The Mayor, the Witch, and the Lumberjack - Chapter 4

Instructions

Louis stared out his window. The setting sun felt uncomfortable through the glass, but he kept the curtains open. He needed something to distract himself, and watching the town was his way of doing so. His office had a perfect view of the shopping district. He lost himself in the lives below. People were still bustling through the market, gathering the last of what they needed before the end of their day. Kids ran through the streets, chasing each other and playing any game they could think of. Shop owners began winding down, putting their stock away. Oakhurst was alive. The thousands of hearts beating effortlessly proved that. But they were something else, too. They were a painful reminder that its mayor was not. He shut his eyes, but the heartbeats pumped louder. *Thud. Thud. Thud.* They echoed through his mind. They sounded so appetizing… ‘No.’ He shook himself out of that. ‘Control yourself. Animals are enough. Keep it that way.’ Louis's eyes drifted past the shopping district to outside the walls. Through the trees, he could make out the dim silhouette of a cabin. A faint smile rested on his lips. He'd never been there himself, but he knew who lived there. Memories of the lumberjack made his heart flutter: The way he ruffled his long, dark hair when he was lost in thought. The way his hazel eyes smiled for him. The way he relaxed when they were alone. The way Louis felt when they were together… The mayor blinked out of his thoughts as the door creaked open. It was Varona. Dark circles had found their way under her eyes, her face a mix of exhaustion and grim relief. She wordlessly closed the door, making her way to a chair. Nervously, Louis watched her. “... Is he… Did it-” He cut off as she raised a finger. Her eyes lingered on the door, narrowing as she listened. She slowly breathed out and turned back to him, lowering her hand. “He's fine,” She assured her brother. “It's going to take a week for a full recovery, but it's up to him if it actually works.” Louis tilted his head. “Up to him? What does that mean?” She didn't respond immediately. “I'll check on him every evening.” She carefully avoided the question. “Make sure the linen he wraps around his hands doesn't interfere with anything. Make sure everything is working right.” “Varona.” He narrowed his eyes at his younger sister. “What does he have to do?” There was a long, heavy silence between them as Varona forced her mouth to work. “I don’t think he can do it-” “*Varona*!” Silence slowly choked the siblings. Louis could’ve sworn he could feel every beat filling his lungs. Granted, he didn’t need to breathe, but it still hurt his chest. Why was she so hesitant? All the silence did was terrify. The witch finally spoke after a long, long minute. “He can’t think about you for a week. He can’t see you, can’t feel you, nothing. And I just don’t think he can do that.” The mayor froze. He twitched slightly. That shouldn’t have hurt as badly as it did. But his heart felt like it’d been staked clean through. It was a *week*, that wasn’t an eternity. Only a week, and then Owen would be healed. And then they could both be *happy*. Somehow, he couldn’t get the end result to stick in his head. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him:” Varona murmured. “It’s not forever. You survived without him for years; what’s a week in comparison to that?” There were a few beats before Louis responded. “I guess…” He didn’t sound convinced. He moved closer to Varona and plopped down on the floor next to her chair. “I’m gonna miss him though…” “Yeah… I know you will.” They moved so that their feet touched, just barely. Varona rarely liked physical contact that she didn’t initiate, so it was Louis’s way of asking for touch. Varona picked up on this and slid out of the chair, now sitting parallel with him. She leaned over to hug him. “I’m just… worried for him,” Louis explained as they embraced. “... What if something happens? What if he gets in trouble, a-and I can’t help him, cause then I’ll screw it all up? O-or what if-?” “What if? What if? What if?” Varona pulled out of the hug and gripped his arms. “You’re not gonna help anything if you keep going like this. Stop thinking about what *could* happen. Think about what *has*.” He took in a calming breath, meeting her eyes. “Ok… Um… the spell worked?” She nodded. “He reacted well to the paranormal?” Another nod. “Um…” “His face went red when I mentioned I was doing this because you asked me to.” Louis blinked at her, breaking out of the worrying thought. “He-... He did?” His sister smirked knowingly, nudging him. “Ohhhhhh yes.” The mayor felt himself smile a little at that. Did that… did that mean what he thought it did? Was Owen…? Did he…? Oh, he *so* hoped it did. His face went warm as Varona began to cackle. “You are adorable,” She assured him. “Absolutely adorable.”