Witching Hour

As Varia brought the teacup to her lips, another rumble of thunder came from nowhere. She tried to steady her hand, but she had already spilled tea all over her book. “This is a first-edition.” Varia mumbled as she dabbed up the liquid. Her first instinct was still to call a servant for help, but of course no one was around. She got a rag from the linen closet and cleaned up the table, then refilled her cup.

Thunder rumbled again. It had been raining on and off all week and Varia was going up the walls. She wanted to be in the ocean, feeling the salty water on her skin. She had never gone this long before without a swim.

Varia resumed her book. It was an eighteenth century romance novel, not usually her style, but she had been getting more into them lately. That might’ve had something to do with a pretty tailor Varia knew, not that she was ready to admit that to herself. She read without being conscious of the passing time. A little past midnight, she got up to stretch her legs and brew some more tea.

Something rattled down the hallway. Varia craned her neck and tried to see, but every room in the house was pitch black, save the kitchen of course. Must be a tree hitting the window. Varia thought. The kettle whistled, so Varia took it off the heat. She dropped a bag into the hot water and leaned against the counter while it steeped.

”No, choose Mathew.” Varia said aloud. “Gerald might be more attractive, but at least Mathew has a soul.” Her head shot up when she heard more noise down the hall. She lay her book face down on the counter, then felt around in the drawers for a flashlight. “I guess a candle will have to do.” Varia lit the candle, then used it to light her way. She walked down the dark hallway, pushing open doors to rooms she hadn’t seen in months. Lightning sliced open the sky and it cried out in pain. The whole house shuddered. Varia swore she heard footsteps in one of the rooms. When she made it to the end of the hall, she stopped and listened. All she heard was rain.

Varia opened the last door in the hall and sighed. The curtains thrashed violently in the wind as rain poured in through the break in the glass. Varia picked the shattered picture frame off the floor. It had been nothing but a place holder, a bit of decoration. She tossed it in the trash.

Varia walked all the way to the other side of the house to rummage through storage room for something to cover the hole in the window. She found some electrical tape and a piece of bubble wrap. It would have to do. Varia patched up the hole and mopped up the floor. She had no idea who to call to fix this, but she would get to it eventually.

”Oh, my tea.” Varia said as she returned to the kitchen. She dumped the liquid and the spent bag in the trash. She didn’t feel like reading any more. Varia took one last look outside. The waves smashed wildly against the shore, yet still she wanted nothing more to run down to the beach for a quick swim. If she had someone to spot her, she probably would have given it a try. For a moment, it looked as if someone was attempting to swim in the treacherous waters, but Varia dismissed it as a piece of driftwood. There was no one else for miles around and besides, who else but her would be so foolish?