Harry's world wasn't far from Yugen's apartment, so she decided to walk, the afternoon sun and the mild autumn breeze made the weather perfect. When she got to the shop, she walked in and glanced at a chubby Indian guy behind the counter, noticing he was on the phone. Yugen decided to look around the store, stopping on a bronze Hecate statue. She studied the detail; the torch, the hounds, the skull…
"You're not here to buy a statue." Yugen jumped and turned around, standing in front of an elderly woman with long gray dreads.
"Uh, no I'm actually here for a reading. Are you The Crone?"
The old woman gave a light chuckle, "Yes, but you may call me Carlen. How did you hear about us?"
"Michelle, from the Java Art Cafe."
"Ah! I thought so! Michelle is actually my niece. She has people call me the crone as a joke." Carlen smiled warmly, holding no grudge against the nickname.
Yugen laughed, "That definitely sounds like Michelle!"
Carlen knew this woman was coming, she had a feeling someone of intense energy would seek her guidance. She could feel Yugen's uncertainty the moment she walked in the store, so she studied her a moment before approaching her.
Carlen gestured towards an area blocked off by purple velvet tapestry, "Come, we'll go to the back so we can talk a little more."
Yugen and Carlen walked towards the curtain, the elder turned towards the young Indian behind the counter, who was now writing on a yellow notepad. "Ras, hold down the fort, I'm doing a reading."
"Yes ma'am." Yugen and Ras made eye contact for a little over a second, almost as if they knew each other.
Yugen was calm, but nervous as she entered the room and scanned her surroundings. The room was a rich maroon color—built in shelves contained jars of herbs, candles, and various ritual items. Black cabinets were filled with books, teacups, and decorated with bronze statues. A crystal chandelier hung above a round table, draped with a velvet maroon cloth.
"Please, have a seat," Carlen gestured towards one of the dark brown chairs. Yugen took a seat as she continued to glance around the room.
Carlen occupied herself with a coffee pot full of hot water, pouring a steaming stream of liquid over dried lavender flowers and rose petals. She dropped a fresh dandelion flower on top, then pulled out a couple of jars containing dried herbs. She dropped a couple of pinches in a cast iron bowl sitting in front of Yugen, then set the herbs aflame.
Carlen lit a purple and white taper candle on the table as she spoke, "sage is for cleansing and rosemary is for focus. The purple candle will open up the third eye and uncover hidden knowledge." She walked over to the tea as she continued, "the white candle will neutralize the effects of karma in case our journey is a bit rocky."
She set the tea down in front of Yugen, "but you already knew that, didn't you? You get it from your parents, a natural witch, hm?" Carlen sat in a chair across from the younger woman, staring expectantly.
"Well, my grandparents had a lot of occult literature lying around and I just absorbed a lot of knowledge."
"I see...would you like honey or stevia with your tea? I'll need you to drink it while we talk, it'll help me get a more accurate reading."
"Stevia please."
The older woman stood from her chair and opened up a black drawer, pulling out a dainty white ceramic bowl. She set it down next to Yugen's tea and gave her a small, vintage tea spoon. Yugen delicately stirred, careful not to crack the fragile china.
Carlen sat back down, "could I see something personal of yours?"
Yugen reached inside her black leather case, pulling out the portrait of the Tom-Felton-looking-guy. Carlen held the painting in her hands and her eyes went wide, she let out a light gasp as a surge of energy shot through her fingertips, making her entire body shudder. The elderly woman looked back over at Yugen as she took another sip of her tea, her aura was iridescent and translucent; orbs of color danced around her as if a sun catcher had cast it's radiance in her direction, creating a rainbow of colors.
'This isn't possible, this makes no sense...' Carlen tried her best to comprehend what she was seeing as she continued to gawk at the girl.
"Is something wrong?" Yugen sets her teacup down with a light clank.
Carlen turned her eyes back to the painting, "You have a gift, a gift that comes from something inside you. A fire...one that can only burn once out of the month."
Yugen's eyebrows went up, astonished by the woman's accuracy. Carlen took Yugen's hands in hers, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "You met a man, but he is not who he appears to be...I see an old train station, surrounded by fog and barren trees...no life in sight except..."
Yugen continued to watch and listen with fascination. The ridges between Carlen's eyebrows sunk even deeper as she squinted her already closed eyes, trying to get a closer look at something. "What is that?"
Yugen's heart raced as she watched the older woman with wide eyes, staring with anticipation. Carlen was still attempting to peer at a figure rustling in the trees, but there was a block. Soon she became overwhelmed with a strong sense of foreboding, and the sound of glass cracking in her ears—right before it loudly shatters, forcing Carlen out of her trance with a jolt. She jumped and gasped, knowing she wouldn't be able to finish the reading.
Yugen held her hand over her chest, "Are you okay?"
"I'm very sorry sweetheart but...things feel very...broken," Carlen took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. "There are too many fragments for me to get a clear picture."
Yugen's eyebrows drew together, "what do you mean by fragments?"
"The only way I know how to explain it to you is, the man you are seeing is not always who he appears, but I do still think you can get the answers you're looking for, you'll just need some supplies." Carlen spoke softly and directly.
Yugen was a bit disappointed, but even more concerned about how deceitful she made Barry out to be. "So, do you think it's safe to continue seeing him?"
"I sense...great fear, and a lot of sadness. I can tell that there is a strong connection between you two, and I think it'll bring out the best, and the worst in both of you." Carlen spoke candidly, yet Yugen still felt ambivalent. "But, love makes devils of us all, I wouldn't let it deter you dear." Yugen smiled kindly at Carlen, who did so right back.
"So, how much do I owe you?" Yugen inquired.
Carlen held up a hand, "you'll only need to pay for the supplies, I get the feeling I'll be seeing you again."
Yugen anxiously walked home, nearly running into a woman with a small child.
"Whoops! Sorry!" Yugen states as the woman shoots her a dirty look.
Yugen was tense, anticipating the possibilities ahead. When she entered her apartment, she turned on the lamps and sat on her couch, taking a few deep breaths to ground herself. When she felt at ease, she took out the supplies and lit the small white candle. She scattered salt around the parameter of the apartment, then sat back down. She opened the jar of full moon water and put some on her middle finger, then dabbed it right between her brows. She opened up the ottoman and pulled out her pipe—the dime bag caught her eye.
"Why not..." She grabbed the baggie and closed the ottoman, then gathered a pinch of weed and the mugwort into the pipe. It took her about two minutes to finish smoking the herbs, she clutched the labradorite stone in one hand and hugged the painting close.
"Lacus...Lacus...Lacus..." She repeated the phrase until her words drifted away along with her mind, falling into a heavy slumber.
The air around her shifted, causing goosebumps to form upon her bare shoulders. Her heart beat and her body seemed to float, making her stomach churn as she moved through time and space. Suddenly, everything stopped and Yugen heard glass cracking. Crash! She landed on a hard surface, letting out a groan before she slowly worked towards sitting up. Yugen looked around her, noting that she landed in what looked like an old bus or train; there were no seats—dirt, twigs, and shards of mirror surrounded her. In the corner, a torch stood from a make shift sconce in a tree branch that grew into the window. Yugen slowly got to her feet, noticing that the portrait was now just a piece of parchment; in dark red letters it said, 'Find Me.' She noticed that the stone was no longer in her hand, so she looked around at her feet. Shit! She no longer had it…
'Oh well, might as well get what I came here for.' She focused her thoughts on the task at hand, grabbing the torch, allowing the bright yellow flame to light the darkness ahead of her.
Yugen felt like she had been walking for days—she was lost, dirty, and bleeding. The glow from her torchlight was growing faint, and she had no idea where she was going, or what exactly she should be looking out for. She felt like she was on an alien planet—the air was eerily quiet and still, there were no signs of life; the only sounds she could hear was the crunching beneath her black, chunky boots. She stopped to study the parchment once more...Was she supposed to find the guy in the portrait?
Yugen thought back on Carlen's words, 'He is not always who he appears to be.' Then she thought about Barry and how he referred to himself as 'us.' Her mind shifted to fond memories of her best friend Sarah, who has DID and would occasionally slip up the same way with strangers. Does Barry have DID?
Yugen heard the faint sound of voices, a wave of cautious optimism allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief as she slowly approached. As she got closer, she saw a glimmer of what appeared to be more torches, which was a good thing because her torch had gone out. Yugen's stopped dead in her tracks upon what she saw—within the grassy clearing an old woman, a man with glasses and a strong build, and a young boy stood by a large terrifying creature; to Yugen's horror he began to speak in a gruff, booming voice.
"Someone is here, a woman, and she is close." The creature inhaled, "very close."
Out of fear, Yugen took a step back, stepping on a large twig. SNAP! She stopped breathing as the man, the woman, and the child turned their heads in her direction.
The man with glasses spoke, "we already know you're here, you might as well come out."
Yugen took a deep breath, accepting that she had no choice but to do what the man asked. She emerged from the dark forest, trying her best to play it cool. The child next to the man let out a gasp, before the child could say anything, the man whispered for him to be quiet. The beastly creature crouched down, he began circling Yugen predaciously on his front and hind legs. Yugen didn't dare move or breathe as the creature stopped behind her, sniffing her hair and then licking her shoulder with his forked, reptilian tongue. She smelled sooo good…
"What are you doing here?" The older woman looked Yugen over, she was quite peculiar. Her black and white striped stockings and her white dress were dirtied from the woods, her black lace arm warmers rode down underneath her elbows, revealing thick layers of scar tissue.
"I came here looking for answers." Yugen didn't know what to say, the frightening creature was only a few inches from her face breathing on her, and she was expecting it to devour her at any moment.
"Sweetheart, we can't give you answers if we don't know what the question is." The older woman smirked as the creature gently brushed a lock of hair from Yugen's face, leaving Yugen feeling confused at the feeling of comfort it gave her.
"Don't be afraid, just tell us what you want." The creature whispered in Yugen's ear, making her spine tingle.
"I...do these paintings that are supposed to send me a message...but I didn't know what the message was, so I went to a lady whose advice brought me here." Yugen's words flowed more coherently than she expected them to.
"What was the painting of?" The man with glasses looked at Yugen's face, she was unusual but very pretty, even with the lip ring. He had a fleeting thought of where she might have other piercings.
"It's of a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes, he...reminds me of my friend Barry...who reminds me of my friend Sarah who had DID. The lady I talked to said he's not always who he appears..."
The creature now stood a few feet away, the man with glasses stood stiff, his face revealing only a hint of surprise over what seems to be his usual stoic expression. The boy was wide eyed with a gleeful smile, "Mr. Dennis!"
"Quiet, Hedwig!" The man named Dennis scolded the boy named Hedwig as the lady approached Yugen.
Yugen felt an odd sense of longing as the woman stood in front of her. The older woman looked at the younger woman's arms, running the back of her index finger down the disfiguring welts, her eyes landed on the piece of paper in her hand.
"What do you have there?" She whispers in her soft British accent, appearing motherly and sympathetic.
Yugen handed over the parchment, "It was the portrait, but when I got here it changed into that."
The elderly woman looked at the parchment, the back at Yugen. Her eyes settled on her necklace, she reached out and carefully held up the pendant with her fingers. She smiled at the cheschire cat charm and the words inside of the pendant, 'We're all mad here.' She has no idea just how mad we really are…
"Curiouser, curiouser...Someone's certainly had a glimpse through the looking glass. My names Patricia."
"I'm Yugen."
Patricia's tone became serious, "Yugen, does this look like wonderland to you?"
Yugen's eyes started to well up with tears—she suddenly felt sad, broken...torn, "no."
Patricia's temperament suddenly changed, she ripped the necklace off of Yugen, and clutched it close to her chest as she backed away. The creature stomped forward, towering above all of them by several feet.
"Barry must be held accountable, HE must be the one you get your answers from! Now, back to the rabbit hole you go!" The creature grabbed Yugen by the waist, then threw her up in the air. Once more, she heard glass shatter—she fluttered her eyes open, thankful she woke up gently on a soft surface. She sat up, recognizing that she was back in her apartment. She peered solemnly at the portrait in her lap, "oh, Barry..."
She set the painting between the table and the couch, and was shocked to see that her dress and her stockings were filthy. She moved her hand up to her collarbone, only to find that her necklace wasn't there.
Authors Notes:
Lacus is Latin meaning Transport
Mugwort has been used to help strengthen clairvoyance and provide a deeper connection to the spirit world. It can bring prophetic dreams, astral projection, and visions.
Labradorite stones are known to activate the third eye.
Lavender is calming and helps aid in divination. Rose petals help to open your mind for psychic awareness and Dandelion calls the spirits.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Ayria-Blue Alice
enolarevfore/benzaiten-fire/chapter8/