Читать книгу The Cardinal Will Tell All - Carol Smith - Страница 8

Chapter 2

Dream of the One

Dreams are like videos; they are films when you close your eyes. Or they can be places where you can go when your body needs a change of pace. Here I am again looking at a cabin in the forest. The ground around feels so real. And there he is. His back is turned to me, but then he turns around, and he is speaking, but no sound is to be heard! I note his features; he is handsome and has smooth dark-ebony skin with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. He is smiling as he talks. He lifts his arm, and on his hand, a cardinal, and in the other hand, he has seeds. There is a cardinal on his shoulder, the right one. And other cardinals are enjoying the seeds with the bird feeder.

I look toward the cabin. Four cutout hearts on a purple door. They are of different sizes with glass in between. It is a beautiful place. The cabin has two stories with the first-floor roof being flat with a balcony and a metal railing with vines and plants, and on top of the railing sits a gray tabby. It opens its mouth but again no sound. Nothing about him or the cabin feels scary. It feels like I’ve been there before.

The two cardinals that were on him moved to the bird feeder. And then he walks toward me. His blue eyes are intense. My heart beats faster. I can feel his hands holding my arms, and his face moves closer and then ringing. I hear ringing, and I wake up. It is the alarm on my clock.

Darn it! Well, that was different! I think to myself.

Triton hops on the bed and looks and me, and on the other side is Jade, she meows.

Yes, I know, dear ones, it’s breakfast time!

I get up, and I run for the kitchen with two cats hot on my heels. I get our breakfast ready. While they eat, I light the incense and a candle, and I greet the goddess, the ancestors, and the house. The smell of sandalwood drifts through the house. I start my coffee with the dream fresh in my head.

As I scramble my eggs, I think, So I saw his face this time.

Smiling and blushing a little at the thought, I reach for a box of sprouts, then grab my cream from the fridge, and I turn on the kitchen television, and my phone rings. It is Cybelle.

“Hey, girl,” she says in her most southern drawl. “I called to find out if you would like to go to the nursery with me?”

“Yes,” I tell her, “that sounds fine, but I need to talk to you. I had that dream again.”

“Oh really, again?” she says.

But then I hear my brother’s voice in the background saying, “Again? What’s going on?”

I yell into the phone, “Hi, Keith!”

Poor Cybelle, we are a mess. And she married into us wild and crazy people.

“Hello, sis, are you okay?” Keith says.

“He says hello and wants to know if you are okay. Yes, she is okay!” Cybelle chimes in before I could answer.

“I see you’re getting the hang of it!” I say laughing.

“Yes, I am,” she chimes back.

Keith can be heard laughing in the background. But then she says, “I get the sense that the dream has changed?”

“Yes,” I tell her, “I got to see his face this time. He had rich, smooth dark-ebony skin with blue eyes and blond hair.”

“Oh my, sounds very interesting,” she says.

“So his hands weren’t dirty, he is just a luscious dark-skinned person.”

I could hear Keith saying, “Who are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing!” we both say together.

He laughs. “You women and your secrets! All right, keep it then.”

“I see you sticking out your tongue, Keith!” I yell.

“Damn, she’s good!” I hear him say, and Cybelle starts laughing. Then she says, “I will pick you up at nine, is that okay?”

“Yes, that will be fine, thank you. I will see you later.”

We both say goodbye and hang up.

And she did pick me up promptly at nine in her little green Chevette.

My goodness, do they even make these cars anymore?

Cybelle and her happy little ride. She and I have been best friends since grade school and beyond. My brother, Keith, was always teasing her. Who would have thought they would marry each other!

Guys, why can’t they be honest about their feelings? I thought to myself.

He is such a varmint but a good one for her, and he loves her. No kids, but they spoil the cat like she was one—Ms. Mindy. Family members would like to see them have kids; they both decided that was not for them. The two of them get slot of flack for that choice. But in my case the questions asked is why don’t you settle down and get married?” And people ask me, “Why are you still single?”

Keith and I have three older sisters who are married. One has two children, a boy and a girl, and is very important in her church. A deacon’s wife and is always saying that if I leave the devil’s practice, I may find a man in the Lord. Thank you, but no, I am happy, and yes, I do have lonely days but not always. I love my magical life and two wild cats who will make sure I am never too bored. I have had good and bad experiences, and I have a secret that they don’t know nor my friends either, just the cats.

I get into the car.

“Hey, girl!” I say to her.

“Hey yourself,” she answers back.

And I look around and ask, “When you gonna clean your car?” I tease her.

“When it needs it,” she says laughing.

Cybelle is the only person I know who has a car that has, well, everything.

Let’s see, she has two cups. One has sage, and the other has different stones in them. Then there is a catnip sock—Mindy’s of course. A collar not on Mindy, a pair of sandals, a bell and bells on the mirror with two pentacles, a rabbit’s foot not on the rabbit, poor guy. Assorted papers, and sitting in the back seat is Ms. Mindy!

“Hello, Mindy!” I say.

She meows a greeting back.

We get to Lynn’s Garden shop close to nine forty-five. Now Lynn’s is one of those nurseries that can take you away from the rest of the planet. It is so huge and lovely, and Lynn, the owner, is a garden witch who knows her flowers, vegetables, herbs, and trees and will always make everyone feel like they have known her for years. Her favorite color is green and is always wearing it. She wears green down to her hat and gloves, even her hair is a dark hunter green. And she loves green tea and veggies. She is also a pescatarian; that is someone who, along with veggies, has fish or seafood as the only meat source. I have eaten her dishes, and they are very good.

Me and my sister-in-law look and walk around, and then we find sage and cilantro. They are on sale by the crate, also the mint and rosemary and late-growing celosia. I mull over the chrysanthemums and catnip, thinking I should get catnips for my two kitties. I left them at home sleeping on the bed. They won’t go with me unless they see me grab my broom. When they are together, they are bandits, sweet bandits, but bandits! And today, I am enjoying a quiet moment at the nursery with my sister-in-law and cat niece.

We go and checkout our things, and then we hop in the car and head to our place of business, Just A Cup, which is a mile up the road.

I notice that a letter on a sign is fading. “The U is fading in our sign.”

“I will let Tom know,” Cybelle says.

We park and pull our stuff out of the car and walk to the back of the place to the sunroom where we will later take the plants out to the garden to plant.

Tom turns on the television set, and it is a start to a beautiful Monday morning.

The news is on, and the coffee is brewing, and the food is being prepared. I am walking through our library, making sure that nothing is out of order, where I am greeted by Occur at the end of the last row. I pet him, and we both walk to the front desk where Cybelle and Tom and Serena are laughing and talking. Ms. Mindy is sitting on the stool. They are talking about the upcoming events. But then I stop because something on the television grabs my attention. The reporter says that in Brisbane county, they have found the body of a woman who is in her early eighties. And it looks like she was bludgeoned to death and her clothing removed then was put into a shallow grave a few yards from Briarwoods Road. She is yet to be identified. Waiting for more information.

And in other news, a Mrs. Lee has been reported missing. As I watch this segment, the camera switches to the police chief and then to a man I recognize!

“It is the man in one from my dreams!” I cry out. “That’s him! The man from my dreams!” I said pointing at the television.

“Hmm…” says Serena, “maybe you saw him on TV, and he showed up in your dreams.”

“No, I have never seen or heard of him until today.”

Cybelle walks over and wraps her arms around my shoulder. “Well, whatever happens, we are here for you and don’t hesitate to let us know what’s going on, okay?”

“Okay,” I tell her.

Tom and Serena both nod in agreement.

I look at this man on the screen and wonder, Will this be a journey into the unknown? Will I be ready? We shall see.

During the rest of the day, my thoughts were on what I saw on the news and the deaths and missing. Also the detective said his name was Harrison, Ned Harrison.

Mindy walks past me, holding a huge water bug in her mouth. I yell out a warning to Cybelle that Mindy is bringing her a gift, and she may have to have Tom get it from her. I hear screaming, and I start laughing.

The bell on the door rings, but there is a presence. Something feels very different! I walk carefully up along the shelves and peer carefully through one.

Oh my goodness, there he is.

Ned Harrison. He is even more striking in person. He is very tall, maybe about six foot nine, very rich dark ebony skin and honey-blond hair and blue eyes, and he is scanning the room as though he is looking for something.

My heart is beating wildly at the moment, but then I hear two women giggling and making smart remarks. “What is wrong with our people? Why do they want to dye their hair strange colors? And is he wearing contacts?”

I am a little irritated, and I back away and bump into the bookshelf behind me. A book falls, and I catch it just in time because Mr. Occur is walking under it. At the moment, it is the book that got my attention the last time I took the encyclopedia, and again it opens to the Solomon Islands, the same page with the people of color with dark skin, blond hair, blue eyes or just dark skin and blue eyes. One even looked like the detective.

I stop reading and look down and I wiggled my eyebrows at Occur. I walk up to the two women and say, “Before you make fun of someone, make sure you know what you are talking about.” I show them the page and picture and walk off leaving them stunned.

Cybelle was looking from where she was standing holding Mindy. It was Serena, one who is speaking to our visitor.

“Hello, may I help you?” Serena asks.

He answers her, “Yes, ma’am, I was told that you guys do very good coffee and a salmon bagel with cream cheese and capers?”

Serena says, “Yes, we do. It is a local favorite.”

He orders one, and while he is occupied, I’m being led by Cybelle still holding Mindy.

“Girl,” she says, “what are the chances that someone from a dream shows up! And here in our place of business!”

“You know?” I say to her, and then I tell her about the two incidents with the book on the shelf.

“Really?” she says. “Hmm, let’s find out more about our visitor.”

We both walk together. We hear one of the two women speaking to him and asking questions. He tells them, yes, his family was originally from the Solomon Islands from the city of Auki, and that his family moved to the United States, and they became citizens in 1969, and that he was born here. That he attended Morehouse College but then transferred to New York State College to become a detective. He tells them that he lives in the woods outside of Brisbane.

Serena calls to him to pick up his order, and he pays and picks up the bag and coffee, and he turns to leave. We meet each other’s gaze. He nods to me and Cybelle and says goodbye to the two women, and he leaves.

Cybelle, Serena, joined by Tom, look out the door as he gets in his car, and then they turn and look at me. The two ladies are at the back part of the library now.

Cybelle says, “Looks to me, there are going to be more of your dream than meets the eye! And he looked at you more attentively than the other women who were here. Plus, he said he lives outside of Brisbane in the woods, the cabin.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “And that his family was originally from the Solomon Island from which the book on that subject fell twice from the shelf and opened to the same page.”

“Uh-oh, this is going to be interesting!” Serena adds, “I definitely would like to see how it develops.”

“Really!” says Tom in agreement and gives me a wink.

They all laugh. Then the talk shifts more toward the pre-Mabon event at the Mason Mansion.

The Mason Mansion is a place where the local pagans or any group can meet. It is a safe and quiet place and the perfect place for the witch’s ball at Halloween. But for now, this event will start up all celebrations after it. It is a very fancy dinner event and is a time for dressing up in your finest clothes. With dinner and dancing and prizes and if you wanted to speak at that event, it would be a great window of opportunity. But you have to prove you know what you are talking about, if not, the folk attending there will eat you alive so to speak. Plus, uplifting company is always attractive. Also, I must get a new outfit, and the best place to shop for that is Janette’s Consignment store.

The next few days, invitation mail and e-mails of the event came.

Tom is gathering notes for the event. He finds a spot and gets a room there.

Very good, I thought.

Serena is trying to decide whether she should go to her hairdresser or do it herself or if she wanted to have her hair long and straight or curly.

My brother, Keith, drops by and is added to the excitement. I laugh as my brother and his wife are arguing about his having to wear a tie. He hates ties.

All the while looking at us crazy humans are our cats, if only they could talk.

In my mind, I know what I want—a blue dress, royal blue if I could find it. Also, my thoughts are on the event and a plan for a quick escape via Dresden, I will have to have him wrapped in a cape. Might be hard for me to explain carrying around a broom. Or maybe I can say he is part of my ensemble. No, I will keep it hid. I love those events, but after a couple of hours, I am usually ready for home. And a quick flight out of there is in order.

My mind wonders on the detective, wishing he could be there, but that is just impossible. He is not a pagan or witch, so he would not be at such an event. Thinking about him makes me warm in the face, and my heart flutters in excitement at the thought of him. I shake it off, saying, “How silly of me.” I sigh, but I know I will be around good food and company.

Later on that night, two creatures of the night and myself take a flight on my broom. It is partly cloudy with the moon in waning gibbous. The stars are bright and not a soul out. Jade and Triton are relaxing in the basket, looking and enjoying the view. I relax also, enjoying the gentle breezes and being thankful for this quiet moment. We go flying over dark woods. I lower the broom and see our reflection over a very calm Lake Poe. To me, there is no greater joy and peace for this witch could ever have. I thank the one who gave me this gift of flight. I maneuver my broom to the right, and down I stop at the road and look both ways. No traffic coming. We head toward the suburbs and over roofs then through the alley. My backyard has tall trees, so I fly over the gate and down flying over one of my trees whose limb is laying down. And we gently land to the ground. I carry the cats to the porch.

I speak to the house, “We are home.”

The door opens. We all step into the house. The door promptly locks. I get my two charges their snacks for tonight. So while they are occupied with that and the litter box, I get things ready for tomorrow and for bed. I do my last inspection. I call out to secure and lock down the house. And walls and shields appear with yellow glowing sigils of protection, and the sounds of locks clicking can be heard. I walk to the bedroom with the kitties running and jumping on the bed to get to their favorite spots. I turn on the alarm and out with the lights. To sleep and dream and, boy, do the dreams come.

* * * * *

All right, Ned, I am going to need for you to calm down! I saw her! The woman in my dreams today! Who would have ever thought that would happen? She is even lovelier in person, and I can’t believe I was too nervous to even speak to her. But now she is real and not just in my dreams. What to do now? And how do I approach her? I can’t just walk up and say, “Hi, my name is Ned, and I have seen you in my dreams. Thought it would be nice for us to have a conversation?” Nope. But she was lovely with those brown eyes and, and smooth warm cinnamon skin and long wild jet-black hair. And she seems to like cats too. I saw her petting one. That’s great since I have a cat of my own. So tired of dating women who are afraid of cats or hate them or any kind of animal for that matter. Would like someone more nature loving. Plus, those dreams of her are hard to forget.

Each time I see her in my dreams, the wind is either blowing gently or they become a strong gale. Sometimes tornadoes and whirlwinds are in the background behind her. Or other creatures such as butterflies, moths, and dragonflies fly around her. Birds of all kinds and then there are cardinals. Always the cardinals. Sometimes I only see their feathers falling, but they are always nearby or right in front of me. The ones in my daily life like visit my bird feeders more and more. I have never seen so many! At other times, she and I are running, being chased by dark ones with cardinals flying ahead of us. There are loud booming noises, and we are running to my car. And why do I keep seeing a door? She and I are looking at it. And I see two angry cats, and they are at the door as well.

Strangely in my dreams, the cardinals have human speech asking for help and for me to find them and save them. They cry for justice, haunting me. I know all this has to be tied to the case I am working on. Then there are faces, grim faces in the dark and graves. And when I am not dreaming of cardinals, I dream of her, that lovely hair and dresses always blowing in the wind or when she is with me.

In a quiet place in my cabin, I am holding her close, or she is either standing at my door smiling. Sometimes she is lying next to me in a loving embrace or sitting on me, wearing nothing but a large black hat. I see fire burning in her eyes with a smile on her face that makes my body tense with joy. I see her walking around my cabin. Enjoying the wind blowing, but sometimes, I see her on a porch that I don’t recognize all in my dreams.

Is she the one? I ask myself.

There is a part of me that truly hopes so. I am going to have to make an excuse to see her again. I need to know. But for now, I will be content to have her in my dreams. I turn out my light. And Seer makes for her favorite spot next to me on the bed. And the dreams come. Oh boy, did they ever!