A Cat's Tale

====Chapter Eight====

<< Previous Chapter     Next Chapter >>


I held the door while Mitchell carried Miranda inside their house. He was met by the anxious questions of both parents. I could barely stand up so I just continued to hold the doorframe while Mitchell deflected his parent's concern.

I would probably still be there if Mr. Evans hadn't helped me into a chair in the living room. As it was, I only briefly heard Mitchell give an account of what happened. My mind stalled at the words "fatal hit and run" and I looked up.

"What?" I croaked. Swallowing, I tried again. "What did you say?"

Mitchell just sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. Before I could demand an explanation, he looked into my eyes. What I saw kept me silent.

"Adam, you were hit by a car. A hit and run actually as the driver didn't bother to stick around and see how you were. It was a fatal accident. In fact, if it hadn't been for Miranda, you WOULD have died."

Mitchell glanced back at Miranda now spread out on the sofa. My eyes too traced her features before I was once again caught by Mitchell's words. Mr. and Mrs. Evans just sat silently with a sad look in their eyes.

"I saw your injuries. You were lying more twisted than a carnival pretzel. You also had blood running out of your nose and mouth." I dabbed at my mouth coming away with a handful of blood. He continued a little more gently, "You would not have survived."

"But...how?" It was all I could say.

It was Mrs. Evans who answered this time. "Because Miranda is a witch. Specifically she is a healing witch. She can't heal herself, but when she concentrates, she can help those who have been hurt."

Oddly enough, I looked to Mitchell for confirmation that this wasn't just a crazy dream.

He nodded. "It's true. We all have the power, but it comes in different forms for every witch. Miranda heals. I have the sight. Although not always perfectly." He glanced again at Miranda and fell silent.

My mind was spinning. This was a lot to try to digest all at once. "I'm not sure I can believe all of this."

"You have no choice!" The bite was back in Mitchell's voice. "You can try to deny the facts, but there they are. Pandora's box has been opened and you can't wish away the results."

I decided to ask something else. "What about Miranda? What's wrong with her?"

Again, it was Mrs. Evans who answered my question. "She's recuperating. In order to heal you, she had to pass a lot of her own energy to you. Sleep is the best way to recover what has been lost."

I started to stand and cross to Miranda when Mitchell's next words stopped me cold.

"Adam. I think you should go home now."

"No." No way was I being shoved out the door after a revelation like that.

"Adam." I turned at the tone in his voice. "You should go home. Miranda needs sleep to recover. YOU need sleep to recover. You also need to figure out how you feel about all of this. And after that, you need to figure out how you feel about Miranda. Being a witch is not just what she does, but who she is. You have to decide if you can deal with that part of her. Go home."

My shoulders slumped and I acknowledged that he was right.

Mr. Evans drove me home (I was in no mood to walk). My parents had already left for work, so I just went straight to bed for several hours of sleep. Oddly enough, the last thing I thought of before falling into a dreamless sleep was the look in Miranda's eyes when we made love.

I woke again several hours later feeling almost human and hungry enough to eat a bear. After a quick sandwich eaten while standing at the sink, I went over everything that had happened. Everything I had heard. I still didn't know what to think of it all. Witches. In this day and age.

Witches were something you read about in fairy tales. Not your girlfriend. The problem was I had the proof that Mitchell was telling the truth. I liked to think that I was a fairly rational animal. I didn't want to be the yokel who claimed there were no such things as bears when confronted with a grizzly.

So there were real live, honest to goodness, spell casting witches in the world. Okay. So what? What does it really matter? This wasn't a fairy tale and I didn't have to worry that my girlfriend was going to lure me into her oversized oven.

That's when my mind finally started clicking. I was right. This wasn't a fairy tale. This was life. My girlfriend, who just happened to be a witch, had just saved my life. More importantly, she WAS my life. I was more alive and more glad to be alive when I was around her. THAT was what mattered.

My resolved firmed; I walked out the door and headed to Miranda's.

---

<< Previous Chapter     Next Chapter >>
Return to Top of Page