Moments pass. Tabitha does nothing.
So, Selma takes matters into her own...black-polished, steel-jeweled hands. Into her hands, she conjures a dagger. She points it at her own midriff, and chambers to thrust it in.
Impulsively, Tabitha uses a banishing charm, to disarm Selma before she kills herself. The dagger hits a poster on the wall, that's of a no-maj boy and promotes philandry, and sticks to it. The dagger's point has been wedged into the boy's groin.
Selma scoffs. "You New England witches can be SO stubborn, at times..."
"Apparently you Bosnian witches can be so self-destructive. Seriously; what were you thinking?!"
She shrugs. "Got you to show off, didn't I? Anyway, to business. As your new neighbor, I'd like to deposit a home-warming gift into both of your lives."
Tabitha looks around. "You've got a nice house, here. And I must confess I didn't expect your Ramadan party to be anything like this, when I first came."
"This feels weird," Lisa protests. "I don't think we should do this."
"Please," Selma holds up her hand. "Just hear me out. This party was a lot of trouble; a lot of us didn't think we should throw it. But now that it seems that the party has become a fluke with its...very few willing guests, I'd like to take a moment, to try to expand on this fluke."
Four eyes survey Selma...and wait for her to speak.
"Okay, so, here's the thing. Where I come from, there are Ramadan traditions. The one I offer you is a bit of an experimental gadget...but I'm confident in my magic. Hence, I'd love to take you two on...a little cruise...of sorts."
Tabitha arches her brows. "A Ramadan cruise?! Is that, by any chance, anything like a Christmas cruise?"
She shrugs. "Maybe. But then, need I not remind you that 'Christmas,' as you call it, is a warm time of year in Ishmael's southern hemisphere?"
"I," Lisa stammers, "don't know if we can get away for that long. There are people in town who might miss us."
"I swear that when you two both get back from it, no time will have passed. Or in the very least, no one will know you've gone. You'll both come back in one piece...just as you are now."
Now, Tabitha seems interested. "What kinds of amenities will there be on this cruise?"
"Well...there'll be boys, of course." She shares an exited expression with Lisa; Tabitha, OTOH, seems less enthusiastic...for some reason. "You'll be taken," Selma continues, "to three hotspots in the Islamic world. Depending on what's ideal, you might very well be taken to a different time in history, too...for each hotspot. You will brave many dangers...and indulge in many pleasures. And you'll both get to express your true colors," she grins, and flaps her hair, "just as you both dream of them at night."
Neither Tabitha nor Lisa realize, at this point, that Selma has seen their dreams, and hence, know that they both dream of being each other's race, on some nights...
"My offer is valid all month," Selma announces. "Take it, any time until then...or leave it, sometime before then."
"This still feels strange," Lisa admits. She studies Tabs. "I don't think we should do this."
Tabs sighs. "If that's what you call a Christmas cruise, Selma, I must confess how underwhelmed I am. Seriously; in my world, most people take cruises in Miami...if at all. I know that sounds cheap...but you'd have to be an infidel to appreciate that."
"I'm not Muslim, you know," Selma reminds them. "As a matter of fact, I'm a witch...which makes me an anti-Muslim."
"Anti-Muslim, anti-Shaker, or anti-Episcopalian," Tabs insists, "my Sister and I have better things to do. I commend you for your efforts...but we both like our lives here. And Lisa does, to...even if it is a long way from Gabon...or whichever African country her ancestors once called home...for whatever it must've been worth." With that, she embraces Lisa from behind. "Let's go, Lisa." In a flash, Tabs teleports the two of them back to Morning Glory Circle in Concord.
In their absence, Selma only grins...and conjures a pair of nano-hourglasses. They're both trickling...with obsidian sand. She grins.
"Sorry to crash your expectations, Sisters," she mutters, "but your cruises have already been paid for. And for both of you...they'll start tonight...as you both toss in bed, dreaming of being black and white...in reverse-order..."