Chapter 4

**Season of the Witch**

## Synopsis

Oscar sets out to the Podunk weekend farmer's market to find some blue roses for his sister, accompanied by Clifford. While Oscar is bantering with Darcy at the flower booth, Cliff has hived off for some barbecue and a mysterious woman identifies him as a wolf before disappearing, leaving him badly shaken.

A return visit to the flower booth results in introductions to Eliza and Darcy and an invitation to their home out in the woods, where a dramatic encounter with Eliza's foliage in turn leads to news about Clifford's nature.

## Characters

* Oscar
* Sylvia
* Clifford
* Darcy
* River
* Franklin
* Eliza
* The White-Faced Bear
* Spiders. So many spiders.

## Continuity

* Oscar hiding his whereabouts from his family.
* Blue roses.
* Cliff's habit of entering through the window in the upstairs bathroom begins.
* Cliff explains Kevin's adoption, and refers to not wanting to be at home when Carl's around.
* Oscar apologises (sort of) to River, who isn't at all planning to send Franklin to go get him, honest.
* Oscar's journal.
* River mentions Oscar quitting his job, in passing.
* Darcy and Eliza are adorable together from their first panel.
* Oscar reaching for the back of his neck.
* Cards don't go well for Cliff.
* Nora doesn't know.
* Eliza makes three--count them, *three*--spectacular entrances. (And then gets upstaged by the White-Faced Bear.)
* If a witch starts to glow and her hair starts floating away from her? STOP SWEARING AT HER.
* The relationship between Eliza, the White Faced Bear, and the spiders is outlined.
* Animal people history, in short.
* Clifford's garbled syntax.
* Darcy loves werewolves.
* Darcy's smiles.
* Oscar and women, a story with ancient roots.
* (He came in through) the bathroom window.

## Pop culture

* Benji: Clifford getting dad-joked.
* The Crucible: Eliza Procter.
* Pride and Prejudice: Darcy and Eliza.
* Clifford the Big Red Dog. (But Nora doesn't know.)

## Post chapter

River receiving bare root rose plants with a "Where's Waldo?" card.

## Quotes

"Did you let him in?"
"Me? Oh, my, no."
"Interesting."
—The mystery of the mystery wolf (p152)

"You know what? I'm not comfortable debating my sister's ostensible hotness with a teenaged werewolf. And I didn't even know that about myself until today. What a magical journey of self-discovery this has all been."
—Oscar coming over all writerly (p153)

"Nothing goes on in Podunk. That's why they call it Podunk."
"Said Teen Wolf in the haunted house."
—Clifford and Oscar getting existential (p154)

"Paws off the table, Benji."
—Oscar working on his dad jokes (p156)

"Where are you going?"
"Barbecue."
"But it's not even eleven!"
"*Breakfast* barbecue!"
—Clifford has priorities (p159)

"How much to mail a dozen roses to my angry sister in Chicago?"
"Well, sir, you're in luck. This week we're having a special on angry Chicago sister bouquets."
—Darcy's sales patter is perfect (p160)

"Now there's something you don't see every day... a *wolf* shopping for vegetables."
—Cleanup in aisle seven (p161 - p162)

"You'll just send Franklin to come and get me."
"What? No... no... *no*."
—River knows when her little brother's in over his head, though (p164)

"And what do you do, besides making your sister angry?"
"Journalism. Though, she's angry with me about that too."
—Sibling relationships, amirite? (p167)

"A werewolf and a ghost are playing cards in my house and that isn't even the weirdest thing that I've seen since I moved here."
—Oscar didn't choose the Podunk life, the Podunk life chose Oscar (p167)

"She works a lot. There's tons of stuff she doesn't know."
—Nora doesn't know (p172)

(deadpan) "Wow. Exciting." (eyes wide) "Wicked. I want to live in the woods."
—Clifford's eyes are opened (p173 - p174)

"You didn't seriously think that you'd be able to stroll up to my door with just a little baby monster?"
"What do you mean monster, *bitch?!*"
—Clifford's first encounter with a witch could be going better (p179)

"Well, come on. I want to know why Scrappy Doo here is under the protection of the White Faced Bear."
—Things aren't getting much better for him (p184)

"Spiders... in my pants."
"I... don't know what to do for that..."
"Kill me."
—Relatable, Clifford, relatable (p184)

"What's his name?"
"Clifford."
"No!"
"I know, right?"
—We've all been thinking it (but Nora doesn't know) (p187)

"The fuck is animal people?"
"The fuck *are* animal people."
"Shut up, Oscar. I hate you right now."
—Be nicer to the wolf please, Oscar (p189)

"He's a secret werewolf, on his father's side."
—Oscar's been dying to use that one (p189)

"Look at his eyes. They're more like the eyes of an animal than a human. They don't all have it, but it's a common trait among animal people."
"Oh, yeah... I never noticed. Weird."
"You're weird. Get away from me."
—Getting a bit personal there, Oscar (p190)

"No, I'm-- *don't*."
—Aw, but... much as we like to laugh, he's got a point (p191)

"My sister said blue roses were impossible, so I looked it up. She wasn't wrong. And, I'm not an expert, but... don't they need to grow in the sun?"
—Mmm-hmm (p192 - p193)

"You *are* the weird shit that is happening to me."
—Clifford's days of pretending he lives in a normal reality might just be getting challenged (p199)