“Yep, and hers is right here.” She pulls the car up to the curb in front of a double-barrel house that has the two front doors side by side and they share one patio. “Lovie lives on the left side by herself. I guess she likes living alone,” she says.
“Who lives on the other side?”
“Ben. Remember her son?”
“Yes, he was nice,” I say.
“And Andre and Johnny live there too,” she adds, like it’s nothing.
Rarely does nothing make my heart race like it is now. All I say is, “Oh.”
“They were renting a condo with a roommate and it didn’t work out, so Lovie said they could move in here.”
“That was nice,” I say.
Ellie knocks and Lovie answers with an open door. “Come in, girls,” she says. “Welcome.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“Come on over here.” She leads us to the living room. The furniture looks old; it’s wood with fabric cushions built in. It doesn’t looks very cozy, but I sit down and think it’s comfortable enough. Ellie and I share a love seat and Lovie sits next to us in a high-back chair.
“Ben came over to make us some tea, would you like some?” Lovie says.
“Yes, please,” Ellie says.
I nod. I wonder if Johnny is home next door. Maybe I could see him before we leave. Certainly Ellie would want to see Andre.
“They’re at the shop, dear,” Lovie says.
“Who?” I say, pretending I don’t know, and wondering how she knows.
“Johnny and Andre. Someone has to be minding the shop when Ben and I aren’t there.”
“Which isn’t often. Lovie works too much,” Ellie says.
“Oh, no.” She waves off the idea. “Hard work is good for the soul and keeps a woman young.”
Ben sets a tray of three teacups in front of us. There’s a little bowl of sugar and some milk. “Help yourself,” he says.
“Thank you, Ben,” Lovie says.
“Thank you,” Ellie and I say together.
“Raina, would you like a glass of ice?”
“Yes, please.”
Lovie takes her tea as it is. She holds her cup and says, “So, Raina, Ellie tells me you’re having some nightmares and perhaps I can help.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say. I carefully pour my tea from the cup to the glass. I drink it without milk or sugar, like she does. It tastes a little bitter but I don’t want to add anything now.
Lovie drinks her tea while keeping her eyes fixed on me. She says, “When we dream, our minds are open. Most of the time we don’t remember our dreams, or only bits and pieces.”
“That’s how I usually am,” I say. I set my glass down. I’m feeling a little light-headed.
“Yes, well, to remember your dreams so clearly is a sign of your unconscious mind trying to tell you something.” She sets her cup down and says, “Or, it is a message from the other side.”
I’m not sure what to think about what she said. I suppose it could be. “Then it must be my father—he must be in danger, and that’s why he keeps turning into this thing.”
“The creature that haunts your dreams is a demon spirit. He stays with you when you are awake, too.”
“I think so, because last night it felt real, and my grandfather was with me.”
“Let’s move over to the table so I can lay out some cards,” she says.
Her table is round and Ellie sits to my left. We are close together and Lovie sits across from us. We form a triangle. Once we’re all situated and we have our tea, she takes her cards from a box on the table. She has them wrapped in a cloth.
“Why are they wrapped up like that? I found a deck in my room that were wrapped too, and so were Ellie’s.”
“It protects them.”
That doesn’t really make sense, but she offers no more explanation. She shuffles the cards. After a few minutes, she hands them to me to shuffle like Ellie did. I shuffle them and my fingers feel numb, but I don’t drop any cards this time. I set them on the table between us.
“I fear The Devil card,” I say.
Lovie sets the cards down in front of her and places her hands palm-down on the table. “People fear what they do not understand. The Devil and Death are the most feared cards, but they’re not intended to be taken literally according to the name on the cards. Tarot cards were created centuries ago, when Death was so common that people did not fear it or grieve the way we do now. They accepted it as another stage of life. The Death card is a symbol of transformation. What kind of transformation depends on the person who gets the card.”
“Ok, well, to me it’s bad news.” That’s what Death is to me, the bad news that travels by armed airmen. There’s nothing good there.
“You’re looking at it from a hurt perspective, and that’s understandable. That’s still a fresh wound for you. But maybe, in time, you’ll be able to see the transformation into the next realm that our spirits travel.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“It’s a belief that’s been passed on through generations of mystics. And I feel it. I have faith.” She is patient and kind, yet her words sting.
Ben refills our tea.
“Ok, well, what about The Devil card?”
“The person who gets that card seeks the truth. When it’s up, it’s the truth that the person refuses to see. They live life willingly blind, motivated by material possession and pleasure. When the card is reversed, the person is ready to accept the truth. When someone is ready, they find what they are looking for.”
I don’t really understand what she just said. The Death card and transformation thing made more sense.
“Are you ready?” She picks up the cards and holds them, one hand under and one hand over.
“Yes,” I say.
“Yes,” Ellie says.
Ben sits at the table, near Lovie. Now we form a misshapen square.
Lovie looks at me and says, “Raina. Breathe.”
I exhale.
The first card she lays out I recognize—it’s the Nine of Swords, only this time it’s facing the other way. What is that called? Reversed.
She lays a card across it, one under it, one on each side, and one on top. She pauses for a moment and examines them. Then she lays four cards in a column on the right side of the cards already there.
“That’s a lot of cards,” I say. I try to take them all in, to make sense of them, but they’re still just pictures on cards to me. And all I notice is no Devil or Death.
“There are 10 cards here; this is the Celtic cross spread. It’s very common and effective, especially since I don’t know you very well yet.”
“I got that card before, but it was reversed.” I point to the center, the Nine of Swords.
“That’s significant then. There are 78 cards in a deck, so getting the same card twice in a row is a sign that you should pay attention to the message.”
“What message? I already know I’m having nightmares and sleepless nights. And doesn’t it mean something different reversed anyway?”
“I feel your doubt, so I’ll be honest with you, since you think you know better. This is the worst card you can get in a reading. It’s a bad omen up, down, sideways, or anywhere it falls. It’s a warning to you to take your hands away from your face and pay attention.”
“I am paying attention.”
“No, you believe in your nightmares, and you believe that your father is reaching out to you, but you think what I stand for is a bunch of hooey.” She shakes her head.
I look down at the cards and I feel dizzy. Her reprimand hurts, and I don’t know why. I barely know her, and I don’t believe in her hooey. But what if she’s right? And what if these cards are right?
I look at Ellie; she looks uncomfortable. She says in a soft, sweet voice, “It’s ok, Raina. It’s ok to believe in something you don’t understand.”
“Well, if I don’t understand, then how can I believe?”
“Faith,” Lovie says.
> I close my eyes and picture my dad. His image is now harder to conjure up in my mind. I will do anything to keep him with me. I open my eyes and see The Fool card. “Is that what I am? A fool?”
“No, sweetheart,” Lovie says. “Remember, you don’t read the cards on the surface—you look for deeper meaning, and trust what your gut tells you. This is the card of travel and adventure without worry. It’s a card of youth. And see, he’s about to leap off the edge of this mountain. The mountain signifies an obstacle, and he is taking a leap of faith. Everything he needs is right here with him in his bag. This card is in your past position; were you not once carefree?”
“Yes. And we did travel a lot when I was growing up. I used to think it was fun.”
“On this side you have the Page of Wands underneath the King of Cups. Now, it’s in the position of how you see yourself and how your environment affects you. But, since the page and the king are next to each other like this, I also see you and your father. You are the Page of Wands, young and headstrong. You are eager to learn, when you are ready. And your father, the King of Cups, he is loving and nurturing. He is a water sign; perhaps he worked near water?”
“He was in the Air Force.”
“I see.”
I wonder though, he does—no he did—love swimming and being near the water, but that’s not so unusual. Right?
“You have two cards that are the number 6; they are both reversed. The Six of Swords is in the position of hopes and/or fears. Above it is the Six of Wands. It is in the position of your final outcome if things stay the same. The six cards are a sign of choice; that is significant here. To a certain extent, you can choose your outcome. But you must face your fears and accept your situation. You need to balance your energy or you will fall into a depression.”
I feel that she’s right. I spend too much time being sad. “But I can’t help it,” I say out loud without meaning to.
“You must fight to have victory over this demon that haunts you.”
She looks at the cards and then back to me and says, “This demon is using your memories of your father against you. Your father is not with you right now. This is an evil spirit that’s trying to trick you. It hides behind the mask of your father like a coward, and it shows it’s true self when you’re at your most vulnerable. You’re going to have to take a stand to defeat it. Running away won’t help you.”
“What do you mean my father’s not with me?” I don’t believe her. If any spirit is with me then I know my dad is too, because he would always protect me. He died protecting me.
“He doesn’t know what’s happening yet. He’s passed over too recently and he is unaware,” she says.
She’s wrong. I’m ready to leave, but I must know one more thing, “The Nine of Swords…”
“Yes. It is in the position of your concerns and it’s the question you want answered. It’s telling me that the experiences you’ve had have not taught you what you need to learn. We’re all here for a reason, Raina Rae. Your reason is up to you to realize. And in order to realize it, you must have faith and trust your intuition. But, if you keep going the way you’re going, your problems will overwhelm you.”
Ellie must have mentioned my middle name to her, I’m sure that’s how she knew. I look at the cards, and then at Ellie, who is looking a bit dazed.
“What was in that tea?” I say.
“It’s chamomile. Most people find it soothing,” Lovie says.
“No,” I say. “Something is not right.”
“You should listen to her,” Ellie says.
I stand up and say, “I have to go.” I look at Ellie and she stands up with me.
“One more thing,” Lovie says from her seat. “The cups. You have four cups in your reading. They are the symbol of love and emotion. You have two upright and two reversed. You have love in your life and you have the potential for great love. And, the fact that there are no pentacles shows me that you are not led by a desire for money, you are led by your heart and it’s your heart you must trust.”
“I can’t take any more,” I say. I turn to head out the door.
“Sorry,” Ellie says to Lovie.
“It’s ok, girls. You go on now,” Lovie says.
Ellie acts like nothing just happened. We ride in silence for a few minutes and she says, “Was that weird for you?”
“Yes. That would be weird for any normal person,” I say.
“Are you saying I’m not normal?”
“C’mon, Ellie, I know you buy into all that, but don’t you think it’s just looking at pictures on cards and making stuff up according to what you already know?”
“No, Raina, I don’t think that at all. I take it very seriously.”
“Why, because it’s your work? Because you’re a mystic in training? You’re like a mini-mystic and you worship Lovie.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re being mean because you’re upset. And for your information, yes, I am working on being a mystic. It’s more than just reading pictures and making stuff up. It comes from inside me, I have it. I know I do, I feel it. I get a sense of people, it’s like I feel their energy and know what’s in their minds. And in their hearts.”
“Ok, mystic, what was in Lovie’s heart when she gave us that spiked tea?”
“It wasn’t spiked. She has lots of herbal teas, we sell them at the shop.”
“Sure, tea always makes me feel loopy.”
“Maybe if you felt that way it was because of your energy, not the tea.”
“Again with the energy. No, I think it was the tea. And I saw you, you felt it too.”
“I felt at peace. I cleared my mind so Lovie could give you a clean reading.”
“Clean. Yeah, right.”
“Raina, you’re upset, and I don’t blame you. You shouldn’t blame Lovie, or me, for that matter, because you don’t believe what she had to say to you.”
“I’m not blaming anyone.”
“You’re not?”
Am I? No, what happened is that Ellie brought me down there and Lovie gave me some weird tea and called it chamomile. Then she read my tarot cards, and…I didn’t like what she had to say. She made it up, or Ellie told her all about me.
“I don’t know what to think,” I say.
“And that’s fine. If you’re upset, then that’s the way you feel. No one can upset you unless you let them. Just own your own feelings, ok?”
“Ok,” I say. “I still think she spiked our tea.”
“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can say to change your mind then. I wish you would believe me though.”
I don’t want to talk about this anymore. “Are you taking me home?”
“I was thinking we could stop by Mystic Café on the way home so I can see Andre. Is that ok with you?”
“Sure.”
***
It looks like business is slowing down for the night, most tables are empty. Johnny is working the register; he’s ringing up a customer.
Ellie says, “I’m going upstairs. Do you wanna stay here?”
I look at Johnny but he’s looking at his register screen. “Yes,” I say. Might as well; it couldn’t be more awkward than being upstairs with the lovebirds.
“Ok, come up if you need me.”
I walk up to the counter. “Soda, please.”
“Really? Most people want one of our teas. Or a pie. But you want soda.”
“I’ve had enough tea, and I’m not hungry,” I say.
Our hands touch when I give him the money. I want to hold onto him, but instead he hands me a cold soda.
“Did Ellie invite you to the ruins?” he says.
“No, what’s that?”
“It’s where we hang out sometimes. We keep to ourselves and out of trouble. Most of the time.” He gives me a mischievous smile. “Anyway, just about everyone from our neighborhood hangs out there. It’s cool, you’ll like it.”
“Ok, tonight?” I say.
“No, tomorrow night. There’s really n
ot much going on during the week.”
Customers leave and Johnny tells them, “Good night.”
He looks back at me like he’s waiting for something.
I say, “Tomorrow night. I’ll be there.”
~ 8 ~
“It was once a church,” Ellie says. “It was burned to the ground in the ’60s and never rebuilt.”
I stand in front of the ruins. It feels familiar. “So, it’s been like this all this time?”
“That’s what I hear,” she says. We walk on the broken sidewalk that looks so old it must have been there since it was a church. There are no doors or windows, just empty space. The walls stand higher in some places than others. From where I stand, I can see through to the inside. There are about twenty people standing around, talking and laughing. Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach. Johnny locks eyes with mine and I head straight for him.
“You made it,” he says. He has a way of looking at me that makes me forget everything else.
“Yes, Ellie brought me.” I turn to see she’s found Andre.
“Those two have been like that for, like, a year now. It’s sick, right?” He gives me a wicked grin.
“Awful,” I say with a giggle that doesn’t sound like me.
The ruins fill up with people quickly and everyone looks like they’re having a good time. Johnny and I have to nearly shout to hear each other. “How do the neighbors stand it?” I say, motioning to the houses nearby.
“Most of the people in those houses know someone who’s here, so they don’t care. We’re like family,” he says.
“Oh,” I say. It reminds me of the backyard bar-b-ques we had on Edwards; anyone could show up and be part of the party.
“Would you like something to drink?” he offers. “I brought one of those sodas you like so much.”
I feel like a child who’s been offered their favorite candy, but I try not to let it show. “Sure, I’d love a soda.”
He walks over to the edge of the ruins, opens a cooler and pulls out a soda can. He’s heading back to me when a girl, maybe about my age, walks up and puts her arms around his neck. He stops and gives her a kiss. On the lips.
I suddenly feel nauseous and want to run out of there. I look back at Ellie to see if she’s as surprised as I am, but she’s arm in arm with Andre and in a group of people having fun and laughing, like their world didn’t just come crashing down.
The Mystic Page 10