and late-growing celosia. I mull over the chrysanthemums and catnip, thinking I should get catnips for my two kitties. I left them at home sleeping on the bed. They won’t go with me unless they see me grab my broom. When they are together, they are bandits, sweet bandits, but bandits! And today, I am enjoying a quiet moment at the nursery with my sister-in-law and cat niece.
We go and checkout our things, and then we hop in the car and head to our place of business, Just A Cup, which is a mile up the road.
I notice that a letter on a sign is fading. “The U is fading in our sign.”
“I will let Tom know,” Cybelle says.
We park and pull our stuff out of the car and walk to the back of the place to the sunroom where we will later take the plants out to the garden to plant.
Tom turns on the television set, and it is a start to a beautiful Monday morning.
The news is on, and the coffee is brewing, and the food is being prepared. I am walking through our library, making sure that nothing is out of order, where I am greeted by Occur at the end of the last row. I pet him, and we both walk to the front desk where Cybelle and Tom and Serena are laughing and talking. Ms. Mindy is sitting on the stool. They are talking about the upcoming events. But then I stop because something on the television grabs my attention. The reporter says that in Brisbane county, they have found the body of a woman who is in her early eighties. And it looks like she was bludgeoned to death and her clothing removed then was put into a shallow grave a few yards from Briarwoods Road. She is yet to be identified. Waiting for more information.
And in other news, a Mrs. Lee has been reported missing. As I watch this segment, the camera switches to the police chief and then to a man I recognize!
“It is the man in one from my dreams!” I cry out. “That’s him! The man from my dreams!” I said pointing at the television.
“Hmm…” says Serena, “maybe you saw him on TV, and he showed up in your dreams.”
“No, I have never seen or heard of him until today.”
Cybelle walks over and wraps her arms around my shoulder. “Well, whatever happens, we are here for you and don’t hesitate to let us know what’s going on, okay?”
“Okay,” I tell her.
Tom and Serena both nod in agreement.
I look at this man on the screen and wonder, Will this be a journey into the unknown? Will I be ready? We shall see.
During the rest of the day, my thoughts were on what I saw on the news and the deaths and missing. Also the detective said his name was Harrison, Ned Harrison.
Mindy walks past me, holding a huge water bug in her mouth. I yell out a warning to Cybelle that Mindy is bringing her a gift, and she may have to have Tom get it from her. I hear screaming, and I start laughing.
The bell on the door rings, but there is a presence. Something feels very different! I walk carefully up along the shelves and peer carefully through one.
Oh my goodness, there he is.
Ned Harrison. He is even more striking in person. He is very tall, maybe about six foot nine, very rich dark ebony skin and honey-blond hair and blue eyes, and he is scanning the room as though he is looking for something.
My heart is beating wildly at the moment, but then I hear two women giggling and making smart remarks. “What is wrong with our people? Why do they want to dye their hair strange colors? And is he wearing contacts?”
I am a little irritated, and I back away and bump into the bookshelf behind me. A book falls, and I catch it just in time because Mr. Occur is walking under it. At the moment, it is the book that got my attention the last time I took the encyclopedia, and again it opens to the Solomon Islands, the same page with the people of color with dark skin, blond hair, blue eyes or just dark skin and blue eyes. One even looked like the detective.
I stop reading and look down and I wiggled my eyebrows at Occur. I walk up to the two women and say, “Before you make fun of someone, make sure you know what you are talking about.” I show them the page and picture and walk off leaving them stunned.
Cybelle was looking from where she was standing holding Mindy. It was Serena, one who is speaking to our visitor.
“Hello, may I help you?” Serena asks.
He answers her, “Yes, ma’am, I was told that you guys do very good coffee and a salmon bagel with cream cheese and capers?”
Serena says, “Yes, we do. It is a local favorite.”
He orders one, and while he is occupied, I’m being led by Cybelle still holding Mindy.
“Girl,” she says, “what are the chances that someone from a dream shows up! And here in our place of business!”
“You know?” I say to her, and then I tell her about the two incidents with the book on the shelf.
“Really?” she says. “Hmm, let’s find out more about our visitor.”
We both walk together. We hear one of the two women speaking to him and asking questions. He tells them, yes, his family was originally from the Solomon Islands from the city of Auki, and that his family moved to the United States, and they became citizens in 1969, and that he was born here. That he attended Morehouse College but then transferred to New York State College to become a detective. He tells them that he lives in the woods outside of Brisbane.
Serena calls to him to pick up his order, and he pays and picks up the bag and coffee, and he turns to leave. We meet each other’s gaze. He nods to me and Cybelle and says goodbye to the two women, and he leaves.
Cybelle, Serena, joined by Tom, look out the door as he gets in his car, and then they turn and look at me. The two ladies are at the back part of the library now.
Cybelle says, “Looks to me, there are going to be more of your dream than meets the eye! And he looked at you more attentively than the other women who were here. Plus, he said he lives outside of Brisbane in the woods, the cabin.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “And that his family was originally from the Solomon Island from which the book on that subject fell twice from the shelf and opened to the same page.”
“Uh-oh, this is going to be interesting!” Serena adds, “I definitely would like to see how it develops.”
“Really!” says Tom in agreement and gives me a wink.
They all laugh. Then the talk shifts more toward the pre-Mabon event at the Mason Mansion.
The Mason Mansion is a place where the local pagans or any group can meet. It is a safe and quiet place and the perfect place for the witch’s ball at Halloween. But for now, this event will start up all celebrations after it. It is a very fancy dinner event and is a time for dressing up in your finest clothes. With dinner and dancing and prizes and if you wanted to speak at that event, it would be a great window of opportunity. But you have to prove you know what you are talking about, if not, the folk attending there will eat you alive so to speak. Plus, uplifting company is always attractive. Also, I must get a new outfit, and the best place to shop for that is Janette’s Consignment store.
The next few days, invitation mail and e-mails of the event came.
Tom is gathering notes for the event. He finds a spot and gets a room there.
Very good, I thought.
Serena is trying to decide whether she should go to her hairdresser or do it herself or if she wanted to have her hair long and straight or curly.
My brother, Keith, drops by and is added to the excitement. I laugh as my brother and his wife are arguing about his having to wear a tie. He hates ties.
All the while looking at us crazy humans are our cats, if only they could talk.
In my mind, I know what I want—a blue dress, royal blue if I could find it. Also, my thoughts are on the event and a plan for a quick escape via