Chapter Thirteen

In Which Freddie K. Is Everybody’s Wingman

I wake up to the unmistakable tap-tap of Willow at my window followed by a very familiar yip. Instantly, I get an image in my mind of the donkeys–all of them–and Ramona in the front yard followed by a picture of the bag of carrots.

“I don’t have any more carrots,” I say aloud to no one as I throw the covers off and slowly pad over to the window and open it up. Storm clouds are gathering overhead.

“This is not cool.”

Willow simply brays in response. I reach out to scratch her behind the ears, but she keeps going for my hands as if I’m keeping snacks there.

“I don’t have any more carrots. You ate them all.” I shut the window and start stripping out of my pajamas. It occurs to me as I get dressed that I have yet to have an animal present itself to me as my familiar. The apple is no doubt gone by now, and yet the cat distribution system has failed me. I pull on old jeans, a t-shirt, and some boots this time and head outside to see how much of the front yard the donkeys have eaten.

It’s a perfect fall morning, except that I’m up way too damn early. As soon as my feet hit the porch, Freddie K. is there, yipping.

“What’s up old man?” I ask, picking him up and holding him against my side as I head toward the donkeys. Ramona catches sight of me right away and runs off down the lane toward the road, banking left toward the Wild Hare and the Animal Clinic. I sigh. “Where’s she going, Freddie K.?”

A picture of a newborn pops into my head. “You have to be more specific, old man. I don’t know what you mean. Is she going to see a baby? Is she pregnant? Is she going where there are babies? Is the baby a person or a horse?”

All Freddie K. gives me is another image of a baby. Am I seeing a human baby because he means human baby or is that just how it comes through to me? “We’ll figure this out eventually,” I promise him.

I can probably get the donkeys back to the fire station, but Ramona is a different story. That’s going to require a horse trailer, or at the least someone willing to ride her. That person is definitely not me.

I pull out my phone and call Marcus, but he doesn’t pick up. I hang up and let the phone ring twice more before I give up and send him a text. I stare at the phone for a long moment and then call the next person I can think of. The phone picks up on the third ring.

“I’m going to owe you my soul by the time everything’s said and done,” I tell Darla when she picks up.

She just laughs, “What’s going on?”

“So my friend has a really smart horse, and she’s running your way. Her name’s Ramona. Freddie K. keeps sending me pictures of a newborn, but I can’t tell if he means that Ramona is going to go see a baby or if she’s pregnant.”

“Who’s Freddie K.? What do you mean he keeps sending you pictures?”

I stop. “Freddie K. is my friend’s dog. He sends me mental images of things he wants to tell me.”

She laughs. “How long has he been doing that?”

I shrug and feel instantly dumb. She can’t see me. “I don’t know. A few days now. Is there a problem? I thought it was just a witch thing.”

She lets out a long breath. “Sarah, have you had any more accidental fires in the last few days?”

I stop and think back. “No.”

“Freddie K. is your familiar.”

“Oh.”

There’s a pause, as she answers someone’s question, before she asks, “Do any other animals try to communicate with you that way? With the pictures?”

“No. Just Freddie K.”

She chuckles. “I’m going to text you the number of a friend of mine. She’s a fire witch. You need way more help than I can give you.”

“Oh, okay. Is that bad?”

“No. It just is. I’m at the office. I’ll tell everyone here to be on the lookout for her. We’ll call you as soon as we see her.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh and you might text Randy Lamar since she’s heading that way. He loves horses.”

“Randy Lamar?” I can’t picture him anywhere near a horse.

“Yeah. The Lamars used to be big ranchers. Randy and his big brother were some of the best horsemen in this part of the state before his brother died. Randy’s always had a way with horses. It’s a shame he doesn’t really work with them much any longer.”

“I would have never guessed.”

“Yeah. Send him a text.”

“Okay, I will.” I end the call and check the phone for a text from Marcus, but there is still nothing. I text Randy Lamar to be on the lookout for Ramona and shoo the donkeys from the shrubs. They give me what I imagine are annoyed looks as they unwillingly move away from the house and out into the grass.

I’m on my third round of shooing when Marcus finally pulls up on an old golf cart. He skids to a stop and pushes up from the cart, pausing for a moment as he steps down to get his balance. “Sorry, I was in the shower when you called. I got here as fast as I could. I brought snacks and Ramona’s saddle.” He pulls out a bag of apples and, immediately, the donkeys take notice. They move toward him as he stops and looks around.

“Where’s Ramona?”

I sigh. “She ran to town. I called my friend, Darla, at the animal clinic and told them to be on the lookout.”

He sighs. “I probably should get the horse trailer hooked up and go look for her.”

“It wasn’t that long ago.”

He grimaces and looks in the direction of the road. “Yeah, but she thinks she’s a race horse. She loves to run.”

My phone picks that exact moment to ding with a notification. I pull it and let out a sigh of relief. “Randy’s got her.”

“Randy?”

“My boss. See?” I hand him the phone where Randy’s sent me a picture of Ramona in the parking lot of the Wild Hare.

“Can he hold onto her until I can get there?”

I text Randy back.

The phone dings immediately, letting me know he’s responded. “He says he can bring her back, if you don’t mind.”

Marcus shakes his head. “Not at all. I’ve got to get these guys back to the fire station. It’d be a big help.”

I text Randy back as Marcus gets everyone’s attention with the apples. He bites off small pieces and hands them out on a flat palm to each animal. Immediately, they crowd him, hoping for more treats. He backs up slowly toward the golf cart and gets back on.

“Can you put Freddie K. in the back?”

Immediately, Freddie K. sends me a picture of the fire station. “Yep,” I answer, not really paying attention. “You’re going home.”

He yips and sends me another picture of the fire station. “Yes. I get it. Home.”

“What’s wrong?” Marcus asks as I set Freddie K. down in the back of the cart.

I shake my head. “He keeps sending me pictures of the fire station.”

“Maybe he wants you to come back with us?”

Freddie K. starts to yip and wag his tail as Marcus gives me a “see” look.

“I could get some of the morning work done while you’re dealing with Ramona.” I offer.

“You don’t have to.”

I shake my head and pick up Freddie K. again. “I volunteered to help. Besides, you're going to have your hands full with Ramona.”

I sit down next to Marcus and let Freddie K. rest in my lap. Marcus looks over at us as he starts up the cart. He holds an apple in the air with his left hand and waves it to get the donkey’s attention before slowly pressing on the gas. “Freddie K. seems to have really taken to you.” Marcus says as we move across the yard, a gaggle of donkeys trailing behind.

“Darla told me that he’s my familiar,” I tell him and then instantly regret it. Freddie K. and I are now attached… which means Marcus and I are, too in a strange way.

Marcus seems unphased. “Well then, that explains all the pictures he’s been sending you.”

Instead of heading for the drive and going through the front yard, Marcus drives in a straight line directly toward the property line from our yard until we come to the spot where the donkeys must have gotten through. Here and there along the fence, the barbed wire looks really old and rusted. The top few rows on one section have broken off and hang down, leaving only the lowest wire still intact. “Looks like we found our escape route,” Marcus says aloud as we come up to it. He doesn’t pause. He simply follows the fence line, slowly, until we reach the front yard.

I hop out as we get closer to the fire station and open the gate that leads to the back yard. Marcus and Freddie K. pass through followed by the donkeys. I lock it back and walk the rest of the way in.

Large piles of lumber are stacked in various places throughout the yard. Marcus looks up at the sky as he steps out of the golf cart and sighs. “The Dvergar were supposed to come and start on the shelter, but it looks like rain.”

It tastes like it too. “If we hurry with their breakfast, maybe we can get the fence done before the sky opens up.”

“You know how to fix fences?”

“Well, I’m no good with the big animals, so Lugh and Jacqueline have to find some use for me.”

He smiles.

“I don’t know much really, but I can be more of a help than a hindrance. And I can hold things.”

He nods. “I’ll take that then.”