Communing with spirits!

Wednesdays were stock days. The ferry brought over her purchased items and she stored them in a stock room until Saturdays. Saturdays were the days that she turned up the music, danced around the shop and placed things on shelves. They were the days that she gave herself an extra hour in the morning to refresh herself, to replenish the store and to celebrate her luck when it came to Green Ridge.

Lux had the music up fairly loud and her body gyrated with the beats of Inkubus Sukkubus, Xandria and other pagan or pagan type artists. Her hands moved swiftly to place this trinket here and this tchotchke there. Her stomach bucked and her hips snapped as she belly danced. Her laughter would have been contagious if there were anyone else about but as it were, Lux was a single woman and happy to be so.

Certainly, she had romps now and again but nothing serious had ever come about it. No, she was happy to be the maiden for a time. Even if her biological clock was telling her it was time for her to transition to mother. In fact, the time for that transition was almost over. She may well have to jump from maiden straight to crone if things were going the way they were. However, if she was going to be realistic with herself... Lux believed that the clients she saw were, in one form or another, children. She was their teacher.

So when the music died down and her shop was fully stocked with gems, books, candles, herbs and other apothecary items, she nodded. It was just about time to play mother. She had but one thing left to do.

Into the back room she went. To the china cabinet, turned storage for her magical tools, she strode. There, she bypassed her trusty and true Rider-Waite Deck (one she hadn’t used since her reading of Mortimer Hargreaves) to grab her Celestial Deck. Shuffling, she concentrated on her day and then pulled a card.

“Ace of Swords, huh? Interesting,” she said to herself and the spirits in the room with her. “Who is going to have this total and complete change of mind? Is it me that is in the pursuit of the ultimate truth or someone I shall meet today?”

Turning toward her calico cat, Syndal, Lux wrinkled her nose. “Syn, who is going to be triumphant? Who is going to have this victory? This success? I don’t see a rebirth in my future. A new beginning, possibly, but a rebirth? I am not so certain.”

Realizing that she was speaking to a cat who could not truly respond to her questions, she scruffed the feline and kissed her forehead before reshuffling her cards and placing them on the reading table in the middle of the room. Then it was time to change the music to something more ‘calming’ and less ‘alarming’ to her clientel. Celtic pipe music sounded a fine choice and the CD went into the player.

Then it was time to open the doors for the day. When the bell above the door tinkled like the sound of a fairy’s kiss Lux lifted her head from behind the counter, where she was working on a spell packet for a friend, and smiled to the new friend. Because strangers, of course, were friends you just hadn’t met yet.

“Welcome to The Broom Closet,” she announced cheerfully.

Saturday finally dawned, and Ward B seemed to be aflutter with excitement. With good reason, of course: it was the first time a lot of them had seen civilization in quite a while. Well, they hadn't yet, but they would.

Ace was especially nervous. He had made up his mind that he was going to step out of his purgatory--at least the hospital portion of it--and see how the rest of his world had changed. With every waking wonder of how people would react to the presence of less than a person, more than a spirit, his heart beat faster and his throat tightened. He stared at his newly made-up face in the bathroom mirror and tried on a smile. Forced. Afraid.

"Is this even a good idea?" he wondered aloud as he started carefully placing his cosmetics back in his purple bag. No, probably not. It would most likely end up in sadness, jealousy, hurt... the list went on in his head. He would see a population and probably constantly remind himself that he was no longer one of them. Powder-pink lips pressed together tightly as he realized something: nor was he with his mother again. The sole purpose had been to leave a world that he no longer wanted, and return to the one he did. That had been all for naught.

The traveling was a blur, but Ace started to concentrate just a tad more upon reaching downtown. It was a nice day, and the cool sea breeze kissed his cheeks pleasantly and made his floor-length patchwork skirt dance side to side, then behind him. He giggled a little as he watched it move, never realizing that he probably looked like a dork. There he was: a boy laughing at his dress. As he realized how silly that looked, he only broke into more uncontrollable laughter. But how free he felt! Being out after such a long time of being locked up truly felt like heaven, and there was only one person who could make it even more believable. Well, two. He couldn't deny how in love he was, even though there were times he couldn't stand to think that soon, he would leave, and break her heart.

No, he couldn't think of that.

Finally, he took a good look around, and his eyes settled on one building. The Broom Closet. Again, he smiled. It was clearly a metaphysical store, and probably smelled like Serenity's apartment. Sandalwood and old books... comforting. For a moment, he drummed his fingers against his chin and stared sidelong at the shop, and finally, he opened the door and stepped in.

He was greeted first with the jingling of little silver bells, but not the obnoxious kind at gas stations. These ones were happy little bells, and he smiled at that. Then, a woman welcomed him.

For a moment, he just stood in the doorway, breathing deeply. It was exactly like he'd guessed. Then, he turned to the woman. "Hello." He made his way slowly through the room, pausing sometimes to glance at some interesting trinket or doodad. Eventually he came around to the counter, where he just watched the woman work for a moment.

Then, it dawned on him.

"I'm... Um, my name is Ace. Anyway, you... do readings, right? I mean... could you possibly do one for me? I have a huge predicament, something strange and probably pretty supernatural. Maybe even bordering on Godly." He fingered the little cross he'd ripped off his old rosary, that he kept in his jacket pocket. Why was he at a pagan store for this? Oh, yeah. Because no one else would help him.

"I can't cross over," he said softly. "I don't know why." Out with it. "Sometimes I feel like I'm lying to everyone, looking normal and all. But I can't help it, because I don't know what's going on. Could you maybe help me?"

He hadn't originally come in with that purpose, but it seemed to be part of his fate.

“Cross over...” Lux was briefly confused until she remembered that not only were Saturdays the days that she stocked the shop but they were also the days that they let the crazies out of the looney bin. And boy did this young man fit the bill. But when she thought a moment about her card and then pondered on the boy’s name, it became clearer.

She knew just what she was dealing with and just how she could help. With a smile that flashed her pearly whites, Lux let her hand dart out to shake with the boy. “Pleasure to meet you, Ace. I’m Lux. It means light and that is just what I am. And you, my boy, have come to the light it seems.”

After he shook her hand, Lux moved around the counter and sidled up to him. He truly had come to the right place, at least was Lux’s thought. Where else should a boy turn if he could not get the answers he sought. The spiritual, of course! She was just blessed that he had come to her instead of heading toward the chapel.

“And of course I do readings. I don’t mind reading you at all if you don’t mind a possible interruption here and there. Saturdays are busy days for me and well... I can’t just close up shop for a reading.”

With her arm around the boy’s shoulder, she led him to the back room. She pushed aside the beaded curtain and motioned for a seat. Taking the other, she lit her candle and began shuffling. Once, twice and the last before she turned the deck to the boy and grinned.

“Shuffle these as I did. Turn some reversed as you do so. Then, when you are comfortable, hand them back.”

Sensing something about the boy, she never let the smile falter. Not even for an instant as she spoke a few calming words.

“There is nothing evil here, Ace. Evil is in intent. It is in action. The cards... they are just a way to get answers that you may already know exist somewhere on a subconscious level. They are a tool that, while they can be used for evil or good, are only subject to the user’s intent. I intend you no evil and I am positive that you intend me no evil. So, take them and shuffle until you’re comfortable with them. The cards will tell me what they want you to know and then I will translate that for you.”

Then, she waited for him to finish.

"Yes," he nodded, smiling. "I have come to the light, I guess. Or at least, that's why I'm trying to get to." He reached out to shake her hand, trying to put away the last of his doubts. There was no reason to doubt, so far. "Yeah, I don't mind."

He followed her into the other room, a little unsure of himself. He didn't know if he should elaborate at all. He knew that people who read cards weren't necessarily psychic; if they were, they wouldn't need the cards, he guessed. Or maybe being psychic was just something that he didn't understand. "I've tried getting help from, well, a more... scientific person. He made me show him where I died, so I did. And after that, I got no answer. Just more pills." He let out a nervous giggle. "Yes, I was one of those. But I wasn't, like, bad or anything. Just... I don't even know. But that's why I'm here, because I don't know." Of course there was also the fact that he didn't honestly know why he was there, but he was, so he had to go with it.

Ace sat down and put his bag on the floor next to him. He watched as Lux lit the candle and started to shuffle the cards. One... two... three. There was something about three, he remembered, though he couldn't remember from where. Ace did recall that Serenity had particularly liked nine, but that was a multiple of three...

Nodding, he took the cards from her and looked at them for a moment. "These look pretty." His long fingers flexed a moment before he spread them out in his hands and looked at the backs. Then, he started to shuffle, holding the deck in one hand, transferring small stacks of cards in random order to the other a few times. Now and then, he took a few, flipped them, and started over again until something hit him. "Huh," he mused as a small feeling came over him, like a gentle hand urging him to stop. "That's weird... I just... knew when to stop," he whispered as he handed them back.

"I'm not sure something can be truly evil," he said finally. "I was taught that there's always at least a shred of good in everything. People can choose to overpower it with the evil, but they can also choose to... go back to it. I don't want to be bad. I just want..." his voice cracked, and he paused. "I want something that I can't have."

Now Ace felt exposed, but freed. He was outed as a lost little boy, longing for something that all children should have. He was not the only one without a mother, of course, and he knew that. But it didn't make him want her back any less. He blinked and took a deep breath to calm himself, because he couldn't go into this on the verge of tears. But there was something about Lux, maybe her smile or her kind nature, that made her easier to talk to than anyone he'd met in a good two years, aside from Emmy. It was just another thing he didn't know.

"All right. I'm ready when you are."

Delicate hands took back the cards and the top went to the bottom of the stack. Then and with her brilliant smile, Lux flipped over three. She nodded down at the cards and then took a peek at the boy. Ace, sitting there, looked like a little lost puppy and she wondered what mental break had brought him to this island and just why he wanted to wear girls clothing and makeup. Mentally shrugging off the thought, she got to the topic at hand.

“This first card represents the nature of your problem. The card is called the Ten of Swords. Your problem right now is sorrow. You had a sudden bit of misfortune, an accident. Right now, you’re at the lowest point in your cycle. Things are looking up but you’re failing to see them. You’re focusing too much on the disruption of your life. The ruin of your life, if you will,” she explained.

Without waiting for a response, Lux tapped the second card and smiled yet again. “This card represents the cause of the problem. This is the Hermit. He’s reversed. This means that the cause of the problem you are facing is a refusal to seek counsel or assistance. You’re isolating yourself from others. This is a negative resistance toward the help other people are trying to give you. You’re continuing the bad habits or unproductive lifestyle and being foolishly obstinate. The problems here seem to be internal. Maybe you’re not looking at things from each angle. Try looking at them from the angle of others.”

She was trying, in her way, to tell the boy that he truly wasn’t dead. She was trying to show him, with the reading of the card and the skewing of the meaning ever so slightly that he needed to take the advice of others. And then, though, there was the final card.

“This last card is your solution. The Star. A wonderful card, my dear Ace! This indicates that if you work to heal your old wounds. If you renew your faith in life and your hope in the future, you will find a mental and physical broadening of your horizons. There is a promise of fulfillment here. Have confidence in changing your path and you will have a renewed vigor in life. Adapt to your changing circumstances and accept the opportunities it may bring. Trust in life, believe in life. That is your answer.”

Looking over the cards on the table, Lux watched the boy’s face and hoped that he understood what the cards had cleared spoke of. She wondered if he would skew it now to his own idea of what it meant when it so clearly informed him that if he just tried to get well, he would! He wouldn’t have to believe he was dead. He could join the world of the living.

And then it dawned on her. She needed to impart one more piece of wisdom.

“Ace, the cards are guided not by us but by the dead. Enjoy the life you’re given here. Enjoy the changes and opportunities and the obstacles that you create for yourself will fall away.”

Rubbing her nose and then tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear, she grinned when her cat jumped up into her lap. Stroking Syndal, she looked back to Ace and awaited his epiphany. Because surely there would be one.

Most of the nervousness gone, Ace watched with eager eyes as she flipped three cards out onto the table. He leaned forward without really noticing that he did, so that he could have an even better look at the cards. They were very pretty, whimsical, and covered in star signs and--the occasional Hebrew letter? At least he thought that was what was on two of the cards he wasn't supposed to be looking at... He snapped his attention back to the first.

Air it said at the top, and the Ten of Swords was written at the bottom. There were ten swords, which he wasn't really sure about, but the picture he could sort of get. Four wind-blowing cloud-heads were all blowing wind from different directions, and the streams all met in a swirling mass in the middle, and just seemed to go up. Well, that was certainly what his life seemed like, and he wondered if that was where she got the ruin from. Ace nodded slowly as she said that they were looking up. Surely... that was what the picture said.

But how was he supposed to focus on other things? What other things were there? He wanted to ask, but Lux moved right along to the Hermit.

"Virgo," Ace mused aloud, reading the card. "I'm a Virgo..."

He listened, and an eyebrow went up in question. Wait, wait. Was he not trying to get help? Wasn't he--oh, no. She was right again. The past month or two, or maybe even longer, he had sort of shut himself up. He'd written nonsensical letters to everyone, cryptically announcing his own death, and secretly hoping that they would never write back. He had been leaving classes before anyone could catch up to him, and since his roommate had left Hadley before they moved, and he hadn't had one until after they'd moved, he did have the tendency to shut himself away.

Obstinate. He let out a little 'hmmph,' but only because of remembered chides. 'You're just being willfully obstinate.' Sometimes... but he used to have certain ways he liked doing things. But somehow, now Ace was foolish? The boy bit his tongue, and with good reason. The next statement made some of the pieces slide together, smooth, as if the cogs in his brain had been freshly oiled. "So," he said, "so that's what the wind people were doing, in Ten of Swords. The stuff in the middle, it's all screwed up, right? But it's being messed up from different directions... so if I fix it from a different direction, the other ways might get easier?" Yes. He was foolish for not thinking of that.

Of course, Ace didn't know what this had to do with being dead. But he did understand what she was trying to say: he needed other people, supportive people, to help him fix things. Thus, the Hermit.

The Star, he read, was Aquarius, a woman with a large gilded urn, pouring from it what looked like jewels onto the world. Renewing faith in life, huh... it made sense. But... life? She said it again. "Trust in life, believe in live. That is your answer."

Ace looked up at her, his eyes questioning. How could he? There was no life. Unless... unless he wasn't the one lying, but the one being lied to. No. That made no sense. He smiled somewhat grimly and bowed his head, but she had one more thing to say.

The cards are guided not by us but by the dead. Enjoy the life you're given here.

The boy could have sworn that his heart stopped at least for a moment. He stopped breathing and stopped thinking, and he could only feel. The dead... dead. He hadn't guided his reading; she had. She gave me my life, he thought. And if I didn't still have it...

He wouldn't be searching for closure. He would be dead. It was so obvious.

This had been his first step, stumbling upon this place. He was still being lovingly pushed in the right direction. He had gone out; he'd broken his bad habit of locking himself up. And this reading was just a gentle lecture from his mother; it had to be. She was the only one he'd ever known to die, and probably also the only one who could give him such a wake-up call.

"So she says..." a tear fell from his eye, and he wiped it away. More took its place, but Ace was smiling, genuinely this time. "I'm h-here, alive," he said. "Then why... what..."

Ace fell silent again and stared at the cards. What had caused him to think he was dead? Was it a coping mechanism? Wishful thinking? But his mother had found a way to tell him that he wasn't dead, and that she didn't want him to be. And though it was hard, he would have to believe her and listen to her. After all, she gave him life, and at that moment he realized how awful it would have been to take away all her hard work as a parent. She was gone, so Ace just had to take that list he'd found of things she'd wanted to do before she died, and do them for her, along with everything he wanted to do for himself.

He couldn't help but dwell on the fact that he'd found this communication with her in the oddest of places. Not in God. He realized that after losing his religion, he was happier, and then had flocked back to it in fear.

Not anymore.

Looking up at her, his eyes still tear-filled, but his smile bright, he said, "Thank you, Lux. So much. I... don't know how to repay you for this... money's not enough." He brought his arms up and examined the scars. He raised a finger and poked at one. They were real, but they were just scars. There didn't have to be any more, ever, because he could live. He had people he loved and who loved him back, and that was what his mother was telling him to live for. "This has brought a message to me that I've been looking for for almost two years. Thank you so much!"


((You...don't have to match this.))