The Magician
by Julie Kortidis
“Ladies and Gents allow me to present my lovely assistant, Astra. Tonight, we will watch her climb into a coffin and momentarily vanish into thin air”, Locasta told the captivated audience. She had performed this particular feat many times and there was nothing on her partner's face to indicate she had any fears that this time would be any different from the others.
Astra strolled slowly to the waiting coffin shaped box. Her black spike heels clicked one-by-one, on the hardwood floors, placing each carefully in front of the other, practicing the walk that drew many appreciative glances. Astra observed that Locasta still focused much attention on her physical attributes, accentuated by the barely concealing attire, one of the many costumes that she wore whenever they performed. Locasta never complained about the cost of her wardrobe, it was part of the attraction to their act. The more alluring Astra appeared, the greater the disappointment the audience felt when she was not in the box after Locasta performed her magic.
It was important to have the audience’s undivided attention for these performances. She had learned her magic from her Father, whom she adored like no other man. He had long since died and luckily, he had passed on all his knowledge to his only child. Locasta was moderately successful, performing with assorted young women as they were available for weekend gigs at clubs in Dallas where she Astra had met, but the act came alive when they became partners. There was chemistry between them that gave their show a quality that created a following, quickly gaining popularity among the millennium lesbians as well as the older crowd at the piano bar venue.
The chemistry remained an added bonus after finding the compatibility of living together with plans for marriage. A very successful lifestyle model had recently emerged and was being advocated. This involved separate living quarters and proponents were extolling the virtues of the arrangement. However, they chose to spend as much time together as schedules would allow.
There was no question regarding the obvious physical attraction although this didn’t seem to deter some of the audience members attracted by Locasta’s lean boyish appearance. Locasta remained faithful to her commitment, even when young women were hypnotized by her performance and had visions of taking over Astra’s role in the act. Locasta had no intention of letting anyone take Astra’s place, but was careful to keep hope alive with a bit of mischievous aloofness that just seemed to draw more attention to her.
Locasta and Astra were a good match. Astra’s feminine softness balanced Locasta’s strength. They shared intimate details of their deepest secrets, to the point that Locasta had shared some of her magic secrets with Astra. She knew there was a huge risk, in the event that they parted company on less than friendly terms (always the consideration) and that Astra might reveal her tricks of the trade, but she had decided to work through her fear of trusting another and take a chance. She felt very comfortable that they would never to do anything that would destroy that trust.
“Step carefully my lady, we don’t want anything to harm those lovely legs,” Locasta crooned as Astra rose up the three short steps and stepped down into the coffin shaped box. “Are you comfortable?” Astra smiled sweetly and Locasta closed the lid on the box. She pulled the latch and turned the bracket, hearing the click that indicated it was properly in place.
Locasta took several steps away from the coffin and closed her eyes. She recited the words that her father had taught her many years before, words that she had honored her promise to never commit to paper, rather to memory alone. She traced the symbols in her mind’s eye and clasped the talisman in her pocket, calling on Powers from the Great Beyond which had never failed to come when she beckoned.
After waiting the appropriate time interval, the music which had been programmed to begin playing at the moment Astra disappeared, began. A disturbing melody, it also was given to Locasta with detailed instruction on its use. Locasta opened her eyes; synchronous events unfolding at the appropriate moment in time, appropriate order, except for the sudden swoosh of air as a huge 2 x 4 came tumbling down from the rafters.
When Locasta came to, she was lying on the floor and several wait staff were standing about watching. Locasta was as horrified by the physical pain as the embarrassment at her position. The night manager, Lou, knelt alongside her, holding a cool damp cloth to her head. Everyone talking at once it seemed, attempting to decide if an ambulance should be called. “Are you alright?” he began to quiz her.
“Where am I?” she looked about in confusion.
“Luigi’s Lounge, Uptown in Dallas,” Lou told her. “Would you like a glass of water? Please, someone, get us some water now!” The manager was growing more concerned by the fact that Locasta was still laying quite still and didn’t seem to have her cognitive bearings yet. If Locasta had serious injuries, the insurance company was likely to drop the club. He didn’t need to file another claim. There had already been too many accidents like this one with the open rafters and the lighting crew that often drank before climbing even though it was strictly against house rules.
“I’m fine, I think,” Locasta struggled to sit up. Her head hurt and she felt dizzy, but it seemed that there was something that she was supposed to do but couldn’t quite remember what it was. In fact, she couldn’t quite remember anything, like how she got there or what she’d been doing or why her head hurt. Who were these people?
Someone brought a glass of water and watched as she drank it down. They extended a hand to help her sit up, but someone had brought a chair and they insisted that she take it slowly, not to rush, get her bearings and lots of other warnings and advises.
“Are you going to be able to bring Astra back now?” someone asked.
“Astra?”
“She’s not in the box. We checked after you were knocked out. I opened the latch and she was gone, just like you said she would be. You probably better bring her back now.”
Locasta was totally confused now with no idea what these people were talking about nor whom Astra might be. “I said she’d be gone?” Locasta tried to figure out how this fit together but her head hurt too much for her thinking to work very clearly.
Murmurings among the staff were growing louder but the night manager attempted to quell the growing alarm. He told the audience, “Everything is ok; she just needs to get some rest”. He then followed with his assistant, “Give them an intermission break to go outside and grab a smoke if they want, even offer a free drink for everyone. If we can divert their attention, we can get the coffin into the back room and her into her dressing room. We can bring Loretta back to sing again. Let’s get this place cleaned up. When they come back from their break, I want Loretta ready to go!”
Astra
Now, why in the world did she do that? Astra wondered. Watching through her ex-lover, Evanora's, eyes but unable to control her actions, she was surprised to find herself in Evanora’s head. She wasn’t sure that it was Evanora, but it felt like her. She could see the world through her ex’s eyes and hear her thoughts but didn’t think that Evanora was aware of her presence.
She wasn’t quite certain how this had taken place. Normally when Locasta made her disappear, she floated about six feet above the stage, her body transformed into fine crystals unseen by the naked eye. She never left the immediate area so that when Locasta spoke the appropriate words, combined with the symbols she had never shared with her, she would immediately rush back into the box. Sometimes she never even left the box.
The last few years she had been experimenting more with her abilities when her body was in the crystal state. Locasta never asked more than a few simple questions about what it was like when she disappeared. She seemed quite content when she told her that she was still there, that she could see Locasta even when Locasta couldn’t see her. When she first discovered her ability to move about, she had experimented with the distance a little, enough to find that she didn’t have to stay in the box. She soon found that she could easily move about the stage unencumbered by gravity or the normal restrictions a body has. She was afraid to go very far since she knew when the music played it left her in a dreamy, hypnotized state and her thinking was slower and more dream like. She would be quickly yanked back to her body, lying in the box, when Locasta spoke the appropriate words.
However, now the music had been turned off when Locasta had fallen to the floor. From her vantage point, inside Evanora’s head, she could see that Evanora was disappointed that Locasta was being brought round and regaining consciousness. It seemed as though Evanora had intentionally pushed the heavy wooden box to the edge of the rafter, allowing it to fall and crash into Locasta. She had hoped that the ‘accident’ would be more serious than it was and that Locasta would be taken out of the picture completely.
Astra had been made aware of this side of Evanora after getting to know her and it was this type of behavior that had troubled her so much that she refused to see Evanora any longer. When she had first met Evanora, years before she and Locasta had gotten together, she had been impressed with her hot looks and attitude. Surprisingly attentive, Evanora had telephoned Astra every day, chatting about this and that and seeming very interested in everything Astra had to say about her life. When they went out, she was a perfect date Evanora was always being very considerate, helping her on and off with her coat and all the little things that most lesbians rarely considered, thinking it too ‘gentlemanly’.
Framing a very attractive androgynous face, wavy dark auburn hair hung loosely around her shoulders. With a square jaw, clear blue eyes and warm smile, Astra was initially captivated by Evanora. She was a blue-collar worker, not Astra’s normal date choice style but it suited her. Tall and well built, her job kept her in good physical shape. She had told her often enough that she was not interested in pursuing any higher position in her job or life, she was quite content to be a manual worker in a machine shop and punch out the time clock when her eight hours was complete. Wearing jeans and boots as standard wardrobe, Evanora was very attractive to Astra, even her rough way of speaking, which softened when she directed her attention to Astra.
After a few months of dating Astra had grown increasingly disturbed by Evanora’s possessive manner when they went to some of the local bars that women frequented in Chicago. Several times she was certain she would have come to blows with one of the other patrons if Astra hadn’t been there to subdue her. She would allow herself to be diverted by Astra’s request to “Come on Evanora, it’s not that big a deal,” at least for a while.
On nights when she didn’t see her, Evanora would telephone but soon began to provide herself with larger chunks of time that she was unavailable. She didn’t want to carry a cell phone and Astra suspected that it was because she didn’t want to be reached during her time away. Astra had also noticed that when she went out with her friends Evanora was very abrupt with her both before and afterward. She would cut Astra off midsentence and sometimes even made sarcastic remarks about Astra’s friends, even though she had never wanted to meet them. Then she would play off some of the information she had given her about them.
Finally, the worst had happened, and she had gotten into a full-blown fight with an innocent guy who had looked at her the wrong way. All Astra’s pleas to stop had been to no avail and she had punched the guy so hard that he had fallen to the floor. Then, instead of stopping, the owner had had to pull Evanora off the guy. As he had lain on the floor, Evanora had just kept punching.
Astra had been horrified and had immediately broken off with her completely. However, Evanora never stopped calling and pleading with her for months. Many times, Astra had seen her hanging around the neighborhood by her apartment. She finally had moved and gotten an unlisted number, but she was never sure that Evanora was completely out of her life. Astra’s work had taken her out of town for a while, to Dallas, and she had let the client keep her there on an extended contract, hoping that Evanora would find other interests while she was gone.
It was in Dallas that she had met Locasta. They were such an excellent match that she soon forgot Evanora and all her problems in Chicago. She allowed her company to become her permanent employer, moving her belongings for her and she never returned to Chicago. The evening gigs with Locasta didn’t interfere with her day job as long as they went home directly afterward.
Remembering recently
Astra ran into Evanora at the Rite-Aid. She suspected Evanora knew where she was, perhaps having seen her at the club and maybe even had followed her, because when she ran into Evanora at the drugstore, Evanora didn’t seem as surprised to see her, as she was to see Evanora.
“Evanora!” she exclaimed, when she turned a corner and came face to face with her. “How are you?” There was no way she could avoid her. Her good looks had taken a darker turn since she had last seen her, but there was no way she could not notice the chemistry she still felt for Evanora.
“I was wondering how long before I ran into you again.” Evanora’s voice still had that stirring quality that made Astra feel as though she was the only one in the room with her. Astra felt the urgency to get away, remembering the difficulty she had had with Evanora previously, at the same time drawn to connect with her again.
“Well, me too, uh, I’m just here getting some medicine for someone – I’ve got to dash. Good running into you. Take care.” She had practically been rude to the clerk as she pulled out cash to pay for her purchase and quickly left the store. Evanora hadn’t spoken any further words, simply watching Astra and when she got into her car and began to pull out of the parking space, Astra could see her silhouetted in the door, still watching.
Astra
She was precariously perched over her shoulder watching Locasta’s drama unfold below and hearing her thoughts. It seemed that wherever Evanora was going, she was going with her.
Oh dear, this doesn’t seem real, why am I seeing without being able to see? What is going on and where am I? I can’t feel anything and yet I seem to be invisible but then again, maybe I’m not. How is this possible? I can hear Evanora’s thoughts and I think I’m seeing through Evanora’s eyes. But I’m up here over the club and I can’t freely move about.
This is even more of a mystery then when I disappear and reappear. Now
I think I’m disappeared but I’m in somebody else’s body and I think its
Evanora. Oh no, here we go again, Evanora’s moving and anywhere Evanora goes I think I’m going with her. That was quick; we just slipped from hiding behind one beam to another. I’m scared of heights and I don’t know what we are doing up here or why are we hiding. Or rather why is she hiding and guess I’m hiding if she’s hiding to because it seems everything she does, I’m doing too.
Everyone’s looking up here and we are standing very still and quiet in hopes that no one sees us. They’re all down there clustered around Locasta.
What happened and why is she laying still? I want to go down and check on her and yet when I try to walk away I can’t. Maybe if I close my eyes to go back to my invisible state, I can float down there. No, that’s not working. It doesn’t seem possible, yet it seems like I’m somehow stuck here in wherever Evanora goes I’m going. I can hear her thoughts. She seems to be happy that Locasta is hurt and laying on the floor. Why is she hiding? I think she may be responsible for whatever happened to Locasta.
Ok, down the stairs, open the door and down the hall. She seems like she knows her way around here very well. We go outside and we’re in the alley and now around the building and looks like we’re coming back in the front door. She’s mostly curious now as we see the crowd gathering around the entrance, some smoking, some talking and everyone with that concerned look on their faces. I guess we’re going in.
“Is there a show tonight?” Evanora asked the man who appeared to be monitoring the crowd.
“Yes, however there’s been an accident we’re having an intermission, but the next performance should be starting very soon. Would you like a drink? At the moment we are having a drink on the house for everyone. You should go ahead and get one even though you just arrived.”
“Thanks, yes I’d love a drink” as she headed over to the bar where there was an opening. “I’ll have a gin and tonic with a twist of lime” she said to the bartender.
“No problem, first one’s on the house” he smiled as he scooped ice into the glass, pushing a button for the gin and then the tonic. She watched as he drew a lime from the dish, gave it a twist over the glass and placed it on the lip, handing it to her with a napkin and a flourish.
“What happened to the last performance?”
“I don’t know, I was busy out here fixing drinks.”
She turned and watched the crowd discussing the events they had just witnessed.
“That’s just great, we should be back in our seats, Loretta will be singing and I don’t want to miss her opening” the attractive blond said to her male companion.
“I think I’ve heard of her, but I’ve never seen her perform. We can go in now if you’re ready. I hope they’ll let us back in,” he responded.
The bartender returned to Evanora, “I’m not sure there were some kind of an accident, but no one was hurt seriously. The act was brought to an abrupt close when the magician fell – someone said something fell on him, not sure what it was. But we’ve had this intermission with the house getting s a free drink. The next act will be on shortly. Do you want another?”
“No, I’m fine for right now. I’ll just sit here and wait.” She said calmly, waiting for the crowd to return to their seats. The lights lowered briefly and the crown continued to thin out until she and the bartender were alone in the lobby.
The door next to the bar opened and a very dazed and confused appearing Locasta was helped out with the aid of the bouncer and another fellow. They walked her to the door and helped her outside while a cab was called. She saw them pay the driver with instructions, closing her door gently and watching as the cab drove away. Locasta was alone, so where was Astra?
They continued to sit and sip on the drink while the bartender wiped down the bar and rinsed a few glasses in the sink below. “Aren’t you going in?”
“Yes, in a few minutes, no rush, I’m expecting someone, any time now, and I’d rather wait for him out here. Wasn’t there another woman in the act that just left?”
“I don’t know, I’m the wrong person to ask. I really just focus on the drinks and leave the manager to take care of anything to do with the acts.”
She could hear the music begin in the next room and the crooner begin to wail. The lobby remained empty and after finishing her drink, she bid the bartender adieu and walked out. “I guess he’s a no-show. I won’t make another date with him.” She stepped out and hailed a taxi.
Locasta
The next morning Locasta awoke in her apartment. Memory was returning somewhat. She had recognized her home furnishings when the taxi driver had brought her to the address on her driver’s license. She remembered which key to use to get in the front door and she remembered to feed the goldfish before she went to bed. But she couldn’t quite remember Astra or why she was at the club.
The theater manager had been anxious to get her into a cab once he made sure that Locasta could walk ok. He’d insisted on paying for the cab and promised to send someone around to check on her the next day. Locasta’s memory was coming in and out like ships in a fog. She’d think of something and then before she could wrap her thoughts around the idea, it would slip away and something else would come into view.
She tried to focus on the events of the evening before. She’d overheard enough of the concerned crew’s conversations that she knew she’d made someone named Astra disappear somehow in a trick and she needed to do something to bring her back. Only problem was he could no more remember what she was supposed to do, than she could remember who she was!
Evanora
The light flickered through the blinds and stirred her eyelids. Choosing momentarily the temporary comfort of rolling over and cuddling her pillow for a few more moments of peace, she knew that she would have an easier morning if she resisted the temptation and rose to turn the coffee maker on. At least she could have a few minutes of luxurious rest while the machine gurgled softly, performing its sole responsibility in the early morning light.
Sleep didn’t pull her back as her thoughts returned to the turn of events the previous evening. She had expected the ‘accident’ would render Locasta’s permanent removal from the obstacle as she saw it, standing in the way, between herself and Astra. Considering the weight of the wooden crate, directly overhead and the strong possibility of a fatal end of the relationship, she was prepared to provide the comfort that would be needed for a grieving woman. Instead the timing had not taken into account that one, Locasta would only be temporarily knocked out and two, that Astra’s whereabouts would be unknown. She had not considered that Astra would not be in the box when it was opened, and she had no idea where it was that her former lover went when the magic trick was unfolding.
Pouring coffee into her thrift store cup, she considered how to proceed. This clearly was troublesome in that Astra might be lost and needing her now that Locasta was unavailable. Losing memory was the last thing that Evanora had planned for in carrying out her plan the night before.
She had been certain that the blow would render her competition totally unavailable to future problems and that in her grief, Astra would turn to her old familiar partner for the comfort she would need. This would lead to the intimacy that had ended when her jealousy and temper had gotten the better of her. That wouldn’t happen again, not in her plans to reunite with Astra and take her someplace new where the memory of Locasta would slowly fade, and she would be grateful to have the love and kindness that Evanora knew she could provide. She would make sure and take care of any potential threats out of sight of the concern Astra seemed to have for everyone but her. Didn’t she understand how upsetting it was for her to see her lover providing that demure glance at anyone but her? No matter, the efforts necessary in keeping her love to herself would be well worth it when she knew that Astra was hers and hers alone.
She sipped from her cup slowly as the hot brew infiltrated the lingering sleep from her body enabling her to prepare for her day of tracking the remaining link to her object of desire. Surely Astra would show up at the apartment she currently shared with the injured woman.
Astra
Oh no, this was serious, the injury to her partner had been intentional and the recovery from the blow was a temporary setback to Evanora’s plan. She was going to attack again and there was no way to warn her girl friend of the danger she was in.
More disconcerting was the apparent lack of a body that Astra was experiencing. She wasn’t sure how long this condition would last – being caught in someone else’s consciousness. The ability to read her stalker’s thoughts was not something that she had ever considered to be available to her. Of course, having her body disappear was not an idea she would have believed possible either, before meeting Locasta and becoming part of the act.
While Evanora showered and dressed, Astra allowed her thoughts to drift back to when she met Locasta. The spark had been ignited at first sight and Astra could not help but allow her imagination to consider thoughts of a future with the very interesting but somewhat reclusive magician. She was aware that it was not healthy for her fantasy to build a future life with someone she had just met but felt once again that this time would be different. Since she knew that Locasta would be the right permanent partner for her there would be no sense in waiting to her to set things in motion for the future she had in mind. Everything she wore, said and did had one goal in mind, to make Locasta fall as in love with her as she was going to be with her. She had seen a therapist for a while before leaving Chicago and knew that the professional had considered it unhealthy for her to fall in love quickly. The suggestion that she get to know someone as a friend first was good advice, but she also knew that there were exceptions to every rule and this was an excellent example of a situation where she could move straight into commitment. She was committed, long before Locasta took the steps that Astra dreamed of as she was laying the groundwork for the future she envisioned. Surprisingly Locasta seemed to offer no resistance to Astra’s planning and had responded accordingly to the path laid out for her.
They had been living the dream as far as they both were concerned. Locasta seemed to be quite content with the living arrangements which had quickly evolved when Astra’s rental agreement had come up for renewal. The two had no difficulty agreeing that living together made more sense than the prohibitive expense of two housing arrangements especially when the two most enjoyed sharing the same bed. Since moving from Chicago Astra didn’t have a lot of belongings and Locasta’s long-term housing in the historic district of the gay friendly town was an easy choice.
Both women were busy enough with a full time 40-hour corporate jobs while Locasta had been giving most of her free time building her career as a stage magician with dreams of Olivia Cruises and P-Town gigs. When she met Astra she wasn’t too sure her dreams were going to materialize more than the weekend nights at local clubs. However, when Astra joined Locasta in her magic act, it came alive. There had been several articles in the entertainment weeklies and a Facebook fan page was gaining new friends.
Life was good for the couple that merged business with pleasure. However, the future of their show business career was the last thing on either woman’s mind this morning.
Locasta
She immediately began to survey her surroundings when the dawn’s light shone through the blinds on her windows. Panic, strong anxiety swept over her physical body with a racing heart and a huge thirst. Looking around she determined she was alone and raced to the bathroom to get a look in the mirror and a splash of water in her mouth.
The horror of an unrecognizable face in the mirror almost threw her back against the wall. Rising temperature, pulse, blood pressure brought on nausea and she barely made it to the toilet. Sitting down on the floor she studied her feet and hands while trying to make sense of where she was and seriously, who she was. She didn’t know if this were her home or not but without a sound in the small apartment, she hoped it were hers and that she might not run into another person. A lot of assorted clothing lay strewn about but only women’s wear. She felt a little safer at that.
Looking about through the doorway she made her way down the hallway, carefully stepping and listening with a watchful eye. Empty. She found a coffee maker and necessary accoutrements nearby to set the machine gurgling. Walking over to the window she looked out at a parking lot.
Several vehicles sat in numbered spots, but most slots were empty, apparently at work, she guessed, wondering what day it was and where she was. Looking about the simple modern lines in the living/den type are she found several magazines and underneath a local area handout, the kind that advertises small cafes in strip shopping malls.
It crossed her mind that she simply knew some things but didn’t know everything. Pouring a cup of coffee and sipping the dark liquid, she assumed that was how she drank it, it seemed natural enough. The phone on the counter rang. She looked at the caller id and touched the green button. “Hello” she responded very slowly to the screen that simple said, Louise.
“Uh, hello” a woman sang out cheerfully. “Are you planning on coming in to work today?”
“I can’t talk right now; I have an emergency. I’ll be in touch when I can”. With that, she hung up the phone, staring at it. As though it were an alien that spoke a language, she understood the words to but not the meanings of.
She sat on the sofa, sipping her black coffee, staring out the window as the morning sun beginning to rise over the adjacent apartment building.
Evanora
Pacing on the far side of the street from the apartment building where she had found Astra living, Evanora stopped to tie her shoe, giving her a few minutes to try and determine which windows were her beloveds. Perhaps someone would look out a window and she could narrow it down. She had found the address to the building easy enough but getting inside to ready the apartment numbers was a little harder. If she could figure out which windows she wanted, it would make it easier to get a dedicated spot where she could watch things unfold.
Astra
Stuck. This was insane. She wanted to move on, even going shopping was preferable to this waiting. She could clearly hear Evanora’s thoughts and her motivations were obvious. She had determined that Evanora had serious issues when they dated last year but the extent of those issues was much clearer now without the interference of body language, inferences and absolutely hidden meanings. Within Evanora’s mind, Astra saw the facts. Emotions were a little more difficult, but she was getting the gest of Evanora’s emotional state and it was scary.
Murder was not out of the question for this woman. She was not hindered by boundaries of acceptable behavior or fear of inevitable consequences. To obtain the affections of her ex-sweetheart, Evanora would stop at nothing. It did not cross her mind that Astra had a mind of her own; simply that she had not properly convinced her of her natural superiority. With enough right actions and removal of obstacles like Locasta, Evanora was certain of her ability to win Astra back.
Locasta
After finding shower supplies and a clean towel, Locasta was pleasantly surprised to find that the shirts hanging in the closet and trousers in the bottom drawer were a nice fit. The shades seemed appropriate for her coloring with a decided absence of flowers, frills and unnecessary fluff. The undergarments were plain and simple likewise and she was quite happy to see the sports bra declined obvious attention to her breasts.
Her straight reddish-brown hair was cropped close to the hair line and didn’t need any further attention after a quick blow dry. Since there were no eyeglasses in sight, she assumed they weren’t needed.
Strangely everything felt quite familiar, but she didn’t understand why since she didn’t have a clear memory of this place or her identity. After the initial anxiety had cleared, she was quite complacent with discovering the objects which apparently had surrounded her prior life. There did seem to be a dichotomy in regard to the apparel, some jewelry and hair products, as though she perhaps wore a different style at times or as she came to accept, she might have a roommate although there was only the master bedroom with the 2nd bedroom being used as an office. Since she had no idea of userids and passwords, she left the computer equipment alone, especially since she had no idea who she would connect with. Perhaps later she would attempt to explore Facebook.
She discovered that she knew a lot about how things worked and went together but she was missing names, faces and facts about this life that she was apparently living.
Astra
Bored with Evanora’s seeming limitless focus on Locasta and continually seeking her, Astra begins to fear that her life is over and she may be chained to this incredibly dull person, going where she goes, doing what she does without the ability to direct her life.
Evanora is growing weary and restless after a hapless dinner at home followed by channel surfing without luck. Perhaps she needs to get a job, her funds are running low as she limits her spending to what is absolutely essential. She had left her Chicago job on the pretense of a vacation to visit family in Texas, but this couldn’t go on forever. If she didn’t return to her job, she would doubtlessly have difficulty finding another. She remembered how long it had taken her to find the job repairing hearing aids. She had graduated high school but that had taken a dedication to early evenings at home and hours re-reading chapters in an effort just to keep up. There was no consideration of continuing her education or seeking a position that required mental skills in addition to those required for the simple menial task of checking the tiny ear buds and placing them in appropriate packaging. The job paid enough for her to meet her monthly budget, living in an efficiency apartment near work but not enough to maintain this place additionally. She just hoped she could persuade Astra to return to Chicago with her and settle into what she foresaw as a happy life.
At 9:30 as was her usual bedtime, she set the coffee maker to go in the morning even though she didn’t have a reason to get up early in the morning the next day anymore that she had that day. She was living on the outskirts of the city and wasn’t about to waste money buying a cup of coffee in a shop. She had paid for the small pot at a thrift store, specializing in used household items. No filters were required, and she had purchased a small bag of coffee at the dollar store. She was a no-frills kind of a person and she liked it that way.
Astra was considering Evanora’s increasing sleepiness and assumed that she would sleep while Evanora did, what else could she do? Evanora slid between the covers, took several pills out of a bottle on the nightstand with a drink of water and turning out the light, lay her head on the pillow and was shortly enjoying a light snore.
Astra was still awake. As she lay there in the darkness, she continued to ponder the questions that had run through her mind during the day. She again thought of Locasta and the good life that she felt was beginning to dawn and wept softly at her loss.
Suddenly her view changed. She was no longer in bed with Evanora, she was in Locasta’s apartment and Locasta had also dozed early in the evening. She stared at the familiar red hair and slim body and ached to hold her lover. She whispered her partner’s name and was surprised to see a slight wrinkle cross the woman’s brow. She spoke the name again but besides the initial flutter there was no movement from the sleeping bed.
She tried again, this time with more insistence, “wake up sweetheart”. Try as she might, there was no further movement from the heavy sleep. She tried to reach out and touch her, but it was like a flutter of a breeze without destination. She decided she was happy enough to just share the space with Locasta although she was disappointed at the lack of response.
Astra was jolted back into Evanora’s bedroom as the former girlfriend rose to make a trip to the bathroom. As soon as she lay back down and resumed her snoring, Astra again concentrated her thoughts on Locasta and momentarily found herself in Locasta’s room. This was most interesting!
Apparently, all she had to do was follow thoughts of Locasta to be with her but it only worked when Evanora was asleep. She decided to make use of this sleep time as much as possible in an effort to urge Locasta to bring her back. She couldn’t quite figure out why Locasta hadn’t done it already, but they could talk about that later. Right now she just wanted to get back into her own body, wherever that was, and get on with her life.
“Locasta, wake up” she spoke firmly in her thoughts. There was no motion from the bed. She reached out to touch her shoulder but again it just caused a slight flutter of a breeze and Locasta was not waking up.
Locasta
She awoke with a start, again the loss of familiarity – why did she only know for sure the facts that appeared in documents in the apartment, what other people told her. She would probably need to go to work and she knew her contact was Louise but explaining was going to be difficult.
“Say Louise, could you tell me where I work? Oh, and what is it that I do again?” Paying rent, utilities, what credit, what mail? Starting from ground zero in a life that apparently, she had lived, but had no memory of, would be the hardest thing she had ever had to do, but how could she know? Perhaps this had happened before. Looking through the desk, nightstands, drawers, closets, for clues, a journal or diary would be wonderful. But, nothing yet.
Last night she had dreamt of softness, a warm breeze, a gentle cloud had moved in and gave her a peace now as she remembered the dream. Really it was just fragments, impressions, nothing concrete and seemed to have no meaning. She hoped she would continue to feel this way.
Evanora
She woke up tired. She felt she had been running all night and wasn’t rested at all, but it was time to get up and find Astra today. She wasn’t sure where to look. She had been back to the grocery where she run into her the first time and the theater where she worked but the act was cancelled. The sign said due to unforeseen difficulties, the act would be replaced by a comedian, until further notice.
Locasta was proving to be no help at all. The times she did see her outside, she seemed preoccupied and was definitely alone. This was a mystery that she didn’t know how to solve. She had gotten the idea to pay a visit to Locasta at the apartment today and ask her point blank where Astra was. She hadn’t figured out yet what angle to play but would work it out before she got there. It just seemed there wasn’t going to be any other way.
her meetings. The women in her group were so supportive and understanding of the need to be with Locasta. They certainly didn’t agree that it was wise to be so confident that Locasta was the one since she’d only known her a short time, but they didn’t scold or shame her, just tried to help her see the dangers. But she wouldn’t be able to talk to them today, or any day unless she could figure out a way to help Locasta remember the charm.
She didn’t know exactly how it was that Locasta worked it all out. She had shared some things with her but only because she insisted, and she certainly hadn’t explained how the charm worked. She just knew that Locasta never let it out of her sight. It was always in the front left pocket where Locasta fondled it and held it to give her the powers that had brought her to this situation, stuck between two worlds, in someone else’s head and missing her body and the freedom that provided!
Ooh oh, it looked like they were going out. Evanora had put on her work clothes with a cap that made her look like a young man. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail that was tucked under the cap. Her dark smoky eyes were hidden by a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses that she picked up at the dollar store. Her hiking boots with a pencil tucked behind her ear and a clip board rounded out the outfit.
What in the world did she have planned? And how did I not know what she was thinking of doing? If she can keep secrets from me, what else do I not know?
Locasta
A knock at the door startled her. She hadn’t noticed any cars pulling up in the parking lot and certainly hadn’t buzzed anyone in. The intruder must have snuck in when the mail person had arrived. Or it was someone who lived in the building. What was she going to do if it was a neighbor? Perhaps if she just remained quiet, they would go away.
She sat very still, barely daring to breathe, as though someone could hear her breathing through the door. Again, an aggressive knock. This could hardly be a neighbor – if there was no reason to complain, like loud music, it seemed a friend or neighbor would have knocked more gently. If she even had friends!
A voice called out, “Hello, I’m here to pick up a box from a Astra Smith”. Well, there was obviously no Astra Smith here so she remained quiet, hoping the voice would go away. “Knock, Knock, Is there a Locasta Williams here?”
Now she was in trouble. That was the name on her driver’s license. But who was Astra Smith? She went to the door and making sure the dead bolt was tight, she opened the door a crack. “Astra is not here”.
The person was a work person of some kind. No name tag or company identifier but he looked professional, although slightly feminine. “Do you know when she will be back? I’m supposed to pick up a box she had as a contribution to our Helping Hands Drive.”
“I don’t know anything about that, but I’ll have her call you if I see her”.
“Doesn’t she live here? That’s what she put on our form”.
“I’m really busy right now. I promise I will have her call you as soon as I see her”.
The person was very shifting very aggressively now, putting more weight towards Locasta. Shoulders a little straighter and voice a little louder. “I really need to get this box today. Where can I reach her? Can you telephone her? Today is our last day”, she demanded.
Locasta tried to push the door shut but Evanora had moved her heavy black boot into the door opening and wasn’t about to move it. “I need to talk to Astra Smith now”.
Locasta was really frightened now. After hearing the voice more clearly and the face coming close, she realized that this person was a woman but not a friendly one at all. She tried again to push the door shut, again without success.
The elevator dinged and doors opened. A woman and a man stepped into the hallway and paused as they intended to open the door directly across the hall. Noticing the expression on Locasta’s face, the man asked, “Is everything ok Locasta?”
With that, the hostile intruder turned and walked toward the elevator. “Sorry to disturb you ma’am”. Locasta shut the door quickly and decided to never open it again, no matter who came to the door.
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