A Peculiar Party ~ Part Six March 27, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Fiction, Magick & Mystery, Word Play.comments closed
Wikipedia ~ The Magician (Tarot Card), in Public Domain
It was starting to make sense . . . in a nonsensical way. Pieces fitting into a puzzle and locking in place. Of course, the specific facts seemed closer to a fantastic dream, where anything is possible, than to daily life with its more predictable cadence.
A few things still didn’t fit.
For one, Teddy had touched the dolphin. And the dolphin hadn’t rushed to sign up for Zumba lessons.
“What about the dolphin, Freddie? Teddy touched Flipper and he didn’t fly away to Never-Never-Land.”
“No. But as you no doubt noticed, the dolphin IS magical . . . everything in the fountain IS magical. It not only provides us with a perfectly balanced diet, it offers up anything else we need.”
“Rather like Mary Poppins and her bottomless carpet bag.”
“Yes. But Betty, Teddy, and I are not Mary Poppins . . . or Harry Potter. We haven’t mastered the art of this sorcery. That’s why we called you.”
I grinned. “Nancy McGee to the rescue!”
I continued, “Once I’ve figured out where to stick a few more pieces, I’ll do what I can to excise the spell, even if we need a full blown exorcist. Once we get rid of the spell that’s taken hold . . .”
I looked up and noticed Freddie’s discomfiture. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure we want to excise the spell. Some of the side effects are rather lovely. If we just knew what we were doing.”
“I see. You might prefer to master the magic.”
“You don’t approve.”
“It’s not for me to approve or disapprove. It’s your life. Your choice.”
“But you think we’re playing with matches?”
“Perhaps. Let’s see what we are working with before you end up burning down the house.”
“Or burning our bridges.”
“Just so. I have a few more questions. Have you gone anywhere or had anyone over to the house?”
“No. We haven’t seen anyone. As soon as we realized the extent of this spell, we canceled the mail, the newspaper, and stopped answering the phone.”
“So your friends think you’re on vacation?”
“Yes.”
“Wait! The phone still works?”
“Oddly enough, yes. Things with currents running through them are either impervious or less affected by the spell than less animate objects.”
Wikipedia ~ Lightning Strike (in Public Domain)
“So . . . tables more than phones. And chairs more than, say, computers?”
“Exactly.”
“The computer still works?”
“It does.”
“Excellent, we may need it.”
I thought for a minute. “Wait! None of you touched me but I felt peculiar within moments of arriving. As soon as you came out to greet me, my circuits started firing in unpredictable sequences. Why?”
“This magic, like lightning, seems to be conducted via moisture.”
“But I wasn’t on soggy ground. And I’m wearing flip flops.”
“True. But the humidity in Florida is so high that . . .”
“. . . the air acts as a conductor.”
“Yes. A mild one.”
“That’s why when it was just you standing near me, I didn’t notice it as much as when Teddy and Betty joined us. At that point, my head started spinning.”
Freddie nodded.
“Why do I feel more like myself now?”
“Two reasons. There’s just one of us here. Teddy, Betty and I decided it would make sense to have just one spokesperson. Me.”
“Okay. Second?”
“You’re sitting on a dolphin. Flipper is an insulator.”
“An insulator?”
“The quantum physics is beyond me, but as long as you’re seated on the dolphin you’re safe.”
I patted Flipper’s head, feeling grateful, indeed.
To be continued . . .
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Spirit Lights The Way 