A Fairytale For Melanie

 Long ago there was a girl, a girl and a dog. They lived a happy life in a lovely city in a land called California.

One of the girls, Jasmine, was studying to be a massage therapist. She spent hours of her day in peace and quiet learning to use therapeutic touch to heal aches and pains and strained muscles. She received a lot of praise from customers who thought her hands were magic.

The other girl, Melanie, worked in a coffee shop. She took the dog, Lasher, with her. Before she opened the doors of the shop, she would chant while she concocted a special drink for the day.

“We all come from the goddess and to her we shall return

Like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.”

 The owner of the shop felt lucky to have such a girl working for him and he would always ask her, “What kind of brew are you blessing my customers with today?” Melanie would hand him a sample of the drink on her way to open the doors.

After work Jasmine, Melanie and Lasher would head for the sea. They liked to live outdoors in parks overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Melanie would bring home leftover bagels and they would stop at a stand or a farmers market for fruits and vegetables and cans of food for Lasher.

They timed things so their arrival back at camp every day coincided with the dolphins coming in to play and feed. They would watch the dolphins frolic in the water while they chanted over the food that they were preparing to eat.

“Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inana”

Evenings slid into nights filled with gazing at stars and reading books they checked out from the library in Cardiff By the Sea. Melanie would play guitar and sing. Jasmine would take Lasher for long walks.

Sometimes boys would appear, enamored by Jasmine’s magic hands or Melanie’s melodic voice. They would take blankets out under the stars for hours and then the boys were sent on their way.

Life was idyllic. Such times are usually fleeting, though, and that was the case for the two girls and their dog. Trouble started when Lasher got sick. Melanie searched high and low for the right veterinarian but she knew – the right veterinarian was back in Maine. Meanwhile a bad man had become obsessed with Jasmines touch and he was stalking her. Melanie needed to take Lasher back to Maine and Jasmine needed to move indoors so she could protect herself.

“We all come from the goddess and to her we shall return

Like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.” 

They made their plans. The last night they would spend together would be Beltane. They decided to spend it on Black’s Beach even though getting there could be tricky. It meant climbing down the side of a cliff covered in loose gravel with backpacks full of stuff and with a drum tied to the bottom of the pack. There were a few scary heart-pounding seconds of feet sliding but they arrived safely at the bottom.

 A full moon filled the surf with energy and it crashed onto the beach making a kind of watery music. Lasher ran in and out of the water while Melanie and Jasmine built a balefire with wood from the packs. They found comfortable spots to sit on across from each other with the fire between them.

Journal and pen beside them had to be weighed down with rocks as the wind threatened to carry it away. Jasmine drew a circle of salt around them for protection. They beat their drums and sang the chant while the surf pounded and Lasher ran everywhere building energy to a crescendo.

“We all come from the goddess and to her we shall return

Like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.

Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inana”

 They rose from their seats, put down the drums and danced. They took turns jumping over the fire leaving the things they wanted to let go of on one side and calling the things they wanted to embrace into themselves on the other side.

When they started to tire and the energy waned, they wandered back to their seats, picked up journal and pen and wrote. They wrote of the beauty of the night. They wrote of the sorrow put in their hearts by the reality of parting company. They begged the goddess to reunite them someday and they vowed to continue asking until it happened.

Exhausted from dancing and drained emotionally, they walked down to the edge of the water. They got their feet wet in the sea and bathed their faces in the moon. They hugged and cried until there seemed to be nothing left inside them but peace.

“Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inana”

Their sleeping bags were in the car and they needed to retrieve them to sleep on the beach as the night had turned chilly. A knowing came over Jasmine and she insisted they carry everything up to the car. They made their way slowly up the cliff face. They were stashing things inside the trunk when a familiar man’s voice said, “You came up. I was just about to come and join you.”

Jasmine inhaled sharply: her stalker. She whispered quietly to Melanie, “Let’s get the car loaded and leave quickly.” Melanie nodded. The man kept speaking and they nodded and said uh-huhs so he wouldn’t get angry. He was focused on Jasmine so Melanie put Lasher in the backseat, got in herself and locked all the doors except the passenger side, Jasmine’s door. When Melanie started the car, he realized what was happening and stepped in Jasmine’s path. Lasher started growling low in his throat, steadily getting louder.

Jasmine took a step away from the man and put her hand up to stop him coming closer. They stared at each other. He started to step towards her again just as the wind kicked up and there was the loud shrieking sound of an alarm accompanied by honking. He turned and ran towards the noisy vehicle which must have been his.  Jasmine jumped in the car, slammed and locked her door and Melanie raced away.

 “We all come from the goddess and to her we shall return

Like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean.”

Melanie planned to drive all night. She was a night owl and more comfortable that way. Jasmine was ready to shower, eat and rest. They parted at Jasmine’s door with one last hug. She watched until she couldn’t see the car any more then went inside.

Later in bed, Jasmine read the words she wrote in her journal and started to envision life on her own. She would be sad for a while but she would be okay. Hours down the road Melanie did the same. All that remained of their time together was memory and hope.

The reading of this story today and always is a plea to the universe. Please reunite me with my friend.

“Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inana

We all come from the goddess and to her we shall return

Like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean

The goddess is alive. Magic is afoot.

The goddess is alive. Magic is afoot.

The goddess is alive. Magic is afoot.”

 

Blessed be.