Read The Pumpkin Man for Free Online Page B

1981
    Sometimes I feel like I’ve lived most of my life under a rock. There are so many things that I’m learning here: How the world really works. The difference between a wish and a dream—and a curse and a hex. The library George’s family has amassed is fascinating and helping me understand. He won’t talk about any of it, though.
    Animal totems and their powers are one thing I’ve focused on. I have always hated snakes, but if you need the ability to slip into places unseen, theirs is the strength to court. And, who knew that bats are the true guardians of the dark way? A bat can open the door to the spirit world or keep it closed. With a bat as your familiar—ha, I can’t even believe I wrote that—you can gain so much protection . . . and entree.
    I wish that I could have known George’s family instead of trying to pick up their wisdom from the things they left behind. Still, this house is rich with history. Rich with the invisible. I know they’ve been here with me these past months and years, guiding me to this point. Opening the way.
    Today I nailed a bat to the doorway into the basement. I placed a warding spell on it that will protect whoever sleeps in this room. It’s a simple thing, a simple spell. But it will ease my mind as I try to sleep. I won’t have to worry about the things in the walls. I won’t have to worryabout losing my George. In the end, it’s all about protecting those that you hold dear, isn’t it? In any way you can.
    I never thought that I would do anything like this . . . but there are some things that a woman has to do to protect what she loves. No matter what.

C HAPTER S IX
    Midterms came and went in a blink. Jennica struggled to keep up, but the days passed in a blur. She still got calls from newspaper reporters following up on the mysterious murder of her father, but the story faded from front-page news to back-page updates. The police still said they had nothing, and Jenn was growing frustrated with their handling of the situation. Whenever she asked about the exact details surrounding the discovery of the body, the lieutenant grew taciturn, suggesting there were a couple clues that they were holding close to the vest.
    She’d given up asking, though. It didn’t matter. Her dad was dead, and the killer had walked away with his head. His
head!
What the fuck? How much more did she really want to know?
    The fourth-period bell interrupted her musings, and the class slapped shut chapter seventeen of their textbooks as one. In moments the room was empty except for a familiar figure in the doorway. Sister Beatrice again. Jennica groaned. The presence of the principal was never a good omen. The name sounded so sweet and unassuming and kind. The woman was anything but.
    â€œMs. Murphy,” the sister said, her mouth drawn in a thin line. “I need to see you in my office.”
    That was an even worse sign.
    Jennica scooped up her papers, grabbed her bag and followed the nun down the hallway. Sister Beatrice cut a path through a mob of young teens all scurrying to their lockers to stow books and grab lunches, but Jenn had a sinking feeling that she wasn’tgoing to be hungry for lunch after this meeting. And she was right.
    â€œSit down,” Sister Beatrice instructed, taking her place behind a large desk whose blond wood was almost completely hidden by stacks of paper. “As you know, we’ve had to look very closely at the budget for the remainder of this year and next. We started the year with fewer students than we expected and have had several switch to public schools since. At the same time, expenses continue to climb. Last night, we approved a reduction in force.”
    Oh crap. RIF’ed in her first year? That meant she’d be without a check come summer if she didn’t move fast.
    â€œThis impacts several of our staff,” Sister Beatrice continued, “and I’m sorry to tell you