Bells On Her Toes (Psychic Seasons

by ReGina Welling

  Mouth agape, eyes wide, he watched her as she brushed past him and followed her own advice.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Amethyst and Kat both had clients, so it was early evening before the group could assemble. Excitement was high as they waited while Julie fetched the locket from her jewelry box. She’d kept it for its sentimental value because, in all fairness, as an adornment it was much more to Gustavia’s taste than her own. Large, chunky and ornate had never been her style.

  Tarnished when she’d pulled it from the silver cache, Julie had polished the locket to a brilliant shine. It hung from a thick chain formed from very tiny but intricately linked rings. The central face was round, decorated with a single oak leaf also wrought from silver. The leaf had been so skillfully created that each tiny vein was visible.

  This center section snapped open to reveal a miniature family portrait protected behind a thin layer of glass. Then, on the rear, was a second latch that allowed the back to cleverly flip open then swivel downward to form a sort of stand. Julie supposed the idea had been for the piece to do double duty as a miniature frame or as jewelry. It was quite cleverly put together, in her opinion.

  Around the upper half of the locket, on either side of the eye where the chain rode, there was a filigree formed from tiny silver hoops running down to the squared-off bottom of its semi-circular shape.

  They passed the locket around the room, from hand to hand, inspecting it closely in order to see if any of them could fathom its mystery. In the end, while each knew they’d found the key, not one of them could think of a way to use it with the window.

  If Gustavia were right, they were one step closer to solving another of Julius’ cryptic little clues. Not a big enough step, though; the equinox was only days away.

  Chapter 26

  “Daddy, I heard you talking to someone last night; it sounded like you were talking to Miss Gustavia. How come it’s okay for you to talk to her, and I’m not allowed? Did she do something bad?”

  He should have known she would see it that way.

  “No, she didn’t do anything bad. Miss Gustavia is a very nice person.”

  “You sounded happy, like when Mommy was alive.” Sam’s words were like a bucket of cold water, shocking Finn awake. More awake than he’d been in a long time. Sam sighed, “It was nice.”

  It had been nice and exciting and comfortable and warm and utterly terrifying. Talking to Gustavia made him feel all those things and more. And then he’d gone and blown it by turning chicken and trying to take it out on Gustavia. It was time to face up to his feelings for her and to Sam’s.

  “What would you think if I wanted to date Gustavia?”

  “Would I get to see her sometimes?”

  “Yeah, Junebug, you would. Dating me kind of means dating you, too. If she’s willing, that is. Does that scare you at all?” After today, he was probably getting Sam’s hopes up for nothing. Gustavia had made it clear she was no longer interested in him; but still, he had to know.

  “Why would I be scared of Miss Gustavia? She’s one of my favorite people, the nicest person. Not scary at all.”

  “What if it didn’t work out? I don’t want you to get hurt.” He thought he was telling the truth.

  “Daddy.” Placing her hands on her hips, Sam’s tone was matter-of-fact. “When you taught me how to dive and I was scared, you told me to trust you and to just jump in and try.”

  He nodded.

  “You said the only way to get better was to try and then learn from my mistakes and try again.”

  He could see where this was going and wondered how she had gotten so brave and so wise.

  “If we date Miss Gustavia and someone makes a mistake, we can just learn from it and try again. I’d rather have her for a little while than not at all.”

  Was it really that simple? Maybe it was. Finally, the weight of fear lifted from him leaving his heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time.

  “Okay, Bug; let’s give it a shot.” Privately, he hoped he hadn’t already blown it with Gustavia with his erratic behavior. A new fear settled over him, but he was determined to make it right. Now he just needed to convince her he deserved a second—or maybe, by now—he was up to a fifth chance.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Again, it was Kat whose sensitive fingers finally found the tiny catch. It was nothing more than a springy curl of thin wire, almost impossible to see; but when she prodded, the entire locket fell apart in her hand. She gasped, and everyone leaned in to see that she now held ten thin rounds of colored glass. The pieces looked like lenses, each banded in silver with its finely-wrought wire-hoop handle that, when put back in place, formed the decorative edging around the locket.

  “Look everyone,” she breathed. “I think these might fit in those strange areas of the window. They feel as though they’re about the right size.”

  Just that easily they had the key and a general idea of how it worked. Only a couple of last details remained; finding the time of day to use the key and what order the colored lenses fit into the window. There were still three days to go before the equinox, but that didn’t stop them placing the lenses into the slots and trying out several color combinations. None yielded any worthwhile results so they sat around throwing out theories.

  Weather reports called for rain on the day of the equinox, and that was another cause for concern. The first key required the sun to strike the window at the right time of day. With no evidence to the contrary, it was assumed this key would work similarly.

  Larger than an average locket, the portrait inside was still small enough that any clue it might hold was too small to see with the naked eye, so Julie sent Tyler down to the studio to retrieve the loupe she used for inspecting grain in her photographs. Even with the magnifying device, she couldn’t see anything within the photograph that yielded a clue to the correct time. Maybe as long as the sun was shining, they would see whatever it was they needed to see.

  If that were true, the only way to find out was to wait and hope the meteorologists were wrong.

  “If we don’t figure this out, we’re going to end up sitting here all day staring at the window and wondering if we have the pieces in the right places. Maybe the time clue isn’t in the photo. Let’s have a look at the locket.” Gustavia held out her hand impatiently. It took her almost no time to reassemble the pieces; she was incredibly good at building puzzles.

  Once the locket was whole again, she turned it over and over in her hands looking for something, anything engraved into the silver. When she didn’t find anything, she closed her eyes to connect more deeply with her intuition.

  Grabbing the loupe, she inspected the patterns in the finely wrought leaf thinking there might be a number engraved into its lines. Nothing there either. Gustavia started to put the locket down when a new thought came to her: what if the leaf were meant to signify a clock. Becoming increasingly sure this was the case, she counted the spines on the leaf. Yes, there were twelve.

  “Hey, guys? I think I’m onto something here.” Now that she could see the general outline of a clock, she just needed to find the hands or some other indicator of the time. “The oak leaf is a symbol; it’s the clock.” She passed the locket and magnifying device over to Tyler.

  “Polishing it took away any residual imprint from the past,” Amethyst said. “Kat, do you think you could pick anything up by holding it?”

  “Probably not. I think whatever block keeps Julius from just telling us outright where to find each cache keeps me from tuning in that way also.”

  Tyler took a quick look, passed the locket on to Julie, and then opened his laptop to begin a search for any symbolic references to oak leaves. He found references to oak leaves being used in military insignia and in mythology, but nothing that connected it with any particular number. He closed the laptop. “What if the time isn’t on the locket? Maybe it’s on the window.”

  Everyone trooped over to the window to look. Everyone but Gustavia, who picked up the locket
again. It’s here, she thought. Not on the window, but right here; I just need to figure it out. In the meantime, she admired the workmanship that had gone into crafting the piece; each vein and texture faithfully wrought from silver; it had to have taken a fair amount of time. The silversmith had even added imperfections to the margins of the leaf.

  A prickling feeling ran down her arms, raising the hairs. Gustavia grabbed the loupe again for a closer look. The tenth and fourth serrated spines were so skillfully crafted that the notches looked like naturally occurring damage; but, on closer inspection, she could see that each notch was in the shape of a tiny arrow.

  “It’s here. I’ve figured it out,” and she told the others what she’d found.

  “If Gustavia’s theory is correct, we need to be in front of the window at either 10:20 am or 4:50 pm. That narrows it down nicely,” Julie grinned.

  “Not 4:50,” Amethyst cut in, “this window faces toward the east, so it would get the strongest light in the morning.”

  Finally, things were coming together; they had a plan.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  Finn dropped Sam off for a sleepover then tracked Gustavia down at Julie’s house where the entire group had gathered. He had come to a decision, and he needed to make things right with her.

  The pre-Equinox party was in full swing with pizza, wine, and a lighthearted atmosphere. The current plan was for everyone to stay the night and hope the weather would hold. Fritzie and Lola romped and played with a ratty old tennis ball.

  When Julie answered the door, it was to a visibly tense Finn. “She here?” He asked without preliminary.

  “Yeah, she’s here.” Julie might have been tempted to turn him away until he lifted his eyes and she saw the agony in them. Now, since she sympathized with him, she only cautioned, “Don’t hurt her again.” The “or else” was implied.

  “I’m not planning to hurt her. Promise.”

  “Gustavia’s very forgiving but even she has her limits. Best you can do is try.”

  “Okay.” He nodded then took a deep breath and readied himself for what was to come. “Take me to her, please.”

  Julie led the way.

  “Gustavia, there’s someone here to see you.” To the others she said, “Let’s carry this mess to the kitchen and give them a chance to talk.” Then she smiled as she saw Amethyst roll her eyes and pass yet another ten to Kat.

  Unsure whether she wanted to hear what he had to say, Gustavia leveled an assessing stare at Finn. Then, deciding he looked properly contrite, she stood and waited for him to speak.

  “I freaked out. I admit it. And I know there’s no excuse. I realize now my biggest crime was making you think I didn’t appreciate everything you are. “

  “Finn, I…”

  She might have been a magnet and he a piece of iron, the way he was drawn closer to her. Close enough to touch.

  “No, let me finish. I need to finish. I need to tell you.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, warm fingers absorbing the petal softness he found there. “You are perfect. Everything about you is honest and pure and good. Love shines through you like the sun shines on the earth. And I can’t believe I almost let you slip through my fingers.” He took her cold hand in his and rested them both on his heart.

  “Do you know when I fell for you? It was that first night we talked on the phone.”

  “You pushed me away, again and again.”

  “I was so busy projecting every bad thing that might happen that I couldn’t accept the amazing good that had happened to me. I thought I was protecting Sam from getting hurt again, that if I somehow kept her from loving you, she would never have to try and heal from another loss.”

  “Finn.”

  “Shh. Let me. I need say it all; and then, if you want me to go, I’ll leave. It wasn’t Sam I was protecting; it was me. I thought that if I never loved anyone again, I would never have to risk losing that love. It was stupid. I was stupid, an idiot; and I hurt you. Please let me love you. Please don’t ask me to leave. I couldn’t bear it if you did.”

  In that moment Gustavia couldn’t speak; her throat was so tight with emotion that not even a whisper could pass her lips. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears until she closed them, unable to bear the sight of his pain.

  His heart sank in his chest. It was too late. She was going to close herself off from him, force him to live forever in the darkness of a life without her presence. He’d been a stubborn fool. His actions had hurt her deeply, too deeply for the wound to heal.

  Gustavia thought about the wish she’d sent out into the universe. She’d asked for someone fun, stable, articulate, good with kids, nice body; and he had to dance. Finn had scored on all counts except for stability but if he was determined to let go of his fear, she knew he was the one, her wish come true. Her frog was now her prince.

  Then she opened her eyes, and they shone with all of the love in her heart as she uttered one word.

  “Stay.”

  The next second, she was in his arms, holding him and letting him hold her as he rained kisses across her face. Then he settled his mouth on hers, strong and sure. He poured everything into the kiss, and Gustavia returned the favor. Mine, she thought, all mine. Forever.

  As the kiss ended, they heard a loud whoop from the kitchen. Still holding her close, Finn quirked a brow in question. Gustavia grinned, face lighting up, and said, “Well, you should probably know I come with an entourage.” She raised her voice so the eavesdroppers could hear, “And they all seem to have boundary issues.”

  “I can handle it. As long as I have you, I can handle anything.”

  Unseen by choice, Estelle smiled through ghostly tears. Now both her girls were loved.

  _,.-'~'-.,_

  In the middle of the night, crashing thunder woke the entire house. Finn, sleeping on the couch, woke in a panic, not quite sure where he was. After a few minutes, he heard voices in the room at the top of the stairs and followed his ears to the library where the others were gathering to discuss how the weather might complicate things.

  After several minutes of futile speculation, Amethyst stated the obvious. “We need to talk to Julius. Would he come if we called him or do we need Kat? If she’s willing, of course.”

  Kat spoke first, “I’ll do it. It’s probably the easiest way.”

  Finn wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but he was interested and still slightly skeptical about what he might see. The process was much quieter and less dramatic than he expected.

  Kat closed her eyes and concentrated for several minutes before anything happened. Then, her face shifted in that double exposure way as Julius features settled over hers. Finn shivered; it was uncanny.

  Julius looked around the room with Kat’s eyes. “Nice weather, eh?” he said.

  “That’s what we called you about. Will the key work if there’s not enough sunlight?” Tyler asked. “Should there be some kind of contingency plan? Not that I know what one would possibly be; it’s not like we can replicate the sun.”

  “I could, though.” Julie said. “I have daylight balanced studio lighting; we could rig it up somehow, if we had to.”

  Kat’s mouth open and closed several times as Julius tried to speak but was prevented by whatever force it was that sometimes controlled him. Finally, he raised Kat’s hands in surrender and his features slowly faded away.

  As always, Gustavia’s first thought was for Kat who was sometimes shaky after channeling spirit that way. This time, she was happy to see that Kat was suffering no ill after effects at all. She’d initiated the contact and was now used to the sensation. Used to having the ability to see, even briefly, it was no longer a shock to her system when her physical vision cleared. Gustavia hoped it meant she was also closer to regaining her sight, that her gift no longer generated enough fear to keep her blind.

  “It’s a good idea about the studio lights. There’s still some staging here from the roof, so access isn’t too much of a problem; and I can calc
ulate the sun’s position. If it doesn’t work, then we wait until next year and hope for sun. Nothing more we can do now; I’m going back to bed.” Tyler took charge.

  Everyone else followed his lead.

  Chapter 27

  By 8:30 the next morning, the clouds were beginning to clear, and it looked like the weather would cooperate. Finn, up before the rest, made himself comfortable in the kitchen. He liked to cook. It helped settle his nerves; and, after seeing Kat’s stunning use of her abilities the night before, he discovered they were still a little jangly.

  First, a pot of coffee. Then he decided to keep it simple. Pancakes were always a crowd pleaser and easy enough to mix together, even better with the addition of a few of the blueberries he found in the crisper. There was sausage and some veggie bacon, so he added those to the menu. By the time everyone else stumbled in breakfast was ready, everything kept warming in the oven.

  “I could get used to this,” Gustavia said as she greeted him with a quick kiss then put a kettle on for tea.

  With breakfast over, they all pitched in to clean up the kitchen then made their way to the window. Julie held the locket. it was almost time.

  Estelle, offered to provide Kat with sight. Grateful for the opportunity to watch and help, Kat agreed and opened her consciousness to allow Estelle easier access. When her vision cleared, Kat made a small sound of appreciation for the beauty of the stained glass window.

  Finn watched closely as her eyes changed color then cleared. At the sight, a chill ran through him. On that first day Tyler had warned him she was the real deal. All skepticism was now gone. No way to fake what he had just seen.

  Stepping toward the window, Julie said, “We have ten glass lenses, and there are ten slots in the leading. Do we match them up by color? Like to like?” She waited for the others to chime in with their opinions.