The door to the sal de bains opened and she emerged like Venus rising from the sea.
"Is it morning already?" I said.
"It's afternoon," she said. "You were napping, remember?"
"Oh, yes, of course," I said. "But why is it so gray outside?"
"There was a brief shower," she said, "but it's hot outside and there's a heavy mist. Summertime at the coast is a season of sultry mistiness."
"A season of what?"
"Sultry mistiness," she said.
"Well, we are at the coast, of course," I said, "and I'm not yet attuned to the weather patterns, which are much different from that of the steppes of the Carolina Triangle. But I'll have to take your word for the sultry mistiness."
She shrugged but made not a peep.
"I'm moving slowly this afternoon, Poopsie. Sagi kept me up 'till all hours last night."
I referred to the cat; the caramel-colored tabby who is addicted to rolls of paper and sometimes finds dispensers of paper towels or toilet tissue to be so tempting as to overpower his will. He backslid last night. Not the first time.
"Let me get you one of my pick-me-ups," she said. "I have one prepared in the fridge."
After tossing the concoction down the hatch and recovering from the momentary feeling that the head was going to explode, I felt much better and ready for whatever the day might bring.
"Any recent developments to attend to?" I said.
"Lupe texted to say that you're needed in the Cove. She didn't offer any details as to why."
"They never do, Poopsie. They know I avoid the place due to my allergic reaction to it."
"You're allergic to Crystal Cove? she said.
"I am," I said. "The air there seems to be filled with some dark matter or other that clings to me until reaching critical mass when there's a loud pop and bits of the fabric of reality fill the air like confetti. And somehow, everyone points the finger at me."
The remark earned me another of her patented looks but I chose to ignore it. I felt a strong need for a seltzer to equalize the effect of that elixir of hers. These things lift one's spirits to the sticking point making an impression on the willpower that suggests anything is possible. But they also suggest that one has experienced the impossible. I prefer to dilute them as soon as they've worked their wonders.
When Reason was restored to her throne, I realized that as much as I wanted to ignore the summons, it came from my favorite denizen of Crystal Cove, Lupe, my god-niece. She sent the request and you know as well as I that I have no choice but to comply.
I'll leave tonight and contact you tomorrow when I learn the reason for the invitation. Something to set hell's foundations shaking I imagine.