Apocryphal Family Tree: The Rough Draft

No Summoning Anybody

All the new knowledge swirled around in Lenny's head and she had an interesting dream that involved ghosts and fires and her Wild Hunt friend leading in front of a large crowd of people toward the homestead. When Lenny woke up she walked downstairs, distracted by thoughts of where the ghosts of apprentice past might be hiding. Lenny thought they might not be here because she hadn't heard them talking or even seen glimpses of them. The bodies were buried at the homestead. Simple linen shrouds and a really big and deep hole because even though everyone was fine with death, having a decomposing limb left in the garden after a scavenger decided they were finished was not ideal.
Lenny thought that maybe they'd moved on to the ancestral realm and no longer dwelled here in the land of the living where they are not supposed to be. If anyone is going to be ready to take on the responsibility of being an ancestor, it'd be the people who been dealing with dead people since before they could properly form memories. In which case, they needed to be summoned! Homegirl was all excited about the prospect of summoning people.
Side note to practitioners: I hear your groans. Don't worry. Or worry? It is her ancestors and also the name of this chapter is no summoning anyone for a reason.
Lenny couldn't ask Nor for help on the summoning since Nor was sure the former apprentices were at the house, so instead she went down to the bookshop bar. Figured Flor or Harlan would have a good idea for her. The only that came to mind was a Ouija board and she was sure that was a bad idea because she was pretty sure she was like a walking Ouija board.
Everyone at bookshop bar also thought summoning was a bad idea. Harlan suggested building an ancestral altar to communicate with those who had passed before. She said to get pictures of the former apprentices, a candle, and a glass of water. If possible money or foods. Put them on a table. Give the offerings. Light the candle. Say thanks and ask for help.
Lenny was less okay with this idea. Because how could she have this power and not be able to talk to the dead directly. There had to be a way. She would find it.
Lenny's next stop was online research. She knew it wasn't reliable, so she tried to temper it with the knowledge she had gotten from the library books. She found a ritual that she thought would work. The ingredients and ceremony seemed right, whatever right is. Lenny went to the kitchen to see what hey had and made a list of what she needed. She went to the store to pick up the items on her list. She came back home and added her few purchases to the bounty pile. She started to read the ceremony portion again. Deep breathe. She was gonna do this.
Lenny performed the ceremony in the dining room and nothing happened, at least at first. Lenny pulled a chair over to the table with the makeshift altar and pulled out her phone to look it over again. She'd tried to memorize the ritual so that she could focus on the summoning and not on a bright, distracting screen. She'd even put her phone on do not disturb mode. She saw that she'd missed a slew of texts based on the notification count on the app. She opened it up at the same time the door from Winnie's room slammed shut. Lenny launched the app and started to read the texts. It was incredibly too late for her to try to hide shit at this point but Winnie's texts seemed to start off with an innocent "what are you up to?" To a very agitated, "why haven't you answered me, what are you doing‽" over the course of five minutes.
Lenny finished reading the text as Winnie entered the room.
"What the shit are you doing‽" Winnie yelled.
"I wanted to talk to the former apprentices."
"You've been talking to Nor. Gah, that girl."
" it's a good idea." It sounded weak but it was an honest answer. "They'd give me their side. Which is my side. Something no one else has been able to give me. Might help me not make heir mistakes."
"You won't be making their mistakes. Mostly because you're making wholly you mistakes. Mistakes someone raised with this knowledge wouldn't make because they just know. No summoning anyone. Not even ancestors."
"But-"
"Did I stutter little girl?"
"No ma'am."
"I like the initiative but think about your safety. Think of what your doing akin to plastering a poster about a party around town when what really you mean to do is send out a select amount of invites. Anyone could show up and you have no idea how trustworthy anyone showing will be toward me your body, your mind, or your surroundings."
Lenny didn't want to agree but Winnie made good points. But she was just trying to summon her own ancestors, not anyone. She'd set her intentions at the jump. But Lenny also knew not to argue with Winnie. What Winnie said might as well be law. Which everyone knows is not actually something to be used as a moral compass but more as a barometer of a society's morality. Lenny didn't know what this law said about Winnie's morality. She did see it as a barrier erected to stop her from getting information she needs.
Lenny and Winnie talked more about summoning. Winnie told her how she could tell she was working a ritual and why it's dangerous in more detail. Lenny nodded. Either Winnie couldn't tell that Lenny was figuring out how to do it again without tripping the Winnie wire or she didn't care. Winnie wasn't used to someone who wouldn't give her all the respect and defer to her judgement always because that's not how Lenny was raised. Lenny was raised by a scientist and an engineer and she questioned everything. Why was it not done? Because it was always not done. Why is it dangerous? Because not everyone is gonna be Janus or the Morgaine. Both names caused lightbulbs to flash on in Lenny's head.
"Wait Janice the high school English teacher who lives next to my Nonna and Morgaine the deeply Irish fishmonger whose daughter is probably gonna marry my sister because deep down we all know that they've loved each other for years but hadn't figured out what to do about it because lesbians and society and happiness don't always go together well?"
Winnie arched an eyebrow. "Some of those words were nonsense. Janus isn't an English teacher. Maybe a shop teacher. Show you how to make a doorway. Not door door though, Janus isn't a fan of doors, just portals. Janus is the one that made me those keys. They're good with transition things. About a decade ago when it looked like your sister may have become your brother, Janus was beside themselves because as a transition deity, all trans people have a special place in their heart. It would have been so cool to have a descendant that was trans. When Bay came out as a lesbian, Janus was happy for the transition from secret to public but disappointed that they weren't getting a new charge."
I made note to tell Bay about all of this. She'd very much dig it. I should probably also tell Sep. We're apparently related to the Roman transition deity Janus. Who knows how directly and what that means for them. Maybe they'll be good locksmiths or information security (infosec) coders (digital locksmiths). Sep is listless in what to do since college started to work out and then very quickly went downhill. I don't think he wants to manage high end retail stores forever.
"Morgaine is the Morgaine, and I honestly hope your sister does marry into her family is she's going to continue with this soldiering business. Morgaine is petty old-fashioned that way: marriage is the joining together of two families and Morgaine as a Celtic war goddess is amazingly helpful in the areas of both mental and physical injuries, and death. Granted also because of the proximity to a warrior goddess, Bay is also more likely to see combat action. If Bay is gonna be a soldier and she very clearly wants to be, then marrying one of Morgaine's many offspring will be of the utmost help to her overall well-being."
I somehow lost my ability to be mad at people tinkering in my life. When we ran up to Massachusetts, Winnie spread her net wider, built connections to the local deities and supernatural beings to keep us protected which meant them being in our lives. I tried to think of who Janus was in my life since they weren't using their name or a similar sounding nickname. Also I'd apparently been dealing with a fae-adjacent deity since I've been forming memories. I tried to think if I'd ever done anything to incur her bad will. Broken promises or rudeness. She seems very okay with humans, she has a lot of human kin that she is always around. I'm probably fine there. I wonder if she's the Morrígan or one of the trio of goddesses that make up the Morrígan. I get the Morrígan confused with the Triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I'm pretty sure I didn't make that mistake in front of her. Morrígan is pretty direct. She would have corrected me if I'd gotten that wrong. And also some of the things that I remember her telling me makes more sense. Sage old woman advice coming from a woman who looks like she's in her mid-forties but is actually hundreds if not thousands of years old.
"Who is Janus? Are they as intwined in my life as the Morrigan?" I asked.
Winnie shrugged. "Honestly didn't know how involved they are in the lives of mortals, even if the mortals have supernatural powers or are related to them.