Ring of Light by Isobel Bird

promise to Mrs. Abercrombie—and to herself. So she pushed open the doors of the nursing home and went inside. As she walked toward the nursing office she thought about what they had discussed in their Wicca study group on Tuesday night. Because it was summer, a number of people were on vacation or away until Jasper College started up again in September, so the study group was smaller than usual. Instead of their usual format, they were meeting more informally to talk about what was happening in their lives and to discuss any particular issues they were having with their individual progress.
    Annie had been particularly anxious for Tuesday’s meeting because of what had happened at work that day. Being with other people who were studying witchcraft relaxed her and made her feel like she was part of an extended family. She knew she could talk about what had happened with her friends and maybe they would have some advice for dealing with her feelings.
    She’d been right. When she told the group what had happened with Ben Rowe, Sophia had nodded her head knowingly. “Remember at your initiation, when we told you that there would be a lot of challenges as you walked the path for a year and a day?” she’d asked. “Well, sometimes those challenges come in the form of people. It sounds like you’ve tripped right over one.”
    Now, passing by the rooms of the people who lived at Shady Hills, Annie thought more about that idea. She’d decided to volunteer at the nursing home for the summer because she thought it would help her face something in her life that she’d been struggling with for many years. She’d had the idea after the Midsummer ritual she and her friends had attended, at which she’d come face-to-face with her fear of death, and particularly with her unresolved sadness over the deaths of her parents when she was a little girl. Coming into a place where people were living out the ends of their lives seemed like a good way for her to start accepting that part of the cycle of nature, and she’d been proud of herself for taking that step.
    But now she appeared to be facing a new hurdle, on only her third day. She’d been hoping to ease into things gradually. But if Sophia was right, she had instead fallen headlong into things from the very first minute thanks to Ben Rowe and his stupid picture. While she felt badly about breaking the frame, Annie couldn’t help resenting the old man a little bit. She had only been trying to help. He was the one who had knocked the glass from her hands. He was the one who had screamed at her for no reason. Why should she feel sorry about anything? Ben Rowe isn’t a challenge, she thought grimly. He’s just a nasty old man. And if she had anything to say about it, she was going to stay as far away from him as she possibly could.
    â€œLook who’s back,” Mrs. Abercrombie said when Annie entered the nurses’ room. She was sitting at her desk, looking at something on her ever-present clipboard, and she seemed to be in a good mood.
    â€œHi,” said Annie. “What’s on the schedule for today? Do you want me to start doing the beds?”
    Mrs. Abercrombie shook her head. “Not today, sweetie,” she said brightly. “Today we have an event.”
    â€œAn event?” Annie repeated, not understanding.
    â€œEvery so often we have someone come in to do some kind of program for the guests,” the nurse explained. “You know, school choirs that come in and sing at Christmas. People who come by and lead Bingo Night. That kind of thing.”
    Annie nodded. “I get it,” she said. “So what’s today’s event?”
    â€œHow do you feel about magic?” asked Mrs. Abercrombie.
    â€œMagic?” Annie said, wondering what the woman was getting at. “What do you mean?” Was it possible, she wondered, that Mrs. Abercrombie somehow knew about her involvement