The Spirit Hill Art Gallery

Episode 7

Even more scared, Sonja was still determined to press on and look in each of the shops on the square for the items on the list. Home was a place where she desperately wanted to be. She would do nearly anything to get there.

Having eaten, she felt much better and set out to continue her search by first visiting the stores on Cauldron Court. Next-door to Frankie’s, she noticed The Spirit Hill Art Gallery. It was open for they were having an opening night extravaganza complete with an outside street sale. At the entrance, she stepped inside behind two witches who had picked out paintings to buy from the outside sale. Eagerly, she entered the brightly lit gallery. She was amazed to see the Bride of Frankenstein being serenaded with a violin concerto played by another man who resembled Frankenstein. There surely were some fabulous paintings on the walls. Betty, owner of the Gallery, was very friendly and outgoing. She took Sonja on a tour of the gallery. There was a painting of Stonehenge, one of Dorothy’s red shoes and lots of paintings of witches combined into something called Relative Row. While the people at the opening were friendly, Sonja saw nothing there that was on her list and turned to descend the stairs and continue on with her search. It was then that she saw it. The painting was sticking out from behind another not yet mounted. It showed a fabulous castle far away in the Carpathian Mountains. Her heart gave a twinge at the sight of the castle painting. But, knowing nothing of her past, Sonja did not know why she had such feelings. She thanked Betty for the tour of the gallery and headed out the door wondering what that castle was and why it had affected her so.

EPISODE ONE

How it all began...

It was a strange Halloween day in San Francisco. The tule fog was so thick upon the ground that one could not see to the corner of the block.

True to the post-office motto, the mail carriers left the sorting station with their arms heavily loaded to deliver the day's mail. Sonja's mail cart was unusually heavy this morning. She huffed and puffed a little as she pushed it and began her delivery route. She smiled as she passed the Little Red Schoolhouse where the children, all in costume, were having the traditional Halloween parade, marching in a circle around their teacher dressed as the wicked witch.

After delivering to the first block on her route, she came to the block she disliked above all the others. Each house had 16-20 stairs to climb to deliver the bills, ads and small packages for each postal customer. Dutifully, Sonja climbed the stairs of the first two dwellings but as she turned to descend the stairs of the second house, a dog barked and she lost her footing tumbling down the stairs and landing hard on the cement sidewalk. Immediately, she fell into a state of unconsciousness. Hidden by the fog shroud, she was not visible to her co-workers or travelers on the street.

Sometime later, Sonja awoke to feel a sharp pain in the side of her head. Fortunately, she had no broken bones, so carefully, she began first to sit upright and finally to stand. So thick was the fog that she could see nothing of her surroundings. She could not see where to go! Sonja noticed that she was no longer wearing her uniform! Instead her attire consisted of jeans, a black turtle neck sweater and a beautiful silver necklace with a large attached heart. The worst thing of all was that her mail cart was missing. She could be fired for this loss. Sonja began to feel panic in the pit of her stomach. How long was she out? Where should she go and what should she do?

Slowly, she turned her sore head to the left side and felt some pangs of relief when she saw the hint of a light through the fog. She started walking toward it. She walked and walked. Again she began to panic, for she felt she was walking, but making no progress. Sonja was about to turn around when she noticed the tunnel. It seemed as though the light was brighter at the tunnel's end so she proceeded in that direction. Onward she walked with her eyes wide open, her head hurting and her heart pounding.

As she stepped through the distant opening of the portal, she could not believe what lay before her eyes. The fog had receded somewhat and she was able to read a sign which read, "Welcome to Spirit Hill Square- the Finest of shopping for witches, wizards, mystics and those with psychic leanings."

Shaking and suddenly very scared, Sonja saw a postal person riding a bicycle. She yelled out "Can you help me? I'm lost and can't seem to find my postal route. I'm from San Francisco, California. You know the Golden Gate to the Golden State!"

The postal delivery person looked at Sonja very strangely for he had never heard of San Francisco or California. However, genuinely wanting to help Sonja, he replied, "If you come with me on my route through the square, I will introduce you to the shop keepers and one of them should be able to help you find your way."

"Hop on the back of my bike. You look a little shaky. By the way, what's your name?" Rousting up all her bravado, she said, "My name is Sonja. What is yours?" She got on the back of the bike while he told her that his name was Lebec and that he was new on this route. Off they went: he to deliver the mail, she to find a way home.