03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales by Derrolyn Anderson Page A

up my surfing
last night. “I bet she’s down there as we speak… in fact, I’m going
for a walk to drop off some food to her right now.”
    Now they looked alarmed. I got up, mildly
irritated, “It’s just some dumb mistake. Trust me, you can’t
believe everything you read!”
    Abby rushed over to me with a sob and hugged
me close, patting my back like she was burping a baby. I rolled my
eyes at Ethan in amusement, patting her in return.
    “I’ll just be a little while,” I told them,
getting up to go.
    “I’ll go with you,” Ethan said, following me
out the door. He took the bag under one arm and my hand with the
other, casting sideways glances at me as we walked.
    “You know,” he said tentatively, “She was
really old.”
    “I’m aware of that,” I replied sarcastically,
“Stop looking at me that way!”
    He went on, “It was bound to happen
sometime…”
    We worked our way down the stairs to the spot
where the cats were fed, but there was no sign of her. I was
surprised to see them come out right away, for they usually never
showed themselves without Stella nearby. I looked around for her,
checking her favorite benches, finally opening the bag and pouring
out some food.
    Ethan and I stood back and watched as a group
of mangy looking cats came slithering out of the underbrush. They
set upon the food frantically, barely looking over at us. I
recognized the little tabby cat Stella called Freddy, noticing it
was visibly pregnant, its bony frame barely able to support what
could only be a litter of kittens.
    I chuckled, “I guess she should have named it
Fredericka,” I said.
    And suddenly, I knew she was gone.
    My eyes filled with tears, meeting Ethan’s as
he stepped closer to enclose me in his arms. I was going to miss
her, and I was stunned, barely able to process the idea. As
scattered as Stella had been, hearing her ramble on about the past
was a comfort to me. She was one of the few links I had to the
mother I never knew, and I now could feel those memories slipping
away from me. There was one less person on earth I could talk to
about it.
    I started shaking, trembling uncontrollably
when I realized that it wasn’t Stella I’d spoken to last night, at
least not the flesh-and-blood Stella. Her spirit couldn’t rest
until she was sure her beloved cats would be taken care of. It was
both sad and shocking.
    “I’m sorry,” Ethan whispered in my ear.
    “I’m okay,” I replied, but my voice was
quavery. I wanted to tell him what happened last night, but I
didn’t want to worry him about my return to nocturnal surfing. My
mind was filled with awe as I thought about what it meant. I had
seen a dead woman, and spoken with her… was this just some phantom
I’d conjured up in my own mind, or could it be another
manifestation of my hybrid powers? Did this mean I might be able to
see my mother?
    Being a scientist’s daughter, I’d always been
taught to be skeptical about the ghostly sightings and spiritual
gibberish that Evie wanted so desperately to believe. Her cadre of
mediums and fortune tellers had never proven beyond a shadow of a
doubt that they could communicate with spirits. I thought about all
the times I’d teased Evie about her beliefs, and now, without even
looking for it, I had just been provided with empirical evidence of
an afterlife. It was disconcerting, but strangely comforting.
    Just then, a jogger I’d seen before came
trotting by, pausing for a beat to watch the strays scarfing down
the food. “Too bad about the cat lady,” he panted, checking his
time while running in place, “But I guess none of us can live
forever.” He plodded off, his feet crunching on the gravel.
    Ethan looked at me with apprehension dawning
in his eyes.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    SERENDIPITY
     
     
    Ethan was quiet on the walk home, his face
distant and preoccupied. It was just as well, as I had a lot to
think about, and I tended to clam up when I felt sad. When we got
onto Abby’s drive, he stopped