School for witches is open

The next chapter of Golden Threads has hit the stands. Have you ever wondered what spells a witch would need to learn first, especially if his or her life was in danger?  Find out here: Chapter 20: The Teachings! To read any chapter to date, click here. Enjoy. Leave me a comment, too.

Since this chapter features Heather, Laura’s sponsor and teacher, I thought we’d interview her for today’s post. Why not! Let’s have some fun with one of our fictional characters.

The "Cave of the Witches" near Akela...
The “Cave of the Witches” near Akelarre in Zugarramurdi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome Heather!

Thanks for having me.

You play a very special role in the lives of our main characters.

I do, indeed. I act as mother to David and Laura, and also as a teacher for Laura and Matthew.

How did you get that role?

I was born to it. I know that sounds odd, and it is a bit unusual. It’s complicated. Are you sure your readers want to know all this?

Of course they do.

You see, ever since the Industrial Revolution began, animals, witches and fairies have worried about the damage it was causing to Mother Earth and all of the creatures living on her. The truth is, we worried long before that, since witches from the future would occasionally appear and warn us how bad it would get. Still, it was difficult to rally much support until humans started burning coal and then other fossil fuels. These future witches would rarely stay long, then they’d be gone and we’d sink back into our old ways.

But then coal came along.

Yes. And exploiting coal and other humanoids gave the reptilians more power than they’d ever had. And we, meaning witches and fairies, formed an alliance to study the issue. We came up with a plan. We’d make a list of the most powerful witches that had ever lived. If things got bad enough, we’d try to bring them forward. In the meantime, we’d cultivate our resources and prepare. Long before Silent Spring was published, we began identifying present day witches and fairies with special abilities.

And you’re one of those special witches.

Yes. So are my parents. They both taught at Oxford. We’re teachers. But we also have strong magic and great memories. My father taught history. My mother was a botanist. She was groomed, just like me, to sponsor witch children from the past, if the need arose. I inherited both my parent’s skills. More than that, I was trained by a special group of witches and fairies, so I can teach all known spells. Plus, I studied psychology at University.

Why that?

It’s a very important skill. Some of the witches we brought forward in the early days, like Laura and David’s father and uncle, were completely unsuited to the task. For example, Laura’s father was very arrogant and unteachable. Her uncle liked to gamble and womanize. We had others that were too shy or just terrible with communication skills. We wanted to make sure we had witches with the right personality. One way to do that was to choose small children, like David, and raise them ourselves. You know, teach them kindness and responsibility along with interpersonal skills. We need real leaders who can work with others. Anyway –

But what about your own daughter?

Wendy? She’ll be fine. She was the kindest child until she turned eleven. It’s interesting seeing how difficult it is to be a teenager in the modern world. She wants to fit in very badly, and she’s fallen in with a selfish, spoiled crowd, but she’s going to snap out of it, I’m certain.

And George? What’s his role?

He makes good money.

Witches need money?

Of course. We can’t go around drawing goods to ourselves with spells. That would draw too much attention.

Is that all with George?

No. He’s only a moderately powerful witch, but he has a strong protection gene. His role is to keep us safe and be a father. It was a lucky break that I fell in love with him. His computer skills are handy, too. That’s what he does. I don’t know enough about his job to explain it to you.

Anything else you want to say to our readers?

Yes. The time will come when we’ll need everyone to do their part to keep the world from turning into a toxic soup, heated to unbearable levels by greenhouse gasses. Get involved. You may not have magic, but you can do your part.

Thank you, Heather.

My pleasure.

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