by J G Jerome
I had discussed the Chicago trip with my ladies the day Susan raised it. We even called Audrey to see if she wanted to go. She needed to check her school and volleyball schedules, but she hasn’t mentioned it since. I haven’t followed up, either. Our calls have all been taken up with her gushing about her senior project. I’ll have to check with her tonight. I drop a note to Susan to tell her I’ll do it, but that I’m not sure how big of an entourage I’ll be bringing.
At that point, Josie walks in with Maria.
I grab my phone, pistol, and a water bottle before loading the ladies into the CRV. We head over to Maria’s house. Once there, Maria makes us mugs of coffee and then sends us out to Dan’s shop.
Josie shows me her purchases. She has everything from the shopping list we agreed - a variety of lengths of one-by-fours, two-by-fours, twine, glue, and a Kreg kit complete with screws, jigs, and clamps.
I show her how to do mitre joints with Dan’s old wooden mitre box. We make an eight by ten inch frame from a length of pine two-by-four lumber, glue, and Kreg screws, leaving enough room between the two screws to bisect the frame.
Josie wraps twine around the sides of the frame and coats the string with a quick-drying glue while pouring power into the construct. She lets it dry while she bathes the frame with more magical energy.
Other than power bathing the construct, I don’t see anything going on.
The most interesting thing I see is that the energy isn’t black, blue, red, violet, green, or any other color. It’s white - like when I merge the blue and black energies I manipulate.
Josie stands and looks down at the frame. She raises her eyes to me.
I say, “I didn’t see anything special. Should I?”
Josie shakes her head. “Nope. You send the power forth with your intent. I sent the intent ‘passage through.’ I’ll have to do it again to reinforce the relationships - built from the same length of board, bound with the same string, two halves of the same original whole. I plan to start and finish with the thought ‘these halves cannot be separated.’ I’ll also reinforce the ‘passage through’ idea. I find it is all about visualizing.”
We draw guidelines for the saw to follow and clamp it into Dan’s bench vice.
Josie draws a front-to-back line to ensure we hold them together correctly after the two halves have been separated. Then we start to cut.
We work our way around the frame, re-clamping it to cut through each side of the frame. Josie has me cut while she pushes power into the entire construct to start reinforcing the relationships as the halves split. I finish cutting the frame into two essentially identical frames. I run a sanding block over all the sawn edges.
Josie cautions me, “Don’t stick the sanding block through the center.” I cock an eyebrow and make sure I’m careful to follow her instructions.
Josie lines up the two halves using the front-to-back line and clamps them together. She sets it on the bench and circles her right hand around the frame. After three circuits she uses her left hand to flip it while she reverses the direction of her hand, moving counter-clockwise. Apparently thaumaturgy requires decent dexterity. After three circuits she reverses direction again but remains on the second half for another three circuits. She then flips them again, reversing direction as her power bathes the first side again for three circuits.
Josie repeats the whole process nine times. Once she is done, she picks the assemblage up and carefully removes the clamps. She makes a happy humming sound as she floods the frames in power again and pulls them apart carefully - ensuring her finger does not poke inside either frame any deeper than the particular half she is holding. She gently extends half towards me.
“Will, please grasp the frame by the outside. Don’t let a finger get inside the frame. We need to test with inanimate objects first.”
I pinch the wooden frame in my fingers. “Like this?”
She nods. I ask, “What happens if I get a finger inside?”
Josie says, “That depends. If you go in the side of the cut, the tip of your finger will be cut off. See how the edge of the sandpaper has holes in it? If you go in the non-cut side you will be able to pull it back out.”
“Note to self. Be careful,” I murmur.
She says, “Walk to the other side of the bench and set it down on the base.”
I do as asked, setting the bottom of the frame on the bench. “Like this?”
Josie nods. “Yes, but turn it around so the cut age is facing me.” She puts clamps on the bottom of her half, which essentially act as a support base. She grabs two more clamps and walks to my half and does the same thing. She kisses my cheek before walking back to her half. “Stay there to stabilize it in case things go wonky.”
“How wonky?” I ask.
She smiles at me, “As in exactly the opposite of what I want - it creates a barrier rather than a portal.”
“Not dangerous, then?” I ask.
She shrugs and smiles prettily. “No more so than any other attempt to manipulate time and space.”
“Oh, jeez,” I mutter.
Josie gets serious as she picks up a dowel rod that Dan had in stock and slowly starts to feed it into the frame with just a touch of power. I see it start to poke out of my half of the frame as Josie’s face splits into a huge grin.
She instructs me, “Pull it all the way through, Will.”
I look through the side of the frame facing Josie. The frame shows the space where I was standing, but looking through the other side I see Josie’s hand feeding the dowel through the frame. I grasp the exposed six inches of the dowel and pull it through, grasping it with my other hand at the half-way point to keep it centered in the frame. I extract the last of the dowel and hold it over my head as Josie slides up behind me to wrap her arms around my waist.
“Great start,” she says as she squeezes me. “Okay, let me have the dowel,” she says as she releases me. “Go down to the other end to catch this coming out.”
I sense her pushing power forward as she pushes the dowel through the frame. It starts poking through on my end, so I repeat the ‘grab and pull procedure’ to extract it. I hold it up in the air. She smiles and does a bouncy little dance. The effect on her breasts is hypnotic.
Josie tells me, “Okay, Will. Feed it back through.”
“Do I need to push power into it?” I ask.
Her hair bounces prettily as she shakes her head. “It shouldn’t be necessary. I did it the first time in each direction to reinforce the idea that since they are ‘one,’ objects can pass through from one direction. Then I did the same from the other direction.”
I pass the dowel through the frame as she wraps up her explanation. She pulls it through quickly. Then she picks up the frame and walks it down to me. I notice she is still careful not to put her fingers through it.
She places the second frame on the bench next to mine, facing me. “Okay, Will. Now we test what happens when they are not in line.” She feeds the dowel through. I pull it all the way through and then feed it back, so Josie can pull it through.
“Grab another piece of wood we didn’t buy,” she tells me. I walk over to Dan’s scrap bin and pull a three-foot length of one-by-two ash.
I return to the bench to see Josie pushing the dowel through while running it around the inside circumference of the frame. She does the same in the other direction.
She inspects the dowel and nods to herself that it is still intact. She tells me, “Perfect. Push that though the upper left corner while I push this one through the lower right.”
I do as asked, but see her dowel arriving on my lower left as mine appears in her upper right corner. We pull each other’s piece through. “Perfect,'' she mutters.
I think through it for a moment before it clicks in my pea brain. ‘It’s like we are facing each other on different sides of the frame.’ I tell her, “I gotta be careful, or this is going to twist my noodle.”
Josie giggles. “Right? It would have been obvious if we arr
anged them like they were when they were cut and stood on opposite sides, but that really doesn’t test it. Okay. Both of us push in and pull back out. I want to test reversals. Insert on your right side.”
We each push our test pieces through. Hers comes out on my left but reverses before I grab it. I follow her example, reversing direction. Then we inspect pieces for obvious damage, and I flex mine to check for weakness. We find no issues.
Dan, Maria, Marissa, and Rebecca walk in. Dan says, “I heard my shop had been taken over.” Josie sets her dowel down and gives Dan a hug. Marissa and Rebecca slide under my arms for hugs and kisses.
She says as she squeezes him, “That’s right, Papa. Thanks for letting me use it.”
He chuckles and hugs her back. “What are you working on, Josie?”
She releases him and steps back to look him in the eye. She looks at Marissa, who shrugs. “I don’t know Josie. I haven’t talked to them about your talents or crafts. Will’s or Rebecca’s either.”
Josie purses her lips as she surveys the faces in the room while trying to decide what to reveal.
I say, “Dan. Maria. Josie, Rebecca, and myself are not completely ‘normal.’ We’re about to show you what that means. I need you to swear to secrecy. You cannot share this with anyone or talk about it in front of anyone. Josie, Rebecca, and I would all be hunted down and either killed or enslaved if word gets out.” Marissa grabs a length of pipe and walks out to take a circuit around the perimeter of the shop. She returns as Dan and Maria nod to each other.
Dan looks at me and says, “Okay. I promise.” I look at Maria.
She nods. “I promise, Will.”
I look to Josie and nod. She says, “It’s easier to explain if I just show it to you.” She picks up the frame in front of her and walks to the other end of the bench. She sets it up with the exit facing her.
She looks up at me. “Will, would you hand me that screwdriver please?”
I reach to the pegboard over the bench to lift a heavy screwdriver and then pass it through the frame. Josie pulls it through as it emerges and holds it up in the air. I turn to look at Dan and Maria. They’re gobsmacked.
Rebecca is bouncing up and down with happiness. “Josie! It worked.”
I wave Dan over to stand next to me. I call out to my lover. “Josie, dear. Please give Dan his screwdriver back.”
She answers. “Sure, Will.” She drops her hand and pokes the screwdriver back through her portal.
I look at Marissa’s dad. He slowly reaches out and grabs the tip and extracts the heavy screwdriver from the frame. Maria steps up and looks through the frame, so Josie squats down to look back at her.
Maria gasps, “You’re right there!” She lifts her hand to stick it through. I grab her wrist before her finger sticks through.”
“Not yet, Maria! I think we have a couple of more tests before we stick body parts through,” I tell her.
Josie stands up with a startled look. “Oh yes. Please wait, Maria. I want to make sure it’s safe before you try it.”
Dan asks, “So this is like a teleporter?”
“Star Trek much, Dad?” Marissa laughs.
“That’s right,” he confirms. “None of that Star Wars crap with fuzzy stuffed animals.”
Josie says, “I don’t know anything about that, but I think of them as a ‘passageway.’ This is my first test. Once I get the kinks worked out, then I will make a bigger version.”
“Why?” Maria asks. “How?”
Josie looks to me before responding, “Maybe we can discuss over dinner?” She carries the frame back and places it next to the one in front of me.
She picks up a three-foot piece of two-by-four and sets it on edge. Then she passes the dowel through the frame until both ends rest on the two-by-four. Then she focuses her intent while holding a hand over each half of the frame. I open my second sight and watch Josie pour energy into the frames.
She murmurs, “I’m enforcing that the 'passage' is just a doorway. The relationship needs to support not just passing through, but also stopping in the doorway. In theory, it shouldn’t matter, but one of the lessons my Pa taught me was that you test every possible scenario you can. I want to be certain because we can’t pass body parts all the way through on a small frame like this. You enter, pause, and then retract.”
Josie stops pushing energy into the frame. She picks up the other stick, holds it, and finally withdraws it. She has the cutest look of concentration as she pulls the length of one-by-two. She presents one end to me. I hold one to my end, and Josie sets her feet and pulls hard.
I tell her, “I don’t feel any give, honey.”
Josie nods her head. “Me either. Let’s try it with this one.” She pulls out the dowel. I grab the end, and Josie pulls on it. She nods, sets her feet, and tries it again. “I think we’re good.”
Josie sets the dowel down and shoves her left hand into the frame. It comes out the other. I laugh and squeeze her hand before she withdraws it.
She holds up her hand. She commands, “Check it with your sight, Will.”
I think to myself, ‘Oh shit! I’m the fallback plan!’
Josie’s left hand looks normal to my second sight. “Hold up the right next to it, Josie.”
I compare them. “I can’t see any effect, Josie. It looks the same as the right.”
Josie jokes, “Oh no! I have two right hands.”
All six of us chuckle. Josie cups her hand under the top of one frame, and her fingers poke out the top of the other one. She lifts her frame, but the other stays in place. It’s freaky to see her walk to the other end of the bench with her fingers curling around the frame sitting in front of me.
She sets it down and removes her hand. “Look through the frame now, Maria.”
I step back, and Marissa’s mother squats in front of the frame on our end of the bench as Josie squats down in front of the frame on her end. Suddenly Josie’s hand comes out of the frame to cup Maria’s face. Maria smiles and pats Josie’s hand.
Josie says, “Hold my hand, Maria.” Maria does, and Josie guides her hand forward and through the frames past her elbow. “Look over the frame, Maria.”
Above the frame on the other side we see a hand resting on Josie’s hand. Josie says, “Wave, Maria.” We see the hand waving back and forth.
“Oh my goodness!” Maria exclaims.
Dan asks, “Is that your hand, love?”
“Yes,” Maria confirms. She withdraws her hand and stands. “That is mind-bending. Why are you doing this, Josie?”
Josie looks at her solemnly. “When we’re in the house, Maria.”
“Fine,” Maria drawls. “Dinner is ready. Come eat.”
Josie removes the clamps from the frames, places them back-to-back, and puts them in a plastic shopping bag. She takes it with her into the house.
20
Opening the kimono
I notice that Maria’s dining room has a wall of windows. I’ve never noticed before, but that makes it suboptimal for a ‘cone of silence.’ However, there are heavy curtains at each end that appear to cover the windows.
Josie asks, “Can we close those, Maria?”
Dan says, “Although heavy curtains can muffle laser microphones, I think it would be better if we discuss Josie’s project over drinks after dinner in my office.”
“Okay,” Josie says.
Maria serves a lovely, delicious pasta bolognese meal with ciabatta bread, caesar salad, and sauteed broccoli and cauliflower.
Josie is fascinated with the napkin rolled around the flatware.
We catch up on each other’s day as we eat the delicious meal. Afterwards everyone helps clear up before we retire to Dan’s office. Maria brings a tray of brandy snifters. Dan throws a couple of switches on his desk. Shutters close over the window looking out towards his dojo. I hear a soft whine and a couple of low thuds.
Dan nods and pulls a bottle off the sideboard. “Brandy for everyone?” He pours a small portion into the bottom
of each snifter and passes them around. Maria adjusts the chairs so everyone can face Josie before taking a seat in one of the easy chairs. Marissa and Rebecca take seats in sturdy straight chairs from the work table. Josie and I sit in the remaining table chairs.
Josie holds my hand and looks at me.
I tell Dan and Maria, “Josie, Rebecca, and I all have magical talents. Our fourth lady, Audrey does too. Rebecca…” I hesitate.
Rebecca takes over. “I’m a witch. I study the properties of plants and use them to help or harm. My craft imbues the essences of plants with power to make them more effective. If you are ill, I can craft a medicine. If you have a vermin problem, I can craft a poison that will safely get rid of them.
I reveal my own secret. “I am a necromancer. I’ve learned that isn’t anything like what you read in popular fiction. It means I have the ability to manipulate life and death energies - or maybe more accurately growth and entropy energies. I am currently using them to fix a health problem for Marissa and for my sister, Allison.”
Marissa interjects, “Mom, I have breast cancer. I had three nodules in my left breast and one in my right. The two smallest are gone. Will checked me last night and treated the two bigger ones again. I’m hopeful they will be permanently gone soon.
I tell her, “We’ll treat you as often as needed until they’re gone. I don’t currently see anything. That one on your right will be the trickiest one, my love. I may have to work on it for some time.”
Rebecca says, “Your life force is stronger, beloved. We will get you healed.” She turns to Maria. “Will’s sister has stage four lymphoma. The chemo?...” I nod. “The chemo was killing her faster than the cancer. Will and I treated her for a week, and when we left she was much healthier.”
