From the beginning, there is a strong hint of the supernatural, starting with the mysterious Cousin Geillis. She appears and disappears unexpectedly, always bringing laughter, joy, and a sense of wonder to lonely Gilly. The mystery is strengthened with the seemingly uncanny prediction Geillis makes of her own death, and her promise that she would always be there for Gilly.

When white doves bring Gilly messages from her dead relative, it seems as if Cousin Geillis was really a witch, although a benign one. Yet Stewart always provides a logical explanation for the miracles — the doves were really sent by Christopher John at the request of Cousin Geillis before her death, and the mysterious experiences of Gilly during her midnight journey to the gathering of the witches turns out to be an illusion created by Mrs. Trapp's potions. Stewart leads the reader deep into a fairy tale...