Magic on Changeling Mountain
Chapter 23

Foster landed on Carolyn’s shoulder as they walked through the forest. Most of the trees had changed color and many had already dropped their leaves. Carolyn’s footsteps crunched as she walked. “I love the smell of the forests in the fall. You can smell the earth the best in the fall.” Carolyn confided. She used a safety pin she had in her pocket to pin the microphone to her shirt collar so that she could hear Foster as he rode on her shoulder.

“The winters are hard on fairies. We are springtime creatures and in the winter time, we mostly sleep. I think this winter we will finally be able to rest! It’s been kind of rough the last couple of years. The humans came and cut our forest down two winters ago. We’ve been flying during the day so that the humans don’t notice us as much. To them, we are bugs for them to swat at. They can’t see our glow during the day so we try to fly out of their reach to get from one place to another but finding safe places at night to sleep was very hard. Animals that don’t know fairies have tried to eat us and the humans try to knock us out of the air. All we want to do is to help things grow.”

“I know it must have been hard. But once we find you the right tree, you should be safe on our mountain. The changeling families that live on this mountain have been here for over 10 generations and we are not going anywhere soon.”

They walked in silence for a while, climbing the mountain when Carolyn realized that the higher up they went, the fewer trees that were going to be suitable for them to live in. It actually occurred to her that she had just assumed the oak tree would be best but perhaps another kind of tree would suit them better. “Foster, what kind of tree would be best for you?” Carolyn whispered as they came to an area that had several different kinds of trees growing in it.

“Evergreens are the preferred shelter in the winter time but they must be out of the wind. We liked the oak tree you found for us but I personally prefer Maple trees.” Foster said, “Like that one over there. That’s a very nice tree.”

“Well, then if that’s the one you think will work best, then that one it is. This tree is well within the boundaries of my family’s land and high enough on the mountain that you should not have any problems with humans finding you. Rarely do even hunters venture up this far.”

“There are enough evergreens around for us to hide in when the snows come and the Maple tree will make a great home, once we get our burrows set up.” Foster said.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you if you could use plastic containers as places to live in. I asked my mom to save her empty laundry containers and I’ll save mine, if you can make use of them? They would be completely waterproof and very sturdy houses. I can cut openings in them for you. We are also saving other things for you like string and scraps of fabric.”

“Buttons?” Foster asked.

Carolyn smiled, “Do you like buttons, Foster?”

“Oh yes. At my old home, I had 4 of them! I only brought one with me. It was all I could carry.” Foster said sadly.

“Well, so long as you ask before you take something, I’m sure we can find you a few buttons.” Carolyn whispered.

“Don’t worry. The queen has already told everyone, they are to ask before they take anything. Did you ask anyone about the fluff? Winter is going to be here soon and we need to make our burrows.”

“Yes, we are all saving it for you. Once we get you moved into the maple tree, I’ll bring you what we have. But for now, I need to get to work.” Carolyn said, as they headed back down the mountain. As she came to the road, Foster said “I can find my way from here. Thank you, Miss Carolyn. I can lead them to it from here.”

“Ok. Take care and I’ll see you later. I’ll bring the fluff later today.” Carolyn said and Foster flew away through the woods with a wave. Carolyn walked the rest of the way down to her parents’ house and jumped up on the porch. She could hear her father’s voice telling her mother about what had happened with the trappers.

“Tell Kevin and Donna to stay out of the woods at least until I have a chance to really check and make sure there are no more traps.”

“Dad, you know you can’t go over every piece of ground on the mountain. Foster said that Colin found all the ones the trappers set. He was watching the whole time.”

“Good. I don’t think the man, Stanley, was lying but with humans, you never know for sure.”

“Don’t lose your faith in humanity, Dad. Not all humans are like them. You know that as well as I do.”

Daniel seemed to deflate after that. “I know. I just felt so helpless. I can’t patrol the whole mountain every day and night. I have work to do.”

“I know. I’m going to pick up some more no trespassing signs and hang them along the boundaries of our land. It’s been a while and the old ones have gotten brittle from being out in the weather and are falling down. I found several on the ground when I was patrolling the other day. Mostly towards Pence’s. Ralph said he’s going to put up new ones around their place too.”

Carolyn stayed and visited with her folks for just a while longer before she took off for the clinic. She let herself in the back door and walked to the front. There was no one in the parking area waiting for her to open but she hit the neon open sign and unlocked the front door.

Cindy was usually here by now and would have done all of this for her but she had left for college. They did not have any animals in the clinic at the moment and Carolyn checked the calendar to see if Cindy had scheduled any appointments for her. According to her calendar, she had no appointments scheduled for the next two days.

Carolyn walked all the way through the clinic and saw that Cindy had left everything in order. The floors had been mopped and the trash cans emptied and all of the supplies were neatly put away on the shelves. There wasn’t much for Carolyn to do except sit around and wait for the phone to ring. Ivan showed up and apologized for taking so long to come back but they were having a rough time of it. She showed him what she wanted done and he said he would be able to knock it out without much trouble. She told him to talk to Ralph at the hardware store and after he left, she called down to the store and told Ralph he was coming and asked that he let her know the cost and she would stop in and pay it. She had left her laptop at the cottage and she decided to hang a note on the door saying she would be back in half an hour then locked up and walked home.

Just as she entered the cottage, her cell phone began to ring. She dug it out of her pocket and saw that it was Colin calling. “Hello?” she answered.

“Hi. Where are you right now?” he asked.

“I just got to the cottage. I forgot my laptop up here and don’t have any appointments today so I came home to get it. Where are you?” Carolyn asked.

“Sitting in front of the clinic right now but I’ll be up there in a minute.” Colin said and hung up. Carolyn hurried into the bathroom and ran her brush through her hair and quickly used the bathroom. She was just drying her hands when Colin stepped up onto the porch.

“Hi! What brings you back here? Get the trappers all taken care of?” Carolyn asked as she opened the door to him. Colin stepped inside and took off his hat.

“Yeah, they are going before the judge in the morning. So do you have to work today or not?” Colin asked.

“Well, I don’t have any appointments scheduled today and Cindy did her usual excellent job of cleaning the clinic while I was gone and before she left, so there’s not much for me to do there today. Ivan just left to go to the hardware store but he shouldn’t need to get inside as he will be working in the back, building some outdoor kennels for me. So unless an emergency comes up, I’m free. Why? What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I have the afternoon off and except for a load of laundry that can wait till tomorrow to do, I don’t have anything planned. I was wondering if you would like to go to lunch with me?”

“Sure. I just need to stop back by the clinic and leave a different note on the door but there’s no reason I have to stay right there today. Just let me change my shirt.” Carolyn said and quickly hurried back to the bedroom. She found a nice blouse and quickly stripped out of the button down shirt she had put on to hike the mountain, made sure she had on enough deodorant before pulling the clean blouse over her head. She ran her brush through her hair one more time and quickly added some lip stain to her lips before leaving the bedroom.

Colin watched as she walked down the hall towards him. She was the only woman he knew that could make jeans and mountain hiking boots look sexy. The blouse she had chosen enhanced the green of her eyes and showed her cleavage off very enticingly. Carolyn was not especially large breasted but it was definitely noticeable and to Colin, highly desirable. Carolyn grabbed her jacket off the peg behind the door and put it over her arm.

Colin opened the door for her and let her lead the way as they stepped out on the porch. She turned and locked her front door and stuck the key in her pocket. “So where are we going for lunch?”

“Well, so long as you don’t mind riding in my patrol vehicle, we will have to stay somewhere in town. If you want to go away from town, then I need to stop by my office and switch vehicles.” Colin said.

“It’s totally up to you. The café is fine with me. It’s been a while since I’ve been in there.”

“Ok, the café it is then. Let’s see, today is Thursday so it’s meatloaf day.” Colin said.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry but I’ve never been much of a fan of their meatloaf. She makes it too salty and too much ketchup in the sauce she pours all over it. Can we go to Ruby Tuesday’s down by the highway? Is that too far out of town?” Carolyn asked.

Relieved that she felt that way, he quickly agreed. He had never cared for their meatloaf either. “Ruby Tuesday’s it is then. I think I will switch out the car anyway so that I can be truly off duty and we can take our time. I should have thought of it when I left but I’ve gotten so used to driving this thing all the time. I so rarely ever use my own vehicle that I didn’t even stop to think about it.”

They stopped at the clinic and Ivan pulled in right behind them. She explained that she was going with Colin and he said he wouldn’t need to get inside so long as there was an outside power outlet, which there was, right by the back door. They drove over to the sheriff’s station and not only switched vehicles but Colin went inside and left his gun and belt in his office. He even changed his shirt.

“It’s not exactly the shirt I would put on for an official date but this will just have to do or we will have to stop by my place so I can find something better.”

“You look fine, Colin. There’s no need to dress up for me just to have lunch together.”

They drove down to Ruby Tuesdays and enjoyed a long leisurely lunch together. They talked and laughed and truly enjoyed the time together. Both of them hated when it was time to leave but after the waiter came around for the 4th time, asking if they wanted anything else, they agreed that it was time they left. Colin drove back the long way home, taking a more scenic route past one of the many lakes on the mountain. The hillside was covered in mostly bare trees right now but there were still a few showing their fall colors and they stood out like bright patches of orange and gold against the evergreen pines that covered the side of the adjacent mountain range.

“So have you decided where we are going to go Saturday?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to tell you where just yet.” Colin said.

“Why not? I need to know how to dress. Is it going to be somewhere I need to wear a dress or is something like what I have on OK?”

“Oh a dress, definitely. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in a dress. Since the senior ball, if I remember correctly.” Colin would never forget that night. She had looked like a dream in the gown she had chosen for the big senior dance. He knew nothing of materials so he couldn’t begin to describe it but she had looked so beautiful as she had walked in on the arm of one of the boys from the football team.

Colin had asked Cindy’s older sister, Deedee to go when he had found out that Carolyn already had a date for the dance, just so he wouldn’t be there alone but all night he had watched her. Dancing with the other boys, laughing at their jokes and having fun.

Poor Deedee finally got fed up with him and went to stand with the other girls that had come without dates. He had almost forgotten he had come with her when someone nudged him in the ribs and said “your date is being stolen right from under your nose” Jack Parsons said. Colin turned to see Jack’s twin brother, Jimmy, asking Deedee to dance a slow dance and she glanced over at Colin to see him watching and turned her nose up at him and accepted Jimmy’s invitation.

Colin had waited until the slow dance was over and then approached Deedee and apologized and asked her if she was ready to leave. “Deedee, I’m sorry if I’ve been ignoring you all night. I never should have come. I’m sorry.”

“Colin, you are a very nice boy and no one can figure out why you two aren’t together but thank you for asking me tonight. I’ve had fun in spite of your attention being on someone else. I just hope that one day Carolyn Masters wakes up and realizes what a great catch she is passing up on.” Deedee had told him when he dropped her off on her front porch well before her curfew time. She had kissed him on the cheek about the same time the porch light went on and Mr. Pence had opened the front door.

“Hello?” Carolyn’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just gathering wool. What, besides dinner, would you like to do Saturday?” Colin asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s been such a long time since I’ve even been on a date. I’m not sure what to do.” Carolyn admitted.

“Well, the fair is going to be in town. We could go ride the rides?” Colin suggested.

“That sounds like fun but we’ll need to take extra clothes to change into after dinner. It will be too cold for me to wear a dress for something like that. Do we have to wait to do things after dinner? Could we maybe do something before dinner?” Carolyn suggested.

“Sure! What did you have in mind?”

“Well, there’s the Biltmore Estate or the Folk Art Center. All the time I lived in Asheville, I always wanted to go there but never had the chance.”

“Ok. That sounds interesting. Maybe we could make a day of it and go down early and do both of them and then have dinner?” Colin said with a smile.

“Hey, do you mind if we make a quick stop at the hardware store? I need to get some more No Trespassing signs.” Carolyn said.

“Sure. No problem. I’ll even help you put them up.” Colin said. He had the day off today and any excuse to spend more time with her was worth the sleep he would be giving up. He had reorganized the schedule so that he would be working more morning shifts for a while. That way he could spend his afternoons with her and still cover a shift.

They stopped in at the hardware store and she bought all of the No Trespassing signs they had in stock as well as paid the bill for the supplies that Ivan had picked up. They left the store and Colin drove her home. She quickly checked at the clinic to make sure there were no messages waiting for her and then they spent the next two hours hiking the lower boundaries of her family’s property, putting up the new signs. There was no way someone would be able to not notice them now.

“So, did you find a good place for the fairies to live?” Colin asked, as they walked back through the woods.

“I think so. Foster seemed very pleased with it. It’s not right on top of the centaurs but close to them. I just hope they will be able to stay in one place for a while. I’m beginning to feel like a realtor for magical creatures.”

“Well, you’ve done very well with both the fairies and the centaurs. I think it’s great that your family has been so welcoming to both of the groups. Most people would have turned their backs on them and told them to move on.”

“Well, it is kind of my fault that they even showed up here in the first place. I’m the one that brought Tammy here. It was her and the sisters’ use of magic that attracted them. I think my father has allowed them to stay because he felt sorry for them when he found out they had been driven from their homes. My parents are members of just about save every animal on the planet organization there is.”

“Yeah, my folks too.”

“How are your mom and dad? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them.”

“They’ve been staying in their animal forms more and more lately, from what I’ve been hearing. They’ve been in Canada for over a year now. They call in once a month, just to let me know they are OK but otherwise, they are doing their own thing.”

“I was surprised when they up and left. What about your brother and sister? Did they go with them?”

“Wendy is working at St. Jude’s and Kenny is working as a forest ranger with his wife in North Dakota. Wolves are usually pack animals and families stick together but none of them could find work here, at least not at a rate of pay that would allow them to not only provide for themselves but because they couldn’t have families here. We are the only wolves in the area. I think my parents are looking for a mate for Wendy.”

“Is it normal for wolf changelings to have single births like your mom did? Aren’t you the oldest of the 3 of you? I seem to remember that Wendy was a year or so behind us in school and Kenny was in his last year of grade school when we graduated, right?”

“Right. I’m not really sure. Why? Is that something that’s bothering you?”

“Well, cats usually have 4 to 6 in a litter and I thought wolves would be like dogs and have about that many in a litter. I mean, I want kids someday but I’m not so sure that I’m ready to be making headlines by having a whole bunch at once. I like being a vet and helping other animals and I wouldn’t give up being a cat for anything but I like being human too. I can understand your parents need to spend time as wolves. I don’t get to spend nearly enough time as a cat.”

“I know what you mean. I like spending time in my wolf form too. But it’s hard with my position as a cop. I have to be super careful not to let anyone see me in that form. Heck, I used to like to sleep in my wolf form but then someone questioned me about why there was so much dog hair all over my apartment when I don’t have a dog. I had to pay a professional cleaning service to come in and get it all up and now I try to change only when I’m outside and alone.”

“Well, you know you can always come up to our place and run free! I patrol only at night, so that people don’t see me but then I would stick out a lot more than you would. If towners see you, they just assume you are a big dog. Panthers are not exactly native to this part of the country, heck, not even this part of the world.”

“Well, at least you are safe on the mountain. Maybe I’ll come patrol with you on the nights I don’t have to work.”

“Sure.”

They arrived back at Carolyn’s house and the phone was ringing. She quickly let herself in and rushed to the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, where have you been all day?” Tammy asked. “I’ve called you at least 3 times today.”

“I went to lunch with Colin and then we were putting up new No Trespassing signs. Why? What’s up?” Carolyn asked.

“I had to vacate my apartment. The neighbors above me let their bathtub overflow, right down into my bedroom. My mattress is ruined. I had to file a claim on my renters insurance but it will take a week or more before I get a check in the mail. Can I come crash in your spare room?” Tammy asked.

“Sure. You know you are always welcome. Come on over.” Carolyn said.

“What’s up?” Colin asked. He had been hoping for a quiet afternoon alone with her but from what he had overheard, she was not going to be alone for long. Carolyn explained what was going on with Tammy and told him, “She’ll be over soon.”

“Well, maybe I should go then.” Colin said, disappointed.

“You don’t have to. You’d like Tammy if you get to know her. There’s more to her than just being a witch.”

“I know but I worked all night and have to go back on duty tonight so that I can have Saturday off so I’d better get home and get some sleep.” Colin said. “You girls have fun and I’ll see you Saturday?”

“Sure. What time on Saturday?”

“Well, if we are going to do the tour at the Biltmore we’d better leave kind of early. How about I pick you up at 9? We’ll spend the day and then have dinner and come home.” Colin said.

“Sounds like fun.” Carolyn said, stepping closer to him, making him very aware of her. He could smell her perfume.

“What scent are you wearing?”

“I’m not wearing perfume.”

“Hmmmm. You sure do smell good.” Colin said as he stepped closer. He slid his arms around her slowly, waiting for her to react, which she did by stepping closer to him. He dipped his head as she lifted her face for a kiss, which probably would have led to more, but just then they heard Tammy’s car coming up the road.

Colin lifted his head and smiled down at her. “Oh, well. I guess I’d better be going.”

“Oh, I really wish you could stay but”

“Hi, guys! What’s up?” Tammy said, as she bounced up onto the porch.

“Hi Tammy. Come on in.” Carolyn said, as she stepped out of the circle of Colin’s arms.

“Hi Tammy. Nice to see you again.” Colin said. “Well, I’d better get going. I have to work later. See you Saturday morning.” He said with a wink at Carolyn, he turned and went out the door.

“Ok. See you then.” Carolyn said, as she closed the door behind him.

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