Crystal River Witch
Copyright©2006 by Ed Howdershelt
ISBN 1-932693-29-7
Caution: Erotic Content
Chapter Two
At his car, Cade grabbed his backpack and a box containing his old flatbed scanner and a small, folding TV table, then he handed four folding chairs out of the trunk to Jamie.
"I thought you were kidding," said Jamie.
"About what? Making you carry folding chairs?"
Rolling his eyes, Jamie said, "No, about not having insecurities. I can't believe you just up and asked her to let you stay in our tent. Helen doesn't even let people into the tent to visit during events."
"Well, I didn't know that and I won't really be visiting. I'll be sleeping there. Besides, the deal isn't done, yet. She could have second thoughts before we get back. You really want this website thing, don't you?"
"Oh, hell, yes!" exclaimed Jamie. "I've been bugging her about getting one for almost a year!"
As they headed back to the tent, Cade asked, "So how come you didn't scout around for a place to put one and just do it? That info about free sites isn't exactly a state secret, y'know."
Shaking his head, Jamie said, "I don't know how to make pages and do that kind of stuff. I just do email and surf around other peoples' sites. Do you lug that scanner around all the time? Is the laptop in the box with it?"
"Nope. The laptop's in my backpack. I brought the scanner because every other time I've been out here, someone's had something to scan. This isn't the first time I've put together somebody's website in the middle of an event."
Nodding up the row of dealer tents, Cade said, "The guy with the drums. I made his site during the Spring festival. While I was working on his, two other shops signed up to get their sites made."
After a few more steps, Jamie quietly said, "Uhm... This website thing, and you crashing in our tent, and all that. Are you thinking about trying to, uh... get into Helen's pants?"
Grinning at Jamie, Cade said, "I'm not taking anything for granted. No offense, Jamie, but she's hanging out with you, so I can't be sure she's into men at all. Helen didn't seem like the shy type, though. I figure if she's interested, she'll let me know. If she's not interested, I'm pretty sure she'll let me know that, too. Besides, I'm almost twice her age and there'll be a lot of younger stuff running around here this weekend. Unless she shows some interest in me, this is just about websites and not having to drive to and from Spring Hill."
Shrugging, Jamie said, "I just wondered, that's all. I saw the way you looked at her. You really liked what you saw."
With a chuckle, Cade said, "Damned right I did. She's big, bright, bold, beautiful, and buff. What's not to like?"
Giggling, Jamie grinned up at Cade and laughed as he repeated, "'Big, bright, bold, beautiful, and buff.' I like that. I'm gonna keep it and use it."
"No problem. Just send me a dime every time you do or my lawyers will track you down."
When they walked past Helen's booth, the tent flaps were closed, but not secured. Cade glimpsed Helen kneeling by the hibachi and stopped to see what she was doing.
Helen's eyes were closed and her clasped hands were suspended perhaps six inches above the uncovered hibachi. A tiny bright bolt of energy lanced downward from her hands and flames leaped up within the hibachi.
Unclasping her hands and taking a deep breath, Helen glanced around somewhat furtively and saw Cade standing beyond the slightly-separated tent flaps. She froze with a 'deer in the headlights' expression for a moment. Cade gave her a nod and continued to his own booth.
He considered what he'd seen as he walked. It had been a cute trick, for sure. He'd seen nothing in her hands that would have caused that bolt of... hm... It hadn't quite seemed like lightning. Some other form of energy?
He was sure that a stage magician could rig up some hidden electrical method of sparking up a fire in a hibachi. Maybe she'd intended for him to see her do it? To impress him for some reason? Or not. The tent flap had been closed, after all.
As he put the scanner box down on one of the folding chairs Jamie opened, footsteps behind him caused Cade to turn around. Helen slowed from a quick march to a walk as she neared the booth and stopped just outside it.
Jamie realized by her tense demeanor that something was on her mind. He glanced at Cade as he opened the last chair, then he went to Helen and, with a concerned expression, put a hand on her arm. Helen shook her head and patted his hand, never taking her eyes off Cade.
"Jamie," said Cade, "Do me a favor and watch my stuff for a minute. I think Helen wants to talk to me."
When Jamie's glance went from Cade to Helen, she nodded and said, "Yes. I do. Give us a minute, sweetie?"
Again glancing between them, Jamie nodded. Helen started walking back toward her tent. Cade followed and caught up to her by the entrance.
Helen glanced at Cade, then let him precede her into her booth and closed the tent flap before heading to the lawn chairs. She sat down in one of them and handed Cade his coffee mug as she studied him rather intently as Cade glanced at the hibachi.
"Ed," said Helen
Raising a hand, he said, "Yo. Here. Present, ma'am. Accounted for, too."
"Um... Did you... um... see anything... um...?"
In a flat tone, Cade said, "I saw you start a fire in the hibachi." He sipped coffee and added, "Haven't figured out how you did it, though."
After a moment, she asked, "Do I have to ask you not to talk about it?"
Cade said, "Nope," and sipped his coffee again, then added, "But whether it was a stage trick or not, now I'm not sure I want you handling my laptop."
Her left eyebrow went up above a wry grin and she sat straight in the chair before she said, "I promise not to hurt your laptop. You think it was a stage trick?"
"Could have been. A bit of lighter fluid or alcohol and a static spark could have accomplished the same thing."
Nodding slightly, she leaned back and asked, "So you don't believe in magic? Doesn't that put you somewhat at odds with most everyone else at these events?"
Sipping his coffee again, Cade put it down on the little table between the chairs and also leaned back, folding his hands in his lap as he looked at Helen. Damn, she was a fine-looking woman. Seemed to have a working brain, too. After meeting her gaze for a moment, he spoke.
"No. It doesn't put me at odds with them because I don't tell them. Most of these people would love to believe in magic and some of them actually do, but theirs isn't the kind of magic I can believe in conveniently."
Helen's grin widened. "Conveniently? What kind of magic do you believe in, then? The inconvenient kind?"
Sharing her grin, Cade said, "Yeah, you could say that."
"Care to give me an example?"
"Would you settle for an explanation?"
She nodded. "Sure. An explanation would be nice."
Cade nodded and thought a moment, then said, "Okay, say that magic is a form of energy that people have always suspected might exist. They've been trying to get a handle on it with candles and rituals and rhyming special words and all that since the cave days."
He shrugged and added with a grin, "Obviously, those aren't the ways to direct it. If they were, by now everybody could take a course or two and use magic to do the dishes, mow the lawn, or light the house. They'd probably teach it in public schools along with English and math."
Picking up his coffee, he sipped it to give Helen a chance to say anything that might be on her mind. She kept silent.
"Now," said Cade, "Say that we've been using the word 'magic' to describe energy that comes from within us on an individual basis. Jane can do stuff but Joanie can't. Joanie goes through all of Jane's motions and says all the same words, etcetera, but nothing happens. Why? Joanie doesn't have a handle on how to either generate or direct the energy. Jane's words and motions are just focal devices."
"Focal devices," Helen repeated flatly.
"Yup. They're just her ways of focusing her mind to gather or generate the juice, then make use of it. Like a runner at the end of the race who pulls another few dozen strides out of aching, wobbly legs to get across the finish line, Jane can reach inside herself for that bit of extra power. Not only that, but she can direct it outside herself to accomplish something." Giving Helen a grin, Cade said, "And I'd say that most people just flatly can't do that."
"Most people? You think some people can do that?"
Shrugging, Cade said, "Oh, probably, milady. Too many people have been savants of one sort or another who could move things without touching them or cause fires or shock people. A lot of them have ended up in asylums or been labeled as fakes -- and some of them were undoubtedly just that -- but there have been too many who could do things that the scientists couldn't explain."
Biting her inner lip in a thoughtful manner, Helen asked, "Okay, then, suppose what you think you saw me do was real? How would you handle it?"
Cade shrugged again and grinned as he said, "Oh, pretty well. I don't get fuzzed up too easily, Helen."
She gave him a skeptical look and chuckled as she replied, "You don't think so, huh?"
He picked up a stick of firewood and held it out to her. As she reached for it, he pulled it back a bit and Helen looked at him rather quizzically.
"I'll hold it," he said. "You reach out and zap it in some manner, but first let me see that your hands are truly empty."
Helen's hands had flown to her lap at his request to see them, but Cade didn't think she was concealing anything. More likely she was regretting having left herself open to challenge.
"This," Cade said quietly, "Is that kind of point people sometimes reach when they can either become fearful of each other or become friends."
Tossing the stick back on the little wood pile, he said, "Regardless of what I saw, you haven't quite claimed that you can zap up a fire, and you don't need to prove anything to me. I, on the other hand, said that I could produce some cheap web pages for you, so I do have something to prove."
He got to his feet and topped up his coffee mug, then turned to face Helen and said, "And something else, milady; I thought you were pretty special before you poofed up that fire. Still do. Now I'd better go relieve the guard and set up that booth before opening time. Good luck with sales today."
Before Cade reached the tent flap, Helen said, "Thanks. Good luck to you, too, Ed."
Cade gave her a smile before he pushed through the flap and headed for his booth. Jamie was talking to a man and woman in their twenties as he approached. Both of them were wearing only sarongs wrapped around their waists. The girl had red hair, rather nice breasts that didn't see sunshine between outdoor pagan events, and was attractive in general.
The conversation cut short and Jamie said, "That's him," as he pointed at Cade.
"I didn't do it," said Cade. "I was in Cleveland that night."
It got a bit of laughter. Good enough for a one-liner. The guy introduced himself as Sunbear Silverthorn and his lady as Ariadne Starshine. Shades of the sixties... Cade remembered a blonde who'd called herself Ariadne Cornflower back in 1967.
"Hi," said Cade, "I'm Ed."
Sunbear rather delicately asked, "Uhm... Might we have heard your 'craft' name among the circles?"
He was hinting that they wanted to know the name Cade went by at pagan gatherings and rituals.
Shrugging, Cade said, "Doubt it. Sorry to disappoint, but that's all I go by."
As if Cade had uttered a sort of heresy, Sunbear glanced askance at Ariadne, who said, "We're friends of Moonflower's. Uhm... Angie's. We heard about her friend this morning. Is she going to be okay?"
"No idea, milady. I received marching orders at five a.m. All I did was clean up and saddle up to come down here and set up. Since I didn't know what else to expect, I brought my sleeping bag and a change of clothes, too."
Glancing around the booth, Ariadne said, "I see. She must trust you very much to put you in charge of her booth."
"Could be, I guess. She may just have wanted someone who knows how to count money and haul and pack stoneware. My shop made about half the stuff in all these boxes."
With a wiggle and a small grin, Ariadne asked, "Oooo... You make things? What kind of things?"
Smiling back, Cade said, "Come back by after I've set things up, milady. Maybe we can find something that will go with those gorgeous green goddess eyes of yours."
She blushed slightly, grinningly bit her lip, and smiled up at her boyfriend, who matched her smile with one of his own, then they took their leave of the booth.
Cade thanked Jamie for minding the booth and began unpacking goblets, altar tiles, and jewelry for display.
"You made that?" Jamie asked as Cade unpacked and placed an emerald-green chalice on the table.
"Yup. Pretty much all the other stoneware in here, too. Angie's sister made a few pieces in the other box; some cups and plates with runes on them. Nice stuff in a different style."
Jamie went looking for the other pieces, found them, and brought them to the table, where Cade gave them their own display space as he heard someone turn on the water faucet behind the next tent and fill a container.
"Are you always like that with women?" asked Jamie.
Pulling his awareness back into the tent, Cade asked, "Always like what?"
"You know what I mean. She was blushing like a virgin."
With a sidelong glance, Cade said, "I guess I won't ask how much -- or what else -- you might know about virgins."
"Oh, very cute. Are you like that with all women?"
"Yup. Pretty much, I guess. I pick out something nice about them and say something nice about it. It's a habit."
Looking after the couple, Jamie replied, "Yeah, well, it seems to work real well, doesn't it?"
"Yup. That's why I do it. Some women like it and some don't, so it weeds out the unfriendlies real quick."
Laughing, Jamie asked, "What are you going to pick out about Helen? Or have you already picked something?"
Putting the empty boxes behind the folding chairs, Cade opened two more as he said, "Well, that's kind of tough, Jamie. She's wonderfully tall, beautifully constructed, has a lovely face and striking blue eyes, and her voice just sort of slithers into my ears and ends up tickling my balls, you know?"
Jamie looked as if he was about to go into shock, his mouth and eyes wide open as he goggled at Cade's last words.
Cade added, "And on top of all that, she's smart. That's what makes it really tough. Whatever I say can't sound like some kind of a pickup line. She has to feel it, not just hear it. So I haven't decided yet."
In a whispering shriek, Jamie hissed, "I can't-fucking-believe you just said that!"
Standing straight and eyeing the layout on the table, Cade said, "Uh, huh. Right. You're gay, but you know what I'm talking about. Some voices do that. Margaux Hemingway had that kind of a voice for me. So did Toni Tenille. It used to make me feel good just to listen to her. So did my first wife. Her voice just seemed to flow like warm honey. I'd call her at work just to hear her say 'hello'. She even sounded beautiful when she bitched at me about calling her at work."
Straightening to look at Jamie, Cade said, "Go ahead. Tell me you don't know what I'm talking about."
Sighing deeply, Jamie flumped into a chair and said, "No, I know exactly what you're talking about. I just can't believe you said that about Helen."
Cade grinned and said, "Then try harder, young'un. It gave me a big, fat tingle when Helen spoke to me while the breeze blew her scent at me. I'll bet you know how that is, too. I'd even bet you can even put someone's name to it, can't you?"
Turning cherry red, Jamie fluttered a hand, covered his eyes, and said, "Oh, puh-leeze! You can stop now!"
"Thought so," said Cade. "Long time gone or still around?"
With a shake of his head, Jamie muttered, "Gone."
"The only one ever, or just the first time it happened?"
Looking up, Jamie snapped, "You ask a hell of a lot of questions. He was the first one who ever... who ever had that effect on me, okay? Not the only one, just the first one, okay?"
Raising his hands protestingly, Cade said, "Relax. I just wanted to be sure you understood, Jamie. I didn't want you to think I was being at all trite about Helen. I've only known her for an hour or so and I already think she's pretty special."
Somewhat sullenly, Jamie asked, "You do, huh?"
"Oh, hell, yes. Tall and beautiful can come without any real impact or meaning, like it does with skinny fashion models. Lollipop women. They're all painted faces on stick figures and they're perfectly interchangeable; just clothing display dummies. For a woman to have any serious, lasting impact on men, she has to have obvious strength of personality and character to create that impact and make it stick."
Pausing to sip his coffee and give Jamie a solid gaze, Cade said, "Helen has those qualities. She's the kind you damned well want to salute before you ask her for a kiss."
Jamie giggled girlishly and said, "Yeah, she is, isn't she? I've seen so many guys zero in on her, then back away fast." In a confidential tone, he added, "Sometimes it's hilarious, you know? Some Mr. Macho type comes buzzing up to her and two minutes later he's frantically looking for a way out."
Grinning, Cade said, "Yeah, I'll bet. Pity the guy who pops a Barbie joke on her. Whoo, damn."
Jamie laughingly agreed wholeheartedly.
"That happened!" he said. "It really did! Some dumbass at Mikey's Halloween party yelled, '...and heeeerrre's Barbie!' Helen stopped in the doorway and..."
He froze in horror as a shadow fell across the display table and Cade turned to see Helen looking over the goblets.
"Hi," said Cade. "We were just talking about you, milady."
Briefly eyeing Jamie, Helen said coolly, "So I heard. That Barbie incident is one of Jamie's favorite anecdotes."
She picked up the emerald goblet and studied it for a time, then put it back and said, "I like that color. A lot, in fact."
Nodding, Cade said, "I can't give you that one 'cause it isn't mine to give, but if I wind up doing your web pages, I'll make you one and deliver it in person. How's that?"
Helen smiled and said, "I wouldn't dream of turning it down. Thanks. How are you fixed for coffee?"
"About half a mug left, I think."
Giving Cade a rather penetrating gaze, she said, "Well, I just refilled the coffee pot, so there'll be more in about five minutes. Don't let yourself run dry."
"Roger that, milady. Thanks."
Turning to walk away, Helen shot a piercing glance at Jamie before she passed beyond the tent wall. Jamie still seemed in a state of shock as he stared up at Cade.
"What?" asked Cade. "Relax. We lived through it, right?"
Jamie's eyes flicked to the back wall of the tent, then back to Cade's, and he sucked in a deep breath before he hissingly whispered, "She heard us! Everything we said!"
Shrugging, Cade said, "She seemed to take it well."
Standing up on shaky knees, Jamie seemed to think that Cade had somehow missed a very important point.
He whispered, "But-she-heard-us, damn it!"
Sighing, Cade said, "Okay, so she heard us. We've pretty much established that, so now what? Do we panic and stampede like cattle? Run screaming into the woods? Dash over there and beg her forgiveness? Or maybe just accept the fact that she took the whole thing as a long-winded compliment? I vote for the last, by the way."
"But..."
Facing Jamie directly and meeting his gaze, Cade said, "But, hell. At the very worst, she now knows that I think she's gorgeous and smart. She also knows that I respect her. I'm having trouble spotting a problem with that, and if you'll relax and think a minute, you will, too."
Jamie's knees seemed to give out and he settled ungracefully into the folding chair, covering his face with his hands and shaking his head.
"Jamie," said Cade, placing another tile on the table.
Without looking up, Jamie responded, "What?"
"Don't be all hunkered up like that when the customers get here. They'll think I smushed your little feelings or something. It'll be bad for business, y'know?"
Cade heard a snicker, then a soft laugh. Jamie sighed, sat up grinning, and shook his head slowly, as if he thought that Cade still didn't get the big picture.
"Just pretend you don't know what she heard," said Cade. Shrugging, he added, "Unless she brings it up, of course. Then you can confess or commit hara-kiri or whatever."
Jamie's eyes got big and he whispered, "Oh, Gawd..! I can't go back to the tent right now."
"Sure you can. Stiffen up, there. Shoulders back, chest out, stomach in, and all that. March, don't walk. We said nice things about her, so you're probably in no real danger. Right?"
"Oh, Gawd..." Jamie bit his lip and waffled.
"Right?" insisted Cade. "What woman is going to kill you over a compliment? Well, I guess there are some who probably would, but they're all man-hating lesbians, right?"
Jamie snickered again and said, "Not all of them. I know some straight women who'd de-ball a man for what you said."
"Yeah, I've met some of those, too. Lettum try. But think about this particular woman. Is she going to mistreat you?"
After a pause, Jamie said, "Well, no."
"Then why are you so fuzzed up about this? Just go in there with a business-as-usual attitude and handle things. Muddle through, and like that. Bet you get through it without even one broken bone. Bet you won't lose even a whole pint of blood."
Laughing nervously, Jamie nodded.
"Yeah. Okay. You're right." He sighed. "I guess I have to go back over there sometime."
"Now's better than later and I still have stuff to put out. Once I'm finished, I'll holler and you can come watch the booth again while I get a refill."
Nodding, Jamie sighed again and started for the front of the tent. He turned once to look at Cade and glanced meaningfully in the direction of Helen's booth, then sighed again and set forth at a trudging pace, as if to his execution.
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