Mind Games

Part of her wanted to go into her grandmother’s room, climb into her bed. But she wouldn’t.

Straightening, she studied herself in the mirror.

“Don’t make it a lie. You said he didn’t scare you. Don’t make it a lie.”

She walked back to her room, slipped into bed.

She listened to the soothing sound of the rain, and carried it with her into sleep.

* * *

In the morning, she did those cartwheels just because. And she waited until breakfast before she told the story. She’d decided Rem, even though he was younger, had a right to hear it, too.

“You were there?” Eyes wide, Rem stared at her. “In jail?”

“It’s prison.” She’d looked up the difference. “And it’s not the same as I’m sitting here. It’s like a dream, but not exactly that either.”

“Her mind went there. Her gift took her there.”

“How come I don’t get a gift like that?” Sulking, Rem pushed at his eggs. “I want one.”

“Well, sweet potato, it seems this gift runs through the women in the family, and you’re the man of the house. Now let your sister tell us the rest.”

Before she did, Thea pulled out something their father used to say to Rem when he complained girls got all the breaks. “You can pee outside, standing up.”

And that cracked a smile.

“It’s not like with bars, like the movies. There’s a door and a window in it, only a few inches wide.”

She continued, finished, then hunched her shoulders. “I said I wasn’t scared, but I was. At first.”

“I’d’ve been scared, too,” Rem told her. “I might’ve peed standing up, in my pants.”

“He saw you, spoke to you, heard you when you talked back?”

“He did, Grammie. Then I made myself wake up.”

“It’s best if you don’t go back there, have this happen again. So we’ll work on that today. But here’s something to remember, Thea. You were in charge, start to finish. I’m thinking he’s scared of you.”

Maybe, Thea thought, but she wanted to work on never, ever going back.

Unless she chose to go back.

Lucy showed her how to make a little bag out of two pieces of cloth, needle and thread.

“While you make the pouch, think pretty thoughts, happy ones.”

Since she’d never sewed before, Thea found the process very cool, so happy thoughts came easy. One minute you had nothing, the next you had a little bag. And after weaving the bigger needle with a skinny cord, you had a way to tie it up.

Then Lucy put cloves and cardamon and salt in a little wooden bowl, and lit a white candle.

“This is a mortar, and this is a pestle. Use the pestle to grind that up into a powder. And pretty thoughts.”

More cool as she heard the pods and tiny balls crunch under the pestle.

“That’s good! You’ve got a fine hand at it. What we do now is add some rosemary and some peppermint from the garden, and this dried lemon peel.”

“It smells nice.” Rem took several sniffs. “Can I make one, too?”