Zelda came up the driveway like a race car driver. Dust and dirt spewing out from under her car as she went. Jumping out of her old Ford Taurus, she stomped up the porch steps and flung open the door to Blanchard House.


    “Where is Lympy!”


    Demitra had been upstairs with her mother when she saw Zelda’s car coming down the road from the window. She rushed down the stairs to meet the old woman. Zelda. Leave it to her mother’s best friend to pick the most inopportune time to visit.


    “I just had a vibration!” Zelda announced as she slammed the front door behind her.


    “Good for you,” Demitra remarked. “I hope you turned it off before you left home.”


    “Don’t be flippant, girl!” Zelda snapped as she pranced into the living room and nestled her rather large bottom onto the sofa. Her loud purple and yellow blouse stood out against the sage green sofa like grape juice on a white carpet. Zelda spread her pink skirt out over her legs. With her slightly maroon hair, she looked like a clown had dressed her.


    “Come on in, will you?” Demitra said sarcastically, joining her in the living room.


    “Where’s your mother?” Zelda demanded. “I’m worried. I was doin’ a reading for Mrs. Winthrope when I had this horrible feeling sum’thing is wrong with Lympy.”


    “I assure you mother is fine, but we are quite busy around here today. I’ll be sure to tell Mother you dropped by.”


    “I’m not going anywhere, Demmy,” Zelda asserted. “Not till I see Lympy.”


    They heard the front door open and close as Artemis came in holding a basket of vegetables. “Hello Zelda,” Artemis called. “I thought that was your car tearing up the road while I was in the garden.” Artemis paused in the doorway to the living room and stared at the old woman. “Zelda, your hair.”


    “You like it? It’s called Grandly Garnet. I dyed it myself yesterday.”


    “Well, it certainly is fascinating.”


    “Those tomatoes look marvelous Arty,” Zelda said spying the basket. “I believe I’ll grab me some from the garden before I leave.”


    “Help yourself,” Artemis smiled.


    “Got any Purple Hulls out there?”


    “A few,” Artemis answered. “Help yourself to anything you want.”


    “Zelda just popped in to see Mother,” Demitra said with a wink to her sister.


    “Oh, didn’t you tell her?” Artemis replied.


    “Tell me what?”


    “I thought it was best to keep it in the family,” Demitra snapped.


    “Zelda is family,” Artemis countered.


    “Demmy seems to forget that I’m your mother’s closest friend in the world,” said Zelda.


    “Oh, don’t you two start bickering,” Artemis scolded. “Zelda, we’ve had a bit of trouble around here. For some unknown reason, Salem sent herself into another time. We don’t know why or when. Mother has gone after her.”


    Zelda pondered the thought a moment before replying, “When did all this happen?”


    “A few days ago,” answered Demitra.


    “It’s all going to be fine though,” Artemis added. “Beryl has Mother hooked to machines to keep her body going while she’s gone after Salem. Although we did expect her to be back by now.”


    “Naw,” Zelda scoffed. “Takes longer than you’d think—something like that. Back when we was girls, your Aunt Pastoria went off in time for about six days before she came back. I forget why she went though. But your mama and me was plenty scared till she got back. Ya’ll got any idea why Salem went?”If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    “None at all.”


    “Well, I hope Lympy gets back before the Consort Meeting.”


    Artemis replied, “Is it time for that again already?”


    “Sure is. Every three months. Can set your watch by it. You know there’s talk of a new Queen in the works.”


    “Has something happened to Ursula?” Demitra asked, a little embarrassed to even be interested. For the most part the Blanchards didn’t participate in the Witches Consort business, except of course when election time came.


    “Ursula just wants out,” Zelda explained. “Too many obligations involved. You know she only ran for it cause her Daddy was so well liked as King, and she felt like she owed it to his memory. But she’s been Queen of the Consort for years, and she’s just tuckered out.”


    “I suppose,” Demitra scoffed.


    “You don’t like Ursula much do you, Demmy?”


    “Zelda, I hate when you call me Demmy. You know I hate that. And yes, I do like Ursula. Or at least I used to.”


    Artemis clasped her sister’s hand in solidarity. “Demitra and Ursula were very good friends before Nacaria got in trouble.”


    Zelda huffed and slapped her hand on her leg. “You certainly can’t blame Ursula for any of that! She wasn’t even Queen back then.”


    “But she didn’t have to side with the ones opposing our sister!” Demitra blasted. “She only did it because she had ambitions to be Queen one day.”


    “Now don’t get all snippy with me Demmy,” Zelda warned. “I was on your family’s side as you recall. Just like I always am.”


    Relaxing her bristled demeanor, Demitra smiled weakly at the old woman and said, “Yes, you did.  You always have our back.”


    “Well, it just wasn’t fair,” Zelda said, half to herself. “He was as much to blame as Nacaria. And the Council never even gave Niki a chance to defend herself. Anyway, it is in the past. But back to Salem and Lympy…do ya’ll think we should ask the Consort for help bringing them back?”


    “No,” Artemis said sternly. “I don’t think it’s that serious a matter to involve the Council. Besides, we don’t even associate with them that much. Mother goes to the Consort meetings and that is the extent of it. The rest of us pretty much keep to ourselves. This is a family matter. We will handle it.”


    Zelda moved the conversation along to other topics.  Zelda was the pipeline to all the gossip in town, and the Blanchards usually got the lowdown on the various people they knew from Zelda.  Zelda also usually caught them up on the goings on of her own two daughters, Melinda and Sarah.  Sarah, always dieting, was also always being reminded by Zelda that she was fat.  Sarah lived in the shadow of the prettier Melinda, but unfortunately, Zelda did not seem to care much more for Melinda than she did Sarah.  This visit Zelda told them all about the recent car accident Sarah was involved in when she’d been ordering dinner on Postmates while driving.  No one had been hurt in the accident, but Sarah’s car was pretty smashed up.


    “Those two girls are gonna be the death a’ me some day. I swear I shoulda bopped them both in the head with a frying pan when they was little,” Zelda confided. “Well, I better go. I gotta do a reading on Laura Hartley that owns the flower shop in a little bit. She don’t know that I already know she’s having an affair with that new pharmacist at Grady Drugs. She never was more than a slut anyway. Didn’t Seth used to run around with her?”


    “I’ll be sure to tell Mother to call you for all the gossip when she wakes up,” Artemis said escorting Zelda to the door.


    “And don’t forget to remind her about the Consort meeting next week. And, Arty, if sum’thing bad has happened with Salem, let me know—all right?”


    “You know I will.”


    “Oh, and ya’ll be careful ‘round here. Did you see the paper this morning?” Zelda warned.


    “No, we haven’t had a chance to look at it,” Artemis said. “There hasn’t been another killing has there?”


    “Yep, last night,” Zelda replied. “That makes three in the last couple months. Terrible. Terrible. You heard anything from your detective friend, Demmy?”


    Demitra shook her head. “No, I haven’t been called in on it. I assume the two deaths before were considered coincidence. Did the paper say this third death resembled the other two?”


    “Yep,” said Zelda. “Throat cut. Body torn up. Looks like Daihmler’s got a serial killer runnin’ loose. So ya’ll be on the lookout way out here. You gotta lot a land, real secluded.”


    “Well, I think we are pretty well fixed for taking care of ourselves around here,” Demitra smirked. “And we will let Mother know you stopped by.” Zelda took the cue that it was time to leave.


    Zelda left out as fast as she had come in, forgetting to stop by the garden for the peas and tomatoes she’d wanted. But Artemis knew she’d be back again in a few days. Demitra gave a sigh of relief once the house was empty of Zelda’s presence.


    “It’s always like a big wind blows out after she leaves.”


    “She’s been a good friend of this family since before we were born. Don’t forget that, Demitra.”


    “I just don’t like the way she sells her gifts. Running a business selling psychic readings and fortune-telling to customers. It’s not right, using your gifts for profit,” Demitra noted.


    “Oh, get real Demitra Blanchard,” Artemis laughed out loud. “Beryl became a doctor because she has the power to heal. Fable became a vet because she can communicate with animals. You work for the police department sometimes because you have psychic abilities. Zelda isn’t doing anything wrong.”


    “Let’s drop it,”  Demitra huffed.  “But she does bring up a good point about the murders.  We do need to be cautious--especially the girls.  Beryl and Fable do not have the most active powers. If faced with danger they aren’t well equipped to fight. And then there’s Yasmine, she has no power at all.”


    Demitra was interrupted by the ringing on the landline phone in the entranceway. She reached to grab the receiver and noticed the caller I.D.


    “It’s Travis Dandridge, David’s uncle.”