When they got to the basement her Mom took out a key and unlocked the door. “OK Cindy, go ahead, you have wanted in there for your entire life.”

Cindy slowly opened the door and peeked in. There was a wall and sort of a little foyer. She stepped on through and went around the partition that blocked her view of the room. The room was small, no bigger than about 20 by 20. There were three couches, a couple of overstuffed chairs a big square coffee table and a book case with some books and board games on it. A couple of card tables, some folding chairs and that was it! Talk about a let down. On the wall opposite the door she entered was another door. Sure that this must be where the “good stuff” must be kept she went and opened the door. Behind the door was a brick wall! She turned to look at her parents and they collapsed on a couch in hysterical laughter.

“What is so funny??” She asked indignantly.

“Oh Baby you are!” Her Dad answered gasping for air.

Her Mom chimed in, “You should see your face it was priceless!!!”

In a huff she slammed the door and went and flopped on the couch across from them. “I don’t see what the big secret was. It actually isn’t as nice as the living room upstairs. I guess you just liked it here so much because you could get away from me here!”

“Well that did have its plusses but that wasn’t it.” Sheryl told her. “Now, you will notice that the door has two knobs one on either side.” She pointed at the door Cindy had just slammed. “Go and open it using the knob on the right and open it with your phasmanus this time instead of your flesh hand.” When Cindy hesitated Sheryl told her to go ahead.

Cindy reached out with her new and still only partially controlled appendage and turned the knob on the right opening it. To her amazement this time when the door opened, instead of a brick wall, there was a stair case leading up. Her parents got up and her Mom make shooing motions wither hands. Cindy climbed the stairs. There were 13 steps to the top. When she got to the landing there was another door. She opened it and the lights came on revealing a huge ornate room.

Sheryl stepped up beside her. “This is the Coven House. Actually this is MY coven house. I am the High Priestess of this coven; I lead this coven. On the floor is the sacred pentagram we enter from the darkness of the north point of the star. You will note that there are at the other 4 points of the star there are three doors side by side when in the North there is but one. To the left we have the East the center door is Pamela’s she is my East Priestess; the doors to each side are her apprentices. To the right in the West there are three more doors the center on there is Jaclyn’s; she is my West Priestess. Yes dear we have known each other for a long time and she at one time was my apprentice. In the South you have two points with three doors each they are the doors of the rest of my sister’s. Each Coven world wide is made up of a High Priestess and 4 triads. Two of the triads are made up of the lower Priestesses and two apprentice witches each and two triads of sisters not at this time training or holding office. 13 witches makes a Coven…a sisterhood.”

In the middle of the room where the center of the lines wove a web, was and alter between the doors were chairs and between the points were couches; all upholstered in the same dark blue velvet. The floor was tiled in onyx and the lines of the pentagon were gold. The domed ceiling was dark blue with the stars and moon all represented in silver and gold. The lighting came from all around the perimeter of the room giving it a sort of twilight effect. The walls between the doors were painted with detailed murals of an enchanted forest of big elms and weeping willows whose branches reached up onto the ceiling.

“It is beautiful!!!” Cindy said as she turned and took it all in.

Sheryl took the door they had entered through and closed it then stepped back. “The Coven House is the heart of us, here we meet to do business and celebrate, to worship and to have our parties. Each door is a door into the home of that sister we actually all live in the same house, just in different rooms.” She looked around and then turned to Cindy. “Now reopen the door. This time you can use your flesh hand. Open the door using the knob on the left.”

Cindy opened the door slowly and instead of the set of stairs leading down back into their basement the door opened into a room much bigger than the one in the basement and defiantly more for entertaining than the basement room.

“Pull the door 90 degrees to the wall and release it.” Sheryl said. When Cindy did this the door slid into the wall somehow leaving the doorway open with but a knob sticking out on the left side. “Go in and look, I think this is what you were expecting.”

Inside was a sort of smaller version of the Coven House except the points of the Pentagram were now beds, benches and all manner of “Things” such as had adorned The Sweetest Nipple there were small clusters of couches and a bar with all the goodies you might want. In the wall across the room was another door. Sheryl led her to it.

“Open the right hand knob please.” Cindy did so and looked. “That is the stairway we came up and that is the room off the basement!” Cindy exclaimed looking down the stairs.

“Exactly, now close the door.” When Cindy had complied she said, now open the door using the left knob.”

Cindy opened the door slowly not knowing what to expect. As the door opened a bright light poured in. Shielding her eyes Cindy cautiously peered through the door. Mouth open she started to step through it but her Mom caught her shoulder. On the other side of the door was a different world!! She was faced with Bright blue skies, palm trees, and the gentle surf breaking against a sandy beach in a lagoon so blue it almost hurt to look at. It was as if she were standing on the porch of a beach house!! She turned to her parents’ eyes and mouth open wide.

Sheryl stepped over and after a short look, sighed and closed the door again. “That is our Vacation land. It is a special place Cindy; as near to paradise as we can make it. When you go there you can stay for 2 weeks and at the end of that time return and find that only 1 minute has passed here. There is a fully stocked house with literally everything you might ever want. There is a boat and fishing tackle and food of only the best kind. Everything there is perfect…or at least it is to your Dad and I anyway. When we need to get away we can come here and vacation for two weeks and only be gone for 1 minute.”

“Is it REAL?” Cindy asked.

“Oh yes, very real…for two weeks.”

“What happens after two weeks??”

“Everything that we put there disappears and it returns to what it is, a lonely uninhabited south Pacific island too far out and alone to be inhabited because it has no fresh water and is not big enough to grow enough to eat. That and periodically it is almost swept clean by typhoons makes it perfect for us. We only used it for two perfect weeks and then everything was removed. Whenever you go you start at the beginning with everything new and stocked. We use the same two weeks over and over again. In the end all there is left is the door home. We witches have up these little spots all over the world whenever and wherever we can find someplace that is not observed or used for a couple of weeks we just make a loop and use it.

“Why only two weeks? Why not a month?” Cindy wondered.

“Honey, even paradise gets boring after two weeks. Besides you can always come home grab a snack and go right back and start it over again; but two weeks there is usually enough.”

“Then go somewhere else!”

“We do Cindy. There are thousands of these; this is just your Dad’s and my favorite right now.” We spend as much time away as we do here Baby. All Witches do. Ya know why? Because the time you spend away…it doesn’t count against your life here in this world!”

“Wow!! Then why ever come back? Except maybe long enough to open another door to somewhere else?” Cindy was thrilled.

“Some do that and live centuries in days, but you have to understand dear, it is not real and you cannot DO anything there. Time can be tricked but never changed. You have to stay in the very enclosed area and can’t interact with the natives at all. Some times several will get together and go traveling. They can spend years sampling all the different environments of the world…but in the end, they all come back and mostly just live one day at a time mostly except for little vacations.” Sheryl led Cindy back through the room and into the Coven House. When the door is open it means guests are welcome. You never open a closed door that is not yours or in an emergency. Close the door Baby.” Cindy pulled the door from the wall and closed it. “Now open it using the right hand knob.” This time when she opened it the passage led back down the stairs to the basement room and they went down closing the door behind them.

When they were back in the little basement room and the door was closed again Cindy reopened it with her flesh hand just to check…yeppers, still a brick wall.

“Now Cindy”, Her Mom asked her, “Open the door this time using the left hand knob. Use your phantom hand.”

Not knowing what to expect she did and looked. It was the stairs again but this time it went straight to the play room where the door to paradise was.

Sheryl smiled, “Now if you don’t mind, your Father and I have some things we need to take care of. If you will go and bathe we will be up to see you by the time you are dressed for bed. You need a good nights sleep in your own bed tonight. You will find that it is going to be…different dealing with your fragilis friends now. Now scoot and let me and your Dad have a little quality time together.”

Cindy laughed and kissed them both. “I have a feeling it will only be a few minutes for me but somewhat longer for YOU!”

Rick laughed and hugged Sheryl. “See, she caught on right off! Come on Baby, it has been a long time since we were apart this long!” He said tugging on Sheryl’s arm. “See you in a minute Cindy!” They went through the door and closed it behind them.