Tricky Treats

50. Taken by the Sky

Chapter 50

The early sun didn't warm through the bedroom curtains. The thick clouds left the bedroom chilled, with a stony breeze prickling his body with soft goosebumps. The mayor stirred awake. He rubbed his refreshed eyes and rubbed a palm over his face, rousing him up further. His arm felt empty. His darling wasn't lying in it. His right hand patted the sheets beside him, and it was cold and vacant. He squinted his eyes, turning to check on his love.

Serena was no longer beside him.

She was gone!

A cool shudder travelled down his spine. She could've been in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Or walked downstairs to the kitchen, making breakfast, or took a morning walk to her sweet shop. A sad thought lingered in his mind as he looked at the gust of wind blowing through the curtain from the balcony. Somehow, he knew she wouldn't be there. The heartrending thought remained.

She left with the wind.

A few hours later, the mayor had checked every room in the house. After he had dressed, he loitered in the cobbled streets of Finchdale with his hands in his trousers' pockets, strolling to the final place he had hoped to find Serena. Finchdale was his anchor. He knew his place in it. Its leader. The mayor of this town. The place looked different suddenly. He felt lost in it.

He finally stood in front of Tricky Treats and closed his eyes in realization as he opened the unlocked door. His lungs taking in a deep breath. The shelves were empty. It no longer overflowed with chocolate, colorful candy, and butter scotch toffees. The counter was bare, not a single candy wrapper left in sight. The mayor's heart dipped as he swallowed thickly. He walked into the kitchen and his heart sunk further. No cauldron hung above a cozy fire. Only black soot was left behind in the fireplace. The once crammed kitchen laid vacant, as if nobody lived in here for years.

How did Serena move so quickly? But he shook his senses. With magic, of course. She was his witch, after all. Tears edged the corner of his eyes as he sauntered to the shop's unoccupied floor. Tricky Treats Store, Serena's sweet shop that brought enchantment wonder to this little town, was no more. Disappeared into thin air. Vanished in the breeze. Leaving a clean and vacant shop.

She had left Finchdale.

She had left him.

He didn't know how to feel - Betrayed, angry or dejected. He felt all of it and more. An array of emotions. Worry for Serena. Where would she go without him? Will she be safe? Of course, she's a witch! He reminded himself again. Envious of other men desiring her! But above all, he felt aimless. Sadness overtook him.

"How could she leave me?" he murmured with a heavy heart. He placed his head in the palm of his hands and inhaled the air that no longer smelt of sweetness.

"What am I supposed to do now?" he muttered somberly.

"So, she's gone, huh?" a boyish voice said at the door.

The mayor spun around. Stunned to see Theo standing at the doorway. The mayor grimaced. He didn't want anyone seeing him so pitiful.

"Theodore," the mayor said, and the young man strolled inside. His eyes darted around the unoccupied shop. A tinge of sadness etched in Theo's gaze that the mayor caught.

"She didn't even say goodbye." Theo mumbled, with a hint of melancholy. The mayor winced inside, shutting his eyes tight. He was right. Serena didn't say goodbye. Maybe it was going to be too painful to say it.

"Yes, she left us." The mayor said in a low tone. Theo walked beside him and looked up at the broken mayor.

"I don't think she could stay in one place. She was bigger than this small town. I don't think anyone could hold her down." He said.