A Collection Of Short Stories

Tintinnabulation

Ding. Harlow tied a garland around a bell as the first church bell rang.

Dong. She hung the bell by a red ribbon. Stepping back, she admired her work.

Seven days till Christmas.

She was surprised at how excited she was for the holidays this year. Normally, she dreaded this time of the year. Between the emphasis on family that she detested and the over-cheeriness of slightly drunken churchgoers, she grumpily dredged through the holiday season. This year, however, she cheerfully pittered around the house, humming to herself as she decorated every inch of the living space. At work, she smiled at coworkers as they chattered about holiday plans.

Ding. Harlow tied a garland around a second bell as another church bell rang.

Dong. She hung the bell by a red ribbon. Stepping back, she admired her work.

Six days till Christmas.

The bell attached to Krish's collar jingled as he walked throughout the house. Harlow smiled at him as he approached; another reminder of this year's miracle. She had rescued the elder cat a few months prior from a local shelter, and he was happy to spend his days basking in the sun that streamed in from the second-floor windows. She was happy simply to have a companion. The stereotypes of witches and their cats didn't hurt.

Ding. Harlow tied a garland around the third bell as another church bell rang.

Dong. She hung the bell by a red ribbon. Stepping back, she admired her work.

Five days till Christmas.

She crouched over her cauldron, steam steadily rising. She smiled. She was ahead of the game this year. Krish pit-pattered his way over to her. Her grimoire sat open on the desk, herbs scattered around the small room that she had repurposed into a spell room. An office once, now it became a place of worship. Krish shook, sending bits of fur and dirt into the air. Harlow laughed.

Ding. Harlow tied a garland around the fourth bell as another church bell rang.

Dong. She hung the bell by a red ribbon. Stepping back, she admired her work.

Four days till Christmas.

There was only waiting for her to do now, the bulk of the work had been done. She anxiously awaited the full moon. She bottled and rebottled her potions, checking and double-checking her herb stocks. She must have made nearly a dozen trips to the local grocery store to get just one more ounce of thyme or sesame seed(which she ground into a powder using a coffee grinder she inherited from her late father). Any normal person would be astonished with the sheer amount of salt Harlow dumped on the linoleum floor, and the sheer number of wards she cast around her supplies for the approaching night. It couldn't come fast enough for her.

Ding. Harlow tied a garland around the fifth bell as another church bell rang.

Dong. She hung the bell by a red ribbon. Stepping back, she admired her work.

Three days till Christmas.

Krish's small paws kneaded the blanket that lay on top of Harlow. His claws went in and out, in and out as the seconds passed. Harlow smiled at his purring. She knew she should get cleaning in preparation for the guests, but she could afford to spend one more minute sitting on the couch with a gracious cat on her lap. Her potions did make quite a mess, and the wards covered pretty much the entire upper floor, so the majority of the cleaning would have to be done there. The guests shouldn't be going upstairs, at any rate, but she wanted to be prepared.