Cornbread & Crossroads

of what the bird wanted me to see, I gasped in horror. A dark figure slumped against the far corner of the seat.
“No,” I whispered, my whole body going cold with fear. “Not again.”
Mason’s demeanor changed from romantic boyfriend to professional detective. “Stay here,” he commanded.
My feet couldn’t move even if I wanted them to. I was frozen in place, my mind drowning in the memories of finding Uncle Tipper on my first night back to Honeysuckle. For once, I was grateful not to be the one barreling headfirst into trouble.
Mason spellcast a light orb and thrust it out in front of him. Its rays hovered over the figure until it lit up the face. “Charli, don’t—”
“Nana!” I shouted, rushing over and pushing the detective out of the way.
I kneeled in front of my grandmother in absolute despair. Her hands lay in her lap, and I gathered them up in my own, trying to will her to be alive.
Leaning over me, Mason reached out to touch her. “I feel a heartbeat. Do you hear me, Charli? She’s not dead.”
Involuntary tears gushed down my face, and I brought Nana’s wrinkled hands to my mouth to kiss them. “Nana! Nana, wake up!” I cried. When she didn’t answer, I placed my head in her lap, hugging her about her legs.
Mason shook her shoulder a couple of times. “Ms. Goodwin. Can you hear me?”
My grandmother’s body stirred underneath me, and I glanced up with hope. “Nana?”
She blinked her eyes, staring at me as if she struggled to see through a thick fog. “I was having the strangest dream.” Her fingers brushed through my hair. “Although I could have sworn it was real. It felt like I could have stayed there forever if you hadn’t called me back.”
Mason pulled his spell phone out of his pocket and spoke into it. “Yeah, Zeke, we’re gonna need someone to find Doc Andrews quick and then we’ll need a patrol car to take Ms. Goodwin to the clinic to get checked out. No, not Charli, her grandmother.”
Nana tugged on the detective’s arm to try and stand up but faltered in her attempt. She slumped back on the bench, and Biddy hopped closer to her, fluttering her wings and croaking at her.
“Please don’t move, Ms. Goodwin,” Mason instructed. “Help is on its way.”
“I’m all right,” she reassured all of us, although the shakiness in her tone suggested more frailty. “Just a little befuddled.”
“Do you know how you got here? Or why?” I asked, wanting to find the root cause and banish it as quickly as possible.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the bridge of her nose. “I was feeling a little tired this afternoon, but I figured some good food, good music, and excellent friends would perk me right up. But once things got going, I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I found a quieter place to sit down to rest for just a moment. I don’t remember much other than waking up to your pretty face, Birdy.” She cradled my cheek in her fingers.
I turned to plant a kiss on her palm. If something had happened to my grandmother, I’d be sure to find out what and if anybody was responsible. And if someone was, they’d better watch out because they’d have me and a whole heap of trouble coming down on top of them.
Nana sighed and slapped her thighs. “Well, I’m awake now. Better go back to the festivities.” She pushed herself off the bench and stood.
I scrambled back and got off the ground to hold her right arm to steady her. “No, you’re not. You’re going to sit back down and wait here for Doc Andrews and then you’re going to let him take you to his office so he can check you out.”
“Birdy, pigs better be flying overhead if you think I’m gonna stay here and be treated like some invalid.” She stuck a hand up to stop Mason from protesting. “No, Detective. As you can see with your own eyes, I’m fit as a fiddle.”
Matt called out our grandmother’s name as he rushed in our direction. I gave him space to reassure himself that, for the most part, she seemed okay.
“Everybody, stop your fussin’,” Nana complained to no avail.
In a small town, gossip is the best currency, and it didn’t take long for word about my grandmother’s condition to spread. Onlookers crowded around the bench, and Big Willie and Mason had to force them back a few feet to give Doc Andrews room.
The doc flashed a light in and out of Nana’s eyes after palpating her head thoroughly. “Well, best I can tell, it doesn’t seem like she received an injury that would cause a concussion. Come on, Vivi, we’ll go to my office and give you a good once-over.”
With so many eyes on her, Nana judged it best to comply. Only Matt and I recognized the fire in her glare that told us there’d be a steep price to pay later. But neither of us cared about our well-being as much as making sure the woman who helped raise us and kept us grounded in life was absolutely okay.
The Sheriff escorted Nana by the arm to a nearby warden’s car, and Matt and I followed close behind. As we got to the edge of the park, I overheard Aunt Nora declare loud enough for us to hear, “She’s in good hands, everybody. I suppose I’ll give the speech for tonight.”
Nana scooted into the back seat of the car and smirked. “I swear, I think that woman would gladly dance on top of my grave.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said, sending up a silent plea to the universe to keep my grandmother alive and kickin’ for a little longer.

Chapter Five
Convincing the strongest witch in town that she needed to stay quiet for a few days took a literal army of friends and family. Matt and I ignored every single one of Nana’s demands for her to be