Shimmer much?

“What do you mean, we’ll get mad?”  Magnolia glanced at Bridget and Cici.

“Everyone will.”  Ruby calmly took another bite of pie.  ”Magelena is like a disease–her hatred and distemper is contagious.”

“Ok, this is getting ridiculous.”  Bridget rolled her eyes.  ”Magelena and Amaryllis are not magical genies.  They can’t just wave magic wands and make everyone start snapping at each other.”  She pushed her plate away.  ”No offense lady, but you’ve been watching too much Star Trek.“

“I doubt she’s been watching Star Trek.” The four women looked up, startled.  Perched on the corner, much like Magnolia’s kitten, Amaryllis stretched and yawned.  ”Ruby’s not really a science fiction kind of gal.”

“I thought you were watching my shop!” Cici rose, abandoning her half eaten pie.

“I am.  Kinda.  The cats are.”  Amaryllis grinned.

“You let a bunch of cats run my cupcake shop?  The health inspector is going to have a fit!”  Cici groaned, yanking on her frizzled strands.  She leaped up.  ”I’ve got to get over there!”

“Take your time.  He ordered a full dozen.”  Languildly, Amaryllis pulled Cici’s half-eaten pie closer to her.  ”Ruby dear, I know you’re trying to help, but please don’t give these girls any more trouble.  Meeting Magelena is enough.”

“You brought trouble to them the second you gave them the jewels,” Ruby reminded her, pointing a fork accusingly.

“I didn’t mean to.”  Amaryllis curled into herself, a thick curtain of black hair unable to hide the twinkle in her eyes.

“You know, I bet this is all some kind of ploy!” Bridget exploded.  ”You’ve recruited all these women to weave this phony tale so we’ll fall for it and help promote your shop!  And what are you selling, exactly?”  She shook her head as Amaryllis opened her mouth.  ”And if you tell me shimmer one more time I’ll slap you.  This is the real world, lady.  You either sell jewels or scams, not some mystical huggy-feely crap that keeps our town together.”

“You better show her.”  Ruby calmly cut herself another slice of pie.

“Show me what?” Bridget snapped.

“Where should we go?”  Amaryllis scratched behind Magnolia’s kitten’s ears, almost purring herself.

“The roof.”  Ruby took a bite.

“The roof?” Magnolia and Bridget explained in unison.

“Of course.”  Amaryllis sighed.  ”The roof.  Come on, ladies.  We’ll go through the kitchen–if Trudy can handle it, that is.”  She winked at Ruby, who nearly choked on her pie with laughter.

“Excuse me, why do we have to go on the roof?” Bridget grumbled, climbing to her feet anyway.  ”I don’t see why you can’t give us answers like a normal person.”

“Because then your life would be utterly devoid of fun, darling,” Amaryllis called over her shoulder.  ”And we can’t have that, can we?”

“I oughta…”  Bridget grumbled, stomping through the kitchen.  She shoved open the door, nearly slamming it in Magnolia’s face.  ”This is all your fault, you know.”

“Me?” Magnolia exclaimed.  ”You’re the one who wanted to play Nancy Drew!”

“Well, you should have talked me out of it, Bess.”   Bridget hissed.

Magnolia sucked in her breath between her teeth.  ”Oh no, you didn’t just call me Bess.”

“If the name fits…”  Without waiting for a reply, Bridget scrambled up the ladder.  Muttering through her teeth, Magnolia slowly climbed after her, her heels slipping on the slick metal.  ”You know, Bridget, I’ve had enough of your snotty…”  She stopped, slowly creeping toward the edge.  ”What is that?”

The small town lay before them, a gleam of silver light spilling from dozens of windows and chimneys.   It was as though the stars had settled into the blossoms of several stone flowers, calling celestial bees and butterflies to tend to them.  Even Bridget was silent, her mouth ajar.

“Those are the jewels and gifts I’ve given women of this town over the past 100 years.”  Amaryllis reached out wistfully, as though she could wind the light through her fingers.  ”Sometimes, the jewels were hidden in trinkets or other things…passed down from generation to generation.”

“How do you just give jewels away?” Bridget grumbled.  ”That makes no sense!”

“It’s not about making money, Bridget.”  Amaryllis spat out a lilly.  ”It’s about”–

“What is that?” Magnolia shrieked, raising a trembling hand.  ”What is that?”

Bridget coughed, tucking her face into her elbow.  ”It smells rancid!”

“Rainclouds can’t get that close to the ground!” Magnolia tightened her grip on the kitten, peering over the edge.  ”And the stars are out.  That can’t be fog!”

Bridget turned to a solemn Amaryllis.  ”That’s her, isn’t it?  That’s your sister.”

Amaryllis spat out a rose.  ”That–”  she gagged up a carnation, watching it fall to the sidewalk below.  ”She– I mean, it’s her.  Just as I leave a trail, so does she.”

Bridget let out a small shriek, grabbing Magnolia’s arm.  ”Look!  The cloud is headed straight for my aunt’s bookstore!”

“And there’s a stream of people headed to Cici’s shop–that’s only two doors down!”  Magnolia trembled.  ”Bridget, go to Cici!  I’ll warn my aunt!”  Turning to Amaryllis, she laid a hand on the woman’s arm.  ”I promise you, we’ll get the jewels to you by Midsummer’s Night.”

Amaryllis smiled weakly, brushing a hand across hers.  ”No worries, dear.  I’ve been fighting this war for 100 years.  I can fight it for more.”

“Magnolia, come on!”  Bridget yanked her towards the ladder, scuttling down.  ”We don’t have time for dramatic send offs!”

Climbing down after her, the glittering silver fingerprints on Magnolia’s arm glistened as she fell onto the hard concrete below.  Clutching her kitten closer to her chest, she hobbled down the sidewalk, her pocketbook slamming into her hip with every step.

But when the alarms wailed, she broke into a full run.  Even from five blocks away, she could see the cloud consuming her aunt’s store.

The only light peeking through the blackness was the swirl of red and blue lights.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have a new recipe and book review tomorrow!

The Gift is on Kindle!

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