Intangible - Chapter 3

8/3/2019 Intangible - Chapter 3

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Intangible

Chapter 3 Silvana

Waking up in a chair is never a pleasant experience, especially when it was as old and

rickety as the one in the back storeroom of the Baba Yagga Boutique. Then again, it was betterthan waking up in her car. Both had left Silvana stiff and sore, but the aches from the chair were

more predictable. She had roused in her car once with her face pressed against cold hard glass

and a severe kink in her neck. She hadnt been able to turn her head for days.

The back room was also more secure than her car, too. When her vehicle had been her

home, she had witnessed three muggings, two flashings and one drug-associated drive-by

shooting. Not that the Baba Yagga was in a nice neighbourhood, but at least there, Silvana slept

behind locked doors and well out of view.

This hadnt been where Silvana had anticipated shed be at this point in her life, but she

had to keep reminding herself that this was just one of the not so nice obstacles that existed on

the path that Fate had chosen for her. Things often got worse before they got better, and she had

already hit rock bottom. From here, the only direction shed be going was up. Her situation

could have been worse, she supposed, and she certainly hadnt given up yet.

She pulled out the cheap breakfast cereal she kept in the cupboard at the far side of the

room and poured herself a bowl. Silvana wished her meagre diet would encourage weight loss,

but it wasnt exactly the healthiest of fare. Most of it was starchy stuff without much in the way

of nutrition: cold cereal, ramen noodles and stale doughnuts. Beggars couldnt be choosers and

she used the little money she earned at the Baba Yagga to pay the insurance on her car and to

keep gas in its tank. Only a tiny amount remained to spend on the suff she bought that passed as

food.

What made Silvana worry most was knowing that her current set-up was likely

temporary, and she had nothing better on the horizon. Eleanor, the owner of the Baba Yagga had

always made it clear that their arrangement wasnt a permanent one. She had told Silvana that if

her psychic readings didnt increase traffic to the occult boutique, when winter was over, Silvana

was out. So far, she had managed to generate interest from just a handful of people and only

three of them were now regulars. If Eleanor didnt pay Silvana to cover the odd shift at the cash,

shed have to resort to dumpster diving for her meals, she had generated so little income from her

own endeavours.

Silvana snuck a few teaspoons of the milk Eleanor kept in the mini bar fridge for her

coffee into her bowl, promising she would replace it the next time she had a paying customer.

Eleanor said Silvanas problem was that she didnt tell people what they wanted to hear. The

successful psychics spouted vague positive predictions at their clients in a very convincing way.

What Silvana offered was rarely positive and hardly convincing. It didnt matter that all of it


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came true. The customers were often floundering and desperate; they didnt want truth, they

wanted hope, and Silvana wasnt usually able to provide it. She was honest to a fault and overly

trusting too. Thats why she had ended up struggling her way through life.

She had endured a very non-traditional childhood, raised by two wiccan practitioners

who were convinced that modern society was the terrible product of man being out of touch withnature. They had home-schooled Silvana, expecting her to follow in their footsteps and embrace

their lifestyle, but she hadnt. Actually, she couldnt. She just didnt believe in the things that

they did and she wasnt capable of lying to them.

Silvana was one of the most unconventional people you could find. She didnt fit into the

mundane world, enjoying things bizarre and mystical, not to mention having the ability to predict

the future, but only typically for others, not for herself. She had a general sensitivity to the

supernatural, in addition to her foresight hardly the norm.

On the other hand, she was too conservative to mix properly with those who lived a non-conformist lifestyle. She didnt worship any of the ancient gods or adhere to any of their dogma.

Not that she wasnt spiritual - she believed in some kind of higher power - but she was more of

an agnostic. She didnt think that whatever was out there could be properly defined by any

human being. As a result, she liked to consider herself a non-denominational medium. Her lack

of devotion to Gaia or Nature had landed her an outcast status there as well.

She found herself in the uncomfortable position that she was in now because she didnt

hold to her parents views. When she was seventeen, they had announced to her that they were

heading to a commune in the U.S., one where they could practice their religion in peace, without

being looked down upon by others who didnt agree with their ideals. They wanted her to gowith them, but she knew theyd be entering the country illegally and that it would lead to

problems for them down the road. That, and she just didnt belong where they were going.

Halifax was her home. She expected it always would be.

So they had just left her, her parents, with a months rent paid on their apartment, and a

couple of hundred dollars to get her started. Even though she didnt have an education that

anyone would recognize as valid, she would have to find a job and earn enough to cover the rent,

and the bills and her food, on her own.

Silvana had tried. She had searched diligently for a job that would cover all of her

expenses, but she was an unschooled teenager who looked strange, her auburn hair streaked with

oranges and greens, her nose and brow pierced, overweight and wearing clothing that certainly

didnt match the latest trends. Nobody really saw her as employable, and Silvana hadnt

understood exactly what it was that she was doing wrong. She was a nice person, a good person.

She was smart and honest and decent but that hadnt mattered. She had gotten nowhere, and it

wasnt long before she had been evicted, almost penniless, left with only a vehicle on its last

legs.


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She had lived that way for two years, scavenging for food, doing tarot readings and odd

jobs to cover her car costs so that she could at least call that home. The life had been hard on her

however and the winters had come close to killing her. Her diet had nearly done the same. Most

of her meals had come from scrounging around fast food places and the resulting malnutrition

eventually had led to illness. Silvana had passed out one day on the stretch of sidewalk outside

the Baba Yagga, while trying to drum up some tarot reading business, since those who shopped

in the area were also the type who might be willing to pay for a reading. Eleanor had rescued her

and had shown enough compassion to take Silvana into her back room and nurse her back to

health.

While Silvana had been feverish, and not been in her right mind, she had warned Eleanor

of an impending robbery. When the prediction had come true, it had changed Eleanors outlook

regarding the unusual young vagrant she was harbouring in her store room. Eleanor also had felt

very much indebted to Silvana. When the psychic had recovered somewhat, Eleanor had made

her the offer that had allowed her more comfort than her car. It was better, but certainly not the

kind of life to which Silvana aspired.

Silvana returned to her chair with her breakfast and wondered why she had woken up at

such a god-awful hour. She hadnt gone to bed early, and her sleep the prior night had been a

restless one. She was tired, but nevertheless, she was antsy, and she couldnt explain exactly

why. She had a feeling something had happened last night, something to which she should have

been privy, but for some reason, she had missed it. It made her feel off and she didnt like it.

If she leaned forward in her chair, Silvana could see the pale colours of dawn working

their way through the storefront window. Eleanor wouldnt be in to open up shop for hours,

which meant Silvana would have to find ways of entertaining herself in the interim. She hadread every book that Eleanor kept shelved in the store, at least the ones that had interested her,

and had finished the book she had withdrawn from the library recently. With a sigh, she pulled

out her tarot deck and placed the cards on the box she used as a table.

She never usually bothered trying to read the cards to divine her fate. She had always

appeared to be blind to her own future, making successful predictions for others, but rarely for

herself. Maybe it was for the best, she guessed. If she had known how low she was going to

sink before landing in her current circumstances, she might have lost all will to go on. She liked

to believe that there was a reason for everything, and that you couldnt rush destiny. If she was

meant for something important, there was no point in chasing it it would find her.

As Silvana laid out the cards, she caught herself rubbing at her temples. She had never

done that before as she had read, but she had also never felt so peculiar, as if something had

passed her by while she had been asleep and that something was going to have an immediate

bearing on her and the days to follow. Her eyes kept drifting back to a book that was perched on

the shelf within arms reach, a copy of Edith Hamiltons Mythology. Silvana stretched over to


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grab it and noticed that there was a bookmark wedged within its pages. Leaving the cards aside

for the moment, she flipped through the pages, just out of curiosity. The bookmark rested at the

start of a section on the siege of Troy. Glancing at the heading made her catch her breath. Why?

She returned her attention to the cards. She had only turned up six of them when the

book had distracted her. The first card that she had drawn was the fool, upright, a symbol of newadventures to come, but ones that came based upon rashness and impulse. Silvana could identify

with that card. As smart as she was, she often acted on impulse and paid the consequences for it.

If the card held true, she was in store for more of the same.

The second card was the chariot also upright, another card that suggested a rushed

decision, but one that accompanied a journey, and one associated with adversity. Was she going

to be going somewhere in a hurry? Was something going to force her into action, something

unpleasant?

Next was the page of wands. The pages were usually symbolic of a girl, one of strengthand courage in this case, but she was accompanied by the nine of swords, suffering. Silvana

didnt know any girls. Most of the people she dealt with were older than her and she was fairly

certain the cards werent referring to Eleanor, who was more than twice Silvanas age. Perhaps

it was someone she was destined to meet somebody new.

Silvana touched her fingertips to the card.

Who are you, my little page of wands, and where are you? Better yet, whats wrong

with you? Why are suffering?

She wasnt the only person symbolized by the cards. There was a man there as well, ayoung one, or at least that was what the knight of swords suggested. That made Silvana smile, as

she touched that card next.

Ooo, an unexpected hero. Theres hope for our little page yet. Hes strong and clever,

but he may not know it just yet. Hes about to figure it out, lucky for us.

The eight of swords, reversed, the card that followed, supported this.

New beginnings, Silvana remarked. And freedom.

She had more cards to draw, but for some reason she hesitated at first. With a yawn shereached for the next one, still trying to shake off her exhaustion. As she pulled it free from the

deck and flipped it over, her blood went cold in her veins. The card slipped from her tense

fingers and drifted down onto the box top. It was the king of cups reversed, which represented a

powerful man who was both crafty and violent. Silvana was confronted with a foreboding sense

of a terrible evil. That card spoke of a very bad person, not one Silvana would want to

encounter, but if the cards did reveal the truth, that encounter was bound to happen.


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She quickly pushed the cards away from her, preferring to believe that once again

prophecy regarding her own fate had failed her. After all, she didnt know any of the people

indicated by the cards. No brave yet suffering girls, no unexpected heroes with newfound

freedom, and no evildoers with violent intent. It was all make-believe, she told herself

Her attempts at denial didnt last long, a morbid fascination with the cards she had drawngnawing at her. She plucked the knight of swords from the pile, fingering it gently and tilting

from side to side. Something about that card felt familiar, like whatever was held there was what

she had missed the night before. That didnt make any sense, which was exactly why it was

bothering her. When Silvana had premonitions involving other people, they were usually quite

distinct. That was why she had never been able to offer the vague foretellings that the scam-

artist mediums did. She wished she had the same sort of clarity with this. She was fairly certain

that it was important.

Arrrggh! Why cant I figure this out? Is someone going to come into the shop and start

something? Am I supposed to seek them out? I need some guidance here.

She got up and paced the floor, still clutching the card. The idea of a man being involved

in all of this, the heroic sort especially, made her very nervous. She had never been very good at

dealing with men, due in part to the fact that she had never had a boyfriend or even been close to

a boy in any way. Silvana wasnt very feminine, or at least, she didnt invest much of her time

fussing over hair and make-up, and she never had any money in order to take an interest in

shopping. Living in ones car or huddled in the back of a dingy storeroom hardly made one good

girlfriend material either. Along with that, the fact that she had a tendency to speak her mind

often put others off.

Knowing she was not going to be able to get them off of her mind, Silvana slid that card

and the king of cups into her purse. If she was off on some impulsive adventure, she wouldnt

have the time to do any readings. She could return the cards to the deck whenever this rash

journey came to an end. She hoped Eleanor wouldnt take offence to any sudden departures on

her part, but if the calling came, Silvana planned to follow it.

She reached over and pulled up the page of wands next. This would be a real challenge.

Silvana wasnt used to interacting with children and she was convinced that the girl in question

was a child. Being homeschooled meant that she hadnt even had the opportunity to socialize

with her peers and Silvana was an only child. The only non-adult she had ever spent any timewith had been herself, and she gathered that as far as children went, she had not been the norm

there either. Would she in some way find herself responsible for taking care of this girl? The

idea of baby-sitting made Silvana so anxious her stomach hurt. Then again, just the notion of

having to leave the Baba Yagga for any length of time aroused a hint of agoraphobia. She hadnt

strayed far from the store since Eleanor had taken her under her wing.


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Silvana slid the third card into her purse, as if the trio from the tarot deck would

somehow serve as a psychic security blanket and would guide her when the time came. Then she

set about writing a letter of explanation to Eleanor, who would hopefully excuse Silvana if her

in-house medium was required while away on this unplanned journey. She explained everything

that had happened that morning and that if she was not there when Eleanor opened shop, it was

because Silvana had been obliged to leave in a hurry. Eleanor trusted her foresight. She had

seen evidence of it first hand and would know that if Silvana was compelled to act on something

her talents had revealed to her, it was with good reason.

Silvana tidied her space the best she could, returning the mythology book to its spot on

the shelf. She ran her finger over the picture of the gorgons head on the spine, wondering why

the book had called to her. The siege of Troy - was she going to be involved in some sort of

battle? She shuddered at the thought. She had no idea how to fight and went out of her way to

avoid confrontation. She wouldnt have a clue what to do if she ever found herself in a situation

involving violence.

Silvana slouched back down in her chair and grabbed up her breakfast again, the cereal at

the bottom of the bowl now soggy. She wondered how long she would have to wait until

something happened related to her reading. As she took another mouthful, she started to feel all

tingly, like the sensation she would get when static electricity made the fine hairs on her arm

stand on end. Something in the room shifted and she was sure that she wasnt alone anymore.

That something was back the something that she had missed the night before.

Hello? she coughed, almost choking as she swallowed.

Where am I? This isnt where Laura is or home. Why am I here? I was trying to getback to her, but I got lost. Now I need to get back to me. This is somewhere in between.

The voice that spoke, a masculine one, sounded like it was coming from another room

and was being channelled in through a tube, with a slightly distorting reverberation. Startled,

Silvana turned toward the odd sound, almost falling out of her chair. There was the figure of a

man there, although completely transparent, as if he were present but not physically tangible.

Was he some sort of ghost?

Wait, wait what are you talking about? Who are you? What are you? I have no idea

why youre here either. Maybe if you start from the beginning and explain, I can help you.

Perhaps we can put you to rest, Silvana offered.

The whole scene reminded her of something out of The Ghost Whisperer. Maybe she

was expected to help this phantom settle some unresolved issue and then guide him into the

light. Perhaps he had died trying to rescue someone and the task had been left incomplete.

Silvana had never been called on to do anything like this before, but she was willing to give

anything a go once.


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There was a pause, the veiled shape flickering in and out of view.

You see me, you hear me, and thats what you have to say? Are you crazy?

Not crazy, just open-minded. Im a medium. I was expecting something unusual to

happen today. I was sort of anticipating a real person, though, not a spirit. When did you die?

There was a crackle of energy that flashed through the misty form before her, an

embodiment of irritation and frustration.

I am a real person and Im not dead, he snapped. Or, at least, I wasnt last time I

checked. Im not sure what I am, other than lost. Maybe it was because I tried to find her from

my own room instead of Marcias, or maybe it didnt work right because Im sober this time. I

dont know. All I know is that I went for looking her the same way and got confused en route.

When I gave up and tried to work my way back home, I ended up here. I can barely see the

thread anymore that connects me to my body. Its fading. Thats bad, isnt it?

Connecting you to your body? Silvana was taken aback; this was another new turn of

events. Perhaps this was what the reversed eight of swords was implying. Silvana was never

one to try to make events fit the reading, but this did seem like more than just coincidence. You

mean, this is an astral projection?

A what? I dont know. I have no clue about any of that mumbo jumbo. Trance-y

meditation, mantras, round breathing, none of it makes any sense to me. All I know is that last

night when some friends and I were messing around after we had been drinking, I wandered out

of my body and in the process, I stumbled across a little girl, Laura, who is in a lot of trouble. I

had to try that trance-y thing again today. I wanted to see if I could find her, to make sure itwasnt all some drunken hallucination. I managed to make it work I mean, Im here like this,

but I couldnt track her down. I believe shes real. I know shes scared and somebody has to

help her. She she thought I was an angel, coming to rescue her. I cant just pretend like that

didnt happen. I cant abandon her when she needs me.

Actually, you could, but Im glad youre not going to, if only for her sake. Silvana

drew in a deep breath, trying to decide what would be the best method of dealing with this

bizarre occurrence. She had no experience with astral projection. She needed a frame of

reference. Hang on. Let me dig up some answers for you. This is a bit much to swallow all at

once. Lets focus on the problem of getting you back to your body, and we can figure things outfrom there.

Hurry, the apparition told her. Im getting really tired. It feels like I have to hold

myself together and if I let go Im going to just float off in all directions.

Eleanor had several books covering astral projection techniques available in the store.

Silvana skimmed past several names, Edain McCoy, Robert Bruce and Richard Webster, before


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settling on Alva Simones Pocket Handbook of Astral Projection. She remembered the book had

an FAQ section and a list of quick tips that might come in handy. She needed something fast.

Did you say that thread that connects you to your body is fading? Silvana asked, when

she finally came up for air.

Yeah, Ive been drifting around aimlessly for a while now and Im exhausted. I was

getting pretty desperate and then I noticed you were different from everyone else. Your spirit, or

I guess thats what it is, looked more solid and...pretty. I figured it was worth a shot to try

talking to you. You dont know how thankful I am that you listened and answered.

Silvana smiled inwardly at the fact that he had come looking for her because he had

found her essence attractive. That was a real change. She couldnt afford the time to explore

that idea however. She was starting to believe her knight of swords was lucky to have come

across her when he had.

Well, from the little I read, Im assuming that you saw me as some sort of a spirit guide,

and thats why you were drawn to me. Im going to have to talk you through getting back. But

youll have to listen very carefully and remember what I tell you, alright? And we have to do

this quickly. If that thread disappears before you get back to your body, youll never be able to

return there.

Silence followed, and Silvana worried for a few seconds that she had already lost him.

You mean I could be stuck like this for good? he finally said.

Thats what the book says, she replied. Are you ready?

Sure, sure just get me home, before its too late.

Ill do my best. When you get back there, I want you to call me. Use a telephone this

time. You can look it up, The Baba Yagga Boutique. Its one of a kind. Im Silvana, by the

way. Ill be waiting to hear from you.

Whatever you want, now lets go.

Silvana sighed. She knew he was scared and that time was of the essence, but she needed

him to calm down and pay attention. She tried speaking to him slowly, in a soothing tone,

hoping that might help.

Alright, your room must be pretty familiar to you right? Pick something you know

inside and out, something you are sure you could locate even if you were fumbling around

blindly in the dark. You need that to be your focal point. Concentrate on that, no matter what

other distractions pop up as you go. You cant let anything else draw away your attention while

youre finding your way back. There can be a lot of things that will throw you, if you let them.


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My prize possession is a hockey stick signed by Sidney Crosby. My mom gave it to me

as part of my high school graduation gift - I used to play. I know exactly where it is. Nobodys

allowed to touch it but me. Its within arms reach of where Im sitting on my floor. His voice

seemed fainter, which made Silvana nervous.

Thats perfect. Now I know that thread you mentioned is fading, but you have to keeptrack of it. While you concentrate on your focal point, youre going to have to follow it back to

your body. You dont have to make any effort. Its mostly just a matter of allowing yourself to

drift in that direction while ignoring the other forces that happen to be tugging at you; its a

natural inclination but there will be urges trying to drive you elsewhere and plenty of them.

Those unresolved feelings most people like to call baggage? Thats what will do it.

The misty form wavered and dimmed for a moment reinforcing Silvanas anxiety.

Alanna. My dad...yeah. Ill keep myself from thinking about them if thats what I need

to do. Anything else?

Anything else can wait, she said, relieved that the flicker had been only a response to

negative emotions. Find that focal point and get going. And dont forget to call.

I wont, he promised. And Silvana? Thank you.

She nodded, biting her lip, and watched as the insubstantial man floated out of sight. Her

knees then turned to jell-o and she had to grab for her chair to keep from falling over. Drawing

in a deep breath, she settled back into her seat, and clutching at the book in her hands, she waited

for his call.

Intangible - Chapter 3

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