Whispers at Moonrise

dead people.
    The air held an early morning chill, one of the first signs that summer had outworn its welcome and fall waited nearby to fill its shoes.
    When she took another step, she felt it. The calling. Her gaze shot to the edge of woods. Her heart raced and the temptation to move closer whispered her name like an old friend.
    Kylie took one step, almost answering the unexplainable yearning, but Miranda’s voice pulled her back. “What took you so long?”
    “I had to get him out from under the bed,” Kylie said, not in the mood to do this, but she remembered the insecurity in Miranda’s voice when they’d talked earlier about the other witches giving her a hard time about the goof. Since the first morning light lasted only a few minutes, it was a small price to pay for Miranda’s happiness. Then Kylie would sit down and rehash what she’d gotten from the dream. Something in there had to help her make sense of the visions.
    Miranda, holding her little black pouch of magic herbs, led Kylie around to the back. “I haven’t mistreated him. I have no idea why he doesn’t like me.”
    “I know.” But after a month of Miranda following the skunk around trying different spells, Socks had grown leery of her. Kylie would have grown leery of her, too.
    Miranda looked up at the eastern sky and saw the light. “It’s time.” She did a little happy dance. “Put him down.”
    Kylie gave Socks’s black-and-white fur a soft stroke. As crazy as it sounded, she would miss his skunk side. Savoring the sight of him in skunk form one last time, she set him down and backed up, giving Miranda space to work her magic. Of course, Socks started following her, not wanting to be left behind.
    “Stay,” Kylie said, and motioned for Miranda to start.
    Miranda began chanting. Something about light and your true self. Socks started forward again. Miranda waved at Kylie to catch him. Kylie spoke gently to the skunk and he stopped moving. Then, reaching into her bag, Miranda pulled out a pinch of a strange herblike substance. She tossed it in the air over Socks; a few pieces popped and sizzled as they rained down around him.
    Kylie held her breath, waiting to see her beloved pet transform into a feline. But nope. The little animal with a white stripe down his back remained in his skunk form.
    Miranda frowned up at the sky and commenced chanting again. She tossed more herbs in the air. This time, Socks rose up on his short skunk legs and swatted his tiny paws at the sparkles.
    Yet even after all the sizzle of crackling herbs, he remained the same black-and-white skunk. Miranda looked back at the sky as if desperate and commenced another chant.
    She held up her little black bag over his head and just shook it down on the animal.
    Socks spotted the string hanging from the pouch and leapt up in the air to catch it. When Miranda pulled it back, Socks started to leave.
    “Stop him!” Miranda’s frustration rang loud and extra clear.
    Kylie knelt and waved the little guy back. His beady black eyes looked at Kylie with confusion. Empathy for her pet filled her chest.
    Miranda started to chant again.
    Socks tried to escape again.
    Miranda insisted Kylie stop him again.
    It continued for several more minutes until Kylie held up her hand. “This isn’t going to work.”
    “It has to,” Miranda said. “I only have another few minutes of first sun. Just keep him there.”
    As if Socks understood, he darted between Miranda’s legs.
    “No,” Miranda said.
    Kylie caught the confused animal. “I think he’s had enough,” she offered in her most sympathetic voice.
    “But he’s still a skunk. Put him down. I can do this. I have to.”
    Kylie understood Miranda’s need to prove herself, but … “Can’t you try again tomorrow?”
    “One more chant. Really quick, please? All he has to do is stand there.”
    Relenting, Kylie set Socks down and Miranda went back to reciting some fancy spell.
    When Miranda stopped and Socks was still a skunk, Kylie gave Miranda a look of condolence. “It’s okay. We’ll try another time,” Kylie said, beginning to lose her patience.
    “Wait. I forgot to bless the light and wind.” Miranda paused as if recalling the words.
    Kylie held her hand out, pinky first, and muttered, “Why can’t you just wave your pinky at him and say, ‘Change back into a cat’?”
    The pieces of herbs left on the ground shot up in the air. They crackled and popped around the little skunk and then started