Magic on Changeling Mountain

Carolyn dropped her mom off at home and then drove back to the cottage. She let herself back in and went to get her clothes ready for tomorrow. She was going to wear her new jeans and the silk blouse she had bought in Seattle from her and Tammy’s first trip for the early part of the day and the dress they had made the special trip there for in the evening for dinner. She hung her stuff up on the closet door and then went to get her toiletries together for her bath. She was going to pamper herself tonight, she thought as she lit some vanilla candles in the bathroom. She loved that smell!

Tammy came home when she was about halfway through shaving her legs. “I’ll be out soon. I’ve got one more leg to go and then I’m going to wash my hair.” Carolyn called back through the bathroom door when Tammy came knocking to see if she was in there.

“Ok. Did you take anything out for dinner?” Tammy called back.

“There’s some chili in the fridge from my mom.”

“Oh, great! I’ll start warming it up so it will be hot when you get out.” Tammy said. She went into the kitchen and took a pot out of the cupboard and set it on the stove. She took the bowl of chili out of the fridge and realized she was going to need a bigger pot but then decided to only heat up enough for her and Carolyn to eat tonight. That way the rest of it would not be overcooked if there was any left.

As Carolyn came out of the bathroom about 15 minutes later, Tammy had the chili all warmed up and she had also heated some dinner rolls from Carolyn’s freezer and the cottage smelled mouthwatering as she hurried to change into her sweats. She found Tammy dishing up the chili into bowls as she went into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her head. She wanted to eat before she dried her hair.

“Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving. I didn’t get a chance for lunch today. Mr. Peters stayed right up until my afternoon appointments showed up, one after the other. Going on vacation for a week is fun, but lord, I got behind at work. Everyone is starting to worry about end of year expenses and making sure they spend the right amount of money for Christmas.”

“Well, I hate to hit you with even more work but I’ve got a whole bag of bills in my mail at the clinic this morning. I haven’t even opened them. I just stuck them in the bag and brought them up here. I only had one patient today but we spent more time with the fairies than I thought we would. My mom went with me and met the Queen. They seemed to get along very well.”

“Well, don’t sound so surprised. Your mom is a gem! I’d like to think my mom is like her.”

“Yeah, she’s always been a very special person. I don’t think I’ve ever known a kinder, more giving soul.”

“Does she know about your date with Colin tomorrow?”

“Yes! I wasn’t really surprised that she knew. What I can’t believe is that everyone that knows us has never said anything to either of us about our being the perfect match for each other. She made it sound like I’m a stubborn person.”

Tammy grinned like a Cheshire cat but stuffed her mouth full of more chili so that she couldn’t comment but the twinkle in her eye told Carolyn that she agreed with her mother.

“Are you all ready for your date tomorrow?” Tammy asked after she had eaten about half her bowl of chili.

“Well, my clothes are hanging up on the door of my closet. I’ve shaved my legs and washed my hair and now I just have to blow dry it. I want to pluck my eyebrows and file my nails and then I’ll be ready. Lord, I don’t know why I’m so nervous but for some reason, I am.

I’ve known Colin my whole life! I have no reason to be nervous but for some unexplained reason, I seem to have a million butterflies in my stomach every time I think about tomorrow. I can’t remember when, if ever, we’ve ever spent a whole day alone together. We always seemed to be around other people.”

“Well, then this will be a good thing. You can truly get to know each other without the influence or intrusion of other people. Just go and enjoy yourself and let the chips fall where they may. If it’s meant to be, then it will be.”

Tammy helped her with her hair and nails and they spent the evening having a “girls’ night” of listening to music and primping, getting Carolyn ready for her date. Carolyn even skipped doing her patrol for the first time in a very long time. She wanted to be well rested in the morning and went to bed earlier than she normally did and amazingly enough, she fell asleep almost immediately, with a small smile on her lips.

The next morning she was up early. The sun was barely up when she pushed her legs over the edge of the bed. She used the bathroom and then went to turn on the coffee pot. She glanced out the window to discover fog pressing against the windows. She couldn’t see beyond the glass. It was so thick. “Oh no!” She exclaimed out loud.

Fog would make driving down the mountain dangerous and not something that Colin would take lightly. She felt her heart sink down into her belly with disappointment that they might have to postpone their plans for another day.

“What’s the matter?” Tammy said as she came rushing into the kitchen, half asleep and rubbing at her eyes.

“Fog. It’s really thick. I can’t even see past the glass in the window.”

“Well, it’s barely sun up. Once the sun starts to warm up, it will go away.”

“I sure hope so.”

“What time is Colin supposed to pick you up?”

“About 9, I think. What are you going to do today?”

“I’m going over to check on the progress of the repairs on my apartment. I talked to the landlord yesterday who said they vacuumed out all the water and carried my bed down to the trash. He said the drywall guys would be coming into today to repair the ceilings and walls. Once they are done, they are going to paint and then install new carpet and then I can move back in. He said it should all be done within a week.”

“That’s great! Now you know you are welcome to stay here for as long as you want but I know you want to get back into your own space.” Carolyn said as she began to pull the curlers out of her hair.

“Yeah, I’m just so relieved that none of my books got damaged. I put them all in plastic containers the day after it happened. I didn’t want to take any chances. Also all of my herbs were sealed in glass jars so they survived too.”

“Why haven’t you ever thought about buying a house so you wouldn’t have to worry about stuff like this?”

“Yes, but my own house means my own yard and I don’t like gardening enough to have to keep up with one all the time. Renting means if something goes wrong, I pick up the phone and call the landlord. Owning means I have to fix it myself or try to find someone reliable to fix it for me. Nope. I’d rather rent for now.”

“You seem to forget that you are a witch, Tammy. If something broke, you could just wave your wand and fix it!”

“Hmmm. You know I never thought about it like that. If I owned it, I could be a lot more open about practicing my magic too. But only if I lived somewhere on or near the mountain. I would never attempt anything outdoors otherwise.”

“Well, you never know what the future may bring. I’m going to toast some bagels. Do you want some?”

“Sure but I’ve got to go pee first. Your hair came out nice by the way. Looks good.”

“I haven’t even brushed it yet.” Carolyn said as she put her hand on the curls that Tammy had helped her with last night and a small smile crossed her face as she went to get the bagels started.

Tammy used the bathroom, got dressed and came back to the kitchen just as Carolyn was spreading flavored cream cheese on their bagels. “Coffee?”

“Please!”

They sat and munched the bagels and drank coffee, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. The clock striking the hour made them both jump and then they began to laugh at each other.

“Well, I think I’m going to run a short patrol before I get dressed. I should be back in about half an hour. I’m praying we didn’t get snow last night as well or my date will be off. There’s no way we are going to drive all the way to Asheville in this fog AND snow. Colin is much too cautious a person to even think about trying it.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I get the feeling that man would do just about anything to be able to spend time alone with you.”

“Well, then going to a public place surrounded by hundreds of other people is not exactly the way to do it.”

“You know what I mean. Colin wants to be with just you. With none of your family or your friends around. Have you ever interacted with him on a just one on one level?”

“No, not until recently and then both times he’s kissed me and I didn’t slap him. I guess I’m a little worried that it could go farther than that if we are totally alone. I know I’m not ready for that yet. I don’t want to sleep with him unless we are both going to commit to being together from here on out.”

“So marriage or no booty. Girl, what century were you born in?” Tammy teased.

“I know it’s old fashioned but that’s the way I feel. I don’t want to sleep with him just because our hormone’s got out of control.”

“I think a little hormone rampage might just be what both of you need.”

“Tammy!”

“What? Don’t tell me you never have?” Tammy asked and then was amazed when Carolyn shook her head. “Never? Really? With anyone?”

“No! I never have and won’t until I’ve found the one who deserves to be the first.” Carolyn said, standing firm on her beliefs. She did not add that Colin made her think about those beliefs every time he kissed her. Was she strong enough to hold true to them to the end?

“Be back in a few.” Carolyn cut the conversation short and stood up, dropping her robe over the back of her chair and opening the back door before she transformed. Tammy hurried over to close it as she jumped off the back porch.

The fog smelled damp and heavy. If the sun didn’t start to warm up things soon, they wouldn’t be going anywhere today, at least not until much later and then they were going to have to worry about getting home before it got late because if it was this thick today, it would probably be even heavier tonight. The days were getting shorter and the temperature had been going down for over a week now. It was just that time of the year. She tried to think things through. She knew her dad was always less active this time of year. While he didn’t actually hibernate, he did slow down and would stay indoors more but rarely ever changed into his bear form. It made him grouchy to be in his bear form during the winter months so he stayed in his human form most of the time.

Maybe this urge to start nesting was so strong because during the fall months was when most animals breed, so that they would have their babies in the spring. But it was more than that.

She and Colin had always been aware of each other whenever they were in their human form since they had gone through puberty. But having been friends since before grade school, they had never acted on it.

Now everything was going to change and while Carolyn had never been afraid of change before, something about this meant that things could never go back to the way they were if it didn’t work out and that made her sad.

Her mind ran through all of her favorite memories of Colin and knew she would hate to lose her friendship with Colin. She cared too much about him. And that’s when she realized that she already loved Colin. She felt like rolling in the leaves with joy but she didn’t want to get all dirty. She turned and headed back to the cottage with her heart feeling much lighter and a big smile on her face.

The fog was beginning to get lighter by the time she jumped up onto the back porch. Tammy was dressed and opened the door as soon as she transformed. “Colin just called. He’s on his way.” Tammy told her.

“Wow, was I gone that long?” Carolyn said as she glanced at the clock.

“No, I just think he’s anxious to see you. He was disappointed that it was me that answered the phone.”

Carolyn grinned at her but didn’t say a word. She already knew Tammy would be happy for her but she felt that she should admit it to Colin first before anyone else.

She ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower and then brushed her teeth. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and something about her face looked different but she couldn’t fathom why. She heard Colin’s truck pull up as she ran into her bedroom to get dressed. She quickly pulled on her new clothes and ran her brush over her head. She liked the curls but not the “just woke up” messiness. She could hear Tammy and Colin in the living room as she zipped the garment bag closed over her dress and she picked up her purse then grabbed her shoes with one hand and took the garment bag off of the hook on her closet door. She walked down the hall to find Tammy pouring Colin a cup of coffee. “Do you want any more of this?” Tammy asked Carolyn.

“No, thanks. I’ve already had my two cups. Good morning, Colin.”

“Good morning! Are you all ready to go?”

“How’s the fog? It was pretty thick when I went for my run this morning.”

“It’s getting lighter by the minute. Even the snow is not really sticking. The roads might be a little wet for a couple of hours but nothing to get excited about.” Colin said.

“Great! Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast before we leave?”

“I’m not really hungry yet and I thought we might stop somewhere on the way down and get something but if you are hungry now, I can go ahead and eat.”

“No, I had a bagel with Tammy an hour or so ago so I’m good for a little while.”

“Ok. Well, whenever you are ready, then so am I.”

“Well, while you two sit here and debate about going, I’m going to go get dressed and head over to my apartment. I want to talk to my landlord while I’m there. I’m hoping he will let me have some say in the carpet choice. I’d rather have something with more earth-tones. That sandy beige is too hard to keep clean.”

“Hahahaha! Ok, let’s go then. We’ll see you later Tammy.” Carolyn said as Colin took her garment bag and stood up. Tammy watched them go. They were being so polite to each other, like they were strangers meeting for the first time. She hoped that they would have a good time and get past that.

She had not told Carolyn about the vision she had had about her. Lucinda had shown her how to use her foresight more actively. Tammy had always had “feelings” when things were going to change but had never known how to focus it so that she could better tell what was going to happen.

She had envisioned Carolyn and Colin’s wedding, standing in their bridal finery under an arch decorated with spring flowers and sun shining on them as they kissed for the first time as husband and wife. The vision had made her happy for her friends but sad for herself.

She needed to find out about her family and she had not wanted to burden her friend with the knowledge that she was going to start today. She hadn’t lied to Carolyn. She was going to go check out her apartment and hopefully talk to her landlord, but once she was done with that, she was going to come back to the cottage and apparate to Randolph’s café and question him more closely about who it was she reminded him of. She would “ring his bells” just before she left. She pulled on long johns under her clothes because if it was this cold here, she could just imagine what it would be like in Seattle.

She made sure the cottage was locked up as she left and thankfully the fog was slowly clearing. She could actually see her car from the front steps as she pulled the door closed and returned the hide a key to its spot. She hoped that Carolyn and Colin would have a safe trip down the mountain.

Carolyn and Colin drove slowly through town. It was still early and there were, thankfully, few cars on the road. They didn’t even catch the two traffic lights in the middle of town on their way to the highway. The lower they went, the clearer the day became and by the time they hit Asheville, the fog was almost completely gone but they could tell that home was still socked in fog. “We’ll have to keep an eye on the mountain and if it stays like that all day, we may have to cut this short or get a hotel in town. I wouldn’t want to make that drive in the dark with the fog as thick as it was.

Even with my wolf’s senses, it would be impossible to see the road once it gets dark with that fog. We could end up taking an unscheduled alternate route back down the mountain.” Colin teased.

“Well, then I will just have to hope for clear skies!” Carolyn teased back. Poor Colin’s hopes of them maybe having to get a room just went out the window.

“Well, how about some breakfast? I’m getting hungry now!” Colin said and Carolyn agreed.

They found a diner and enjoyed a nice leisurely meal while they chatted. The diner had a rack of brochures outside and they had picked up a couple of them about the Biltmore. If the hours listed on the pamphlet were right, they had over an hour to kill before the first tour would begin.

“You know I lived in Asheville for about a year after college. I did my residency at the hospital here. Then Kevin got hurt and my folks called me home.”

“I remember. He got caught in a trap Farmer McNair had set. He’d had some issues with some beavers who were restricting the water flow to his farm. It took a lot of talking but we finally convinced the beavers that if they wanted to live on the mountain, they were going to have to share the water or the towners would be raising cane and that would make it hard on the other changelings, who would not have been happy with them either. They finally moved their dam farther downstream and created a dam that would allow some water to flow over and keep the stream alive for the towners and others below. I didn’t file charges with the state about him setting traps but I warned him not to set any more or I wouldn’t have a choice in the future. You know Kevin got caught in that trap on the edge of Farmer McNair’s land, right?”

“Well, I never had been really certain about exactly where he was but now I understand better why my folks were so upset with him. They really kept a tight rein on him for months afterwards.”

“I bet that was a challenge! Kevin is definitely full of energy.”

“He’s twenty four this year but sometimes I think he’s still 11. He manages to stay in trouble with our parents more often than not. He’s not taking to work very well. He would rather be outside, getting into mischief.” Carolyn grinned at him. “Remember when that was us?”

“Yeah, we had some good times, didn’t we!” Colin agreed and they laughed and joked about memories they shared of growing up on the mountain. It wasn’t long before they both began to relax with each other. It was like old times again but yet different.

Colin held her hand as they toured the stately old home and grounds of the Biltmore Estate. He walked on the road side, keeping her safe on the sidewalk, as they walked back to where they had parked his truck and he stole a couple of light, quick kisses along the way. They walked through the small gift shops and Carolyn bought Tammy a beautiful scarf for Christmas. It had the moon and stars embroidered in gold thread on a dark, navy blue silk material. It reminded her of the blanket that Harvey Two Moons had had in his teepee when Tammy took her dream quest.

The day passed too quickly for both of them and it seemed all too soon when Colin said “Are you ready for dinner?”

“I guess we’d better. Where are we going to change clothes?”

“Well, we could go back to that diner or find a gas station that has clean bathrooms?”

“Is there such a thing?”

“Haha. Yeah, the ones that have convenience stores usually keep their bathrooms pretty clean.”

“I vote for a restaurant bathroom.”

“Hey, why don’t we wait until we get to the place we are going to eat and just change in their bathroom? I’m pretty sure Ruth Chris will have nice bathrooms.”

“Ruth Chris? Wow, you really are looking to blow some money! That place is not cheap!”

“Well, I want our first date to be memorable. I may never be able to afford it again!”

“Then why don’t we go to some place that we will be able to come back to? There are several steakhouses in town that serve good steaks without breaking the bank.”

“Are you sure? I wanted to take you some place special.”

“Colin, wherever we go together will be special.”

Colin couldn’t have stopped himself if his life had depended on it. He caught her up in a big hug and kissed her senseless! “No wonder I love you so much!” He said without meaning to say it out loud and immediately began to blush when he realized he had.

“I love you too, Colin.” Carolyn smiled back at him and kissed him back. They stood just holding each other and the world seemed to disappear for a few moments.

“So where did you have in mind to eat?” Colin asked as his stomach reminded him that they had not eaten since breakfast. “As much as I’m enjoying this, we need to get dinner and head home soon. It will be dark by 6 and it’s well after 3 now. I’d like to be at least close to home by the time it gets dark.”

Neither of them had really paid much attention to the mountains during the day but a quick glance at the sky told them that it more than likely would be foggy again tonight.

“Do you like Italian?” Carolyn asked.

“Of course! Who doesn’t?”

“Well, come on then. I’ll take you to a place I know that has the best spaghetti and meatballs you’ve ever had in your life!”

Carolyn directed him where to go and soon they were pulling into the parking area of a small nondescript looking building from the outside but the smells that were coming out of it were enticing to say the least. They followed another couple into the small dining area that made Colin feel like he had stepped through a time portal and into a small restaurant in Italy. The hostess led them to a table near the windows overlooking the mountain. They both refused the wine since they had such a long way to drive home but ordered two spaghetti and meatballs and Colin had to agree that it was the best he had ever had. They took their time and enjoyed people watching while they enjoyed their meal. The man a couple of tables over from them got down on one knee and proposed as the whole restaurant watched and then clapped when she squealed and said yes.

Colin smiled at Carolyn and her heart skipped a beat. She prayed he would not get down on one knee just then. She hoped that if, or rather when he proposed, it wouldn’t be in such a public place.

Colin seemed to read her mind and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do something like that, at least not today!”

“Good. It’s been a great day and one I will always remember. But, as much as I hate for it to end, we had better get on the road or it will be dark soon.”

Colin signaled the waiter and paid their tab. It had gotten chillier outside and Colin put his arm around her as they walked back to the truck. Before he opened her door for her, he stopped and turned her towards him. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do all day.” He said as he lowered his head and kissed her. Her hands slid up over his chest and over his shoulders. Her fingers slid into the silky softness of the hair that lay on his collar as she savored his kiss. She didn’t want it to stop but a cold breeze played with the hem of her skirt, rushing up underneath of it and she couldn’t stop the shiver that rippled through her.

“You’re cold. Come on. Get in.” Colin said as he opened her door and helped her into the truck.

They made it back up the mountain just as it got dark. Colin pulled into her driveway and saw that the lights were on inside. Tammy was there. He had kind of been hoping for a continuation of their kiss and maybe more but then he knew that even if Tammy had not been here, they would not have taken it all the way. That just wasn’t Carolyn. She wasn’t the type to just jump in bed with anyone, even though they had known each other all their lives or had admitted their love for each other. He seemed to sense that she wanted to be courted and he realized that he wanted that too.