Comfort
Noun:1. A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.
(Oxford Pocket Dictionary of current English, 2018)
Synopsis
When the river is your familiar who will rise to meet you with magical solutions to relationship triangles. The elders hold everyday wisdom and love smells like cinnamon.
Rushing. It all started with rushing and a bit of flooding. In the small New
England village of Comfort, Evelyn’s long-dead relationship
crumbled like dry autumn leaves, as the River Boyne started to rise.
Evelyn could appreciate the river’s empathy, as she cried
until her eyes were dry. To anyone looking it would seem like grief
for Jonathan, Arlette’s dad, who had just blown angrily out of
town. Only the quickly flowing river knew, her tears were of relief.
Now maybe she could breathe, and think about the future. Her thoughts turned to Edmund.
Did they have a chance together, as she hoped?
The river spun more wildly than usual, past the forty-two lovely
homes along the bank. Evelyn had counted these on her daily walk
to her bookshop. She also knew where the sidewalk ended because
it was her way home. They had a tiny efficiency, over a garage, in the wrong end of town.
She slept on a couch so her daughter, Arlette, could have her own
bedroom.
The river, her familiar, usually mirrored her emotions. Today the
turbulent water made her feel clean and swept free. It was soothing to her raw
nerves that had been held taut for the long months of the legal battle. Expensive legal bills
and long hours were bad enough. What really hurt Evelyn, was realizing
Arlette was only Jonathan’s pride and joy when it was convenient for him.
Reaching her bookshop, she switched the closed sign back to open.
A gust of wind hit her and the open sign swung wildly as
a sudden intuition struck. This calm only meant that a storm
was brewing. Evelyn shivered as she made the sign of the star.
Everyone in the village thought that Evelyn’s magic was choosing
exactly the right book for someone. They were close to the truth, but only she knew her true
magic, which she kept hidden because it made her vulnerable. Jonathan was a great example of
that.
She could pick just the right book, only because she knew
everyone. You know what they say about living in a small magical
village. Reflecting, she knew she was more grateful than ever to live in Comfort
The court had only recognized Jonathan’s parental negligence because of her friends’
relentless support. Thanks to them, she finally had full custody. Sorting
bills, she waited for customers. The bookshop hours had been cut for
court so often and a bookshop is not the most lucrative business
anyway. She felt a squeeze of anxiety as she paid what she could,
and realized she could not make rent this month. Her account was
too low. What would she do to care for Arlette if the shop closed?
The thought stunned her. What if the long legal fight cost her
the very thing she’d been fighting for? Her ability to care for her
child. Arlette was only six years old. No, her little one was her
priority. Evelyn would raise money somehow. She must.
Slowly the day went by. Edmund stopped by for coffee. She couldn’t stop herself from hoping
that he was there for more than her medium brew. Sales were
nothing to write home about, Evelyn thought. The day went by slowly.
She tortured herself with ideas of all the successful businesses she could be in. She felt defeated.
She would most likely need to leave Comfort to find work, but how could she?
She loved River Boyne, and that was not her only reason to stay.
Locking the door at twilight she could hear Remi’s crow, Licorice, calling nearby.
She turned towards Arlette’s sitters home and Remi seamlessly
dropped in step beside her. Offering her a peppermint, he said,
“Congrats on the great news from court, how do you feel now?”
Without pausing, she told him… everything. About the relief she felt at first,
and how now that her funds were short her beloved bookshop was in danger.
Something about Remi always made her tongue loose, without even
counting his charming face. A friendly horn made them look up,
Evelyn waved as Edmund’s grandfather, Clayton drove by. Thank
the Star for Clayton and Edmond, she thought and made the star
sign. They had been her biggest support during the custody battle.
She made a mental note to bake them something soon. Remi’s
crow flew off, always a sign that his mood had changed. She glanced
up at his shadowed face, and could see that his attention had wandered. “I
need to say goodnight and pick up Arlette now, we’re having a hot
cocoa date.”
“There’s something I want to ask you,” Remi’s eyes
locked on hers.
“What is it, Rem,?” Evelyn asked, startled at his sudden intensity.
“I would like to take you to the party I’m hosting for my clients, as my date.”
Remi watched her closely as he said the last few words.
The crisp autumn morning found Arlette and Evelyn at Edmund’s door holding
steaming cinnamon rolls. Knocking, they could hear raised voices.
Clayton opened the ornate door abruptly, winked at Arlette as he snatched a pastry, then
stepped into his pickup. He called back to them, “Thank you for the cinnamon roll, maybe some sweets will help make him see sense.”
Edmund’s eyes twinkled with happiness as he took a big
sniff of the home baked aroma. “What’s the occasion? he asked. “
It’s an appreciation baking.” Evelyn smiled. “Because you believe in us,
and…for some reason you make me think of cinnamon.” He rolled
his eyes, “I know, you swear I smell like cinnamon, isn’t that a
lucky thing?”
“That’s true,” giggled Arlette.
They all tried to ignore the elephant in the room. Ed was a mortician, and could very well smell
like something much less pleasant. He worked with Clayton and was in the process of
transitioning his traditional family mortuary over to green burials. Despite his wisdom, Clayton,
who was not only Edmund’s beloved grandfather, but also his mentor and boss, resented the
changes and they’d had a few discussions.
Edmund respected him, but the Omens and Nightmares from Mother Earth were Ed’s to deal
with alone. He would have to go 100% natural, soon.
Earth was the root of his magic after all.
While dressing for Remi’s party, Evelyn worried about paying the lease. Then she
worried about Remi-what exactly was going on? Hugging Arlette
goodnight at the sitters was hard, she knew this could be her last
night out in Comfort. Should she just stay home? Maybe she should even get
packing! How could she leave with things so weird with Remi, though?
She made the sign of the Star and her decision. A short walk later found
her stepping through his back hedge. Remi almost jumped at her sudden appearance.
“Evelyn, you shouldn’t be here!”
“Oh My Star! Remi! Everyone in Comfort thinks you are a money mage, but here you are, in a
vampire circle, right in your back yard!”
Remi backed away, so obviously caught out and guiltily said, “It’s not what you think, please
understand, it’s only energetic, my rituals have no blood involved. See? My altar cloth is
white, not red.”
Evelyn spun angrily to leave. “Wait, have you ever put any spells on me?”
“No! Never. Don’t leave yet! I think I’m in love with you, Evelyn.” Remi responded.
“Rem, you know we are just friends.” Evelyn looked at him searchingly. Had she given him the
wrong impression? But in her memory it was always Remi searching her out-not the other way
around. Had she been fooling herself?
“Friends, yes, I know,” Remi replied a bit darkly, “I am your friend and I know your bookshop
is struggling. Let me help.”
Licorice, Remi’s sweet crow landed on her shoulder just then and peered at Evelyn waiting for
an answer. Though she knew it seemed like a step into the wrong direction,
a mixture of curiosity and determination drove her to ask. “How can we save the bookshop?”
“Here, let me show you”, Remi said in a low voice as he took her hand and they stepped into his oaken circle.
Later they drove in silence to the party. She tried not to think about any potential repercussions
from the ancient dark magic she and Remi just conjured. How her cloth was now tied at his oak.
Now, as soon as she sipped champagne with any wealthy client-the binding magic would
complete. Her bookshops’ account would instantly receive a hefty deposit and she could pay her
lease and stay in the village of Comfort with Arlette.
Evelyn and Remi stepped inside the party together, slightly late, and she took the sumptuous
atmosphere in. She started to justify her decision with the thought that these Armani
dressed clients were so excessively rich, they almost deserved it. Introductions were made,
glasses sipped at, the ritual was complete. Slightly dizzy at her success, she impulsively decided
to leave and go home to her little one.
As she stepped outside hoping Remi wouldn’t notice her leaving without saying goodbye,
Clayton nearly ran her over.
“Oh, Evelyn, I’ve never seen anything like this, Edmund just fell over, he’s so ill, I’m looking
for Doc Barton at this shindig.”
“He’s here.” Evelyn assured him. She quickly changed direction and sprinted to Edmund instead
of heading home.
Clayton found the doctor, and her heart sank as she knelt next to Edmund’s unconscious body.
She caught the scent of a binding spell, lingering in the air. She had just conjured this very
ritual! Lowering her ear to Edmund’s chest, a wave of shameful heat washed over her, he was
barely breathing. This was never her intention. She was only supposed to get a bank account
infusion, save her bookshop and be someone vaguely like Robin Hood. She had to unbind
Edmund, but how, what had gone wrong?
Licorice’s loud crowing and the sound of River Boyne rising filled her ears as Clayton, the
doctor and ambulance arrived. Very soon Edmund and Doc Barton were loaded into the
ambulance. Clayton shook his head as it pulled away, with his grandson inside. “There’s no
time to waste, and only a smidgen of a hope. Carve a Triquetra, burn it and bury the ash under
the Hawthorn tree by the river, quickly! I’m surprised at you, falling for old Remi’s
jealous tricks. He is known around these parts for adding his own slippery schemes to his so
called money magic.”
Evelyn gasped, surprised that he had so quickly surmised the triangle that she needed to undo.
“Of course, as fast as I can, but what do you mean, “old Remi?” Evelyn only spared a queried
glance at Clayton as she searched for an oak twig at the same moment.
“Sonofagun is my age, at least, his beauty cream hoodwinked you, now quit wasting time and
save my grandson!”
Carving at the oak twig already, she asked the elder, “Will Edmund ever be able to forgive me?”
“You don’t know how Ed feels about you, if you have to ask.” Clayton replied gruffly.
Miserably, Evelyn said, “I can’t know, Perceptors can’t scry our own love, we can predict true
love only for others. ”
Clayton gave her a brisk look before standing. “Is that your magic, dear? Sorry ‘bout that, but
would you please hurry? I am going to call the hospital. I can’t help you, girl, and I have to do something!”
Evelyn’s cold fingers were shaking with exhaustion as she texted the sitter to meet her at the
bookshop with Arlette when her little one woke. The dark barely dawning sky showed a hint of
pink, and her breath hung in the cold air while she said the open incantation for the door. Last
night, after she had realized her mistake with Remi, she had carved, burned, and buried for a
reversal of the magic she had conjured with Remi. But did it work?
Remi’s deception, the binding ritual they made together and Ed’s frightening illness felt a
thousand years ago suddenly. She rubbed her cold arms and methodically ground coffee beans
for the morning brew. She desperately pondered through last night again, as if she could relieve
her anxiety with her thoughts. Had the reversal worked in time? The coffee was steaming as the
door behind her opened. Holding her breath she shut her eyes and wondered, who was it, Remi?
Clayton?…how was Edmund, what if he was gone and it was her fault?
She didn’t have the strength left in her to turn around. Star help me now, she thought. While
outside, the River Boyne, ran over its banks and laughingly spilled into the street, gently swelling
into a mini flood.
A soft breath left her body as she realized she could smell cinnamon.
Evelyn turned and relaxed into Edmund’s arms, which were reaching for a hug.