for her reflection.
The room was disheveled, a
mess of maps and papers. The rich blue hue of the tall walls seemed
to press inward, making the already small space seem
stifling.
Eclipsys entered a short
time later carrying a sheet of paper. “It is a chart of this year’s
summer solstice,” she explained, drawing out the words with her
concocted accent. Her heritage was equally indiscernible; she could
have passed for Asian, Indian or Hispanic.
“I don’t know if you remember,” Francesca
began. “But the last time I was here you said that I was missing
something, something I needed to progress.”
Eclipsys nodded
thoughtfully, setting her dangly earrings to wobble back and forth.
“Yes,” she encouraged, absently fingering the chart. “What is your
question? Why did you come?”
“ Well there’s this guy,”
Francesca explained. “He asked me to marry him. I like him a lot,
but we’ve only known each other for a short time. I just want to
know if maybe he’s that thing you were talking about.”
A few weeks ago she’d been
hoping it meant Reed Wallace, though a few weeks ago she also
denied believing in psychics.
Eclipsys creased her brow,
a look of interest. But she wasn’t interested, not really. She kept
up the act, listening to Francesca before referring to her chart.
“Well, Uranus is nearing an alignment with Pluto which is a
planetary cycle of change. Of course the alignment between Jupiter
and Neptune indicates a more spiritual aspect of change. But one
could certainly interpret marriage as a spiritual union,” Eclipsys
hedged.
She couldn’t possibly be
encouraging Francesca.
“ These dynamics make for a
fascinating time,” Eclipsys continued, giving her chart a tiny
shake. “One in which we must let go of our old philosophies, let go
of our outdated mindsets, move past what hold us back and accept
new possibilities, new opportunities. Change is upon you,
Francesca.”
Francesca would be married
by week’s end at this rate.
“ The Mayan apocalypse was
an astrological prediction too,” I argued. They gave me matching
looks. “I’m just saying...”
“ You are still a skeptic?”
Eclipsys needled. “Even after our last meeting?”
“You were totally right,” Francesca said,
misinterpreting the slight. “Adelaide won’t talk about it,” she
whispered confidentially. “But after she went to this park in
Brunswick they found two dead bodies there.”
That shocked Eclipsys, who
stared at me with renewed interest. I could have groaned, knowing
Nancy was sure to hear about this later.
“You know what,” I said to Francesca. “You
have a lot to think about. Let me take this,” I added, grabbing her
purse. “I’ll go pay Eclipsys at the front desk while you digest
everything you’ve learned.” She didn’t question my bizarre behavior
(I never offered to do anything for anyone) which just went to
prove how preoccupied she was.
Outside the door I dragged
Eclipsys down the hall and whispered furiously, “What the hell are
you on about? You can’t encourage her to marry some douche bag
she’s only known two weeks.”
Eclipsys cocked a hip. “I
read people,” she said, her fake accent giving way to a real one.
She was from New York, mystery solved. “And that girl’s hearing
wedding bells. She’s just looking for an excuse to say
yes.”
I started rooting around
in Francesca’s purse, extracting a wad of cash. “Go back in there
and tell her... tell her that the summer solstice is all about long
days and short nights.” I waved my hand, turning impatient. “Make
up something about the symbolism of it all. A long day signifies
she’ll gain worldly comforts with marriage, but the short night
foretells a waning intimacy. She won’t be happy with him for
long.”
Eclipsys was impressed. “You know, this
could be a good line of work for you.”
“ Yes,” I agreed. “Spouting
bullshit is my art.” I pushed the folded bills into her hand. “This
should
The room was disheveled, a
mess of maps and papers. The rich blue hue of the tall walls seemed
to press inward, making the already small space seem
stifling.
Eclipsys entered a short
time later carrying a sheet of paper. “It is a chart of this year’s
summer solstice,” she explained, drawing out the words with her
concocted accent. Her heritage was equally indiscernible; she could
have passed for Asian, Indian or Hispanic.
“I don’t know if you remember,” Francesca
began. “But the last time I was here you said that I was missing
something, something I needed to progress.”
Eclipsys nodded
thoughtfully, setting her dangly earrings to wobble back and forth.
“Yes,” she encouraged, absently fingering the chart. “What is your
question? Why did you come?”
“ Well there’s this guy,”
Francesca explained. “He asked me to marry him. I like him a lot,
but we’ve only known each other for a short time. I just want to
know if maybe he’s that thing you were talking about.”
A few weeks ago she’d been
hoping it meant Reed Wallace, though a few weeks ago she also
denied believing in psychics.
Eclipsys creased her brow,
a look of interest. But she wasn’t interested, not really. She kept
up the act, listening to Francesca before referring to her chart.
“Well, Uranus is nearing an alignment with Pluto which is a
planetary cycle of change. Of course the alignment between Jupiter
and Neptune indicates a more spiritual aspect of change. But one
could certainly interpret marriage as a spiritual union,” Eclipsys
hedged.
She couldn’t possibly be
encouraging Francesca.
“ These dynamics make for a
fascinating time,” Eclipsys continued, giving her chart a tiny
shake. “One in which we must let go of our old philosophies, let go
of our outdated mindsets, move past what hold us back and accept
new possibilities, new opportunities. Change is upon you,
Francesca.”
Francesca would be married
by week’s end at this rate.
“ The Mayan apocalypse was
an astrological prediction too,” I argued. They gave me matching
looks. “I’m just saying...”
“ You are still a skeptic?”
Eclipsys needled. “Even after our last meeting?”
“You were totally right,” Francesca said,
misinterpreting the slight. “Adelaide won’t talk about it,” she
whispered confidentially. “But after she went to this park in
Brunswick they found two dead bodies there.”
That shocked Eclipsys, who
stared at me with renewed interest. I could have groaned, knowing
Nancy was sure to hear about this later.
“You know what,” I said to Francesca. “You
have a lot to think about. Let me take this,” I added, grabbing her
purse. “I’ll go pay Eclipsys at the front desk while you digest
everything you’ve learned.” She didn’t question my bizarre behavior
(I never offered to do anything for anyone) which just went to
prove how preoccupied she was.
Outside the door I dragged
Eclipsys down the hall and whispered furiously, “What the hell are
you on about? You can’t encourage her to marry some douche bag
she’s only known two weeks.”
Eclipsys cocked a hip. “I
read people,” she said, her fake accent giving way to a real one.
She was from New York, mystery solved. “And that girl’s hearing
wedding bells. She’s just looking for an excuse to say
yes.”
I started rooting around
in Francesca’s purse, extracting a wad of cash. “Go back in there
and tell her... tell her that the summer solstice is all about long
days and short nights.” I waved my hand, turning impatient. “Make
up something about the symbolism of it all. A long day signifies
she’ll gain worldly comforts with marriage, but the short night
foretells a waning intimacy. She won’t be happy with him for
long.”
Eclipsys was impressed. “You know, this
could be a good line of work for you.”
“ Yes,” I agreed. “Spouting
bullshit is my art.” I pushed the folded bills into her hand. “This
should
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