Cassie visited her again that night. She sat in the rocker by the open bedroom window, the old tom curled in her lap. Aunt Cathy could vaguely make her out in the occasional flicker of heat lightning.
"Now, don't make me or you either one out to be other than who we were. And don't hide the magic, but don't make it out to be any more than what is, just a little piece of mystery that one day will make cold hard sense. Leastways it will if humankind lasts long enough to figure it out."

Cathy nodded that she understood.

"Bet you don't tell 'em about you and Louie out at the still," Cassie said with a cackle. Aunt Cathy managed to look amused and a little chagrined at the same time.

Miss Cassie didn't say any more after that, just sat there by the window and rocked. Aunt Cathy lay there and watched for the longest time, until Cassie finally faded away. As she drifted back off to sleep, or back to dreamlessness, she thought she heard the distant sound of a flute from up on the ridge in the direction of the graveyard.