Dorothy stared at the bright blue in the ball and the shards of colors like hundreds of dancing stars bursting from the ball and across the table.
The candle flames grew higher, flickering faster, as if dancing with the stars. Dorothy held still, staring at the ball.
The shimmering faded, the ball darkened.
“Are there no more messages for me tonight?” she asked the ball.
The crystal returned to its crystal-clear state. Dorothy knew better than to push her luck. It was ridiculously late. She snuffed out her candles with a silver dome.
“Blessed be,” she said as the flame was extinguished.
“Thank you for showing me these sights even though I’m really not sure what they mean... but I’m sure I’ll figure them out.”
Dorothy put the smoking candlesticks on one of the side tables. She covered up the crystal ball with its black velvet cover. She took one last look around the room, checking the ceiling for shadows, and finding none of any concern, returned to the dark hallway. She looked over at the living room. There was nothing amiss. There was no Black Mass. No tapping. No Ribbon Man. All was fine. She snapped off the living room light.
Damn, it’s dark!
She flicked the light back on. Dim as it was, it would help her get down the hallway to her room. She slid back into her puffy sheets and stole a look at her clock.
“Oh, for god’s sake!” she sighed. “Four hours sleep. Great.”
She lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. She kept waiting for more tapping or talking, but none came. Certainly, she was used to weird middle of the night rumblings. It was pretty much a given in a town such as Hermana with such a high concentration of metaphysical energy. Her visions were getting stronger the more she practiced all the new exercises. The idea brought a smile to her lips. Eventually, she would be able to understand these deeper visions. They were somehow different than what she saw for clients. As she replayed the Black Mass and the ribbons, she wondered if it all was somehow related to her birthday love spell.
Chapter Five
King of Pentacles: A wealthy man is highlighted.
“They’re going to be shooting a TV show here, right here in Hermana!” Maggie said to Dorothy.
“A TV show?” asked Gwen. “In Hermana?”
The three ladies had met for a coffee before Gwen had to leave for Logan Airport later that evening. They drank from oversized cups and nibbled on an assortment of pastries that lay on plates before them. The coffee shop was a favorite morning spot for many locals. The coffee was freshly ground, and the pastries were freshly baked, and in warmer weather, there were several couches and tables set up along the front porch made for lingering.
“Yes,” Maggie said. “Even better, it’s that show everybody loves that keeps winning all those awards but how they keep winning all those awards is pretty amazing really.”
“You don’t mean... Scary Haunted Tales?” Dorothy asked.
“That’s the one,” Maggie said. “I knew you’d know.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that show.” Gwen said. “I think those actors are so hot. All the sexes!”
“Me too,” Dorothy said.
“I think you have to pass the good looks test get on that show,” Maggie said.
“And the talent test,” Dorothy said. “Almost everyone is an amazing actor. They keep winning all those awards.”
Dorothy leaned in closer.
“Do you think that Oscar Dominion will be there?”
Maggie laughed. “You tell me, sweetie. Look deep into that crystal ball and let me know what you got. Or rather, look into the lemon custard on your danish and let me know if you see his face?”
Dorothy laughed.
“Flip some cards. Let’s find out!” Dorothy said.
“I bet he is, don’t need cards. I overheard a couple of clients talking. I’ve been noticing a lot of big trucks in town. Just a matter of time before the streets are blocked off.”
“Never mind,” Gwen said, mock fanning herself. “Oh my god I would die if I even got to see him up close.”
“Me, too. He plays the best serial killers.”
“He has beautiful eyes. I could live in them.”
“I know,” Dorothy said. “I wish he had won the Emmy that year. When you do that amazing job in a breakout role what more do they expect you to do? Sheesh.”
“I wonder what the storyline will be for this season?”
“Welcome to Hermana! I would imagine that it has to do with witches, don’t you think?”
“Maybe they need a crystal ball reader for one of their scenes,” Dorothy laughed.
“Maybe they need a tarot reader,” Maggie offered.
“Hey, maybe they need a palm reader,” Toni said, as she joined them at the table with her own giant latte cup full of mochaccino goodness.
“Hey, Toni, how’s it going?” Maggie asked.
“Pretty good, can’t complain. What are you going to do?”
“I just hope I can find the crew one day. I’m going to be going on a lot of walks!” Dorothy said.
“They are shooting an episode or maybe even a season of Scary Haunted Tales here in Hermana over the next while,” Maggie told Toni.
“Sweet. Well, if anyone knows what’s going on around here and you are a witch...” Toni pointed her finger at Dorothy and giggled. “I can see inside your mind.”
“It’s not like we won’t see the film crews anywhere. It’s hardly the first time a show has been shot here,” Gwen said.
“But what if we can’t figure out who’s who or what if there are a lot of security cops or what if we just can never see them?” Dorothy asked.
“We’ll see them all right. Don’t you worry about that. A town this size? Heh.” Toni laughed.
“Oscar Dominion’s so hot,” Maggie said to Dorothy. “Did you see that episode where he was doing push ups in the nude?”
“Of course, I did!” Dorothy laughed. “Why do you think I have such a crush on him?”
“Oh, you’re so shallow,” Gwen giggled.
“No, I’m not shallow!” Dorothy smiled. “I think his acting is amazing. I checked out some of his other work too because of that show and he’s really good. There are so many talented actors around these days that are also so hot.”
“Oh, I know all these shows have amazing guys these days. They get up to the meanest nastiest stuff but boy are they fun to watch.”
“Like on Bates Motel. That older brother. Holy smokes, I’d do him in a minute.”
“Maybe he will come to town sometime for you.”
“What about that guy who plays David on Legion? Oh, my god, he’s so cute. And so insane! I love him!”
“I can’t believe I’m going to meet Oscar Dominion at some point. I know I will, I have to,” Dorothy said.
“Did you find out anything else? Like how many episodes? Who else is coming?”
“Maybe Oscar Dominion won’t even be here at all,” Toni said.
“No, don’t say that. He has to be in it. He is in it. You’re just teasing me. I keep up on all this stuff online. I’m a professional stalker of some of these guys. Though I didn’t know they were actually coming here to Hermana,” Dorothy said with a grin.
“Who isn’t? It’s a good time to be alive where we can read about our favorite stars anytime we want.”
Dorothy stood up.
“Well, I’ve got to get going. I have a pile of stuff to do before a client later on,” Dorothy said.
“You just want to start looking for Oscar Dominion’s truck!” Maggie said. “Ha!”
“Ha-ha back at you. I really do have to work today, on top of my regular day job shift,” Dorothy said.
“Nice to see you, Dorothy,” Gwen said as she stood to hug Dorothy.
“It was nice to see you, too, Gwen,” Dorothy said. “Have a safe flight. We’ll see you in a few weeks.”
* * *
Dorothy left the coffee shop and wandered down the street
. Something in her gut told her to go by the gym even though it was a bit out of the way. She remembered her weird dream or vision or whatever it had been and decided to follow her gut feeling. She walked along the streets looking in the storefronts as she did almost every day. She loved seeing the displays and how they changed. She would often go into the stores just because of something she saw in the window. She knew nearly every shop owner along all of her routes.
As she passed by a boutique, she noticed a new display of crystals in the window. They glinted in the sunlight, the sparkle catching her attention, enticing her. She stopped at the display window, enjoying their new formation. They were organized in a circle, emphasizing the palette of colors from pale timid pink to deep lusty red. In the center, an enormous crystal ball with many occlusions, shimmered. The ball wasn’t as big as some of her own personal favorite ones, but it was still impressive.
She stared into the ball and thought about how beautiful it was. She stared into the little imperfections through the window and they sparkled and moved before her eyes. They glimmered from the sunlight hitting them into vivid rainbows. They swam and then swirled into a large ball. The sphere resembled a giant ball of yarn, spaghetti, and snakes. Just as Dorothy was recognizing its true form, the shape intensified, pulled itself inside of itself and was gone. Nothing remained but the sparkling flecks in the crystal ball.
Dorothy was about to go into the shop to inquire about the crystal ball when she felt a pang in her stomach.
Keep going.
She could check on the price another time. She laughed at herself.
Probably one of the first times I’ve ever passed up a store. I must keep going.
She continued along the cobblestone road of Hermana. The irregular pavement was slick and wet, coated with mud despite the careful cleaning of the shopkeepers. May was a damp sloppy time of year; the cobblestones were the worst for keeping clean. And of course, slippery mud meant slippery boots and slippery slides down onto the ground. Dorothy had fallen before and she didn’t relish the idea of banging her knee on the ground or wearing a slick of mud across her coat, so she walked very slowly and carefully.
Just as she was approaching the building that housed the gym, she noticed a man walking towards her. Her heart beat quickly as she recognized the gait.
Oscar Dominion was wearing a blue T-shirt and track pants with a light jacket and was carrying a gym bag. He wore a sweatband around his head along with a baseball cap to cover his eyes. Dorothy didn’t need to see his handsome face. She recognized his walk. He looked up at her from under his hat as he got closer to the door and their eyes met for a minute, well really, a second. Dorothy’s stomach lurched and she didn’t know whether to smile or scream or talk. No sooner than she had time to think about it, he had put his hand on the door handle and let himself in. He held the door for her as if expecting her to follow him in.
“Oh, thank you but no, I’m not going to the gym today,” Dorothy said, her face flushing.
“Okay. Maybe I’ll see you around,” said Oscar and he was gone.
Dorothy kept on walking and it took a moment to register what had just happened.
I just met Oscar Dominion. Holy crap. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she considered everything that had just so quickly happened. He’s already in town!
Dammit! This is all the reason to go back to the gym for goddess’ sake. Won’t be long before the whole town knows he works out there and then he’ll have to stop.
Dorothy kept walking, her hands shaking.
I don’t know if I want him to see me in my gym gear anyways. Oh my!
Dorothy took a few deep breaths as she made her way along the cobblestones.
Wow.
Wherever she thought she was going didn’t matter, she arrived home. As she locked the door, she realized she was still shaking. She laughed.
I’m acting like a teenager, for pity’s sake’. This is crazy. I can’t believe that I just met him, and I just stood there like a dummy and now I’m shaking like a kid. Get a freakin grip.
Dorothy pulled off her boots and hung up her coat.
I have a client in a few minutes I have to clear my mind.
Dorothy set to work preparing the reading room for her client. Thoughts of Oscar faded by the time she answered the door.
* * *
Dorothy was watching a Big Bang Theory rerun on TV when the phone rang.
It was Toni.
“You’ll never guess who’s here right now?” Toni teased.
Dorothy laughed.
“No way. Man, he’s everywhere. I saw him this morning going into the gym.”
“You should come down. I can introduce you if he’s still here when you get here.”
“Are you kidding me?” Dorothy asked. “I’m not going to rush down there like some kind of stalker. I’d die. I nearly died when I saw him this morning. I didn’t even talk to him and I still was freaked out.”
“What are you freaked out about? He’s just a dude. Hell, you’re a witch. You can cast a spell on him if you haven’t all ready!”
“Maybe I will,” Dorothy said. Toni laughed.
“Well, I’m working all night if you want to come down and hang out and check him out. S’up to you.”
“Appreciate it,” said Dorothy.
“Okay, then text me if you come down so I can save a spot at the bar.”
“I won’t be coming down. Thanks for the heads up though!”
* * *
Dorothy sat back on the couch staring at the TV, but she wasn’t seeing the program that was playing. All she thought about was how right this very minute Oscar Dominion was sitting in a bar in a strange town and she could be there with him by his side.
Likely not. He surely has a girlfriend or something.
A talented handsome man like that wouldn’t be single for long.
Just because he and his wife got divorced doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a girlfriend already.
Dorothy stared at the obsidian ball on her coffee table. She reached over and picked it up. It took two hands to hold it because it was rather heavy but cool and soothing. She held it in her hands, staring into the shiny blackness on her lap. Slowly she relaxed into the soothing vibrations humming beneath her fingers. She turned the ball slowly until she revealed the eye of the obsidian rock. This ball boasted a silver eye, shimmering like the Milky Way in deep space. She loved this ball of obsidian and often turned to it when she needed guidance.
As she stared, blurring her vision to look past it as her teacher had taught her so long ago, she watched for shapes to form. A dark chill trickled through her. The blackness crawled through her from the inside, through her feet, crawling up her legs, winding through her body then sat just below her solar plexus. She felt as if she was made half of darkness and half of light. Her lower body ached, ached for companionship, for possession, to be dominated.
... it takes two be in control...
and to be controlled by the darkness. She wanted to go down to the bar and she wanted to lure Oscar Dominion back to her place. She wanted to have her way with him. Lust consumed her as she stared at the obsidian ball. She imagined Oscar bound to her ornate wooden bedposts by wrists and ankles, his naked chest gleaming, sheathing his generous cock slowly with a condom, and aching as she anticipated sliding onto it. She imagined his biceps bulging as he tugged at the rope, his eyes staring at her with longing as she slowly devoured him.
The TV was blobbling on in the background and Dorothy snapped back from her vision. The blackness was sucked out quickly and roughly, back down her chest, her groin, her legs, and then ripped from the bottom of her feet. She nearly dropped the ball and clutched it to her as her head spun.
As her vision cleared and she looked around the room again, she was trembling and horny.
Oh, Oscar, I hope I’m seeing the future with you and not just wishful thinking.
* * *
Dorothy sat in front of her coffee table and this tim
e she had the pencil, the pen, the eraser, the hairbrush, and she also decided she would try to move another object.
She had already prepared with meditation and her relaxation exercises.
Dorothy relaxed, cleared her mind, and opened her eyes. She looked over at the objects on the table and smiled. Her gut was trembling already in anticipation of what she may or may not be able to do this time.
But it had to be done in order.
It always had to start at the beginning.
The old ways had building blocks, steps to be taken with years of honing the skills. Certainly, almost anyone could perform simple tricks and illusions with enough practice and knowledge, but to acquire the higher levels, to dance between the planes, to access the Knowledge of All Things, one had to take specific steps in a specific order starting at the beginning.
She had the patience to perform the spells because she was focussed on what she really wanted and would stop at nothing to get it. Even if it took years. Which it had already.
Stop thinking about Oscar and focus on your goals.
Dorothy breathed in and out a few times, calming herself down, keeping the blood pressure low.
She took one more deep breath from deep within her diaphragm and let it out with a soft moan.
She stared at the pencil.
“Roll over, pencil.” she commanded. The pencil trembled but remain still.
Dorothy took another breath and very slowly let it out without taking her gaze from the trembling pencil.
“Roll over, pencil!” she shouted.
It rolled over.
The pencil shifted back and forth a little bit and then it rolled several times until it went to the edge of the coffee table.
In a gentler tone, she spoke.
“You may now roll off the table. Roll over right now.” She pushed hard with her mind. The pencil flew off the table and onto the floor.
Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color Page 5