Harmony felt another pang of longing for Rhapsody as she pulled into her driveway. It hadn't even been a full day, and she was already feeling mopey without her Rhapsody fix.
She spent a few hours on weekdays volunteering at the local women's shelter. She usually handled administrative tasks and childcare. She preferred childcare most days. Many of the children were suffering from as much trauma or more than their mothers. She enjoyed playing childish games like hide and seek or tag. She had lost count of the number of times she had been assigned the role of a lava monster in a game of The Floor Is Lava. Seeing a child leave their worry and anxiety behind and just have fun with regular children's games was a beautiful experience that would never get old.
She held writing workshops for the women when there was enough interest in creative or technical writing. Volunteering at the shelter was a bittersweet experience. She couldn't stop herself from growing attached to some of the people she had met, especially the children. It was always sad when they left, never to see them again. It left her feeling like she was missing a part of herself.
That feeling had lessened after her nieces moved in with her. She chuckled to herself as she thought of how much they had changed in the years she had gone without seeing them regularly. Serenity was only about four inches shorter than her own six feet. Aurora would probably hit her growth spurt in the coming months.
As she started walking toward her porch, she realized it was occupied. She recognized Eileen from an encounter at the grocery store the previous week. Her husband was a firefighter, if her memory wasn't playing tricks on her. She was either partly or fully Native American. She had long dark hair and a thin figure. She had a pleasant face, the kind that made it easy to open up and talk about things you would normally keep private. Harmony would have to be careful with her.
Wondering what the other woman was doing on her porch, she approached cautiously. Eileen smiled down at her with a friendly wave.
"Hi, Harmony," Eileen greeted her cheerfully. "I never got a chance to formally welcome you to the neighborhood. Tyee wanted to come too, but I told him he had to wait until you were more comfortable with us as neighbors. How are you settling in?"
"I never want to leave again," Harmony smiled wryly as she approached the other woman. Was she supposed to shake her hand or hug her? Why did it have to be so damn awkward? Eileen took the uncertainty out of the equation by stepping forward and giving her a quick hug.
"I can understand that," Eileen sighed, shaking her head ruefully. "With all of the trouble you've been getting into, I can see why you might want to stay put."
Harmony grimaced inwardly. It was too much to hope that the locals wouldn't have learned of their adventures. "Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?" she remembered her manners. "Or water, if that's your thing."
"I won't turn down a cup of tea," Eileen accepted her offer with a grin that made her look like a teenager about to get into trouble. "I hope you'll forgive me a little snooping. Everyone knows I'm the busybody of the community, so they'll be shaking me for information later. I would rather hear it from you than the internet."
"Sure," Harmony nodded as Eileen followed her inside of the house to the kitchen. "My agent called me on our way back from Eureka yesterday. I didn't bother seeing what people were claiming online, since they always exaggerate everything so much to get a few more clicks."
"I'm sure it didn't help that the cops leaked the footage from the incident here the other night," Eileen added ruefully. "They shared the video with the firefighters, and one of them uploaded it."
"I assumed something like that had happened," Harmony acknowledged sourly. "The same thing appears to have happened in Eureka. I explained to my agent that there's always a logical explanation if you take the time to look for it. He works with people like me that make up fictional stories all day, so I was kind of surprised to see him get caught up in the hype."
"So, tell me about this Rhapsody character," Eileen said, leaning forward with curiosity. "I thought I knew everyone in the area, but I've never met her."
"Really?" Harmony asked with a puzzled frown. "She said she's lived here her entire life. All eight hundred and eighty-two thousand years of it." Harmony finished on a dry note.
"Huh?" Eileen asked, nonplussed.
"That's how old she said she is," Harmony replied, shaking her head ruefully. "Of course, she said twenty-seven trillion seconds. I had to Google it to find out how many years it was. She's a master at evading direct answers."
"Where did you meet her?" Eileen asked interestedly.
"We first ran into her out by that giant wall," Harmony answered, rolling her eyes. "Aurora decided to climb one of those giant redwoods and got stuck several hundred feet up. I was still fifty feet below her when Rhapsody appeared out of nowhere and then scampered up the rest of the tree like she was part squirrel. After doing an Olympic-worthy balancing act on the limb below my niece, she pulled Aurora down and then literally hopped down to the bottom of the tree without using any hands, despite my niece wrapped around her like a second skin. That woman needs to join the Olympics."
"Wow," Eileen said in a distracted tone. "That was next to the stone rings?"
"Yes, and now my nieces are convinced that Rhapsody is some kind of fairy who lives inside the rings," Harmony replied with a resigned sigh. "I had hoped they would get over their fairy obsession after a couple of days, but if anything, it has only grown stronger."
"What color are her eyes?" Eileen asked cryptically.
"Beats me," Harmony replied with a shrug. "She never takes those damned rose-colored shades off. Why do you ask?"
Eileen was silent for a moment as her eyes stared into the distance. "Just some legends from our ancestors. They claimed a small woman lived inside of the stone rings. My great-grandfather claims she used to visit with some of the people in his tribe before the Europeans showed up. He said she has lavender-colored eyes that have some kind of swirling pattern surrounding the pupils."
"Please don't tell me you think she's a fairy too," Harmony begged in a pained voice. She felt a moment of shock inside at Elieen's words, remembering the few glimpses she had seen of the other woman's eyes. They had been lavender.
Eileen blinked and smiled reassuringly. "Just idle speculation. However, her hat and glasses are rather interesting. About twenty years ago, one of the cops in the area claimed a girl matching Rhapsody's appearance assaulted him with a kick to the groin that ruptured his acorns. He claimed he was just asking her for identification, but he had a reputation for harassing the teenage girls in the area, so most people didn't buy that story. So, what other oddities have you noticed about your personal fairy? Does she speak all the human and animal languages like our legends claim?"
"Your legends say she speaks to animals?" Harmony asked slowly.
"Not just animals," Eileen said with a grin, as if it were just a game to her. "She also speaks all the human languages. To her, they are just simple patterns, easily picked apart and reassembled."
"Well, she does speak to squirrels, porcupines, and raccoons," Harmony admitted reluctantly. "They certainly act like they understand her, but I'm pretty sure they are just pets that follow her around, rather than wild animals." She didn't mention the flawless Spanish she had heard Rhapsody speaking in the studio.
"Tyee, my husband's great-grandfather, claimed that she had names for all of the animals she befriended," Eileen said casually. "The common animals were always ridiculously long names. Most of the magical creatures had short names."
"Did Rhapsody put you up to this?" Harmony asked suspiciously.
Eileen blinked in surprise. "Put me up to what?"
"Telling me these stories," Harmony replied dryly. "That woman has an even more twisted sense of humor than I do."
"I told you, I've never met her," Eileen said calmly. "I take it that she has a similar naming scheme?"
"She has serious issues with brevity when it comes to names," Harmony replied, still watching Eileen distrustfully as she pulled the kettle off the stovetop and poured hot water into a couple of mugs.
"I would be interested in meeting her sometime," Eileen said thoughtfully as she accepted the offered tea with a grateful smile. "Does she come around much?"
"Pretty much every day," Harmony answered, a goofy grin appearing on her face without permission.
Eileen tilted her head curiously. "I notice you refer to her as a woman, rather than a girl. Does that mean you believe she's older than she looks?"
Harmony nodded slowly, her lips pursed as she stared into her tea. "I'm pretty sure she's older than me by a good many years. She said she's on some special diet and won't eat anything I offer, even though I'm vegan, so I think whatever she eats must contribute to her youthful appearance. I remember seeing an interview with a raw food vegan who looked like they were in their thirties on their seventy-fifth birthday. It's amazing what a proper diet can do for the body's appearance."
"What makes you think she is older than you?' Eileen inquired, clearly fascinated. Harmony remembered too late how easily this woman could lead a conversation around like a carrot in front of a horse. She had a manner about her that put you at your ease and made you feel like old friends.
"Well, mainly because of the sheer amount of knowledge in that pretty little head of hers," Harmony responded, trying to monitor her words more closely for anything that might cause Rhapsody trouble. "She knows so much about everything that sometimes I feel like a baby in comparison. And, of course, she plays every musical instrument with a skill that is unparalleled. Nobody gains so much skill in less than three decades, and only then if they were rigorously trained throughout their childhood. She plays the most beautiful music you can imagine. Scratch that; more beautiful than you can imagine. I'm a hobbyist musician myself and like to collect new instruments that I can learn how to play. When she claimed she could play every instrument, I marched her over to my studio to prove it. And prove it she did."
"She sounds pretty amazing," Eileen commented thoughtfully. She absently pushed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ears. Harmony shivered as she felt ghostly fingers run through her hair and scalp. "Do you think I could meet her sometime?"
"Sure, she'll be back in the morning," Harmony nodded, with another goofy grin that slipped past her awareness. How was she going to make time go by faster? If this were one of her fictional novels, there would be a time portal she could step through and skip the waiting. The thought of being with Rhapsody again set her insides on fire with longing as she imagined those expressive lips saying her name. She blinked as spots began appearing in her vision.
Crap! Breathe! she missed having Rhapsody there to remind her. She let out her breath and sucked another one in, cringing inside as Eileen watched her peculiarly.
"Um, sorry about that," Harmony apologized as her face rivaled a sunset. "I have to remind my lungs that they are supposed to work alone sometimes."
"That sounds rough," Eileen noted sympathetically, eyeing her curiously. "Is it dangerous? Could it happen in your sleep?"
"No, nothing like that," Harmony assured her as another blush worked its way up her neck. She wasn't about to tell her that it was when she got excited that she held her breath.
Eileen leaned back in her chair in a relaxed pose as she watched Harmony with interest. "So, you're a musician, huh?" Eileen had a pleased smile as she observed Harmony speculatively. "If you're ever up later than midnight, you can hear a small group of musicians playing from somewhere in the forest most nights. It's beautiful beyond description. There are about five different people singing and playing a variety of instruments. We changed our sleep schedule to become night owls just so that we could enjoy it at night. Unfortunately, they haven't played for the last few nights. Maybe they'll be playing tonight."
"Sounds mysterious," Harmony noted in amusement. "Has anyone ever tried to go find this nocturnal band?"
"As far as we can tell, It's coming from somewhere on that property behind your house," Eileen responded with a helpless shrug. "We'd need permission from the owner to go trooping through their land."
"Permission granted," Harmony smiled wryly.
"You own that land?" Eileen asked in surprise, her eyes narrowing. "The land all the way to the ring?"
"Apparently so," Harmony laughed ruefully. "I didn't know that until a few days ago when my mom told me that Grandma Dotty's mom had purchased a thousand acres behind the house, which apparently includes the ring."
Eileen stared at her like she was a puzzle that was missing pieces. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. After a moment of awkward silence, she finally spoke.
"Did you're Grandma Dotty ever tell you any... how do I put this... fairy tale stories?" Eileen asked hesitantly.
Harmony frowned as she rewound her mind to her earlier childhood. Now that her memories were back, she recalled several trips to her Grandma Dotty's that she hadn't remembered before. Her breath caught as she fell into the memory. It was her first visit to her Grandma Dotty's after being saved by her mother from her father's lab of horrors. She had been wearing a special helmet to keep her skull sealed shut due to the holes that had been drilled into it by her father. Her eyes were bloodshot and blackened. She had only been out of the hospital for a day when her Grandma Dotty had convinced Harmony's mother to bring her out to her house. Her mother had argued vehemently against driving her anywhere in her fragile state. Her Grandma had been even more insistent that she come out immediately. Something in her grandmother's tone had convinced her mother to bring her. Harmony frowned as she realized her younger self still had total recall of the horrors she had endured.
She was a complete wreck. Her mind had been teetering on the edge of insanity after a year of inescapable torture that left her body whole while her mind was ravaged. Her synesthesia had been even worse than it was now. Something as simple as her mother's arm getting too much sunlight as they drove down the freeway would trigger her memories of being burned alive. She would scream in terror at the expected pain. It never came, but she had so many tactile triggers that nearly every stray sensation that she felt from other people sent her into hysterics. Her mother had not known the cause, and just thought she was reliving traumatic memories. It was a testament to her mother's desperation when she agreed to bring her to Grandma Dotty's, a three-hour drive. Her sister had remained in the hospital. Their neighbor had offered to stay with Melody, much to her mother's relief. They didn't have any other family to rely on.
After three hours of anxiety, her mother had finally arrived at Grandma Dotty's. When her grandmother had seen her, with her helmet and blackened, bloodshot eyes, her eyes had filled with tears. She knelt and pulled Harmony into a loving embrace.
"Okay, Mom, what did I just spend three hours driving through hell for?" her mother asked in a voice of bone-weary fatigue and despair.
"Stay here," Grandma Dotty ordered her daughter firmly. "There is some banana bread on the counter. Go eat and get some rest."
"What are you doing with Harmony?" Harmony's mother asked warily. She was at the ragged edge as she dealt with the aftermath of her daughters' ordeals.
"I'm just taking her for a walk," Grandma Dotty answered reassuringly. "Go on, Joline. Eat, and get some rest. You can trust me with your daughter."
Her mother's shoulders slumped, and she nodded wearily. As she left, Grandma Dotty picked Harmony up and carried her into the forest. She pointed out birds and deer as they walked. Her voice was soothing, filled with compassion and love. Harmony had felt safe for the first time in years as her grandmother carried her further into the forest. They reached an enormous wall that Harmony recognized now. As soon as her grandmother reached the wall, she set Harmony down.
"I'm going to shout for a friend to come out and play, so don't be frightened," her grandmother warned tenderly.
She cupped her hands to her mouth and bellowed louder than Harmony would have thought possible. "RHAPSODY!"
Harmony had stared at her grandmother in amazement. She hadn't been frightened, having been warned ahead of time, but she was amazed that an old woman could bellow so loudly.
They didn't have to wait long. The air rippled like a heatwave before a familiar figure stepped out in front of her grandmother. She looked exactly the same, except that she had no tinted glasses or hat. Large lavender orbs looked down at her with concern. She bent down and put her hand on Harmony's shoulder, staring into her eyes. Rhapsody's large eyes were filled with an ancient wisdom. As Harmony stared into those beautiful eyes, she felt a sense of disorientation and a tightness on the back of her head. The tightness was soon gone, and the pain she had barely noticed from the holes in her skull was suddenly gone. The pain in her orbit sockets where they had drilled holes to access the front of her brain vanished just as quickly.
"Can you make her forget the last eighteen months?" Harmony's grandmother asked quietly. "I don't think she's going to maintain her sanity if she keeps those memories."
"I can't make her forget them entirely," Rhapsody replied softly, her voice full of pity. "But I can partition them away until she is older and better equipped to deal with them. Let's get rid of this thing first."
Rhapsody had brushed her hand across the helmet and a moment later it vanished. There was a sense of vertigo, and then she was in her grandmother's arms, walking back to the house. Her young mind had no memory of Rhapsody or the hell she and her sister had endured for that last year and a half. She only remembered that they had visited Grandma Dotty.
As soon as they entered the house and her mother saw her without her helmet, she had turned to face Grandma Dotty, her face blazing with fury. The fury vanished as she took a closer look at Harmony's eyes and found them completely healed. She had rushed forward and dropped to her knees before pulling a surprised Harmony into a tight embrace, weeping in relief. She had felt all around the base of Harmony's neck and head with a disbelieving expression. Wide-eyed and tearful, she had turned to Grandma Dotty.
"How?" She asked in wonder, more tears flooding down her cheeks as she pulled Harmony in tightly.
"It's better that you don't know," her grandmother had told her. "I wish you could have brought Melody too."
"So do I," her mother whispered through her tears.
"Harmony!" Eileen's voice snapped her back to the present. The other woman was staring at her anxiously, her eyes wide and close to panic.
Harmony blinked and took a long, shuddering breath. Her cheeks were raw from tears and her arms soaked from where the tears had landed. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry, Eileen," Harmony began, her eyes puffy from crying. "How long was I out?"
Eileen took a deep, relieved breath and let it out explosively as she stared at Harmony worriedly. "About two minutes. I couldn't get you to respond at all, and you started crying like there was no tomorrow. Are you okay? What's the matter?"
"I really am so sorry," Harmony sighed apologetically. "I've recently recovered some memories of a traumatic period in my childhood, and I'm still struggling to deal with them. I'm sorry to put you through that, Eileen."
"You're fine," Eileen assured her with forced cheerfulness. "I'm sorry you have to deal with something like that. Trauma can rear its ugly head in strange ways. Is it something you want to talk about? If it makes you feel any better, I am a licensed psychologist. I wouldn't share anything you tell me with anyone else."
Harmony studied Eileen's kind expression, remembering again how easy she was to open up to. No wonder she had gone into the field of psychology. With a face like that, she could crack the hardest shell.
"I wouldn't know how to start," Harmony found herself saying with a sigh. "It's pretty unbelievable and more like something you would see in a movie."
"How old were you when it happened?" Eileen asked gently, leaning back in her chair again.
"I was almost three," Harmony responded, closing her eyes as she viewed the flickering images in her memory. "My dad was a scientist in medical research. He poisoned my sister and me to justify using us as lab rats in his facility. We had a lot of invasive procedures done to us, especially our brains. I was stuck there for eighteen months before my mom had enough evidence to have him arrested. They hurt me so much. It just seemed to never end, and death wasn't even an option. Luckily, I didn't remember it until yesterday."
"My god, that's horrible," Eileen whispered in dismay. "What kind of father would do such a thing to his own children?"
"The worst kind," Harmony sighed, feeling slightly better for having told somebody about her ordeal.
"Were you experiencing a recall event a few minutes ago?" Eileen asked sympathetically.
Harmony furrowed her brows as she remembered the memory. It was impossible. Rhapsody couldn't have been the same age that long ago. Maybe she had a mom that looked just like her. Maybe her mom could step through shimmering portals. She reached up and felt the base of her skull, where she remembered the holes being drilled. There was nothing but bone there now.
"I think it must have been a fabricated memory," Harmony murmured doubtfully.
"What happened?" Eileen inquired, her open face making it so easy to speak with her.
"I remember my mom bringing me here after I got out of the hospital," Harmony frowned as she continued. "My grandma took me to the wall and met somebody that looked just like Rhapsody. Maybe her mother? She healed me and partitioned my memories so that I wouldn't remember until I was older. That's impossible though. I'm sure my four-year old mind was fabricating memories or something."
Eileen smiled wryly, her eyes sparkling with emotion. "Flying used to be impossible. Moving faster than forty miles per hour would pull your face off your head. It's never wise to claim anything as impossible. Who knows what else exists in this strange world of ours? I tend to look at the world as anything is possible and nobody knows anything definitively. That's just my personal outlook on the world."
Harmony stared at nothing, trying to make sense of the new memory. Could it all be true? Could Rhapsody really be some kind of fairy that had lived hundreds of thousands of years? Rhapsody had claimed to be good friends with her Grandma Dotty. Her memory clearly showed that her grandmother had known Rhapsody. Then there was that damn telepathy. There were only so many coincidences she could rely on to explain things before she started looking crazy, even to herself. Why was she so insistent about fantasy remaining fantasy? She looked across the table and met the patient eyes of Eileen. She was a psychologist, so maybe she would know.
"I've always had an overpowering need to delineate fiction from reality," Harmony started in a hesitant voice, her eyes troubled. "I feel a driving need to shut down any attempt to legitimize events that belong in what I consider fiction. Why do you think I have such a strong compulsion to shout fake?"
Eileen steepled her fingers as she looked back at Harmony thoughtfully, triggering Harmony's synesthesia. "While the memories of your mistreatment may have been blocked from your conscious mind, they were still present in your subconscious. Having so much trauma can lead a person to delineate boundaries in their worldview as a means of protecting themselves from future trauma. Trauma fundamentally disrupts our sense of safety and predictability in the world - it shatters our basic assumptions about how things work and what we can trust. When someone experiences trauma, especially early in life, it often involves a situation where reality became confusing, distorted, or unreliable. In your case, it likely resulted in a deep uncertainty about what's real and what isn't. The obsession with fact versus fiction is likely an attempt to regain control and create safety by establishing clear boundaries around what can be trusted. There may be an underlying fear that if you can't distinguish fact from fiction, you or your family will be vulnerable to manipulation or deception again."
Harmony felt the explanation hit harder than she expected. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I just don't know how to stop being such a skeptic. I've seen Rhapsody do so many unbelievable things, things that any normal person would immediately accept as magical. As soon as someone points it out though, the skeptic in me rises up and starts finding explanations for why something impossible is totally normal. I'm pretty sure my nieces and mom all know who and what she is and are just waiting for me to accept it."
"What would change in your behavior toward Rhapsody if you suddenly accepted her as a fairy?" Eileen asked, her voice gentle.
Harmony opened her eyes and stared back at Elieen thoughtfully. "I'm not sure anything would change. I already love her more than words could describe. I don't think accepting that she was extraordinary would change how I feel about her."
Eileen's eyes widened at Harmony's admission. "Are you two an… item?"
Harmony felt her neck flush up into her cheeks as she stared back at Eileen. "Yeah, we're an item."
"Wow," Eileen murmured in awe. "I never thought I would see the day Rhapsody would find love."
"I thought you said you didn't know her," Harmony remarked, eyeing Eileen suspiciously.
"I've never met her before," Eileen clarified with a small smile. "But she's a very prominent individual in our legends. One of her titles is 'The Unbound', because she never wanted to be in a relationship with anyone. There must be something very special about you if that has changed."
Harmony felt warmth spread out from her chest at Eileen's words. She felt a goofy smile on her face and quickly covered her mouth. Eileen laughed at her reaction, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I understand you much better now, Harmony," Eileen announced, standing up with a warm smile. "I'm glad I had a chance to get to know you. I'm not sure if it was your fairy that sent me over here, but I came because of a dream I had last night. I dreamed that I saw myself visiting you here, and there was something very important I needed to talk to you about. When I woke up, it's all I could think of. We take dreams seriously in my culture."
"I'm glad you came," Harmony told her with a genuine smile. "I do feel better after talking about everything. Thank you for coming and walking me through the maze of my head. Maybe I can be a little more open-minded now that I have some idea of where my skepticism is rooted."
Eileen gave her a farewell hug and walked over to a bicycle that Harmony hadn't noticed. She should get some bikes for Aurora and Serenity. She didn't think the two of them even knew how to ride a bike. Teaching the two of them to ride would be a fun activity to do with Rhapsody. She smiled at the way her thoughts automatically included Rhapsody for everything in her life now.
She had an hour until it was time to pick up the squirts from the bus stop. She decided to go play in her studio. If she ever wanted to become as good as Rhapsody with her instruments, she needed to get serious.
She received a text from her mother that she was on her way back. A second short text followed the first: I'm cured. Harmony's hand flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She knew her mother had gone in for an MRI. She had been anxious about her mother's hopes being crushed when the scans showed the same lesions as before. She had not believed it possible for her mother to be cured. At least, not until she had a memory recall of her grandmother taking a four-year old Harmony to the rings and having her healed. Now, she could believe it.
She was left shaking and overwhelmed with such powerful relief that she worried she might pass out. Tears of joy and gratitude stung her already tearstained cheeks. She now knew who to thank for her mother's recovery. Her mother must have known shortly after meeting Rhapsody what had happened almost twenty years ago, when Harmony had been healed. She wondered why her mother had never told her about the miraculous healing.
She sat down at her iMac and opened Logic Pro, preparing to record a piano track. The first file in the recent list was 'Bringing Harmony to the Melody of Life'. She stared at the title in surprise. Had Rhapsody been here while Harmony was at the women's shelter? She eagerly opened the file and stared at the track layout. There were over a dozen tracks. She eagerly pressed play.
Harmony felt tingles ripple through her body as the most transcendent music she had ever heard filled the studio with radiance. She was so moved that she started seeing spots and had to suck in huge gulps of air. Rhapsody had five tracks with harmonizing vocals that angels would weep to hear. There were no mistakes or moments of less than perfection. If there was a song that defined the creation of life, this would have been used for its source of inspiration. There was joy, sorrow, wonder, and above all, love intertwined throughout each measure of the song, blended so perfectly that it was more of an experience than a sound.
Harmony replayed the song as soon as it was finished. She put it on loop and just listened to it over and over. She sighed with bitter disappointment when the alarm to go pick up her nieces from the bus stop began chirping. She hurriedly copied the song to her iPhone and then hurried down her driveway. She sprinted down the county road toward the bus stop, determined to maintain her ritual of always running the mile to the bus stop.
The bus driver stared at her curiously as her nieces exited the bus. Normally, he gave her a rueful head shake or a disgusted look, making it clear what he thought of running.
"Is Rhapsody back yet?" Aurora asked as she descended the steps;
Harmony glanced at the bus driver, noting his keen interest in her answer. "How was school?" she asked instead of answering.
"Everyone wanted to know about you and Rhapsody," Serenity answered with a mixture of pride and amusement. "Even one of my teachers asked me about her."
"I'm sorry that you two had to deal with that," Harmony sighed regretfully. "If you need some time away from school, we can take a sabbatical until things quiet down."
"It was kind of cool," Serenity told her with a small smile. "I've never been the center of attention like that. Everyone wanted to know if you were really the famous author everyone is talking about. The famous author that was in some kind of relationship with Rhapsody."
"Yeah, it was kind of funny," Aurora giggled, her eyes sparkling with life. "I had a boy ask me if you and Rhapsody were really human. He wanted to know why she hides her ears and eyes if she was human."
"What did you tell him?" Harmony asked, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. She could already guess the answer.
"The truth, of course," Aurora shrugged, a smile appearing on her face. "That she's a fairy."
"How are you feeling, Aunt Harmony?" Serenity asked with concern, seeming to remember the traumatic events of the previous night.
"I'm feeling better," Harmony smiled reassuringly.
"What happened that was so bad that you made yourself forget?" Serenity asked hesitantly. "Do you feel comfortable talking about it?"
Harmony impulsively pulled her nieces into a quick hug. "You two really are the best, do you know that? I love you both so much."
Serenity smiled back at her contentedly, soaking up the affection like a water-starved plant. "We love you too, Aunt Harmony."
"Even if you are kind of crazy," Aurora added with a grin.
"Aurora!" Serenity scolded her sister in mock exasperation. "You only joke about that if the person isn't actually crazy."
"Oh, now I feel much better," Harmony commented dryly. "When did you two want - "
She broke off at the sound of an angry bellow in the trees next to the road. She instinctively pushed Serenity and Aurora behind her as she peered into the thick trees. An extremely angry looking black bear was moving toward them purposefully. Harmony did the only thing her terrified mind remembered to do when faced with a black bear; she raised her hands above her head and tried to look as large as she could and slowly started backing away, pushing her nieces backward with her hips.
The bear started stomping its paws on the ground and huffing. As Harmony continued slowly backing away, it began advancing at a brisk gait.
"Go away, you grouchy furball," Harmony said firmly, proud of herself that her voice remained steady.
"Aunt Harmony…" Aurora began in a quavering voice. "I think we should run."
"Do not run," Harmony said forcefully. "It's faster than us, and it will only encourage it."
"It already seems pretty encouraged," Serenity pointed out anxiously as it began moving toward them more quickly.
Harmony began waving her arms and cursing at it loudly. Instead of discouraging the beast, it broke into an all-out run, bawling loudly as it charged.
"What is it with you three and attracting trouble?" Rhapsody's voice asked from just behind them.
Harmony jerked her eyes away from the bear to stare in shock at Rhapsody as she calmly walked in front of them. The small woman was in her trap hat and glasses again. Harmony looked back at the bear and sagged in relief as it came to an abrupt stop.
"You got a problem, Oscar?" Rhapsody called out to the bear challengingly.
The bear let out a pitiful whine and began backing away slowly.
"Yeah, you better keep walking, punk!" Rhapsody declared imperiously. "I'll kick your flabby butt back into the last ice age if I catch you terrorizing my friends again."
With a final snorted growl, the bear turned around and ambled back into the woods.
"Apparently four people are more trouble than Oscar wants to deal with," Rhapsody noted with a smirk at the bears departing back.
"Oscar?" Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow as her heartbeat began slowing down from Mach five. She stared hungrily at Rhapsody, drinking in the sight of her savior. She felt a thrill of excitement that she didn't have to wait until the next day to see her... her... girlfriend?
"Oscar the Grouch," Rhapsody elaborated with a lopsided smile. "From Sesame Street, right?"
"A very fitting name," Harmony agreed with a shuddering breath. "That was definitely a very grouchy bear."
Before Rhapsody could say anything else, she was engulfed in a bear hug by an extremely relieved Aurora. Rhapsody's expression softened as she gently ran her fingers through Aurora's hair comfortingly. Harmony shivered as her synesthesia mirrored the sensation in her own scalp.
"I didn't think you were ever coming back," Aurora informed her tearfully.
"Where else would I go?" Rhapsody asked her gently. "This is my home, after all."
Harmony looked up as a cop car slowly drove past. The grey-haired officer driving was frowning as he stared at Rhapsody. When she looked up and saw him, he slammed on his brakes and jumped out of his car.
"Here we go again," Rhapsody muttered under her breath. "This guy just never learns."
The grey-haired cop was striding up to them quickly with a look of fury on his face. His partner was hurriedly trying to catch up as he stopped in front of Rhapsody.
"You!" he hissed venomously. "You cost me my marriage!"
Rhapsody gently disentangled herself from Aurora and took a few steps back. "I'm afraid you have mistaken me for someone else, Turbo."
"Then show me some identification, now!" he growled threateningly, pulling his pistol from its holster.
"I'm afraid I left my papers somewhere in the 20th century," Rhapsody replied contemptuously. "Unless the fourth amendment is no longer valid, I don't have to show you anything."
With an enraged bellow, he raised his gun and pointed it at her chest. "It is you! You ruined my life, you worthless whore!"
"Easy, Randall," his partner said nervously. "This is just a kid. The girl that attacked you would be over thirty years old by now."
Several cars had stopped to watch, since the police car was blocking both lanes. One of the spectators had pulled out a phone and started recording.
"Bullshit, this is her!" he spat hatefully. "She's got the same stupid hat and glasses."
"Why don't you go inspect that car's windows or something?" Rhapsody suggested maliciously. "I'm pretty sure the tint is beyond the legal limit. Doubtless, they are hiding several kilos of illegal narcotics."
With a maniacal shriek, he squeezed off a round at the same time that Rhapsody dropped to the ground. Before he could take another shot, his partner cannoned into him, carrying both of them to the ground.
"What the hell is the matter with you, Randall?" his partner demanded angrily. "Are you trying to get kicked off the force?"
"Get off me, goddamnit!" Randall roared, trying to shake his partner off. "I'm going to kill that bitch!"
"I think we best be on our way," Rhapsody suggested, standing back up and herding Harmony and her nieces away from the furiously struggling cop.
"Stay where you are!" Randall's partner shouted, grunting with the effort of keeping Randall from getting back up.
"So, your lecherous partner can use me for more live target practice?" Rhapsody asked sarcastically. "No thanks, I think I'll just go play on a freeway instead."
The four of them quickly made their way to Harmony's house as the two cops continued wrestling on the ground.
"What was that all about?" Harmony asked suspiciously after they finally walked through her front door and moved to the front room. The walk home had been quiet. Harmony had just enjoyed being close to the other woman again.
Rhapsody sat in one of the armchairs while Serenity joined Harmony on the couch. Aurora climbed up on the large arm of Rhapsody's chair, unwilling to let the small woman out of arms reach. Rhapsody smiled fondly at Aurora and pulled her down into the chair. They were small enough that they both easily fit.
"I suspect it has a lot to do with the low standards our local law enforcement office has when it comes to screening applicants for homicidal tendencies," Rhapsody replied disdainfully.
"He seemed to have some history with you," Harmony noted conversationally. She felt like she was so close to letting go of the chains binding her thoughts to a two-dimensional world of possibilities. She just needed to hear the right answers to finally embrace a world of color and beauty. "You ever run into him before?"
"I'm sure I would remember if I did," Rhapsody replied with a shrug. "With an attitude like that, he would be hard to forget."
Harmony continued staring at Rhapsody silently. For her part, Rhapsody ostensibly avoided looking at Harmony, looking around the house as if she had never seen it before.
"I had a visitor today that wanted to meet you," Harmony informed Rhapsody carefully. "Her name is Eileen. Do you know her?"
"Of course," Rhapsody replied with a nod. "She married Tyee's great-grandson. She could definitely do worse."
"She said she had never met you before," Harmony continued probingly. "I told her you had lived here all of your life."
"Just because she doesn't know me doesn't mean I don't know her," Rhapsody said with a half-smile. "Did she have anything interesting to say?"
"Apparently, she's a psychologist," Harmony answered, tilting her head as she watched Rhapsody. "She said she had a dream she was supposed to visit me. I'm glad she did. She helped me work through some confusing issues I haven't been able to resolve on my own. I feel like I'm making progress with some of my more pigheaded personality traits."
"You don't have any pigheaded personality traits," Rhapsody objected, her lips curving into an amused smile. "I haven't heard you speak any pig Latin yet, and that's always the first indicator of pigheadedness."
Harmony snorted a laugh that wasn't pig-like at all. "Well, I'm feeling like I'm close to some kind of mental breakthrough. Thanks for being so patient with me. Oh yeah…she also wanted to know what color your eyes were."
"Did she now?" Rhapsody asked with a treasure cat smile. "How did school go for our new celebrities?"
Not going to answer the question about the eyes, Harmony thought to herself wryly. No surprise there.
"It was awesome!" Serenity exclaimed brightly. "Everyone wanted us to tell them everything about the two of you. Susan, one of the girls in my class, said her mom is totally obsessed with Aunt Harmony's books and that she wants to meet her now that she knows who she is. I told her I couldn't make any promises, because Aunt Harmony is kind of a recluse."
"Mr. Owens couldn't believe Aunt Harmony was really the author of those books," Aurora told Rhapsody with a giggle. "She said Aunt Harmony was too young to have been writing that long. I told him how she started writing in high school and that she even let us help her with some of the stories, like the Lore Bore character. He thought that was pretty cool."
Rhapsody grinned over at Harmony. "I always wondered where you came up with some of the more childish ideas in your stories. They added a nice twist and made them less predictable. I should have guessed these two would have something to do with it."
"Any time I couldn't think of what to do next, I just asked these two," Harmony grinned back, feeling her heart overflow with warmth as she finally got to stare at those expressive lips. "They never disappointed. I tried to make the scenes sound natural, but there's only so much you can do with a giant flatulent bore that sits with his legs crossed."
Rhapsody threw her head back and laughed her golden laugh. Harmony felt like she might float away as warmth flooded her body. Oh, how she loved that laugh!
"Oh yeah, I heard the song you put together in the studio today," Harmony told Rhapsody with reverential respect in her voice. "I couldn't stop listening to it on repeat."
"Thanks for letting me use your studio," Rhapsody replied with a self-conscious blush. "It was even more fun than I had imagined."
"I'm dying to see you record your next song," Harmony gushed enthusiastically. "I still can't believe how amazing that song is. You have the most gorgeous singing voice I've ever heard. Did you take vocal training classes?"
Rhapsody's face flushed bright red at the compliment, and she stuttered a few times before getting a reply out. "No, I just picked it up over the years."
"I want to hear it," Aurora announced eagerly.
Harmony pulled out her iPhone and started the song.
Her nieces listened raptly, their faces full of wonder as the beautiful song serenaded the front room with Rhapsody's hauntingly melodic voice. As the song played, Rhapsody began tracing her lips with a finger. Harmony gasped as she felt the sensual touch. Rhapsody was staring at her with a small smile as she continued tracing her lips. Harmony shivered as her body filled with heat and longing. She longed to feel those lips beneath her own again.
"Breathe," Rhapsody mouthed the word at her, the corners of her lips curving up on one side.
"That was amazing!" Serenity declared, wiping a single tear from her eye.
"Yeah, Rhapsody," Aurora agreed fervently. "I thought Harmony was good, but you really put her to shame."
"I'm going to second that," Harmony agreed with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Rhapsody scowled at Harmony. "Don't you dare try to belittle your musical talent, missy!"
"You're an inspiration, Rhapsody," Harmony told her sincerely. "You give me something to aspire to."
Rhapsody's face was like a sunset as she squirmed under the weight of so much praise.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" Harmony asked curiously. "And how long did it take you to get so good?"
"I just picked it up here and there over the years," Rhapsody shrugged, her lips curving slightly. "I've always been fascinated with the magic in music. Its ability to reach deep into the soul is a special kind of magic.
Rhapsody trailed off as her head turned to stare at the closed door. Harmony looked at the surveillance monitor next to the door but didn't see anything.
"Did you hear a spider crawling in Asia?" Harmony asked the distracted woman dryly.
"Your mom's here," Rhapsody replied, relaxing back into her armchair. "Her car has a very distinctive sound."
"My, what good ears you have," Harmony grinned.
"So nice of you to finally notice," Rhapsody replied with a knowing look.
Harmony's smile faltered as she stared back at the small woman uncertainly. Does she know I saw her pointy ears when David pistol-whipped her? God, she's better than a politician at making nonspecific statements.
The temptation to snatch Rhapsody's goofy hat off was almost irresistible. Before she could work up the nerve, her mother appeared on the surveillance monitor next to the front door. Rhapsody's grin widened when Harmony continued staring at her suspiciously while Serenity answered the door, as if she knew exactly what Harmony was thinking. Harmony was pretty sure she did know exactly what she was thinking.
"Hello, Serenity," her mother greeted her granddaughter in an uncharacteristically bright tone.
"Grandma, we got chased by a bear today!" Serenity announced excitedly. "Rhapsody chased it off before it could attack us though."
"I did no such thing," Rhapsody objected mildly. "He was just a big chicken and knew he was outnumbered."
"A bear attacked you?" her mother asked Harmony anxiously as she followed Serenity into the room. "Did you contact the wildlife division yet?"
"I don't think that will be necessary," Harmony replied with a nod at Rhapsody. "I think Rhapsody put the fear of the light into him. Besides, the bear turned out to be a lot less dangerous than our local law enforcement."
"Do you have some kind of magnet for trouble?" her mother asked exasperatedly. "What did you do now?"
"Don't look at me," Harmony replied defensively. "Rhapsody is the one they were using for target practice."
"They shot at you?" her mother asked Rhapsody in shock. "What happened?"
Harmony related her version of the events, unable to keep the disdain out of her voice as she described Officer Randall's behavior. When she finished, her mother looked at Rhapsody curiously.
"So, this cop thought you were the same girl that took his manhood twenty years ago?" her mother asked Rhapsody interestedly.
"That he did," Rhapsody replied with a chuckle. "Apparently, wearing this style of hat and glasses was all that it took to implicate me."
"You might want to get that hat looked at," her mother noted with a small smile, pointing at a small hole right over Rhapsody's forehead that Harmony had failed to notice. "You seem to have a new climate control vent there."
Rhapsody just shrugged unconcernedly. "Proper ventilation is important in a hat."
Everyone was staring at the bullet hole in Rhapsody's hat silently. If a bullet had really entered her hat at that point, it should have gone right into her brain. Harmony shivered as a cold chill went down her spine. My god, she really isn't human!
Before anyone could say anything, Rhapsody's head swiveled toward the door again. A second later, she was on her feet and moving toward the kitchen.
"I just remembered I have to get back home," Rhapsody called over her shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning!"
Harmony hurriedly arose and tried to catch up to the hastily retreating woman, but Rhapsody was already out the back door by the time Harmony reached the kitchen.
"Harmony, there's a news van in your driveway," her mother informed her tersely. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"
"What?" Harmony asked in surprise, walking back into the front room.
Two reporters appeared on her porch, one with a camera on his shoulder. Harmony debated answering the door for a moment after they rang the bell. With a sigh, she finally opened the door.
"Can I help you?" Harmony asked the two men dubiously.
"I'm John Darier with Channel 5 News," the man without the camera said, studying her curiously. "Are you Harmony Fay Conifer?"
"Why do you ask?" Harmony asked suspiciously.
"We had some questions regarding the incident that occurred here earlier this week with the girl named Rhapsody," John replied with a false smile. He looked passed Harmony at her nieces and mother. "Is she here with you?"
"She just left," Aurora announced from behind Harmony.
Harmony turned around and scowled at Aurora, shaking her head slightly with a meaningful look. Aurora blinked back at her uncertainly and then looked at the reporters with sudden understanding in her eyes.
"Do you know where she lives?" John asked Aurora in a voice normally reserved for toddlers.
"No, she doesn't," Harmony replied firmly. "I'm afraid we have some responsibilities that need our attention, so if you'll excuse us…"
Harmony began closing the door, but John hurriedly put his foot in the way. Harmony's eyes narrowed as she began reaching for the tazer she had put next to the door.
"What can you tell us about the incident that happened here the other night," John demanded rudely. "Does Rhapsody have a history of violent behavior?"
Harmony pulled the tazer off the small table next to the door and brandished it in front of his face. "Do you want to see violent history in the making? Get lost, before I light your obnoxious ass up like a Christmas tree."
John immediately backed away, with a wary look on his face as she closed the door all the way. He had probably been tazed before, to have such an instant reaction. I shouldn't have warned the bastard. I'm sure he probably deserves it with an attitude like that.
"That was a novel way of handling reporters," her mother noted mildly.
"I hate reporters," Harmony grumbled. "They're just a bunch of attention seeking presstitutes. At least I have the decency to call what I write fiction. Those sensationalist pricks couldn't report real news if their lives depended on it."
"Tell me how you really feel about them," her mother replied with an amused chuckle. "So, what do you think about Rhapsody now?"
"Now as opposed to when?" Harmony asked blankly.
"Oh, come on, Harmony," her mother said exasperatedly. "You saw the bullet hole in her hat. That cop didn't miss her when he shot at her."
"She dropped to the ground at the same time that he shot at her," Harmony shrugged, her mind finally coming up with a rational solution to the dilemma. "If the hole was caused by the bullet, it probably just went in at an angle. Just remember, Occam's Razor. Which is more likely; that she is a non-human, or that she just managed to dodge the bullet by the skin of her chin?"
"For an author who writes fictional novels for a living, you are sure cynical," her mother informed her reproachfully. "How in the world do you write about so many fantastical concepts while remaining so skeptical about the possibilities in your own world?"
"There's actually a very simple explanation for that," Harmony replied matter-of-factly. "I realize how easy it is for the imagination to fabricate unrealistic fantasies in story format, so how easy would it be for people to misinterpret perfectly logical events in real life with the same unreal conclusions?"
"I would say that the evidence is growing pretty high against Rhapsody being a normal human," her mother declared firmly. "First, you met her just outside of that giant stone ring. Serenity never saw her climb the tree, but she appeared right below you. Then, she performs an act of coordination I doubt you could find another human capable of imitating when she rescued Aurora and skipped down the tree branches. She hides her ears and eyes all the time and appears to be quite fluent with non-human languages. She looks like a young adult but has more knowledge in her head than most college professors. She has superhuman strength and speed, as you very well saw when she beat the crap out of David and dragged him outside. She saved you from a bear and then gets shot at by a cop who is convinced he met her twenty years ago. She took down twenty gunmen without a weapon. Am I missing anything?"
"She plays every instrument too," Serenity added helpfully. "And Aurora said she had pointy ears the night she rescued her from the tree. She also knows how to disappear before you can blink twice."
"Enough!" Harmony growled in frustration. "No matter how odd any of those things may seem, there are more than enough rational explanations for each instance that don't involve mythical nonsense."
"So, what would it take to convince you that she is something more than human?" her mother asked curiously.
"When I see her fly like Tinkerbelle and pour some fairy dust on my head, I might entertain the notion that she is a fairy," Harmony replied acerbically. "Until then, she's just a very unusual woman who knows her Native American mythology."
"I know you don't remember this," her mother said quietly, her face subdued. "But she healed you after we got you out of that place when you were four. She healed me as well. The doctors are convinced there is an error in the scanning equipment. I know why you can't open your mind to this. I'm so sorry that you have this to struggle with too, Harmony. I'm not going to push it more, because I know you can't accept it right now. I'm going to trust that Rhapsody knows what she is doing."
"You're healed?" Aurora asked in growing excitement.
"I am," her mother nodded with a warm smile at her granddaughters. "Thanks to Rhapsody."
Aurora ran over and hugged her grandmother, her eyes full of tears. "I was so scared we were going to lose you like we lost mom."
Serenity quickly joined her sister, hugging her grandmother with a loud sob of relief.
Harmony felt her own eyes grow wet with tears, having dealt with the same fear. She knew her mother was healed, and that Rhapsody was responsible for it. As soon as she tried to vocalize her change of heart, her throat froze up and she couldn't do it. The little devil that had followed her out of her father's lab would take control and deny the existence of anything magical in life. She pushed with all of her will to tell her mother she believed, but her mouth wouldn't open to speak the words.
"It's okay, Harmony," her mother said softly, staring into her shimmering eyes. "I know."
Harmony let out a choked sob and joined her nieces, pulling her mother into a tight embrace. She felt as if a knife had been removed from her heart as the certainty of her mother's impending death evaporated like morning mist touched by sunlight. She would have her mom to help her raise these angels. She would get the chance to show her how grateful she was for the pain and anguish her mother had endured to raise her children in a home filled with love. Knowing what she had to endure now that she remembered her own tribulations only made her mother's dedication more impressive.
Her mother rubbed her back comfortingly as she wept. "I know how hard you've tried to keep your fear of my condition a secret, Harmony. I'm so glad that I'll be here with all of you for a lot longer."
After a minute of shared catharsis, they were interrupted by another knock at the door.
She glanced at the surveillance monitor next to the door and grimaced when she saw more reporters on her porch.
"It must be one hell of a slow news week for all of these idiots to be investigating a case of domestic violence," Harmony muttered irritably as she walked over to the door. She absently picked up her tazer again, just in case.
"May I help you?" Harmony asked the tall dark-haired man on the other side of her door in a barely civil tone. A blonde middle-aged woman stood next to him, with a camera on her shoulder.
"Hi, I'm Lars Smith with Channel 9 News," the man announced with a toothy grin. "Are you Harmony Fay Conifer?"
"No, I think you have the wrong house," Harmony replied shortly, already closing the door.
"You certainly look like the woman in the video we just watched," Lars said quickly. "Do you know why Officer Randall was shooting at your friend?"
Harmony paused before closing the door all the way. Wow, that video can't have been online for more than an hour. News sure travels fast these days.
"I have no idea why he was shooting at her," Harmony lied. "He was probably high on something he confiscated from someone."
"Do you know anything about the giant wall behind your house?" Lars asked, with a vague gesture into the forest.
"It's big," Harmony replied in a flat voice.
"Yeah, we noticed," Lars replied with an easygoing laugh. "There is a team of geologists studying it right now, trying to figure out what it is made of."
"How did they find out about it?" Harmony asked with a frown. "And they are trespassing."
"Your feisty friend that has the blogosphere so fascinated has lured several investigators into the area," Lars replied, his eyes watching her closely. "They discovered it while trying to find where she lives. Do you happen to know where she lives?"
"She lives inside the rings," Aurora supplied helpfully.
"We don't know where she lives," Harmony snapped, slamming the door in his face.
"What is a blogosphere?" Serenity asked curiously.
"It's where people pontificate about themselves to feel important," Harmony replied sourly. "Aurora, please don't add any more commentary when I'm talking with strangers; especially reporters."
"I see you're still making frequent use of artistic license," her mother noted disapprovingly. "You can avoid giving them information without lying to them. It sets a bad example."
"Don't lecture me on lying," Harmony retorted in dryly. "How many years did you tell me a fat guy flew around the world delivering presents and rabbits pooped chocolate eggs?"
"Don't be petulant," her mother chided calmly. "There's a world of difference between telling fictional stories and outright lying."
Harmony snorted derisively. "There's not much difference when you fail to mention the stories are fictional."
"You'll have to forgive your aunt's bitterness," her mom told her nieces with a sigh. "She took the truth about Santa Clause pretty hard."
"Is that why she doesn't believe in fairies?" Aurora asked curiously.
"Part of the reason," her mother replied sadly.
Harmony shook her head resignedly and began walking up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" her mother inquired.
"To get my laptop," Harmony replied with a grunt. "I want to see what the hell is going on in the news that is turning this place into a freak show."
After returning to the front room with her laptop, Harmony pulled up Google News. She didn't even have to do a search for their town. Right at the top of the headlines was an article titled: Mysterious Wall in Northern California Baffles Experts.
A giant double ring of walls over four hundred feet tall and separated by a moat has geologists baffled as they try to decipher its material composition. The substance is so hard that not even diamond tipped tools can penetrate the surface. Adding another layer of mystery, anything electronic malfunctions when it comes within a dozen feet of the wall. An aerial survey crew nearly crashed when their airplane's engines malfunctioned when attempting to fly over the massive structure. Satellite images are showing a large black blob where the rings are located. Conspiracy theorists and UFO hunters are flocking to the area, convinced that it is either a black government facility, or an alien base.
The giant rings came into the public spotlight after several YouTube videos depicting a small woman beating an ex-convict senseless after he attacked one of the local residents. Additional footage appeared online of the same woman, now known to be Rhapsody, defeating twenty armed gunman at a human trafficking staging house in Eureka, California a day later. She appeared to take direct gunfire without any indication that it affected her. In a scene more reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, she also burst into brilliant light, bringing what had appeared to be a dead victim back to life and healing all of the other victims. She was seen in the company of a woman named Harmony Fay Conifer, now known to be the elusive and secretive author of several New York Times best sellers. There are a lot of rumors flying around about the relationship between the two women and the secret world of magic they belong to.
Reporters were unable to locate Rhapsody anywhere near the small town of Orick, California but stumbled upon the unusual structures while searching for her.
One of the biggest questions on people's minds is how such a massive structure could have remained hidden for so long. It sits in the middle of the giant redwood forest but is several dozen feet higher than even the tallest redwood. There are reports filtering in from surrounding towns that the military has taken an interest in the structure. Local residents in the surrounding area have reported dozens of camouflaged heavy equipment vehicles moving through their towns over the last twenty-four hours. Some people are speculating that the military plans to deforest the entire region around it to set up a base camp.
The second biggest question on everyone's mind: who is Rhapsody? As I was writing this article, another video was uploaded with Rhapsody being attacked by a local cop. The video shows that there was not a bullet hole in her trap hat before the unhinged cop shot at her, but there is clearly a bullet hole after the shot. Unless her hat is bullet proof, the bullet should have gone right through her forehead. To add to the weirdness, the enraged cop claims that the same girl had kicked him in the family jewels over twenty years ago. He claims that not only does she look exactly the same, but she also taunted him with the same theme about the 4th amendment twenty years ago when he asked for her identification.
"So, is there anything interesting in the news?" her mother asked impatiently.
"Just a bunch of people without a life looking for a new source of entertainment," Harmony replied distractedly.
"Let me see," her mother said, reaching for Harmony's laptop.
Harmony wordlessly handed it to her. No wonder the cop was so agitated. Rhapsody was pushing his buttons.
When her mother finished reading the article, she looked at Harmony and arched an eyebrow. "Looks like this place is about to turn into a circus."
Harmony just grunted wordlessly. She stood up and walked out onto the front porch with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was a steady stream of traffic on the usually quiet county road. Even as she stood watching, a convoy of military flatbed trucks bearing bulldozers, logging equipment, and cargo containers drove past her house.
Her mother and nieces joined her a moment later and stared at the spectacle for several moments. Aurora was the first one to break the silence.
"What's going on, Aunt Harmony?" she asked uncertainly.
"The humans followed me to my sanctuary," Harmony replied with a dejected sigh. "God, I hope Rhapsody really is a fairy and can do something about all of this nonsense."
There were several news helicopters flying around the skies as well, though they appeared to be staying well clear of the electromagnetic disturbance near the stone rings. Harmony usually avoided watching any television, especially the news, but she found herself going back into the front room and turning on the television.
They spent the next several hours watching an aerial view of the military unload and deploy all of their heavy equipment on the side of the road a few thousand feet from Harmony's house. A spokesperson from the Whitehouse claimed they were just doing routine training in the area. It always surprised Harmony that the government even bothered with explanations anymore. It wasn't like the masses had any power to do anything anymore.
The military had set up roadblocks to prevent anyone but local residents onto the small street, which was somewhat of a relief. Harmony had stopped answering the door after the tenth undercover journalist tried to convince her that he was with a government agency.
Aurora and Serenity were helping her prepare a fruit platter in the kitchen as the sun sank behind the horizon. The few soldiers willing to talk to the local residents had informed her that they were going to begin clearing out the trees in the area around the ring at first light. Harmony had been proud of herself for reaming calm as the young soldier shared the information. They're destroying my backyard!
She knew enough about human nature and politics to realize how futile freaking out would be. Instead, she politely thanked the young man and tried to avoid thinking about the situation.
"Harmony, I think you should come see this," her mother called from the front room.
Harmony brought the fruit platter out with her and set it on the coffee table. Her mother was standing on the porch, looking around the yard nervously.
"Do you normally get fog like this?" her mother asked with a shiver.
"I haven't so far, but we are near the coast," Harmony replied unconcernedly. "And it is getting colder now- "
Harmony broke off as terrified screams erupted from the forest next to her house. Aurora and Serenity were out on the porch a split second later, their eyes as wide as teacups as the fog began thickening and then rising off the ground. The screams of terror intensified as a sudden wall of fog rolled out of the forest and covered everything. The fog was so thick that she couldn't even see the tip of her nose.
"What the hell is going on out there?" her mother asked anxiously.
"Rhapsody probably doesn't want them destroying her forest," Serenity answered matter-of-factly.
Harmony herded her nieces and mother back into the house. "Mom, stay here and don't let Serenity or Aurora follow me. I'm going to see if any of those soldiers require medical attention."
"Are you crazy?" her mother demanded, aghast. "You heard those screams!"
"They weren't screams of pain," Harmony replied calmly. "They were just terrified. Whatever is out there isn't hurting them, it's just scaring the crap out of them."
"Harmony, please just listen to me for once and stay here!" her mother pleaded.
"I listened," Harmony replied with a sardonic grin. "But I'm still going."
Harmony hurriedly left before her mother could voice any more objections.
She blinked in surprise as she stepped onto the porch. Most of the fog had vanished. The military trucks that had lined the side of the road were nowhere to be seen. Harmony broke into a brisk jog down her long driveway until she reached the road. There were only a few wisps of fog remaining, but there was no sign of any military equipment anywhere along the county road. The full moon gave off more than enough light for her to safely sprint down the road.
She came to an abrupt halt when a squad of butt-naked men walked out of the woods next to the road. The whites of their terrified eyes were easily visible in the bright moonlight.
"What happened?" Harmony asked them cautiously.
"This place is freaking cursed!" a broad-shouldered man with dark hair declared in a quavering voice. "An ocean of fog came rushing out of the trees and disintegrated everything in its path!"
"Not everything," Harmony noted pointedly. "You seem to still be here."
"It melted all of our equipment, clothes, vehicles, pretty much everything but us," another soldier replied with a shudder. "I watched an eight metric ton bulldozer melt into a puddle of goo in less than ten seconds!"
"Is anybody hurt?" Harmony asked, keeping her eyes on their faces.
"I don't think so," he replied uncertainly. "There was a team of scientists near the wall that we haven't heard back from though. All their equipment went haywire a few minutes before the fog arrived."
The squad of soldiers was calming down as they related their experience. Harmony pulled out her phone and smiled to herself when it turned on without any trouble.
"I'm guessing all of your phones are gone as well," Harmony said, looking at their naked forms pointedly. "Would you like me to call someone to have some new clothes brought out to you?"
"That would be really awesome," the dark-haired soldier replied sheepishly. "It's getting kind of cold."
Harmony wordlessly handed him the phone. A steady stream of naked men and a few women began exiting the forest as he began talking on her cell phone. It looked like a nudist colony out on a wildlife retreat as they staggered out to the road.
"You're welcome to wait at my place until help arrives," Harmony said reluctantly. As much as she detested the idea of a bunch of naked people occupying her house, her sense of compassion was too strong to leave them outside in the chill evening air. "I have some impressionable nieces I'll need to lock in their rooms first though."
The soldiers gratefully accepted her invitation. Two of their number began rounding up the other dazed soldiers and scientists before following Harmony back to the house.
"What happened?" her mother demanded worriedly as soon as she entered.
"First things first," Harmony replied firmly. "Serenity and Aurora, go to your room and don't come out until I come and get you."
"Why, what's wrong?" Serenity asked anxiously.
"Nothing's wrong," Harmony replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm just worried about your virgin minds being scarred for life. Now go! No buts!"
"Would you care to clarify?" her mother asked when her nieces reluctantly went up the stairs to their rooms.
"The fog dissolved any inorganic substances that it came in contact with," Harmony explained, unable to keep a mischievous grin from her face. "There is a whole company of nude soldiers freezing their nuts off outside. I invited them to come inside where it is warm until their superiors send them some new clothes."
"Are you being serious?" her mother asked doubtfully.
Instead of answering, Harmony turned and opened the door. "You can come in now!"
A moment later, a line of about thirty bashful looking soldiers shuffled through the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Harmony led the five female soldiers up to the second floor and into her room and let them use her clothes. Despite some of them being significantly shorter than Harmony, they seemed more than happy to put modesty before style.
When Harmony walked back outside of her room, she found Aurora and Serenity standing at the top of the stairs with their mouths hanging open in shock.
"I told you two to stay in your room," Harmony told them with a sigh. "Now stop gawking at the boys' toys and get back to your room."
"Aunt Harmony, why are their naked men all over the house?" Serenity whispered in horror.
"Because I wanted to start a nude art class, now get back to your room," Harmony replied dryly.
Two of the female soldiers that had followed Harmony out of her bedroom chuckled at her comment.
"Go to your room, girls," her mother commanded Serenity and Aurora crisply.
"Do all boys look that funny without clothes?" Aurora asked with a giggle.
"Now!" Harmony and her mother said at the same time.
"Fine!" Serenity sighed dramatically. "But you better tell us what happened in the morning."
Harmony spent the next three hours depleting her kitchen of food for their "guests" while her mother guarded the stairs to keep her nieces from sneaking out of their rooms again. Harmony let out a relieved sigh when a military transport truck arrived with clothes for the nude soldiers. When everyone was finally gone, Harmony locked the doors and went immediately to bed.