A Tale of Two Tricksters

by Debbie Newcomb

  “Mom and Dad have always been here before, and this is really tall.” Perdita looked down at the ground. “I wish I wasn’t afraid of heights.”

  Jenn felt something in her hand, almost like getting shocked by static electricity, and Perdita started smiling. Perdita let go of Jenn’s hand, clipped her harness onto the line, and shot down the zipline almost as fast as George had. Jenn waited until Perdita was clear, and then followed her. It was a pretty good course. Jenn wondered if they were going to do it again, but she saw Perdita sliding out of her harness and realized they wouldn’t.

  “George, I bet I can climb higher than you on that tree!” Perdita yelled.

  “You’re on!” George said, stepping out of his harness and handing it to Donna.

  Perdita handed hers to Donna, and then raced toward the tree she’d pointed out. Donna and Reina took off their harnesses more sedately, and Jenn followed their example.

  “We’d better make sure they don’t hurt themselves,” Reina said, following them.

  “I’ve never seen Perdita like this,” Donna said, following Reina.

  “Like what?” Jenn asked, with the feeling she knew the answer.

  “Usually she doesn’t challenge George to climb things. He always wants to go higher than she does, and she gets frustrated that he always wins.” Donna shifted the harnesses in her hand.

  “Maybe the zipline got her excited,” Jenn said. She refused to consider what Luke had said to her last night. This was perfectly explainable without magic and that shock Jenn had thought she felt was nothing. Maybe Perdita had a rough spot on her hand that had poked into Jenn at that moment. Jenn shook her head and looked at the tree in front of her to try to spot her cousins. Perdita was actually climbing faster than George.

  “Perdita, slow down!” Reina yelled.

  “No!” Perdita yelled. “I’m going to beat George this time!”

  “She doesn’t know what she’s doing,” Jenn thought, watching Perdita climb higher. It wouldn’t be long until she made a misstep. Sure enough, Perdita grabbed a branch that was too weak, and it snapped. Perdita managed to catch herself on the branch just below it, but Reina and Donna both gasped.

  “Perdita, you come down right now!” Reina snapped. She did a really good imitation of Starla’s voice when Starla was mad. Jenn wondered how many times Reina had heard that.

  “Only if George says I won!” Perdita yelled.

  “You won!” George answered right away.

  “What a pushover,” Jenn thought.

  Jenn, Reina, and Donna watched as the two climbed down the tree. There weren’t any other mishaps. Then they walked back to the house.

  Once they got inside, Donna stowed their harnesses while Perdita bragged to Starla in the kitchen.

  “I climbed a tree faster than George!” she said, glowing.

  “Yeah, but a branch broke in your hand,” George told her, “so it wasn’t a good climb.”

  “A branch broke?” Starla asked. “How high were you climbing, Perdita?”

  Perdita apparently didn’t hear the edge to Starla’s question. “Really high!” Perdita answered with a big grin. “I don’t think George has climbed that high before!”

  “Yes, I have,” George shot back.

  Starla shook her head. “I’m disappointed in both of you. You know that you’ve got to be careful if you’re going to climb a tree, and it does not sound like you were. I want both of you to go to your rooms until dinner time.”

  “But Mom,” Perdita whined.

  “No buts. Both of you march.”

  Perdita’s lip quivered, but she walked away.

  “I didn’t even do anything,” George protested.

  “You know you shouldn’t get in a contest with her about climbing a tree. It’s not fair to her, and it’s reckless. Go.”

  “Fine,” George said, walking away as well.

  Starla sighed and turned back to the cucumber she had been cutting. “Do they ever grow out of the reckless stage?”

  Leah laughed, stirring the soup. “Probably. Not sure when that is, though.”

  “I’m not reckless,” Jenn objected, picked up the sponge from the sink. She was frequently given chores here, and washing dishes was one of the easier ones, so Jenn tried to start that before she was assigned something else.

  Leah gave her a look, and Jenn grinned at her.

  “You’re better about it than you used to be, but sometimes you still push people a little too far.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jenn managed with a straight face.

  Starla laughed. “So, I’m guessing that major in business is going well.”

  “Yeah. It’s General Management. Some of my professors were so unimaginative.” Jenn mock sighed.

  “I’m sure they’ve just never had a student like you,” Starla teased.

  “As long as you’re studying hard, and they still give you the grade you earn,” Leah replied, shaking her head.

  “They can’t fault me for reading the text and asking questions,” Jenn answered.

  Starla laughed. “I’m glad none of my kids toe the line like you. We’ve got enough to deal with around here as it is.”

  “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean,” Jenn replied with a big grin.

  “Of course you don’t,” Darryl joked, walking into the kitchen. “Do you have anything a hungry man can eat?”

  Starla put her arm behind Jenn to keep her in place while Darryl walked behind both of them. “I wish you would stop saying that,” Starla told him with a laugh. “Lunch will be ready soon.”

  Jenn had been hoping she wouldn’t feel anything, but there was the same sensation between her arm and Starla’s hand that she had felt between hers and Perdita’s hand at the top of the course.

  “Now, honey, you know I can’t do --. Um. -- wouldn’t be any fun,” Darryl replied. He looked confused.

  “What are you doing?” Starla asked. “Will you talk normally if I let you steal a few slices of cucumber?”

  “Sure, -- would be nice,” Darryl replied. He grabbed a small stack off the cutting board. “Excuse me.”

  Leah waited until he was gone before asking, “What’s up with him?”

  “I don’t know,” Starla replied. “He never did something like that growing up?”

  Leah shook her head. “Not that I remember.”

  Jenn bent over the dishes, focusing on getting every last piece of food off of them. If she couldn’t explain this to herself, she certainly didn’t want to try to explain it to anyone else. Did Starla notice that jolt that passed between them? There was definitely something going on. Darryl wasn’t voluntarily self-censoring the word “that” when he spoke. Jenn refused to think that slick bastard Luke might be right, but she wasn’t sure what else to think. How dare he mess with her like this? She couldn’t believe that guy knew more about her than she did. Had he done something to her last night at the bar? That made more sense than thinking she had magic and hadn’t noticed her whole life.

  Jenn had to get back at him, but she knew so little about him. All she knew about was that bar. Jenn rinsed off the knife she’d been cleaning and started on a pot. “I guess I’ll have to ruin that for him,” she thought. She probably couldn’t get him kicked out, so she’d have to do something to the bar itself. “I could always burn it down,” she thought idly. She scrubbed harder at the pot, remembering the guilt she’d felt when that branch broke in Perdita’s hand. He had no business ruining her life. Maybe she wouldn’t burn down the whole bar, but she’d start a fire big enough to mess it up. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to get someone back for something they’d done to her. Satisfied, Jenn scrubbed the pot harder, getting all of the food off of it and down the garbage disposal.

  **

  The rest of the visit went well enough. Hank was really excited about the plants in his test field, so Jenn ended up tuning out for most of lunch. She saw her dad sending her conspiring looks of sympathy every
so often. It seemed like they were the only two at the table who didn’t know about farming. Eventually, they packed everything up and headed home.

  On Monday, while her parents were at work, Jenn picked up a lighter with a nice, tall flame, but it wasn’t until Tuesday night that she was able to go out. Jenn stood in her room, debating about what outfit to wear. Obviously, she needed sensible shoes in case this fire got out of control, but what else was she going to wear? There was no need to dress up for Luke, but part of Jenn wanted to wear something nicer than a t-shirt. Angrily, Jenn shoved down that part of herself, and pulled on a t-shirt that was a little too big for her, and a plain pair of shorts. She headed out the door before her parents could ask where she was going and drove to the Velvet Tango Lounge with a purpose.

  At the door, the bouncer didn’t ask for her ID. He just looked at her face for a moment, nodded, and let her in. “I guess he has a really good memory for faces,” Jenn thought. She took a table next to the wall, away from the band. There was no reason to mess up their instruments just because she needed to get back at Luke.

  A waiter came by and Jenn ordered a shot of vodka and a Sazerac. She’d never had a Sazerac before, but it sounded interesting. After the waiter walked away, Jenn pulled out her phone, and she was still on it when he came back with her drinks. Jenn thanked him. After he walked away again, she reached for the vodka and spilled it on the table. She clumsily wiped it up with some napkins, balled them up, and left them in a loose pile next to the wall. Then, looking at what she was doing, Jenn picked up her Sazerac and sipped it. It was stronger than she had been expecting, but it was still good. She fiddled with the cap on her lighter while she waited for Luke.

  It took longer than she expected, but Luke came over to her table and sat down across from her. “It’s a shame to spill a drink here,” he said, indicating the mess.

  “I know,” Jenn said, and shrugged. “That’s what I get for looking at my phone.” She sipped her Sazerac. “Can you get this lighter to work for me? I just bought it and I think it might be broken.”

  “Of course,” Luke said. “I have a way with fire.” When he reached across to take it, their fingers touched, and Jenn felt a different kind of electric sensation. Damn him. She couldn’t tell if that was a different kind of magic or if it was an emotional spark.

  Luke opened it up and clicked the lighter on easily and handed it back to Jenn. Jenn managed the bobble the hand-off and the lighter fell directly into the puddle of vodka. It didn’t take very long for the vodka to catch on fire, and the napkins lit as well.

  Involuntarily, Jenn jumped back with real fear in her eyes. Luke smirked at her. Then he reached into the fire and pulled the lighter out. When he clicked the lid shut, the fire went out.

  “How did you do that?” Jenn demanded.

  “I told you I have a way with fire,” Luke mentioned. “You really should be careful with this.” He handed it back to her again, and Jenn could feel the heat on it before she set it on the table. Luke looked at her. “So, that was your plan to ruin my life? Starting a fire in an underground bar?”

  “Who said I was trying to ruin your life?” Jenn asked. “It was an accident.”

  Luke shrugged. “You made something happen, didn’t you? You found your world view was wrong and it upset you. I’d say starting a fire was a bit of an overreaction, but my nephew would have done worse.”

  “Your nephew?” Jenn asked.

  Luke shrugged. “He’s a real hot head, not too smart. Anyway, that was your plan?”

  “If it was intentional, we all could have gotten out before that got too extreme.”

  Luke nodded. “Probably, but you didn’t answer my question. Did you make something happen that you couldn’t explain?”

  Jenn debated. If she wanted to get to him, she was going to have to get to know him better, but was it worth it? Should she just walk away and leave Luke to his secrets? Jenn had rarely been able to quit when she was ahead. “Maybe,” she temporized.

  “And you came to me to find out more,” Luke continued.

  “If I did, what would you tell me?” Jenn asked. “Magic is real?”

  He must have heard the scorn in her voice. “If you’re not entirely in, then you’re out. There’s no half measures in magic.”

  Jenn stared at him.

  Luke looked at her for a moment, nodded, and stood up. “Come back when you’re sure.”

  “Wait!” Jenn said, trying to get her tone right. “What do you mean by magic?”

  “You don’t know what magic is?” Luke sat back down.

  “I mean…do I get a wand and have to go to school for it?”

  Luke laughed at her. “Not usually, no.”

  “It’s not like I can just look this up on the internet,” Jenn replied, a little stung.

  “The internet has all of the answers. It’s just some of them are more right than others,” Luke replied with a smile.

  “Maybe if you could show me something, it would be easier to believe in this,” Jenn suggested.

  “Show you something?” Luke asked. He considered for a moment. “I think I can do that. Come with me.”

  “Where?” Jenn asked immediately.

  Luke smiled a toothy smile. “Still don’t trust me, huh?”

  Jenn decided not to answer that.

  “You have my word that when I'm done showing you some real magic, which will be done well before the bar closes, you'll be able to leave in the same condition you entered this bar, and no one will try to stop you.”

  Luke knew how to phrase things very specifically, which was all the more reason to watch him. “All right,” Jenn said, standing up.

  Luke stood up, pushing his chair in, and led her to the wall opposite the entrance door. There was a door there that almost blended into the wall around it. Luke pulled out a small ring of keys from his pocket and picked out an old-school key. It almost looked like a prop key and not something that would unlock anything. Jenn watched as he put this key into the lock. Somehow, it unlocked the door, and Luke ushered Jenn inside.

  The hallway beyond the door looked like a cave, but it was lined with doors. The sound of the door closing behind Jenn made her jump.

  “Do I make you nervous?” Luke asked with a laugh.

  “It’s not often I follow strange men into a cave,” Jenn replied caustically. “How is there a cave behind the bar?”

  “There is and there isn’t,” Luke replied unhelpfully. He started walking down the hall, and Jenn followed him. Not too far down the hallway, Luke stopped in front of a door, fiddled with the keyhole, and pulled the door open.

  Jenn was about to ask where he was taking her, when she saw what was behind the door. It was an enormous cave, with a pond against the far wall. Not too far from the pond was a patio set of a table and a few chairs. Closer to them was an empty bird perch, rising out of a narrow, tall cabinet. Jenn stepped inside the cave, and Luke walked in front of her, over to the perch, closing the door behind him. Jenn looked at the wall closest to her. Sticking out of the walls were small ledges with raised sides. They looked like beds.

  Luke turned around to look at her. “You know you don’t have to be afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid,” Jenn said, her hand on the doorknob.

  “I haven’t even shown you real magic yet and you’re going to leave,” Luke pointed out.

  “Why are there beds on the walls?” Jenn asked. “And why is the door locked? Is this a prison?”

  Luke sighed. “It’s a waystation. Not everyone who has magic fits in as well as you or I do. And even if they can pass, not everyone wants to.”

  Before Jenn could ask another question, a bird came soaring through the air. The light glinted off of it so brightly that Jenn had to look away. When she looked back, it had already landed. The bird was a beautiful cascade of rainbow colors, but its feathers glinted in the light the way feathers usually don’t.

  “This is the Achiyalabopa,” Luke said, carefully running one fin
ger along the bird’s head. The bird opened one yellow eye and then closed it again.

  “The what?” Jenn asked.

  “Achiyalabopa,” Luke repeated. “The Pueblo people talk about her. You’re on the same continent and you don’t know this?”

  “Are those the people who built those houses?” Jenn asked, walking toward the strange bird. Slowly, Jenn reached out her hand and slid a finger on the top of the bird’s head. Her feathers were warm, hard, and sharp. Jenn jerked her hand back. Sure enough, a cut was just beginning to well up blood on her finger.

  “Let me help you with that,” Luke said, producing a band aid from one of the drawers under the perch.

  “I can do it myself,” Jenn replied, being careful not to touch him when she took the band aid from him. She’d had enough of him. She looked back at the bird. “What do you do when Achiya… Achiyala… when she molts?” Jenn asked.

  “We’re all very careful,” Luke replied, walking toward the pond.

  Jenn decided not to push it. “A bird with metal feathers isn’t really magic, you know,” she told him instead, following at a distance.

  “Achiyalabopa is one of those creatures who is magic, rather than using magic,” Luke shared. He reached the edge of the pond. “Hey, Abe. I’ve got a student for you.”

  “The pond is a teacher?” Jenn asked dryly.

  “Of course not. That would be silly.”

  A man with a long beard and long hair broke through the surface of the pond.

  “He’s a teacher,” Luke told Jenn.

  “Hello,” Abe said. “Always nice to meet a new student.”

  “How did you get here?” Jenn asked, wondering if this pond could be an exit if she needed one.

  “This goes far underground and all over the place, really,” Abe said. “There’s a lovely waterfall where we all sleep.”

  “You sleep in a waterfall?” Jenn asked, not sure how many more outlandish things she could take. She looked at Luke for confirmation, but he only grinned at her.

  “Of course. It’s very soothing. Now, what would you like me to teach you in? I’m an excellent scientist, although my astronomy could use a little work. I have studied all sorts of literature, but writing is so difficult for me. I always have to dictate, you see.”