole house calling out to her. The house was watching an episode of A Discovery of Witches so was distracted. I walked out the back door into the backyard. “Camino!” I called at the top of my lungs.
There was still no sign of her. Oh well, maybe she had climbed my back fence and gone to her house the back way. If she needed any more help with the window, I’m sure she would pop back over.
The text tone for my phone sounded. It was from Marina, requesting once more that I leave the pumpkin at my place and she would collect it before the fair to keep it safe.
I pulled a face. I really did not want the responsibility for the pumpkin, but I’m sure Marina wouldn’t take no for an answer. I texted back that I’d mind the pumpkin overnight. After all, I had already agreed, but a pumpkin sitting in the kitchen of a seriously bad baker would surely be cause for concern. I shrugged. Well, it wasn’t really my problem.
After I finished texting, I called Camino’s phone.
To my surprise, I heard her ringtone. Was she hiding in a cupboard for a joke? I looked in the cupboards, but she was nowhere to be found. By then the call had timed out and gone to voicemail, so I called her back.
This time I saw her phone. It was on the table right behind one of my books of spells.
But where was Camino? Why would she go somewhere without her phone? She did frequently forget it, but still.
That’s when a terrible thought occurred to me. I looked at the giant pumpkin.
My blood ran cold.
Oh no. It couldn’t be?
Chapter 6
“I’ve turned Camino into a pumpkin!” I screamed over the phone.
“Calm down, calm down,” Ruprecht said in a voice which sounded anything but calm. “You will have to explain yourself more clearly and concisely. What do you mean?”
I clutched at my stomach and took a deep breath. I found it hard to breathe—my chest was constricted. “I’ve turned Camino into a giant, attractive pumpkin. I left a message for Alder, but he didn’t pick up. He must be working hard on his new case. What am I going to do?” I wailed. “Camino is a big fat pumpkin.”
“Are you sure you’re not simply confused because Camino is wearing a dreadful pumpkin onesie?” Ruprecht said. “Have you been drinking Halloween wine by any chance?”
“I think I know the difference between a real pumpkin and someone in a pumpkin onesie!” I yelled. “Please come over here now and I mean now! Please!” With that, I hung up and burst into tears.
How could I turn Camino back to herself? I pulled out a chair and sat down, urgently thumbing through all my spell books. Of course I didn’t expect to find a spell explicitly labelled, Spell to turn someone from a giant attractive pumpkin back into their former human self, but I was hoping I’d find some clue. Alas, I didn’t.
By the time Ruprecht arrived, I was bordering on hysterical. I had called Alder about fifteen times and left messages.
I met Ruprecht at the door. “She’s in the kitchen,” I wailed. I pulled him all the way to the kitchen, where Willow and Hawthorn were looking at her.
“Don’t scratch Camino or try to nibble at her,” I warned them.
Ruprecht was visibly distraught. He rubbed his forehead furiously. “Amelia, start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”
I was trembling. “Marina Mercer asked me to make her pumpkin bigger and more attractive. You heard her—she wants to beat Farmer Bob Willis at the Halloween fair.”
“Yes, I know. Please go on,” Ruprecht said tersely.
“She brought a small Queensland Blue pumpkin over and left it here for me. She requested I do a spell to make it better looking and much bigger. I had the candles placed all around and I was most of the way through the spell when Camino came into the kitchen. She was wearing a pumpkin onesie.”
I paused to put both my hands to my cheeks. “Then she asked me to go over and fix her sash window. You know, the one in the kitchen that’s always stuck?”
A look of impatience passed over Ruprecht’s face, so I pushed on. “When I got back, she was missing and the pumpkin… well, you can see it right there.”
I pointed to the giant pumpkin.
“So you didn’t actually see her turn into a pumpkin?”
I shook my head. “But she’s gone. I’ve looked everywhere for her and her phone is there on the table.” This time I pointed to Camino’s phone.
“Camino often leaves her phone behind,” Ruprecht said, tapping his chin. “Have you checked in her house?”
I immediately felt foolish. “No, but I didn’t pass her on the way back here.”
“Maybe she went out the back way. Let’s go to her house now.”
Ruprecht and I hurried to Camino’s house. We let ourselves in through the front door and walked through the house, calling out. By now, I could see Ruprecht really was concerned. “There’s no sign of her,” he said, “and her car’s in the driveway.”
“Maybe a friend of hers picked her up to go out for coffee or something,” I offered.
Ruprecht narrowed his eyes. “Maybe.”
We heard a squeal of brakes so we ran outside. It was Alder, sprinting up the path to my house. I called out to him from Camino’s front door.
He jumped the side fence, ran over and took me by my arms. “Amelia, what’s happened? You said it was an emergency. Are you all right?”
I threw myself into his arms and sobbed, unable to speak. I took in his comforting scent of cinnamon and sage. He smelt like an ancient wizard, not that I’d ever smelt one, but if I had, I’m sure they would smell that way.
“Amelia is afraid she turned Camino into a pumpkin.”
I found my voice. “A giant, attractive pumpkin,” I clarified.
Alder looked at Ruprecht, who shrugged. “Come and show me,” Alder said.
I was dismayed to see the giant pumpkin was still there.
Alder circled the pumpkin. “Let me see. You cast a spell to make the pumpkin bigger and better looking, and then went to Camino’s house. When you came back, she was nowhere to be seen, but the pumpkin was bigger and more attractive and Camino’s phone was on the table.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened,” I said, amazed at his ability to put everything in a nutshell. “Do you think it’s her?”
Alder and Ruprecht didn’t speak for a while. After an interval, Ruprecht was the first to speak. “Hopefully there’s another explanation. I am, however, most dreadfully afraid this pumpkin is Camino. However, Marina’s pumpkin was a Queensland Blue and this is a bright orange pumpkin. Camino was wearing a bright orange pumpkin onesie. The Queensland Blues are blue-grey, hence their name.”
“Maybe it is Marina’s pumpkin,” Alder said. “Perhaps your spell thought Queensland Blues weren’t attractive and a big bright orange pumpkin was an improvement.”
