see you,” Mira blurted out, feeling her little fists ball in irrational temper, “Hunched over, thinking you’re better than me, spilling out superiority complex energy. But sit here long enough and you’re gonna get yourself some life education!”
Mira clapped a hand over her mouth and shot her eyes down to her lap.
What was she doing?!
This man was just minding his own business, sipping his coffee.
Mira groaned inside at herself. She felt her heart thumping against her chest, beating her up from the inside for being so stupid.
But she heard a snicker and peeped back over at the hooded stranger. He was holding a hand over his mouth, trying to hold it in. But it was one of those laughs that would not be held down. He bust into a rich, melodious chuckle; the type that made you feel good just to be around, even if you didn’t know what the joke was about. She tingled.
“Here, looks like you need this more than me,” he handed her the coffee cup and stood up.
“Hu?” Mira didn’t understand.
He smiled and it lit up his whole face, even his eyes were twinkling.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he got out between unrestrained chortles and it was like being near someone who had a highly contagious strain of joy.
Mira took the cup, only half frowning against that glorious laugh.
“For your information I always look like this,” Mira said, laughing as well - joy contracted.
But the stranger was on his feet, his hands in his pockets, hood low.
He nodded down at her lap “You’ve got a sketchbook.”
“Oh yeah,” Mira fumbled out, clutching it even tighter; then added smiling “It’s my dreamcatcher.”
And with that he was walking away, down the path.
Mira checked her phone.
She had time.
It probably seemed strange to anyone else, the idea of calling on a primeval power to commune with apparitions in a half hour stroll through the park before work. But like Master Chi always said, humans like to make complex webs out of simple threads. To talk with the powers of the universe you honestly don’t need a spirit-quest type sabbatical, no ouija board - not even a tea light candle. If you want to chat with the other side the only real trick is learning how to listen; and then prepare yourself to be told things you don’t necessarily like hearing.
Mira had tried to explain this to her bestie Sunny once. Sunny had just blinked a kind of ‘I don’t get it’ stare back at her. It honestly hadn’t bothered Mira.
She found it hard to put into words; that switch she flicked in her head to shift into ‘spirit world’ gear. Sunny was the only person Mira had ever talked to about how she could see and have conversations with things that weren’t there to anybody else. Even though Mira had shut that side of her down as much as possible, over the years some energies inevitably slipped through her defences. Sunny never pretended to understand, and didn’t indulge Mira over it; but didn’t abandon her like she was a fugitive from the looney bin either. Mira appreciated that. Sunny was really the only human Mira was completely transparent with.
No one else came to her as Mira continued her meander through the park. That’s the other thing about spirit. You can’t force it either. If someone wants to talk with you they will, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be there at your every beck and call. These powers that Be have got shit to do too.
So Mira turned on her heels in the direction of work and let the rest of the day float by, as though she were in a dream.
The next morning Mira was up earlier than usual, following a compass inside her without knowing exactly where she was headed.
She hit the café on opening, only a girl in activewear had beaten her to first order of the day.
Mira watched the girl lean over the counter as she placed her order, a finger twirling softly through her golden hair and a cherry halo of energy rushing about her like a vortex was opening.
Mira smiled knowingly.
As the girl slowly dragged herself from the counter to the side to wait, Mia stepped forward to see the young barrister’s plume of crimson and gold feathers fade grey and fall as he took her order.
Mira smirked wryly inside. It was ok. She was the girl guys bumped into by accident when they were checking out someone else.
Mira placed her order, handed over her money and also moved to the side.
Mira smiled at the girl, who gave her back a charity half-smile before returning to arching her neck over the coffee machine that stood between her and her barrister knight.
Mira watched as the barrister raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement to the girl. She fluttered over, her wings flickering ruby at him. Their fingers touched as he handed her the cup and a fireworks spark of energy burst between them.
The girl slowly pulled her coffee towards herself and almost skipped to the condiments station.
The barrister gave Mira a grimace as she reached for her own coffees.
“Would you like a carry tray?” He asked.
“That’d be great thanks,” Mira replied. She saw his energy turn ashen at the necessity to take his eyes off the blond girl who was now looking at her phone.
Mira was feeling unusually gutsy.
As he appeared back at the counter and placed the cups in a tray for her Mira lent over and whispered “She likes you.”
The poor man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and rolled on the floor.
“You think?” He whispered back, a spark of blue-lightning interest flashing across his eyes, “How can you tell?”
“She’s… lingering,” Mira smiled wryly.
The man’s chest burst forward and his feather crow flew into full bloom as he looked in the direction of the girl.
“Thanks man,” he murmured at Mira as he moved from behind the counter towards his butterfly.
“Actually I’m a girl,” Mira said to herself, shrugged, and took her coffees.
Mira walked the same path she had the morning before; through the kaleidoscope canopy, up the rise to the bench seat, unsure and searching.
Mira sat with the coffees on her lap.
She didn’t wait long.
The man in the hooded sweater came and sat next to her again.
“You came back,” he whispered, a touch of wonder in his low rumble.
“I brought you a coffee,” Mira smiled and offered it out to him.
“How’d you know?”
