Chapter 2 Meeting of a Supernatural Kind of the Female Persuasion
Her apartment lies between New Dorp High School and the Miller Field Park, in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York City, New York State.
Just outside its entrance a woman waits for her. She is leaning, abandoned, against the wall, her head lolling slightly sideways, a stream of cigarette smoke blowing from her mouth and nostrils, her eyes closed in an expression of transcendental delight, one arm bent beneath her breasts, that hand cupping the elbow of the other arm, that hand holding a cigarette; one of her knees protrudes outward, that feet pressed against the wall at the level of the other knee.
She has the appearance of being of an indeterminate age, somewhere between just after the full bloom of puberty and an extremely wise but extremely well kept late old age, with no signs of child-bearing, though.
She has ghigau features, and her garments are of a native American design in rabbit fur, dyed ivory white and horn white; she has moon themed silver jewelry, including one piece with a carved image of a rabbit; a sacred bundle nestled in her cleavage; tattoos in silver across her forehead of the succeeding phases of the moon; and constantly shifting tattoos in quicksilver underneath her eyes, resembling silver tears.
She is bathed in a moon-beam.
"Great Warrior!" Salutes the woman as soon as Nuala comes upon her, dropping the cigarette she has been smoking to the ground and stubbing the butt with her toe.
Nuala blushes furiously and attempts a deep formal curtsy but the woman will have none of it.
Still blushing and now shaking her head vigorous in vehement denial Nuala mutters:
"That honor is only due my paternal grandmother."
The woman stares enquiringly at her eyes.
Hanging her face even lower, speaking even more to herself.
"Besides, I am no warrior."
At this a sudden anguished wave of compassion flashes across the woman's face, and to hide it she hastily turns her face away and slightly downwards. And this time it is she who speaks to herself:
"Oh, but, my dear child, before this night is over, you might well have to be…"
Nuala doesn't notice this remark. She has had time to recover herself.
"Lady Moon, you grace me with your presence, but I do not remember requesting your attendance." Mumbles Nuala apologetically.
"Well, you did invoke my name three times. Third time is the charm, as they say." Says Moon archly.
Nuala mumbles something with gratitude.
"And you might require my assistance before the night is over, my dear…"
Whispers Moon between her teeth.
"What was that?"
Moon shakes her head vigorously.
Then she smiles a bright smile, the kind of smile to bring light into the darkest night, even if only a pale light, that will guide even if it does not comfort nor does it satiate.
"Join me in a cigarette?"
Nuala fumbles with the contents of her carry bag, and then fumbles a cigarette lit.
Moon kisses the left corner of her lip, the position of her third eye, and the right corner of her lip. Only then does she accept the proffered cigarette.
"Milady, if I may be so bold…" Then Nuala can go no longer.
"Yes?"
"Aren't you supposed to be smoking a pipe?"
Moon looks mock affronted.
Nuala starts fidgeting.
Moon's posture and expression soften, her left hand brushes softly Nuala's forearm.
But then gazes down briefly.
"You got to go with the times, I suppose…"
Then she looks Nuala in the eyes.
"Well, if it makes you feel more comfortable, I am sure I can accommodate you."
The cigarette turns into a calumet.
"But then you must call me Pah."
"Milady, I cannot…"
"I insist."
To hide her embarrassment caused by her conflicting willingness and inability to argue the issue further, and in sudden remembrance that Pah had asked her to join her in a cigarette, not just give her one, Nuala lights a cigarette of her own.
For a while they walk on, smoking their cigarettes in companionable silence.
"Well, I'm here now, and I have nothing else to do than help you, so you might as well take advantage of me." Pah smiles an impish smile saying this.
Nuala blushes furiously, fidgets, embarrassed.
More somberly, and after drawing deeply on her cigarette, punctuating every syllable with a puff of smoke, Pah says openly:
"I can anticipate that you are going to require my assistance. Not just in this immediate future, I have inkling that you will get yourself in a tiny spot of trouble before this night is out."
Nuala glances furtively at her.
"No. This project that you are currently embarked upon, it will… shake things. For your kind in general, I mean; not just your family."
At this Nuala stares penetratingly at Pah.
Pah looks at her feet, disturbance and concern in her eyes.
They have been making their way from Nuala's apartment's door to Miller Field Park.
Just as they are level with the end of the block with still a stretch of sidewalk to go until they cross the street between said last block and the park:
"Well, we're here. Let's see what the night brings us." Says Nuala forlornly.
Pah smiles mischievously.
"Oh look, a taxi cab! I guess the night will bring us further than we set out to go!"
Says Pah with an impish grin.
And indeed a cab stops right in front of them – at the corner, parked just beyond the sidewalk – as if by design, and idles there, as if it is waiting for them to get in.
Almost with undue haste Pah is more than happy to comply, rushes the last stretch of sidewalk until she draws level with cub.
Nuala has no choice but to follow her in, in fact rushing harder than Pah to get to the cab first.