|
Scene #24
SEVERED TIES
Frankie stood in a room with dark-wood paneled interior and drab colour carpet and furnishings. She could see a large, stocky man, his hair pushed back with a red bandana tied around his head, wearing an oversized leather jacket that had some sort of emblem sewn on the backside. She had a good view of him towering over a petite girl dressed in a pink, cropped shirt and tight shorts, kneeling.
Frankie's eyes widened. Her body seized at the sound of the man's massive hand,applying extreme physical force, connecting with the petite girl's skin. Without warning, she witnessed him clutch the young girl's throat tight, and lift her high above the carpet.The veins in his neck appeared ready to burst, while her tiny feet dangled as she struggled, her torso, and limbs, twisting to free herself.
"Help, I...can't...breathe...I'm going to die!" she cried, gasping for air.
Frankie snapped awake, bolting upright in bed. Drenched with perspiration, she felt the tears well in her eyes. "Candice!" she screamed.
In silence, she looked side to side in an eerie-blue gleam from the full moon, visible through her bedroom window and saw her blankets crumpled on the floorboards at the foot of the bed.
Wet from a frantic sweat, her fingers fumbled to locate her cell phone on the nightstand and flip open the top. She adjusted her focus to the dim blue light from the screen, and pushed the buttons, marked with letters, sending a text message: Sandra, 911! Where will u b 2day?
Impatient, she sent the text message again. Several minutes later, she received a reply: Work @7. C u then.
Her distress lightened. She sat her cell phone on the nightstand at the side of the bed,pulled the comforter from the floor boards, then lay her head on the pillow, and waited for dawn to arrive.
When the sun's early light flooded in through the window, she pulled down the sheets,showered, and dressed in a purple colour, vintage T-shirt, and basic black, skinny jeans.
She looked in the mirror above the dresser and applied dark, dramatic make-up to her eyes and lips. She turned, walked to the closet and removed her leather-knee-high boots. Her liquorice-black hair tumbled loose about her shoulders, as she eased her sock feet into her footwear. She straightened, and reached for her playing card deck from the altar, and headed for the door.
Outside, the wind blowing from the south, she traveled through the historic neighbourhoods on her way to Sandra's work.
She swung the restaurant's door open and saw a plump, middle age man in his same white shirt, tie and wrinkled suit pants. He lifted his gaze from the cash register. "Good morning Frankie," he said smiling.
"Morning. I Sandra here?"
"Yes. She's in the dish room."
"Thanks."
At the back of the restaurant she rapped her knuckle on the glass window in the swinging door. Sandra raised her head and instantly found her. Frankie saw she had her orange, curly hair tied in a ponytail, and a dark shade of eyeliner on the outer corners of her eyes to create a cat-eyed effect walk toward her.
"Hey," Sandra said.
"Sorry, I woke you from your sleep," she said, tossing her long mane of ebony hair over her shoulder.
"No problem. What's the emergency?"
"Have you heard from Candice?"
"Not really. Since she moved to the city, we've lost touch. Why?"
"I believe she used her magic to contact me in my dream
time."
Sandra leaned against the doorframe, reached into her low-rider jeans back pocket and produced an envelope. She passed the folded paper to her. Frankie stared at the picture,then read the words: CHILD FIND, MISSING; young female seventeen, eyes hazel, brown hair, height 5'7, weight 120.
"How could you keep this from me?" she asked, tightening her grip on the envelope.
"I didn't. Yesterday, my mom received her Visa bill. She gave me the envelope, when she saw Candice's picture. I phoned her parents. They are in the middle of a divorce. Her mom said, when they first split, she began to stay out late. Then one day, she just never came home."
"We have to find her. The police haven't been able to," Frankie said, waving the envelope.
"Come with me," Sandra said, dragging her into the dish room to retrieve her Tarot deck. She held her hand leading her toward the stockroom. Inside the dimly lit, cramped space, they stood tall, with legs shoulder-width apart, shuffling their cards, face down.Sandra looked at her. "Ready?" she asked in a low voice.
"Ready."
Instantaneous, they cut their cards and fanned the entire pack on the top of cardboard boxes, stacked chest high.
Side by side Sandra and Frankie moved their lacquered fingernails over their cards.
Frankie could see and feel a pulsating energy, consisting of brilliant spirals and little dots expand and twirl at different speeds, beneath her steady palm. The shiny, fine light,tickled her skin, tracing a spiral on the back of her hand.
In unison they flipped, then tossed their chosen card onto the top of the stacked cardboard boxes, image upright.
Frankie watched the bright light twirl and blur until she could no longer make out the shapes.
"Our trip is all here in the six of hearts and the Chariot," Sandra said, waving her open palm across the cards.
"I can see it's safe to say, we are headed for the big city?"
"The cards determine that we are not interfering in the search, we encountered what was to happen. Your dream and my receiving the envelope with Candice's picture were predetermined and unavoidable events. We can't change her situation, but we must react."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she said, nodding in agreement.
"Where's Sandra?" a loud voice bellowed.
"I need to go!" she whispered, grabbing her Tarot cards. She opened the door, then they crept out from the cramped room.
| 
