Witch Nocturna Thinks About Mothers

 MOTHERS' DAY


Thank Goddess it's Sunday, Hermen. Philosophy Cafe's "Happy Hour" day.

No food though, Witch. It's "Mother's Day", so it's Ma's day off. Today she's on the other side of the counter.

Lucky her, she even gets to share Best Table Forever with that tiresome Old Soak. Me, I've had the very mother of a lousy week, so a glass of wine without food is fine by me. Bubbly, of course.

Right-oh: some bubble-bubble for Madama Nocturna. Do you think you drink to overcome childhood trauma? After all, you grew up with a lot of weird sisters.

No. I drink because I like drinking. You sound like a nagging therapist, Hermen. It's all very well being Hermen Eutic, but sometimes there can be too much meaning  I like the mysterious. And why can't Happy Hour just be an hour of happiness? Why does it have to be about escaping trauma? Whatever happened to uncomplicated pleasure? 

The therapy industry complicated it. What about your mother? Is she still alive?

Her spirit sure is. It haunts me, like it did when she was alive, always hanging around chanting spells and listing ingredients. 

Did she transmute anything? Does she still transform your world invisibly?

Nah. She was always under-bearing. Always going not far enough. She used to get depressed. She only read us one book when we gathered around the cauldron for a story: The Wind in the Wallows. Its sorry-for-yourself imagery still gets into my nightmares.

So you were emotionally neglected?

Maybe. Her spells were a joke but not funny ones. She brought us up in the school of hard knock-knock jokes.

You can tell me about it if you like, you're safe here, I've had sensitivity training. I had S.T. years ago.

How awful. Did you try antibiotics?

(sigh) Here's your drink: heaven plus hell -- both in one glass.

Cheers. Which is better do you think, the heaven or the hell?

Too philosophical for me. I'm just the waiter.

But a Miltonian one. You don't fool me. "They also serve who only stand and wait". 

Yeah, great. Standing … waiting … 

You depressed, Hermen?

Nah, I'm fine. I get by with a little help from my enemies.

I suppose hell would be more stressful than heaven. Heaven would be relaxing, but the interesting people would be in hell, don't you think? The enemies.

Oh yeah.



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