A Witch Like No Other (11 page)

“
I
wasn’
t playing with your
minds, Pandora-”

“
We thought you
was dead,” whispered Pandora. “I had nightmares six months longer
than I needed to-”

“
Pandora-”

“
I’m just glad
you’re alive,” she muttered, more to herself than to her mother.
“You’ll come home now, right Mum?” Silence. “Right?”

“
Sweetie, I’m
helping your grandmother with her work-”

“
Do you need
money, Dreamer?” Ted asked. “I can give you whatever-“

“
It’
s not about
money,
”
started Dreamer, but she was cut off again.

“
Come home.”
said Marlon sadly. “Stuff the work, just come home.”

“
This is why I
didn’
t come,” said Dreamer
sadly. “Ted?”

“
I’
m here,” he said
quietly. “Dreamer, I… we need to talk.”

“
The past is
the past,” Dreamer said just as quietly. “We need to put it behind
us if we want to look to the future.”

“
But… I just
want to know why.”

“
Why
what?”

“
You know what,
Dreamer. How could you betray me? I thought I was a good husband, I
thought you loved me.”

“
You sound like
a woman, Ted. I don’
t want to
talk about it.”

“
I- I sound
like a woman?” spluttered Ted. “Dreamer, I-”

“
Be man enough
to put it behind you,” Dreamer said. “Ok Teddy Bear?”

“
I will if you
come home.”

“
I
don’
t have a key to your new
house.”

“
You can get
one when you get here.”

Dreamer laughed. “I
am
here, Ted. Open the
door.”

“
Seriously.
Open the door, it’
s
cold.”

Ted hung up right there and then, Marlon and Pandora
walking down the stairs slowly, almost trance like. They could
sense their mother
’
s presence.

“
Dad, open the
door,” said Marlon, Pandora as well. Her eyes were red.

Though he had a deep voice, Marlon
’
s scream was high
pitched. Dreamer Black laughed at his face, opening her
arms.

“
Come here,
Marlon.”

“
I thought you
was dead!”

“
I was,
darling.”

“
But
you’
re here! How?”

Dreamer
’
s eyes locked on hers, making her freeze.

“
Come here,
Pandora. You’
re not
scared?”

“
I’
m not awake,” mumbled
Pandora, and Dreamer laughed.

“
Come here this
instant, young lady.”

“
I’
m here now,” she said
softly, kissing them both. “I
’
m here.”

Miriam couldn
’
t help feeling bitter. It was all going so well!
Now Pandora would forget all about her, and Dreamer would most
likely keep her away just as she did before. And Marlon seemed to
like Miriam too, but he
’
d forget as well. And Ted. The bitter feeling
grew as his front door closed, Miriam walking away slowly. There
could have been a greater friendship between them, but now Dreamer
was back from the grave… Miriam chastised herself for thinking such
selfish thoughts.

“
I should be
glad,” she said to herself. “Glad for Pandora
especially.”

The words meant little to her right now.
Miriam
’
s eyes filled as she walked back to the clinic in time for
her six o clock meeting.

“
I’
ll keep him in my room,
Daddy! You wont know he
’
s there!”

“
No pets for
the last time, especially furry ones!”

“
Why
not??”

“
Because
I’
m al- al-
atchoo!
Allergic and
atchoo!
I
don
’
t
like them!”

“
Thank you,
Miriam. How is your godchild?”

“
Pandora?
She’
s fine,” said Miriam
sadly. “She wont be coming back.”

“
What!”
exploded Tony. “Why not?!”

“
Because
she’
s just reunited with her
mother,” sighed Miriam. “And her mother was the reason she had to
come in the first place.”

“
Not anymore,”
said Alice smugly. “She’
s
back.”

“
Nonsense,”
scoffed Tony. “All of it. She died three years ago!”

“
She’
s a witch,” said
Miriam miserably. “Meaning she wouldn
’
t have been gone
forever. It
’
s a pain, isn
’
t it?”

“
I was going
anyway,” smirked Alice. “Thank you Daddy!”

“
I want to see
Dreamer,” said Tony, almost to himself. “I’
ll call.”

“
Dreamer’
s got a man,”
Alice reminded him. “Don
’
t forget,
Daddy.”

“
I’
m ready, Dad. Oh, wait!
Can I call Pandora?”

“
No,” said
Tony, thinking about the money he made from
Pandora’
s coming to his
clinic. “If what Miriam says is true, then she needs to be alone
with her family. Hopefully she
’
ll want to talk sooner
or later.”

“
Kids, go to
your room,” Ted said a few hours later, and Pandora and Marlon got
up obediently. Then they scowled at each other, thinking the same
thing: now that Dreamer was back, they couldn’
t listen on the stairs. Dreamer watched them go
with a smile on her beautiful face.

“
They’
ve grown so
much.”

“
I know,” said
Ted. “Dreamer, we need to talk.”

“
What
about?”

“
Well… I-
you-”

“
Ted, if I
could go back in time and stop myself from doing what I did, I
would.” Dreamer sighed longingly. “Mama wont teach me.”

“
It’
s not that.” Ted
hesitated, then he said “I
’
ve missed
you.”

“
I’
ve missed you
too.”

“
Why
didn’
t you come six months
earlier?”

“
I was afraid
of giving one of you a heart attack,” smiled Dreamer, and Ted
smiled back. “The days turned into weeks, then months.”

“
And Agnes
didn’
t even call.”

“
You told her
you don’
t want her near
Pandora or Marlon, Ted.”

“
It was the
magic phobia all over again,” said Ted, looking away as she frowned
at him. “I’
m sorry I offended
your mother, Dreamer.”

“
She forgives
you,” Dreamer replied. “Do you forgive me?”

“
Yes,” he said
softly. “I forgive you.”

Dreamer
’
s eyes filled over. “I
’
m sorry, Ted.
I
’
m so
sorry.”

“
Yes, Dreamer.
Your friend from school and college?”

“
Pandora’
s godmother,”
Dreamer said, sighing as she let him go. “She told you everything
about Damon?” He said yes. “Everything?”

“
Yes,” he said
painfully. It still hurt like heck. “Everything.”

“
You have a
nice house.”

“
We
couldn’
t stay in Westport,”
Ted replied, a little colder than he meant.

“
Yes, I know,”
said Dreamer. “A lot happened to the family in that
town.”

“
To Pandora
especially. Too much things happened to her there.”

“
I had dreams
about it- what Damon was doing to her. I tried to tell myself they
were just horrid nightmares, Ted- I tried.”

“
The dreams
were getting worse, and then- then-”

“
You
don’
t have to go on, Dreamer.
But… I really want to know.”

“
Mama called
me. She had the dreams too.”

“
Dreamer,
I’
m your husband. Why
didn
’
t
you tell me about them?”

“
Tell you, Ted?
You, when you hate anything like that?”

Ted immediately felt a twinge of regret. Glaring at him,
Dreamer continued “It all came to me the minute Mama called. Why he
was always asking for Pandora. Why he always wanted us over- just
us two, never Marlon or you after a while. I came just in time:
Pandora was against his wall. I was so angry, Ted- I
shouldn
’
t have done it.”

“
Done
what?”

“
What Papa did
that night when we had dinner with your parents.”

“
Good,” said
Ted fiercely, making her start in surprise. “What else?”

“
I was in such
a rage I told him I never cared for him, a fling is a fling and
nothing more.” Dreamer smiled, an evil smile. Ted swallowed as she
said “I knew I was going to die that night- I even conjured the
machete for him. I gave him a sporting chance, wanting to infuriate
him- but suddenly he grabbed the knife and went for my
baby.”

“
Pandora,”
whispered Ted, Dreamer’
s face
still stone cold.

“
He was mad
enough to slice and stab her, Ted. That angry.”

“
Pandora
was…”

“
On the verge
of death,” Dreamer said bitterly. “He had his chance to kill me
right then.”

“
What
happened?”

“
She was on the
floor,” Dreamer said coldly, then she stopped as she sensed her
children just outside the living room door. Pandora and Marlon had
been listening since their father said Miriam’
s name.

Pandora was weeping silently, in her
brother
’
s arms. Hearing her mother
’
s voice again brought
the tears on, but having to relive the horror of Westport made
everything worse. Marlon hugged her fiercely, desperate for her to
stop trembling, but her body wouldn
’
t oblige.

“
Go on
Dreamer,” urged Ted. “She was on the floor. Then what?”

“
I turned my
back on him- I had to. She would have died before my eyes if I
didn’
t heal her- and then
Damon stabbed me in the side.”