YOU'RE ALL MINE - ch 30

YOU’RE ALL MINE - ch 30

(the magic of Midnight)

^ ^

Back home, Finola encouraged Mia to explain to her parents what they had done. “Mia, you need to get used to explaining your actions. Your parents should know of your capabilities.” Then added, “Brian, Morena, Mia has the gift, actually many gifts. With your permission, I’d like to work with her to enhance them. Teach her how and when to use them and just as important, how to curtail them. Brian, you’ve allowed your gifts to wane, but we shouldn’t allow that to happen to Mia. Please, allow me to help. Under the circumstances, it’s my opinion that might prove to be necessary.”

Morena looked at her husband, reached for his hand and said, “Brian, she’s right. You haven’t used your magic in way too many years. We need to let Mia use hers. It’s for her own protection.”

Brian raised Morena’s hand to his cheek and agreed. “Finola, when do you plan to start?”

The older woman smiled. “Tonight. After we finish the delicious supper your beautiful wife kept warm for us.”

Midnight hissed and used a voice everyone could hear. ”Everyone, did you hear that? Mia, thank the goddess you and Aintin salted the house. But it’s not working very well.”

Within seconds, they heard a loud thud at the front of the house, then another. It wasn’t long before they heard what seemed to be the scratching of thousands of sharp-clawed animals.

Mia rose and said, “Everyone, stay here. Don’t go near the window. I’ll have a look.”

They were about to tell her to stay away when, POOF, she disappeared. They looked at each other in disbelief. Brian shouted, “Where did she go? She was right here! Mia? Mia, for the love of all that’s holy, where are you?”

“Mom, Dad” they heard her answer. “I’m here, standing right at the window. Tim has tossed two huge sacks at the house, and each seems to have contained extremely large rats that are now trying to claw their way in. Don’t worry, though. Their efforts are useless.”

And one by one, she watched them fall and dissolve within the ground. She walked back to her family and as quickly as she vanished, she reappeared.

She began to smile, however, it quickly faded when she said, “He failed to hurt us but those same rats will now be clawing at his house and if they get in, well, it’s something I hate to think about. Aintin? Is there someway we can protect his family?”

Finola placed her hand on Mia’s cheek and said, “Yes, We’ll put a spell of protection on them, however, because his father is very much responsible for Tim’s actions, I truly feel he should be subject to Tim’s fate.”

“Aintin, how bad will it be?”

Finola now smiled. “Not really bad, mo stor. We’ll spell the rats to bite and claw at a minimum. Only enough to scare the devil out of them. Although I would truly prefer to allow Tim to reap what he tried to sow, but because you asked, we’ll modify the curse”

What Finola didn’t tell Mia was that she would allow Tim to receive a bit more of his own doing than his father. She wanted him to see some of the damage he would have caused if the rats had gotten into Mia’s house. Tim would hurt but with each bite and each scratch, he’d learn not to dabble with the destruction of white magic. She knew it was the only way he’d learn and now, with her teaching, Mia would as well.

^ ^

When supper had ended, Mia and her family wandered outside to assess any damage done by the rat invasion. Midnight sniffed the ground. “Mia, the small is putrid! Even canned tuna doesn’t smell this bad!”

Brian and his brother, Ian looked at the gouges on the outside walls. Morena and Ian’s wife, Liz walked around house looking for more damage but didn’t find anything out of order. Finola offered, “Brian, I know a carpenter in town who can fix these walls easily enough. His father and I were old friends. If you like, I’ll call him.”

“Dad, I’ll get the rake and begin scratching the smell out of the soil. There’s a bag of fertilizer in the greenhouse that I can toss on the upturned earth to help sprout new grass.”

Her cousin laughed and said, “Mia, I’ll help but you could always just spell it and take care of it all in the wave of one hand.”

Mia laughed with him. “Mickey, you’re right I could but it wouldn’t be as satisfying as getting my hands dirty. Come on, let’s get the rakes.”

Midnight trotted along behind Mia and said, “Mia, you have company coming. And it isn’t good. Go be with your dad. Hurry.”

As she heard the rumble of a car’s engine, she called out as they ran, “Dad! There’s trouble coming!”

Finola hid her smile as she knew what the trouble was and just how it would be handled. She had a few choice words to say and planned to say them.

“Brian, I know this is your house but you’re my nephew. When I feel the time is right, if you don’t mind, I’ll put my two cents into the conversation.”

Looking at his aunt, he asked, “Is it that bad?”

Now she laughed. “It won’t be for long.”

As the car approached the house, Midnight stood as still as stone, with her tail rigidly in the air, and vile hissing sounds coming from her mouth.

The car door opened and out stomped John Dwyer with a look of anger in his eyes that seemed to be looking for an excuse to act. In a loud and nasty voice, he screamed at Mia, “YOU! YOU SENT THOSE RATS TO MY HOUSE! AND ALL BECAUSE MY BOY SAID HE’D TAKE YOU TO THE DANCE. NOW HE’S IN THE HOSPITAL. YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!”

Midnight’s loud growling hiss had John Dwyer taking a cautionary step backwards.