Melanie fished the pendant out of her purse and held it up. "Here it is."
"Good! I don't have to kick you out," River said with a chuckle. "Now that you're here, maybe I should catch you up on what the group has been discussing. Would you like that?"
"Yes, of course," Melanie said. "It'd be better than just diving right into the middle."
River sucked in a breath. "All right, here we go. First, do you believe in things like spirits or elements?"
"Spirits? Like ghosts?" Melanie scratched her head. "Sort of. I mean, I've never seen a ghost, but there's some people I know who might have, so I don't completely rule it out."
"Ghosts are one type of spirit, but I think there can be other kinds," River explained. "Spirits of fire, water, nature... things like that. Just because you can't see them and can't confirm they exist doesn't mean that they don't."
"That's kind of alarming. Imagine what that opens the gates to," Melanie said. "That's kind of like saying that anything can exist, period."
"I wouldn't spread it quite that far. Let's just confine it to basic magical things. Magic itself may not exist like it does in books and movies, but I think there might be more to this world than we can see," River said, gesturing to his eyes.
"Like fairies?" Melanie asked. "Or dragons?" River chuckled, and Melanie cocked her head. "What's so funny about dragons?"
"Do you think it would be hard to hide a dragon? Really. Tell me," River said.
"I don't know, maybe? They're pretty big, or at least they sound like they should be," Melanie said.
"So, it's possible that they're just very well hidden." River moved a chair over slightly.
"Where are you even going with this?" Melanie asked.
River shrugged. "I think all you'll need to know to keep up with the meeting is that we believe in things that others might not. We meditate on our energies, we break things down into elements. Honestly, I don't think it's that hard to accept as long as you have an open mind."
"Yeah... I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you at all. I was kind of flippant about your belief system," Melanie admitted, nervously fidgeting with her purse.
"Don't worry about it," River said, waving dismissively. "I know my beliefs are odd and hard to accept sometimes. If you're willing to apologize for taking them lightly, then I think your mind is open enough to keep up with us." He looked past Melanie for a moment, then broke out into a broad grin. "I think the others are arriving. If you have any questions after seeing us in action, feel free to talk to me after the meeting."
Melanie was surprised to see a group of four people approach, three women and a man. She guessed that they must have carpooled here to arrive at the same time like they did. A woman with radiantly red hair smiled and waved at Melanie, while the one man (who was very blonde) strode up to River to chat with him one-on-one. The other two women were brunettes, though one had a blue streak in her hair like River's. Perhaps a pop of color was in fashion these days.
Feeling a bit antsy, Melanie took a seat by the brunette with the streak in her hair. The woman gave her a small smile. "Welcome to the club," she said.
"Thanks," Melanie replied back. At that moment, the man and that other woman took their seats, and River cleared his throat.
"Welcome to another Riverflow Club meeting," River announced. "As you can see, we have a new member with us today. Melanie, why don't you stand up and introduce yourself?"
Way to put me on the spot, Melanie thought as she stood up. "Hi, everybody. I'm Melanie, and I met River at the big craft fair that went on earlier this week. I work as a receptionist for a staffing company, and I like window shopping and handmade things. That’s part of how I got here." She paused, laughed, and looked around awkwardly. Talking about herself was not one of her favorite things to do. "River told me a bit about what you people talk about here. It sounds really interesting. It might take me a while to get up to speed, but I can't wait to get to know you all." She wasn't entirely sure how honest she was being, though as time went on, she had to admit her paranoia was silly. After a brief silence, she sat back down.
"Thank you, Melanie," River said. "Now, why don't the rest of you introduce yourselves?"
The redhead was the first to stand up. "Hi! I'm Fay, and I do crafts, too. I'm pretty good with metalwork, so sometimes River and I collaborate on special pieces. Keep an eye out!" She smiled, waved, and sat back down.
The plain brunette stood up next. "Hi, I'm Erin. I work at an edible arrangements kind of place. In my spare time, I garden. Fresh tomatoes are the best, let me tell you." With little fanfare, she sat down.
The blonde man stood up third. "I'm Leo, and I'm just a businessman with an eye for shiny things. Also an eye for deals, so that's part of why I joined the club." Chuckling, he sat down.
Lastly, the brunette with the streak in her hair stood. "I'm Marissa. I'm a swim instructor over at the local pool. I think swimming is an underrated skill these days, so I'm willing to help anyone who wants to learn." She sat down, ending the introductions.
"I hope that you all can get along and enjoy each other's company," River said. "Does anyone have any questions or announcements before we move on?" There was a pause; Melanie felt like she should have something to say, but nothing came to her. "Very well then. I suppose I'll start by asking everyone: how have your meditations been going? Are you finding any peace or enlightenment while meditating, or are you having difficulties?"
Fay was first to respond. "I've been having trouble sitting still for that lately. I sit down and try to narrow my focus, and then I get super fidgety. I didn't have this problem before, so... I don't really know what's up with that."
"Is there something outside that's stressing you?" River asked.
"No, not really," Fay answered. "I feel like I have a very diffuse energy that won't condense into something I can focus on. It's a little like being hyper, but I can't do anything with it."
"Let me try a different question then. Is there something you're excited about?" River's eyes were on Fay, and Melanie thought there was something probing in his gaze.
"Well, I did find some fun new projects to do," Fay said. "Maybe I'm fidgety because of those."
"Maybe," River said with a nod. "Even though meditation is a tool to relax and focus the mind, it's perfectly fine to have times when you just can't do it. Like with anything you're having trouble with, maybe it's best that you just step away for a bit and wait till you feel more together."
"Sounds like a plan," Fay said, smiling and nodding.
"What about you, Leo?" River asked, looking towards the other man in the group.
Leo made a guilty expression. "Things have been really crazy at work, so I haven't had much time to sit down and reflect on things. Which is a shame, because I could really use an oasis of sanity right now," he said with a chuckle.
River nodded. "It happens. I know I find it hard to get a moment to myself before the larger craft fairs or before conventions. Just don't neglect your health, all right?"
"Don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy," Leo said. "I eat, sleep, and work out, but that's basically all I have time to do aside from work."
"I hope things calm down for you soon," River said. "What about the rest of you?"
Erin shrugged. "I don't have any problems. Relaxing in my garden helps me a lot."
"You don't get distracted when bugs buzz by?" Fay asked.
"Nope."
"I can't meditate in the shower anymore," Marissa said. "I nearly fell over last time."
"Who convinced you that was a good idea?" Erin teased.
"I wanted to try it," Marissa half-whined, looking rather put out.
"Are you having trouble finding a good place to meditate?" River asked.
"No, no, it's just..." Marissa sighed. "I like the sound of water when I meditate."
"There are a thousand ways to get the sound of water while you meditate without meditating in the shower," Erin s
aid.
Though she had some apprehension about it, Melanie spoke up, "That's true, but you're being kind of mean about it."
"True. Sorry." Erin made a thoughtful noise. "What about you, Mel? Do you meditate at all?"
"Not really," Melanie said with some hesitation. "Though I'm not averse to giving it a try."
"Good to hear," Marissa said.
The rest of the meeting continued on like this, with mentions of various spiritual practices and the members' experiences and progress with them. Melanie deemed the "spirituality" she was witnessing to be a bit strange, but benign, and so there was no real reason to judge or worry about anyone here. Unfortunately, once they started talking about "elements" and "spirit energies," she found herself unable to grasp the arcane terminology being flung about and ended up hopelessly lost. The meeting ended about an hour later, and Melanie felt like her head was spinning. There really was a lot to take in.
The other members made their exits without incident, but before Melanie could leave, River pulled her aside. "Well? What did you think of your first meeting?"
Melanie made a noise as she thought it over. "It was nice. A bit strange, but I wouldn't consider it a bad experience by any means. You and your friends have an interesting way of looking at the world."
"Yes, like we discussed when you first came here," River said. "Our way is unique, but it makes life more interesting. Maybe you should give it a try for a while and see how it affects you."
"Huh. Maybe I will," Melanie said. "I haven't really gotten a hold on all the terminology yet, but I guess I'll pick it up if I keep attending the meetings, right?"
"That's right." River smiled softly. "I'd be very happy if you kept coming. You may not get it now, but I think persistence is an admirable trait."
"I'll do my best," Melanie said.
Chapter 4
Some time passed, and Melanie received another e-mail from River.
Hello Melanie,
I apologize for not doing this sooner, but I would like to invite you to a chat room for the Riverflow Club. I wanted to make sure everyone else would be all right with letting you in first; of course, they were. Depending on how often you're online, it might help you get to know everyone a bit better. Marissa and Fay are around the most; Leo tends to come on after work (though not recently), and Erin tends to be around intermittently. (She likes to brag about how her laptop allows her to chat from her garden.)
The link is below. I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
River
That was more or less all the invitation that Melanie needed. She clicked the link, opened the chat program, and entered the chat room, where she was met with a flurry of greetings from the others present: Fay, Marissa, Erin, and Leo. Erin seemed to be entertaining herself with picking on Fay and posting internet memes. Marissa alternated between laughing at Erin's memes and telling her not to be mean; Fay would occasionally carry on conversation with Leo or Marissa when not attempting to verbally swat Erin away. Leo was mostly absent due to being at work, though he would comment every once in a while.
River's chat icon popped up on the left side of the program window; he was sending Melanie a private message. She clicked on it and read what he had to say. "Don't let Erin get to you. She can be a tough customer, but her heart's in the right place. Also, I think she types with garden tools in her hands."
Melanie couldn't help but literally laugh out loud at the mental image of Erin determinedly typing with her hands full of tools (and while avoiding the shift and apostrophe keys). "LOL, that's too funny. Thanks for telling me."
"Did you actually laugh at that, or?" River replied.
"Yes, that's actually really funny," Melanie typed back.
"That didn't answer my question."
"Yes, I did actually laugh out loud, Laugh Police."
"Good to hear." River's typing paused for a moment; Melanie was about to click back into the main chat when she saw that he was typing again. Eventually, his next message came in. "You know, for all the talking we've done, I don't think we've ever really talked about you. At the meeting, you said you worked for a staffing company. How do you like it there?"
Melanie found herself shrugging, though she knew that River couldn't see that. "It's fine by me. My coworkers are nice, and I kind of am just left on my own to answer calls and send messages around. What about you? Do you have a day job?"
"Yes, I do," River responded. "I work an administrative job at a financial company. It's simple, but it pays the bills. In the summer, when I can, I work as a lifeguard."
"That's quite an image," Melanie typed, as she envisioned River sitting atop one of those tall lifeguard chairs, watching the swimmers carefully.
"You think so?" River attached a winking emote. "Thankfully, no one has gotten in trouble under my watch, so there haven't been any emergencies."
"You must be good at your job," Melanie replied. "Now. My turn to ask you a question. Have you really been living here since you were young? I actually only moved here a few years ago."
"That's right. My family moved here not long before I was born," River responded. "Growing up in a place like this wasn't exactly easy, despite what the billboards and tourism commercials would have you think."
"What do you mean?"
River's typing paused briefly before resuming. "When you're a young boy who likes fantasy books and other magical things, the other boys tend not to have nice things to say about you."
Melanie nodded, then reminded herself that River couldn't see that either. "Something like that happen to me too, when I was young."
"Care to tell me more?"
"I was a smart girl for my age, and apparently everyone saw easy pickings. At one point, I had at least three groups of bullies picking on me for various reasons. One because I was short, one because I was a nerd, and the other because I wore glasses. It's why I decided to suck it up and just wear contacts once I was able to." Melanie sighed heavily as she relived the memory. "It's part of why I'll never go to any of my class reunions. I didn't leave anyone behind that I cared about when I went to college out of town."
"That's so sad," River said. "Someday I'd like to see you with your glasses, so I can get an eyeful of what those little jerks missed."
"You flatter me." Melanie paused, then continued typing. "Did your bullies make you hate what you liked back then?"
"No, they didn't. I still love my fantastic beasts and my magic to this day. My family practices the same sort of spirituality that I do, and the bullies tried to break me of that habit, but I endured. I have my reasons for staying here." River's typing indicator was still active. "I think everyone needs something to believe in. It's the little things that can make or break a person's spirit. In a way, I wish I could have been there for you when you were young. Maybe I could have prevented some of that bitterness."
"That's so sweet," Melanie typed, and for a moment she wished there was a way she could convey admiration over the internet. River's sort of faith had allowed him to persevere through troubling times, and she wished that she had that kind of resolve herself. "I wouldn't have a problem with you being there for me now."
"I wouldn't have a problem with being there for you now either. If you need someone to talk to, I'm more than happy to lend my ear, or my chat room screen." River posted a small blue heart emote.
Melanie replied with a larger red heart emote. "Thank you." For a second, she clicked back into the main chat, and she was bombarded with walls of memes from Erin, followed by some complaining from Fay. With one eyebrow arched, she slid a private message to River. "Are they always like this? The others, I mean."
"Not really," River replied. "Erin seems to have something stuck in her craw today, but if you'd like I can tell her to cool it. Or are you too busy eating popcorn to all the heckling?"
Melanie posted a popcorn emote. "Here, have some. I haven't really been paying that much attention though. I just c
licked in for a second."
"Thanks," River said, using a tongue sticking-out emote. "Is it movie popcorn? That stuff is unnaturally salty. I like kettle corn and caramel corn."
"Somehow, I never thought you'd like any sort of sweet flavor," Melanie said.
"I don't exactly smuggle candy around, but I'll let you in on a secret. I had a jar full of taffy on my desk. The only reason it's not still on my desk is because I kept picking at it while browsing, so I hid it." The second part of River's response came with a surprising quickness. "I shouldn't have mentioned it, because now I really want taffy again."
Melanie giggled; the thought of River, as stately and fit as he was, having a craving for taffy just seemed too cute. "Why not treat yourself?"
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