Magical Legacy

by Pamela M. Richter

  The room quieted down when Alice came in. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

  At that exact moment, there were several loud bangs against the front door. Crack, crack, crack. Michelle suddenly felt high anxiety and fear pass like a wave through her body. A sure psychic signal that something was wrong. The cracks against the door ominously didn’t sound like someone knocking.

  Nevertheless, Alice hurried to the door without hesitation and opened it.

  Bertie, a middle-aged, frizzy haired redhead, and a member of their class, stood in the doorway. Fat tears were rolling down her chubby cheeks. In her arms was a small bloody animal.

  Michelle stood up to see better. The little animal was making soft whining, crying noises. It was young, with soft brown hair, and had the sweetest face.

  Bertie was sobbing, making it hard for her to talk. “I walked over here for class, I live so close. The driver didn’t even stop when he hit the puppy. Sorry I kicked your door.”

  Alice nodded and said authoritatively, “Give the dog to Michelle, Bertie. Hurry. Do it now!”

  Michelle gave Alice a startled look. It was a look that said, you knew. Alice nodded back. In that moment, they understood each other perfectly. Alice knew Michelle had psychic powers. Michelle knew she knew.

  “Class is suspended. You all go home. Michelle and I will take the dog to an emergency animal hospital.”

  Michelle went over to Bertie and gently gathered the little animal in her arms. It gave a tiny heartbreaking yip, like it hurt when moved. She looked down into huge, wet brown puppy eyes that seemed to hold a world of sadness and pain.

  Michelle had healing abilities. She’d used them even when she was a child, always seeming to find injured animals. She would take them home to nurse them back to health. At the time, when she was young, it seemed logical and no big deal.

  Now she wondered if the drugs she had taken for fertility would suppress her ability, or slow it down so much the puppy would die. She desperately wanted this beautiful tiny baby to live.

  Alice quickly propelled all her clients out the door.

  “I don’t know if I can do it,” Michelle said to Alice, looking down at the dog helplessly. “I took some drugs.”

  “What!” Alice thundered at Michelle, truly angry and sounding horrified. “How could you destroy the gift you’ve been given?”

  “I’m trying to have a baby,” Michelle said. “Fertility drugs.”

  Alice nodded. “Remember, magic is all about intent. Concentrate. Send it healing and strength right now.”

  Michelle concentrated and sent love, health, and healing strength. She also managed to pull free the big diamond that was hanging on a chain under her blouse. It gave her energy, she knew; maybe holding it would help revive the puppy. The big gem, always ice-cold, did seem to be warmer in her hand.

  “How’d you know?” Michelle said after a while. The puppy had stopped whimpering and crying.

  “I have the Sight. The Gypsy Sight. I don’t have much real power, but I see it in others.”

  Michelle was intrigued. “May I ask?”

  “I was a gypsy, born to the life. I left the band in my twenties, and tried to meld in with the Townies. That’s what we called the outsiders, the people who stay in one place.”

  She changed the subject abruptly, as though she regretted saying anything personal. “I’m going to get my car. It looks like you’ve started curing the puppy already. Still, we need to get the dog checked out at a hospital. Meet me out front.”

  After they got to the animal hospital, they were whisked into an exam room. An attendant gently washed off all the blood. Then the vet came in and gave the puppy an exam.

  “You said this happened less than an hour ago?” he asked.

  Michelle nodded.

  “It looks like the accident happened maybe a week ago. All the scratches have almost healed. There were some deep lacerations, but they seem okay. I can’t feel any internal problems by palpitation. But she does have a broken right hind leg. I can splint it up and you can take her home right away. Or come back for her tomorrow.”

  “It’s not our dog. A friend saw it hit by a car,” Michelle said.

  “Okay. Well, then it will have to go to an animal shelter,” the vet said.

  Michelle couldn’t stand the thought of this little girl dog all alone in a sterile lonely cage. She’d been hurt. She didn’t need that kind of treatment.

  “I’ll take her home with me,” Michelle said. Lucifer will be furious. Probably have a hissy-fit.

  The vet beamed at her and gave her many samples of puppy food.

  Lucifer had a hissy-fit. He jumped up on Michelle’s shoulder when she went into her place, hissing and yowling, lips pulled back to show sharp white teeth, while attempting to slap at the puppy. Michelle noticed that Lucifer’s claws were not out.

  Michelle said “Stop it, Lucifer! It’s a hurt baby dog.”

  Lucifer jumped down from Michelle’s shoulder and walked away haughtily, tail high in the air. He went into the kitchen and noisily crunched his kibble. Disapproval shown, Michelle thought.

  She couldn’t keep the puppy. It was against the rules of the condominium where she lived to have two pets. Besides, it would make Lucifer unhappy. When he was unhappy he was dangerous. She had a smashing idea and called Heather, still holding the puppy.

  Heather arrived in a few minutes and fell in love.

  “Oh, my stars,” Heather enthused. “That’s the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen. Can I hold her?”

  Her plan was working perfectly, Michelle thought, as she told Heather the story about the dog being hit by a car.

  “Oh, the poor baby,” Heather said. Then she whispered, “What did Lucifer do?”

  “He slapped at her, but stopped when I told him to. Now Lucifer is sulking under the bed.”

  Heather knew just how dangerous the cat was. “Maybe I could take the puppy home for a while, if you think there might be a problem.” Then she looked carefully at Michelle’s face. “I don’t need paranormal powers,” Heather scolded. “You planned the whole thing in advance so I would take the dog. But I want this baby desperately, anyway.”

  “You’re so easy to manipulate,” Michelle laughed.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself,” Heather said without any emphasis; she was thrilled. Then she started baby talking to her new pet about the wonderful walks they would take together, and car rides, and playing with tennis balls and sticks.

  Heather went home happily, holding her new dog and a bag of pet food. She had already named it Flash, because the dog had a white mark on the top of her head shaped like a lightning bolt.

  Chapter 6

  Leilanie lay quietly in bed, waiting to make sure Omar was deeply asleep. Even if he woke, he’d probably think she’d just gone to the bathroom to pee, but she wasn’t taking any chances. He might wonder what was taking her so long.

  Finally, with a deep breath, she slowly removed the covers and put her feet on the floor. She avoided the places where the old floor creaked, went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.

  On the side of the sink, along with her toothbrush and make-up, was a black enamel lock-box which contained all the jewelry Omar had given her. She picked it up, took the key out from the underside, where she had taped it and unlocked the box, opening the lid.

  There were many drawers inside. She opened each one, taking out gorgeous rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. She wrapped each item in tissue paper and placed them all in a silk pouch. Then she put the bulging pouch into a hidden compartment in her largest hand bag.

  She tiptoed back to bed.

  The next morning she told Omar she was going to take the train into Paris to do some shopping for the girls. The maids promised to take care of the girls while she was gone.

  Leilanie took one of Omar’s cars to the station. The train took about two hours to get into the heart of Paris.

  The jewelry in her purse made her quite nervo
us as she took a taxi to the Cartier Jewelry Store on Vendome Place. She kept looking around apprehensively, to see if there were any unsavory characters watching her. There were lots of them and she hurried to get safely to the store.

  Leilanie also had the horrible idea that some, or maybe all of the beautiful gems, were fake. If Omar was sneaking around fucking other women, who knew what other tricks he would play on her?

  At the Cartier store she would get the gems appraised. There was a hefty fee, but it was well worth the price to know for sure. If she had a list with the value of each item to show to a pawn broker from a prominent store like Cartier, he couldn’t steal her blind.

  She’d arranged ahead of time for the appraisal, and an old white haired man named Samuel took her into the back offices, behind the large sales room showcasing a stunning array of sparkling jewelry items for sale. Leilanie sat down across from him, opened her purse and spread out all the jewelry on his desk.

  The old man took his time. He used a loupe and a scale for appraising each piece. Writing down notes, he then used an old fashioned calculator and showed her the total worth.

  Leilanie tried to appear unaffected, but inside she rejoiced. She had a fortune to start her new life.

  “This emerald is outstanding,” Samuel said, picking up a necklace, peering at the stone through his loupe. “Would you consider selling it? I wouldn’t be able to give you the total retail value, of course.”

  Leilanie looked in Samuel’s eyes. She trusted him. On the other hand, she had trusted Omar. But she’d probably get more from the jeweler in this big store than at a pawn shop.

  “I was planning on selling all the pieces,” Leilanie confided. “I have three girls to put through college.”

  The old guy smiled, “Surely you’re too young for college kids. You’re only a kid yourself.”

  “My children are still young, but I’m all alone and need to provide for their future. These jewels were gifts from a wealthy man. I can’t name him, but I assure you the jewelry is not stolen. I own it.”

  Samuel nodded at her. “Okay. We negotiate.”

  There was a lot of paperwork to fill out. She sold almost all the items to Samuel. He had his own jewelry shop, a small one, only working at Cartier part time. He would be selling the jewelry in his own store.

  “Young lady, if I find out this jewelry is stolen, I have your name and address,” Samuel said sternly as Leilanie was leaving. “I will send gendarmes to arrest you.”

  “That won’t happen, Samuel,” Leilanie said, smiling at him as she left his office.

  Leilanie felt lighter, like she was stepping on clouds of relief when she hailed another taxi. She already had a fortune in cash.

  Her last stop would be in the Marias district. The Credit Municipal of Paris. It was probably the largest pawn shop in France. When she got there, Leilanie had to take a ticket. There was a line of people ahead of her.

  She’d researched the place on line. Every day hundreds of Parisians took a number and waited on plastic benches to hand over furs, jewels, and family heirlooms to raise cash.

  She had to wait almost an hour, but the negotiation was fast and efficient. She was out of the huge building and on her way home with enough money to leave Omar and live a good life in Hawaii with her children.

  It was surprising to Leilanie that she could fall out of love so fast and so completely. Just one peek at Omar with another woman had done it for her. Still, she was sad and nostalgic. She almost wished she didn’t know now what she didn’t know then. She’d been totally content living with him, believing Omar would be the love of her life, ‘till the end of her life.

  The sad thing was, now she almost felt sorry for Omar. She finally understood that he was probably a sociopath, as well as being gifted with startling psychic abilities. Many sociopaths she had read about didn’t have the normal feelings of empathy that normal people had, but they had amazing charisma and charm. That picture fit Omar to a T. He had given her jewelry gifts because he really couldn’t give her any part of himself.

  Omar didn’t have the capacity to feel anything for her, or even his own children. He lived for pleasure, gaining wealth, and manipulating other people to always have his own way.

  Omar would never have the joys of loving people, laughing and playing with them; making them happy. So Leilanie felt sorry that he lived a lonely and barren life, even if he wasn’t aware of what he was missing.

  Not that he wasn’t dangerous. Leilanie was on pins and needles throughout all the next week, before she would leave France, fearing Omar would find she was up to something. If he figured out she was leaving him, he would retaliate, she was sure. He might not harm her physically, but she shuddered to think of the psychic pain he could induce. He’d probably banish her from the children’s lives forever; the worst possible punishment.

  She scheduled her flight with the three girls on the day Omar was planning to be in Spain, visiting his Wiccan coven.

  Packing for their new life was almost totally absent. She couldn’t make preparations or Omar would be alerted. She’d be leaving a wonderful children’s wardrobe, lots of toys the kids loved, and her own clothing, but she could always buy what they needed when they got to Hawaii.

  She purchased tickets online for herself and the girls. They’d leave the Charles de Gaulle Airport, flying over the Atlantic, for New York. Then they’d take a flight across the country to California, where they would fly directly into the Honolulu Airport. From there they would live in a hotel until she found a place to rent on the windward side of the island.

  She had to be careful to stay away from Waikiki. That’s where Michelle, the biological mother of her children, lived. If Michelle wanted her children back and there was a maternity test, she would probably get custody, because it would prove she was the biological mother. Michelle held all the cards in that kind of court fight. Judges usually granted a child to the genetic mother, regardless of the circumstances.

  Chapter 7

  Today was the big day. Michelle took off work to go to the Oahu Fertility Clinic to have an embryo implanted.

  She’d read all about the in vetro fertilization procedure. Long term studies of the medical statistics found that resting up for a day, or even several days, as had been done in the past, didn’t make any difference to the outcome of whether or not the embryo implant actually implanted, and grew into a child. Still, she planned on resting in bed all day, just for luck, because she was superstitious, and because Rod insisted she do so as well.

  He drove her to the clinic and planted himself in the waiting room, vowing not to move until the procedure was done.

  “I love you,” Rod said as the nurse came to get her.

  “Ditto,” Michelle replied, winking at him as she followed the woman into the room where Dr. Fugima was waiting. He already had his mask in place as she changed into a paper gown and was positioned on a cold metal table covered with crinkly paper.

  The implant was supposed to be painless, like getting a pap smear, Michelle had read. At the time she always wondered if the articles were written by men. In her experience pap smears were unpleasant; a cold metal instrument invading a sensitive area.

  Michelle couldn’t see what was happening because her knees were bent up and she was draped with a sheet. Dr. Fugima was using an ultrasound to guide the embryo to exactly the right spot before it was puffed out of the catheter.

  The placement of the embryo was critical to the whole IVF (in vitro fertilization) process, and she could see the doctor’s serious concentration.

  Then it was done, almost painlessly, and Dr. Fugima stood up, telling her to stay in that position until the nurse came for her in about an hour. Michelle didn’t move an inch, and might have gone to sleep if the room wasn’t so blasted cold. Or maybe it was just the excitement of knowing that a possible baby was now growing inside of her.

  The nurse finally came into the room and handed Michelle her clothes. She sat on the side of the table and go
t dressed. Then she went back to the waiting room.

  As soon as she arrived, Rod clicked his cell phone off and hurried over to her. “How are you?”

  “Just fine,” Michelle answered.

  There were several women sitting in the waiting room. Rod looked around and said, “Can someone open the door?” as he bent down and picked Michelle up in his arms.

  One of the women rushed to the door and opened it. Rod gave her a little bow, still holding Michelle, who was laughing, and went through the door with her.

  “I can walk,” Michelle protested as he moved down the hallway, still carrying her.

  He turned around to hit the bar to open the door for the parking lot with his butt. “Of course you can. I’m just not taking any chances.”

  When he got to his car he placed her gently on her feet and opened the passenger side, holding onto her arm as she got inside.

  “I’m not an invalid,” Michelle said, but she was touched. “More than ditto, you know.”

  Rod nodded and closed the door. “I knew for sure when you said you wanted all the eggs implanted with my sperm.”

  Michelle started laughing. “What? You think I’m going to pick someone else’s?”

  “Too late now,” Rod said with satisfaction as he started driving.

  He allowed Michelle to walk into their apartment, but rushed her into the bedroom and said, “Just a minute.” He left the room and came back with her cell phone, her Kindle, and he moved the TV remote to where she could easily reach it. “Snacks,” Rod said and left the room. He came back with a big bowl of chips and a water bottle from the refrigerator.

  Gosh, I hope this works, Michelle thought as she lay there, with Lucifer cuddled up against her side. She realized how important this was to Rod.

  Life went on, but no matter what Michelle did, there was always the realization that she had to wait a whole long month before she knew if she would have a baby. The waiting time went excruciatingly slowly, and she tried to keep as busy as possible to avoid obsessing. Not thinking about it was like not noticing an elephant in the room.