The Starfish Talisman

by Lark Griffing

  “Griff, let Reagan get out of the car.” The dog looked back and wagged his tail at Chase as the young man jumped down from the wide front porch and jogged toward the car. “Hey there, sunshine,” said Chase as he reached for Reagan’s hand and gave her a casual kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey, you,” Reagan said shyly. She wasn’t used to the easy way Chase had slid into a comfortable relationship with her. She was accustomed to the stupid posturing and coy games the teens back home always seemed to play.

  “Are you ready to meet my mom and learn the secrets of soap?”

  “Sure,” she shut the door, and they started for the house. “Oh, wait, hang on.” She ran back to the car and retrieved the blueberry muffins. “My tuition payment.” She opened the bag and let Chase inhale the heavenly scent.

  “Cora Rose’s blueberry muffins? I like you even more now than I did last night.” Reagan blushed, and Chase laughed.

  “Did I just hear something about Cora Rose’s famous muffins?” A slight woman with long golden hair came out of a small shed that was covered with climbing roses and other flowering vines. In front of the shed was a beautiful garden laid out in the shape of a Celtic knot, the crushed seashell path showing the lines of the intricate pattern.

  “Mom, this is Reagan, and she comes bearing gifts.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Reagan. I am happy to meet the girl who has forced Willow to converse with another human.” She clasped Reagan’s hands and smiled, looking into her eyes. Reagan was immediately filled with warmth. Kindness radiated from the woman’s deep green eyes and the softly lined face. Emma’s eyes dropped to Reagan’s neck, and she gasped involuntarily. She recovered quickly with a smile.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” asked Chase, and Reagan looked uneasily between the two of them.

  “Nothing, I just was noticing the beautiful starfish pendant that Reagan is wearing. I haven’t seen that in many, many years. Where did you find it, dear?”

  “I didn’t find it. Seth gave it to me,” said Reagan. Emma’s eyes darkened, the green turning even more intense.

  “Seth, who is Seth?” asked Chase. Emma’s mother shook her head slightly at Chase, but Reagan didn’t notice.

  “Seth is a guy who I met a couple of times down on the cliffs below Willow’s house. He said he lived around the curve of the cliff. I’m surprised you don’t know him. I thought everyone knew everybody in a small town like this. How could you have seen it before, Mrs. Renault? Seth said he made it for me.”

  “Call me Emma. May I?” Emma asked as she reached to take the pendant in her hand. Reagan nodded. Emma gently picked up the pendant, lifting it from the hollow of Reagan’s throat. She leaned forward and examined it closely. Closing her fingers around the starfish, she closed her eyes and smiled. She stayed that way for a second, then opened her startling green eyes. She smiled warmly at Reagan and said, “It reminds me of a pendant that I knew of a long time ago. It is a striking resemblance. It is a good pendant, full of positive energy. Wear it in good health.” She gently lay the starfish back down onto Reagan’s skin. Reagan felt the starfish radiate warmth, and she felt a sense of peace.

  “So, are we going to eat the muffins or just stand here in the driveway looking at a piece of jewelry some random guy made for you?” Chase asked. Reagan looked at him, surprised, not thinking of the fact that he might be slightly jealous of the situation. He smiled at her and winked. He didn’t seem to be taking it too badly.

  Emma turned and led them into the knot garden. They wound along the shell path to the side of the whimsical shed where a delicate table and several chairs sat under a tall, sweeping pine tree. Emma took the cozy off a pot of tea and poured while Reagan put the muffins on three exquisite china plates.

  “These plates are beautiful, and they look old,” said Reagan, “I’m afraid to use them, especially outdoors.”

  “Yes, they are very old. They were my great-great grandmother’s. She would have loved that we are using them outdoors. What is the point of hiding beauty behind glass? Things are much more beautiful when they are in the sunlight and are loved daily. Don’t you think? Besides, it is better to be broken, scarred, and loved than it is to be perfect, whole, unloved and alone.” Reagan thought about it for a moment and realized that Emma was absolutely right.

  They finished the tea and muffins, and Emma asked Chase to go into the house to get the goat’s milk from the freezer.

  “Goat’s milk?” asked Reagan.

  “That’s the kind of soap I make. I use goat’s milk. You will have to meet Hyssop and Lavender. They are my current nannies that I keep for the milk.”

  “Wait, you have your own goats?”

  “Yes, you can meet them later. Once we make the soap, I will take you out to the goat barn.” With that Chase walked up holding two large bags of frozen goat milk. “Let’s get started,” Emma said, as she opened the picturesque shed.

  A couple of hours later, they emerged from the shed, Reagan’s head swirling with the different fragrance possibilities. She had only been curious when she’d come to see the process of soap making, but now she was hooked. They’d made a new batch by mixing sweet honeysuckle fragrance with a touch of tangerine. The results were heavenly. Emma was trying to come up with a name for their new product along with a sketch for the label but hadn’t come up with any good ideas yet. Chase took Reagan to meet the nannies while Emma completed the record keeping. She recorded every step and every weight measurement of each ingredient so she could duplicate the recipe and make another identical batch if the results were favorable.

  Reagan was delighted with the goats. The nannies came trotting up to the fence when Chase and Reagan approached. Chase showed Reagan how the goats would nibble her fingers looking for a treat, but these goats were polite and wouldn’t bite.

  “It’s not fair. We don’t have a treat for them,” said Reagan. Emma came up behind them and handed Chase an apple. He twisted the apple, breaking it in half. He broke the halves in pieces and handed one to Reagan.

  “Here you go. They love apples.” They fed the goats the apples, and Reagan scratched each one behind the ears. Griff the collie came up and stretched his nose up to Reagan, demanding the same treatment. She laughed and petted the dog.

  “They like you,” said Emma, as she watched the dog lean against Reagan’s legs.

  “I like them. I’ve never had a pet, but now I wish I did. I love Wiley. He is the best dog, and this morning I ran into Willow’s cat. I don’t know its name, but I don’t think he likes me very much.”

  “Hmmm, I didn’t know Willow had a cat. It’s not like her. Don’t worry about a cat not liking you. It’s not in their nature to like people. They merely tolerate them to get the human to do their bidding. Dogs were put here to be companions to people. Cats were put here to torment people. Some cultures thought cats were sent to earth from the devil while other cultures worship the cat. I have to be honest, I’ve never really met a cat I liked or trusted,” said Emma.

  “Well, I have nothing to base it on, but I’m not sold on the cat. I do know that when I get to go back home, I am going to ask my mom if I can have a dog.”

  “What kind of dog do you want?” asked Chase.

  “I never really thought about it. I like Wiley a lot, but Griff is beautiful. This is a collie, right?”

  “Yes. He is a sable and white rough collie. I’m not surprised that you like him. Your father had a collie when he was young. His collie came from the same breeder as this one.”

  “That’s right. I heard that story from Willow. The dog died trying to save my dad.”

  “Your dad loved that dog.”

  “Wait, this dog is from that guy, I forget his name, that my dad had to save a bunch of money for and then walked a long way to get the dog?”

  Yes, this dog is a Whitstock dog. The line is very old. Whitstock has been breeding collies for as long as anyone can remember, and the man is as old as dirt,” said Emma.

  “It would be so cool to
have a Whitstock collie, just like my dad. They are really expensive, though, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, they do cost a pretty penny, although occasionally, a pup is born that isn’t quite up to Whitstock’s standards. A lot of breeders would destroy the dog, but Whitstock’s never done that. He makes sure the animal can’t be bred, and then he finds the offensive pup a good home. Griff here was one of those offensive puppies.”

  “What’s wrong with Griff? He’s beautiful,” cried Reagan.

  “His right ear doesn’t tip just right, and his tail has a crooked spot,” laughed Chase. “He just isn’t a pretty collie, are you buddy? You old, ugly cur.”

  “I think he is absolutely perfect. I wonder if Mr. Whitstock has any offensive puppies that I could buy. I wonder if my mom would let me have one?”

  “Well, I have to deliver some of my calendula salve to him. One of his dogs got cut up on some barbed wire. He likes to use my herbal salve because it is natural. I was going to take it to him tomorrow. Would you like to come along?”

  “I would love to. As long as I’m not intruding.”

  “Not at all, my dear. I look forward to it. Now would you two like to throw some hamburgers on the grill for lunch while I make up a salad?”

  “Sure, Mom. You go pick some salad and I’ll fire up the grill.”

  “Pick some salad?” asked Reagan.

  “Yeah, Mom has a kitchen garden at the side of the house. Anytime we want a salad, she just goes to the kitchen garden and picks everything fresh. Why don’t you go with her while I grab some burgers and get the grill going?”

  Reagan followed Emma around to the back of the cottage. There was a white picket fence surrounding a neat garden with rows of different types of lettuce, spinach, carrots, and other vegetables. Emma handed her a basket and showed her which lettuce leaves were ready to harvest and how to know which carrot was plump enough to pull. When the basket was full, Emma took it into the house.

  “You’ll find Chase on the side of the house at the grill. I can already smell the burgers cooking. I’ll wash the greens and bring the salad out in a few minutes.”

  “Can I help you with anything else?” asked Reagan.

  “No, but thank you. My guess is Chase is sulking because you aren’t out there with him. I will join you two in a minute.”

  Reagan rounded the corner of the house to find a stone patio with a large wooden table flanked with mismatched wooden chairs. Chase flourished a grill spatula as he expertly flipped a burger.

  “Rare as in your beauty, or well-done as in your kindness, my lady?” Reagan made pantomimed gagging, then laughed.

  “How about medium like the average person I really am.”

  “You are anything but average, Reagan. I just don’t think you know it yet.” He reached for her hand and pulled her close to him. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she looked up into his eyes. He lowered his face and gently brushed his lips against hers. She responded, pressing closer to him. He groaned and playfully bit her lower lip, tugging gently. She opened her eyes and saw he was watching her, amused.

  “Your mother is going to see us,” Reagan said, nervously.

  “My dear, my mother doesn’t have to see us to know exactly what is going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, you will figure out soon enough that my mother knows things. It’s just the way it is. She just knows things.”

  Chapter 18

  Reagan sat on the porch absently petting Wiley. He sat on her feet and leaned heavily against her legs. He was tense and obviously unhappy.

  “What’s the matter, boy? Why are you acting the way you are?” asked Reagan. He looked up at her, his eyes deep pools of sadness. “Do you miss Willow? She should be home tomorrow.” Wiley thumped his tail, but only one wag. He leaned harder against her tilting his head back so she could scratch his throat. He cried softly and looked out into the evening fog rising over the cliff. He was clearly one unhappy dog.

  “Are you sick?” She looked at the dog, now getting worried. “Maybe you ate something that made you sick. I’m not sure what to do.” She remembered something about dog’s noses needing to be cold and wet. She reached around and touched the end of the dog’s snout. It was cold and damp. That was good, right? Looking at him closely, she decided something just wasn’t right. She pulled out her phone and texted Chase, telling him that Wiley was acting weird. She waited for a text back. Instead, the phone rang. The caller id let her know it was Chase.

  “Hey Chase, I’m sorry for bothering you, but I’m really worried about Wiley.”

  “Reagan, it’s Emma. What’s going on?”

  “He looks sad and mopey. He keeps leaning on me like he wants something, and he keeps whimpering.”

  “Is he throwing up or does he have diarrhea? Will he eat food?”

  “I don’t think he has thrown up or anything. Let me go get one of your puppy biscuits.” She went into the kitchen and reached into the glass apothecary jar where Emma’s homemade puppy biscuits were kept for Wiley. He followed her, sticking to her leg like glue. When she offered the biscuit, he took it, holding it in his mouth as he followed her back out to the porch. He laid down and half-heartedly ate the biscuit, watching her with sad eyes the whole time.

  “He ate the biscuit, but he just seems unhappy.”

  “Since he ate, I wouldn’t be too worried. He probably misses Willow. Also, it sounds like he really feels the need to protect you, so let him stay with you when he wants to. Can you do that? Do you want me to come over and check him?”

  “No, I think we’ll be fine. He just left me and is whimpering at the kitchen door.”

  “Does he have to go out?”

  “No, he wants in. We are sitting on the porch right now.”

  “It’s getting dark. He won’t want to be out in the dark, and he will want you in, so why don’t you lock up for the night? If you’re worried or nervous, just call or text Chase and we will head over. Okay? Oh, and Reagan, keep that starfish necklace on. It has good mojo. Good night, sweetie.”

  Reagan reached up and rubbed the necklace. As always, the smooth metal was slightly warm to the touch. Yeah, everyone in this town is completely nuts, but she really didn’t mind when it was Emma talking nuts. In fact, it actually felt comforting.

  She took the dog in the house and locked the doors. She left the little sconce light on in the kitchen. Grabbing a glass of water, she looked down at Wiley. “Come on buddy. Let’s go to bed.” Wiley followed right beside Reagan. When they crossed through the dining room, Wiley whimpered, shivering. He whipped his head back and forth like he was looking for something. As Reagan left the dining room, entering the great hall to mount the stairs, she heard a snarling and snapping behind her. Turning her head, she saw the glowing eyes and the outline of wolves crouched under the dining room table. They took a menacing step forward.

  Reagan ran up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her as Wiley tucked his tail between his legs and edged his way into the room just in time. Her heart was pounding, a cold sweat breaking out on her neck, and her hands were shaking wildly. All the time she had been denying something strange was happening, but now, reality was staring her in the face. For the first time, Reagan noticed a small ornate turnkey above the engraved door knob. She hesitated and then turned it. She heard a smooth click. Turning the doorknob, she tried to open the door, but it held fast. The ornate turnkey was a deadbolt, designed to keep people out. Right now, she wanted to keep things out, but would a dead bolt work against things that weren’t real? Would it work against the wolves with the red eyes and slashing teeth?

  Wiley whimpered and leaned against her. He looked up at Reagan and whined. She scratched his ears and looked around the room. She’d always felt safe and comforted here in this room. Now, she was uneasy, like something was out of place. She glanced at her dresser. Everything was neatly where she left it. The rocking chair was still, and her library books were next to her bed. That’s what she nee
ded. She needed to crawl into bed and read, snuggled under the covers with Wiley curled up beside her.

  Reagan pulled on her pajamas, the soft pair of shorts and an oversized tee shirt that said, Ohio University. She was feeling calmer, but she realized that she hadn’t brushed her teeth. No way was she leaving her room tonight. It would have to wait. She plugged in her cell phone and crawled in bed. She motioned for Wiley to jump up and join her, but Wiley hesitated. He whined softly again. His worried look made Reagan feel nervous all over again. She patted the bed beside her a second time. Wiley sighed and jumped up, settling tightly against her.

  Reagan opened her book and sank against the headboard when her cellphone alerted her that a text had come through. It was Chase asking her if she was awake. She replied that she was. The phone rang in her hand, startling her.

  “Hey,” said Reagan.

  “Hey, yourself. Are you okay? Mom said you sounded nervous. Are you just worried about Wiley, or is there something else?”

  “No, everything is fine…” said Reagan, hesitantly.

  “Reagan,” said Chase, softly, “what’s going on? I know something is wrong. I can feel it.”

  “It’s just, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe I’m losing my mind or something…”

  “Honey, just tell me. You can trust me. I won’t think you’re crazy or anything. What happened tonight?”

  “I saw the wolves,” Reagan whispered and waited, her heart beating hard against her chest. “I saw the wolves, and I heard them snarling and snapping their jaws.” She waited for his response, but it was quiet on the other end. Her heart sank, and she felt silly and small, like a frightened child on Halloween.

  “I believe you.”

  Chase’s words came through the phone strong and clear. Reagan let go of the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. He said it again,

  “Honey, I believe you, and I’m coming over.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that. I’m okay. I’ve got Wiley with me and I… I, um, locked myself in my bedroom, so I am really okay.”