Magic, Mystery, a little Whisky, and a Cat

A Cold Spring–Episode 9: Icy Curse

Welcome to Sorchia’s Universe!

 

Find Episodes 1-8 HERE

“A Cold Spring” by Sorchia DuBois

Episode 9: Icy Curse

 

Aunt Clarissa always called me her favorite, but that didn’t matter. She’d caught me conspiring with La Croixs. All the stories I’d heard of such things flashed across my mind. None of them ended well.

 

“Allium,” she said, eyeing me with a glittering green eye. “Which of these boys set Aunt Marzipan’s hair on fire? The poor thing is crying her eyes out from embarrassment in the drawing room.”

 

Maddock made a face like a thundercloud, but Aunt Clarissa was more intimidating by far.  Wide eyed and afraid, I pointed a trembling finger at him.

 

I stood nearby as Aunt Clarissa gave Maddock and the other boys a thorough dressing down, unaware of the smudge of smoke spiraling from her own tall hairdo. Maddock glared at me, but had enough sense to show respect to Aunt Clarissa. Below us, all the guests were just starting dinner—Lucia and Avery’s first dinner as man and wife.

 

Midway through Aunt Clarissa’s tirade, a terrible roar erupted from the dining room followed by a shocked silence. What began as an unearthly low moan rose to a high pitched scream. I stuffed my fingers in my ears but the wail continued. The castle shook from stone foundation to turrets. An avalanche of people poured from the dining room and still the wail rose higher.

 

My arms prickled with sudden cold.  Hoarfrost blossomed on the tile floor and crept up the wall and up the steps. The crystal chandelier shattered, showering shards of glass and ice on the running throng below. People clutched their throats and froze solid as I watched.

 

Aunt Clarissa snatched me up in a blinding flash but I lost sight of Maddock in the confusion. I woke shivering on the musty, dank floor of a cavern. Before I could gather my wits, Aunt Clarissa, her clothing disheveled and her hair flying, pushed sweet smelling incense toward me and I drifted into a deep and enchanted sleep.

See you tomorrow for Episode 10: Jagged Rocks and Jolting Reality

 

 

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