Question and Answer
Bare feet quietly crossed tile and into the tiny patch of soft grass in the back garden as Izzy made her way from the house with only the light of the full moon overhead to guide her. Her housemates were sound asleep, and the witch had made certain none of them would wake up before sunrise with a few judicious castings and a silencing charm. A privacy fence around the back and thick vegetation in the garden eased any worries that the neighbors would see or hear anything they shouldn't so that was covered as well. Only the hum from the nearby pool and the chirping of crickets in the distance disturbed the stillness and were easily tuned out. Working magic of this sort was a tricky business and Izzy was out of practice since her arrival in this dimension earlier in the month. The last thing she needed was someone interrupting her in the middle of things.
The young woman knelt down in the small patch of grass at the center of the garden and lit the candle she'd brought with her, then the sticks of incense placed in the cardinal directions around her. In front of her were two small bowls, one filled with milk, the other with pure honey. Satisfied that everything was in place, the witch shrugged out of her silken robe and then reached back to remove the clip binding her hair and shake her golden tresses free. The ritual was an ancient one, and being as out of practice as she was Izzy was taking no chances of anything disrupting the flow of magic, even something as innocuous as a hair clip.
Isis! Mother Goddess! Mistress of Magic! Lady of the Underworld! Queen of the Universe! Hear me, your servant begs indulgence!
Eventually the witch felt a presence swirl about her. Whether the Goddess herself or one of her minions she had no way of knowing, but she got the distinct impression that she should hurry up and ask her question and quit bothering them. Or else.
I am a stranger in a strange land! Twice I have traveled between the dimensions, once of my own volition and once without. The one who held this body before me did no wrong, yet I am here and some of her still remains. Great Queen! Holy Mother! Your servant humbly begs to understand why she is here.
Suddenly she was back in Chicago, standing at the beach in Lincoln Park with the rest of the throng as the wall of light engulfed them. But instead of waking up in the waters off Fort Zachary Taylor she was asked a question by the Gods, the Powers That Be, those who maintained the Balance. What is your heart's desire?
And suddenly she knew. Family. Something taken away from her in the first dimension, and had never existed in the second.
The witch opened her eyes to find the incense burned to ashes and the offerings vanished along with the presence, the candle half burned down and surrounded by a puddle of melted wax. Off in the distance the first rays of dawn were visible in the eastern sky, and Izzy was shivering from the cool morning breeze on her bare flesh. Some of her housemates would need to be up soon, so Izzy stood on unsteady legs and wrapped the robe back around herself to go back into the house.