by Laurie Lyons
"You too darling!" Mrs. Turner sang as she waved Lucy on.
Lucy took about three steps before she heard a very different voice from behind her. It was a deep husky raspy voice, "How long are you planning on staying Angel?" Lucy turned to realize that the voice was coming from Mrs. Turner and she was talking directly to Nathaniel. Her eyes were narrowed into slits and one side of her mouth was turned up in a snarl. It was such a change from the moment before that Lucy blinked several times to make sure it wasn't an illusion.
"Not long Demon," Nathaniel answered calmly. "Not long."
Mrs. Turner glared at him. "Don't you cause any trouble while you're here. Understand?"
"Absolutely," Nathaniel said in the same calm voice.
"Humph, dammed well better understand" Mrs. Turner mumbled as she turned her back on them and went back to her weeding.
"Walk Lucy," Nathaniel ordered in a whisper. "She doesn't know you can see me."
They walked several blocks in silence before they reached a park Lucy used to play at. Lucy sat down on a bench.
"Mrs. Turner is a Demon?" she asked in shock.
"Yup," Nathaniel replied sitting beside her, "a very, very old Demon, that lady might have known Egyptian Kings."
"Seriously?" Lucy asked. "But she is the sweetest thing in the world!"
"I told you Lucy, they aren't bad to the core. I'm sure she likes you very much."
"Why did she talk to you with me right there if she doesn't know I can see you?" Lucy asked playing the scene out in her mind again.
"Well, Roman did that too. When Demons and Angels talk to each other, I don't think humans can't usually see or hear us. You are the exception. Mrs. Turner thinks I'm just following you around and you are completely unaware of that. It's good she thinks that."
"That was super creepy," Lucy said shuddering.
"Don't worry, she won't bother us. She has this place in her back pocket; I bet she doesn't even have to leave her house to do her job. An Angel like me couldn't have as strong an effect here as I do at Mulbridge where Roman is a much younger Demon and isn't as astute at his job." His tone changed from light to serious as he continued, "But a word of warning Lucy, she is incredibly powerful so don't ever and I mean ever irritate that woman in any way shape or form."
"Ok…I'll do my best," she said shaking her head still in shock that the kindly old neighborhood lady was an ancient Demon.
"Try not to worry Lucy," he said putting his arm around her. "Nothing can hurt you when I'm around. I would never allow that."
Lucy took a deep breath, comforted by his words. "Should we go back and hide in the house or can we keep going?"
"We can go on, I won't let some Demon ruin my day with you," he said lightly. "I don't think we should ever walk past her house again though."
"Ok," Lucy smiled back. "On we go with the tour."
Lucy's high school was only a few blocks away and when they arrived, school was still in session. Lucy checked in with the office and said hello to the principal and administrators before showing Nathaniel around. She showed him where her classes had been and they perused the trophy case that showed Lucy's name more often than not. They went out the back door to cut through the field as a short cut to town. The whole backfield of the school was lined with lilac bushes.
"In the summer, these are all in bloom. It's really pretty," Lucy explained. "It's kind of sad that I won't see it this year."
They crossed the field and arrived at the pathway on the other side.
"Can we stop for a moment please?" Nathaniel asked. Lucy stopped and looked at him. He glanced around as if making sure no one was watching before he said in a sneaky voice, "Wanna see what I can do?" Without waiting for a response, he reached out and ran his hand down the branches of the closest lilac bush. It immediately began to tremble in reaction to his touch. "Common," he whispered to it, "I know it's a little early but can you do it for Lucy please?" The entire bush began to shake violently until finally it seemed to explode as every single inch of it burst into beautiful purple blooms.
Lucy watched in awe as each of the bushes in turn quivered and exploded in color all around the field until the entire square was awake and covered in blooms. She breathed in deeply as her nose was hit with the heady scent of lilacs. Nathaniel turned to her grinning. "There, now you won't miss anything."
"It's beautiful," Lucy managed to choke out. "Thank you."
Nathaniel shrugged, "anything for you Lucy." He turned to the bush, "Thank you, it's wonderful," he whispered to it. The lilac shook lightly in response. He took Lucy's hand and pulled her gently away from the field, she could barely take her eyes off the gorgeous sight.
They walked down Stonecreek Main Street passing the antique stores, hardware store and boutiques. Lucy gave tidbits of information under her breath about each place, the owners and any memories she had of each location. They stopped at a street corner to wait for a light and Nathaniel pointed to a store across the street. "What's that place?" he asked. It had a neon sign in the window that read:
'Lady Soral – Know your future, find your angel.'
Lucy looked at Nathaniel doubtfully. "Seriously?" she muttered.
"Well, it's worth a shot," he elbowed her lightly. "Common, let's give it a try."
Lucy rolled her eyes as they crossed the street and walked up to the small grungy door. "Nathaniel," Lucy said patiently, "this lady is probably a crackpot. She's a scammer."
"How do you know?" he asked hopefully. "Maybe she has some answers."
Lucy sighed and pushed open the door. There was a jingling as the bell announced their arrival. The front part of the store was small and dark with statues and knickknacks lining the dusty narrow shelves. A tiny wrinkled woman dressed in a flowing dress emerged from behind a beaded curtain at the back of the store. Her hair was blue washed and built up in a beehive, she had about fifteen necklaces on; some were beaded, others were medallions and one Lucy was pretty sure was just a piece of string. Every one of her bony fingers held a ring, each gaudier than the one beside it. The woman smiled a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Welcome, I am Lady Soral. What can I do for you?" her voice was intense.
"I," Lucy stammered, "I wondered how much a reading is?"
"Twenty dollars," Lady Soral replied. "I can take you in right now, I've had a cancellation."
Yeah right. Lucy thought. "Um, ok," she said. Lady Soral reached out one skeletal hand, palm up. Lucy was confused, was she supposed to shake her hand or give her a high five?
"We should take care of money matters first dear," Lady Soral explained graciously. "Then both of you can come in the back for your reading."
"Both of us?" Lucy asked suspiciously. "I'm alone."
"You and your Angel dear," Lady Soral said politely.
"Pay the lady," Nathaniel urged quickly into Lucy's ear. Lucy couldn't pull her money out fast enough and Lady Soral turned and led them through the beaded curtain to an even darker back room. Lucy looked back at Nathaniel with her eyebrows raised in surprise. Nathaniel had the same look on his face. Maybe this woman did have some answers for them. The room held nothing but a table covered in a silk tablecloth and three chairs. Lady Soral sat down and motioned for Lucy to take the one across from her.
"Your Angel may sit in the third chair," she said to Lucy. Nathaniel almost jumped into the chair he was so excited to be included. Lady Soral reached across the table and took Lucy's hands in her own. She took several deep breaths, closed her eyes and wiggled a bit in her chair to settle in. Lucy waited silently. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at Lucy intently, "Angels are all around us dear." Lucy didn't reply - this was obviously her standard opening. "People are assigned an Angel who moves through their life at their side."
"Wrong," Nathaniel blurted out.
"If you ignore your Angel, they will punish you and make bad things happen to you."
"Wrong!" Nathaniel sounded agitated.
"Angels are jealous of us and want to be alive again so
we have to deal with them gently."
"So very incorrect," Nathaniel contested.
"It is only by coming to see me that you can understand what your Angel wants from you to keep them happy," Lady Soral got her plug in.
"What?" Nathaniel almost yelled beside her. Lucy bit her lip to stop from laughing.
"If your Angel is happy, wonderful things will happen to you, you will become more successful in life; make more money, find love and get all the material goods you desire."
"NO!" Nathaniel did yell this time and Lucy had to sit placidly, pretending he didn't exist.
"I see your Angel dear," she paused for dramatic effect. Lucy leaned forward, she felt Nathaniel do the same. "Your Angel's name is," another pause, "Ingrid."
"Ingrid?" Lucy and Nathaniel said in unison.
"Yes Ingrid," Lady Soral explained. "She is an old cranky woman, bent over with arthritis."
"ARGH!!!" Nathaniel yelled and threw his hands up in the air. "What is she talking about? Can you imagine a Heaven with arthritis? Who can be cranky in Heaven? Seriously! This is ridiculous!" Lucy pressed her lips together to stop from laughing out loud at this bizarre scene before her.
"Do you want to know what your Angel's instructions are for you?" Lady Soral asked smiling.
"No!" Nathaniel shot at her.
"Yes please," Lucy said as evenly as she could.
"Ingrid wants you to study more dear. You have a terrible memory, as you well know, and you need to buckle down with the books dear to improve your grades. If you do that, Ingrid will send you a boyfriend."
There was a pause, "You were right," Nathaniel said in a monotone voice beside her, "she's a crackpot. Let's get out of here." He stood up to leave but stopped, thinking better of it and instead, he turned back to the table and leaned over it to address Lady Soral. He was not even a foot in front of her face. She stared placidly at Lucy. "How do you sleep at night?" Nathaniel yelled at Lady Soral. "How dare you take people's money and lie to them! What is wrong with you? You know none of this is true! You are making this up as you go! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! The real Angels are watching lady and this does not bode well for you in the long run!" He waved his hands in front of Lady Soral's blank face, "HELLO! HELLO! Angel right in front of you! HELLO!" Lucy put her face in her hands and started to laugh. Lady Soral was saying something but Lucy couldn't hear her over Nathaniel's raging. Lucy finally stood up and knocked the chair over trying to leave. Nathaniel was blocking her way while he berated an ignorant Lady Soral.
"Um thank you," Lucy said pushing on Nathaniel to get him to move. "Common Ingrid lets go." She looked over and saw Lady Soral's approving smile.
"You are in trouble Lady! I know people!" Nathaniel hollered over his shoulder. "Ever heard of a little thing called Karma? It's a THING! A real THING!" He stalked out of the store and stood fuming on the street. Lucy followed him out, let the door close behind her, sat down on the step and started to laugh. Tears poured from her eyes as she laughed so hard her stomach hurt.
"How can you be laughing?" Nathaniel demanded. "That woman is a thief! A charlatan! We should call the police! Do you have any idea how wrong she is? No wonder everyone has all these misconceptions about Angels it's because of people like THAT!" he pointed angrily at the door. "She just makes stuff up. How dare she?" Lucy laughed even harder, gripping her stomach. Nathaniel finally ran out of gas and sat down beside her. "What?" he asked.
Lucy took a deep lungful of air to try and compose her self. Finally she could speak, "Nathaniel, you didn't see yourself in there! That was the funniest thing I have ever seen. You freaking out and screaming at her and she can't even see you? It was hilarious."
Nathaniel thought about it and started to laugh too, "The Ingrid thing is pretty funny too." They started laughing anew but their laughter was cut off by a deafening screech from the street. Lucy looked up and saw a car stopped in the middle of the road. A dog lay in front of the car and a little boy knelt beside the dog. Lucy sprinted over and landed on her knees beside the boy. The golden retriever on the ground was broken and bloodied, barely breathing. It was clear he wasn't going to last long. A few people had stopped to look but no one came forward. The boy was alone. The driver got out of his car horrified at what he had done, "It came out of no where I couldn't stop in time! Ah dammit kid, I am so sorry. I'll call for help." He pulled out his phone and turned his back to make the call.
Lucy wrapped her arms around the little boy who was howling in anguish, "Buster! Buster! No No No Buster Don't Die!" Lucy squeezed the boy tightly as she began to cry too. She rocked him back and forth.
"Shh shh," Lucy managed to comfort him through her tears. The boy wailed and sobbed for his best friend. Buster let out a soft whine and the boy screamed outright shaking with grief. Nathaniel was crouched on the ground in front of them looking saddened. Lucy looked at him beseechingly with tears blurring her vision.
"Fix it," she begged. She didn't bother to cover her voice. No one could hear her over the boy's wails not even the boy. Nathaniel looked at her, his eyes full of regret, and shook his head slowly side to side. "I know you can fix this!" she said through clenched teeth. "Look at him! Fix it!" Nathaniel shook his head again. "You can only do parlor tricks huh?" Lucy shot at him in anger. "You can't do anything that really matters can you?" Nathaniel didn't look hurt or upset at her words; he just shook his head again.
In front of them, Buster took one last shuddering breath and laid still. The boy screamed and Lucy had to hold him back from leaping on the dog. He wailed and kicked but she held him tight sobbing with him. Suddenly, there was movement in the crowd and a man ran forward, "Tommy? Tommy?"
"Daddy!" the boy wailed, "Buster! Daddy! Buster!" Tommy's father took him gently from Lucy's arms.
"I know pal, I'm so sorry," he said starting to cry at his son's pain. "It will be alright." He held Tommy tightly and stood up. Tommy started to kick and fight again to get back to Buster. He kicked and scratched and punched at his Dad trying to escape. The father held tight, taking the assault and refusing to put him down. Tommy fought harder, hysterical now. "No no no no no!" he screamed red faced. Nathaniel stood and slowly walked over to father and son.
He reached over and laid his hand on the back of Tommy's head, cupping his skull gently. Tommy relaxed immediately. His face returned to a normal color, he stopped fighting and his limbs went limp. He flopped over his father's shoulder, fast asleep. Nathaniel backed away. The police showed up. Tommy's father spoke to them and gave them instructions. Lucy stood up and stumbled back to the sidewalk. A woman in the crowd reached out and touched her arm.
"Good job honey," she said. Lucy just nodded and walked, defeated, for home. When they got to Lucy's house, she walked in and flopped on the couch in the family room. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. Nathaniel sat beside her and waited. It only took a moment for Lucy to explode.
"It's just a stupid dog!" she yelled. "It's just a dog! It doesn't affect the delicate balance of the universe! It was a little boy's dog and you let it die when you could change it! Why? What difference does it make if that dog lives or dies?"
"All the difference Lucy," Nathaniel said evenly. "If I changed it today, it would change everything."
"Like what?" Lucy threw her hands up. "Like little Tommy doesn't cry himself to sleep for the next month? Or if he wasn't traumatized today? Man, that would suck Nathaniel, it's good you kept that going!" she said sarcastically. "Too bad that kid isn't going to grow up to believe in Angels or miracles!"
Nathaniel ignored her tone, "And what about the next time something bad happens to Tommy? Something bigger? What about the day his Grandfather dies or his brother gets into an accident and lands in the ICU? What then Lucy? What will Tommy do then? Will he sit back and wait for a miracle because he thinks bad things don't happen to him? Or will he be able to handle it because when he was eight, his dog Buster was hit by a car and he lived through the pain and became a stronger person?" He paused and adde
d softly, "Which way is better for Tommy in the long run Lucy?"
She sat back and took a deep breath. "You're right." She shook her head, "but it just seems so cruel."
"I know it does," he said with understanding. "But at a farm on the outskirts of town, a litter of puppies is being born to make other little boys happy. That's how it works."
"Did a Demon make that happen?" Lucy asked imagining Mrs. Turner showing up at Tommy's house with some cookies to make him feel better. She shuddered.
"No," Nathaniel replied, "that was just chance. The man decided to leave his house at a certain moment and decided to take a certain route and Tommy decided to cross the street at a certain moment and their paths crossed."
Lucy sighed and sat back, Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry I said those mean things to you. I was angry, I didn't mean them," she said.
"I know you didn't," he smiled at her. "One of your best qualities is your compassion for other people. You are a very good person."
"Not as good as you," Lucy said.
"Why do you say that?" he asked puzzled.
Lucy smiled, "Because if I was the Angel, I would have saved that dog in a heart beat." She thought for a moment and added, "And made it so he could talk." Nathaniel threw his head back and laughed. He kissed her softly on the neck.
Chapter Ten
Lies
"The cruelest lies are often told in silence."
~Robert Louis Stevenson
The phone rang. Lucy jumped up to get it. It was her mom.
"I am so sorry honey but I just got a call for an offer on the Anderson place," she explained. "I have to go and this could take hours."
"That's ok mom," Lucy replied. "No big deal."
"But you're there all alone. Why don't you call some girls from high school? I'm sure they would love to catch up." Sandra sounded riddled with guilt.
"I might mom," Lucy replied having no intentions of doing so but wanting to pacify her mother's guilt. "Good idea."