Crystal Beach (Crow Hill Book 1)

by Tom Larcombe

  She nodded decisively, having determined her course. She would keep her bag handy and easily accessible, just in case. She might look a bit odd carrying it around for the next few weeks, or however long it took until the danger had passed, but that certainly beat the alternative of finding herself in trouble and completely unprepared for it.

  She settled in for her normal evening routine of dinner and a few hours with whichever book had most recently captured her attention. When she went to bed it was late, but since she only needed about two hours of sleep a night she'd be okay. Rynn had finally soothed the edginess that had bothered her all afternoon and she fell asleep with no difficulty.

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  Michael sat down at his computer desk. It was the only item in its corner of the room. He carefully attached the band of a static strap to his wrist and ensured that the other end still had a secure connection to the large crystal.

  “Hey, turn that down a little would you?” he called to Joshua.

  Joshua grumbled but turned down the volume on the small television set on the other end of the room.

  Michael leaned down and plugged the computer into its oversized power strip. He sighed with relief as it booted cleanly. He'd only managed to figure out how to run a computer without destroying it a year earlier. Between the surge protection on the power strip and the grounding line into the crystal, he'd had this one up and running for the entire past year. The previous three computers hadn't been so lucky.

  The first thing he did was turn on some light classical music. Although he preferred rock and roll, the classical music helped him stay on an even emotional keel, thereby reducing the chance that he'd generate enough random energy to damage the computer. He checked the financial pages next. Despite his admonition to Joshua, he kept a little of his own money in the stock market. He kept his in long term investments though, and Joshua kept trying to make a profit on a shorter time-frame.

  Next he went to the precious metal listings. Silver and gold were up again, a lot. He shook his head; as happy as he was knowing that his stash of gold and silver had increased in value, the price movement told him that things were not well in the financial world.

  He shook off the shiver that ran down his back and tried to calm himself by grasping his mother's ring that he wore on a chain around his neck. The large crystal flashed gently and he knew that without his precautions he'd have just destroyed another computer with the energy generated by his emotions.

  The online comics soothed him a bit, even drawing an audible laugh from him in a couple of cases. He scanned several websites he followed on a regular basis, then shut down the computer. When it finished shutting down, he unplugged it, then finally removed the static strap.

  “I don't get why you spend so much time on that,” Joshua said.

  “Two reasons. The first is because I can and I may be the first wizard to have figured out how. If the Board had distributed my earlier research I wouldn't be the only one; I'd have shared the solution. The second reason is because there are independent news sites online. The major news networks limit what they'll report on and slant their stories to suit themselves. I prefer a non-biased view on my news. The BBC is mostly good for American news that way, as are a few others.”

  Joshua laughed.

  “Yeah, I've seen you click into some of those other sites: 'Bigfoot Sighted', 'Elvis Spotted', and crap like that.”

  “Hey, give me a break. How do I know if it's one of those sites or not until I go to it once. Normally you can tell right off the bat which ones are loopy.”

  “Whatever, I'll just get my news from the television, thanks,” Joshua said.

  “Your loss, but... Hey, turn that up would you?”

  “I thought you just told me to turn it down?”

  “I'm off the computer now.”

  “Fine.”

  The commentator on the television was speaking and gesturing towards a chart on the screen.

  “The record Price to Earnings ratios we've been seeing surely indicate an oncoming market crash. Nothing in the market justifies the rates we've been seeing and the problem is widespread throughout many different sectors and stocks. This means that it isn't an isolated company with this problem, but with all of them.”

  The screen flashed back to the normal anchor.

  “There you have the contrarian take for the week. Meanwhile us non-doomsayers can sit back and enjoy the profits this record market is generating for us.”

  The financial news faded from the screen and was replaced by the current weather report.

  “And for tomorrow, we'll have a sunny morning...”

  Michael turned to Joshua.

  “Now are you rethinking investing in the stock market?”

  “You're taking the contrarian view seriously?” Joshua asked. “It's a joke, something they add in to enhance their claim of being non-biased.”

  “So you admit the news is biased?” Michael said.

  Joshua glared at him.

  “How do you do that to me all the time?” he asked.

  “You know, deep down, that what I keep telling you is true. You just refuse to admit it to yourself.”

  “You know Michael, sometimes I almost agree that the board was overly harsh with you. But then you come across like this and I'm glad they did what they did. Do you have any idea how much trouble a wizard as powerful as you used to be could cause if they were as paranoid as you are?”

  Joshua spun on his heel and walked out the front door.

  I can't believe I tried to convince him again. He's pretty smart and he knows... He just isn't willing to accept that the world won't continue exactly as he pictures it, just like it has in the past. Because that would mean that he has to do something new. Normalcy bias in action. Oh well, I've got my gardening class to teach tomorrow so I might as well make an early night of it.

  * * *

  Michael woke early the following morning. He had his class at ten, but he wanted to take care of his own garden first. He dressed and stumbled downstairs.

  The kitchen was empty so he assumed Joshua was still asleep. He set up coffee and started it. Then he pulled out the eggs Joshua had gotten the day before.

  Figures, he gets the cheapest generic type to replace the locally sourced free-range ones he finished. I'll talk to Miriam at class and see if she has any more available. These will do in the meantime I suppose.

  He opened the back door and made sure the pet door swung freely.

  “Calvin! Breakfast!” he called, then went back to making his own.

  While he was preparing his omelet, the pet door swung open and Calvin came hopping into the kitchen. Michael placed a small portion of dog food in the bowl and poured a beaten egg yolk over it.

  “There you go, buddy. Enjoy.”

  He finished cooking his omelet and toast, acquired a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table. The coffee disappeared before he was halfway through his breakfast and he refilled his mug before sitting down to finish eating.

  Michael put his dishes in the sink and walked out onto the back porch. He sat down and nursed the remainder of his second cup while staring out at the garden. When he finished, he went back into the house, added his cup to the dishes in the sink, and went back outside.

  The garden gate was lower than the eight foot tall chain link fence surrounding it. The fence was sufficient, barely, to keep the deer from raiding his plants. A couple of wires spanned the gap over the gate so the deer couldn't get in that way. He scanned the plants, looking for any weeds he might have missed the day before. When he didn't find any he settled into a sitting position on a rock placed there for that purpose. He split off a small portion of his consciousness and sent it down into the soil.

  Nitrogen's good, so is phosphorous. Potassium could use a little boost though. Is the soil acidic enough to take an application of wood ash? Yes, it is. I should probably add some more kelp meal for the micronutrients as well.

  Micha
el stood and went to the small garden shed that held his tools and amendments. He rummaged around inside. The blood meal for nitrogen and bone meal for phosphorus were in front since he'd used those earlier in the season. The big garbage can of wood ash was behind them along with the smaller can holding his kelp.

  Shame this stuff is so expensive, he thought when he looked at the kelp meal. I'd love to use more of it than I do. But even a little helps a lot, so...

  He grabbed a large bucket of wood ash and mixed in a cup of kelp. He held it away from himself as he walked back to the garden. The light breeze was blowing a dusting of fine ash off the top already. He scattered the ash and kelp mix throughout the garden, trying to keep it from blowing away as he applied it. When the bucket was empty, he went back to the rock and split his consciousness again.

  Doesn't need water, so I can't water it in. So, magic it is.

  He sent his consciousness through the garden section by section, drawing the ash and kelp into the soil. He broke up the clumps and distributed the mix evenly. By the time he was done, sweat was pouring off of him.

  At least it isn't all from using my power this time. The sun's hot this morning.

  He sat for a few more minutes before standing and going back to the house. It was still early enough for him to take a shower, have a snack, and get to his class on time.

  * * *

  Michael walked out to the garage and opened the door to reveal his ride. While his hobby was tinkering with electronics to get them to work for wizards, his father's Talent was with internal combustion engines. His father had a Talent as opposed to being a wizard. The end result was close to the same, but someone with a Talent normally had a very narrow specialty that their magic worked on. His dad could make an engine sit up, roll over, play dead, and dance. Since his wife, Michael's mother, had been a wizard also, he knew just what cars worked best for them.

  Michael stared at the 1971 Jeep CJ-5 sitting in the garage. It was in pristine condition since his father had fully restored it before making a gift of it to Michael. The engine ran far better than when it came off the assembly line. His father made a habit of visiting every few years and while he was there, he'd tinker with Michael's Jeep to keep it in top-notch shape. The glossy, deep red paint job was Michael's contribution. The color evoked both happy and bittersweet memories every time he saw it.

  He slid into his Jeep and started it up. Joshua came hurrying out of the house as Michael pulled out onto the driveway.

  “Hey, wait up. You know I'm supposed to be with you when you go into town,” Joshua called.

  “I didn't know if you were still angry with me, so I figured I'd just go.”

  “You know better,” Joshua said, sliding into the passenger seat.

  Michael checked that the crystal he'd shaped was firmly seated in the cigarette lighter and that its wire connected to the radio. Then he slid a Joan Jett CD into the player. He gunned the engine and pulled onto the road. The trip to the community center where his class was held only took five minutes, but he made sure to turn the music up loud enough that it prevented conversation. After last night he wasn't interested in talking with Joshua for a while. He pulled into a parking spot and shut the engine off.

  “I can't believe you listen to that crap,” Joshua said.

  “What, my rock and roll?”

  “Yeah. Your classical at least has some redeeming qualities, but this stuff?”

  “I'll have you know that eighties rock was very popular during my formative years. It kind of grows on you.”

  “Yeah, like a fungus,” Joshua added.

  Michael just grinned at him.

  “So, what are you going to do during my class this time?” he asked.

  “I don't know, probably sit out here and read.”

  “You really ought to sit in on the classes, then you'd learn something.”

  “How to garden? I'll leave that to my wife, thanks.”

  “Oh, she gardens?”

  “No, but if we had one she'd be the one to take care of it. You know I work two weeks on and two off. Who'd take care of it when I was gone?”

  Michael shrugged.

  “It's still knowledge, you can never have enough of that.”

  “No thanks. I'll read or maybe grab a snack at the store over there.”

  “Suit yourself,” Michael said.

  The class was small, only five people this time. He'd given the class several times before and each time there were fewer people. But there were always some that were interested.

  Miriam was there early so Michael approached her before the class.

  “Hey Miriam, how are you?”

  “I'm doing fine, thanks. Yourself?”

  “Great, except someone finished my good eggs and tried to replace them with cheap store bought stuff. Are your chickens laying well?”

  She laughed.

  “I should have known. You love my chickens, not me.”

  Michael winced at memories long buried.

  “Ah, but you're the one that keeps them healthy and laying,” he said.

  “Yes Michael, I can give you some eggs.”

  “I'm willing to pay for them. You don't need to give them to me,” Michael offered.

  “You don't need to hold this class without making a profit either, but you do.”

  “I figure I'll get fewer demands on my own garden if I teach others how to grow their own.”

  “Consider them as a trade for the class then,” Miriam said.

  Michael sighed.

  “Alright,” Miriam said, “I've been learning another hobby recently. I'm making sun catchers. If you feel like you need to give me something for the eggs, how about you give me some of those lovely crystals you find up there. Some of the small ones, no bigger than an inch.”

  Michael smiled.

  “I'd be happy to do that. I'll stop by this afternoon and we can trade.”

  “Make sure it's before four o'clock. My kids get home then and I'll be busy for a while after that.”

  “Thank you, I'll do that. Now, I think it's time to start the class.”

  * * *

  After lunch Michael walked up to the office alone. He sorted through the tiny smoky quartz crystals, picking out those he thought would work best for Miriam. Then he went to the second building.

  Some of the clear crystal fragments will give her a prism effect. I think she'd like that.

  He lost himself in memories of the past as he sorted through the fragments. Miriam, as she appeared twenty-five years earlier, was their focus. The summer they'd met was the first time he'd been happy since the Board forced him to move here and begin his job at the mine. Michael and she were a blissful couple, doing everything together, until winter arrived. Then the Board made their first inspection and noted that he'd garnered the attention and friendship of a number of people in the nearby town. They told him that was unacceptable, that the town folk would notice he wasn't aging, and instructed him to have as little to do with the people in the town as possible. Michael utterly ignored them.

  By spring, none of them remembered him, not even Miriam. Someone from the Board had wiped the memory of him from their minds. Every few years since then they'd inspected again and each time after they were done he needed to act as though he'd just moved to the area.

  His hands worked their way through the crystal fragments as his thoughts traveled the past. He picked several in as perfect a shape as he could find. Unbeknownst to him, his emotional state was strong enough that his magic was infusing the crystals he selected, imparting a light glimmer and shimmer to them. One that would be especially visible in darkness.

  * * *

  Michael returned to the house and found Joshua on the phone.

  “Joshua, I'm going to trade for some eggs with Miriam, you coming?” he asked.

  Joshua covered the mouthpiece of the older style land line phone with his hand.

  “Yeah, give me a minute here first.”

  He returned to his ph
one call.

  Michael found an egg carton he'd gotten from Miriam previously and slid the crystals into it, one per slot. When he heard Joshua hang up, he went back to the kitchen.

  “Ready now?”

  Joshua nodded, his expression troubled. They headed for the garage.

  “So what's wrong, you look like someone just killed your best friend,” Michael asked.

  “My wife called, said I should check the markets because everything was going nuts.”

  Joshua glanced at Michael and noticed he'd just taken a breath as though to speak.

  “Don't say it, don't you dare say you told me so. Anyway, so I contacted my stock broker. I just got off the phone after giving him instructions on what to do with my investments.”

  He grimaced before concluding.

  “What's left of them anyhow.”

  Michael considered asking him if he'd hedged his investments, but if Joshua had done so he probably wouldn't be as disturbed as he appeared. He couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't sound like an 'I told you so', so he didn't say anything.

  “I'll just wait in the car while you get the eggs. Hey, why do you need eggs anyhow? I just got two dozen yesterday,” Joshua asked.

  “Why is it that you always make yourself eggs as soon as you get here?” Michael replied.

  “Because I like them.”

  “Do you always make eggs as soon as you get home?”

  “No,” Joshua's reply was curt.

  “You like them here because I always get my eggs from Miriam. They're free range, not mass produced, and you can easily taste the difference. I can anyhow, that's why I'm getting eggs even with the others in the refrigerator.”

  Joshua grunted.

  “Okay, you've got a point. I can tell the difference.”

  Joshua relapsed into a sullen silence. Michael pulled into the driveway and shut the Jeep off, he checked the time and found that there was still a half hour before her kids got home. He slid out, leaving Joshua to his sulking, and walked to the door.