Finding Midnight (16 page)

Summer nodded and took a deep breath as if
somehow it would fill her with some much needed courage. Tori did
the same and took the first step toward climbing the
unstable-looking stairs. Slowly they crept up step by step,
cautiously noting the stability of each board they stepped on. All
the drapes and blinds were pulled and no light showed from within,
but then Summer had never seen any lights on in the place at all,
which is why she had been so surprised when Dr. Stuart said the
owner had rented the place. She’d never seen a car or any means of
transportation. Quite frankly, the appearance of the cat in the
window had been the only indication there were ever any tenants at
all.

Finding what courage she could muster,
Summer knocked on the door. Silence was the only answer they
received. Again, Summer knocked. They both listened for any
movement from within, but neither heard a thing, not even a
meow.

Tori went into a familiar Tae kwon-do stance
for what Summer was pretty sure would be for a sidekick. “Shall I
kick it in?” she joked.

“NO,” Summer rebutted. “How in the world
would we explain that?”

“Nobody is here, we take a quick look
inside, maybe rescue a cat, then run like the wind,” Tori said.

“That’s your plan? Run like the wind?” she
said, scowling.

“Works for me.”

“Didn’t you learn anything from living with
the nuns all your life?” Summer scolded.

“Sure. I do the deed, I go to confession, I
do my penance of the rosary nine times with a couple extra Hail
Mary’s and everything is cool again,” Tori said.

Summer shook her head in disbelief. “How
about we DON’T break in and we just leave a note?”

Tori thought and said, “That works too.
However, my plan sounds more exciting.”

“Your plans usually are AND usually often
against the law to boot,” Summer admitted as she wrote a small note
on the back of an envelope from her pocket which said.

Dear Neighbor,

I found a small red collar in our yard with
MORTI on the name tag. Just wondered if it might be your pet’s
collar.

Your neighbor (in the cottage)

Summer

She slipped the note into the mailbox. Tori
had taken up peeping in the window, her hands cupped around her
eyes, her nose pressed to the dirty glass. Summer grabbed her by
the arm and headed to the cottage.

*****

Waving goodbye to Tori, a warm summer breeze
kissed Summer’s skin, giving life to the skirt of her sundress. The
scent of jasmine and pine rolled from foothills and lingered for a
moment—she closed her eyes and enjoyed it, and then it continued on
its way.

She climbed the familiar steps up to the
mansion’s massive door and rang the doorbell. As she waited for an
answer, she hoped Ms. Midnight would be in an agreeable mood.

The door creaked open and the usual scowl
greeted her with a “What is it?” but before Summer could respond,
Ms. Midnight’s eyes spied Sully at her side. He sneezed and ignited
a small pile of leaves on the porch. Summer jumped into action,
stomping the tiny blaze out with her shoe. Ms. Midnight seemed to
be completely oblivious to the flames and cradled Sully’s head in
her hands and rubbed his jowls and chin.

“My sweet, you’ve gone and caught yourself a
cold, haven’t you?” she said to Sully.

He responded with a stuffy, “Yup.”

“Well, I know how to fix you up. I used to
make it for your mother when she was just a little older than you.
You know, I found her orphaned when she was young, just like you,”
she told him.

“You did?” Summer asked.

“I did. Didn’t I tell you that?” Ms.
Midnight replied sweetly to Summer.

“No. Ms. Midnight, would you like to sit
with us in the garden? Maybe we could talk a bit?”

“I’d love that, child,” she said.

They made their way to the weathered bench
near the thriving medicinal garden, and all the while, Ms. Midnight
chit chatted with Sully, her slow but steady steps crunching with
each footfall on the finely crushed rock of the path.

Before they sat, Ms. Midnight put her hands
on her hips and took a long look at the garden before her. The
breeze swept past them, making the herbs large and small, young and
old, bow and sway as if to some unheard melody. Pungent and
delicate scents mixed together as they made their way to the
onlookers and Summer named them to herself as each made themselves
known to her.
Roses, sage, um, lavender, rosemary, lilac,
and…

“Lemon thyme,” Ms. Midnight said.

Summer’s head turned to the woman as she
seated herself on the bench.

“But how did—?”

“How did I know what you were thinking? It’s
a bad habit of mine. Been doing it since I was a child—drove my
sister crazy. I’m quite sure you have the gift too; you just
haven’t accessed it yet.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. I’ve never been able
to read anyone’s mind—ever.”

“Not yet,” Ms. Midnight said, petting Sully
and gazing at the garden as if somehow it was feeding her. She drew
in deep breaths and closed her eyes. Summer didn’t know how to
respond to Ms. Midnight and watched as the woman enjoyed the sweet
smells of summer.

Ms. Midnight finally broke the peaceful
silence of nature. “The dragon scale around your neck has awakened
the magic within you.”

Summer’s tongue felt as if it had grown as
big as a shoe and her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow.
She couldn’t have responded even if she could have found the
words.

“Haven’t you heard nature calling you?”

“Nature calling me?” Summer asked,
confused.

“Yes, the animals of the forest around you,
your pup—these are just the stirrings of your magic.”

“I don’t have any magic,” Summer said
assuredly.

“Oh, but you do, child. You most certainly
do,” she said, patting Summer’s thigh lovingly.

“But I don’t understand.”

“Don’t you fret. When your magic is ready it
will make itself known, but for now, just enjoy getting to know the
nature around you.”

Summer was more confused than ever. Was Ms.
Midnight of her right mind? The last time she had been this way,
she had seemed completely sane and made sense until the end when
she had mentioned the rat and the hat, or was it a broom—she
couldn’t remember.

Ms. Midnight stood and said, “Now let’s get
a little something to help your pup get rid of this cold.” She set
her sights on a nearby plant. Though her skin seemed almost
translucent and loose over nonexistent muscles, she plucked here
and nipped there with great strength and expertise.

“Hold out your hands, child,” she said,
placing stems, leaves, roots and flowers within the bowl shape
Summer made with her two hands. With each item she gave explanation
and instruction.

“Oolang black tea contains powerful
expectorant compounds that help clear mucus from deep within the
chest and the caffeine is a great bronchodilator.

“Chamomile takes the edge off the caffeine
and is known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal,
antiseptic and antispasmodic properties.

“Thyme has antiseptic properties that help
heal the infections.

“Eucalyptus cools inflamed tissues and eases
congested lungs.

“Rose hips are high in vitamin C and make it
taste better.

“Lastly, marshmallow and licorice roots help
calm the fire and soreness in his throat.

“You can administer this one of two ways:
seep all the ingredients in hot water, making a strong tea and then
pouring it over his food, or burning it all into ash form and
sprinkling it atop his food. Both will work, but Ms. Ash preferred
the sprinkling of ashes,” she said, cupping her fragile-looking
hands around Summer’s and smiling. As she did so, she noticed for
the first time the pet collar still around Summer’s wrist.

“What is this?” she said, rotating the
collar until the tag was showing; but before Summer could answer
her, Ms. Midnight said with excitement, “You’ve found him? Why
haven’t you said something earlier?”

“Found him?” Summer repeated, puzzled by the
exclamation.

“The RAT.”

“Morti…is the rat?”

“Of course he is, didn’t I say that?”

“Well, yes, but no…I mean you just said it,
yes, but you didn’t mention it before,” Summer stammered.

“Either I mentioned it or I didn’t—which is
it, child?”

“No. You didn’t mention it before,” Summer
clarified.

“I sometimes forget things, though I
absolutely hate to admit it. I just…” She paused for a long moment
and Summer thought she was losing her again as she had the last
time she started talking about the rat and the other thing.

*****

Summer spoke tentatively, worried that she
was about to be confronted by the sour version of the strange but
sometimes lovable Ms. Midnight. “Morti must be a very large rat to
fit in this collar. Maybe I should get a larger cage,” Summer said,
speaking out loud but more to herself than anyone else.

“A rat? Why would you think Morti is a
rat?”

Though kindness still showed on Ms.
Midnight’s face, Summer was quite sure now that Ms. Midnight had
gone back over to the crazy side where she frequented her time.
“Because you keep referring to him as a rat,” Summer explained.

“No, child. Not a rat, the RAT,” Ms.
Midnight said.

“What?” Summer said, completely confused by
the conversation.

“Didn’t I explain this?”

“No,” Summer said plainly.

“You poor thing. No wonder you’ve been
running around catching rats and looking at me like I’m crazy.” She
chortled.

“The RAT is the Reliquary of All
Thaumaturgy.”

“Thawma…what?” Summer asked.

“Thaumaturgy—Magic.”

“And a reliquary is a—” Summer tried to
untangle the knot of words tossed at her.

“A reliquary is a vessel,” Ms. Midnight
explained.

“So Morti is a vessel…”

“Yes.”

“Of all magic…” Summer said, trying to
understand.

“That’s right,” Ms. Midnight confirmed.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Midnight. I just don’t
understand. Is Morti a living thing?”

“Of course he is,” she laughed as if it were
ridiculous to think otherwise.

“But he’s not a rat, he’s ‘the’ rat—a
relick—”

“A reliquary of all thaumaturgy. That’s
right,” Ms. Midnight said.

Summer wasn’t sure if she was any less
confused than when they first started this conversation.
“Ooookaaaaay,” she said with a great deal of doubt. “Can
you…describe the RAT to me?”

“Of course I can. He’s incredibly annoying,
arrogant, deceitful, and narcissistic,” Ms. Midnight exclaimed.

“Um…that’s very descriptive, Ms. Midnight,
but I was hoping for something a little more…physical,” Summer
said.

“Of course, how silly of me. He is large,
shaggy, and rather chubby. He has green eyes, mostly black hair,
and did I mention—he’s a cat?”

“The RAT is a cat,” Summer said in
disbelief.

“Yes. A very disagreeable cat. Indeed.
Didn’t I mention that?” Ms. Midnight said, flustered.

“No. No, you didn’t,” Summer said
incredulously.

“I’m sure I mentioned that. Why would I not
tell you what you were supposed to find?” Ms. Midnight started to
ramble as she got up from the bench. Summer could tell she was
slipping into her less amiable persona and with that, the
conversation was over. The scowl was back and her arms were
flailing as she complained about all the questioning to no one but
the shrubs and trees on the way to the mansion door.

*****

With a handful of herbs and her mind
whirling with puzzling details of the conversation with Ms.
Midnight, Summer went to her cottage to make the brew for Sully and
maybe chamomile tea for herself. Her head was starting to ache.

In desperate need of someone to help her
sort out all that was on her mind, she called Tori and relayed what
she learned. Tori was always good at calming her and making her see
the other side of the coin, so to speak, or interpreting things she
could not comprehend. She relied on Tori’s keen sense of
understanding, as Tori relied on Summer to keep her grounded and
remind her there were good sides to almost everything.

Tori didn’t seem too surprised when Summer
told her Ms. Midnight had she had magic. Maybe it had been the
recent events of talking to animals or how Summer had always had a
special talent and connection to plants and animals, but whatever
the reason, Tori rolled with it without even a hiccup. The story
about how the RAT was actually a cat and somehow a vessel of magic
too—that didn’t go as well.

“So you’re telling me the old bat had you
hunting all over God’s green earth looking for a rat when in fact
it was a cat you were searching for?” Tori said, enraged.

“Apparently.”

“She’s crazy I tell you—off her creaky
little rocker,” Tori said.

“I know it seems that way, but I think it’s
just that she doesn’t remember what she has and hasn’t said.”

“Right…in my book, that’s crazy.”

“I was thinking maybe more like dementia,”
Summer stated.

“Whatever. Does that mean you believe her?
You think a cat is some kind of vessel?”

“I don’t know what I think, but at least I
know I’m looking for a cat now and not a rat,” Summer said.

“You are a better person than I am then. I
would have written her off as a looney toon,” Tori told her.

“Aw…you say that, but I know you better. You
act all tough but if you had seen the sweet side of Ms. Midnight
like I have, you’d be doing everything you could to help her,”
Summer insisted.

“Nope…wouldn’t happen. I’m hard as steel,”
Tori said.

“Liar,” Summer retorted and they both had a
little chuckle.

“Any word from the cat torturer in the
creepy house? Oooooh…you don’t think…could the cat you saw in the
window be this ‘Morti’?” Tori speculated.