Mind Games

“I know. I’m going to give you something to help with that. Do you want to lie down awhile?”

“Can I just go outside and sit on the porch?”

“I’ll go with you, Thea. I’ll be quiet, promise.” Tears, from anger and grief, still stood in Rem’s eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

“I had to say those things I knew about them so they knew we weren’t lying. But when I started to know some, I couldn’t stop. Even when it started to hurt, I couldn’t stop.”

“I’ll help you with that, too. I think you’re beyond my gifts, darling, but I can help you. You go sit awhile, and, Rem, until Thea wants to talk, you keep that promise.”

“I will.”

The cool basil tea helped the headache. When Rem said he could feed the animals all by himself, Thea sat with Lucy.

“You have a strong gift, darling.”

“Why does it have to hurt?”

“There’s always a price, I guess, but there are ways to lower that price. Like there are ways not to see or know until you need to or want to. Today, you needed to, so it came over you, and you weren’t ready for the strength of it.”

“Did Mom have it?”

“I think she did, but she gave it back. She pushed it out, and she had a right to.”

“I don’t want to give it back.”

“Neither did I. But I stopped using all of it to keep the peace.”

“For Mom.”

Lucy smiled a little as she nodded. “She was my baby girl, my firstborn.”

“She didn’t want to be different. Not that way.”

“I think that’s true. And it scared her to think she might know things she didn’t want to know. Or I might.”

“It doesn’t scare me like that, Grammie.”

“That’s good. It’s something you respect, even though some people will steer clear of you for it, or say hard things. Something you don’t ever use to play tricks or hurt somebody.”

“I wanted the detective to stop saying those things, thinking those things.”

“I got too mad,” Lucy admitted. “I wanted them out and gone, so I didn’t do what I should’ve to show them what was what.”

She rubbed Thea’s shoulder. “But you did. You were clearing your mind, working not to think about what they talked about, wanted us to talk about. A clear mind can help it come right through. Getting upset, scared, that’s another way. But the best, the clearest, the one that hurts less? Is just opening up to it. Like, all right then, come on in!”

“Like just opening a door—sort of?”

“That’s just it. When we sleep, we’re open, so the dreams come. If you don’t want them to come, you can close them out. Most of the time.”

“How?”

“It sounds silly, but certain herbs under the pillow, or a charm bag over the bed. A phrase you say three times running, certain scents you breathe in before sleep. Your gift doesn’t want to hurt you, Thea. It’s part of you. So you work with that part of you.”

She lifted Thea’s hand, kissed it. “We’ll practice. Now look at that boy, doing the chores so we can sit here like ladies of luxury. Ruffian? My great-aunt Maggie’s ass.”

When Thea giggled, Lucy laughed with her. “She’s got a big one. There’s the phone.” Lucy held up a finger, closed her eyes. “It’s Waylon.” Then winked at Thea.

“I’ve still got it.”