Pixie Magic Ch. 13.5 Pt. 01

Pixie Magic Chapter 13 1/2

This story was written in response to feedback comments readers made about the Pixie Magic series. One reader in particular (Purplefizz) wanted to know more about the Pixie community outside Vermont. I had been working on another story at the time, but I kept thinking about Skyler, Fern, and the Vermont Pixies (most likely the result of inhaling too much pixie dust).

A special thanks to my "editor," Chris6160, who has a magic of his own when it comes to helpful suggestions and grammatical corrections. I strongly suspect he may be a pixie.

As the title implies, this story takes place a year after chapter 13 of Pixie Magic and 11 years before chapter 14, the epilog. While this could be a stand-alone story, I would recommend you read the original story, Pixie Magic, before reading this one.

As always, I encourage you to write a comment or two. If this story is any indication, they make a difference. I'm also thankful for your kind and often generous star ratings but I'll understand if you feel otherwise.

Finally, the "usual advisories" still apply: This is a work of fiction. The characters and most of the place names in this story are entirely fictional and any similarity with real persons living or deceased is purely coincidental and unintended. Additionally, and most importantly, all the characters described in the story are adults and over the age of 18.

Part 1: Skyler's strange premonitions.

Friday.

Fern watched the "Welcome to Massachusetts" sign go by before turning to look at me.

"Sky, I still don't know if this is such a good idea," she said before adjusting the air conditioning vent on her side of the car.

"It will be fun, a double celebration; you being accepted into veterinarian school and Ben being made name partner!" I replied.

"Couldn't we just celebrate at home? Why do we have to go all the way down to Tanglewood?" Fern asked. In addition to the anxiety in her voice, my pixie-sense detected there was something else was going on with Fern.

"You already know the answer," I said, taking a quick glance at her before studying the traffic ahead. "Janet set up this weekend getaway with Ben when she found out about his promotion. Ben insisted we join them when he heard you were accepted at veterinarian school."

Janet was my brother Ben's wife. She enjoyed the fine arts and Manhattan lifestyle, so when she learned that Ben was being made a name partner at his New York corporate law firm, she booked a suite at the ritzy Tanglewood Inn and Spa for a celebratory weekend and to get out of the New York City summer heat. I suspect she wasn't too thrilled when Ben asked to have us join them.

"What's troubling you? Is it Janet?" I asked.

"No, I get along pretty well with her. Maybe I'm worried because I've never been outside of Vermont before," Fern explained, "Couldn't she have found a nice music venue and spa near us?"

I did my best to suppress a laugh. "Near Greenwood? Fern, you don't really believe that Janet would be comfortable at any of the locations around Greenwood, do you? She's a big city girl and I suspect Tanglewood is a stretch for her. Besides, she probably wants to keep Ben as far away from your sister Sparkle as possible."

Sparkle was Fern's youngest sister and an oversexed pixie. She was drawn to men the way a moth is drawn to light. Her magically enhanced voluptuous body and ditzy personality was a combination that spelled trouble for any married man whose wife happened to be standing nearby. On second thought, she'd be trouble for any man, period, whether he was married or not.

Fern laughed. "I almost forgot about that. The look on Janet's face when Sparkle flirted with your brother at our wedding was priceless. If I hadn't swooped in and pulled Sparkle away, I don't know what Janet would have done."

"At least there was no permanent damage done to Ben and Janet's relationship," I responded, "They were pretty affectionate with each other by the end of the wedding reception."

"That's because I slipped them both a couple of pixie mushrooms before they left," Fern said, smiling.

"You WHAT?" I blurted and slammed on the brakes as a reflexive instinct.

The car behind us nearly ran into us. He gave a long blast on his horn to show his annoyance. I pulled over and watched the driver give me the one finger salute as he passed. I got back on the road and kept my distance from him.

Pixie mushrooms had a magical property that made people and pixies horny. I first discovered that too late at a campfire gathering with a few of Fern's sisters and brothers.

"I didn't need pixie-sense to see what Janet was feeling at the reception. The icy looks she gave your brother were bad enough, but he didn't help matters by sneaking peeks at Sparkle all evening," Fern explained. "So, I thought a little mushroom magic would bring them closer together."

"You're as clever as you are sneaky. No wonder I love you so much," I exclaimed with a chuckle. "But I can pixie-sense feelings too, you know. Tell me what's really bothering you."

Fern let out a small sigh. "It just . . . well . . . this is the weekend of the full moon and all."

"We went over all that with your siblings. They can celebrate the Festival of the Full Moon without us," I replied.

"It isn't right," Fern protested, "We're the King and Queen. We're supposed to be there."

"We left your sister Holly in charge. She's more than capable of making sure everything will run smoothly. Remember what a rock she was for you at my first festival? Vix had just become Queen and she wasn't there for most of the night," I recalled.

Fern looked at me. "You're right, of course. I don't know why I should be feeling so uneasy. I should just relax and enjoy myself. I'm sure Holly can handle it."

I reached over and put my hand on her thigh. "We'll be fine. Maybe we can sneak off somewhere and do our own Festival of the Full Moon together, just the two of us."

Fern rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see how you're going to pull that off."

The rest of the ride was unremarkable until we drove through Pittsfield and approached Lennox. I began to get a déjà vu feeling even though I had never been to Lennox or Tanglewood before. I dismissed the feeling, chalking it up to the fact that nearly all New England towns have a lot of architectural similarities. But Fern must have sensed something.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine, really. It's just that . . . well, have you ever been someplace for the first time and felt that you've been there before?" I asked, "Because that's what I'm feeling now."

"You might be having a pixie premonition," Fern replied.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Some people have strange dreams when they're around pixies," Fern explained, "Those dreams often reveal hidden secrets or places about pixies. That's how people got the idea that pixies exist in the first place."

"Is that what happened that first night I slept with you in the great oak tree and dreamt that the red fox turned into your sister Vix?" I asked.

"Exactly!" Fern exclaimed, "So maybe you dreamt about this place, too."

"That must have been some dream, because everything seems so familiar, I could swear I've been here before," I mused.

We arrived at Tanglewood around 4:30 and drove around a bit before checking in at the Tanglewood Inn and Spa close to 5 PM. Ben and Janet were already there and greeted us with smiles, hugs, and kisses. Janet had reserved a small suite with two separate bedrooms and a connecting common room with its own bar and seating area.

"I booked us some great seats for tomorrow night's concert. Third row, center section," Janet said smiling, "And after the concert, we're having cocktails and petit fours with the conductor and first violinist."

Fern turned and whispered in my ear, "Tomorrow night's the full moon."

"Is something wrong?" Janet asked, seeing Fern whispering to me.

"Ah, no," I said, putting my arm around Fern's shoulder, "This will be Fern's first concert and the first time seeing the Boston Symphony in person."

"Then I'm glad I could procure these tickets for you," Janet replied, smiling.

"Isn't she something?" Ben said proudly, with his arm around Janet's waist.

"Janet, Ben, this must be costing you a fortune," I marveled.

Ben just laughed. "You've been in the backwoods of Vermont too long, Bro. I deal with millions of dollars of financial transactions every month. The least I could do is share some of my good fortune with my brother and sister-in-law, right Hon?" he said, turning to his wife.

"Of course," Janet replied smiling.

Janet had impeccable social graces and manners and anyone observing her would have no doubt about her sincerity, but my pixie-sense clearly told me that Janet wanted to spend the weekend alone with her husband. Ben's mention of "backwoods" only reinforced her low opinion of anyone who didn't share her sophisticated urban lifestyle.

"And I have a little surprise of my own!" Ben announced.

A puzzled look crossed Janet's face as she turned to look at Ben. "What kind of surprise?"

"I made some very special dinner reservations for us tonight, but I won't tell you where it is until we get there," Ben replied mysteriously.

"But Ben dear, I already made reservations at the Golden Apron for tonight. It's only the most prestigious--" Janet began.

"Cancel them," Ben interrupted, "where we're going is so much better."

"But Ben, the chef at the Golden Apron is—" Janet persisted.

"Trust me, Janet, you can get anything you want where we're going," Ben interrupted again, giving me a wink.

Ben refused to answer any more questions and had us pile into his Mercedes. He drove us to Stockton and parked in front of a worn-down-looking building with the sign that read "The Back Room."

"Well, here we are!" Ben announced proudly, "What do you guys think?"

The look on Janet's face said it all. "We passed up dinner at the Golden Apron for this? Are you sure we're at the right place?"

I had another déjà vu moment. I knew this place.

"This is 'Alice's Restaurant'!" I blurted, but how did I know that?

"Way to go Bro!" Ben beamed, "I didn't think you followed sixties pop-culture."

"Is this the place Arlo Guthrie sang about?" Janet asked.

"What are you guys talking about, and who is this Guthrie guy?" Fern asked.

Ben explained as we went inside that this was the restaurant Arlo Guthrie wrote about in his song "Alice's Restaurant." He noted what a celebrated cultural icon the restaurant had become. There was even a movie made based loosely on the song.

Once we were inside, it was immediately apparent that cultural icons can fade over time. The place was nearly empty with only a few older couples dressed in sixties style clothing sitting at the tables. The décor had a late sixties feel to it, best described as "hippie-ish." There were a few celebrity pictures on the walls, but frankly, the place looked run down.

A pretty raven-haired girl who looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a black and white waitress outfit greeted us at the door. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn't think of any associations I could place her with.

Ben was at the head of our group, and she addressed him. "May I help you?"

She glanced in my direction and started to turn back towards Ben before doing a double-take and looked at me again. She shook her head slightly before turning back to Ben.

Ben was crestfallen as he looked around the room. It was obvious that this wasn't what he was expecting. "Yes. I have a reservation for 4 under the name Monroe."

The waitress giggled slightly to herself before putting on a more serious countenance. She didn't check her reservations ledger and I had a strong suspicion that the place didn't have one or need one.

"Of course. The Monroe party of four. Follow me." She said as she led us to a table near the back of the restaurant.

After we were seated, she handed each of us a menu.

"The special tonight is a vegetarian chef salad. I highly recommend it. Look the menu over and I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders," she said, giving me another long look before she left.

I watched her make a beeline for the kitchen, but not before giving me another glance before she went through the door.

"Sky? Anything wrong?" Fern asked.

"No, nothing really. It's just that I feel I know her somehow," I said as I opened the menu.

"Some secret lover, maybe?" Ben asked me with a conspiratory wink.

"Oh no, nothing like that! I know this sounds strange, but I'm sure I've never met her before," I replied perplexedly.

Janet wrinkled her nose at the menu. She turned to Ben, "I thought you said I could get anything I wanted here. I don't see anything on the menu that I want."

"That was a line from the song 'Alice's Restaurant'," Ben explained, "I was giving you a hint about where we were going."

"Fine," Janet said, burying her head back down into the menu, "But in the future, please leave the dinner reservations up to me."

After a few minutes, the waitress came back for our orders.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked.

"Do you know what you want, Janet?" Ben asked.

"I don't see anything here. . . wait. Where did this come from? I didn't see it on the menu before. I'll have the Chicken Florentine with a side dish of haricot vert et champignons," Janet said.

"I don't see that on my menu," Fern said. She was sitting next to Janet and leaned in her direction.

"It's right here," Janet said, pointing to an item on her menu.

"That isn't on my menu. See," Fern replied, showing Janet her menu.

"How odd!" Janet said after looking at Fern's menu.

"I'll take the steak, medium well with a side of those green beans with mushrooms as well," Ben said resolutely.

"I'll have the vegetarian chef salad special," Fern said, handing me her menu.

"That sounds good to me, too," I said to Fern. But when I turned to the waitress, I found her watching me with a penetrating stare.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Buck! Is that really you?" she asked me.

"No, my name is Skyler," I replied, but there was something about that name Buck that felt unsettling.

"You're not Buck? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm—" I began.

"Of course, he's sure!" Ben interrupted, sounding annoyed, "Now are you going to take his order or not?

The way the waitress continued to stare at me was unnerving. My pixie-sense suggested that she was searching for this Buck person, whoever that was. I was trying to get a sense from her of who this Buck person was and what he meant to her when I heard Ben call my name.

"Earth to Skyler. Are you going to give her your order or what?" he said.

"Sorry," I said, still trying to refocus my thoughts. Then, without paying too much attention to what I was saying, I told the waitress, "Tilly, I'll also have the vegetarian chef salad special; and tell Cosmo to make that raspberry vinaigrette dressing that I like and put it on the side."

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone at the table looked at me, including the waitress who now had her mouth open.

"What? Why are you all looking at me?" I asked, looking around.

The waitress spoke up first, "H-How did you know my name was Tilly and the chef's name was Cosmo?" she asked.

"Skyler, how did you know? She never told us her name," Janet added.

Fern spoke next, "She never mentioned anything about dressings, and you've never had raspberry vinaigrette since I've known you."

"Have you been holding out on us, Bro? You must have been here before," Ben added.

"N-No, I-I can't explain it. I-I just seemed to know somehow," I stammered.

Tilly, the waitress, turned and started for the kitchen.

"Oh Miss! Tilly, is it?" Ben called out, "Can you bring us a bottle of your best Malbec?" He looked at me and in a much lower voice added, "I think my brother could use a drink."

After Tilly went into the kitchen, Ben leaned over the table towards me. He looked concerned. "What's going on, Sky? How do you know so much about this place?"

"I-I'm not sure, Ben. I've been having strange sensations ever since we drove through Pittsfield," I replied. My stomach felt like it was in knots.

Fern placed her hand over mine and squeezed it reassuringly. "Before we were married, Sky had a dream about my sister - the one that died. It was amazingly accurate, more like a premonition. I think he must have had another dream-like premonition about this place and he's remembering bits and pieces of it now."

"I think I know what you mean," Janet said, reaching for Ben's hand, "I had a feeling like that when I first met Ben. I just knew he was the one. I even told him that on our honeymoon, remember Ben?"

Ben continued to give me a concerned look. "I remember you said that on our first night in Hawai'i. But that's not the same as knowing the names of the waitress and chef of a restaurant you've never been in before. Especially when my brother didn't know we would be dining here until a few of minutes ago."

All this attention was making me feel uncomfortable. I decided it was time to change the subject. "Hey everybody, this weekend is supposed to be about Ben and Fern, not my premonitions. I'll let you know if I ever have a premonition about the winning Megabucks numbers."

That prompted a laugh and the diversion I was hoping for.

"Skyler's right. As soon as that wine gets here, I want to toast the newest name partner, Benedict Monroe of Bernstein, Finkelmeier, and Monroe!" Janet exclaimed.

"And to the future veterinarian doctor in the family," Ben added, looking at Fern.

"I didn't know you had a sister that died. How did it happen?" Janet asked Fern.

"It was kind of a freak hunting accident," Fern explained.

Fortunately, before Janet could ask for details, Tilly came back with the wine.

Once the toasts were drunk, we all began to relax. Conversation turned quickly to Ben and his new position in the firm. Janet was already making plans for moving to a bigger townhouse on the upper east side.

Dinner arrived, and for a run-down-looking place, the food was remarkably good. Soon, we were all in high spirits and looking forward to a relaxing day at the spa and the evening concert tomorrow.

But throughout the meal, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. I thought I might have seen Chef Cosmo observing us from the kitchen out of the corner of my eye once or twice, but whenever I turned my head to look, there was no one there.

Between the wine, good food and great conversation, dinner lasted over two hours. We all agreed that it was one of the best meals we had ever enjoyed. That's when Janet surprised us all by suggesting we come back for dinner tomorrow night before the concert.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. We're closed tomorrow night," Tilly informed us.

"You can't be serious," Ben said with the air of disappointment and disbelief, "Tomorrow's Saturday and a concert night. That has to be the busiest night of the week for you. Possibly one of the busiest nights of the year!"

Fern looked at Tilly suspiciously. "Are you closed every Saturday night?" she asked.

"Oh no, not every Saturday night," Tilly responded a little too quickly, "Just tomorrow night because of the full moo—uh, I mean because of the full calendar. It's mother's birthday. Uh, I mean it's Cosmo's mother's birthday tomorrow and we're closed so we can celebrate her birthday."

"That's a shame. We really enjoyed the meal. Please thank the Cosmo for us and wish his mother a happy birthday," Ben said, leaving a generous tip.

Tilly looked at the amount of the tip and quickly blurted out, "Oh thank you so much!"