The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello Page A

sleeve of her tunic. I heard sniffles from the crowd. But then she lifted her face.
    â€œSandy’s right. We’ve going to carry on. For Judy. It’s what she would want. Who’s ready to start?”
    Larrah Sparks was first on the stage. My aunt handed her a piece of Jet.
    â€œBut it’s black,” Larrah said.
    â€œYes, the Victorians wore it with their mourning clothes. It’s excellent for grief.”
    â€œBut black washes me out.” Larrah held the stone as if it was fungus. Polished to a high shine, the stone reflected light like a mirror. “Don’t you have something bright and happy? You know, not so gloomy?”
    â€œJet’s been used to ward off evil spirits as far back as the Middle Ages.”
    I picked up my drink. There was nothing “magical” about Jet. It was fossilized coal. But the lovely lemmings continued to crowd the table.
    All except one.
    She headed toward the bar as if in a hurry, her wild black hair spilling like ink over a soft Bohemian-blue dress.
    â€œClose your eyes,” my aunt was saying to Larrah. “What do you feel?”
    Larrah’s pale hand clutched the black rock. My aunt waited for a response, then continued her tutorial.
    â€œThe vibrations within these crystals will tune you into the universe. Once you’re on that cosmic vibration, nothing can hold you back as an artist. I’ve seen this again and again.”
    They listened like children hoping a fairy tale would finally come true, rapt and captivated by the promise. But here’s what was true. Minerals could emit vibrations, most notable being atomic energy. And the cells inside our bodies rely on energy, including the electricity that signals complicated processes such as insulin secretion or the production of white blood cells. But to believe that mineralogical energy could be matched to human emotions and produce hit music and great performances was an idea that made Claire seem like a left-brained skeptic.
    â€œWhen we discover which crystal matches your movie character,” Aunt Charlotte continued, “you’re going to experience a total transformation. Now, Larrah, what role are you playing?”
    â€œI’m playing the victim.” She said it with no trace of irony. “So my vibration should go with her vulnerability. But I’m going to show this character has interior strength too, you know what I mean?”
    I turned to the woman in the blue dress. She was ordering a Sprite with lemon and lime.
    â€œYes, lemon,” the bartender replied.
    â€œAnd lime.”
    â€œYes, lemon.”
    â€œNo, and lime.”
    â€œYes, lime.”
    â€œI want both, one each.”
    â€œYes,” he said as if he had no idea what she was talking about, then left to make the drink.
    â€œNot interested in this?” I asked in a low voice, nodding at the stage.
    She glanced over, giving a shy smile. “I like my feelings the way they are. And besides, I’m not really an actor.”
    â€œYou’re part of the crew?”
    â€œI’m a musician. I play the piano player in the movie, but since that’s my real-life job, it’s not really acting.”
    I extended my hand. “Raleigh Harmon.”
    â€œMJ,” she said, shaking. “I’ve seen you around the set.”
    â€œI’m related to the crystal lady.”
    â€œOh—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
    â€œI think it’s a crock.”
    She looked relieved, then glanced back at the stage. Her hazel eyes, along with her mouth, drew down at the outer edge, giving her a wistful expression. “Last time it was worse,” she said. “We had to do past life regression.”
    â€œLast time?”
    â€œJudy was really into this stuff.” MJ sighed. “It was for another movie, and I played another musician. Really stretching here, you know? But Judy brought in this guy who wanted us all to settle our