A Death Displaced by Andrew Butcher Read Free Book Online

Healer. Clairvoyant. She performs psychic readings, dream interpretations, energy healings and more. Party events are considered. Tamara also harnesses the ability to communicate with spirits: your loved ones who have passed on. To book an appointment with Tamara, call the contact number below. Located in Willow, Lansin Island. Directions can be given over the phone.   

    Juliet squandered no time. She booked an appointment to see the medium, and as if by fate Tamara had a cancellation for the next day. So Juliet waited.
     
    *
     
    Deciding what to wear for the appointment proved difficult; she checked both of her wardrobes and just couldn’t decide. She felt fragile, and what if the medium wanted her to do some kind of ritual dance or something? What have I got myself into? Having never been superstitious before, she dreaded the meeting and felt completely and utterly embarrassed about booking it in the first place.
    There was no denying the phenomena she’d witnessed, and getting to the bottom of it was the most logical step; even if it meant seeking help from unusual sources. Or so she told herself. With that logic firm in mind, she shoved on the most basic clothes she had. After all, there was no one to impress in a little hamlet such as Willow.
    A green jumper-style hoody, black skinny jeans and fur-lined boots were sufficient. Not everything she owned was designer. On the way out, she remembered to grab a pair of gloves.
    Buses to Willow ran only one every hour and a half, making Juliet almost wish she’d purchased a car. But as she lived walking-distance from everywhere in Chanton that she needed to visit, and transport to Amiton town centre ran on a frequent basis, she’d never had much need of one.
    On arriving in Willow she remembered the directions she was given: Facing the plaque in front of the white willow tree, follow the path to the left. It’s the second house along.
    The houses in the hamlet were primarily thatched cottages, some newer and larger, and all built to match the style of the smaller abodes that appeared centuries old.
    It was a quaint and picturesque place, where time moved slower.
    ‘Are you lost, love?’ a man’s voice grabbed her attention.
    ‘No, I’m just getting my bearings. I think it’s this way.’ She pointed.
    ‘Ah, visiting Tamara?’
    ‘How did you know?’
    ‘It’s the only reason anyone comes to Willow,’ he said, matter-of-fact.
    ‘Oh. I suppose it is, yes.’
    ‘She’s a descendant of The Lansin Island Witches, you know? The ones who were burnt alive. More rightly, a descendant of some of them, you see.’ He shook his head in acknowledgement of the wrong committed on Lansin Island all those years ago.
    ‘Yes. I read that on the internet.’
    ‘The internet!’ He snorted. ‘I can’t get my head around this technology.’ He rambled for a while about people’s privacy and how technology would someday bring the end for us all, and Juliet nodded along. There was no point being rude.
    ‘Yes, I know. It’s terrible,’ she offered. Personally, she loved the internet; it was her favourite way to shop. But she couldn’t expect everyone to have the same opinion.
    ‘Anyway, I’m holding you up aren’t I? You be sure to tell Tamara I said hello.’ He smiled a pleasant but rotten-toothed smile. ‘My name’s Peter. She’ll know who you mean.’ He turned and waved. 
    It was that time of year where the white willow tree had lost some of its leaves. Almost thirty metres tall, it was in the centre of the hamlet and appeared enormous compared to the cottages.
    The day was cold and the wind nipped at Juliet’s face, but she wanted to read the plaque in front of her:
     
Legend tells of a Willow tree here in the centre of the hamlet. In the 16 th century, the tree was abnormally tall and lived an impossibly long life. It is said that The Lansin Island Witches worshipped the tree, extending its life and causing it to grow over fifty metres in height. After