Somebody Told Me
Jade lived in a district that offered daily opportunities for a tarot card reading and a cup of coffee. Ybor City was congested with shops that appealed to those in search of the supernatural and the sisters were on a mission to find answers. They weren’t sure which direction to look in and made the only decision that felt right when they made an appointment with a psychic.
The sisters walked the populated streets, both still distracted by memories of the dream seminar the night before. Knowing Jade had serious concern for her mental health, Heather felt as though she’d lost the only person who ever believed her. Her sudden scream and the projection of her own questions onto a stranger who didn’t exist had been too much for either of them.
The atmosphere felt calm but had an undercurrent of excitement. It felt as though a storm were threatening to wash the streets of its patrons and send them running into stores, clothes dripping wet.
They passed a Wiccan shop that boasted a life-size painting on the door. Worshippers lay at the feet of the sun, their hands uplifted in prayer. Patchouli wafted out through the open front door, its scent reminiscent of Heather’s short-lived days as a Pagan.
The shop next door advertised Israeli archeological gifts. An oil lamp and a jug dressed up the front window and a sign invited customers to a candlelit and historical shopping experience. She figured the owner couldn’t afford an electric bill and had decided to pass it off as an ambience he meant to create.
They continued down the sidewalk and stopped when they stood at the door of a Chinese restaurant. A small Asian man had just unlocked and come out of the front door. He offered them a smile that took up twothirds of his face.
“Good morning,” he gushed happily.
His thick accent dripped from the three short syllables. Heather had always seen Asians as harmless but had decided they were the smartest people on earth. If any other country succeeded in claiming hers, she believed China would be the one.
“I mean good afternoon!’ he corrected. “Come in, come in.”
He waved his arm in invitation and welcomed the sisters in to experience his version of the Orient. Heather wondered if he was really as cheerful as he came off or if his delight lacked sincerity.
She wasn’t in the mood for a public outing but her hunger won over. She followed him in and found herself face to stomach with the Chinese God himself. Heather giggled at her literal run-in with the Buddha. He stood almost as tall as the ceiling and seemed to beckon customers through sheer intimidation.
“Jesus,” Jade muttered.
“No. Buddha,” countered Heather.
They followed the little man to a table and accepted the chairs he pulled out for them. After handing them menus, he took their drink orders and gave them back their privacy.
“Why are we here?” asked Jade, finally. Heather frowned. She had assumed her sister would have been more grateful for the unannounced detour.
“We’re hungry,” Heather answered flatly.
“No, we’re not,” Jade insisted. “We’re scared.”
Her soft smile and tilt of the head always worked wonders for Heather. She had taken comfort in Jade’s features and had come to rely on her gentle words over the past thirty-three years. The simple smile and almost imperceptible tilt had been powerful enough to help fight Heather’s demons away throughout her worst moments. She could only hope that her presence in Jade’s life had worked to comfort her sister even half as much. Heather’s heart saddened with the perpetually unfulfilled wish that Lisa would accept their love as well.
“What are you so afraid of, Heather?” Jade asked as she pulled her sister’s hand into her own.
“Either way, it’s bad, Jade. Either I’m crazy or I’m the target of a violent immortal stalker. I’m not real excited to find out which one it is.”
Heather dropped her forehead into the clasped hands that waited for it. She still couldn’t believe what was happening. She wondered if the transformation into full blown madness had already begun and if the next step was complete submersion into non-reality. Heather pictured herself walking into the Cheesecake Factory as a customer and then seating the other guests. She feared that multiple personalities would begin to take hold and that she would never again be able to discern who the real Heather was from the ones borne of her insanity.
Jade’s eyes exuded love but nothing her little sister said or did could diminish the bitter fear that had begun to