By Sadie St. Claire
Featuring artwork by Mama St. Claire (yes, Sadie’s mom)
(read The Witches of Fire Island: The Prenup here)
Chapter One : A Witch’s Holiday
“The friend you danced with, when you had no lover was the most important person in your life…”
-Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran (1978)
“I missed the ferry by one minute!” Holly said into the phone, while Radius howled with laughter from the other side of the Great South Bay.
“Girl, you are such a Pisces,” he chided. “Always lollygagging.”
“I should have known. The sky looked ominous today.”
It was a gray October morning, the kind that let you know Summer was definitely over.
“Ooh! Ominous! That’s a good word.”
“The next boat isn’t until 3:15,” Holly read off the sign posted in the harbor.
“And now I’m gonna wait for hours, at the edge of a large body of water.”
“Girl you are the MOST Pisces!” Radius was still laughing.
“Just come on over whenever your damn ferry arrives.” He hung up and texted her the address.
She parked her friend Oliver’s borrowed Corolla in the lot by the docks, and settled in. With the harbor to herself, she rolled spliffs and had time to lament the rut of her city life.
She had worked at the same dusty bar for the past four years. The only thing she liked about it anymore was the company of a sweet widower she loved but was no longer dating.
She was grateful to be getting away, if only for a night.
When she finally departed the skinny harbor, Holly sat on the open top deck with just one couple, who huddled together a few seats away. As they approached Cherry Grove, one of the men pointed out the Belvedere to his partner.
“OH, you mean the Taj MahBALLS,” the other man replied.
It did resemble the Taj Mahal, standing proud on the water in all its glistening faux neoclassical splendor.
The Taj Mahal, the most world-renowned monument to heterosexual love in this world, so unlike the Belvedere, which famously did not allow women to step foot on its grounds.
Holly laughed out loud, betraying that she’d been eavesdropping. The three chilly passengers shared a smile.
She had never seen the Belvedere from this angle, since she always disembarked at the Pines, and during the summer season the ferry stopped there first. She had actually never seen the Belvedere from any angle, besides from outside the tall gates at its entrance, guarded by two stoic cement lions painted white.
“No Girls Allowed,” the proud lions seemed to say, and Holly was never one to argue with cats.
The sun was already leaning into its descent, peeking its rays through the cloud cover, as Holly disembarked and headed five minutes up Fire Island Boulevard. The wooden boardwalk and bamboo arches were so familiar, but appeared strange in the cold grey light of Fall.
She let herself into the gate at the address Radius had texted her. The house belonged to a Manhattan lawyer named Robbie. She had been there once before, in the heat of summer, when Radius had summoned her to sell mushroom chocolates to muscular porn actors in their speedos- Robbie’s husband and his colleagues.
This time the pool deck was empty, so she climbed the stairs to the main floor, finding the sliding glass doors opened to the breeze.
Peeking over the back of the couch were two unblinking eyes, bright as peridot. Holly noticed them immediately. She could always feel when someone was watching her. Stepping over the threshold, Holly realized she was making eye contact with a four pound leopard.
Cleopatra the Bengal cat perched upright on Radius’s Solar Plexus as he slept, keeping watch.
Holly took another step inside to put her bag down on one of the dining room chairs, and the cat leapt onto the back of the couch, waking Radius. Holly recognized Cleo’s striking eyes and clouded coat from photographs, but hadn’t realized that she was such a tiny thing. She walked over to pet the precious beast.
“Haaaaayyyyy Boo!” Radius cooed, stretching out of his nap, as Cleo purred aggressively, rubbing her fangs and forehead against Holly’s knuckles.
“I see you’ve met Cleo!” He stood up and walked around the couch to embrace her.
“Happy Birthday!” She chirped, as he wrapped her in a warm hug.
“I’m so happy you’re here! We have the house to ourselves until Friday.”
“I have to work on Thursday night, but tomorrow we’ll have the best day ever.”
One night on the Island could heal your whole life if you let it. They both knew that.
With no time to waste, Holly pulled out one of the spliffs she’d rolled while waiting in Sayville. They went onto the front deck to light it. Through the frame of a house that was under construction, they could see the cold Atlantic crashing down upon white sand.
“I swear to God that house gets knocked down every season,” Radius laughed. “And rebuilt, and rebuilt.”
“At least it makes the view better for now.”
The salty grey wind rustled through the cedars and pines all around them, carrying whispers from way across the sea. Cleo jumped onto the wooden railing, but the strength of the breeze tested even her steady foot. She jumped down and led them back inside.
“This house is amazing!” Holly announced, in the spacious living room that looked out onto the deck. “All I can see is Ocean and sky!”
The top floor was the main floor. It had large skylights and floor to ceiling glass on two whole walls. Beyond the living room, there was a stately dining room table and a wall of floor to ceiling mirrors that reflected the sea, like in a ballet studio. Across from that, the open kitchen.
In the back was the master bedroom and bath, which led to another deck. Downstairs were the guest bedrooms and the laundry room.
The trio traveled to every corner of the house on Radius’s tour. He held a lit incense in one hand as they proclaimed the beauty of the beach house and its surroundings, expressed their gratitude to Robbie for generously offering it, and marveled at their good fortune- to have such a luxurious venue for Radius’s birthday sleepover.
Holly found a bottle of Hungarian brandy on the bar cart that was shaped like a 14 inch glass cock. She held it up to take a photo against the water and the setting sun, sloshing the amber liquid inside.
Then Geoffrey texted Radius. Would they be attending the Kiki for Bill Powers’ birthday that evening?
Bill Powers had let Holly and her friend, Kira, crash in his attic during the summer festivities two years ago. She would gladly celebrate his existence tonight, and Radius loved all fellow Libras. They agreed to stop at Geoffrey’s for a drink, then go to Bill’s together.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Witches of Fire Island is a forthcomoing novella by Sadie St. Claire. Set on the magical barrier island between the Great South Bay and the Atlantic, it is a tale of friendship, of romance, and what happens when two besties are stranded for a week in the Storm of the Century.
For more Fire Island Reading, check out our editor Sarah Penello’s Dancer From the Dance Playlist and
The Witches of Fire Island: The Prenup
