Cornbread & Crossroads

interjected from the doorway. Her face was contorted in her normal sour expression.
Clementine shifted with discomfort in her seat. “Mother, why are you here?”
My aunt lifted her eyebrows in incredulity. “It sounds like I came in time to keep this committee organized and on task instead of discussing whimsical ideas that sound like they shouldn’t even be considered.”
“This committee is about sharing ideas to help find the best solution to our current issues,” my cousin explained, standing up to face her mother.
It had only been about a month since her father, my Uncle Philip, had suffered a pretty nasty heart attack. For a while, we had been worried that he wouldn’t make it. Although he’d recovered, his brush with mortality had whipped up my aunt’s tendencies and peculiarities into a realm of obsession I could never understand. Poor Clem stood as the wall between her mother and the rest of the world more times than I could count.
“And as a town council member, I have every right to be here,” Aunt Nora stated with added authority.
My chair scraped the floor as I stood in solidarity with my cousin. “Actually, the committee is supposed to act on its own and then bring the council the information it gathers for approval. That way, the council members can help out without their preferences being involved.”
“And what about his presence on the committee?” My aunt jutted her thumb in Flint’s direction. “Mr. Hollyspring is a town council member as well. Is it because he and his wife are related to those causing all the chaos? Does he not bring in his own biases?”
My aunt’s hypocrisy ground my gears. Her own prejudices were front and center in her words and actions. In one vile moment, she showed exactly why town council members should not be on the committee.
“I don’t know what you mean by related,” I challenged, glaring at my aunt. “But he was invited by the committee to provide facts that only he can as head of security for Honeysuckle. He didn’t crash the meeting.”
Clementine flinched a little after my statement, and I regretted my words in an instant. I should be more sympathetic to my aunt’s emotional state after what she’d been through with her husband. And I always tried to remember that she was my mom’s sister after all, although I’d never understand how biology connected someone as warm and sweet as my mother with someone as quick to be cold as my aunt.
Flint gathered up his papers. “It’s high time I should be getting back to my post anyway. I can leave this portion of the report here to see my assessment of overall security. While everything is currently working, I have notated where I foresee having trouble with an increased rate of growth. I will leave it here for you, Ms. Hawthorne.”
Without another word, the gnome hopped down from his chair at the table and made his way to the door. When he reached the threshold, he addressed my aunt. “I’ll be happy to walk out with you, Nora.”
My aunt sniffed in contempt while gazing down her nose at the smaller individual. The corners of her pursed lips turned downward, and she opened her mouth to spew something no doubt insulting.
“Thank you both for checking in with our committee,” Clementine interrupted. “I will make sure that you and the rest of the town council get a full report of our findings and any proposals.”
She grasped the door and began closing it, giving her mother no room to continue standing in the way. Flint nodded his head once at Clementine and departed. Aunt Nora sputtered incoherently, unable to process or fight against her daughter’s bold move.
“Thanks again, Mother,” Clementine said as she pushed the door closed and shut out my aunt for good. Her hand remained on the wood of the door as she bent her head and took a couple of deep breaths.
After she’d steadied herself, she readdressed the group with a forced smile. “I’m sorry for the interruption and the derailment of the meeting.”
I wanted to jump out of my seat with a squeal of delight and high-five my cousin, but that would further undermine her well-earned authority. Instead, I squirmed in my chair with gratified glee, until she glanced at me. Taking the brief opportunity, I winked and grinned at her, watching her shoulders relax a little more.
“To get back to the point you were making, Juniper, if I’m understanding things right, there might be ways to create a type of fae dwelling. However, there might also be consequences to constructing and running it?” Clementine clarified.
The fairy, whose wings flapped so hard they were a blur, struggled with her nerves. “Y-y-yes, that’s correct. Not only could it breed unrest amongst those who lived there but also without a strong enough fae to maintain control…”
“Things could get even more out of hand than the pockets of chaos we’ve already been experiencing?” I finished for her.
“Exactly,” she sighed in agreement. She wrung her hands in front of her. “Most of the fae kind that have come to live here have done so because it was a safe haven, much like the new residents. However, many of us enjoyed the protection of secrecy being here provided.”
David spoke up again. “The more of us that arrive, the harder it will be to remain unnoticed amongst our kind. And an actual sithen might bring the town very unwanted attention from fae the likes of whom you would never want to deal with.”
Finished giving the volatile information, Juniper floated down. She slumped onto her chair as if she didn’t want any more attention, but she tipped her head up to give David a glance of gratitude.
Mimsy Blackwood, grandmother to my friends Lily and Lavender, spoke in a soft, kind voice. “Forgive me for saying so, dear, but why propose something that could bring more trouble than help to Honeysuckle?”
Juniper’s lips quivered for a second, but she sniffed twice and sat up straight to answer.