Finally I will write this one. It’s long and windy. Not windy like the wind. Like lots of bends. So strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride. Grab a glass of wine (or water) and sit back.
Sometimes I wonder why my head doesn’t explode with all of these stories just sittin’ and fermentin’ every day.
On Mother’s Day weekend I was up in Vermont. Met the youngest daughter at her university dorm room on the Friday and we loaded up the cars (hers and mine) with the boxes. Another school year in the books. Lol.
I planned to stay for the weekend. So Saturday and Sunday was ours. To do whatever we wanted.
Our destination was the Northeast Kingdom.
I had never heard of the Northeast Kingdom. It sounded like something out of a movie I probably wouldn’t even like. Shivers. But it is actually a region in the Northeastern part of Vermont-wriggling its way right up to the border with Canada. A natural, rugged beauty. Protected areas. Lots of wildlife. Not a ton of people.
Lake Willoughby, our final destination on this trip, was lovely. And empty since lake season had not quite arrived yet. We walked and stretched our legs. Had a good look around and took in the glory of nature.
Here are some of the photographs taken that day.
We were soon on our way back to Burlington, Vermont. No rush. Enjoying the scenery and the company.
Like all long road trips sometimes a rest stop along the way is a necessity.
And like most small towns all over New England there isn’t much to distinguish one from the other. Quaint main streets, charming historical brick buildings, lovely flower arrangements hanging in baskets and window boxes. Always a train depot. Defunct or not. Mostly defunct.
So we stopped in a place called Lyndonville. Pulled in a parking spot curbside-in front of a cafe. Perfect. My daughter, Hannah, wanted a coffee or tea so we popped inside the shop.
I felt like I was walking onto a movie set. No joke. The place was filled with females with pointy ears and elaborate makeup. I didn’t know what to think. We were in the company of fairies. I honestly (no joke) started thinking to myself after a few minutes, “Fairies are real?”
Oh my gosh. Wait, are unicorns real??
Hannah orders her coffee and we ask the woman behind the counter what exactly is going on in the shop.
It was actually a “witches’ high tea.”
Okay. Not exactly what I was expecting but okay.
She went on to explain that they had hosted different workshops that day. She shares that the last event will be in a half hour. We ask for details.
It’s a spirit gallery with a psychic named Salicrow.
My daughter and I looked at each other questioningly like,”Want to?”
“Why not?”
It was currently 3:00pm and the event was scheduled to begin at 3:33. Not 3:30. But 3:33pm. Would end at 4:44pm.
I figured there would be safety in numbers instead of a one on one. So I’d be protected from any haints gone rogue.
You pay for a ticket and your number goes in the jar. Salicrow will pick out maybe five or six names in the hour. If your number is called then you up and sit in a chair next to her. The spirits will use her as a conduit for communication.
You could buy more than one ticket and increase your chances of being chosen. I declined.
We purchased our tickets.
Had some time to kill so we checked out the bookstore on the corner. Lovely spot. Crammed with lots of reading material. We scored. Hannah found a book that was on her “to read” list. The last one on the shelf! The author, Emily Bernard, is a professor at Hannie’s university and on her radar. As an aside- the title is “Black Is The Body.” Great read!
Then I found a children’s book I had wanted to read. Miss Rumphius. A story about making the world a little more beautiful. Also the only copy left on the shelf.
We both felt good and ambled back to the cafe.
Chairs were positioned in the rear of the cafe space. To be frank, it appeared to be mostly middle-aged white women. A few younger ones. There was one young fairy girl breast-feeding her baby who I assume was a next generation lil fairy. I think just two men were present.
So Salicrow is cool. I like her.
One of the guys asks at the beginning why we are starting at 3:33pm. She said numerology is her thing and gives some explanation. Doesn’t bother me none.
She starts pulling out names and has the person sit beside her and asks them who they want to hear from today-someone special or the strongest spirit?
A few ladies want to talk to Dad or Mom. I guess that’s normal. We will always want to hear from those who gave us life/a life-especially if we loved them. No matter how old we are.
She calls out another number and a young, blond woman with red-rimmed eyes takes the chair next to Salicrow. Obviously going through an emotional time.
Salicrow says something about the woman and why she is upset. I then realize that we (Hannah and me)are probably the only two people in the room who are not from the area. We don’t have a clue as to what/who she is talking about when she mentions the case of the school teacher. But we didn’t just fall off the turnip truck so quickly figured out that something very bad happened to a beloved local woman and that this blond woman was a cousin of the victim. Wanting to connect with her.
It was hard to watch. To see a young woman crying her eyes out because her cousin died as a result of a vile crime. Wanting to communicate with her-letting her know that she was advocating for her son (who was a two-year old, strapped into a car seat, during the actual crime). Yeah, none of that was easy to hear. Except that she was hearing what she wanted from her cousin’s spirit.
Once again, reminded about the unimaginable horrors inflicted upon women. The perpetrator (as I would later read) told police, “I wanted to get a girl.”
Let that sink in for a bit.
A woman living her life. Teaching at a private school. Caring for her little two-year old son. A good life.
And some evil person says, “I want to get a girl.”
I am sorry for the darkness. But I didn’t create it. I am just sharing it.
There is a whole lot of light in the world. But don’t forget that the darkness exists. We don’t need to be paranoid but we do need to be aware and vigilant. Be kind but be careful.
I told you this story was going to be longer than usual. Leaving off for now. Will finish this story in my next posting.
Bless you all. Stay safe.
Just Being Mary 