The Lady’s Baby Blue

It’s a lovely spring day. Puffy clouds meander outside while the playful breeze chases the post rain scent of water and flowers through the open windows. The western wall of the converted warehouse was almost all windows. I paused in my reading to lift my head in silent appreciation of the wind.

“Something other than the book caught your attention, Sister? I didn’t think you remembered to breathe.” I looked over at the burly man placing a tray of drinks and desserts on the table beside me. Wrinkling my nose in playful annoyance, I retorted, “It’s not often I get to read your diary, Brother.” He glances at the book, but I’ve pulled it close to my chest. He picks up the full tea pot, and mocks me by holding it away in defiance. We glare at each other for a few moments, then we both lose the Game by giving in to laughter.

Sitting by the windows, I have a clear view down the road leading up to the Lodge House. Feeling suddenly alarmed, I look away from the Brother pouring my cup of tea. Before I have turned fully, I see a glint of light from the road and hear the sound of metal rubbing against metal in a completely undesired way. My headturn completed, I am greeted to the sight of a large baby blue car sitting at a strange angle in the parking lot. The driver’s door is open, and I see a person leaning over the space between the large baby blue car, and the deep burgundy red car parked near the door.

“Well, fuck. Tell Brother Mark his car just got hit.” I leave the book behind as I quit the large plush reading chair. My companion nods and leaves to inform Mark while two others join me in leaving the Lodge to see what happened.

The baby blue Cadillac Fleetwood was far too large for the parking spot, but the driver had attempted anyway. It was now gently touching the building wall, where the driver had turned into in an attempt to stop further damaging the smaller car. The engine was still running, and a strange sound of dripping fluid could be heard. I came around to the damaged side, and found the driver leaned over, trying furiously to wipe off the other car’s damage with a lick of spit and a now dirtied handkerchief.

“Oh my! I’ve never had this happen? Why won’t this mark rub off?” The woman appeared to be in her late 50s. Dressed in a blazer and pencil skirt the same color as the car, the woman kept alternating between trying to rub away the damage and keeping her matching pillbox hat perched on her fluffy hair.

“Well, M’am, that’s three feet of grinding metal there. But you have other things to worry about. Something in your engine is busted, and you’re leaking oil, and stuff.” I point at the odd colored pool that is spreading from under the Fleetwood. “Are you okay?” Something about the woman was puzzling me. For some reason, I was uneasy around her. She scurried backwards to keep the car’s fluids from staining her baby blue pumps. She slipped and started to fall but I caught her.

I yell at another lodge member to turn off her car. Her face flickered briefly with the echo of a smile, but I did not pay the gesture any thought. “Oh. Oh! Should I have turned off the car?” I sighed deeply. I looked over the woman, and saw no external marks or bleeding. She appeared okay, and the accident was a very slow movement.

Someone brought out some chairs and a table. Someone else brought freshly steeped tea and still warm biscuits. “Here, M’am, take a seat!” Many brethren offered their hands in assistance, but the woman persisted in holding on to mine. She pulled me to the other chair and insisted I sit with her. “Sister, let the lady know a tow truck is on the way, but it might be a while.”

I nodded and repeated the message to the Blue Lady. She only nodded herself and sipped her tea. She held my fascination such, that I didn’t notice the movement at the cars at first. When I finally did, and turned to see what was going on, the Cadillac was gone. The trail of fluids led into one of the lodge’s workshop spaces.

“Um, guys? I thought Plan A was to let the tow truck take care of it?” I stood from the chair and walked to the open workshop, now a makeshift garage. The burly brother that had teased me about tea earlier was rolling up his sleeves. “Well, the tow truck is going to be a while since we’re so far removed from town. Why not see if we can get her car working?”

I weighed my words carefully before speaking, knowing she was within earshot of me. “Have you forgotten, why the lodge is so far removed? Why we have our own private corner of the world?” Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Blue Lady making the motion of drinking, but I can tell the cup is empty. “The car now sits within the wards. Why are you doing this?”

“I’m doing this, we’re doing this, because we’re not all misanthropes.” I heard the unspoken words very clearly. Not all misanthropes like me. I glare at him, not in mockery, nor in jest, but in serious annoyance. “I depend on you to tell me what I can’t see, allow me to return the favor. You’re blinded. She’s not as frail, nor as helpless as you wish to believe. Certainly not as benign.”

A movement at the chairs. I turn to look. She’s gone. “Oh, my! What a large space!” Where the chairs were on my right, now she’s on my left? When did she pass behind me? She was at the corner of the rolling doors. Not quite leaning on the building. Not quite on the wards. But very close. “So much room! What do you do with all this space?” Her questions were full of curiosity, and her demeanor very open and welcoming. I’m sure most people would consider her much like the harmless lady down the street. Very sweet. Lots of stories. Always smiling. Always ready to talk to, ready to listen.

And I was sizing her up as if we were competing predators. I didn’t trust her, but I had only my misanthropic instinct as evidence of why. The Brother had come from around the car, wiping his hands on a foul stained rag. I knew his intent was to invite her into the building, taking her by the hand and leading her over the wards. But I was closer, and still outside.

“Oh, you don’t want to be near here when he starts throwing the tools around. You’ll get dirty. I’ve seen him change the oil. More oil in his beard than in the engine.” I take her hand and hold it tightly. She glares at me in a brief display of annoyance, but doesn’t resist. “Come, let’s sit at the chairs again. The day’s breeze is gentle and refreshing.” She allowed me to lead her away from the open door, but with a tight face. I recognized it, because it is a gesture I often have to use when dealing with those I have to be politically polite to.

I pour her another cup of tea, and place another savory biscuit on her plate. Something was bugging me. When we walked back to the chairs, I had full view of the car that had been hit. The burgundy color was smooth like freshly poured wine. As I poured a cup of tea for myself, I observed the colors pouring from the teapot. The tea poured richly into my cup, and settled into a plane of perfection, without the slightest hint of imperfection or marring. Like the car, I had just looked at.

Fuck.

I placed the cup down and turned back to the burgundy car. Where there had been a three foot long series of scrapes, with bare metal exposed and paint transfer between vehicles, there was now an unblemished surface. I walked to the car and inspected it for myself, running my hands over the slightly dusty fender. The ground, damp from the previous day’s rain, softened my steps, allowing my footprints to sink slightly. Footprints? I looked for hers, and saw none. I looked for the tire tracks of her heavy fullsize Cadillac Fleetwood. None. Only the footprints of those brethren that pushed what they thought to be a car into the garage.

I whirled around to face her, expecting to find no one sitting at the chairs. But there she sat. Dressed in that delicate baby blue color, from pumps to clothes to pillbox hat. She looked up at me, truly sipping her tea, and predator recognized predator. “JACOB! That’s not a car! Get it out the garage! NOW!”

I ran to the garage and almost collided with him at the door. “Jacob, that’s not a car!” “The hell do you mean? I just took the engine out. It’s most certainly a car!” “No, Jacob, it’s not a car! I don’t know what it is, but it needs to be removed, now!”

Jacob waved to the bench. “Keri, the car is in pieces. The engine is right… there?” Jacob turns to point at the engine. The chains and hoist is there, but the engine, isn’t. “I lost the engine?”, was all he could say.

“I lost the engine.” Then the truth of the matter sinks in. He had called for the phantom car to be pushed into the garage, across the wards. Now the engine had disappeared. “It’s a trap!”, he yelled. “Close all the doors and find what snuck in!” He caught my gaze as the rolling overhead door started to lower. He gestured for me to enter before it sealed. I held his eye, and took a step backwards. I had chosen to remain with Blue Lady. Jacob’s face shifted from horrific surprise, to steadfast duty. He nodded, and the door separated us.

I noted a few other brethren had also chosen to remain outside the lodge. As they made checks of wards and doors, I returned to the Blue Lady. She was actually nibbling on the biscuits and pouring herself another cup of tea. Silently, I took the chair next to her, and watched her carefully. She wore no rings on her hands, but did have a glint of a bracelet under the full length sleeve. She had two rows of pearls at her neck, but they gave off the same kind of aura that the car gave. It’s there for looks only. The same with the clunky pearl earrings, they were mere adornments, props to help the viewer conclude Blue Lady was just a harmless elderly woman.

All seemed like a facade, except for her eyes. When she was looking directly at me, her iris were devoid of color. When she looked away, they were brown and without distinction. After I realized this, I stared at her eyes often, trying to catch a glimpse of the person behind the glamour. But she realized my intent, and refused to make eye contact after that.

“Sister! We can’t find anything. We’re about to check the Vault!” Her words caught my attention. I broke away from Blue Lady to address her. “Are you shitting me? Here, let’s break open the seal to see if the seal has been broken! NO! Do not open the Vault! Did a wave of Stupid sneak in also?” I want to leave from the chair, but I am concerned about leaving Blue Lady without a more clear head watching her.

The Sister realizes her error and shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re right, I… I don’t know what prompted me to want to do that.” I stare at the Blue Lady, but she doesn’t return the glare. She chuckles into her tea instead.

“Go help the others look and ward. Seal every room. Once a room is sealed, do not break it. We’ll contain it, then remove it.” She nods and leaves to spread my order.

Blue Lady looks up at me with a slightly vulnerable glance. In a sweet voice that tried to sugar over the previous hour, she says, “I’ll be alright sitting here. You go on, Dearie. Do help them fix my car. Then I’ll be on my way.” She smiled disarmingly, as if dismissing all the concerns she had set into motion. I smiled back, mirroring her well enough that she thought I was going to comply.

“Lady…”, I begin with my own saccharine tones, “To Hell with the car, I’m very close to ‘fixing your wagon’.” Her smile froze on her face. “I don’t know what you managed to sneak into my beloved Lodge, but it’s not going to leave. I’ll devour it myself, if I have to.” Her face twitched a few times as she realized I was not going to succumb to her charms.

“You wouldn’t hurt an old woman, now. How could I defend myself against you? You have the strength of youth, and I’m just a lonely person trying to fend for myself.” She leaned over slightly as she spoke, trying to give the impression of vulnerability. I wasn’t buying it for a second. My instinct told me, if it came to physical blows, I was equally matched in strength alone.

Then I gave it further thought. Why was she trying to goad me into a physical altercation to begin with? What was she trying to distract me from? Why did she grab hold of me when this first started?

Still sitting next to her, I close my eyes and call on helper spirits. While they did not visibly manifest, the pack of shifting shadows made themselves known with a heavy, oppressive air. Blue Lady was visibly distressed to be near them. “My friends.” I greeted and announced them, offering up my hands and arms for them to identify me. Their oppression turned to heavy hugs around me. “You see this… woman?” A distinctive sense of affirmation came from them. “She has set some of her toys loose in the lodge. Find it. Devour it. Leave nothing behind.”

The pack of shadows swirl around me in anticipation. They quickly find the scent of her magic, and leave me. Streaming into the lodge through gates made especially for them, I can hear the surprised shrieks of other brethren as they begin sweeping through all the rooms.

“That car engine is my property. I will not have it damaged!” Her words return my attention to her. “How dare you send such… dogs… to destroy my carefully made construct! I’ve never been treated so harshly in all my life!”

“Lady. You wouldn’t know a fucking if you were perched on the hood of that very same car.” Her reaction was as shocked and insulted as the deadpan delivery I spoke it. “You tricked us. I don’t know what you want, but you came to us with nefarious plans. I keep hoping you’ll throw me a right hook, or give me some reason to bring our dance from words to flesh, but you deny me. So, I’ll continue staring at you, and my pack will clean out the mess you’ve brought to us.”

From within the lodge, the sounds of rending metal can barely be heard. Before the sounds hit my ear, I watched her violently shudder in a sudden chill. The sounds confirmed what I already knew, the pack had found her “engine”. “My car! My beautiful car!”

“Oh drop the car bullshit already, Lady. That’s not a car, that never was a car. That was a worm wrapped in an illusion, covered with a glamour. Like the pearls around your neck, it’s only a blind.” She reached up to the pearls and started fingering them. I shook my head at her gesture.

“Keri!” One of the Brethren ran from the newly opened door to me. “You won’t believe this! When your pack found and ate the engine, the car itself melted away! Just, evaporated! Like it was never there!”

I nodded at the news, but never turned away from the Blue Lady. “Well, Madam? Have you any other bait to throw?”

She glared at me, making direct eye contact again. The irises became so clear, they were like glass. “I will have your soul for this interference.”

“What’s the worst you can do, Madam? Kill me? Please, release me from the limitations of this flesh.”

Down the road, the tow truck was visible in the distance. She stood up from the chair. I stood as well. “Thank you for the tea and biscuits, Keri. And thank you for your… hospitality. I do appreciate you not escalating things further than necessary.” I nodded. She turned and began walking to meet the tow truck. I accompanied her. I could feel my pack of shadows not too far behind me.

“You’re welcome, Madam. I’m sure I’ll see you at the Lodge again. I’ll make sure your reception is adequately prepared.” She turned to glare at me again, but I only smiled and nodded. She smiled in return, a cold, vicious, predatory smile. She entered the cab of the tow truck, and the truck turned away and drove back down the road.

My pack of shadows returned to where I had summoned them from. As I turned and walked back to the Lodge, the sun was setting. As it did so, the dream faded and ended.

Make of that, what you may.