Waking Elizabeth (3 page)

“I
think I’ll do a medium first, see if I can reach my dad,” Phoebe said as she
took a bite of her vegetarian sandwich.

“Whatever
you want to do, hun,” I smiled.

“What
about you guys?”

I
looked at Jess, grappling for the right words.

“Maybe
we should come with you, seems like an awful serious thing to do alone,” Jess
was being sincere and yet still trying to find a way out of having to do this
herself.

“Sure,
you guys can come,” Phoebe said, her bright blue eyes twinkling, “As long as
Blair’s bitchy grandmother doesn’t push her way in and hog all the time.”

“She
would,” Blair answered, reaching for her credit card, “I’ve got this,” she took
the ticket and handed it to the waitress.

I
made a mental note to pick up the tab at breakfast since Jess had already paid
for the rooms.
 

We
thanked the waitress and left, the bell on the door jingling as we hit main
street.

 
“You lead the way Missy,” I said, “Where do you
want to go?”

Phoebe
pointed to a small cottage down the street with a pretty painted sign that
read, Charlotte’s Fortune.
 
“Oh!
 
I had a dog named Charlotte once.
 
It must be a sign!”

I
gave Jess a smile, “It must be!” I exclaimed with feigned excitement.

As
we walked down the tree lined street, a woman stood outside her shop and waived
to us.
 
She wasn’t dressed like I thought
a fortune teller would be and I thought briefly she reminded me of my frumpy
aunt Delilah with baggy cream pants and a pullover sweater.

“I’m
half priced tonight,” the woman called to us and Blair immediately took the
bait.

“Why?”
Blair asked, slowing down in front of her shop.

The
woman pointed up towards the sky, “Full moon.
 
It’s just good karma to do something good on a full moon.”

Blair
shrugged her shoulders, “Good enough for me,” she broke off from our group and
headed towards the lady, “I’ll catch up with you guys.” She waived us off as
she ducked through the beaded door of the small house.
 

“Well
that was quick,” Jess said, “Ok Fee, lead the way.”

As
we walked down the street a little further towards Charlotte’s sign, I suddenly
had the distinct feeling that I was being watched.
 
I turned to the right first and saw nothing
before turning to the left.
 
Her lights
were off but she was sitting outside on her small porch rocking slowly back and
forth in a creaking chair with a cat planted firmly in her lap.
 
There was an old transistor radio on the
table beside her and a dim lamp that barely lit her features.
 
I immediately recognized her gypsy dress and
thought to myself, that’s what a fortune teller should look like!
 
I smiled at her as she silently took in the
sight of us walking down the street.
 
She
didn’t smile back but inclined her head acknowledging my friendliness as she
was watched us intensely.
 
Eerily she
continued to stroke the cat on her lap.
 
I turned away, puzzled by her interest and her blatant unwillingness to
smile.
 

When
we arrived at Charlotte’s, the three of us filled the small foyer of the
medium’s cottage.
 

“Are
you here for a reading?” a woman who I presumed to be Charlotte greeted us.

“I
am,” Phoebe smiled at her, “I’d like to reach someone on the other side.”
 
I visibly cringed at her words.
 
Was she
really serious about this?

“Well,
that’s a tall order but I’ll see what I can do,” Charlotte led Phoebe towards a
small table in the corner of the room, “One of your friends can stay but that’s
it.
 
I can only allow one other person
here when I’m attempting such a session.”

Phoebe
looked back and forth between Jess and I, confusion knitting her brow, “I’ll
go,” I offered, after all I was closest to the door, “I’ll be waiting outside.”

“It
could take the better part of an hour,” Charlotte answered, directing Phoebe to
a chair.

“No
problem,” I replied, catching site of Jess’ eyes that were pleading for me to
not go.
 
I gave her an encouraging
thumbs-up before I quickly ducked out the door.
 
I stood in the street, noticing that there were no benches or chairs
nearby.
 
Oh well, I guess I could walk
back towards Blair.
 
There was certainly
little else to do.
 
I clutched my black
and white silk shawl around my shoulders and walked slowly back up the
abandoned street.
 
I felt my phone
vibrate in my pocket and I reached for it.
 
It was a text from Jess.
 
What did I do to deserve this?
 
I smiled and texted back,
You’re
a great friend!

Chapter
3

I
still had a smile
on my face when I looked up and noticed the mysterious woman from earlier
standing on her porch looking towards me.
 
The cat circled her feet and eyed me with boredom.
 
My pulse quickened.
 
Something about her made me nervous.
 

“You’re
a dancer,” she called to me, her voice piercing the quiet night.

I
didn’t know what to say, I stumbled over my words, “Yes, I am.”

“Would
you like to talk while you’re waiting for your friend?”

Ah,
here it was.
 
She was trying to reel me
in, “I’m just here for moral support.
 
I
don’t really do this …” I trailed off, not really sure the polite way to
decline the invitation.

“I’m
retired,” was her reply and she finally offered me a smile which put me at ease
some, “Come.
 
Visit with an old woman.”

Reluctantly
I headed towards her and she pulled up a chair for me on the other side of the
small table.
 
Her cat immediately walked
towards me and rubbed its back along my leg.

“She
doesn’t take to strangers easily.
 
You
must be an animal person,” the woman said as she sat back down in her rocking
chair, “I’m Mona.”

“Ellie,”
I reached across the table to shake her hand and she immediately took it and
slowly turned it over.
 
She ran a
delicate finger over the lines of my palm.

“I
thought you were retired,” my dark eyes gleamed at her with a hint of a smile.

“You
can retire but you are never unaware,” she answered, the lines etched in her
face creasing as she grinned at me, “You caught my attention earlier.
 
You’re not like the rest.”

“The
rest of who?”

“Your
friends.”

I
was perplexed, “How is that?”

“Well,
the one friend, in the white skirt, this trip was her idea,” Mona looked over
her shoulder to the door that Blair had entered earlier, “And that one, she’s
along for the ride but would rather be spending money elsewhere.
 
The dark haired girl is the sensible one,
keeping all of you in line and making sure everyone is safe and sound.”

I
had to admit, she had pegged us all pretty damn accurately, “And what about
me?”

The
woman stared at me, her wise gray eyes assessing me thoroughly, “I haven’t
figured it out yet.
 
But something about
you … interests me.”

I
shook my head and pulled my hand from her grasp, “Seriously, I don’t have any
money.
 
I’m not into this sort of thing.”

“Why
is that?
 
Have you done it before?”

“Nope,
never,” I answered, reaching down to pet the cat.

“Your
aura is fascinating.
 
It’s all around
you.”

I
laughed nervously, “I don’t even know what that means.”

“You
have a certain light around you but it’s a mixture of serenity and chaos.
 
Do you have chaos in your life?”

I
couldn’t think of one chaotic thing in my life, “I really don’t.
 
I have a pretty normal, quiet life.”

“Do
you mind if I do a reading … free of course.
 
After all, I’m retired,” she pleaded with her weathered gray eyes.

I
was skeptical.
 
What was her goal?
 
What about me
was that damn interesting?
 
“Sure.
 
What the hell.
 
What do you want me to do?”

“I’ll
do all the work, you just relax,” Mona said, reaching for my hand, “Close your
eyes and picture your utmost serenity.”

I
closed my eyes and felt her warm hands on mine.
 
Serenity … serenity … what was mine?
 
I tried to force dancing in my head but it faded out as I relaxed.
 

“Forget
everything, your friends, this trip, your life back home … what do you see?” I
could hear Mona’s voice.

The
image appeared without any preconceived thought whatsoever.
 
I had never been to such a place before and I
had to fight to keep my mind from trying to place it.

“Ellie,
what do you see?” Mona asked me again.

I
didn’t have time to think, I just described the best I could the image that was
implanted firmly in my mind, “There’s a tree.
 
An enormous tree in the middle of a field.”

The
wind whipped around me as I sat on Mona’s porch.
 
The battered wind chimes hanging on the porch
softly jingling.

“What’s
around you?” Mona’s soft voice called to me again.

“Green
grass.”

“What
are you wearing?”

“A
pale blue dress.
 
I think I’m sitting in
the grass …” I trailed off.

“Is
there anyone around you?”

“No,
I’m alone,” I’m startled as something in my vision becomes clearer, “I’m
holding a book!”

“What
kind of book?”

“I
don’t know, it’s small, leather bound … it looks like it’s foreign,” I’m
puzzled.
 
I can’t understand the language
or symbols printed on the book.

Mona
holds my hand in silence for a few seconds as I soak up this strange vision
that fills my senses.

“They’re
coming for you,” she whispers, “They’re almost there.”

Her
words frighten me and my heartbeat increases, “Who?”

“Can
you feel the earth shaking?
 
They are
close …”

In
my vision I suddenly see horses appearing in the distance.
 
Their riders are encased in bright silver
armor as the rode voraciously across the green fields.

“They’re
here,” I whisper.
 
How did she know?

“It’s
time,” she whispers again, “You’ve waited for this you’re entire life.
 
You were born for it.”

I
shook my head, confused, “Who are they?
 
Are they going to hurt me?”

“Not
anymore.
 
No one will hurt you ever
again,” Mona’s voice was solid and comforting.

“They’ve
dismounted and they’re walking towards me,” I was still very conscious of
everything around me and yet this vision seemed to be taking over.
 
I felt as if I were out of my body, experiencing
something I couldn’t quite explain.

“You
will be strong.
 
You’ve got your father’s
blood soaring through your veins.”

“They’re
kneeling on the ground in front of me,” my voice was weak, the vision was
draining me.

Mona
squeezed my hand in reassurance, “This is the Lord’s doing …” her voice was
soft and gentle.

“And
it is marvelous in our eyes,” I finished her sentence as she said the words
with me, nearly identical in their pace.
 

My
eyes snapped open and I felt dizzy with apprehension.
 
I knew that something magical and
otherworldly had happened in the last few seconds but I had no idea what it
was.
 
When I found the strength to speak,
my words were as fragile as I felt, “What’s happening to me, Mona?”

The
woman smiled into my frantic eyes.
 
She
was so very calm and still held my hands in hers, “Take a deep breath for me,”
she requested and I obeyed.

“I
don’t have any idea where that came from.
 
The place I described, the dress, those men … I’ve never been there
before,” I was having a hard time catching my breath and feeling the absurd
need to defend myself , “And those words …” I trailed off, almost embarrassed.

“Do
they mean anything to you?” Mona asked, her gray eyes narrowing at me.

I
shook my head, “I don’t know where they came from.
 
And how did we say the exact same thing.
 
I mean,” I was stumbling over my words,
confused about what had happened, “I heard what you said and then suddenly I
knew what you were going to say next.
 
All of a sudden the words were just … there.”

Mona
rubbed my hand, “Ellie, let me get you a drink.
 
I have some soda or some wine, which do you prefer?”

I
stammered for a reply, “Soda is fine, diet if you have it.”

Mona
disappeared into her house and returned with a canned drink and a glass of
ice.
 
She poured it for me and set it
down before returning to her seat, “Ellie, have you ever heard of past life
regression?”

The
words past life startled me, “No, I don’t believe in all that stuff.”

Mona
offered a smile, “Past life regression is a technique, Ellie.
 
Mediums use it as a way to summon repressed
thoughts or experiences that lurk in your subconscious.”

I
shook my head, the cold coke already calming my nerves, “I don’t think I have
anything lurking in my subconscious.
 
Like I said, I lead a pretty normal life, pretty boring actually if you
ask my friends.
 
I teach dance class to
kids, I share an apartment with a friend and I hardly ever go out unless it’s
with these guys,” I motioned up and down the quiet little street, “As a matter
of fact, what just happened to me is probably the most non-boring thing that’s
happened to me … like ever.”

Mona
laughed, “I think there is more to you than meets the eye, and certainly more
than what you are giving yourself credit for.”

“Oh
yeah,” I rolled my eyes, “Are you telling me I was someone exciting in a past
life based on my vision in the field.
 
Because that looked relatively tame.
 
Sitting in a field in a blue dress, under a tree with a book … what a
wild child I was,” I instantly regretted the amount of sarcasm in my words.

Mona
shook her head, “You are focused on the wrong thing.
 
What you saw was a small snapshot of your
life, a moment in time that might have been important … that could be a
defining second in a lifetime filled with adventure.”

I
smiled, “Adventurous is not a word that anyone would use to describe me.”

“She’s
in there,” Mona leaned forward and tapped my hand, “I could feel her.”

“Who?”
I asked, “The girl in the blue dress?”

“Yes,”
Mona answered, “She’s strong … she’s powerful, and she feels as though she’s been
sleeping long enough.”

I
shook my head, all of this sounded like a bunch of psychic garbage, “I’ve never
had this happen before.
 
It’s only
happened with you.”

“That
can’t be true.
 
She’s much too powerful
to have sat dormant for 33 years.”

She knew my exact age!
 
How had she done that?
 
I hadn’t mentioned it before.
 
She could see the look of surprise sweep
across my face and she smiled, “I’m retired, Ellie, but I still have my gifts.”

“What
do you mean she’s too powerful to sit dormant?
 
How do you know?” I pressed her, suddenly wanting to know more.

“I
can feel her, see her, she’s a fighter,” Mona nodded.

I
was dumbfounded by what I was hearing.
 
How was this possible?

“Ellie,
have you ever been somewhere, or seen a picture, tasted food or moved in a certain
way that you immediately felt some sort of connection to an event or a place
that could not be readily explained?”

“You
mean Déjà vu?” I asked.

Mona
nodded, “Something like that.
 
Everyone
experiences it at some point in their life, some more than others.”

“Of
course.
 
I always thought it meant your
mind was playing tricks on you or something.
 
I never associated it with a past life.”

Mona
shook her head, “Nonsense.
 
Our minds
don’t play tricks.
 
When you touch
something or see something that triggers cognizance, it’s you remembering
something from another time or place.
 
We’ve all been here before, Ellie, some of us are more aware than
others, some never experience it because we shut it all away.”

“How?
 
How do you become more aware?” I asked.

“You
invite it in … you meditate and open the door to allow it to come flooding
in.
 
Some will, and some won’t, no matter
how much you try.
 
But you my dear,” Mona
shook her head, “I’m afraid you won’t have a choice.”

“Why
is that?” I asked, my brows knitted together, unsure of what she meant.