Samhain Tea
Samhain Tea by Leona Urbansky
Melissa sat on the front porch swing, her legs tucked under her as it swayed gently. Her hands were curled around her mug of hot tea, the steam still rising from it. The air was a little colder today and she could see the leaves starting to fall. They'd turned a few weeks ago, making the forest around her a riot of colors. Samhain was soon, she realized. Shifting slightly, she tugged at the hem of her pants, pulling it down to cover her ankle from the slight chill.
As she took a cautious sip of the tea, she heard hoofbeats in the distance. Quirking an eyebrow at the crunch of dry leaves under hooves, she waited for her visitor to round the bend. There could only be one person visiting her on horseback and that was her neighbor, Cameron. Cameron wasn't a bad man, though he tended to be as much of a hermit as she was. She had her own reasons for living alone in the woods and she suspected she knew his. Soon the gentle gray gelding bearing her neighbor came around the corner. Cameron waved cheerily as soon as he was in sight, and she lifted a hand in her return.
When he was close enough, he slipped off his horse and tied his lead rope to the old hitch rail she'd never had the heart to get rid of. Melissa didn't say anything as he bounded up the few steps to stand beside her, instead taking another sip of her tea. Cameron grinned, expecting nothing less than her silence.
"Staying warm, Melissa?" he said in greeting.
Melissa took another sip of tea before carefully setting it on the table beside her. Finally, she looked up and met his gray eyes. "I am. What do you need, Cameron?"
Cameron plopped down on the rocking chair next to her swing. Once upon a time, he'd tried to sit on the swing next to her, but he hadn't done it again after her withering look. "I can't just check on my hermit neighbor and give my horse some exercise at the same time?" he jested.
Melissa remained silent, waiting for the real reason. Finally he sighed. "Fine. I needed some help. Jory is sick with a nasty cold."
She nodded in understanding and stood up, smoothing her shirt down and picking up her cup. "Come inside then," she said. Cameron hopped up after her, his endless energy making her lips twitch in a slight smile. Leading him to her kitchen, she set the mug on her mug warmer, tapping the button to turn it on. She didn't have any desire for cold tea just because he'd showed up needing help for his son. Opening up her cupboard, she began rummaging for the tea that she'd mixed up for colds a few weeks ago.
"You don't want to give him flu medicine?" she asked, trying to determine if Cameron was here just to talk to her or if the boy genuinely needed help.
He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I haven't been able to get a ride into town to pick up more yet," he finally admitted. "The truck is still broke down and we haven't had the money to repair it."
Melissa nodded as she scooped some of the tea into a ziploc baggie for him. "Just remember this is only going to alleviate the symptoms. It's not some miracle cure. If you need to take him into town, make sure you do."
Cameron grinned sheepishly. "I will, I promise. My sister said she's going to be able to run more medicine out tomorrow for us. If he's not better by then, she said she'd take us into town."
"In that case, here you go," she said, handing the bag to him. "You know the usual instructions. Let me know how it goes. If you need help and your sister isn't available…," she trailed off, knowing he knew what she was implying.
"Aye, I will," Cameron replied, breaking into another smile. Melissa looked at him for a moment, before turning and picking up her mug of tea.
"Did you need something else?" she finally asked after a long silence.
"I was just, well, I was wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner. Sara's been talking about you is all."
Melissa took another sip of her tea, not taking her eyes off him. "Just Sara?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well…," he trailed off, flushing a little. "You know how it is, being stuck out in the country with just two kids hanging about. It gets a little lonely."
She took another sip, then sighed. "I suppose I can come to dinner."
He grinned and before she could move, leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Melissa froze and Cameron took off before she could move. By the time she got back to the front porch with her tea, ready to scold him for it, he was already well down the driveway. Shaking her head, bemused, she settled back onto the swing, setting it to rocking gently again.
Melissa sat on the swing, letting it rock gently beneath her. It was almost déjà vu, she mused, as she watched the leaves fall from the trees. Samhain was just around the corner and the chill was starting to touch the air. She tugged the hem of her skirt down, covering her ankle from the coming cold. The only difference, she reflected as she raised the steaming mug of tea to her lips, was that he was in the house behind her and not coming down her driveway.
Sure enough, he soon came out of the front door and leaned over, kissing her gently on the top of her head. Melissa craned her neck back, meeting his eyes. He smiled, but she could still see the sadness in his gray eyes. To both of their surprise, she patted the swing next to her, inviting him to sit with her. With a soft sigh, he settled down beside her, fingers loosely laced in his lap.
"Did you get some tea?" she asked quietly.
Cameron looked down at his hands and shook his head. "Not in the mood," he murmured.
Melissa leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. "They'll be here soon," she said softly.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he nodded. "I know. I'm looking forward to it. I just miss them when they're gone."
Melissa couldn't say anything to that, knowing how much he missed Jory and Sara. It was shortly after he'd invited her for dinner that his ex-wife had vindictively come after him, suing for full custody of the kids. It'd come out of nowhere, Melissa knew after many long conversations with Cameron. His ex-wife, Clara, had vanished years ago, leaving him with the kids. But, the judge had agreed with Clara, awarding her custody, due to the fact that Cameron lived so far away from town and was in a poor financial state.
Melissa had helped him fight to at least get visitation rights, in every way she knew how. Many candles had been lit and prayers said to help him. Melissa hoped, with Samhain coming soon, that her final spell would come to fruition. It hurt her to watch him mourn the loss of his children. He'd been getting back on his feet after he'd moved in with her, letting go of the old family house.
They both soon heard the rumble of a car coming down the drive and Cameron perked up. Patting her shoulder, he stood up and moved to the edge of the porch. It'd been a month since they'd seen them and Melissa found herself missing the chatter of Jory and the shadow presence of Sara. The young girl looked up to her and Melissa had found herself wanting to teach her the craft, but refrained from doing so thanks to Clara.
The car came to a halt in front of them, jarring Melissa out of her musings. The doors opened and Cameron was already going down the stairs, his arms open for the kids. Jory and Sara both piled out of the car, their duffel bags they'd brought with them slung over their shoulders. Melissa smiled indulgently as the bags hit the ground with a thump and they wrapped their arms around their father. She looked up at the slam of a car door and her smile vanished as she saw Clara. The tall, thin woman was glaring at Cameron, her nose turned up. Cameron saw it, but ignored her for the moment.
"Hey, Melissa got your rooms ready. Why don't you go put your stuff away after you say goodbye to your mom?" Jory and Sara dutifully picked up their bags and waved goodbye to Clara. The woman returned the wave, but otherwise didn't move. Without another word, the kids pounded past Melissa on the porch with a cheerful wave. Melissa nodded at their greeting, but waited until they'd gone inside before she stood up, leaning against the porch column.
"Clara," Cameron said neutrally. "You'll pick them up Sunday night, right?"
Clara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be here. They'd better be ready to go." She flicked her eyes at Melissa, who calmly sipped her tea, eyeing her. "I'm out of here. This place is creepy."
"Fare well," Melissa said, just loud enough for Clara to hear her. Cameron turned to look at Melissa, confused. Melissa had never directly addressed Clara before, preferring to keep her opinions to herself. Clara rolled her eyes again then climbed in the car and slammed the door shut. As the car went down the drive, Cameron walked up the steps, pausing by Melissa.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
Melissa smiled, content with her working. "It will be," she said softly, before leaning over and kissing him. With that, they went inside the house.
The chill was back, Melissa observed. This time, Sara sat beside her, feet curled up underneath her with a matching mug of hot tea. Cameron and Jory were out back, chopping the firewood for the coming season. Leaning over, she pulled the blanket around Sara and tucked it in securely around her.
"You remember this time last year?" she asked.
Sara nodded, her gray eyes solemn. "This was the last time we saw Mom," she said quietly.
"Indeed. You know what happened now, don't you?"
"You banished her," Sara answered, meeting Melissa's eyes.
"And now, I'll teach you how to do it," Melissa stated. "It's a yearly ritual to keep her away."
"It won't get Daddy in trouble, will it?"
"No, child. Cameron is safe under my sanctuary and beyond. Don't worry."
"No one knows where Mom is, do they?"
Melissa chuckled, thinking back to the last time she'd seen Clara. "No, honey. Don't worry. No one knows where your mother is." She looked up at the sound of a playful shriek as Jory shot into the front yard. Pushing off a little, she let the swing rock gently beneath them. "And as long as I'm alive, no one will. Don't worry."