Midsummer's Magic

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

Beth woke early Monday morning feeling a little saddle sore but relaxed after having such a wonderful first weekend in her new home. After a shaky start, she had already made some new friends and was looking forward to more adventures with them. She had a quick shower, slipped on another vest top and shorts, and went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast. 

Wandering out into the garden with her tea and toast, she looked up into the cloudless sky. Seeing as it was going to be another hot day, she decided to work outside. She set up a sun lounger and umbrella. Then grabbed her MacBook, and checked her emails before she started work on the latest assignment that the agency had sent her, illustrating a children's book. It was a magical tale filled with fairies and goblins, which she loved. 

As she started drafting out ideas, her mind wandered back to the strange characters she thought she overheard after her drunken night out. Out of curiosity, and remembering what Rory had said about Cornish piskies, she decided to google anything to do with Cornish myths and legends. She trawled though a few touristy sites which gave the standard description of the mythical creatures that were used for souvenirs. Then she let out a gasp when she opened a more obscure website that had eerily familiar descriptions of the two people she had seen sitting on her garden wall. Closing her eyes, she thought back to what she had heard and the only thing that came to her was the word Kerensa. "Hmmm," she thought, "was it a name?" She googled it as well, and low and behold, it was an old Cornish name that also meant love. She started to get goose bumps as her mind drifted back to that night and what she had seen and heard.....Two lost souls, love potions... wrong bottle... midsummer's eve...? She looked the date up on Google. June 21st was midsummer's eve or the summer solstice, and today was June 1st. 

Her head was spinning with all these thoughts, not getting anywhere, and she was jolted back to the present by the noise of a tractor in the field behind the cottage. 

"Aaaargh!" she shouted and shook her head. "Get a grip, you have work to do, you stupid tart." 

She took a few deep breathes to calm down, selected one of her favourite play lists. With 30 Seconds to Mars blasting out of her speakers, she started to work on her designs. 

Beth was so deeply engrossed in her work that she didn't hear her name being called and nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand tapped her shoulder. "What the...?" 

Ginny laughed at her, "Oh, Beth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I did call out to you from the path. You were miles away." 

"Bloody hell, Ginny, you scared the shit out of me!" she exclaimed holding one hand over her heart that was threatening to jump out of her chest. 

Ginny held up her hands and giggled again, "I really am sorry, and I will make it up to you later if you come out for a drink." 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you. I just zone out when I'm working."  

"So, what you working on then? I know you said you were an artist, so I'm dying to see what you do." Ginny said as she bent over Beth's shoulder. 

"At the moment, I'm illustrating a children's book. But I only started this morning so it's a bit rough yet." She replied as she turned the screen around so that Ginny could see more clearly. 

"Oh my god! That is so cute." she squealed. "Are they fairies or piskies?" she asked. 

Beth looked back at her work and realised that she had drawn the characters she had seen sitting by her wall the other night. She let out a gasp of shock. 

"Hey, what's the matter?" Ginny asked with a look of concern. "You've gone white as a sheet!" 

"Oh, erm...you wouldn't believe me if I told you." she muttered rubbing her arms as the goose bumps returned. 

"Come on, you can't leave me hanging like that. I thought we were friends." She pouted her lips like a sulky child. 

Beth looked at her new friend and couldn't help but laugh. She held her hands up in defeat. "Ok, I will tell you, but I think I need a drink. So come in the kitchen, and we can grab a glass of wine." 

She saved her work, closed the Mac down, and led Ginny into the shaded kitchen. It was a welcome relief from the heat of the garden. Grabbing the wine out of the fridge and two glasses, she led Ginny into the small lounge and they sank into the comfortable sofa. 

By the time Beth had told Ginny all about the end of their drunken evening, and what she had heard and seen, they were more than halfway through the bottle of wine. 

"So, do you think I'm just a crazy drunk now?" she asked Ginny, trying to lighten the mood as her friend sat there in silence. 

Ginny looked at her with a strange gleam in her eyes. 

"What?" Beth asked. "Come on, say something Ginny. You're scaring me now." 

Suddenly, Ginny jumped up from the sofa and clapped her hands in glee. 

"I knew it!" she screamed. 

Beth jumped back so hard, she nearly spilt her wine. "Knew what?" she asked, eyeing her suspiciously. 

"It's the prophecy of the stones." She sighed, and her eyes went all dreamy. 

"Ginny, you are talking in riddles. What the hell are you going on about?" 

When she got no reply, she slammed her glass on the coffee table and stood to face her snapping her fingers. "Earth to Ginny, hello is there anyone home!" 

Beth resorted to shaking her by the shoulders when she still didn't get a reply. 

As her eyes came back into focus, she sighed again. "Oh, Beth, they're doing it for you and Liam. How romantic, I knew there was something there when I saw him at the party." 

"Wait! What?" Beth said, stepping away from her and nearly falling arse over tit as her legs slammed against the coffee table. 

Ginny squealed again, and Beth held her hands over her ears. 

"I have to go and tell Mummy. She will be so pleased. This hasn't happened for years, and now you and Liam, oh my." 

Before Beth could get anything more coherent out of her, Ginny turned and ran for the door. 

"Wait! Ginny! You can't leave me like this." She shouted at her. 

"Meet me down the pub at 7PM and all will be revealed." Ginny shouted over her shoulder and ran off. 

Beth slumped down onto the sofa with an exasperated growl. "What the hell is going on?" She thought back over what little Ginny had said and a niggling thought came into her head. "No! Fuck, no! She really didn't mean that. Come on, this is just drunken hallucinations and Cornish superstition. Ok, I admit the guy is hot, and I bet the sex would be amazing, but I have no intention of getting all loved up with the guy." 

She closed her eyes and immediately had a flashback to the incredible wet dream about Liam and sighed... Her eyes snapped open as she realised what she was doing. 

"Nope! Not going there! That will teach me to drink in the middle of the day. I'm acting like a bitch in heat!" 

Picking up the bottle of wine and glasses, she stood up and stormed out to the kitchen. Plonking everything down on the worktop, she switched the kettle on and reached for the coffee and a mug. 

"Right! A strong cup of coffee and back to work, that will take my mind off these stupid fantasies. Then tonight, I will set Ginny straight." she ground out between clenched teeth.