A Wishing Moon Read online

  “For the past two nights, I have been seeing someone—in my dreams.” She looked around from face to face. No one looked shocked; they just waited for more information. “If I have ever met him before, I don’t remember it. And he is not the type of man one forgets. Yet, he is very familiar to me. It saddens me that I have no idea who he is. You see, I haven’t been able to…find out any information…because, when we’re together…”

  “They can’t keep their hands off of each other long enough to talk,” Elizabeth drawled the completion of her sentence.

  “Do you feel like you’re dreaming, Arabella?” Angelique asked her seriously.

  Arabella knew exactly what she meant. “No, my experiences are more than a dream. I can tell the difference. I’m meeting him at Enchanted Rock—not too far from here.”

  “I know E-Rock,” Her mother commented as she stood up to stir the seafood stew. “The place is enchanted, just like the name says. The huge dome sits on a ley line and the entire thing is made of crystal quartz. That mountain is magick personified. There isn’t a more sacred and powerful place in the South.”

  “So you think the man is more than just a fantasy, not just someone you, literally, dreamed up?” Evangeline asked. “I think the whole thing sounds incredibly romantic.”

  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.

  “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.

  “I thought we could go to Enchanted Rock and see if we can sense anything there.” Arabella wiped her eyes.

  “I’ll go with you, Arabella,” Evangeline assured her, “Do you want to go now?”

  “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?”

  “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.

  “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.”

  “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.

  “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?”

  “Yea, you can almost spit on the house from here.”

  “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.”

  “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.”

  “Really, what did she say?” Arabella would love to have Evangeline close.

  “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.

  “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.

  “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 forgotte
n 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.

  “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.

  “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.”

  “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.

  “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.

  “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.

  “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.

  “Open the circle, Evangeline.”

  Following Arabella’s direction, she walked around the circle for a final time saying,

  “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?”

  “Something touched my cheek.” She placed her own palm over the spot where she had felt the touch. “It felt like a hand, I swear.”

  “It wasn’t me.” Evangeline stood ten or twelve feet away from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two small children chasing after a roadrunner as it skittered over the pink granite surface. When she turned to look more closely, a young man with a baseball cap called out to Arabella.

  “Hey, don’t get too close to the edge! A guy fell off the side right about there a couple of weeks ago, and hurt himself real bad.”

  At his admonishment, Arabella stepped back from the steeper, slick portion of the dome.

  When Evangeline turned to meet Arabella to start down the trail, a thought occurred to her. “Do you think that was your answer?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The man who said someone fell off E-Rock a couple of weeks ago. Could he be talking about your guy? And the touch—don’t forget the touch.”

  Arabella’s face showed every bit of the emotion she was feeling. “I don’t know, but I’ve got to find out, Evangeline. I’m confused, hopeful, and at the same time scared to death. Let’s go home and search all of the newspapers and the internet. Maybe we can find a clue or an article about the accident that man was referring to.”

  Evangeline didn’t hesitate to say exactly what she was thinking. “This is it, Arabella. I can feel it. We’re going to find him, I just know it.”

  * * * *

  Jade Landale panicked. The only lifeline he had to hold on to was the escape he had in his sleep. Strangely, this time his dream had not turned out as before. When he had first dropped off, he had been dreaming of his best friend in high school, Todd Reynolds. They had been climbing out at Heuco Tanks, which was about thirty-two miles northeast of El Paso. They had made that climb together several times, but this time Todd fell. The accident had been Jade’s fault—he’d watched his friend fall headfirst down Mushroom boulder. He had watched in horror as Todd bounced off the side like a rag doll. All of a sudden, a magnetic-like force had begun to draw him. He tried to fight the impulse, but the attraction was just too strong. Jade had been pulled into a tunnel-like vortex, and when he became aware of his surroundings, he was back on E-Rock.

  At first, he had been relieved; standing on one side, seemingly where he had left her, was his lady. God, she looked beautiful. His loins tightened at the sight of her. He approached her, but this time she did not respond. Could she see him? He went up to her, but her eyes looked right through him. Her lips were moving, but he didn’t hear any sound at all. Panicked, he tried to make her look at him. He touched her face with his hand. She jumped—at last
acknowledging his presence. Her hand came up and she touched the exact same spot. His heart leapt with excitement. She could feel him!

  Then, cruelly, unwanted hands brought him back to unwelcome reality. He awoke to find several orderlies were working to move him and all of the machines that were keeping him alive. They were moving him to God knows where. Jade had no idea what was about to happen to him, and he wasn’t looking forward to finding out. He didn’t have a good feeling about any of this.

  They were early, he thought. Time didn’t mean much to him. He did know the sun had come up. The lightness in the room betrayed that fact. No one came in to talk to him or offered him any explanation. He had so many questions and no answers. Had they given up on him? Were they taking him some place where he would get more individualized care? These questions were important to him, but what he wanted to know more than anything was why he hadn’t been able to make contact with the beautiful woman on E-Rock. She’d been his salvation. If he lost her then he would have nothing—absolutely nothing.

  * * * *

  Elizabeth, Nanette and Angelique made their way up to Rachel Townsend’s front door. Already, Elizabeth—by far the most sensitive one in the family—started picking up on the violent act, which had led to the disappearance of the mother and the daughter. Rachel came to the door after only a second or two. “Oh, thank you for coming. I have been waiting for you.”

  The trio entered the home and Elizabeth went on back to the kitchen, not waiting for an invitation. Nanette took Rachel’s hand and held it within her own. “Mrs. Townsend, please accept our condolences. We are so sorry to hear about Kathy and Lea.”