Announcement

If you haven't noticed yet,I haven't posted in awhile. The biggest reason for this is that I'm currently working on an original novel I intend to publish that is taking up a lot of my time. For now, this website is on hiatus. I'm sorry. To my readers, thank you for sticking with me this far.

Phases of the Moone 2.3

            Shortly after Prom the school year ended and summer break began. For about half that year Basil’s head had been buried in books about folklore and stuff like that in reaction to a strange call he’d gotten from the science lab asking him to bring a rainbow gem and 2000 simoleons to the lab. According to my mom it hadn’t been the first time they got a call like that. As mentioned before he studied chemistry a lot too, desperate to find something that could turn Mystery into a human. From that research he learned that such a gem could be found in Shang Simla, China. On top of all that he somehow managed to build a compelling case for just He, Oberon and me to go on a trip to Shang Simla. I was all for an adventure like that and with some convincing Oberon decided to join us as well.

            “We have to go early in the summer though.” Oberon said. “Starting July 1st, I'm taking extra classes at a local community college to get rid of some of the Basics I need for my future pre-med degree.”  

            On June 2^nd  our plane landed in the Shang Simla right next to a commune for adventures like ourselves, it was about the only thing we could afford, even after combining all three of our allowances.

 In front of the commune building was a sign covered with part time jobs and other “adventures” that residents of the estate could take on for a little extra cash.  

            Basil ripped the first piece of paper from the board that caught his attention. “Come on, we’re going to a place called the Hall of the Lost Army.”

            From the tone of his voice, Oberon and I realized there was no arguing with him and we followed obediently.

During out bike ride to the tomb Oberon asked, “So, what’s she like?”

            “Who?” Basil answered.

            “Mystery of course.”

            Basil blushed.  “She’s sweet, but determined and really ambitious. She wants to be the world’s greatest ghost hunter once she’s human and a good mom too.” Basil went on and on about his imaginary friend, but I tuned him out pretty quickly, firstly to prevent myself from barfing and secondly because my mind had drifted to peppermints, brown  hair and witches. 

          A few moments later I almost wrecked my bike when Basil stopped in front of the tomb. We tied our bikes to a nearby  rack and went inside the seemingly small building. It wasn’t immediately obvious where the tomb’s entrance was

Basil asked a fellow adventurer if he knew where the entrance was, but he didn’t. Thanks to the countless hours I spent reading pulp stories about adventuring archaeologists I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a secret entrance somewhere and started to look around for anything remotely suspicious. Eventually, I spotted cement square with footprints engraved in it. Curious I put my feet in the prints and the Hall of the Lost Army started to shake. A few minutes part of the floor opened to reveal a staircase and I experienced my first rush of excitement and adrenaline that I could never get  from anything  else besides exploring. 

           

            I ran towards the staircase taking the lead and Basil swiftly followed. Oberon on the other hand opted to stay on the first floor.

            “I’ll um.. Keep watch.” He said, but Basil and I both knew he was simply afraid.

            Instead of teasing him though I simply said, “Suit yourself Little brother.” Okay, maybe I teased him a little, a couple minutes hardly counted as younger, but he was certainly acting like it.

            Once inside I forgot all of that and simply took in what would become my favorite scent, musty earth.  There was also the slight hint of being watched, but the experience was intoxicating. A few feet in Basil and I came across our first obstacle, something that would become a common sight after a few more adventures. In this particular instance there was another cement marker, but this one had a symbol on it instead of footprints. There were also several gargoyle-like statues lingering around and a locked door across the room.  It was a little startling at first, but it didn’t take long for me to figure out what needed to be done next.  I walked over to one of the statues and started to pull it towards the marker on the floor.  It was unexpectedly light. Basil looked at me like I was crazy, until part of the floor moved to reveal another one of the footprint markers, then he looked impressed.

            I pointed to the marker. “Go stand on that so we can see what happens next.”

            Basil did just that and the chain on the door hit the ground  and the sound of clattering chains filled the room.

            “Who the heck sets up contraptions like this?” Basil asked.

            “My guess is the people who built the tomb, in order to discourage grave robbers” I said.

            Basil just shook his head. “Who knew all those Appaloosa Rones movies we watched were based on some truth.”

            “Write what you know or can research, I guess.” I said.

            

The next room was smaller and the only things in it were a strange, circular indent in the wall and a stone pool about the size of a small hot tub. I decided the indent would be easier to inspect and tried to put my hand inside without so much as a glance.

            Basil grabbed my arm before I could do that though. “Are you an idiot? There could be snakes in there or a poisonous spider. “

            I pulled my hand away. “I’m a fairy. I’m pretty sure I could heal a little snake bite.” After that I stuck my hand right back inside and pulled out a small bar of copper covered in colorful beetles of sort. I shook them off easily and turned to Basil. “I told you there was nothing to worry about. We can sell this metal in town and make a little money.” I tucked the bar in my shorts pocket and moved towards the pool.

            Basil stepped in front of me. “Either give me the copper or I’ll explore the pool and you stay here.

            I smirked. “Okay, go dive in the pool then.”

            Basil rolled his eyes and mumbled what sounded like, “Damn, mischievous fairies.” He looked before he jumped in, but he did swim through it until I heard him on the other side of the wall. “There’s a treasure chest in here!”

           

 “Cool, wait there and I’ll meet you on the other side.” I said through the wall.

            I was halfway in the pool when I heard Basil say, “No, stay out there and I’ll bring out the treasure. It’s really tight in here and I’m not sure how stable this room is.”

            I reluctantly climbed out of the pool and sulked against the wall.  A few moments later Basil emerged with a cracked vase made of some sort of metal.  I complemented his find and then he glanced down at his watch. “Dang, it’s already 6:00 pm.”

            “So, it’s not like we have parents here to tell us to come home for dinner or anything.” I said.

            “Yeah, but the sun is about to set and it’s a full moon tonight.” Basil said.

            I rubbed the back of my head. “Oh yeah, we probably should find somewhere to camp then, since I doubt to commune wants a werewolf running around.”

            A sad expression dusted Basil’s face for a second, before it was quickly replaced with his usual serious expression. “I think there’s a guy in the marketplace that sells tents. “

***

            It took longer to get out of the tomb than we expected and so, the moment we emerged the light of the full moon hit Basil and he immediately transformed. Thankfully, Oberon greeted us as soon as we got out and he had armfuls of tents and other supplies.

            “I got bored waiting for you guys.” He said with a supply-laden shrug. “I figured we needed camping supplies since tonight’s a full moon and we don’t want a repeat of the Egypt trip when we were kids.”

            Basil howled to say thank you and I  gave Oberon a grateful pat on the shoulder. “Brother, you’re a life saver.” 

The rest of the trip went by without incident and a lot of exploring the gorgeous countryside and its tombs. No matter how much we searched though, we didn’t find a single rainbow gem. 

“Tough luck, Basil,” I said as we were claiming our bags back in Moonlight Falls.

            “That’s okay, I’ll just have to double up my chemistry efforts and save up money for another trip,” Basil said.

            “Just keep trying and Mystery will be all-human before you know it,” Oberon said.

            I’m not sure how much our words helped, but Basil did just as he said he would, although it would  be a little longer before any of us(Besides Basil) saw Mystery for ourselves

Phases of the Moone 2.2

The first and best mistake I ever made came in the form of a beautiful, older  witch named Brittany Bertiger.  Basil was senior in high school, Oberon and I were juniors and the triplets had just turned two. Basil was still hooked on Mystery, but being basically a ghost (we hoped, for the sake of Basil’s sanity), he couldn’t invite her, so Oberon and I went instead.

             I spotted Brittany on the other side of the dance floor being hit on by a bad boy looking type and she was not returning his flirts.  I had a weakness for people in distress, so when the asshole wouldn’t leave her alone, I stepped in and cast the spell, chattering teeth on him.  He responded by sucker punching me in the face. Next thing I knew the two of us were in the middle of the dance floor beating the crap out of each other. Chaperons quickly pulled us apart and kicked the two of us out of the prom. As soon as we were outside the deuce climbed in his car and drove away.

            I was about to fly home myself when she stepped outside and walked towards me. “Thanks back there, I mean I should have cast a spell myself before the fight escalated before it did, but I’m really grateful none-the-less,”

            “It’s no big deal, really. When people need help I can’t help, but act,” I said. 

She took a wand from her dress pocket and pointed it at me. “Let me at least help the swelling on your face go down.” She stepped closer, I remember her breathe on me and the scent of peppermint coming from her hair.

She waved her wand and a warm glow filled my face. When it faded there was no trace left of me being punched.  The warmth drifted a little lower, but that had nothing to do with her spell. “Thanks. That helped a lot.”

            “Are you busy Saturday night?” she asked.

            “No.”

            “Next Saturday is a full moon there’s a silly trial of courage thing going on in the graveyard. It sounded fun, but you need a date to finish it.”

            “Sure, sounds like fun.” I said, not that any guy in their right mind would say no.

            She kissed me on the cheek. “See you Saturday then.” After that she hopped on her broomstick and flew home.

            My cheek warmed where her lips touched it and I flew home in a pleasant  daze.

***

            Saturday couldn’t get here soon enough. I wasn’t too nervous, instead I was excited. When I told Oberon about my first date he practically grabbed my hand and pulled me to the closest clothing store. He even offered to pay for me to get a haircut, but I refused. At the time I liked my hair long and only trimmed it when it was absolutely necessary, and I preferred to do that myself. Finally Saturday night arrived and I met Brittany at the graveyard. She wore a hoodie and shorts, but she could of worn a bag and I still would have been head over heels.

            

“You look great.” Brittany said.

            “Thanks, you look good yourself.” I said.

            She grabbed my hand. “Let’s go. “

            Inside the cemetery it was dark except for glowing blue lamps, Brittany’s wand and the Aura of Soothing I projected to give a us a little bravery boost. The trial itself consisted of following the lanterns on a fence around a  pre-determined path.  Zombies and ghosts shuffled by occasionally, but thanks to the fence they were only as dangerous as a lion or cow plant at the zoo. One zombie did reach over the fence to try and get us, but Brittany and I cast spells at the same time, knocking out the unfortunate zombie.

            When we reached the end of the trial Brittany pointed to the night sky and said, “the stars are lovely tonight, wanna watch them with me for a little while?”

            “Sure,” I said and led her off the path a little, keeping a careful eye out for zombies and ghost, just in case.

            We sat on the ground and Brittany scooted close enough that her knees brushed against mine.  “Thanks for taking me out. “She said in a soft, husky voice.

            “I’m glad you invited me to come with you.” I said.

 She smiled and held my hand in hers. After that we sat in silence for some time just enjoying each other’s company.

             Our date ended when a couple ghosts appeared, chilled the air and killed the mood.  I walked Brittany home and, but when we got to her house she paused in her driveway and grabbed my hands.  I knew what she expected me to do, but I completely froze when I remembered that I’d never kissed a girl before, aside from my mom.  What if I messed up?  When Brittany noticed this she pulled me towards her face and the rest I could figure out on my own. We shared a peppermint scented kiss that I still remember every detail of to this day.

Phases of the Moone 2.1

Anyone who glorifies large “quirky” families has never actually been a part of one.  I have five siblings.  My brother, Basil is the oldest followed by me and my twin brother Oberon

            After that are the triplets, who are thirteen years younger than me, because my parents just couldn’t keep it in their pants. As you may have guessed they’re that couple, you know the type, no matter how old they get they can’t keep their hands off one another, its gross, especially when they’re your parents. 

            Growing up I spend most days fighting over our two bathrooms and trying not to kill anyone else in the house that busted at the seams with people and a cat.  On the plus side our house was always lively, especially around the full moon when three of my family members changed into raging wolf beasts or when Basil’s   imaginary friend, Mystery felt like making herself known to the rest of the family. Everything else in life should have been easy compared to dealing with my family, I learned my family would be the ones that would make the harder parts of my life bearable . Trust me, I built the school of hard knocks from all of my bad decisions starting my junior year of high school ,but my family  was always there. 

Phases of the Moone: Gen 2 Intro

Meet Ashe Augustus Moone 

Occult Type: Fairy

Traits: Good, Adventurous,Brave, Loves the Outdoors, Snob

Lifetime Wish:Seasoned Traveler 

Summery: Ashe Moone grew up in a huge family and struggled to find his own place within  since both he and his twin brother, Oberon were always stuck in the middle of six kids. To get himself noticed he was always a bit of a rebel( although his intentions were never malicious) and did things like date an older woman and refuse to go to college with his twin, at least at first. His protectiveness got the better of him and he chose to join Oberon  after all. There he meets a woman named Nina who forever alters his life's direction.  His story begins Monday, August 1rst. 

Phases of the Moone 1.14

            Towards the end of the pregnancy we put the finishing touches on Basil’s bachelor pad.  Like his nursery and bedroom before that we painted most of it orange. We also added an extra bathroom in it since he needed one and one simply wouldn’t be enough anymore after the new baby arrived. 

Around the same time Ashe and Oberon turned thirteen. Since the house was a mess after the construction we decided to celebrate their birthday  in a nearby park. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, maybe not, but I cried when they blew out the candles.  A few days after the party my water broke and Jasper rushed me to the hospital. 

    

As soon as the car started going anxiety crept into my skull. According to the doctor we were expecting twins again, two girls, but he also warned me that my advanced age of near forty meant  that  a C-section was almost guaranteed. Before this moment building Basil’s room had kept my mind busy so I didn’t worry about everything that could go wrong or worry my kids about it, now nothing was holding them back.

            Jasper grabbed my hand and held it until the paperwork was signed and I was in my hospital bed. I wished he could have stayed throughout the entire birth, but as my doctor expected, I needed a C-section.

            The rest of the labor is a blur of anesthesia  and Epidural until one phrase cleared the fog, although the voice that said it was distant. “There’s one more’

            A few minutes later a nurse held two little girls and Jasper held a little boy. I grabbed at the air trying to get a hold of at least one of my kids, but a nurse was pulling me away.

            “Mrs. Moone," she said in a cold, stilted voice, “You’ve lost a lot of blood, we have to get you a transfusion immediately.”

            In my medicated state I tried to stand and my head spun. The nurse gently pressed me back down onto the bed and I didn’t fight her.

**********************

            The triplets and I spent an extra three weeks in the hospital just to make sure everything was okay. When we returned home I was greeted by Jasper and three handsome young men. Wfen I saw them  a thousand stresses melted away. There would be a lot of growing pains, but for now I was relieved the triplets were alive and healthy.

            The oldest of them a werewolf like me, Like Basil she should no signs of being an occult, but by them we knew better. We named her Maribelle Jane Moone.

 Next in line was another little girl with wings matching Jasper’s, Ashe and Oberon’s, we named her  Posie Olivia Moone. Like Ashe she took after Jasper in many other ways as well.

            Lastly there was our last boy, he was a fairy and we named him Jack Michael Moone, after my boss who passed a couple  years after he retired.  He helped we a lot when I first moved to Moonlight Falls a lifetime ago. 

 I looked from the miracle triplets to the older kids to Jasper and tears welled up in my eyes.

            “Are you okay, Mom?” Oberon asked.

            I didn’t say a word, just nodded, no words would fit.  This was my legacy and I couldn’t have wished for a better one. 

Phases of the Moone 1.13

Before I knew it, Basil reached his thirteenth birthday. It was a bittersweet moment because he had grown into a wonderful young man, but I knew that in just a few years he’d be out of his house and on his own.

 With his birthday I was positive that he’d forget about Mystery completely, but he didn’t and instead asked for a chemistry set so he could create the potion needed to bring her to life. I didn’t want to get him the set at first because he was much too old for us to encourage his frankly delusion behavior. However, strange things started to happen around the house. For instance one day I swore I saw a plate moving towards the dishwasher on its own, when I moved in to get a closer look it was right back on the table where it was left earlier. 

            Things got even stranger when we got a call from the Science Lab mentioning that they saw Basil talking to an invisible  being on one of the class field trips. They requested he come back to their lab with 2000 simoleons and a rainbow gem. I couldn’t help but wonder if there something to be said about Basil’s claims. 

            Jasper seemed to feel the same way. “Perhaps we should get Basil chemistry set and see what happens.”

            “I think you’re right.” I said.

As soon as we got him that chemistry set, Basil’s life greatly improved. While he still had few friends and talked about Mystery constantly, he did join both The Science and Shop clubs to help improve his chemistry skills. I had high hopes that he'd make actual friends in the his  clubs. 

***

            Life became pretty routine after that. The boys would go to school and their clubs , I would go to work and Jasper would  tend to his plants  and manage the house. One spring morning, Jasper and I decided to change up the routine after the boys left for school. I didn’t have work for a few hours yet so we decided to take advantage of our alone time. What started with a simple  dance to shake up the morning routine  ended in the shower and  most people could guess what happened after that. 

            I was older than I was when the boys were born, so I figured that my child birthing days were over, but a few weeks later I woke up feeling more nauseous than I ever had before.  I had my suspicions, but refused to believe I was expecting any more kids, until I puked my guts out shortly after the boys got home from school. The one bathroom we had was occupied so I spilled basically everything I’d consumed that day on our front lawn.

 I pulled Jasper to the side and told him about my symptoms. “What are we going to do?” I asked him in a hushed tone.

            “We’ll be fine. What’s one more kid? We’ll build Basil his own personal bachelor pad outside the house and give his room to the new baby. Not to mention Ashe and Oberon’s thirteenth birthday is just a few months away, we’ll have plenty of help,” Jasper said.

            At the time I believed every word he said and even looked forward to the new baby, but sometimes life isn’t quite as simple as you’d like it to be. 

Phases of the Moone 1.12

The next morning a got a notice in the mail informing me that Mr. Blainstreet had named me the new fire chief starting in January with a nice bonus included. Jasper and I used a chunk of it to remodel the living room, but even after we had painted the walls among many other things there was still plenty of it left.

             “I guess we’ll put the rest of it in savings,” I said to Jasper.

            “I have a better idea, “he said, smiling ear-to-ear. I asked him what he had planned and he answered, “Let’s take the family on a vacation to celebrate your new promotion.”

            For once I didn’t worry at all and just agreed. “It might help Basil to get out of town for a while too.”

*** 

            After about a week or two of planning me, Jasper and the boys were on our way to Al Simhara, Egypt. The only requirement I had was that Basil had to leave Mystery at home, he complained, which concerned me a little, but got over it as soon as me reached our base camp. The moment our plane landed his eyes lit up and he started exploring the base and even talking to some of the other explorers staying there.

             I let out a relieved sigh and grabbed a book to read. The original plan was that we’d spent most of the day hanging around base camp and settling in and then maybe we go eat at the marketplace later. Basil, Oberon and I were perfectly fine with that idea, but Ashe and Jasper couldn’t sit still and were running around and casting fairy pranks on each other and a handful of other  tourists like ourselves.

            I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “If the two are bored, why don’t you go somewhere instead of disrupting the peace here.”

            Ashe’s eyes widened with excitement. “Daddy, can we go explore a tomb like  Appaloosa Rones or something?!”

            “Sure thing Kiddo,” he said and the two of them were gone in a flash .

            The rest of us didn’t join them and they returned within a couple hours. According to them they tried to explore the Sphinx, but due to some obstacles that included fire among other dangerous things they didn’t get much farther than the entrance.

            I got one look at their photos and decided that no one in the family was going to raid anymore tombs this trip because hospital bills were expensive. I didn’t say it aloud, but those pictures made my heart race from anxiety. The Sphinx wouldn’t be the last tomb my kids explored, but by the time they tried “tomb raiding” again they would be much older.  

The rest of the first day went as planned; everyone stuck around base camp to the point where we didn’t even go out for dinner. However, that didn’t mean that we didn’t sample the culture a little bit, there were some interesting meal around base camp, including camel brain which we all tried. The dish, for lack of a better word, had a rubbery texture and tasted like a leather shoe. I took one bite and opted for some toast and jam instead. Everyone else seemed to feel about the same, except for Oberon who actually had seconds.

            After that the jet lag caught up to us ,we crawled into the tents and instantly fell asleep.

***

       The  next morning we took our time getting ready and planning how we would spend our first full day in Al Simhara.  By the time the boys had gotten bored enough to start playing in the sand we decided to just explore Al Simhara a little (avoiding the tombs of course).

Everywhere we looked was another beautiful landscape, but the real pieces of paradise were off the beaten path.  My favorite place we found was small, jungle oasis we came across. The little piece of green was so thick and overgrown that Jasper and I managed to steal a moment for ourselves to snuggle close and kiss which was just getting harder to do as the boys grew older.  Ashe ran over to us a few moments later to show us a bug he caught, a big smile on his face. 

          The sun set far too soon and we returned to base camp. 

***

            The next day was our last full day. At Breakfast some shady people who said they worked for a company called MorcuCorp came to our camp and started offering anyone who wanted it a job. No one took it and we quickly herded our family to the Marketplace to get away from them. We spent the day enjoying the pool and everything else the Marketplace had to offer and then night fell.  I’d forgotten what time of month it was due to the time difference and as usual as soon as the moon rose Basil’s and my wolf sides came out.  Jasper assures me that I behaved myself and actually spent most of the night playing chess with Oberon.

 Basil on the other hand was a little more of a terror. He did a lot of damage to the furniture and even tried to attack some of the locals, they were zombie locals, but it was still bad behavior. We booked the first flight home the next morning.

Phases of the Moone 1.11

As Basil and the twins grew, I started to notice that Oberon was easily frustrated. If he didn't take the exact amount of steps he needed or didn't quite get a word he would start over from the beginning. Ashe on the other hand owned his mistakes and if he fell he dusted himself and got right back up from where he hit the ground. I was relieved he had such confidence and hoped that some of it would rub off on his twin.

            Because of Oberon’s apparent perfectionism their toddler days were bitter sweet and I also didn’t take as many pictures as I should have, but I did have a few, including one where Ashe mastered the art of walking.

Although my hours weren’t bad, in those days I still worked a good chunk of the day away and Oberon worked best on his own, so I wasn’t able to be around enough to capture his milestones and while I  love Jasper, he wasn’t much of a shutterbug . I did capture several great  perplexed  Rasputin expressions as he observed the three small occults running around the house at all times. If it got too much for the cat he'd go play with what Jasper and I nicknamed his “therapy wall dancer”. Despite the fact that our boys annoyed him sometimes, Rasputin never hurt them.

***

In what felt like the blink of an eye the toddler days ended first with Basil’s sixth and just a few short years later the twins’ birthday of the same age.   Even though they were older, they were still the cutest boys I’d ever seen. One of my favorite pictures of Basil was on his sixth birthday and he started tapping on his leg and humming, as if his legs were a drum. He never did anything with instruments, but it was still cute at the time .

Ashe did something completely different when he turned six, instead of pretending his leg was drum he immediately started experimenting with the magic he inherited from Jasper. One of my favorite pictures of him is one where he’s full of curiosity about his abilities and would go on to use it for both good and mischief, although he never seriously harmed anyone with it.

             Oberon aged up as quietly as he was born with no fuss or noise. He wasn’t as eager as Ashe  to use his magic either ,but that didn’t stop him from getting into mischief with it later.

            Any worries I had about his perfectionism or quiet nature were quickly overshadowed by worries about Basil. At around eight-years-old his childhood doll, Mystery vanished, but he constantly talked about her coming alive and becoming his imaginary friend. 

 The roughest incident for Basil happened on the Snowflake Day after Oberon and Ashe’s seventh birthday. Basil was almost nine and after much debating (we still hadn’t forgotten the Bachelor-Bachlorette incident) Jasper and I decided to throw a gift-giving party since we thought it would be fun for the boys. It was intended to just be a family party with us and the boys, but I let the plans slip during my shift and Baylee and Larry (who were together) guilted we into inviting them as well.

            “We have nowhere to go on Snowflake Day, surely two more wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance on you,” Baylee had said and I caved. Jasper, being the friendly type, didn’t try to talk me out of it when I got home on Snowflake Day Eve.

            Right before the party the next night I got a call on my emergency beeper that the heating system in the Fae Ray Gardens was out and needed to be fixed or else the plants would die. As a fireman I couldn’t say no, so I rushed to Fae Ray Park to get the problem solve as quickly as possible. 

It took a little longer than I thought and by the time I finally got the heating mechanism started, I was late to my own party. When I got there Basil had transformed into his wolf form and the other three boys in the house were casting spells like Chattering teeth and Hot Head on Larry and Baylee. The two of them immediately stomped out of the house.

            Baylee paused just enough to turn back at me and shout, “The fire chief will hear about this and we are never coming to your parties ever again!” She was out the door before I could respond.

             “What exactly happened?” I asked my family while my thoughts were running a million miles an hour, worrying about whether I would have a job in the morning.

            Basil, Ashe and even Jasper stood around looking guilty, Basil even whimpered like a kicked puppy.  Oberon, on the other hand, calmly explained the whole incident to me. “Basil was building a snowman with Mystery and talking to her. Mrs. Baylee saw that and started whispering mean things about him to Daddy with Basil right there, so Ashe cast chattering teeth on her and then things esc..es…What’s the word?”

            “Escalated is the word you’re looking for.”  I crossed my arms and turned to the boys. “Please go to bed, your father and I have to talk. “Immediately the boys vanished into their bedrooms.

            Jasper and I didn’t fight often, but when we did the boys knew from an early age what we looked like when we were about to have a serious conversations. “Did you have to cast spells as well?” I asked Jasper.

            “I know, but Basil has enough people picking on him already, he didn’t need a grown woman doing it as well, so I shooed her out of the house and Larry followed her,” he said.

            “Your childishness could have just cost me my job.” I said.

            “I doubt it, you outrank those idiots by a lot and isn’t Mr. Blainstreet about to retire anyways? I think he’s more interested in finding a successor than petty squabbles between his employees.”

             “I suppose your right, but what are we going to do about Basil? He has no friends and…”

            Jasper cut me off. “You’re worried , I know, but he has his family and Mystery for as long as he needs her.”

            “Maybe we should put him in scouts or something like that. He can’t keep his imaginary friend forever.”

            Jasper grabbed my hands. “We’ll figure something out, for now I say we go to bed and get a fresh start on that tomorrow.”

            “You’re right.” Jasper pulled me into an embrace and we stayed like that for five or ten minutes before we let go and headed to bed.

 Despite all his optimistic words I slept little that night. If only I knew that things would get easier for Basil, much better than I could possibly imagine.