Telling Fortunes in Phoenix

Sara

Sara and Giraffe returned to the veldt. The river was in flood so Lioness and Tiger basked on the rock outcropping, Water Buffalo waded the shallows dipping her nose for a mouthful of water weeds. Ostrich enjoyed the weeds from the shore and tried to take a bird bath without total immersion. High above the crowd Peregrine floated on the air. It banked to give Sara a profile; their eyes met.

The plan was in swing, the crime was committed. Could the victims be saved? The criminals dispersed? Sara climbed with falcon wings, seeking allies. She and Falcon saw storm clouds on the horizon and a look from his hooded eye told her that was the way. They traveled.

Closer and closer to the massing storm Sara could see water vapor shifting at the edges and shapes appear in the roil. The winds rose.

Maureen Sturgis’s face coalesced in the surface, then her son Cody came forward.

Now the clouds were gone and Sara sat in a moon washed bedroom looking at two figures sleeping. The smaller of the men thrashed, flipping into a new position.

“Can you help?” Sara asked. “Those victims need some help.”

The restless man sat up gasping. The other figure put an arm out. “MMmmph,” he said.

“Did I wake you?” It was Nik Stepan.

“MMmmph,” replied the reclining form.

“I’m going down to Mexico this morning.”

The man attempting to sleep acknowledged that he’d heard before dragging the other back into a horizontal position. Nik acquiesced but continued staring at the ceiling. Eventually his eyes closed.

And she and Falcon were back on the plane, the African sun searing down. Time to leave.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

Sara thanked the power animals, and beat back, up, up, up out of the shaft, into the crystal blue sky and finally settled back into her body in a dark smelly room full of sleeping women.