By JILLIAN KRISTINA
Come, join us for this very special gathering of island guests, old and new! A new dawn is on the horizon for Widow’s Bay, and that includes you!
Your host, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), is thrilled to receive you. She has prepared a most vibrant spread for you to graze on, and of course, her delicious punch!
“The perfect hostess…effortless and elegant…”
But don’t worry, Patricia’s had some help planning this momentous occasion – and just in the nick of time, it seems. You see, we all need a little lift sometimes, something to motivate and inspire us to step out of our comfort zones and into the limelight! And Patricia… Well, Patricia is the perfect person to step up to the party-planning plate and really bring life to this little corner of our beloved island.
It all started with her mobile library and a mysterious donation among the fast-food wrappers. Thinking nothing of it, she placed the book with the others in the “self-help” section. However, the book had other plans and knew just how to get her attention. Because the book knew that Patricia needed it, the book needed Patricia, too. As it turns out, they needed each other.
“Your Turn – Out With the Old & In With the You!”
It was a subconscious offering: placing the book on her nightstand, a cup of steeping tea on top. Only Patricia didn’t notice the cup was gone when she got into bed. Didn’t notice at all. No, she simply picked up the book, a pencil, and began filling the pages with her answers to its questions. The grimoire’s questions. And with that, the ritual began. The glamour was cast, and the liminal became more powerful than Patricia’s waking reality…
“You’ve just taken the first step on the road to discovering the power within!”
Conducting a ritual requires diligent study and unparalleled commitment. Entranced by the book, Patricia pored over the pages one by one. She was so entranced that she seemed to forget all concepts of time, of daylight, of darkness. Completely engrossed, she sat and read, and read, and read, blissfully unaware of the blackening skies and the shift from day into night. She noted the tools and talismans and herbs and rites that would make her party perfect, all under the watchful eye of the disseminating moon. Patricia fed her energy to the book, and the book accepted it, hungrily and greedily.
“I didn’t understand half the stuff on that supply list, and may I suggest a different headpiece?”
She knew the right attire would be required as well, crafted by her own hands with a bounty of nature’s gifts, both living and dead. A headdress would complete the ritual garment, acting as a physical representation of the energy being channeled from above through the below.
“Seriously, what the fuck is on her head?”
Curating an event requires attention to detail, with no decoration, delectable or playlist neglected or overlooked. Patricia paid fervent attention to all of this, including the recipe for the communal cocktail. This was the elixir that would serve as the party’s centerpiece, lightening the hearts and minds of all who attend as they sway and sing and lose themselves to the magic and revelry of the night. And Patricia crafted this concoction with an almost otherworldly excellence.
“Perfect time to serve the punch.”
Ecstatic dancing ensued, conjuring the energy from the heat and sweat and salt of the bodies forming the sacred circle, the energetic container that would require the proper release for the ritual to be successfully executed.
“Time for the toast.”
And with all great gatherings, there is an even greater speech that invokes the spirit of the crowd, affirming the reason they’re all there. Their purpose. Something that would require all of them.
“I didn’t understand one word of that speech.”
Not all participants will understand your vision, but that’s alright, because this is your ritual, your rite, your rhythm to conjure and capture the power and unbridled hunger of the night…
Let’s go down to the cove for the bonfire!
Yes! The perfect release for this container of wild, primal energy! Yes, let’s head to the fire on the beach, mere paces to the ocean – the dark, deep, mysterious ocean, just waiting for her children to return home to her shores one day… One night… This night…
“Patricia… What the fuck are you doing?”
All it takes is one person to see through the veneer. And the spell is broken. And clarity returns, and the horrors and depravities contrived by our hands become unmistakably clear. Blood has been shed, and more will flow if Patricia doesn’t stop the ancient forces she has summoned as the perfect party planner. As the perfect hostess.
“It was that goddamn punch! She drugged us!”
Not all parties turn out as planned, and inevitably, there’s cleanup to do. Lots and lots of cleanup. The sun has officially set on Sunset Cocktails, but the dark moon has risen and with it, the need to keep those bonfires blazing. Widow’s Bay is facing a darkness no one can currently comprehend, and vigilance is of the utmost importance. So keep those torches lit, keep those homes guarded, and keep the bonds with your community strong. And also, don’t forget to refresh those wards and fortify those boundary lines. July is gearing up to be a month like no other, one that astrologers have been anticipating for years. A storm is coming, and next week’s New Moon in Cancer wants you to root down into what you hold most dear. It will help navigate the uncertainties and mysteries… like the sea hag, the boogeyman, transcendent mushrooms and the voices from the void that we are all sure to face, not alone, but together.
Anyway, Patricia and our beloved residents hope that you’ll continue to join us and stay on our lovely island as long as you like. It is the next Martha’s Vineyard, after all.
