Palindrome

A good night's sleep did wonders. I`d slept almost twelve hours; my body and mind were tired after the Beltane ritual. I whistled as I got dressed for work, happy I`d found the book last night and eager to read some more now I`d gotten over my sudden melancholia. The sun came through my kitchen window, and I stopped to feel the warmth, May was a beautiful month. Since I was in such a good mood, I put on some makeup and even fixed my hair in a more complex ponytail than usual. When I opened the door, Mrs. Jensen was outside in her garden; sometimes, I wondered if she was doing anything or merely curious. I waved and smiled at her, sending good energy her way.

For an average person, being a witch might have seemed hilarious or unbelievable, but our actions are all rooted in the energies already present in the things around us. The ability to draw power lay latent in just about everyone, but it was easier for those of us who are descendants of Lilith. You could meet " normal " witches; they`d learned the craft instead of being born with it. The power wasn’t nearly as strong in them, but you had some who had an affinity for it. It was most likely a regular human in the rare cases of a dark witch because they went mad with all the unreleased power they tapped into. Only once had I heard about one of “us” who went over, and that was one of Bridget`s ancestors. Most people lacked imagination enough to honestly believe that witches, or other beings, were valid and walking among them in broad daylight. Mrs. Jensen was one of those souls, thank the Goddess.

I walked into work with a big smile, and Oscar lit up at the sight of me. “Hannah! You look amazing today.” He blushed from his outburst, and I thanked him for the compliment, keeping my distance. We worked well together, despite his overly affection for me, and when Mary clocked in, we were finished with all the preparations. We only sold drinks and already-made sandwiches for the first hour, so the real breakfast rush started at nine. I smiled, talked, and served food, keeping my mood. Some might have thought that a job at the local café was a bit low-life, but I loved it. Here I could keep up with everything happening in my village; it wasn’t the rumour that didn’t end up here sooner or later.

The day went by fast, and I stopped by the grocery store on my way home. I was low on many things, so when I was done, I had two bags. I studied the bike with dread. Would I manage to get them both on the handle safe? I tried but had to push the bike instead of riding it. The weather was nice, so I didn’t mind it that much. As I neared the last, long hill before my house, I became aware of the sound of a car behind me. I was already walking on the side of the road but edged even more to the left. The car stayed behind me, rolling slowly with a low rumbling coming from the motor, and before I turned to check it out, I felt a tingling down my spine. I recognized the sound of the car. I looked straight ahead; I didn’t want to give them the benefit of me turning first. The car crept up the hill, shadowing me; I could hear the big engine purring. My house was coming up, and I straightened my back, gripping the handle hard. Would they try anything? I could hear music coming from the Mustang, some rock. As I entered my driveway, I watched the car speed up. I turned quickly and caught a glimpse before it disappeared. There was only one person in the car.

The hallway, lined with pictures of the family up through the years, welcomed me, and I felt my shoulders relax. Again, the feeling wasn’t that of fear but something else; I tried not to analyze it anymore. It would be revealed, I hoped. The kitchen was enormous, with an island where Mum used to do all the work, the countertop was worn, but it had so much history embedded; it just had to be that way. Right now, the late evening sun shone through the windows and lit the room up. I almost heard Mum, Dad, and Brother laughing, waiting for me. I shook the vision out of my head; I had no time for nostalgia now. I ate my sandwich, stood at the counter, and drank a big glass of milk. Was I nervous? I didn’t know what I would find in the book, but it couldn’t be that bad, right? I knew there was more to this world than witches, but I had no idea what the Adamson could be. They looked human, although they were all freakishly good-looking. A shiver ran down my spine at the memory of William`s blue eyes, the way they`d searched for something inside me. I waved the feeling away with my hand-I was a twenty-two-year-old girl; I didn’t have to put more into this than good old hormones. I grabbed a bottle of white wine and a glass and entered the study. The book lay on the desk, almost vibrating with its age. I took a deep breath. “Ok, let`s do this.”

There were words I had to look up and words I couldn’t decipher, but I got the gist. The prophecy was about Seth and his ancestors.

Destined to walk the earth for a Thousand years

The Children of Seth shall become what every man fears

Magic`s touch stills the Beast,

The first is the last; know this much.

Blessed is the Last day that brings the Holy Oil

Look for the Flesh that rises from the soil.

Did I understand any of it? Some of it had to be seen in the first tale, where Eve and Seth go to find oil from the Tree of Mercy. That must be the Holy oil. On the way there, they met a beast that had to be the one mentioned, but the rest was a riddle. “Stilled by magic`s touch”? And what did every man fear? Did the first phrase mean their kind could become a thousand years old? It wasn’t much more in the book, just tales about Eve, Adam, and Seth. There was also the family tree; Seth had been busy, let`s keep it at that. Some said that the whole population now were descendants of Seth, as Noah, his x times grandson, and his wife were supposedly the only ones that survived the Great Flood. We knew that was bullshit, but many did die back then. The point is if Seth had over fifty children and had kids and so on, there were many Children of Seth today. If they were dangerous like the prophecy hinted, why didn’t anybody know about them? I picked up the phone and dialed Samuel`s number. Bridget, his daughter, and my childhood friend picked up.

“Hannah!”

She greeted me before I said my name, but I wasn’t surprised. She just knew things.

“I dreamt about you!” Her angel-like voice soothed me through the phone, and I felt a pang in my heart. I didn’t know how much I`d missed my best friend before now. “Bridge, I`ve missed you so much…” Her bell-like laughter mesmerized me, and I quickly saw Bridget from 1690; no wonder the men thought she had bewitched them. “Listen, Hannah. Dad wants to talk to you, so I have to go. Just…” Her voice trailed off, “Be careful under the full moon.”

Before I asked what she meant, her dad held the phone. “Hannah, sweetie. How are you? Have you learned anything else?” I told him about the book and waited for his response.

“Samuel?”

“Yes, I`m here. I just… I remember the book. Your father had one of the very few copies. Then I`m more certain. I have talked to many of our kind about the Adamsons, and they all say the same. Stay away.”

I waited for the rest, but Samuel didn’t speak. “What do you mean, stay away? What are they? How do they know what I am?” I heard his sigh in my ear.

“That`s what they tell me. They are an abomination. They have nothing with the gods to do; they are cursed. Stay away.”

I frowned; what kind of crap was this?

“They are in MY village; I can’t just stay away.”

“Try to keep away; I`m coming up to visit you. But I got a job I must finish first so it won`t be for another two weeks. Can you stay away until then?”

My nerves relaxed, knowing that Samuel would be here soon. I nodded before I realized he couldn’t see me. “Yes, I`ll try. But I can`t deny them access to the cafeteria.”

“I know, just be careful, will you? I`ll cast a protection spell tonight.”

I sensed that maybe Samuel knew more about the Adamsons than he told me; he seemed almost afraid. Samuel was one of the strongest witches I knew. So were my parents; look what happened to them. My inner voice was snarky.

“I`ll be careful; I always am. Thank you, Samuel; I appreciate it. Say my blessings to Bridget and Sarah, will you.”

My mind kept turning after the phone call; I had even more questions now.