grandparents' favorite

“As long as it doesn’t put you in danger, I don’t see the problem with it. It’s just a little creepy. What exactly is smudging? I might have to do it.” Haven said, making a mental note to look into it. 

“Smudging is cleansing your home of bad energy, vibes, feelings, lingering pasts, all that. You can get bundles of herbs, usually white sage, and light one end. But the real magic, so to speak, comes after blowing out the fire and just keeping the smoke going. And smell and energy is what gets the results. Along with thinking or repeating a mantra to spread clear and positive energy. I had a, uh, spiritual and earth friendly roommate back in college who really brought out this side in me.”

Olivia couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “No one told us being an adult would suck so much,” She ran a hand through her hair before taking another sip of her drink. “Work is awful and you’re broke all the time. Can’t catch a break.” And complaining to strangers in a bar. Misery did love company after all.

Olivia had been having a very long day. It had been rent day, and grocery day, so she was running low on funds. Not to mention the fact that her oldest brother had called her and insisted she move back home for what felt like the tenth time that week. So, defeated, she had decided to blow the rest of her scant paycheck at the bar. Apparently this Sure Shot Tavern was supposed to be good. She had plopped into a seat without regard to the person sitting next to her, but now she turned to look at them. “I wish life could just give me a break every now and then, you know?” She said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh,” Nora sighed into her margarita glass, “I know.” The blonde took the last sip of her drink then turned to somewhat face the women beside her. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand and her brows barely lifted a centimeter. She knew that she looked exhausted. It was the result of not one, but two people calling out of work and having to get a new kid in. When she wasn’t doing her job, she was doing half of theirs and prepping for tomorrow’s blends. “I wish I wasn’t in such a rush to become an adult when I was younger. This sucks.” 

Listening to the girl’s experiences, Haven raised her eyebrows in a mix of shock and amazement at what had happened. “That’s crazy,” she commented with a shake of her head. “I’d be properly spooked, especially with that bathroom door thing.”

“The whole building was haunted. I’d smudge but they’d come back a few days later. It wasn’t anything dangerous or harmful. I think of it all as pranks. Smudging works really well if you can cure the entire house or building. I’ve heard raw dragonsblood - it’s an herb I guess - works the best.”

Nodding in agreement, Haven sighed a little. “Not as far as I’m aware. But if anything’s gone by the time I’m home, you’ll be the first to know,” she told the other girl with a shrug. “Oh really? What kind of things happened? Just your stuff going missing?”

“Yeah...” Nora started as her mind began to recall several strange instances. “My favorite ear buds would always be in the wrong place, or just not where I left them. One time they were gone for two weeks and then bam, right there on my desk. I would lose socks a lot too. Not from the monsters in the washer but literally they would be paired, I would put them away. Then go to grab a pair from the drawer, and one would be missing. The bathroom door too would be locked without me locking it. So I would leave bobby pins to unlock the stupid thing. Just really really weird stuff.”

“I’ve never really been one to believe in ghosts, but after what happened last night, my view has been changed.” Haven began, turning to the person that walked by. “I was in bed, scrolling through my phone with the bedside lamp turned on, and out of nowhere, the book I had laying on the bedside table opened, and the pages kept turning like wind was turning them over, but I checked all the doors and windows and there was no draught at all.” She told them with a sigh. “So long story short, I live in a haunted house.”

“It sounds like the spirit just wants to mess with you a little,” Nora offered her bit with a lazy shrug of the shoulders. “Have you noticed if anything has gone missing?” Already she was invested in this house and the spirits that were probably giving the woman chills. “The last place I lived in was definitely haunted. And weird things would go missing.”

“Fries!” Amy cried as if the whole thing had been her idea, excited by the prospect of food. “Yes, lets get fries!”

“Excellent!” The blonde turned her attention to the dog for a moment and gestured for her to come back. As soon as the small companion returned, Nora clipped Coco’s leash to the collar and started walking towards the road. “I think there’s a place close by that has take out orders? Right? Or maybe...it closed down years ago. I wouldn’t know. My memory is fuzzy and blurs childhood and reality.”

Amy took Nora’s hand, getting to her feet uneasily steadying herself and griping onto Nora’s shoulder. She dug her feet into the sand finally able to support herself she let go of Nora with a wide smile. “See!” She said, proud of her accomplishment.

Nora focused on her center of gravity, knowing incredibly well that people under the influence are heavier than well sober. She wasn’t a nerd on physics but dealt with enough drunk roommates to know well to brisk herself. She smiled though to the other woman and nodded her head. “Yeah,” she mumbled an agreement. “Why don’t we go get some fries? Hmm? Greasy, salty, delicious...”

Amelia petted the dog happily until it became distracted moving off to sniff at some seaweed, lying on a rock nearby leaving her looking at it wistfully only turning her attention back to Nora when she chose to accept her offer. “Yes, that - that might be helpful.”