Crossroads

by Nicole Coverdale

  “Can you move things with your mind?” Jasmine asked, propping her hands on her hips. “Plus, after living in a foster home with a maniac who did this.” She lifted her finger, pointing to the cross tattooed on her wrist. “I stay far, far away from anything related to it.”

  Julie huffed out a breath. “Fine. I’ll go. But I don’t like it.”

  “Oh, will you stop whining?” Jade asked, laughing. “You’ll be fine. I mean, it’s not like you’ll get electrocuted or anything for being a witch.”

  “That’s not funny!” Julie cried, glaring at Jade. “Stranger things have happened!” She sighed. “So I guess this means you’re going to get the four leaf clover and the coconut?”

  “It’s the only ingredients left,” Jade said, stepping up and taking the book from Josslyn. She slammed it shut, handing it to Julie. “Will you put this thing away? The right way?” She then turned to Sky. “And you should try to get some rest. Who knows how long we’ll be gone. You’ll need your strength for our journey.”

  “Aye. Aye, captain,” Sky saluted her, laying down on the bed, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillows. “You know, you are pretty bossy.”

  Jade huffed. “You know, if you weren’t in so much pain, I’d think about beating you for that comment! I am not bossy. I’m just productive.”

  “Hmpht.” Sky sighed, then he snapped his eyes open. “Jade, how are you planning to get the four-leaf lover? Last I knew it was winter here.”

  “First of all, it’s fall, not winter. Don’t rush winter. Not yet. I am so not ready for that! Secondly, didn’t you say that everything we thought wasn’t real, is?”

  “Yes. I did say that. Why?”

  “Because I have an idea.” She closed her eyes. “Through winds of time and change, grant me the courage to take a chance. Luck be mine, luck be me. So let it be.”

  “Wee!”

  Jade let out a yell, falling through the bright, blue, cloudless sky and landing on the bright rainbow below her. She giggled, sliding down the arch. It’s like a big slide! she thought as she slid down the final length of the rainbow, wincing, as her knee protested. Dammit. I hate having a broken leg!

  She lifted her head, gazing around at the sea of bright, green grass surrounding her. The endless supply of oak trees, and in the distance, she could hear running water. This is gorgeous! she thought, grabbing the tree branch lying on the ground next to her, and propping against it, using it as a crutch. She hobbled down the grass, and stopped, staring below her at the running stream of clear, blue water lying just below the hill. “Oh.”

  “I got you!”

  The shout sounded above her, and she startled. Raising her head, as a small body dressed in green flew down from the tree above her, his small hands wrapping around her shoulders and slamming her to the ground.

  “Hey!” Jade gasped, the wind knocking out of her, staring at the small man lying on top of her.

  “Who are you?” they asked in unison.

  “I asked you first,” Jade said, shoving the man off of her. “Jesus! Is this how you treat all your guests? By jumping on them?”

  “You did not ask me first,” the small, dark-haired man dressed in a green jacket and identical colored pants said, as he rose to his feet. “We said it at the same time! And I thought you were someone else.”

  “Like who?”

  “My brother.”

  Jade raised a brow. “Your brother?”

  “Yeah. We’re playing hide and seek.”

  “And you pounce on one another?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s the whole point of it! Especially when you’re hiding in a tree!”

  “You are seriously crazy!” Jade cried, wincing, as she rose to her feet.

  “You okay there, Missy?”

  “Well, no. I have a broken leg so it freaking hurts to do anything!”

  “A broken leg? Why didn’t you say so?” The man grinned, holding his hand out. A long, brown stick appeared in his hand and he tapped it on the ground, pointing it toward Jade. A whirl of pink, purple, and blue lights zinging around her.

  “Whoa…” Jade blinked, staring at the bright colors as they circled her, glancing down at her leg. Her eyes widening as her leg healed right before her very eyes. “Holy crap! That’s so cool! How did you do that?”

  “We can do lots of things here.”

  “We?”

  “My brothers and I.” He lifted his fingers to his lips, letting out a loud whistle. A dozen little men dressed in green running down the hill toward them.

  “Welcome to the land of the luck,” a man with a long, white beard said, walking forward and extending a hand. “If you’re here, you must be a witch.”

  “You would be correct,” Jade said. “You know, when I cast that spell, I expected to be in a place full of four-leaf clovers. Not surrounded by dwarves.”

  “Dwarves?” another one of the men propped his hands on his hips, glaring at her. His green hat sliding over his eyes, and he blew out a breath of annoyance, shoving it back up onto his head. “Dwarves! Do we look like Dwarves to you?”

  “Well, you are small. Easily annoyed…” Jade trailed off, suddenly stopping. “Oh! Luck. Green. You’re Leprechauns!”

  “Ding! Ding!”

  “About time someone shows us some respect around here,” another one of the leprechauns said, snorting as he regarded her with piercing, green eyes. “It seems everyone confuses us with Dwarves! We’re smarter than Dwarves!”

  “Well, I’m sorry for being a little confused. I’ve never met Leprechauns before,” Jade muttered, glancing at the beauty surrounded her, feeling as if she were in paradise. “But this place is beautiful!”

  “That’s because we work hard to keep it that way,” the white-bearded leprechaun said. “Watering the grass. Helping the trees grow. Keeping evil out of the realm.” He extended a hand. “I’m Jack.”

  “Nice to meet you Jack,” Jade said, taking his offered hand. He’s so small! “I’m Jade.”

  “It’s not easy taking care of this place though,” one of the younger leprechauns said, shuffling his feet as he glanced nervously over his shoulder. “Not with that evil monster picking us off one by one.”

  “Monster?”

  “Yes! Monster. Look!” He pointed a finger toward a dark, shadowy area lying at the edge of the property. “He lives over there, with…” His eyes widened. “Oh no! There he is!”

  Jade followed his finger, staring up high into the bright, blue sky as a large, black bird soared through the air. Its large, white wings flapping in the wind as it soared. It twirled, diving downward, and landed with a loud thump in front of them. His large, brown eyes staring at them. “Master needs more luck,” the bird said, its large, yellow beak flapping as it talked. “Who wants to help?”

  The leprechauns shook their heads, backing up a step.

  “No one?” the bird asked, sighing. “Well, I guess you brought this on yourselves. He lifted his wing, pointing. “Inny, Minny, miney, mo!” He jabbed his wing forward, pointing at one of the younger leprechauns. “It’s you!”

  “No!” Jade jumped in front of the leprechaun, blocking the bird’s path. “You can’t have him. I won’t let you!”

  “Oh?” The bird eyed her. “And just who might you be?”

  “A friend. A magical friend,” Jade said, lifting her chin. “And like I said. You can’t have him.”

  “Hmm. Now that’s interesting,” the bird said, cocking his head to the side and pondering. He shrugged. “Oh well, then I guess I’ll have to take you instead.”

  “What?” Jade gasped. “I—”

  Before she could do anything, the bird lunged forward, wrapping his talons around her arm. He leaned in close, sniffing. “You’re perfect! You smell full of luck, and that’s exactly what I need!” he said, jumping up into the air, and taking off high into the sky with Jade in tow.

  “Go to church, Julie. You love church. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Julie grumbled the words
, shivering as she stepped out of the car and crossed the street. She walked down the sidewalk, kicking a rock in her path, miffed at her sisters. Why is it I always let my sisters make decisions for me? I’m a grown woman, I can make my own, damned decisions! She growled. Maybe it was time to stop being such a pushover and stand up for herself, huh?

  But Jade had been right. She had loved church when she’d been younger. She’d loved learning about the history of the bible, going to bible school, learning about Jesus, Mary, the disciples. It had been her faith that had gotten her through her accident, along with a lot of strong will and determination. But now, she couldn’t help but think that she’d abandoned God, and she was so afraid he was going to hold a grudge.

  She sighed and began trotting up the steps. Wrapping her hand around the door handle, she pulled it open. She stepped inside the warm building, and behind her, the door slammed shut. She jumped, glancing behind her for a moment, aching to run out of the church, but she needed the holy water. For Sky. She had to remember. She was doing all of this… for Sky.

  She turned away from the door, walking across the thin, brown carpet, half expecting to see lightning wrapping around her ankles, but nothing happened.

  She blew out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes, and an image of Marlena came to her mind. Her screams filled her ears, as fire, ice, white light, and electricity was flung toward her. Julie gasped, her eyes snapping back open, glancing down at her hands. God, it had felt so wrong! she thought, wondering if on some level she really was evil.

  “Can I help you?”

  She jumped, a shriek escaping her throat. She swung around, staring at the elderly, white haired man standing behind her, wearing a black shirt with a white collar. The reverend?

  “Oh my! Don’t do that!” she cried. “You scared the bejesus out of me!”

  “My apologies,” the reverend said, looking sheepish. “I’m not used to anyone being here during the week. Let me introduce myself. I’m Tom. Reverend Tom, and you are?”

  “Julie.”

  “Nice to meet you Julie,” the reverend said closing his hand over hers. “So, what brings you to the church today?” He frowned. “Wait a minute. I recognize you, don’t I? You used to come to mass every Sunday, didn’t you?”

  Julie smiled. “Good memory. I did.”

  “You were in a bad accident if I recall. Your sister used to bring you. Jade, was that her name?”

  Julie nodded. “Again, good memory. Yes, except I believe I wasn’t able to walk back then.”

  “You’re right. You were in a wheelchair,” the reverend said. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.”

  “Me too.”

  “But why haven’t I seen you, Julie? It’s been years!”

  “I know,” Julie said, a little embarrassed that the reverend remembered her so well. “I’ve had a lot going on.”

  “Everyone always has a lot going on.”

  “And I guess, you could say that I kind of lost my faith,” Julie said, ducking her head, hating that the words had come out of her mouth. “I’ve lost so much, Reverend. There’s been so much death in my life. My Mom. My Dad. My grandparents. My sister just nearly died. It seems like I’m surrounded by death.”

  “Death is a part of life, Julie. It’s the whole circle of life.”

  “I know that, but what I don’t understand, is why God never answers me! I used to pray so much, Reverend, but I never got an answer to any of my questions. To any of my concerns. Why is that?”

  “I wish I had the answers for you, Julie,” the reverend said, turning, and gazing at the mural on the wall. Staring at the image of Jesus. “But all I can tell you, is that the lord works in mysterious ways, and even though you don’t hear him, he is listening, Julie. He’s there, giving you an ear to talk to. He’s there in the wind. In the sun. He’s there in the smallest of ways and I promise you, he’s there with you while you walk your journey of life.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Julie whispered, walking down the aisle. She heard the reverend walking behind her, and she stopped at the candles at the front of the room. She lit the match, staring up at the cross lying on the wall in front of her. “One for each life I’ve lost,” she whispered, lighting the candle. “For Jillian, my mother, who was taken from me before I could ever really know her. For my father, bless his soul, he was our protector. For Juliette and Jeremiah, who took care of us when our parents couldn’t. And for me.”

  “Why you?”

  “Because, I’m afraid I’m evil,” Julie whispered, softly. “There are things I’ve done, Reverend. Things I can never take back.”

  “We’ve all done bad things in life, Julie. The key is to forgive yourself first, then God too will forgive you. He holds no grudges, Julie, and he doesn’t play favorites. Each of us is his children and he loves each and every one of us.” He picked the bottle of holy water up from the table and handed it to her. “Here. This is what you’re here for, isn’t it?”

  “Ah. Yes.” Julie took the bottle, looking at him in surprise. “How did you know?”

  The reverend just smiled. “Well, God told me of course.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Have a good day, Julie.” He disappeared through the doors behind her, and Julie stared after him in amazement. Whoa.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Julie murmured, turning away from the candles and walking through the doors. She glanced to her right, then to her left, looking for the reverend, but he had already disappeared. Was he right? she wondered. Did God love everyone the same? Did he not pick favorites? Did he not hold grudges? Was all he felt, was love? And if so, did that mean she wasn’t evil?

  She sighed, it didn’t matter, did it? she shoved the thoughts aside and exited the church. She trotted down the steps, snow flakes falling from the skies and she crinkled her nose. Really? Snow? Why snow? I hate snow!

  “Squawk! Squawk!”

  The loud noise filled the air, and she raised her head, watching as two black birds soared through the sky above the church. Lightning streaked across the gray skies, and she gasped, as the bolt of lightning struck one of the birds. It dove downward, falling toward the ground, and landed with a thunk next to her.

  “Poor bird,” she whispered, lifting her eyes to the sky as another bolt of lightning zinged through the air. Thunder sounded in the distance, and she swallowed. “Well, that’s a sign if I’ve ever seen one,” she said, fear washing through her. “Maybe I really am evil.”

  She spun on her heel, racing down the rest of the steps. Lightning zinged downward, hitting the steps, and she shrieked, glancing behind her.

  “I am so getting out of here!” she cried, racing across the street, toward the car. “I knew this was a bad idea! A very, very bad idea!”

  “I don’t like this,” Jasmine said, stepping out of the car and glancing over at Josslyn as they walked through the gates of the zoo.

  “You don’t like what?”

  “This whole going up to heaven thing. I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling about all of this.”

  “Jasmine, it’s not like we have a choice in the matter,” Josslyn said as she weaved through the crowd of people. “It’s the only way to help him. Jesus! Look at all these people!” she cried, staring at the mass of people around her. “Doesn’t anyone work anymore?”

  “It’s almost Thanksgiving, Joss. Remember, Thanksgiving? That holiday, where everyone gets together, eats a bunch of food, and when most families put their Christmas tree up?”

  “Oh my goodness! That’s right. It’s almost Thanksgiving! Dang, this year has gone by fast!”

  “Tell me about it. It’s like I just met you guys, but at the same time, it’s like I’ve known you forever.” Jasmine looped her arm through Josslyn’s, leaning in close. “But I can’t say I regret meeting all of you.”

  “Well that’s a relief! I was worried for a minute!” Josslyn cried, laughing. “Come on. Let’s get going. Sky’s counting on us.”

  “I still can’t believe he’s walking
around without a damned heart in his chest!” Jasmine cried. “It sounds so crazy!”

  “You do know what our lives have been like the last few months, right?” Josslyn asked. “Everything’s been crazy. Look, there’s the bird building. We need an eagle feather, right?”

  “Yes. But wait. Josslyn. Monkeys!”

  “Monkeys?” Josslyn turned, glancing over at the cage holding a dozen monkeys. They were running around, racing up the trees, and she laughed as one kept covering its eyes. “Oh! He’s playing ‘see no evil’, Jasmine!”

  “I see it!” Jasmine cried, walking up, and wrapping her hands around the railing in front of her. “I always did like the monkeys.”

  “They were one of my favorite animals too,” Josslyn said, stepping up next to her. “They always have so much energy!”

  “And they’re so cute!” Jasmine cried. “Their long arms. Furry bodies.” She sighed. “I think I was a little in love with Abu while I was in Agrabah.”

  Josslyn just laughed at her. “Didn’t you visit the zoo when you were younger, Jasmine? You’re acting like you’ve never been to one before!”

  “Oh, I’ve been to one before,” Jasmine said. “In fact, this was kind of my safe place. When I was in middle school, I remember this free zoo that was just down the road from my foster home. I was there all the time!”

  “Was living in foster care really that bad?”

  Jasmine shrugged. “I had its bad times, and its good times. Some were good. Some were bad. Some were okay, but it’s not like it was ever really home.”

  “I get that,” Josslyn said, swallowing, not entirely sure what to say. Thinking of her own child, and praying he or she was happy. Safe.

  “But do you know the worst part about living in a foster home?” Jasmine asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  “No. What?”

  “Feeling unwanted. Unloved. Like I didn’t matter. Watching child after child get adopted, it was really hard to watch. I thought I was cursed!”

  “You’re weren’t cursed, Jasmine,” Josslyn said, pulling Jasmine in close for a hug. “You were just waiting for the right people to come along. For us to come along.” She smiled. “By the way, I always liked the zoo too.”