Tuesday Treats & Titles: Cheesecake Factory Moonstruck Bread

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Silver James

Okay. To be honest, the real name of this treat is Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread and this is one of those “copy-cat” recipes, because as far as I know Cheesecake Factory doesn’t reveal their recipes. Heck, are they still in businees? We used to eat at our local one all the time and then…we didn’t. Still, the food was good–if a bit pricey–and it was fun for special occasions. And yes, I really liked (still do!) their bread. As far as bread making goes, this one isn’t too hard.

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 (.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups bread flour or to taste
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons salted butter melted
Semolina flour or cornmeal to taste, for the bottom of the pan
Oil to taste
Old-fashioned oats to taste, for topping

Directions
1 – In a bowl, mix the warm water, the honey, the molasses, and the brown sugar together.
2 – Sprinkle the yeast on top of the sugar mixture and let it sit until it is foamy, about 5 minutes.
3 – In a second, large bowl, mix 2 cups of the bread flour, 1 cup of the whole wheat flour, the cocoa powder, and the salt together.
4 – Add the yeast mixture and the melted butter to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms, adding more of the bread flour and the whole wheat flour as needed until the dough is elastic, not dry, and only very slightly sticky.
5 – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. If using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky when ready.
6 – Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkling the paper with the semolina flour.
7 – Lightly oil a clean bowl and add the dough.
8 – Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1-2 hours.
9 – Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
10 – Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.
11 – Form each dough piece into a 7-8-inch-long loaf.
12 – Spread the loaves out onto the prepared sheet, leaving some space in between.
13 – Top the loaves with the oats.
14 – Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise until the dough puffs up, about 30-40 minutes.
15 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
16 – Uncover the loaves and bake, rotating the pan once, until they are cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.
17 – Let the bread cool before slicing.

If you haven’t read MONTANA MOON, let me tell you a little about it. Lauren Reilly was a historical archivist at the Pentagon. You know that old joke about “If I tell you, I have to kill you”? Yeah, turns out it’s not so funny when it’s real. Running for her life, she’s rescued by Tait “Shooter” McCord, a lone Wolf “friend of a friend” living off-grid in Montana and working as a bounty hunter. Turns out, Cheesecake Factory is one of Lauren’s favorite restaurants. She promises that she’ll learn to bake the bread. Soon. No, really. Tait just rolls his eyes and makes a grocery list. He’ll end up making the bread for her because he’s just “that” guy. If you’re interested in their story, which is a standalone set in the overall Moonstruck world, just click on a pic or the book title to be magicially transported to Books2Read’s landing page where you can find your favorite on-line bookstore.

If you want more info on the recipe, here’s the Hey Recipe link. Who else remembers Cheesecake Factory and loved their bread? 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Monday Mishaps

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Silver James

Gosh. Monday again. We’re almost halfway through April? Where are the days going? I feel like I’m just stumbling around in a daze.

Speaking of stumbling, I pulled a massive uh-oh Friday night. As most of you know, my eyesight isn’t the best. It is especially troublesome when I moving between light and dark and vice versa. Adjusting to the varying light situations takes a few moments. I’m not always patient enough to wait. Poor Jake happened to be lying in the floor between the doorway I exited and the doorway I was headed to. I stumbled over him and came down hard on the cement floor on my left knee, followed by my left hip0, my right hand (don’t ask how that happened as I have no clue) and then my left shoulder. It’s not the first time I’ve fallen on that knee. It’s a wonder it works at all. The pain was bad enough it made me dizzy and nauseous. I had to lay there for about ten minutes before LG and I could figure out how to get me off the floor. Jake and Toby were freaked, not suprisingly. Anyway, I managed to get up with assistance and a footstool (that’s a story and this one is already in tl:dr territory). Ice and ibuprofen helped. Good thing I have mostly strong bones.

Due to the ouchies, Saturday was pretty much a stay-in-bed, prop-up-knee, ice-and-ibuprofen day. Everything hurt.

Sunday, I was sore but it was in the muscles not the nones and joints. Oh, if I bump my knee it’s a big OUCH! Same with the hip. If I reach wrong, the shoulder reminds me I’m an idiot.

The good thing is, I watched quite a bit of softball. Do NOT get me started on baseball. Bless LG for his paitence. He’s the one who’s dealt with AT&T all week. See, a bunch of sh…stuff went down like dominoes. MLB and the teams made a deal to stream games. Fans have to pay subscription fees. You might get to watch your favorite team or not. The thing is, a lot of us with cable pay extra for the sports package. Those channels started as Fox Sports, which sold off the channels to Bally Sports, which sold off to FanDuel. Due to all these grandfathered packages, MLB agreed to continue showing the in-market games on dedicated team channels. Here’s the rub, here in Okieland, we technically have FOUR in-market teams: STL Cardinals, KC Royals, TX Rangers, and HST Astros. The thing is, none of those dedicated channels were showing up in our AT&T U-verse channel line-up. MLB says it’s AT&T and the Cardinals’ fault. AT&T blames MLB and the teams. The teams blame MLB & AT&T. Now, FanDuel’s parent company is shutting down all those channels by the end of April. NOW we understand why each team is assigned a designated channel. It’s a total Charlie Foxtrot. The channels are showing up now but we can only watch the Rangers’ games. We might be able to watch the ‘Stros but I don’t care so haven’t actually checked. There are other teams we like to watch that we used to be able to watch but not anymore. We are also getting a credit on our bill. Allegedly. It hasn’t shown up yet.

Now, to has insult to this whole debackle, the “splitter” box on the TV in the bedroom is fritzing. We even bouth a new TV, thinking that was the problem. Nope. It was the damn box. That took LG an entire day on the phone. AT&T is–again allegedly–sending a new box and universal remote. They told LG 1-2 days. That was…Thursday? Or maybe Friday. Anyway, it aint here and the pixelating/freezing/black screen is getting worse.

Tech hates me.

In other news, no soccer for us due to LG falling Friday morning and me falling Friday night. Friday was NOT a good day for the James Gang. Also, we’ve had rain. That’s a good thing. We need more of it! Also, lots of softball watching. Yay! My Cowgirls went 2-1 at Iowa State. The Sooners almost swept Texas but the Longhorns managed a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 8th. Ah well. They took 2 of 3, like the Cowgirls so not a back weekend. Next up, Bedlam on Wednesday!

I fininshed the new Ilona Andrews release, THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME. It ended on a massive cliffhanger and book 2 is a year away. I’m not happy about the cliffhanger but I had mixxed emtions about the book. I really wanted to love it. I didn’t. I liked it okay. I’m back to Larissa Ione’s Demonica/Four Horseman series. In writing news, I managed to eke out the winning Thursday Threads entry last week so new words on Wednesday. I had serious plans about writing over the weekend but yeah…that didn’t happen.

No major plans for this coming week. Fingers crossed for tech finally working out. Fingers and toes crossed for new words every day. We might have storms tomorrow. I don’t mind storms as long as we get rain. I had one daffodil, no wisteria, no peony this spring. I currently have one iris blooming and I think the honeysuckle bush may finally be getting some buds. It’s been a hard year for plants. Have a great week, all.

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Friday Sinema: Lego Rescue

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Silver James

TGIF! You might have to click through to X to watch this video but it’s worth it. People who can do videos like this absolutely amaze me. Also, this is very topical. Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Instructions

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Silver James

Decisions, decisions. The Universe has been really on point of late and trying to pick just one message to pass along has not been an easy choice. And look at me, I managed to use different words to convey the same action: decisions, pick, choice. There was a thread over on X about the struggle to not use the same word over and and over. As one writer said, Theasaurus is their favor dinosaur. In another thread, we were talking about characters and the different aspects of creating and writing them and the need to infuse life into them. Hence, I picked this one:

Honor them.

Love them.

Help them.

Heal them.

But above all else, Silver, free them.

Everyone, of course –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. They’ll return, Silver, one day, somewhere, over the rainbow or in times without space. And then they’ll show you all the “pictures” they took, play some weird music, and finally… they’ll thank you.

This is a very basic yet very complete blueprint for writing characters and developing their arcs. I’m a bit weird in that I tend to give even my secondary characters their own emotional arcs. That’s partly due to the fact that I think in series so I know eacy of them will likely get their own story eventually. I want my readers to be as invested in their lives as I am. And trust me, I am. I’m not kidding when I say the majority of my friends are imaginary–and yes, I have a meme for that. 😆

So there it is in simple terms. For those of you who are starting to write and writers well into their careers who might need a reminder. And for readers, this is a little peek into the way a writer’s mind works. Of course, this applies to real people too. Honor. Love. Help. Heal. Free. It all sounds so simple in theory but it’s tough to put into practice. On that note, I have a stubborn hero to go tangle with. He’s not happy with me at the moment but someday, I’m pretty sure he’ll thank me. 😉

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Wednesday Words: Just Do It!

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Silver James

Once again Wednesday has arrived and once again I have new words! Yay! Actually, despite Real Life and my own frustration with Iffy, Ariel and his dang book, and other stuff, I have managed a few days of adding more words. Last week was also a busy week for most of the writers who participate in the Thursday Threads challenge. As a result, the host–who was also the judge last week–decided just to “critique” each entry and not assign winners. That works for me. I do it for the inspiration and the new words more than the “glory.” This is what the host had to say about my words: The juxtaposition of Ariel’s demeanor outside the throne room versus inside is striking, yet he still holds enough autonomy to hold back secrets until the very end, where his sass gets him in trouble. Great tale. The prompt is: *“Just get it done.”* This scene happens in the not too distant future in the books timeline–at least from the point where I’m currently working.

****
And so history repeats itself, Ariel Daoine thought. It hadn’t been all that long ago that he’d stood here, leaning against the marble wall with one booted-foot propped against it, waiting to be summoned into the throne room. That time, he’d been sent to Carcair. If not for Titania, he’d likely still be sitting in that dungeon cell.

The massive doors opened and he heard his name called. Pushing off the wall, he squared his shoulders and headed inside. Courtiers gathered in knots, their conversations a susurration that filled the room like a spring breeze whispering through a stand of rowans. He strolled toward the dias and the arrogant man sprawling in the massive chair. Created from a live oak, it’s branches formed a bower for the royal.

“What news, Ariel?” Oberon smile, in a magnanimous mood for the moment.

“Had I news to report, I would have come without your summons.”

“Stow your insolence, whelp. Why is the changeling still breathing?”

That was a question Ariel did not want to answer. Admitting he was falling in love with his target would see him back in Carcair.

“There are extenuating circumstances.”

“Explain.”

“The person you have identified may be an innocent.” And was possibly fated, but he wasn’t ready to explain that.

“Don’t care. Just get it done.”

Ariel walked away, muttering under his breath, “Easy for you to say.”

“Daoine!” Oberon shouted. “Face me.”

Turning, Ariel raised his chin. His gaze locked on the King. “As you wish.”
****

Okay, writers, time to put your inspiration caps on and get to work, should you accept the challenge. Readers, two questions for you today. First, do you recognize the book/movie the last line comes from? Second, what do you have to get done today? Also, for anyone curious, Ariel’s last name–Daoine–is pronounced Dee-nee. Yes, Celtic is so weird. Still, it looks cool spelled out. 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Ghosts & French Muffins

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Silver James

I had to dive back into today’s featured title, GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES, to figure something out in ARIEL’S DANG BOOK and I remembered this recipe. I’d meant to feature it back when I was doing the whole new release thing and it somehow got lost in the shuffle. I’m glad I found it because these muffins are yummy and pretty quick to go from making to serving. 

French Breakfast Puffy Muffins
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 min
Makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS
Muffins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
1 large egg room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

INSTRUCTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 12-portion muffin tin and set it aside.
2 - In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter and ½ cup granulated suagr until light and fluffy.
3 - Add the egg, mixing until incorporated.
4 - Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
5 - Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry. Mix well after each addition.
6 - Portion batter to fill each of the prepared muffin tins, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7 - Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. While the muffins are still warm, dip the top of the muffin into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar blend until coated. Serve warm.

TIPS
1. *Sugar - For the topping you can use sanding or raw sugar to give a bit more "crunch" and it makes the muffins look extra special.
2. For REALLY smooth batter, shift the dry ingredients together rather than just mixing them.
3. Do NOT over beat the batter. Do that makes for a denser texture.
4. These are best when served warm but you can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, depending on your wattage.
5. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or the fridge for one week (7 days). You can freeze them in either an airtight container or a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and then pop them in the microwave to heat, but make sure they are thawed completely! (Personally, the only reason they’d get frozen in my house is if I was making them waaaay ahead of time.)

I actually have no idea if these muffins are truly French or not. All I know is that they are light, yummy with coffee (or tea or cocoa), and that Sade thinks they are French. She likes them. She doesn’t make them because we are talking about Sade here. And…I’ve just decided that I’m going to add them to the breakfast buffet at the hotel in Rochester (again, ARIEL’S DANG BOOK) where the Scooby Gang is currently heaquartered. Or they will be once Sade checks in, and then Caleb and Sinjen show up. Sade is currently enroute from the airport. At the moment, Ariel and Nikos are the only ones there. But back to the muffins, they are good for a mid-afternoon reading break. Or a midnight snack when you have just one more chapter. Obviously, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch–they do pair well with mimosas…just sayin’…–and a light dessert after lunch or dinner. And yes, the punctuation in that last sentence is crazy but I wanted folks to realize that this blog is NOT written by AI. Yeah, yeah, no mini-rants. I’ll save it for another day. Mainly, I just want folks to buy my book and enjoy a light snack while reading it. So, click on any picture with the cover or the title up there in the first paragraph. The link will whisk you off to Books2Read to find your favorite on-line book seller. You can grab GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES in either digital (ebook) or paperback. Let me know if you try the muffins! I hope you enjoy both the title and the treats!

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Easter Monday

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Silver James

The Monday after Easter should be a holiday to so we can all reamin in our chocolate/sugar comas. Of course, that’s about as likely to happen as the Monday after the Super Bowl. Of course, one of the perks of being “self-employed” and working from home is you get to make up your own holidays

In other news, I’ve had this meme for like…ever and it never fails to make me laugh. I know a couple of the Wolves who would totally play the Easter Wolf for the kiddos.

I really don’t have a lot of news to report. We got rain twice last week! The second round brought severe weather though that missed us for the most part. We got downpours and some small hail but none of the hurricane-force winds or the swirling things that “spot dropped” across the southern part of the metro. The redbud tree that I thought was dead because it didn’t bloom now has leaves. Other things, like the golden oaks, are also greening up. I think Spring is finally here, though I did have to turn the heater on yesterday. It’s off today and we should get a week of normal Spring temps where neither heater nor AC is required. Yay. The utilitiy bills can use a break!

Due to the weather, Stormy’s soccer tournament was canceled. As it was out of town. we hadn’t planned on going anyway. In other family news, Only is about to finish off her SECOND masters, this one in Special Education. She’ll graduate in May. Proud of the Kid. While history and museums are still a main love, she’s found a place she really enjoys as a SPED teacher. The administration and other teachers at her middle school love her. That doesn’t surprise me at all. That’s the kind of person she is. And no, I’m not taking credit. She’s pretty much been that from the beginning.

In other sports news, my Cowgirls had a bye week. The Cowboys swept their games, and I couldn’t tell you about the Cardinals. We did–FINALLY–get to watch one of their games on Peacock. I refuse to pay for any more streaming when I’m also paying for cable and their games was supposed to be part of the cable package. They say they are being televised on a dedicated channel on AT&T U-verse. U-verse doesn’t recognize that chennel. It doesn’t even show up in their channel guide. I’m too lazy to try to chase down which of the streaming services we do subscribe to might be carrying one of their games, or the games of any other team we might want to watch. MLB and NFL are really mucking things up with their current broadcast practices.

Mini-rant over.

I finished up the first 5 novels in Larissa Ione’s Demonica series. It’s been a looong time since I read/listened to them. I have four more to go to set me up for the three new ones in the next-gen spin-off. The 3rd book releases in just over a month so I’ll probably put off getting back into the series until closer to release. I’m currently listening to Ilona Andrews’s new release, THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME, which is the 1st book in their new series, Maggie the Undying. It’s been interesting so far but I have to admit that I’m not driven to listen to it. There are a couple of twists that I suspect will come, though not sure they will happen in this book. Ilona and Gordon are sneaky like that.

Side note: Saturday was my WordPress anniversary. I’ve had this blog 15 years. FIFTEEN! Wowser! That’s a lot of blogging, especially since I used to do it 7 days a week. Thanks everyone for sticking around. ❤️

On that note, it’s time for another cup of coffee, a quick surf through email and social media, and then I’m going to go slay some dragons, figuratively speaking. Nikos has nothing to fear from me. There are a couple of Ravens who might should be worried. The good news is, I did write with the prompt from last week so new words on Wednesday. I shall conquor ARIEL’S DANG BOOK yet! Have a great day, all!

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Friday Sinema: Hit the Road

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Silver James

Holy cannoli! This Aussie mum gives whole new meaning to pole dancing. Watching this is an amazing way to end your week. Trust me! Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Road Trip

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Silver James

It is Thursday. I have thoughts. My own, not the Universe’s. At least for this week. Today I’m going to talk about writing. Not so much the craft invovled, not about process or type of writer, ie. plotter, pantser, puzzler, etc. And I’m not going to talk about books in general but this book. Y’all know the one–the one with the working title of ARIEL’S DANG BOOK (that’s not what I call it in my head but keeping this safe for work. Anyway…

A short history lesson. I can’t remember when I actually started this book. Oh, wait…maybe I can. It was after I got out of the hospital. That was…what…two years ago? It was Ariel’s turn for a book. I’d set up the last Penumbra Papers book (GHOSTS AND THE ANCIENT STONES) with a book for Ariel in mind. I had a vague idea for his book–changling librarian, set in Seattle, Ariel sent to seduce her for…reasons, unclear at the time. Recovery took longer than anticipated. And I got distracted.

I’d been toying with a new book, had a full plot and characters and probably a third of the scenes already sketeched out. I concentrated on it and in Oct. 2024, I released MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON. And immediately went back to work on Ariel’s book. At which point, I stalled out. Mostly.

As y’all know from my Wednesday Words posts, I write a lot of scenes from prompts. My weird brain has a way of making sense of them all and figuring out where they belong in the whole story. Except this time. I know the scenes have a place, but no real clue about the story beyond what I started with. Except.

I no longer wanted the book set in Seattle. For…reasons. After some research and deliberation, I picked Rochester, NY. Again, for reasons. Slowly, the pieces started to fall into place. Things were happening that made sense for the story but that became the rub.

Let me digress. As mentioned, I’m a puzzler. I start with all the straight pieces put together as a frame. I know the setting, the characters, the beginning and the ultimate end. Oh, not the precise details of the end, but I always know where the story is going. The pieces all fall into place on the journey there. And therein lies the problem with this book. I had no clue how it ended. Note the use of “had” rather than “have.”

Here’s the weirdly fun part. As a way to occupy my mind when I kept hitting writer’s block, I started playing Bubble Shooter on my computer. It’s a simple game. You “shoot” colored bubble at rows of bubbles, matching colors. It takes 3 or more bubbles to get a “hit.” They disappear when that happens. It’s mostly mindless. Or was. It’s a game of angles and numbers of same-colored balls. My brain works in mysterious ways. It started seeing things from the book–scenes both written and not–instead of the balls. I started dreaming about playing the game during those chimerical moments between sleep and wakefulness. Finally, as I was playing the game for real, things fell into play. I saw the end of the story. I saw the reason for it all. And now, ARIEL’S DANG BOOK–which still doesn’t have a real title–makes sense. I know where it’s going. I know why certain things happen and why certing things are important.

The only problem now is getting real life to cooperate. That and enough coffee to drink. I have a roadmap, I’m tanking up on my fuel of choice and with any luck at all, I’ll get to The End sooner than later. 🤞🏼

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Wednesday Words: Philosophically Speaking

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Silver James

First off, Happy April Fools Day. Have no fear, I will not prank today. Mainly because my brain is so befuddled I can’t think of any that are funny and cool. In other news…

So, no writing of note last week, not even my piddly 250 words for Thursday Threads, reason being was that I was the honorary judge last week. And dang but I did like the prompt. A lot! I copied it and pasted on the page containing last week’s entry on chaos because…questions. Then it sat there. Staring at me when I’d open Scriverer, thinking I had a moment to challenge myself. Then, Monday afternoon, with the house quiet and most of my tech issues conquored–at least for now, I had a thought. And things just kind of developed. Y’all get an extra long snippet today. This scene takes place right after Sade lands in Rochester and is picked up by a local FBI agent. And before I forget, the prompt is: *“Is this a philosophical question?”*

****
Marcella had started punching in numbers on the vehicles GPS system but paused, glancing over at Sade. “You want the quick way by interstate or the scenic route.”

“Let’s take the scenic route. I like to get a feel for what I’m getting in to.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes then Sade opened up the discussion. “How do you feel about Magicks?”

Paused at a stoplight, the other agent cut her eyes to Sade. “Is this a philosophical question?”

“Not really. I know how your boss feels. I’m just wondering who I’m working with, that’s all.”

Marcella snorted. “Yeah, right.” The light changed so she eased the vehicle forward with traffic. “I’m going to tell you a story not many people know.”

“Shoot. I’m all ears.”

“When I was growing up, there was this old woman.”

“Did she live in a shoe?”

Shooting Sade a glare, Marcella bit back a snide response. “No. It was a little house and she had no kids. My mom, she was sick a lot. My father wasn’t around much so it was just Mom’n me and my little brother and sister. Everyone called her Baba Jeza. She lived alone. Well, no humans lived with her. Every cat in the neighborhood hung out there. Anyway, all the kids thought she was a witch and that if she caught any of us, she’d cook us up and eat us.”

Sade snorted softly. “Shades of Hansel and Gretal.” She did not mention that Baba Jeza was another name for Baba Yaga because…yeah. That was one witch she never wanted to tangle with. “Does this story have a point?”

“Yeah. Like I said, my mom would get sick and there’d be a knock on the door. Nobody there when we opened it but we’d find a basket of food and a jar of nasty looking liquid. The note said to tell our mom to drink it. She would and would get better for awhile. The year before the Rip, some thugs got together on Devil’s Night.”

“Ah, you grew up in Detroit.”

“Yeah. I did. Do you want to hear the story or not.”

“Sure. Go on.”

“In the middle of the night, they did stuff to all the doors and windows so she couldn’t get out.” Marcella swallowed hard. “Then they set the house on fire. They all stood around laughing and chanting ‘The witch is dead.’ Nobody did anything. Not to try to save her, not to fight the fire, and nothing to those thugs. They never found her body.”

When the other woman remained silent for several blocks, Sade spoke up. “And?”

“And?”

“Yeah. And. It was implied there at the end of your story. Time to make your point, beyond the fact that an old woman people thought was a witch who helped your family and was murdered.”

“When no one was arrested, I decided then and there that I was going to be someone who could get that justice.”

“Okay. And?”

Marcella slowed the car and eased to a stop at a red light. “And every last one of those thugs is dead. Cancer. Car wreck. Drowning. Fall off a roof. Auto-ped. One guy choked on a chicken nugget. Then shit got weird. The ringleader and the DA who refused to bring charges were found sitting next to each other on a park bench. They each held a pistol that had been fired one time. They each died of one gunshot to the head. And there was a black cat sitting on the back of bench, right smack dab between them.”

Sade didn’t roll her eyes. The old woman might not have been the Baba Yaga, but she was likely kin. “So, you’re a believer?”

“In justice? Sure. The woo-woo stuff? Talk to my boss.”

“Yeah, about that. Your boss says Rochester is null space and magic free.”

Marcella made a sound very similar to Sade’s previous snort. “There’s magic here.”

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it.” Marcella glanced over. “Can’t you?”

“No comment.” Sade did feel it. Acutely. But the magic here was unlike any she’d ever encountered before. Her partner wouldn’t be happy that she was cutting his vacation short but it was time to call in the big guns.
****

Wow. I have to admit. It felt good to get the idea for this scene and then to have a peaceful bit of time to flesh it out, write it, and do a little editing on it. I think I caught all the typos. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, progress! So, writers, grab the prompt and go. Readers, how do you feel about philosophical questions? Or rhetorical ones, for that matter. 😉

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