The Crowning of the Witches
The dawn had arisen with the brilliance of a thousand watts of light through the smallest pin hole in the blinds on the bedroom window. Right in my eye with a piercing glow enough to cause a migraine headache big enough to make the sanest person crazy. It seemed to relentlessly follow my every effort to block it out. I threw my covers off and moaned the obsinaties of a woman not ready to start her hum drum life that morning. I was not for sure why I was even making an effort to wake up or even rise out of bed. Since I lost my job I just haven’t had the will to go on with my life or even just go about the days. I get up, clean the house, go online and send resumes to every job I see weather it interests me or not it is a job and a paycheck, then if I have the gas I get me ass out on the road with resumes in one hand and high hopes in the other. Smiling at every one I shake hands with and try to kiss ass just enough to get hired but not fucked over. And go figure, I am still jobless. What does it take to get a job around here? Do I have “don’t hire me I am not worth it”, written on my forehead and damn the soap in the shower for not removing it.
I hit the pavement with vengeance this morning and I was exhausted and at my wits end when I saw the sigh in the window for the little book store on the corner of main and Columbia. I had never seen this bookstore before and I had lived here all my life, read a lot of books and have walked these sidewalks faithfully for the past 6 months or so. I peek in the window to see if there is a clerk standing there to greet when I walk in and do cartwheels for and the song and dance that has not worked for me thus far but I didn’t know any other acrobatics to impress.
I straighten myself and sigh deeply and put on my fake but realistic looking smile and open the door to step inside. The lady looks at me and smiles and says, “You don’t have to be fake with me dear I can see it in your eyes you are on your last legs of sanity. It is ok I am here to help you. I have watched you everyday for what seems to be an eternity walk these streets over and over and nothing is working. I was wondering when you would open your eyes and see me here.”
“Ma’am I hate to say this but I have lived here all my life and as you pointed out I have hit the businesses around here several times with no job in sight but I have never seen you here, ever.” I was so intrigued by her observance of my life and everyday activity and didn’t stop me sooner if she truly wanted to help me. “Why, if you have watched me for so long making an ass out of myself, did you not save me from myself and society?”
“My dear I wanted to come to you but this is something you had to see and do for yourself. You can’t make it to heaven without first going through hell. The saying is true have you ever heard it before? Anyway you will not believe me if I just start explaining it to you and I may even confuse you and me both.” she laughed a little at her comment and I smiled a little confused but humored by the little old lady. She almost looked like the pictures of the little old witches you see all over at Halloween. And her little cackle was the sound of one too. The gray long hair, the mole on her nose and chin, the long crooked fingers and nails, the only things missing were the long black witch garb dress and the pointed hat. “Oh and by the way you have the job so you need not worry and you can now relax those tired bones of yours. And to answer your question, no your pay expectations are not too high.”
I looked at her with amazement and scratched my head, wrinkled my brow, and cocked my head off to the side like a dog does when his master says a new command that excites and yet confuses him. Now all I needed to do was pant, wag my tail and bark as I scratch at the fleas on my ears. “How did you know what I was thinking? Or do I want to know? Thank you for the job. You just tell me what to do and where I begin and I promise I will not disappoint you ma’am.”
“Well dear since I am no good at explaining things to people for now I just want you to take this book home with you and read it and when you are done with it and if you are still interested come back and let me know. I trust that you will be back to start working or to return the book and tell me I am a crazy old bat but I am sure you will come back ready to get started.” she pulled out an old book that was bound in a hard cover that was black and had gold pinstriped art work outlining the outer edges and the old script type writing. It was beautiful in all of its old time glory. The words scribed on the front read, The Cauldron of the witches faith”.
