Page 48 of Only One Bed: Anthology Vol. 1
“Well, those are not going to be useful for this trip, so let’s put my tent up, and then you can do some night shooting whilst I make dinner. If you’d like to, that is.”
Kendall’s tent, an actual tent, was very nice and went up easily. It was small, but two people could fit, if they didn’t mind touching every now and again.
Emme managed to distract herself from the image of the two of them lying, side by side, in that small tent, by getting lost in her photography, shooting macro images of tiny blue flowers along the riverbed, and then a line of marching ants that mesmerized her.
A water droplet clung to a leaf and reflected light in a way that reminded Emme of a crystal. Thinking of this, she put her camera down and reached for the rose quartz she wore around her neck. It was one of her most comforting stones. She thought of it as the chicken soup of stones, something that just made everything better.
Rubbing the stone, Emme closed her eyes and tried to ground herself. She imagined rays of shimmering light coming from her and into the earth, only to be returned back to her, a meditative ritual that always helped renew her connection with the Earth. A few minutes passed and Emme felt centered and refreshed, refreshed enough to continue taking photos. Before too long, she heard fire crackling and smelled something delicious. Her belly started to grumble, so she made her way back to Kendall.
“Soup’s on.”
“It smells divine.”
Kendall smiled, “It's my dad’s camp chili.”
Kendall’s father has passed away the summer before. It wasn’t a surprise, but it had still been terribly sad, and Kendall had been very close to him. Em lowered her gaze and tried to pick the right words, “Kendall, I know you must miss him.”
“Yeah, I really do but I am glad he isn’t in pain anymore. I feel close to him when I’m on the river.”
She handed Emme a bowl, and they sat on their makeshift log-bench, letting the fire warm their bodies and spirits. It crackled and danced with such ferocity that Emme felt as if the fire spirits were reaching out to their onlookers.
“Campfires feel magical,” she said as she stretched her legs to feel more of that warmth.
Kendall turned her face toward Emme. Her eyes seemed softer, “They do with you.”
Emme stared, not knowing what to say, but knowing the silence would definitely kill her.
Say something, say anything
“It feels pretty special with you too.”
Kendall smiled ever so slightly and gently put her hand on Emme’s.
Oh my Gods, oh my Gods, oh my Gods…Emme felt herself flailing internally.
They sat like that for some time, in the quiet, with nothing but the sound of crackling flames and crickets to fill the silence.
“Um, I have a tarot deck with me. Would you like a small reading?”
Kendall smiled knowingly, “Please!”
What does that smile mean?
Emme jumped up to get the deck and warn her body to pull itself together before it literally flew apart.
“Okay, let’s do a simple three-card draw. Past, present, and future.”
Emme started shuffling the deck, cards flowing like water between her hands. Warmth grew in her hands and ran up her arms. This was her thing, her gift, her normal. Then she handed the deck to Kendall. “Use your left hand to divide the deck into three piles.”
Kendall did as she was told.
“Now put them back together into one pile and hand them to me.”
Kendall’s fingers grazed Emme’s as she handed the cards over, and Emme felt the warmth exchange between them. Emme inhaled and exhaled deeply three times, before placing the three chosen cards face down in a row. As she laid each card she spoke Kendall’s name in her heart and mind.
Spirit, please share with me the message Kendall’s meant to have.
Emme flipped the first card, Two of Wands. She flipped the second card, Strength, and the third card, Ten of Cups. She stared for a moment, allowing the cards’ meaning to float to the surface of her mind and then mingle with one another to create a full picture.
