As soon as I place my hand in hers, she gasps, gripping my hand tightly, her eyes turn white, she has this faraway look. Like she is seeing through me at something I can’t see. I rip my hand from her grasp, alarmed, watching as her eyes seem to come back into focus and the color comes back. Claire smiles softly, but she can’t hide the worry in them. The driver’s side door opens, and Caroline hops in the car, looking between us, as Claire just remains calmly staring like she is trying to figure something out.
“What happened?” Asks Caroline, looking as confused as I feel.
“I don’t know?” I answer honestly. Claire remains silent but turns around in her seat, looking out toward the front.
“We need to leave, now,” she says, looking toward Caroline.
Caroline hastily jams the keys in the ignition before taking off at a fast speed down the dirt driveway, making dust and dirt spray everywhere. Claire leans forward, grabbing something from between her legs, it is a black leather backpack. Sitting in the middle seat, I watch as she rummages around in her bag before pulling out a necklace. The necklace seems familiar; it takes a few seconds for me to figure out where I have seen the intricate design before. Sitting forward slightly, I pull the bracelet from my pocket.
It has the same design as the necklace Claire holds in her hand, the same silver vines and leaves wrap around the bracelet to the pendant which has a lotus hanging from it, that is caged in by the vines.
“What’s that?” I ask her.
“It is a witch’s talisman,” she says, her eyes darting to the bracelet I hold in my hand to show her.
“Turn back around,” Claire says when she sees the bracelet hanging from my fingertips.
“What, you just said we had to go?” Caroline says, I can hear the panic in her voice as she looks at Claire. Caroline spins the car around anyway, heading back toward the house.
“What’s going on?” I ask, suddenly worried. Claire grabs the bracelet before dropping it and hissing in pain.
“That’s why I couldn’t read you, why it looked like you had no future. Where did you get that bracelet?” She asks as I grab the bracelet from where she dropped it on the carpet between the seats.
“It is my mother’s, I found it in the shed.” I tell her.
Claire shakes her head. “The fact that you can hold it proves that it is not your mother’s. A witch can’t hold another witch’s talisman.”
“What?” Nothing makes sense. What she said never makes sense, I’m not a witch. Caroline pulls up out the front of the shed and I jump out when Claire does, followed by Caroline.
“Why are we back here?” Caroline asks, looking around nervously.
“If she has a talisman, I’m willing to bet her family’s grimoires will be here as well.”
“Grimoires? Like spell books?” I ask.
Claire nods her head, pushing the roller door up and walking inside.
“Look, I have been through that shed so many times, if my mother or father were a witch, I would have found something resembling spell books by now.” Claire pays me no attention and keeps walking towards the office in the back of the shed.
When she opens the door, she gasps. “I knew it!” She states.
I looked around, trying to find what it is she thinks she found. Claire walks over to my grandfather’s table. “Honestly Caroline, I’m surprised you didn’t notice this when you were in here,” she says, running her hand along the top of the table.
Caroline looks at the table and I mean really looks at it. Caroline walks over to the table, running her fingers over the design carved in the top, which is five different circles. One on each side before a bigger one is in the middle. The same vine-like structure joins the four outer circles before vines from each connect the middle circle to the other four.
“It’s an earth pentagram,” Caroline whispers before knocking on the wood.
The wood makes a hollow sound, like it has a compartment below the tabletop. I have never paid attention to the table before, believing the story my mother told me that my grandfather made it.
Claire runs her fingers along the table’s edge before she stops, obviously finding whatever it is she is looking for. She bends down to look at what her fingers landed on underneath the table. “Imogen, bring your bracelet here,” I walk over to her and hand it to her. She shakes her head. “I’m not touching that thing, burned my fingers damn near off. Place the pendant in the lock,” she instructs.
My eyebrows furrow before I bend down to see this so-called imaginary lock only to be surprised when I actually find there is indeed a metal lock below the tabletop. I waste no time in placing the pendant inside, fitting it perfectly. The lotus shaped pendant is actually a key of sorts. The wood groans and sounds like it is cracking before we hear something click. I stand up, thinking for sure the table is going to be split down the middle by the sounds the wood makes. Only it isn’t but I can tell the table is different. The five circles glow fluorescent green.
It is like nothing I have ever seen before, Claire pushes on the lid and it springs open, revealing a long compartment inside. There are dried herbs and some candles, along with four books, covered in fabric cloth. I reach in and grab one, pulling the cloth off. Opening it, I find the book has no writing in it, just blank pages.
I turn to Claire to show her. “That must be yours then. The others will be family members of different generations, grimoires. Grab them, we need to leave now.” I quickly grab the other three books. For the first time, I’m getting a glimpse of my mother’s secret life I never knew about. Caroline quickly shuts the lid on the table, I hear the wood groan before the circles go back to their normal wood grain look.