So, here’s how this works. I’m
going to list 20 psychic powers at the bottom of this post. Feel free to roll a
d20 to pick a random one or just grab the one you think it most awesome (though
let’s be honest: random is more fun). If you need to know what it is: well,
Google is your best friend. And your prom date.
Your story must include one — and only one — of the psychic powers mentioned.
And now, the list of psychic powers:
1.
Clairvoyance
2.
Pyromancy
3.
Cryomancy
4.
Telepathy
5.
Psychometry
6.
Faith or Psychic Healing
7.
Precognition
8.
Telekinesis
9.
Mediumship
10.
Levitation
11.
Astral Projection
12.
Bilocation
13.
Teleportation
14.
Aura Reading
15.
Divination
16.
Retrocognition
17.
Past-Life Regression
18.
Mind Control
19.
Dream Control
20.
Psychic Empathy (aka an Empath)
I rolled a 17. Besides remembering
that wonderful line from Red Dwarf when Rimmer announced that he was Alexander
the Great’s chief eunuch in a previous life, I didn’t have many ideas. Isn’t it
amazing how many people who say they have previous lives were always someone
rich and important?
Sceptics
They stood at the gate of the
creepy looking house. It could have been a set for the Munsters. From the
outside it looked as if they relied on candles or maybe even gaslight for
illumination. It clearly wasn’t enough.
Luke sighed. “Why are we here,
again? At Madame Minerva’s of all places.”
Allison ignored him.
“If the gate creaks loudly like it
always does in the horror movies, I am just running back to the car, okay?”
She gave him a look.
He reached for the gate with
exaggerated slowness. It creaked loudly.
They both giggled. Neither of them
ran back to the car.
“Seriously, honey. Why are we
here?” It was then he caught sight of the sign. ‘Specialist in past life
regressions’ it boasted.
He snorted. “Seriously? Past life
regression?”
“I know, right. They are so rare.”
“What is she going to do? Tell us
where the necklace is? One of her past lives buried it in the yard or
something.”
“Look, I don’t know. But she is
all we have right now. So if you could shut up and stop being so negative for
once-”
His eyes narrowed. “Fine,” he spat
at her.
“Fine,” she responded. “And anyway
it’s not her past life we want to
know about.”
“Wait… what?” He looked at her in
disbelief. “You do not believe in this crap!”
“No, I don’t… but…”
“But?” he prompted.
“There has to be some link between
me and the necklace. Just think about it.”
“I don’t like it.” His hands were
clenched and held tight at his sides.
“You don’t have to like it. I just
want you there.” She reached down and tried to hold his hand. Eventually he
loosened enough to return her gesture. “I want you to hold my hand.”
“And remember everything. You’ll
be out of it, in a trance or whatever.”
She smiled at him carefully.
“Yes.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“I know.”
“What if you don’t come back to
me?”
She thought he was joking until
she looked at his face. She reached up and put her palms on his cheeks. “I will
always come back to you.”
His lips curved an infinitesimal
amount. “We’ve been through some heavy stuff, before.”
“Yes. Together,” she added.
“If you turn out to be Cleopatra it’s
over.”
“We can’t all be rich and famous.
I am highly unlikely to be Cleopatra.”
He stroked down her nose with one
finger. “Oh, I don’t know. You have a very pretty nose.”
“What if you are my Anthony?” she
asked him.
He laughed. “No way. Odds on, I
was some poor beggar or slave who got smallpox and died in a ditch and I never
met you.”
She grinned. “So, let’s go find
out.”
The ancient door pull jangled
noisily inside.
The door was opened by a woman who
looked very inch a hedge witch. She wore a long sleeved gown that trailed on
the floor behind her, several layers of blouses, shirts, cardigans and a shawl
held in place by a pin that appeared to have a decoration of a tiny animal
skull. Her wild hair looked uncombed and had twigs caught in it.
“Madame Minerva?” Allison was
loath to shake her hand. “We… ah, spoke on the phone. I’m sorry that it is so
late.”
She looked down her very
impressive nose at them.
“Minnie!” she squalled towards the
staircase. “Clients!”
And then she just turned and
walked away.
Luke snorted and she thumped him
across the chest.
“Trifle overdone?” he whispered to
her.
A small woman wearing sensible
heels, a dark woollen suit and with very neatly combed grey hair came down the
stairs. All her actions looked brisk. “Hello,” she said to them. “You must be
Allison.”
“Madame Minerva?”
“Oh,” she waved a hand airily.
“Call me Minnie. Everybody does.” She took Allison by the arm. “Why don’t we do
this in the kitchen? My sister may be a hedge witch but I am really more of a
hearth one.” She laughed at her own joke.
Allison glanced towards Luke. He
looked cheerier already.
Seated at the battered old kitchen
table with a large mug of hot tea in her hand, Allison could admit to herself
that she felt better about this, too. She leant on her other hand as Minnie
started chatting to her about the garden and the cats… and then she started to
ask her questions. Allison relaxed and answered her. She had an awareness that
time was passing but she was so relaxed that she just wanted to sit there and
keep talking to the nice old lady.
“Are you okay, Allison?”
“Yes.”
“We need to go deeper. Do you
trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Luke is here. He won’t leave
you.”
“Never does,” she said.
After that, it became more
blurred. She could hear everything she said, but it didn’t feel like it was her saying it. It seemed to be coming
from somewhere much further away. She kind of tuned out; it was too hard to
listen when she just wanted to relax.
When Luke kissed her, she came
back to herself. He was holding her hand and leaning around her shoulder. His
face looked bright and he was clearly happy with the results.
She blinked. Her eyes felt grainy
and sore. “Was I crying?”
“Yes,” Minnie answered. “It’s
called release. It happens sometimes.”
“I feel… exhausted.”
“I am not surprised. It has been a
long journey.” She glanced at Luke. “Did you hear what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Minnie patted their joined hands.
“You two have been together before, but you knew that. You must have recognised
each other.”
“Yes,” Allison said. “At least it
felt like that.”
“Love at first sight,” said Luke.
“No such thing,” Minnie scoffed.
Luke laughed.
After confirming their payment to
the local feline rescue centre they were shown out the door. Minnie hugged her
goodbye.
Luke drove home.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Now, we go to bed. It is nearly
dawn. It will still be there tomorrow. It’s been there for two hundred years.”
“I told you where it is?” she
sounded astonished.
“You told us more than that.”
“Could she have influenced me?”
“I don’t see how. And I thought you
were the believer?”
“And I thought you were the
sceptic.”
~~~~
© AM Gray 2013
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