Pisces: Teacher's Pet

by Sèphera Girón

  Adele took a deep breath and cleared her mind. She looked down at the crystal ball. “Your aura is so bright I think I need sunglasses to look at you. I’d swear you were a Leo, not a Taurus.”

  “Sorry. How do I turn it down?”

  “You can’t. It’s up to me to try to turn down how I’m seeing you. But I’m finding it hard to turn off all that I’m seeing and hearing today. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Hearing?”

  “I feel like some kind of transmitter. I keep picking up on people’s thoughts. I don’t know why or how, but I hear what they say. That’s not usually a skill I have.”

  “Well, most of us have some degree of telepathy, I think. What happened?”

  “Okay, here’s the deal. I met this man. His name is Devin. He’s a real sweetheart and a very talented painter. You know how turned on I get when I meet a talented artist.”

  “I do indeed, dearie,” Dorothy said.

  “I went over to Devin’s and we were intimate, and since then, I’ve been seeing auras more than ever and picking up people’s thoughts. What do you think happened to me?”

  Dorothy stared into the ball, narrowing her eyes as colors swirled and tumbled. Adele looked at the ball and Dorothy’s face and back to the ball again.

  “Do you see anything? Is there anything in there?” Adele asked.

  “I see all kinds of things. Lots of beautiful shades of purples and magentas. A lot of happiness. You. Devin. And just plain happiness.”

  “So we’re good together?”

  “The happiness is connected to you, but not. It’s like the happiness is something unto itself, like a character.”

  “Or a place?”

  “Perhaps it’s a place,” Dorothy said as she leaned closer to the ball. “It could very well be a place.”

  “A place called Harmoni?” Adele asked.

  Dorothy looked up at her. “What do you know about Harmoni?”

  Adele blinked. “What do you know about Harmoni?”

  “I’ve heard people talk about a place called Harmoni. It’s a mystical place. A place people claim to get to by astral projection or through dreams. I’ve met a couple of witches in my day who’ve been there. They’ve walked around there, perhaps had to meet some challenges there. I’ve heard it’s ruled by a woman named Birdy.”

  “Really?” Adele asked. “Birdy?”

  “Yes.” Dorothy stared into her ball. “Yes, Birdy is still there. I can see the castle, and she sits on the throne. Thousands of birds surround her, hence her name. The birds bring messages to people on earth and other places.”

  “So, am I supposed to deal with this Birdy?” Adele asked.

  Dorothy shook her head. “No, your path isn’t to the castle,” she said. “It’s just as well, because I think if you go to the castle, that means you’re dead, but I’m not positive.” She tilted her head, and Adele saw the colors changing in the ball as some blues and a bit of gray swirled in.

  “Now what do you see?” Adele asked.

  “You and Devin, wandering along the paths of Harmoni. You are holding hands and seem quite happy.”

  “I am happy with Devin. I hope it lasts. I mean, I barely know him.”

  “I think you and Devin are very well suited for each other. Despite the age difference,” Dorothy said.

  Adele blushed. “I guess there is quite a bit of difference between us. I can’t help it. I just see these young guys, so fresh and new and brimming with talent...”

  “Who am I to judge?” Dorothy said. “I have no guy at all!”

  “Anyway, what’s the deal with us? With Harmoni? With me seeing all these auras so vividly all of a sudden?”

  Dorothy stared further into the ball. She ran her hands over the crystals, gazing intensely at whatever she was seeing.

  Adele shifted in her seat nervously. She couldn’t hear what Dorothy was thinking, but she could tell by her aura that she saw something else, something different—and not so nice.

  “It’s... well...” Dorothy said, squinting her eyes and then letting them grow wide.

  “What? What is it?” Adele asked.

  “Darkness and danger...”

  “With Devin?”

  “Harmoni? Devin? It’s all whirling together. Some kind of complication,” Dorothy said.

  “I don’t know,” Adele said. “There’s always some kind of complication. Is it him? Is it me?”

  Dorothy sighed. “The images are fading. It’s like I’m not supposed to know yet what will happen. There is something. So just be careful. Have you been to Harmoni?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve seen Harmoni. Devin has painted some pictures of it. But I don’t think I’ve been there. If I have been there, it wasn’t clear to me what was going on.”

  “Well, if you ever go there—and don’t ask me how you’ll get there, but listen. If you ever go there, be very careful. There’s something not quite right going on. Sure, it has a happy name and a happy vibe, but there is darkness. You know how in tarot there are the sun and moon cards because where there’s light, there’s darkness?”

  “Sure.”

  “Same thing. Harmoni, harmony... discordance. You know. For every action there is a reaction.”

  “So this happy place has existed for years, yet for some reason, because I’m around or whatever, now it’s all going to hell?”

  “Not quite like that,” Dorothy said. “I’m just saying be careful. With Devin. With the place. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

  “Okay. Is there anything else?”

  Dorothy stared at the ball for a few minutes while Adele watched her expectantly in silence. Dorothy frowned and shook her head. “No. That seems to be it for today. Not much of a message, I know. I’m sorry about that.”

  “That’s okay,” Adele said. “I know how these things are. You can’t force messages.”

  Dorothy stood and walked over to one of her shelves, where she picked up something Adele couldn’t see.

  “Well, since I can’t really tell you too much today, I want to give you something. I feel like you might need this, especially if you ever go back to Harmoni. At any rate, always have it around Devin.”

  “What?”

  Dorothy placed a black, billiard-sized ball into Adele’s hands. She held her own hands over it and said a quiet little prayer.

  “You really think I need to lug a ball of obsidian around with me?” Adele asked.

  “Hopefully you won’t need it. However, something compels me to give it to you.”

  “If you insist,” Adele said, holding it up to the light. She’d always enjoyed obsidian. It was a fascinating stone.

  “Look, it has a silver eye with a rainbow inside,” Adele said, turning the ball until she found the eye.

  “I love obsidian,” Dorothy said. “That’s why I have so much of it. I need my negative energy absorbed every chance I get.”

  “I think we all should have lots of obsidian at all times.” Adele laughed.

  “Seriously, though, keep it with you. At least for a while.”

  “I will.”

  Dorothy showed her to the front door. As Adele slipped her coat back on, she made certain not to forget the stone. “Thank you so much, Dorothy.” She hugged her friend. “I’ll see you at circle.”

  “Yes, you will. You know it.” Dorothy smiled.

  * * *

  Adele walked down the street, stroking the smooth ball in her pocket. It had a soothing energy but not a very strong one. She wondered if the ball would be able to do its job when the time came—if the time came, whatever time that might be.

  She hurried along until she came to a small café. A soft bell tinkled as she went in. Though the day wasn’t sunny, it wasn’t dark either. However, the cafe was very dim. A few people were gathered around the small tables, drinking coffee and tea, reading and working on their laptops. There was a buzz of energy in the air, chitchatting and gossiping around her. Yet as she looked at the customers, not one of them
was engaged in conversation.

  More of those crazy voices in my head, she thought. Boy, wait until I’m senile. I won’t know which voices are real and which aren’t!

  She laughed at herself, blocking out the noises and staring at the auras. One thing she’d always noticed was that when people were gathered in one spot, they tended to share a common aura color. They didn’t all have the same auras, but often a shade of pink or orange or even gray was threaded from one person to the next.

  In the café at that moment, the auras all resonated with a pale blue. A few people had deep purples and reds, others had yellow and violet. Almost everyone had a black dot or thread weaving through their aura. It was normal for humans to have black in their auras.

  Adele nodded at the people who caught her eye, trying not to hear their thoughts, and walked to the back tables. She saw Ursula’s table was free and there was a fresh pot of tea and two empty cups laid out.

  “Ursula?” she called. She waited for a moment until Ursula emerged from the back.

  “Hi, Adele.” She slid her heavyset form into the booth and gestured for Adele to sit across from her. Adele looked at the teapot, then at Ursula’s sparkling eyes.

  “Thanks for seeing me today,” she said.

  “I’m always available for love emergencies. You know that,” Ursula said.

  “A hopeless romantic,” Adele teased.

  “That’s me, hopeless at romance.”

  They both laughed.

  “I’m hoping my hopeless curse has been lifted, at least for a little while,” Adele said. “I’ve met a new man, and, boy, is he cute.”

  “Well, let’s begin at the beginning” Ursula reached over to the teapot and daintily poured them each a cup of tea. The loose leaves swirled as the water hit the cup. Adele watched them dance.

  “Tell me about him as you drink,” Ursula coaxed, lifting her cup to her own lips and sipping the hot liquid cautiously. Adele raised her cup and blew gently on the tea. The steam mixed with the sweet fragrance, tickling her nose. Ursula’s aura was a vibrant green mixed with orange. It was very bright, and Adele had to lower her eyes.

  “Well, we just met. It all happened so fast,” Adele said.

  “That’s how it is with you Pisces. You either take forever to do something, or you jump in so fast, you don’t know what hit you. Especially in love.”

  “You have that right. I was waiting forever for the perfect guy to come along, and then I just jumped into bed with this guy I barely know. What’s the deal with that? I guess I am nuts.”

  “No, you’re human. We’re all a mass of contradictions. Especially Pisces, Geminis, and lovely Libras such as myself. Flipping back and forth, decisions and impulses. We drive people crazy.”

  “I guess,” Adele said, drinking more of her tea.

  “And who knows? He may be the perfect guy. So what if you hit the hay right away? Sometimes waiting to give it up doesn’t prove anything at all.”

  “But now I feel connected to him. And I’m not sure if I should.”

  “That’s why we’re here, now, isn’t it? To take a little look-see about your young man. Tell me more.”

  “He’s just out of college, and now he’s trying to learn about metaphysical things. He’s interested in auras and tarot and tea leaves and all that stuff. Divination, I guess. He’s also an amazing painter.”

  “Ah, yes, you and your artist weakness. Some girls melt for musicians. You melt for the artists.”

  “I always have.”

  “I know. Ever since you slept with your grade ten art teacher, you’ve had the bug.”

  “You know me so well.” Adele blushed.

  “I’ve known you a long time, and you’ve told me so many secrets. Well, of course, as I have to you. It’s our job, isn’t it?” Ursula winked.

  “Yes. I guess it is. Though it never really feels like work when you’re with people you like,” Adele said as she sipped more of the tea.

  “Before you’re finished, tell me a bit more about him.”

  “Devin? I don’t know much about him, I’m afraid. That’s the problem. I jumped into bed too soon. I know he’s terribly young. He’s very cute. I covered the talent. My Lord, if the world still cared about artists, he would become famous. But we live in a world of YouTube and video games.”

  “You think Devin’s art is that special?”

  “You should see what he does. Not just one or two paintings. He’s done many, and they’re brimming with talent. You can practically smell the landscape, feel the trees, talk to the people. He’s amazing.”

  “So amazing that you slept with him right away.”

  Adele nodded. “I can’t help myself. When someone is that talented, I want to eat him up or devour his brain or something. I don’t even know what it is.”

  “It’s attraction, that’s what it is. Simple lust that makes the world go around.” Ursula smiled. “Are you finished with your tea now?”

  “I just have a couple of drops in the bottom,” Adele showed her the cup.

  “Okay, so swish it around, then turn the cup upside down on the saucer.”

  Adele swirled the cup, watching the water and leaves mix and dance.

  “Tell me something nice,” she told the cup as she put it upside down and let it drip. Ursula took the cup and saucer and placed it in front of herself. She took the handle and spun it slowly three times. When she was finished, she tapped the cup on the bottom.

  “Make a wish,” Ursula said.

  Adele closed her eyes. “Okay, I made my wish.”

  “Good. Now let’s see what we have here,” Ursula said as she lifted the cup to look at the tea leaves that stuck to the sides.

  Adele gave her a few minutes to think. Ursula’s aura danced and sparkled, and it was beginning to give Adele a headache. “What does it say?”

  “He’s a sweetie, all right. Or rather, a hottie. Stubborn as hell, so don’t cross him. But he’s rather reliable. And very talented. He may be famous one day, YouTube or not.” Ursula nodded.

  “Am I in there?” Adele asked. “Was it just a one-night stand?”

  Ursula laughed, still staring into the cup. “No. He’s as smitten with you as you are with him. You go, girl.” She high-fived Adele. They both giggled.

  “He likes me, he really likes me,” Adele joked.

  “Yes, he certainly does.”

  “But for how long?”

  “Long enough.”

  “And before me? How many are there? Were there many?”

  Ursula nodded. “He likes sex, oh yes indeed. A very sensitive and passionate man. He’s had a number of one-night stands. And a girlfriend or two,” she mused, staring into the cup, slowly turning it. “He’s one of those guys that’s in love with love. In love with the moment.”

  “Typical artistic type,” Adele said. “Yep, I’ve got his number.”

  “And you? Are you any different?” Ursula put down the cup and stared at Adele. “I mean, really, are you?”

  “Me? Hell, I’m an old lady now. I just turned forty. I’m ‘respectable,’” she mocked, flipping her hand out in a parody of a high-society snob.

  “You? Ms. Lingerie Queen?” Ursula snickered. “Yes, you run a rather respectable version of a lingerie store, but really, you are just selling sex.”

  “Sex sells. Well, maybe not sells, but pretty much everyone has sex, one way or another. And most people like to feel good about themselves.”

  “That’s right,” Ursula said. “Feeling good about ourselves is key to anything in life, whether it’s sex or our jobs or talking on the phone.”

  “I like to think I do a good job. And what I can’t do at the lingerie store, I finish up at my art classes.”

  “See? You talk about your new young man, but what about you?”

  “I’ve not had a one-night stand in a long time. You know, I’m not Maggie.” Adele laughed.

  “No one is Maggie. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was some horny young man t
he way she goes.”

  “I wonder if Devin has enjoyed our Maggie?” Adele asked vaguely. Ursula looked into the cup again.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s been in town that long. Don’t forget, she’s been with Weldon for a couple of months now.”

  “Well, she’s been with Weldon, but is she faithful? Has she ever been faithful?”

  “Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt for now and get our minds back on your hot, young studmuffin.”

  “Oh yes. I won’t think of him with Maggie because that’s just as likely to make it happen, isn’t it?”

  “The Law of Attraction?”

  “Yeah. There is something to it.”

  “Everyone in Hermana knows the Law of Attraction works. It’s just a matter of convincing people it’s true. Of course, there are still some who really need and want to do the Law of Attraction, but it isn’t their karmic time.”

  “Anyway,” Adele said, eager for more answers, “tell me about Devin. Is he my attraction, my soul mate?”

  “Yes, for now he is. There are definitely things you guys need to do and learn from each other.”

  “We all are supposed to learn from each other. What is my dance with him?”

  Ursula looked deeply into the teacup. “There’s a lot of sex, oh yes. But there’s danger too. You need to be careful.”

  “What danger?”

  Ursula looked into the cup, turning it around.

  “You know, I’m just not sure at all. I can’t quite see it or make it out,” she said. “It’s so weird. It’s like a dream or something.”

  Adele nodded. “I actually know what you’re trying to say, even if you don’t.”

  “That’s usually how it goes.”

  “Is there anything else I should know about this man and our connection?” Adele asked.

  Ursula shook her head. “No, not really. Just be careful. Be very aware of what is going on at all times. You just never know...”

  “So that’s it, then?” Adele asked.

  “That would seem to be all I can really see today,” Ursula said. “However, there is something else.”

  She slid out of the booth with a huff and went into the back of the café. She was gone for several minutes. Adele took the time to use the washroom. Thoughts about both the readings flew through her head. Both women had warned her of some kind of danger, but neither seemed to be able to tell what it might be. Adele trusted that she had to listen to what they were saying. She returned to the table and took out her obsidian ball, rolling it along the table until Ursula returned.