Authors: Lori L Clark
Halloween fell on a Sunday that year. Francesca sat at the kitchen table listening to Poe rattle his cage from the other room. Juliette walked into the room and poured herself a giant mug of coffee.
"You're up early," Francesca said.
"Starley convinced me to go for a run with her this morning," Juliette said.
Francesca snorted and quickly covered her mouth when Juliette glared at her. "What? You can't be serious."
Starley came into the room and sat to put on her rollerblades. "You ready?"
Francesca's gaze drifted between Starley and Juliette. "You're not planning to burn down the church are you? Remember, there are innocent people in Prosperity and we actually like a few of them."
Juliette downed the rest of her coffee and bent to tie her shoes. "I don't know what you're talking about. Always so suspicious."
"You did promise me that we'd have a little extra something to celebrate this Halloween, and I'm still waiting," Francesca said.
"The day's not over yet," Juliette said with an exaggerated wink.
Starley pulled her lips between her teeth and grabbed Larry's leash. "Come on Larry before Frank ties us to the chairs."
As soon as Starley and Juliette were out of the house, Starley whispered, "Did you bring it?"
Juliette reached into her hoodie pocket and nodded. "Of course."
"Great, Rue's going sneak out and meet us behind the church. We better, hurry," Starley said.
Larry tugged the leash, and Starley skated after him. Juliette trotted to keep up.
As predicted, everyone in town was attending church services. Juliette checked her watch. "Let's find Rue."
Within a few minutes, Rue ran down the back steps and grinned from ear to ear when she spotted Juliette and Starley. She fist-pumped the air and mouthed a silent, "Yes!"
"If this whole elaborate scheme works, the whole town will be rid of the big bad wolf once and for all," Starley said. "Tell me again, how does this work?"
"I can't tell you again," Juliette said, passing the package to Rue. "Since I didn't tell you to begin with. It's my secret and trust me, you don't want, or need to know. In fact, the less you know, the better off."
Rue and Starley simultaneously dropped their lower jaws. "Better off we'll be?" they chimed in unison.
"Sure, you know, in case the police ask questions," Juliette said.
"You're kidding, right?" Starley asked.
Juliette chuckled. "No, not really."
"What am I supposed to do?" Rue asked.
Juliette put her hands on Rue's shoulders to turn her around. "The instructions are in the box."
"Okay … cryptic much?" Rue said.
"Just follow the instructions to the letter and don't mess up," Juliette said. "All of Prosperity is depending on you, Rue."
They watched Rue climb the steps and disappear inside the back door of the church. Juliette rubbed her hands together. "Let's go home and eat. I'm starving."
"Aren't we going to stay and watch?" Starley asked.
"That won't be necessary. News travels fast. We're bound to hear something by the time the sun goes down today," Juliette said. She linked elbows with Starley.
"I'm not convinced," Starley said shaking her head.
***
Rue read the instructions quickly before tucking the package under her jacket and sliding into the pew beside her mother who had barely noticed she was gone. She picked up the final hymn on the last verse, all the while trying not to giggle out loud at their scheme.
After the last note rang out, and Sunday service was over for the week, Rue stood and walked to the front of the church to greet Pastor Byrd.
"Excuse me, Pastor Byrd," Rue said clearing her throat to get his attention.
Pastor Byrd scowled and stared right through Rue. "Yes, Rue, what can I do for you?"
Rue opened the box and shoved it under Pastor Byrd's nose. "Would you see that Mrs. Byrd gets this corsage?"
He started to protest, but before he could, he took a deep whiff of the magic-laced flower. Pastor Byrd became uncharacteristically less wolf-like, and he actually smiled. "Why, thank you very much, Rue. She'll love it. Violets are her favorite flower. How did you know?"
"A little birdie told me," Rue said, shooting a look in the direction of Beau.
Mrs. Byrd walked over. "Hello, Rue. What do you have there?"
Pastor Byrd pushed up his thick glasses and handed Donna the pretty violet corsage. "For you, my dear."
Mrs. Byrd's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "For me?"
"Apparently," Pastor Byrd mumbled.
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "In all the years I've known you, this is the first time you've ever given me flowers."
Rue ducked and disappeared. She had no clue what those pretty flowers were going to do, but she had learned some time ago not to doubt the Duchesne sisters. She was nearly around the corner when Mrs. Byrd's tone changed.
"Why did you buy me flowers? Are you cheating on me? Is that it?" Mrs. Byrd lit into her husband like a Chihuahua on a pant leg.
Rue took that as her cue and waved to her mother. "Francesca Duchesne invited me for lunch. See you later!"
The Byrd family didn't make it out of Prosperity before the end of Halloween day. A fact Francesca reminded Juliette about every day. Juliette had apologized profusely, though somewhere in the back of her mind, she believed that success had merely been delayed, not denied. After all, it had been less than a week.
Francesca, Juliette and Starley decided it was too warm outside to not take advantage of. The three of them linked arms and started walking toward The Perfumery. They rounded the corner and watched as a very large moving truck drove by them.
"I wonder if someone's moving in, or if someone's moving out," Francesca said.
"They're going the wrong way if they're leaving town," Juliette commented.
Starley tipped her head and stepped off the curb into the street to see where the truck stopped. "You guys, you're going to want to see this," Starley said.
Francesca pursed her lips and exchanged glances with Juliette. They joined Starley in the middle of Main Street to see what the excitement was all about.
"Hey, isn't that the Byrd's house?" Juliette asked.
"Yes, yes it is," Starley said grinning. "I wonder where they're going."
"Isn't that Mrs. Byrd running in this direction?" Francesca said.
"Ladies!" Mrs. Byrd shouted as she crossed the street. "I'm so glad I was able to catch you before we left town."
"Are you moving, Mrs. Byrd?" Juliette asked the obvious question, hoping for a few more details.
Francesca slowly walked toward The Perfumery so she could still hear Mrs. Byrd's news. She turned the key in the lock and opened the door. "Come in, Mrs. Byrd."
"I'm so glad I caught you before we left," Mrs. Byrd repeated. "Please tell me I can order this wonderful perfume."
"Of course you can," Francesca said as she placed Mrs. Byrd's purchase in a bag. "Are you moving far?"
Mrs. Byrd took a deep breath and dabbed at the corner of her eye. "Sullivan got an offer from a lovely church in East Tennessee. It was honestly too good to be true. Everything has happened so fast. My head is spinning."
"What a surprise," Juliette said. "Have they found someone to take Pastor Byrd's place at the church?"
"I'm not sure. We only just found out on Monday," Mrs. Byrd said. She took her purchase and stuffed it down into her handbag. "I'm going to miss this place. The Perfumery, I meant, not Prosperity, of course."
"Of course," Francesca said smiling. She waved her fingers at Mrs. Byrd as she turned to leave.
Starley was bouncing up and down like she had to pee. "Can you believe our luck? Seriously, this is the best news I've had since we moved here. Not that I don't like Mrs. Byrd. That image of her stomping on her hat in the church parking lot will be burned into my memory forever. But I'm not going to lie right now. I am so not going to miss Pastor Byrd."
"Ahem," Juliette said. She held up her hand. "No, no that's okay. You don't have to thank me. I know when I'm not appreciated."
"What are you babbling on about?" Francesca asked her.
"Oh come on, you don't honestly think Pastor Byrd suddenly, out of the clear blue sky just happened to get the job offer of a lifetime after living here in Prosperity forever, do you?" Juliette crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped a foot.
Later that morning, they heard the roar of the moving truck coming up the street, and all three of the women ran to the front window to watch.
"Maybe the next pastor will be more tolerant," Francesca said.
"Unless the church burns down before he gets here," Juliette said with a shrug.
Francesca swatted her. "Stop saying that. I'm sure there's an unwritten rule somewhere about it being blasphemous to talk about the church burning down."
"Relax, Frank. I said maybe it would burn down, not that I was going to burn it down. Big difference," Juliette said.
Starley grinned and leaned against the counter. "The Byrd's have finally flown the coop," she said with a giggle.
"Good riddance," Francesca muttered.
"Now that Pastor Byrd's no longer in town, maybe we should start opening The Perfumery on Sunday," Francesca suggested.
"No, I don't think so. Sunday's a day of rest," Juliette said.
"Rest for who? You?" Starley said.
"Yes, me," Juliette said. "Besides, you know as well as I do that it's just a matter of time before there's another pastor for the church."
Later at the shop, Francesca unrolled the map of the United States and thumb tacked it to the wall in the back room. She took out several red pushpins and began sticking them into the map.
Starley felt the blood drain from her head. "Frank, what are you doing?"
"Just marking some places around the country," Francesca said.
"What kind of places?" Starley said, moving closer for a better look. "You're not looking for another place to live, are you?"
"Not yet," Francesca said. She stood back and tapped her index finger on her lips. "These are the places we've already lived. I'm looking for a pattern."
"What kind of pattern?" asked Starley.
"I'm not sure, I was hoping I'd spot it once I got the towns marked. You remember how I picked Prosperity," Francesca said.
"Yeah, it was totally random. You shut your eyes and poked." Starley traced the imaginary line formed by the red pins.
"Fate chose Prosperity for us," Francesca said.
Starley raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"I'm not sure yet," Francesca said.
"Maybe it was to run Pastor Byrd and his family out of town?" Juliette added her two cents.
Francesca winked at Starley behind Juliette's back and pinched a pushpin between her thumb and forefinger, her hand poised over Iowa. "I guess that means our job here is done and we can move on now."
Juliette wrapped her fingers around Francesca's wrist. "Oh, no you don't."
"I'm only teasing. I don't think it's time to leave here yet. I think fate just got rid of the roadblocks to our happiness," Francesca said. She smiled and put away the pushpins.
"Hey, did anyone else notice how the pushpins make a design?" Starley said, tilting her head back and forth.
Juliette and Francesca flanked Starley in front of the map. Starley continued with the head-tip, Juliette squinted her eyes, and Francesca tapped her index finger against her lips.
"You know, I believe you're right," Francesca said, reaching for one of the red pins. "If we just move this one over a little bit…"
Starley's hand darted out. "No! That's cheating. Besides, if you move that one over it changes the whole design."
"And it would be a lie," Juliette noted.
"It's almost a star," said Francesca. She traced her finger around the different points and ended up somewhere in Louisiana. "Hmm, no pin in Louisiana, yet."
"Well, according to Pastor Byrd, Louisiana might not be a bad idea for women like us," Juliette added.
Starley's eyebrows pinched together. "What?"
"Oh, I remember that. It was the whole hoodoo voodoo reference, right?" Francesca said snickering.
"So, for now, no more pushpins?" Juliette said.
"For now, until fate steps in and wants me to make it a star," Francesca said.
"Oh, look," Rue said, pointing at the sky. "A shooting star. That's lucky, right?"
Starley slouched in her chair and stared up. "Only if you wish on them."
"Quick, make a wish," Rue said, jumping to her feet.
"Relax, I already did," Starley said. "Every time I see a falling star, something big happens."
"Big good, or big bad?" Rue asked.
Starley shrugged and stood. "Just big."
Rue and Starley walked inside. There was a frozen turkey thawing in brine in the double sink. Juliette stood scrubbing potatoes with a brush.
"Where's Frank?" Starley asked. She reached into the fridge for a can of soda for her and Rue.
"She had to go to The Perfumery to pick up something," Juliette said. "I think she's making a man-magnet perfume."
Starley snorted. "Right, well, first of all, there actually have to be men around to attract."
"Maybe she knows something we don't know," Juliette suggested. "You know her and her intuition. The other morning at breakfast she mentioned a dream she'd had."
Rue took a drink from her soda. "A dream? Like walking down the hall at school totally naked? Like losing all your teeth? That kind of dream?"
"No, Francesca's dreams are much more specific. Not like those general textbook type dreams," Juliette said. She shook the excess water from her hands and dried them on the towel.
"Did she give you details?" Rue asked.
Juliette shook her head and pulled out a chair and sat. "She usually just has a dream, mentions the dream, and acts on it. We don't find out until much later what the dream was about. Typically once it's come true."
"How do you know that she really dreamed it and didn't just tell that after it happens?" Rue asked.
Juliette and Starley gaped at Rue.
Starley said, "No, she really can predict the future. Not randomly like a psychic or something. I mean you couldn't sit down at a carnival table and pass some silver across her palm and have her tell you the name of your future husband or anything. She's not clairvoyant on demand. She just has these dreams sometimes."
"So no tarot cards, no crystal ball, no palm reading?" Rue said hanging her head.
"Oh we have a crystal ball, and I'm pretty sure that Frank has at least three decks of tarot cards. She's never read a palm, that I know of," Juliette said.
Rue bounced on her chair. "Seriously? Tarot cards? Can I see them?" Her eyes darted to Starley.
"Don't look at me. This is the first I'm hearing about it," Starley said.
Juliette disappeared up the stairs. "I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder.
While Juliette was upstairs digging in the back of her closet for the cards, Francesca came home from The Perfumery. Starley and Rue sat across from each other at the kitchen table.
"What are you two plotting?" Francesca asked as she shrugged out of her jacket. She eyed the two teens suspiciously.
"Juliette is getting the tarot cards," Rue said.
Francesca's shoes fell to the floor with a resounding thud. "Well, good. At first I thought you were going to say she was grabbing our Ouija board."
"Whoa, no way. We have an Ouija board?" Starley said.
Francesca sighed loudly. "No, we don't have one. Not anymore, anyway. I think we left that behind when we moved."
Juliette slid into the room on stocking feet. "Frank, you're home. Just in time to do some card readings."
Everyone sat down at the table. Juliette pushed the cards toward Francesca. "You're better at this than I am."
Francesca smiled and gently moved the cards toward Starley. "Give it a try, Squirt."
"Me? I don't know how to read cards," Starley protested.
"Go on, there are no wrong answers here," Juliette coaxed.
"I've never even seen a tarot card up-close and in person," Starley said. She reached for the deck and took out the cards.
"Just look at them. Hold them. Feel the energy," Francesca said. "Shuffle them and when you feel like they're ready, stop."
Starley awkwardly held the oversized deck in two hands. "Stop staring at me. I feel like a bug under the microscope."
"Now what?" Starley said.
Francesca waved her hand over the table. "Fan them out and pick three cards."
Starley rolled her eyes but did as she was told and selected three random cards.
The King of Cups
The Knight of Swords
The Page of Cups
Juliette and Francesca sat back in their chairs and gaped at one another.
"Well, hey, I'm no psychic, but that looks like three men to me," Rue said.
Juliette quickly gathered the cards into a pile and put them back in the box. "We'll practice some other time."
"Three men, a wish on a falling star," Rue marveled. "What do you think it all means?"
Starley pushed away from the table. "They're just silly cards, Rue. It doesn't mean anything."