Sidhe Magic

"It was the only book where I found something," Sara moaned. "Didn't women marry early back then? I'm older now than most of the women that was written for," my sister said a little haughtily, daring Mama to disagree.

"Yes," Mama replied exasperated. "Your body is mature, but what about your judgment? Did it occur to you that these remedies might do more than just one thing? What have I always told you about marriage magic? What's the more basic element?"

"That marriage is a balance," Sara recited dutifully. "Husband and wives, male and female. You always told me that in any family the magic had to seek the balance. If it did, then the family would be happy and prosper. If a women uses the gifts without care for the balance, there was always a price to be paid."

"How could you know it so clearly and still do what you've done then, girl?" Mama asked sounding exasperated.

"But I sought the balance Mama, just like you taught me," Sara said more optimistically. "Let me show you in the book."

She crossed over to Mama's side of the table and together they opened the book to a spot that Sara had marked.

"See look, Mama," Sara showed her. "Right here. And here. See, just as it suggests here, it says unless you’re certain, sleep is recommended the entire time."

Mama started grilling me with questions about my dreams. I wasn't that comfortable talking about them in front of Sara, but I knew better than to cross Mama in one of these moods. As clearly as I could, I explained my recent dreams.

"And you never woke up in the middle of one of these dreams?" Mama asked. When I told her that I hadn't until today, Mama frowned. "And how do you feel about your sister right now?"

"I'm worried about her," I told Mama. "Apparently she's in trouble for something, but for the life of me I don't understand it."

"Well, part of that is the charms, dear," Mama tried to explain. "Men aren't suppose to be curious about the ways of women. There's magic all around this house to see to that."

"Dad always told me not to be too nosy about your business, Mama," I told her. Then I regretted it. All of our moods darkened a little at the thought of how we missed him.

Turning back to my twin, Mama asked, "OK Sara, you seem to have taken the proper precautions with him. Now what did you do for yourself?"

"I did just as you showed me," Sara began. Then, looking over at me, she asked, "Do you want me to go into detail?"

Catching her drift, Mama answered, "Just tell me that you followed the preparations in this book. You did, didn't you?"

"No, Mama," Sara answered, beginning to be concerned. "I did what you told me to do whenever I mix ingredients for our food. The drop of blood, the string of hair..."

"Enough, girl," Mama interrupted, looking toward me. “Don’t give away the store.”

Thumbing through the index of the book, Mama found what she wanted and turned quickly to another section.

"See, Sara," Mama pointed out to her. "Preparations for drawing close and preparations for holding afar. You did neither - before or after. There's no telling which way the balance has been tipped."

"But, Mama," Sara cried mournfully. "I don't feel any different."

"And would you now?" Mama asked a little harshly. "How many times have I told you that the gifts are subtle? Subtle enough that even more experienced women have problems seeing effects they're looking for. That's why magic that effects ourselves and our own homes is not to be trifled with."

"Robert," Mama said turning back to me. "Have you noticed any changes in how your sister acts towards you lately?"

"Well, she's been nicer," I told her. "When I've come home from practice every day this week, Sara's had a hot dinner waiting for me. No squabbles or fights lately. She's definitely been nice, but that's all."

"And the meals were only to get him to his nap quicker," Sara whispered to Mama and blushed. I don't think she wanted me to hear that. It was nice she was thinking about me though, so I smiled at her anyway. Seeing it, she smiled back shyly in return.

"I see," Mama said and looked sternly toward my sibling. "And these girls in your dreams, they always did the same things?"

"No Mama," I smiled. "The girls always did the same basic things, but the dreams have been getting better and better."

"What do you mean, son?" Mama asked with a quick glance at Sara. For some reason, she was blushing again.

"Well, at first it seemed all mechanical. They were nice, but impersonal."

"Go on," Mama encouraged. "What's different lately?"

"Well, the girls seemed to enjoy it more," I told her generally. Mama though, demanded specifics. "They got better at it, for one. Softer and gentler touching. And it's been taking longer, like each girl seem to be taking more time to savor it. And then ... are you sure you want to know the rest?"

"I definitely do," she declared.

Sara's blush was deepening for some reason. If I didn't know my sister any better, I'd say that she was getting turned on.

"Well, they've lately been using their mouths a lot. And rubbing my, uh, penis against their lips like they were in love with it."

"Aye!" Mama gave a keening cry. "I knew it. Somehow I knew it when I saw your eyes, Sara. Now tell me girl, exactly how many times has this gone on?"

Sara counted on her fingers on the verge of tears.

"Ten times, Mama," she finally said.

"Oh, girl!" Mama exclaimed. "How many times have I told you to be cautious with fresh magic? Anything past seven is almost impossible to alter."

"But Mama, it was working," Sara wailed mournfully.

Little trails of tears were appearing down her cheeks. The discussion was beginning to scare me a little even though I didn't quite understand what the problem was as yet.

"The boys at school were teasing me, Mama," Sara explained. "Especially one I thought I liked. It hurt."

"And when your face cleared up?" Mama went on. "Why didn't you stop then if all you were interested in was those young men and their teasing?"

"It was working," Sara said and then, looked at me and blushed again. "I was just trying to look my best."

"Oh, girl!" Mother exclaimed, shaking her head. "Don't you see how subtle it is? Of course you want to look you best, but for whom? The magic takes a common tendency and focuses it more sharply than intended. Every woman wants to look her best..."

Mama's voice trailed off, as though she was suddenly thinking about something deeply.

"Even I've been paying more attention to myself lately," she went on eventually, but in such a way that said she was still distracted. "And wanting to come home earlier. That's how I surprised you tonight, wasn't it?"

Suddenly Mama sharpened and turned on Sara.

"What did you do with what you collected, Sara? Tell me everything, and quickly!"

"First, I applied it warm, just like the book said," Sara said softly and blushed again.

"And? What else?" Mama goaded.

"A little in my food. Just like the book said."

"And? Is that all?"

"No, Mama," Sara said looking down at the table like a scolded child. "I also mixed a little in my cold cream that I use at night. I wanted just a little on my face before I went to bed at night."

"You mean the one in the little jar, or the bigger one we both use?"

"The bigger one," Sara said. "I'm sorry, Mama. I wasn't thinking!"

Mama slumped back in her chair. At first, she looked at nothing but the table. Then her eyes slowly rose to mine. She looked as though she was searching for some answer, but I didn't even understand the question.

"The balance," Mama whispered, though I don't think it was to me. "Our home has been out of balance since he left us."

Turning toward Sara, Mama took her hand.

"This is mostly my fault, daughter," she said sadly. "With your daddy gone, I should have set the house in balance quicker. I see that now. In my grief, I've left us all open to something that should never have happened. But you have to promise me to not do anything else that will make matters worse. How much of what you've collected do you still have?"

Sara nodded to the blue jar on the table, but when Mama opened it and looked inside it, she was disappointed.

"It's empty," she groaned.

"I've been using even more lately," Sara admitted. "And tonight," she added with a shiver, "I just wanted to have it all still warm and fresh."

"Aye, Sara!" Mama exclaimed slapping her hands against the table. She shook her head as if to clear it and said, "There's trouble and I'm not thinking clearly."

She looked around almost desperate, then turned to me.

"Robert, don't you have a date tonight?" Mama asked.

"Yea, Mama," I answered excitedly. "I'm suppose to pick up Margaret Lemons in less than an hour."

"Well, get going then. Leave early, in fact," Mama added. "Stay out as long as you want tonight. Your sister and I have a lot of work to do!"

* * * * *

I came in late that night and since Mama and Sara were nowhere to be seen, I went immediately to bed. It had been a long day, what with football practice and Mama getting upset at home afterward. Maggie had helped me set everything right though, so I was feeling much better when I crawled under the covers.

I was woken up by a loud knock on my door in the morning and Mama’s voice telling me to dress and get down to breakfast. After throwing on some jeans and a T-shirt, I visited the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then padding down the stairs barefooted, I went to the kitchen hungry for some of Mama’s hearty breakfast food.

But something about the way that Mama and Sara were sitting at the kitchen table when I entered let me know that we wouldn’t be eating soon. They both looked a little tired and were dressed very conservatively for a Saturday morning around the house.

Sara usually wore very little on weekend mornings, a long, frumpy T-shirt at best. Today she had on a long sleeved sweater and jeans. Sara looked very young this morning and vulnerable somehow. I felt the urge to protect her from something, though I didn’t know what from.

Mama on the other hand was more casual, but more tired as well. Her hair had obviously been brushed through hours ago and now the loose strands that fell on the side of her face seemed to caress her cheek inadvertently, yet sensually. She looked harried and I just wanted to pick her up in my arms and comfort her and let her know everything would be all right.

“Sit down, son,” she said, motioning me to the table.

Mama gave me some tea to drink and a couple of pieces of fruit just to get something in my belly. The tea tasted good and seemed to relax me even though I didn’t know I had been tense.

“Now close your eyes and tell us about your date last night,” Mama told me.

At first I was concerned because Sara wasn’t normally with us when Mama and I talked about my dates the night before. Sara seemed so young and vulnerable that I wanted to protect her. But Mama’s tea had relaxed me and nothing Maggie and I had done last night was wrong. Besides, I still trusted Mama in all things.

So I told them about Maggie and I hanging out at the pizza parlor with our friends. We had stayed there for an hour and then left early to the hoots and teasing of the gang.

I told them how Maggie had put her arms around my neck and told the girls that they were just jealous because I was all hers tonight. And how I had grabbed her by the firm cheeks of her bottom and spun her around in the air and told the same thing to the guys. Only that they were jealous of me because of Maggie, of course. Which was probably more the case, to be sure.

I heard a huff and a sniff from the other end of the table, where Sara had been sitting. She was probably just reacting to the antics of us older kids that I was explaining. Sara being a little girl and less mature than Maggie and me, that is. Sara seemed so young and vulnerable that I wanted to protect her.

I told them how Maggie and I had ended up by the lake and how she had been so horny. I told Mama how soft Maggie’s breasts seemed, not as firm as before and a little flatter. But her nipples had stood up nice and hard as I had sucked them and Maggie had squirmed around very pretty in the front seat until she couldn’t stand it any longer.

I could hear soft little moans coming from around the table as I told Mama the story. There was an interesting smell in the kitchen too, like warm bread that was baking.

Maggie had crawled into the backseat undoing her skirt as she went over. Even as I followed her, Maggie was pulling my head between her legs, telling me exactly what she wanted. For over an hour she kept me there, her thighs wrapped over my shoulders. I didn’t mind either because Maggie tasted especially good that night. There was something special about her flavor that kept reminding me of home, which was odd because she had never tasted quite that way before. Or any other girl for that matter.

As I talked with my eyes closed, I got a little restless in my seat. I was getting excited explaining about Maggie’s warm thighs around my head or thinking about the way the soft black hair that protected her vagina had tickled my nose. Which was odd because wasn’t Maggie a true blonde? I had always remembered her being one before.

I didn’t mention this to Mama because she didn’t ask. She seemed more distracted than usual and kept asking Sara if she was sure she could stand to listen. My sister’s voice came back husky and breathy in low whispers to her. I’m sure she was just too embarrassed about the ways of young adults. Sara seemed so young and vulnerable that I wanted to protect her.

After a short pause, Mama asked me to skip to what happened next and I had to honestly tell her that I lost count of how many times Maggie came. Mama rushed me on. I explained to her how finally, almost exhausted, Maggie made me stop what we were doing but how she lay back looking so soft and welcoming as I took off my pants. And how she helped me with the condom, even insisted I use one this time even though I had a strong urge to leave it off just this once.

“Are you sure you wore a condom, son?” Mama asked me anxiously. Her voice seemed strained and nervous.

“Yes, two different times, Mama,” I told her. “Maggie was insatiable last night. And so was I, I suppose.”

I started to tell her how Maggie had seemed different, her body softer and more rounded. Her muscles didn’t feel like the hard firm muscles of a cheerleader but more yielding and more comforting as we moved together.

A little squeal came from the other end of the table and Mama insisted that I keep my eyes closed. There was a harsh exchange of whispers with Mama telling Sara to go to her room and take care of herself and not to come down until she could control her urges.

I could have told Mama that Sara was too young for the image of me lying on top of Maggie, straining into her soft body in the backseat of our car. Or how she had smelled so warm and familiar, her hair almost black in the shadows of the car. Sara seemed so young and vulnerable and I wanted to protect her.

Both females of the house seemed upset and even after Sara ran upstairs I could hear Mama fretting. Finally she stood up from the table with nervous energy. I just had to help her and, opening my eyes, went around the table and took Mama into my arms to comfort her.

“We have to help Sara, Robert,” Mama told me in sorrowful whispers. “She didn’t mean to do it and now she’s so confused. We’re all confused.”

“I don’t feel confused, Mama” I told her. And it was true. Suddenly I knew just what Mama needed.

Tipping Mama’s head back, I kissed her soft, but insistent. Her body stiffened in surprise and she took one step back, but I followed her and then she was against the counter. When I pressed her into the counter with my hips and my fingers gently beginning to stroke her neck and shoulders, Mama relaxed and her body grew soft and inviting.

When my right hand found its way under Mama’s light sweater, I stroked the warm skin of her side and stomach. Mama sighed and whispered, “We shouldn’t.”

When my hand kept drifting upward and slid under her bra to cup one soft, tender breast, I told her, “We should.”

Mama seemed to melt, even as my hands grasped her buttocks and lifted her up on the counter. That put her higher, so I didn’t have to lean as far, and let me kiss and nip her neck and shoulders. Mama’s ears were tender and as I sucked her earlobe she moaned in my ear almost like she was climaxing. Her legs were wrapped hard around me by then, pulling us together as she ground her soft crotch into my stomach. I wanted to have her so bad, to strip her and possess her, and would have too had we not been interrupted by my sister.

“Mama!” Sara shouted over the roar of blood in our ears. “Mama, what are you doing?”

Sara physically pushed us apart, which wasn’t easy for such a little girl to do. Mama’s legs still clung about me and her eyes were glassy with desire. She wanted me - I could see it - as much as I wanted her. Only my desire to protect my younger sister kept me from sweeping her bodily aside and taking mother right there on the counter, or better yet the floor. Sara seemed so young and vulnerable and even now, dammit, I just wanted to protect her.

Sara pushed back against me hard and then threw a half a glass of water in our mother’s face. Mama sputtered and seemed to snap out of something, her eyes focusing on her daughter.

“Oh, Sara,” she wailed. “What have we done? In protecting you so well, we’ve upset the balance once more. And my own reaction? The magic that you brewed up was potent indeed, girl. I thought I could withstand him, but if you hadn’t come along, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“You would have bred him!” Sara replied with no little venom. “You sent me away so you could have him for yourself! Admit it to me, mother dear. You shoved me aside to have him for your bed!”

And then it was my turn to separate the two girls. Sara, the smaller and more in need of my protection, I picked up bodily and set her on the table to put a wide gulf between them.

Which didn’t work quite the way I had planned it either. No sooner was Sara in the shelter of my protective arms than she began to attach herself to me as though playing some child’s game. When she began rubbing her body against me and moaning, it was all I could do to pry myself away from her.

“What’s going on here, Sara?” I demanded of her. “You’re too young to play such games, especially at a time like this.”

“Too young?” Sara demanded loudly. “What have you done, witch?” she yelled at mother. “Does he see me now as a little girl? Is that it?”

With a gleam in her eye, Sara spun me around until I faced our mother.

“Look at Mama, Robert,” she whispered in my ear far too seductively for such a little girl. “See how she wants you? And how you want her?”

And it was true. Even as I heard Mama saying something to Sara that I couldn’t understand, I looked beyond her concerned face to her lush body. Her nipples called to me. Her legs, still spread, showed dampness in the crotch of her jeans. Even from here I could smell her and the smell brought me back into her arms.

Mama’s small arms held me back and then swatted me around the ears. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn she was resisting. But the rest of her wasn’t resisting, that’s for sure.

Mama’s breasts called to my itchy palms and my nose informed me that her sex was flowing, readying itself for my manhood. As I pressed against her again on the counter, her arms flailed less violently. By the time my fingers found her naked nipples and plucked them tenderly, Mama’s own lips were on mine, pressing firmly and not to be denied.

Together we stripped her of her sweater. As I feasted on Mama’s soft, small breasts that had only just begun to sag a little, I heard her moans deep in my ear and through my bones, thrilling me.