Magic on Changeling Mountain

The next morning, she slept in a little later than normal and only woke up when she heard Tammy moving around.

“Ouch! Damn!” Tammy swore and then hopped up and down on one foot holding up her other foot as it throbbed from where she had miscalculated the door jam and smashed her little toe.

“What?” Carolyn called out as she pushed her legs over the side of the bed.

“Sorry if I woke you up. I overslept and I’m running late. I miscalculated the door jam and kicked it with my little toe, which I’m not 100% sure I haven’t dislocated. It hurts like crazy.”

“Hobble on in here and let me have a look at it.” Carolyn said as she stood up to cross the room and help her friend into a chair by her vanity table. She flipped on the light and lifted Tammy’s foot.

“If this hurts at all, let me know.” Carolyn said as she gently took the injured toe between two fingers. She glanced at Tammy’s face, seeing her holding her breath as Carolyn slightly twisted it from one side to the other.

“I don’t think it’s broken or dislocated but it’s probably going to be sore for a while. It looks like you kicked the door frame pretty hard. You are missing a couple of layers of skin. Do you want me to put a bandaid on it?”

“Please. I have to wear shoes today.”

“Well, I would say take a pair of flip flops or house slippers with you and take off your shoes as much as you can.”

“I think you are right but right now, I’ve got to get moving. My client is going to be at the office in a little over half an hour and I need to get there and get stuff set up before they arrive.”

“What time is it?” Carolyn asked as she walked into the bathroom to find a band aid for Tammy’s toe.

“It’s after 8 already. My client is due to arrive at 9 and Mr. Peters is never late.”

“Old man Peters is one of your clients? Wow, you are moving up. He’s one of the wealthiest men in town.”

“Really? Oh, lord, I wish you hadn’t told me that. I was already nervous enough. This is my first meeting with him and from what his secretary told me, he is always very punctual and particular.”

“Well, then I won’t say another word about him until after you meet with him. I wonder what he wants with you though. I mean no offense but he could hire a big city accounting firm to handle his bookkeeping, why would he come to such a new business that only has one person?”

“From what I understand is he wants someone to review some ledgers and report the findings to no one but him.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds like he suspects someone is dipping their hands in the company till. Well, don’t be afraid to raise your prices with him. The man is dripping money. He and his brother ran the mine lower down on the mountain until it panned out, but by then, they had already established the lodge and several other businesses in not only our little town but in just about every town from here to Asheville. They tried to get my father to sell them our land back many years ago but, thankfully, my father and the other elders held strong and refused.

Changelings have lived up here for 10 generations, some were part of the original pilgrims that settled this area. I wasn’t even born yet but there has been an understanding between the changelings and the Peter’s for years. They stay off our land and we stay out of theirs. My mom worked for old man Peter’s before she met my dad and mom said he was a very strict person even way back then.”

“Is that why your father doesn’t work in town?” Tammy asked. She had always been curious as to how the Masters made money but had never inquired about it, figuring it none of her business.

“No. My dad has enough to do with our farm. He sells a lot of what they grow to the local supermarkets and restaurants. That’s why my mom was so upset when Lucinda and Amelia and Sebastian ate up all her canned goods. They sell them during the winter months to mostly the restaurants, when they need money for something or they just have more than they can eat in one year. I’ve got a new canning set up ordered for my mom for Christmas this year. It will allow her to do twice the canning in half the time.”

“Well, I’d better run or I’m going to be late. See you this evening. I’ll call you on my way home.”

“Ok. Have a good day!”

Tammy left and Carolyn went to the bathroom and started getting ready to go down to the clinic.

She only had one client that day but a pile of bills were in the mailbox. She stuffed them in a bag and left them sitting on the counter. She would take them with her when she went home tonight and give them to Tammy. She wished her all the luck in her business but couldn’t help but wonder why Mr. Peters was seeking out her services.

Carolyn’s patient, a 6 month old, golden colored tabby kitten was being neutered and it needed its shots. The owner was a new client but not a stranger. Sharon and Carolyn had been a couple of years apart in high school but they both knew each other.

Sharon then Miles, now Molina, was now married and had two kids and a new kitten for their daughter’s 6th birthday present. Sharon had always been a perky person and seemed to bounce everywhere instead of walking.

She had been a cheerleader in high school, president of her class and was now married to the son of the man who owned the hardware store. They lived on the other side of town and Carolyn hadn’t seen her in years. They visited briefly as Carolyn checked in the kitten but they had never been close so it was just normal everyday chit chat.

“She should be ready to go home this afternoon at about 3 and will not do much more than sleep for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Probably shouldn’t let the kids handle her until she’s completely healed which should be about a week. It only takes a couple of stitches to close them up normally but it will be tender for her so she might scratch or bite someone if they touch it and it hurts her.

Change the bandage on her until there’s no blood on the gauze when you change it, which should be done daily. I don’t normally bandage them but since you have young children, it’s best if it’s protected until its’ had a chance to heal. I’m going to close up around 4 today, so if you can be back before then, I’d really appreciate it.” Carolyn said.

“Sure. Can you provide me with the bandages I’ll need or should I pick them up at the drugstore?”

“No, I can supply you with enough to last for 3 days.”

Sharon left and Carolyn picked up the kitten and carried it back to the room where she would do the surgery. She sure did miss Cindy when it came to doing stuff like this but since the cat was just a kitten, so long as Carolyn had everything she might need within easy reach, she would be able to do it without her.

That was another thing that had been on her mind lately, on top of everything else was, where was she going to find another assistant like Cindy? What was she going to do if this were a large dog? Or even a large cat? Or an injured changeling? She was going to have to give it some serious consideration but not right now. Right now, the shot she had just administered was taking effect on the kitten and since it was a light dose, she wouldn’t be out for long so Carolyn needed to get this over with as quickly as possible.

She performed the simple procedure and quickly stitched up her patient. She held the kitten and snuggled with it for a little while before putting it in the kennel. It was always so hard for her to not get too attached to the kittens that came in here. They were so cute and cuddly.

She performed simple chores around the clinic as she waited for the kitten to wake up which only took about 20 minutes. She made sure it was able to eat and drink and then wiped its behind with a warm damp cloth to stimulate its need to use the bathroom which worked like a charm. The kitten would be fine. She gave it the final kitten shots and now it was just a matter of waiting for the owner to pick her up. She called Sharon Molina and told her the cat was ready to be picked up.

“Great. I’ll be there in about half an hour. I’m just picking up our dry cleaning.” Sharon replied.

Carolyn made sure all of the trash, which there wasn’t much, was taken out and she watered the indoor plants while she waited. True to her word, Sharon showed up right on time to pick up her kitten.

“I hate to grab and run but the kids will be getting out of school soon and the traffic around the school is always a nightmare. Maybe we can catch up some other time.”

“I understand. I need to get moving as well. Be safe and we’ll see you next time.” Carolyn said, as she accepted the credit card receipt that Sharon had signed. She put it in the cash drawer and closed it before following Sharon to the door. She let her out and then locked it behind her. She settled the credit card machine and then quickly made sure that everything was put away. She grabbed the bag of mail that she had left on the counter before she locked up and let herself out the back door.

She hurried back to the cottage and let herself in. She explored the fridge and found something to eat and then went to gather the things she needed to take up to the fairies. She also called her mom and asked her if she had been saving the fluff from her dryer.

Angela assured her she had and had also saved several plastic containers. When Carolyn arrived at her parents’ house some 20 minutes later, she asked, “Mom, do you have any extra vegetables you can spare? I hate to ask but I’ve got a feeling the fairies are going to need a lot of help this first winter.”

“I had a feeling they might and yes, I’ve saved some of the smaller yield for them. I don’t know what they eat so it’s hard to contribute.” Angela said.

“From what Foster told me, they only eat vegetables, roots and berries. Anything they can harvest from the land.” Carolyn related.

Angela smiled and said “So the same as we do, pretty much.”

“Well, I bet they don’t have a clue as to what coffee, cream and sugar are and I asked about meat and Foster looked sick to his stomach.” Carolyn grinned at her mother.

“Well, I’ve made up a basket for them. There’s some material in here that you can cut up anyway they want it. It’s mostly your dad’s old flannel shirts that are worn out. I’m having to sneak them out so that he doesn’t know or he will continue to wear them. That would be a good idea for him as a Christmas present, by the way.” Angela didn’t look the least bit guilty for her admission and added “I would like to have my scissors back though. There’s an old ball of yarn and some string and a spool of thread. I don’t know what they will do for needles. I’m sure all of the ones I have would be much too large for them to use.”

“Hey, thanks for all of this. Do you want the basket back or can I let them have it?”

“Oh, they can have that one. It’s just a tomato basket that we take things to the markets to sell.” She had the fluff in a supermarket plastic bag and Carolyn was surprised to see that it was almost full.

“Wow. You’ve really been giving the dryer a workout, haven’t you.”

“Goodness, yes! I washed every stitch of linens we own because they’ve been in storage and had that stored smell. It’s starting to get colder at night so we’ve been using heavier blankets on the beds. That reminds me. I’ve got an old blanket they can have as well. I was going to save it to use on the animals in the barn but it will do more good this way.”

“Thanks mom. I’m sure they will appreciate it.” Carolyn said as she picked up the basket of things her mom had saved for her and the bag of fluff and went to put them in her jeep. She was going to use the jeep to get as close as possible to the fairies without leaving a trail. It would still take her a couple of trips to carry everything to them.

“Do you think the fairies would mind if I came along?” Angela asked as she came back down the hall with the blanket over her arm.

“No, I don’t think so. They are very friendly.”

They got in the jeep and drove up the mountain to where there was an old logging trail. They could only go about 50 yards into the woods but the closer they could get the better. Between the two of them, they managed to carry everything they had brought in one load.

Foster flew out to meet them as they walked towards the large maple tree. “The leaves are extra pretty on this tree. They almost seem to glow.” Angela said. She had never seen fairies before and remembered to speak in whispers so as not to scare them.

Carolyn took out her radio and hooked up the microphone so that they could communicate with Foster.

“Foster, this is my mother, Angela Masters. Mom, this is Foster.”

“How do you do, ma’am! What an honor it is to meet you!” Foster said with a bow.

“Nice to meet you too, Foster. I do hope these things we’ve brought will help you through the winter but we wanted to let you know that if it becomes too cold for you here this winter, my husband and I have agreed that you can come stay in our hayloft in the barn.”

Just then, the queen of the fairies flew down to Foster’s side and he introduced her to Angela.

“Mrs. Masters, this is Queen Amber Rose. Your majesty, this is Miss Carolyn’s mother, Mrs. Angela Masters.”

They nodded at each other and Queen Amber said, “We thank you for your kind invitation, ma’am. That is most kind and generous of you but I think we will be fine here. This tree has ample shielding from the elements with the evergreens that grow all around it. Your daughter picked an excellent home for us and we thank you.”

“Well, if you change your mind, just let us know.”

Carolyn and Angela showed them all the things they had brought and Queen Amber called for helpers to come carry things up into the branches of the tree. Foster showed Carolyn where to place the plastic containers under the branches of the evergreen trees and she showed him how the caps worked. “So long as you don’t tighten them too tight you shouldn’t have trouble opening them and then your storage should be safe. Do you want me to tie them to the branches so that animals cannot steal them? Raccoons are what I’m thinking of. They will figure out how to open them and could do some real damage so you will need to keep an eye on them.”

Foster agreed and Carolyn quickly tied the 6 empty containers they had brought to the base of the evergreen tree bushes.

Angela spent some time cutting up the material under the direction of the Queen and her handmaidens. She cut pieces that could be used as blankets out of the sleeves of the old shirts and was amazed at how pleased many of the fairies were to claim the buttons that she snipped off of the shirts.

Carolyn had saved a special button for Foster. It was made from the mother of pearl shell and had come off of an old sweater that she had thrown away a long time ago but had found the button in her dresser drawer when she had been putting away laundry the other day. He showed it off proudly and then hugged it to his chest as he thanked Carolyn again and again.

They spent about an hour with the fairies, helping to cut the cloth down to manageable sizes and then all the fairies came down out of the tree and surrounded them as they all said thank you! It was beautiful. The whole underneath of the tree seemed to glow as the fairies flew around them.

“Well, I’ve got to go. I’ve got a big date tomorrow and I want to get home and get my clothes ready and wash my hair. I’ll bring more stuff when I can.” Carolyn told them.

Carolyn and Angela walked back to the jeep and as soon as they were alone, Angela asked. “Is this big date with Colin?”

“Yes, ma’am. We are going to spend the day in Asheville, touring the museum and then out to dinner.” Carolyn admitted.

“Well, have fun. I’m so glad you two are finally waking up to each other. I was beginning to think I was going to have to become the pushy mother.” Angela teased.

“You too? Why is it that everyone has always thought that we were the perfect match but has never said a word to me? Or Colin? I think.” Carolyn asked.

“Because if we had, you would have never allowed him anywhere near you. Besides, we all knew how important the clinic and being a vet is to you and we wanted you to have a chance to experience that before settling down and taking a mate. But it’s been almost 10 years and unfortunately, you won’t remain young enough to have children for much longer. While our animal forms can have babies as long as we experience the seasonal change, it gets more dangerous for our human forms to go much past our mid 30’s. You are almost 29, Carolyn. You need to start thinking about starting your family. You don’t want to be old with toddlers to keep up with. Even one at a time, they can be a handful.”

“That’s something I’m worried about. Cats and dogs usually have several kittens or puppies at once. I’m not so sure I’m ready for several children at once.”

“Well, I think you are worrying for nothing. I’ve known others that their animal mothers usually have multiple babies at once but they still have them one at a time or maybe twins but that’s rare. You know the Hastings? Sybil and Marcus? Their alter ego’s are pigs and they normally have 8 to 10 babies at once but Sybil has had 3 pregnancies and only had one baby with each of them. Her youngest was born just before you went off to college. The oldest of the ones still at home is just graduating high school this year.”

“Really? I didn’t realize their kids were getting that big already.”

“Yeah, in fact, he may be someone you might consider for your assistant’s position. He’s smart as a whip and I think he would work out well.” Angela said.

“Well, I have been worrying about replacing Cindy. It’s not like I can hire one of the towner kids. Can you imagine what would happen if we had another incident like the one we had with Ivan? Cindy is going to be very hard to replace but I’ll give him an interview, if you are recommending him. Tell him to stop by the clinic sometime next week but to call and let me know he’s coming, so I’ll be sure to be there.”

“I’ll call Sybil tonight and tell her to send him around then.”

“Mom, what would you and dad think of me offering Tammy some land to build a cottage on? You know she’s staying with me right now because the upstairs neighbor let the tub overflow into her apartment and ruined her bed and the carpet. Luckily she wasn’t in the bed when the ceiling came down or she could have been seriously hurt.”

“Where were you thinking about?”

“Maybe between my cottage and the Pence’s place? That seems to be the area where we always get strangers coming on to the land. Maybe if there was a cottage there, we wouldn’t have so much traffic.”

“Well, to be honest, we were planning on building Donna a cottage there when she’s ready to move out. But that’s a couple of years away so I guess we could build it now and just let Tammy live there. But she would have to provide her own utilities.”

“Well, I was hoping to find her a permanent place to live. You know she was tossed from one house to another when she was growing up. I was hoping to offer her a place where she could put down permanent roots. And being on the mountain would mean she would be able to practice her magic without having to worry about a towner seeing her.”

“Then it should be farther up on the mountain! Hahahaha!” Angela laughed. “But seriously, I’ll talk to your dad about it and let you know.”

“Thanks mom. But don’t say anything in front of Tammy. I haven’t said anything to her about it yet.”

“What makes you want to do this?” Angela asked.

“Well, I guess it’s because she’s begun talking about leaving and searching for her parents. If she does that she will have to give up her apartment, her business and won’t have a place to come back to which means she might never come back.” Carolyn admitted, feeling slightly childish about the whole thing.

“Carolyn, honey. I can’t say I blame Tammy for wanting to find her parents. It must have been hard growing up not knowing who she was or where she came from or why they gave her up. Instead of trying to keep her here, why don’t you help her find them? Help her solve her mystery then be there for her no matter where she decides to put down permanent roots. She will always be your friend, she just might not be living so close anymore.”

“I know and that makes me sad. Tammy is the best friend I’ve ever had and it hurts to think of losing her.”

“I know but if things work out with you and Colin, you are going to find that you have less and less time for her. She’s going to feel left out and alone and that’s sad.”

“You know, I never thought about it like that and while I would never intentionally cut her out, you are right. It would be kind of awkward to have her tag along on a date.”

“So my advice is to take care of your own life, let Tammy do what she needs to do and just be there to support her decisions and help her in any way you can but stop being clingy.”