The Otherlings and the Crystal Amulet

by S V Hurn

  Victor sat back, trying to make sense of what he could see in her future. He looked into Dorathy’s eyes; he could see her pain and sensed a tragedy but could not comprehend the nature of it. “You have a great happiness coming to you, this happiness will last the rest of your life.” He asked if she had any questions.

  Dorathy had to ask and would kick herself if she didn’t. “Do I have a soul mate, and have I met him?”

  Victor would not hide the facts as he saw them and said, “Yes, he is what will drive you to your future.” It was a lot for Dorathy to take in and to make sense of. She couldn’t think of anything else to ask. Victor told her it was nice to meet her and said she could wait downstairs. She said her thanks and goodbye. Victor following her out, watched her make her way down the stairs, and tried desperately to connect what he had seen to the world as he knew it, as it was sure to haunt him for quite some time. These were visions he would be unable to shake, nor could he make sense of them. He thought that there must be a greater meaning to his visions, but they were beyond comprehension.

  Meanwhile, Alex had his reading with Caroline. She had bright red hair and looked a bit worn around the edges with a very matter-of-fact air about her. She sat in her room with a variety of whimsical figurines laid out to be admired, and shelves of stuffed animals from her travels. “Have a seat.” Alex grabbed a chair and did what he was told. Caroline asked for Alex’s right hand and gazed at his palm for a few moments. She looked up and said, “You are a very lonely man, always looking for perfection. You’re always trying to fix things that are out of your control. Don’t do that, because it will control your life. You have met someone, but I see tragedy with this person and there is a choice you will have to make.”

  Caroline sat in silence for a moment to reflect on what the universe was showing her, but what she saw was not coherent, and she struggled to make sense of it. She saw death and life, but it wasn’t linear, and it was a disturbing vision. She shifted in her seat and struggled with her train of thought. “Your work takes a lot of your time lately, but now is the time to start planning other things. You are going to start a new life with this person—enjoy it now and make the best of it as long as you can. You suffered a great loss in the past. Your sister, she is showing me that she died in a car accident. She’s here now, standing behind you.”

  Alex wanted badly to turn in his seat to see if he could look through the veil that separated them. Caroline paused. “She is telling me you need to be happy, that she wants you to marry this woman.” Caroline shook her head and paused for another moment. “This woman, she will be gone for a while, but you’ll see her again . . . her love for you transcends time.” She then said brusquely, as if what she saw was disturbing, “Make the most of it.” Caroline spoke a little more gently now: “Look, it’s okay for you to be happy. Your sister’s death was not your fault and all this time you have been burdened with the guilt of her death. You can’t do that anymore; you’ve got to let it go.”

  Alex was trying very hard not to show any emotion, but he was falling apart on the inside. He was desperately holding back the tears he’d pushed aside for far too long. The guilt he had felt was somehow slowly being lifted away as his sister gave him permission to live again. Caroline could see his pain clearly written all over his handsome face. She asked if he had any questions for her and all he could do was shake his head. “No.”

  Standing, he shook Caroline’s hand and with a squeeze as if to say more than he could articulate, he softly said, “Thank you.”

  He wandered out into the hall and could barely walk down the stairs. For the first time since he could remember he was walking without the weight of an immense burden bearing down on his shoulders. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Dorathy sitting in a chair staring off into the distance. She sensed his approach and looked up at him. She saw such pain and such joy combined with a dash of fear, that she came to her feet and took his arm. “Are you okay?”

  He looked at her and said, “Yes, I think I’m going to be fine. With you I will be fine.” Dorathy kissed him on the cheek. Alex looked down into her eyes and saw her confusion and conflicts of her own and said, “Hey, let’s get out of here and go for our much-needed hike.” She nodded in agreement, and they crossed the street and got into the car without another word spoken.

  They sat in the car in silence while going over their respective readings in their heads. Finally, Alex broke into their musings by reaching over and holding Dorathy’s hand. She spoke first and said, “I think we are going to have a spectacular sunset tonight.”

  He glanced over. “Yes, and I brought us jackets and flashlights. I know this place pretty well; I come here a lot to get away from it all.”

  A few miles down the road Alex parked the car in a dirt lot where the trail began. He popped the trunk of the car open and pulled out a camping backpack rigged with everything they needed for a romantic sunset picnic, while Dorathy shoved the jackets into her bag. Alex slung the pack over one shoulder, locked the car and shoved the keys into his pocket. Then he pulled Dorathy to him and gazed into her eyes and said, “I’m falling for you, Dorathy Rosen, I hope that’s okay with you.”

  Dorathy put her hands on his face and stepped in for a kiss, a long passionate kiss, the kind she always had only dreamed about. Alex let the pack slowly drop to the ground and put both arms around her and kissed her back as if he wanted this moment to last forever.

  No one could stop this relationship from growing into a lifelong commitment. It was done and sealed with a kiss—this was to last an eternity.

  They began to walk slowly at first, but it soon became a brisk walk as they raced the sun. They talked about their readings and tried to make sense of it all. Dorathy told Alex as much as she felt comfortable telling him, which was pretty much everything. And Alex did the same. He said, “The guilt I have been hauling around about my sister’s accident has been crippling me all through my life. You see, I have felt responsible for her death since that terrible night. She was dating my best friend Chris, and we were all at a pub together. I was trying to hook up with this girl from one of my college classes and we all had a bit of drink down us. My sister was living with me at the time, so we went down to the pub together where she hooked up with Chris. I left in hopes of getting laid of course and left her at the pub. Chris was responsible for taking her home.

  Alex teared up and stopped in his tracks. Dorathy halted and held his arm and tried to comfort him. Alex continued, “If I had been there, I would have taken her and Chris home . . . I should have stayed . . . I should have taken her home.” Alex paused and could barely hold on to his composure. “They were struck hard on the passenger side by a drunk truck driver. My sister was killed instantly; Chris suffered severe head trauma and has been left in a vegetative state ever since.” The tears were flowing freely now. “You see, Dorathy, I have spent my whole life looking for something perfect, when really I was just using that as an excuse not to live. I have always felt I didn’t deserve to live or find happiness with someone, that it was my fault their lives were cut short. So, there you go. This woman today connected me to my sister and, somehow, I feel now I can finally put all that guilt aside, I can finally be free of it.”

  “It’s never too late to start your life.” She hugged him close and whispered, “I just hope you want me in it.”

  Alex kissed her and said, “I do, absolutely I do.”

  Somehow Dorathy and Alex could finally put their tragic pasts behind them; they could move forward together and carve out a bit of happiness for however long it may last. How was it that events that happened so long ago always seem to smudge the future? They made a vow that from this moment on they would not let the events that had left them so wounded be allowed out from the shadows where they had lurked.

  They hiked for a couple of hours up through the high desert and came to rest atop a rocky plateau overlooking the red rock valley below. “What a spectacular view,” Dorathy said. “It’s
amazing to see the beautiful colors of the red desert against the contrasting green of the trees. The desert truly has its own beauty and I can see why it is such a mystical place. I would love to sleep with you here in the desert tonight underneath these billions of stars.”

  Alex had a wide smile and said softly, “I can arrange that,” as he unpacked the gear he had brought in his massive camping pack. Dorathy started to help and said, “You really do come prepared, don’t you?”

  “Well you never know what you are going to need, so I tend to bring everything.”

  She laughed as she pulled out a roll of toilet paper. “I guess so.”

  Alex rolled a plush sleeping pad out onto a flat rocky outcropping that fell steeply down below and asked Dorathy if she was a restless sleeper or tended to sleepwalk. She laughed. “Well that would be one way to end a very nice day with a splat,” she said as she peered over the edge.

  Alex had even packed a couple of pillows and a huge down sleeping bag for extra padding against the rock floor. As he continued to unpack the food and wine, he located the small music speaker he had thrown into his pack. He had downloaded calm relaxing Native American flute and drum music onto it. He looked up at Dorathy and said, “I hope your flight tomorrow is not very early in the morning.”

  “No, it’s not,” she answered. “I don’t leave until four-thirty in the afternoon.”

  “Good, because we have all night to enjoy each other’s company. It’s entirely up to you.”

  Dorathy contemplated staying here on this rocky ledge all night with a man she had met a little less than a week ago. She thought about how it had been years since she had been with a man; and an amusing recollection flickered across her mind. How Lucy laughed at her once ages ago and said if she were to advertise her vagina, as one might put out an ad to sell a used car, Dorathy’s would read: gently used, like new, low miles. And with that funny thought, she said holding back a bit of laughter, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Alex was wondering why the laughter and asked, “Did I say something funny?”

  Dorathy could only shake her head and, with a bit of a stutter, “It’s nothing . . . really just something funny a coworker said to me once, sort of embarrassing really and I promise to tell you someday . . . but really, it’s not important.”

  “Okay.” Alex was hesitant to press her and decided to leave it alone for the time being. He motioned for her to sit down. “Hey, good looking, take a load off and have a seat next to me on top of the world.” They both felt as if they were on top of the world for the first time in a very long time.

  As she was sitting down, she said, “Hope you brought enough food and wine, because you must know by now, I love to eat.”

  “Yes, you do, and I must ask how it is you don’t weigh . . . ,” he was going to be kind, “ . . . much more than you do.”

  She laughed, “Don’t you know my Indian name is Runs for Food.” It took him a second to figure it out and he burst into laughter. “Oh, that’s me,” she said. “I run so I can eat, otherwise I would be a bit . . . hmmm portly.”

  “Well, no running tonight. Guess you’re going to have to figure out another way to burn off some calories.”

  “Oh, I think I can come up with a couple of other ways of doing that.”

  He responded, not looking over at her, but feeling a bit bold, “Yeah, me too.”

  They were drinking and eating and deep into one another as sunset approached. They stopped for the moment of silence to witness this beautiful spectacle of nature. How could something that happened every day of the year, all across the globe, hold our undivided attention no matter where we were in our lives—no matter where we might live, we sit in awe of something so routine yet somehow inspiring; perhaps it is a sign every day, that the next day would bring forth a new beginning.

  As the sun cleared the horizon Alex put his arms around Dorathy and kissed her deeply, as he had never kissed a woman before. He ran his hands through her long black hair and looked into her soul. He finally spoke the words because he truly felt that he loved this woman with all his heart.

  “I love you Dorathy, I truly do; you have given me my life back.”

  Dorathy looked back into his eyes and said, “Alex I love you with all my heart—I have been trying to resist you since the day I walked through your door, but I can’t, and I won’t. I feel you are my one true love that I have been desperately waiting for all of my life.”

  With that they fell back into the pillows and covered themselves up as the temperature was dropping rapidly. They made love under a star-filled night as if it was the first time. Both had waited for far too long.

  At first light they woke, still entwined in each other’s arms. Dorathy said, “I wish we could stay like this forever.”

  Alex kissed the top of her head. “Yes, I wish that too, but life tends to move ahead at light speed sometimes. So maybe we should just look towards the future with happiness and plan our life together.”

  Dorathy shifted to look him in the eye and said, “I do look forward to the future, our future.”

  They drove back into town and ended back at the hotel where Dorathy had been residing. They showered and snuggled, completely inseparable, while making plans for visits either work- related or otherwise. The dreaded time had come for Dorathy to pack and leave for the airport.

  After she checked out and they put her bags in the car, they kissed repeatedly. Never wanting to be apart, they made vows to make this wonderful newfound love work over distance and time. Whatever changes needed to be made they were going to make them, come hell or high water.

  Alex stood in the parking lot blowing kisses as she pulled away. He went home with hope, with excitement in his steps. He had a lot to do, and the quicker he could make his arrangements, the faster he could change his life for the better.

  While Dorathy sat on the plane, she looked through the photos she had taken over the week. She thought how incredibly handsome Alex was. How lucky am I to have met such a wonderful man? She smiled to herself and fell instantly asleep, head propped up against the bulkhead. She dreamt of going on a long overdue vacation to her beach house. Thoughts danced through her head of a white sundress and flowers in her hair, and Alex with a white shirt and pants. Vows of everlasting love. Countless sunsets, and nude morning swims. Lounging the afternoons away in a hammock slung between two palm trees, the warm trade winds lulling them to sleep. She thought she could do that forever. By God, she could afford it and want for nothing more the rest of her life.

  CHAPTER 6

  Jarred awake as the plane touched down, Dorathy was still blurry-eyed when she started to gather her things. Athena would be there with Kevin to pick her up. Dorathy had called her before boarding to let her know the flight was on time. They had spoken briefly, but Athena could hear a kind of happiness that she had never heard in her mother’s voice. A woman’s intuition could read volumes from just a single word spoken. She couldn’t wait to get her mom alone and hopefully Kevin wouldn’t hang around too long. Athena decided to suddenly become tired from their weekend away in the wine country--maybe that would give him the little needed push to continue home.

  As soon as they entered the house and Kevin was well on his way, Athena cornered her mom in the kitchen. “Okay, Mom, tell me about your trip.”

  Dorathy started in by telling Athena about the technology and how well the staff all worked together. “You should see this place.”

  “No, Mom, I want details and I’m not talking about the décor!”

  Dorathy was flabbergasted. “What are you talking about?”

  Athena bit back, “Don’t even try to pull that routine with me, Mom, I’m smarter than that!” Indeed, she was.

  Dorathy pulled a stool from the bar and sat down with a thump. “What does my love life have to do with you?”

  “Mom . . . the fact that you just said love life pertains to the fact that you might actually have one. So, do you?” she asked with a Cheshire
cat smile.

  Dorathy sighed deeply, something she had done frequently over the years when dealing with her daughter. “God, Athena, can’t I have any secrets?”

  Athena was hurt and Dorathy saw it written all over her daughter’s face. “Okay . . . okay. If you must know, and you would have found out soon enough, you will meet Alex most likely in two weeks anyway. So yes, I have had, I mean we started to . . . shit,” she said under her breath. A long pause followed so she could come up with an explanation to account for the pieces of her lonely life made whole in just under a week. “Alex and I are in love and he will most likely move in with us and we will probably get married, and there I said it, there it is in a nutshell.”

  Athena was floored. She took a step back and leaned against the stove. “Wow . . . I wasn’t expecting that, I just thought you were going to say you went out on a date. Holy shit, Mom! That’s . . . wow . . . sudden, like maybe a little . . . I don’t know . . . like too fast? You’re always telling me not to rush into things, now you tell me this.”

  “Look darling, you know better than anyone how lonely I have been. I’m fifty-one years old and it’s about time I get my time in the sun. I’m not getting any younger.”

  “Mom, does he make you happy? I think I already know the answer to that since I can feel your joy beaming from across the room. Okay, I just don’t want you to get hurt. I need to meet him. So, you say he’s coming in two weeks. I’m going to make sure I’m around so I can get a better handle on this.”

  Dorathy assured her she need not worry. “You’re not going to be around that much, are you?”

  Athena got her drift and said, “Oh, geez, Mom! No. I’ll spend the nights at Kevin’s.”