Miss Enchanter - Ophelia's Story (4 page)

“
My name is
London.” She said, holding her hand out to Ophelia. “Did you just
want to look around a bit, or did you want something specific? We
offer manicures, pedicures, facials, body massages and wraps, pool,
just about anything you could be looking for in the way of beauty
and pampering. We carry a full line of lotions and make up as
well.”

“Oh, I would love the
works, actually. I’m afraid I am new in town and don’t have any
cash on me.” Ophelia said, disappointment in her voice.

“Not a problem, what
would you like to start with? Manicure? Pedicure, massage, facial
perhaps?”

“All of the above!”
Ophelia said laughing.

London showed Ophelia
into a dressing room and handed her a fluffy red robe to put on.
“You can hang your clothes in the locker, come out when you are
ready.” She said.

Ophelia looked around
at other pictures and found her mother’s image in a few of them.
There was a picture of Thelma and Luna as well. Everything in the
room was red. There were plush pillows and comfortable looking red
oversized chairs, even the carpet was a shade of red.

Ophelia walked
out of the room and noticed shelves of nail polish in just about
every color imaginable and some that were very unique. She picked
out a flame red color and handed it to London. London
directed Ophelia to the room where
she was to receive her manicure and pedicure from Janet. She had
her sit in a very comfortable red leather chair and had her soak
her feet in a hot soapy foot bath for her pedicure. Ophelia said
thank you and sat down next to a pretty blond with big brown eyes.
“Hello.”

“Hello, we picked out
the same shade of red for our pedicures and manicures. I am
Cindy.”

“Hi Cindy, this hot
water feels heavenly! It has been…” Here Ophelia paused, choosing
her words more carefully. “A long time since I have had any
pampering. Feels so good! My name is Ophelia.”

“You are Gertie’s
daughter.” Cindy stated.

“You knew my
mom?”

“
Everyone knows
your mother. This was actually her place of business when she was
here.”

“How could you know
that? It has been so many years since she was last here. I didn’t
even know about this place until I noticed that it was a spa and
walked in. It was quite a shock seeing her picture by the front
door.”

Cindy looked at
Ophelia and smiled, but offered no explanations. “Are you going to
get a massage today? Ashton is fabulous! There is also a pool and
in the back there is a full beauty salon where you could get all
dolled up with hair and makeup treatments.”

“Sounds good, but
what for? I mean, we look to be about the same age, where do young
people here go for fun at night?” Ophelia asked.

“The town has dances
now and then and during the holidays we go all out. We recently had
a very big Halloween festival and dance at the recreation center.
Not a lot outside of that though. It is funny that you asked about
that. I’ve heard that your mother used to go searching for the same
kind of fun.” Cindy said.

“Same kind of fun? I
just meant dancing and laughing and maybe having a drink or three.
Is alcohol banned here in Enchanted?”

“No, it is not, but
we do not have bars here. We do have a very nice wine and cheese
shop though.”

“Oh. So, what do
people do for fun?”

“In the winter there
are sleigh rides and ice skating. If you like dancing, I am sure
that we could get something together at the recreation center.”

“What do you mean?”
Ophelia asked.

“Something like a
welcome home party.”

“For whom?”

“For you, of
course.”

“But I have never
lived here. You mentioned that my mother liked to have fun and went
looking for more of it than you have here. Where would she go? Are
there any stories about Gertie? She was my mother, but she was a
real firecracker.”

“
As I imagine
you are as well. I know that Gertie would sometimes go beyond the
borders of Enchanted. I believe that is where she met John.” Cindy
said.

“How would you know
any of that?” Ophelia asked. Just then two ladies sat down at the
stools in front of each lady and started their pedicures so Ophelia
didn’t pursue the subject of her mother and how Cindy could know
anything about her time in Enchanted. The hot water and foot rub
felt so good that Ophelia shut her eyes and when she opened them
she noticed that Cindy was no longer there.

After her nails were
dry, London reappeared and asked her how her manicure and pedicure
went.

“Fantastic! It is
amazing what a bit of pampering can do for your spirits!” Ophelia
smiled. “What is next?”

London led
Ophelia into a room that had a comfortable looking table, was lit
by candles that smelled like lilacs and had soothing music playing
softly. “Lay down on the table and make yourself comfortable,
Ophelia.
You can cover up with
the sheets. Ashton will be in shortly and we can talk when you are
done.”

Ophelia laid on the
table face down and soon she heard a man’s voice. “Hello, Ophelia.
I am Ashton, ready to get all the kinks out?”

“Hi Ashton, oh yes, I
love massages, but it is had been way too long since I have gotten
to enjoy a professional massage.”

Ashton named
several types
massages for her
to choose from,
all treating different
needs and providing various benefits. Shiatsu, which is an ancient
technique from Japan, we offer deep tissue as well. We also have
hot stone treatment and Reflexology, just about every kind you can
think of.” Ashton asked Ophelia if the music that was on was the
type she wanted to hear before continuing on with this list of
options.

“We also offer
various
ointments and lotions
for you to choose from. Some that feel heated on your skin, others
that are icy or make your skin tingle.” All of the lotions and oils
are also moisturizers, full lotions designed to help your skin and
each one smelled wonderfully. Ophelia chose one of the hot oils
that offered a greater amount of moisturizes and told Ashton to
work his magic with a full body Swedish massage.

“I can’t get over how
much you look like your mother! You know that this is her place,
don’t you?” Ashton said almost immediately after he started
kneading her back muscles.

“Oh that feels so
good! Yes, London said that mom used to own this spa, I wasn’t
aware of that before.”

“Are you going to
manage this place now? I mean, London does a good job, but she does
not own it.” Ashton said.

“Neither do I.”

“
Of course you
do, Ophelia, It is your mother’s legacy, why would you think that
it is not yours as well as Gertie’s?”

Just then a
voice came over a speaker that up until then had music playing.
“Ashton, could you come to the office for a moment?” They heard a
female voice say.

“Excuse me, I will be
back in a moment.” He said.

Ophelia laid
there thinking about his words.
I wonder if I really do own this
place now. If I do, then I don’t have
to get a job, I can use the funds The Spa brings in. Problem
solved!
Ophelia thought,
stretching out her legs and arms. I can work my way down the list
of services they offer here. Despite herself, Ophelia purred. The
music was back and that, along with the dimly lit room and scent
from the candles lulled Ophelia to sleep.

“All set now, you can
sit up slowly.” Ashton’s voice. “Oh, I must have fallen asleep.
Thank you for the wonderful massage. I will be back, and soon!”
Ophelia said, feeling just the slightly bit light headed as she
stood.

Ashton handed
her a cup of water for her to drink.
“There are showers if you want to freshen up, some
people do after having oils rubbed into their skin.” Ashton
said.

Ophelia decided
to check out the entire salon, now that she knew that there was a
possibility that she might actually be the owner. She did take a
shower and used the great smelling shampoo and soaps. Instead of
getting dressed, Ophelia walked over to the
swimming pool and climbed in.
Oh yeah, I could get used to this
real quickly.

After yet
another shower, Ophelia continued her self-guided tour. The office
door was partially open when a female’s voice caught her attention.
“You have to be more careful. You know that she does not know or
understand the entire story here, Ashton.”

Ophelia crept
closer to the office door so she could better hear what was being
said. “Sorry, I did not get the memo that she was coming here
today.” Ashton answered the female voice. “None of us did, but we
all knew that she was here in Enchanted. Everything has to go
according to plan, you know that, Ashton. For everyone’s
good.”

“
It will. She
sure is a beauty.
Just like
her mother.”

They ARE talking
about me!

Ophelia thought
about showing herself and asking more questions, but she decided
against it.
I need
to know more.

Just then,
Cindy walked up behind Ophelia. “
Did you enjoy your day at the spa?” She said. The office door
closed fully. “Oh, yes, it was fantastic. I’d better be going now
though, I have been here for hours. Apparently you have been as
well?” Ophelia asked Cindy.

“Not really, I left
and then came back. I wanted to check up on something.” Cindy said,
not mentioning what. “Are you going back to Thelma’s now?”

Ophelia didn’t
appreciate that. She was not used to being questioned. “Maybe.
Maybe not. I think maybe I will look around town a bit more before
I go back.” She told Cindy.

“
Just remember
to ring the bell near the top of the hill when you are ready. Have
a good day.” Cindy said, smiling and waving good-bye. Since the
office door was now closed, Ophelia decided to get dressed and see
what else the town had to offer.

Ophelia went to
the dressing room and changed back into her jeans and
sweater.
After peeking up and
down some hallways that she had not gotten to as of yet, Ophelia
walked out of the front door of The Spa. Although her initial plan
was to continue to explore, the heat from the oils as well as the
relaxing massage, and the laps she had swam in the pool had Ophelia
eager to take a nap. She slowly walked to the hill and then rang
the bell.

Before she had walked
down the other side of the hill, Ophelia saw the miniature pony
pulling the wagon that would take her back to Thelma’s house. She
wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but when she walked up the porch
stairs and turned, Ophelia thought she saw bright red nail polish
on the horses’ hoofs.

When Ophelia woke up
from her nap she felt refreshed, but very hungry. She had not eaten
since breakfast. When she walked into the kitchen she found Luna
and Thelma sharing a pizza.

“
Pizza! Yea!”
Ophelia said, taking a plate from the cupboard and grabbing a
bottle of water from the
refrigerator. Thelma and Luna waited until Ophelia had eaten
before asking her about her trip into town.

“I understand you
went into the Village this morning.” Luna said. “Did you have a
nice time?”

“
I had a great
time! I went to a place called The Spa. I had the works! Manicure,
Pedicure, massage
. It made me
so relaxed, but also tired, so I figured I would wait on the facial
and instead I came home to take a nap. By the way, who owns The
Spa?”

Thelma got up
to put the pizza and salad dishes into the sink. Luna answered
Ophelia. “The Spa was your mother’s specialty. She owned and
operated it. Do you think you would
like to take it over now that you are here? It is a great idea to
spend your days where you have a passion for the work.”

“Then it really is
mine now? I think I will change the name – how does SCARLETT’S
sound to you?”

Thelma dropped
a dish into the sink
making a
loud noise causing Ophelia to jump and Luna had a strange look on
her face.

“
Luna, you look
as if you just saw a rat eating your pizza and what’s up with you,
Thelma? If I own The Spa, can’t I change the name to anything that
I want? Is there some law against changing things here in
Enchanted?” Ophelia asked. She knew she was over reacting, but not
by much. She didn’t want to see the dream of her new cash cow being
taken away from her.

Luna was the first
one to recover. “Of course not, dear, you can change the name of
The Spa to anything that you wish. May I ask why you picked that
specific name?”

“
You mean other
than the fact that everything in it is red? There is an almost
life-sized picture of my mother near the front door – you must have
seen it – and she is wearing the most beautiful red evening gown
that is lower cut and has diamond straps.
She is standing in front of rocks of some sort. Her
hair is long and very red, she is just gorgeous and she just looks
like her name should be Scarlett.” Ophelia explained.

Thelma brought over
the coffee pot and poured them each a cup of cherry vanilla coffee.
She then reached over and took Ophelia’s hands in her own. Ophelia,
how much do you know about your mother? What did she tell you over
the years you were away from here?”

“
Nothing
really.” She said. She looked at Luna and continued speaking. “I
already mentioned this to Thelma, but when I was about three or
four years old
in the house
where my mother took us to, I became angry about something or other
and produced blue mist, which scared me and I forgot all about my
anger at my mother and ran to her for protection.”