Authors: Sable Hunter
Arabella smiled. “It is romantic. And, yes, I think he’s more than a fantasy. He has said two things to me that I can’t forget. The first was ‘come to me’ and the second…‘find me’. I know the whole idea may sound absurd, but I just know he’s a real person. How do I find him, Grandmother?” Tears were very close to the surface as Arabella knelt by her grandmother’s chair.
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We will find him sweetheart, do not doubt for a moment.” Nanette looked up at Angelique for support and the wise woman nodded her head in affirmation.
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I thought we could go to Enchanted Rock and see if we can sense anything there.” Arabella wiped her eyes.
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I’ll go with you, Arabella,” Evangeline assured her, “Do you want to go now?”
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No, we will have to wait until later. I have made a promise to someone and I must keep that promise.” She knew these three were probably far ahead of her, but Arabella needed to say the words out loud. “Mother, do you remember Kathy Townsend and the awful slumber party where I made the mistake of showing off a little too much?”
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How could I forget? You cried for days. I thought I would have to home school you.” Elizabeth placed a loving hand on her daughter’s head.
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Rachel, her mother, the same woman who shamed me and called me a heathen, phoned me yesterday and begged me to help her. Kathy and her five-year-old daughter disappeared almost forty-eight hours ago. I read a few of their things and went over to the house to see if I could pick up any information and what I got wasn’t pretty. I saw Kathy and Lea attacked by a man she allowed to come into their home. I used a pendulum over a map of the area and I placed the tip of the crystal as close to their home as I could and it would not budge. The only direction the pendulum pulled was straight down. I don‘t know what else to do. Rachel is going crazy and the police feel she just left and took the child with her. Mother, I promised Rachel you and grandmother would go over and see if there was anything more you could do.”
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Of course we will, baby.” Nanette rose to get her purse. “Somebody turn off our gumbo. We will eat later.”
Elizabeth turned off the fire and covered the pot so the cats wouldn’t be tempted to fish for tidbits.
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Angelique, you come with me. If anything really bad happened, you’ll know.” Nanette stopped her forward progress. “Wait a minute, what am I thinking—this won’t wait.” She reached into her purse and took out five, red flannel bags. “The reason we came early was because I saw danger in the scrying bowl. I saw danger and death. There are several things I intend to do, but until then, I want each one of you to wear this protection gris-gris. I filled it full of angelica, garlic, mistletoe and a tiger‘s eye. I have blessed and prayed over this bag and have asked Chango to protect you. It is sealed with Saint Barbara’s symbol, a tiny gold sword. Wear the bag around your neck. This will keep you safe until we can do more. I must figure out what we’re up against, and then I will know how to proceed.” She gave each of her loved ones a bag and they put them on. “Elizabeth, do you know where the Townsend house is?”
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Yea, you can almost spit on the house from here.”
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You have such a way with words, my dear.” Nanette smiled as if she had truly missed her daughter. “Arabella, you and Evangeline go to that mountain and find that boy. Angelique, Elizabeth, let’s go see about those children.”
Chapter Four
The drive to Enchanted Rock from Wimberley was a scenic one. Evangeline loved everything about the Hill Country. She kept pointing out features that caught her eye—an interesting tree, a meandering stream or a quaint farmhouse. Arabella enjoyed seeing the familiar scenery through her cousin’s more appreciative eyes. “Just wait till you see this place in the spring. The wildflowers bloom in profusion. Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, Purple Cone Flowers and Black-eyed Susans will paint the hills more beautifully than any artist ever could.”
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You make living here sound wonderful.” Evangeline looked out the car window wistfully, and then out of the blue said, “I’ve been asking Grandmother to let me transfer to UT.”
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Really, what did she say?” Arabella would love to have Evangeline close.
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She said my coming over here would break her heart.” With that comment, Evangeline sighed and Arabella thought the less she said the better, until she could talk to Nanette herself.
They rounded one more curve and Enchanted Rock came into view.
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E-Rock is the second largest granite domes in the world, only Stone Mountain in Georgia is bigger,” Evangeline noted as if she were quoting from a textbook.
Arabella turned into the park, and they were surprised to find a long line of cars waiting to be processed through the park ranger’s check station. Rolling down the car windows, they took advantage of the nice weather. As they watched and listened, the girls became amused to find out a car of college students was detained because one of them had decided it would be a good idea to take a whiz on one of the rocks framing the entrance. Their vehicle had been pulled over, and the guilty culprit looked sheepish as he got a stern lecture from an older female ranger. With bowed head, he endured the dressing down, and then thankfully they were allowed to proceed.
After only a few more minutes, it was their turn to be given a map and directions for parking. They paid the fee and wound around the access road until an open parking spot came into view. Evangeline scanned the fact sheet on the back of the map and commented, “Good Lord, did you know how immense Enchanted Rock is? The granite mountain covers six-hundred-forty acres and rises four-hundred-twenty-five feet in the air.”
Arabella just smiled. She loved trivia as much as her cousin.
Once the car was parked, they headed toward one of the walking trails. Arabella had decided they should take The Summit Trail to get to the top of the pink granite dome. She slung a backpack over her shoulder that she had hastily filled with bottled water, granola bars and a few first aid supplies in case one of them took a tumble. They crossed over the small creek using the stepping-stones and walked north until they found the signs pointing the way to the trail.
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The Tonkawa Indians who used to live in the area called this place the ‘Singing Rock’,” Arabella explained as they started the trek upward. “Scientists now say the eerie singing noise is caused by the cooling of the granite after the hot Texas sun sets.”
Both of the girls were anxious to get to the top so they carefully passed several families and a few couples who were enjoying each other’s company too much to hurry. Arabella realized she felt nervous, but she really didn’t understand why. She did have to admit, though, this whole situation was more important to her than she realized.
* * * *
Evangeline smiled, she’d forgotten when Arabella became nervous about something she tended to rattle. The higher she climbed, the more she talked. Facts were spouting out of her the way they did from a tour guide.
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Another oddity about E-Rock is a translucent green glow which emanates from the surface of the stone at dusk on some moonlit nights. The Indians called the phenomenon ghost fire, but the geologists say the glow is solar heat radiation emitted from the slightly radioactive granite. Elizabeth has always said E-Rock is one giant solar battery.”
Not that the information wasn’t interesting, but Evangeline would rather Arabella talk about the matter at hand. She jumped into the conversation before additional facts flowed from her cousin. “Arabella, tell me what he looks like.”
She only hesitated for a moment and then she began to speak, her voice growing soft with emotion. “He’s beautiful, Evangeline. His complexion is golden and he is built really, really well. His hair is long and he has the cutest smile. I would say his eyes and hair are both golden brown and he is tall, at least six four or more. My head rests right under his chin.”
Evangeline had no trouble hearing the wistful longing in Arabella’s voice.
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Don’t you think it would be better if we could perform the ritual as close to the spot where you have been meeting him as possible? Think back, do you remember any distinguishing features in the landscape we could look for to determine where your rendezvous took place?”
Arabella threw her cousin a disparaging glance. “I remember we were on the west side, because I could see over the edge and I also could see the last glimmer of the setting sun directly in front of me. There was a large boulder and one of those gnamma pools or doughnut holes—or whatever you call them—close by, with water still standing in the middle of it.”
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Well, then that’s what we will look for.” The hike took longer than Evangeline expected and when they finally reached the top, both girls realized they weren’t in as good physical shape as they thought they were.
The view from the top of the dome was incredible. The wind blew briskly and Arabella turned and headed to the west side of the massive rock mountain to see if she could locate the familiar spot.
As always, Evangeline was intrigued by everything and everybody. She stopped and talked to several people just to find out where they were from. Surprisingly, the majority of the people were local. The Hill country is one area appreciated by its residents. She finally caught up with Arabella who was standing still as if she were listening for something.
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This is the spot, as best I can remember,” Arabella said quietly. “Close your eyes, Evangeline. Let yourself tune into the essence of this place.” She held her arms up and turned around and around slowly. “Can you feel it? Enchanted Rock is very spiritual. Connecting with the Goddess will be easy here.”
Evangeline followed her cousin’s example. She wasn’t into ritual as much as Arabella. In New Orleans, if a spell needed to be done—it was done. She decided to take the bull by the horns. “Put yourself into a trance state and see if you can connect with him.”
Arabella worked more methodically. “Let’s cast a circle and call upon the Watchtowers of the East to aid in my search.” Even though there were others around, she began to walk in a circle. Taking sea salt from her pocket, she drew a circle on the ground with a steady stream of the purifying mineral.
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I cast a circle of perfect love and perfect trust. I call upon the God and the Goddess, the father and mother of all life, the creator of Heaven and Earth to be with us as we perform the task before us this day. Guardians of the East, element of Air, hear our plea. Let the winds of knowledge blow our way as we seek an answer to our question.”
After completing the circle, she stood next to her cousin and bowed her head.
Again, Arabella began to speak.
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Goddess of the moon, God of the sun, Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel hear my voice. Aid me in my quest. I ask for you reveal to me your secrets. Share with me your knowledge. I seek to make contact with the man whom I have met in my dreams. Grant me this boon. Whisper your answer on the wind. I call upon you to reveal to me the identity of the one whom I seek.”
They stood still as the winds whipped around them.
Several people had walked nearer to see what they were up to. No one disturbed them or came close enough to be a distraction. They stood still for several minutes and listened.
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Open the circle, Evangeline.”
Following Arabella’s direction, she walked around the circle for a final time saying,
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I open this circle; I thank the ones who have heard our voice. Stay if you will, go if you must. Thank you for your assistance. We are the flow and we are the ebb. We are the weaver and we are the web. Harm to none, our will be done. So mote it be.”
Arabella stepped out of the circle and as close to the edge of the steep side of the mountain as she could get. She was very still, looking out at the vast expanse of the park. “Evangeline, help me. I’m don’t know what I’ll do if none of this is real. I want him so much.”
Evangeline’s heart ached for her. She watched her cousin standing there, hoping against hope that the man of her dreams existed somewhere in the world. “I will help you in any way possible, you know that.” A gasp from Arabella made Evangeline jump. “What happened?”