Renaissance Festival | The Platinum Dragon

After a busy day in her booth, she gathers her tools of the trade in her satchel as the minstrels play and the crowds’ cheer. She hears the barkers selling their icy cold pickles and smiles. She walks towards the back of the festival grounds. It’s been a good day. The seekers were happy with the results of her readings, and she made a nice little profit to sustain her for the day.

She stops by the food court and buys some crab cakes and an artichoke to take back to her trailer for dinner. She’s tired but really kind of dreading going back to an empty trailer. The noise and music of the crowds are nice and gives her a pleasant sensation. It’s bittersweet, however, seeing all the couples together when she walks alone. She is always alone.

She sits in her rocking chair outside her small mobile home and watches the sunset as it changes from a fiery red to pink to purple to deep blue. As the sun sets, a tear falls from her eye. The demons are sneaking up on her. “Stop,” she cries,“I’m trying, leave me alone. Everyone else does why don’t you!” She’s had her share of lovers, but it’s difficult when you are an empath and sensitive. She can read them so well, when their auras mingle, she knows what is in their heart and soul. She knows just how much she can deal with, she knows how true or untrue they will be. She knows that her life is not meant to be with anyone. People basically are afraid of someone who can see through them, who can see all their flaws and knows their true intentions. What they don’t understand, however, she can also accept them for who they are. But they are afraid and leave anyway.

The night brings her first demon—loneliness. He haunts her frequently. She has tried to embrace him as a lover too, but knowing what was and what could be, make it difficult. She feels empty, she feels like part of her is missing.

As the moon rises over the horizon, her next demon begins his visit, her body is aching from the day, she has almost gone over her limit of what it can handle. But she resists giving in every day. She listens in the distance to the other Rennies sing by the campfires as she goes inside to shower away the negative energies accumulated today and slip into bed. It’s going to be a long night and not an easy one, it never is. Her body aches, the muscles and bones hurt, they never stop hurting. She needs to rest. The warm water temporarily soothes her body as she envisions a white light encompassing her and flowing over her chakras cleansing not just her body, but her soul. It gives her peace. She’s now ready to face the night.

Sliding between the silky smooth cotton sheets of her comfortable bed, with the moonlight coming through the window, she thinks about her day and how happy she has made some people and the smiles she observed as the seekers walked away. This gives her joy. She thinks about the empty side of her bed and a tear falls as she slips into slumber. It doesn’t last long, though, her demon lover waits to intertwine his tendrils on and into her body. Midnight comes, she wakes to his presence. She is in pain. So much pain, her body throbs, aches, and shudders. She walks the floor to ease the stiffness, then climbs back into bed. “Please let me rest.” But no, she lays there, desperately trying to sleep with the pain, with the demon lying with her, not releasing his firm grip on her. Insomnia joins in, the hour’s pass, it’s now three in the morning. She rises again. Maybe a little chamomile tea will help. She needs some rest, she needs to sleep before the new day begins again. This nightly visit from her demon lover is exhausting, is so debilitating, is the cause of her tear. It is the cause of her isolation. How could she possibly expose anyone else to this nightly scene?

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Day 1-The Ren Fair Gypsy

Summertime, she strolls through the fair in her multi-colored skirt of purple, reds and gold with brightly colored scarves tied around her waist and bells on her ankles with a headband of daisies entwined in her waist length hair. Everyone working the fair knows her by name, they greet her warmly as they have seen her year after year at each Renaissance Festival every season in each town, in the summer here, in the winter, there. She follows the festival, she follows the sun. The sun energizes her. Everyone flocks to her side for advice when she comes close. “Have you had any dreams about me lately?” they ask. “Do you see anything different in my aura today?” they question her.

She smiles, and touches their hands lightly if she has had positive dreams or feelings she will tell them and help them have a good day. If not, she will smile and tell them that perhaps today is not a good day to take risks and to listen to their inner voice. For really it is up to them to heed their own advice and common sense, not to listen to someone else, especially not to her. She has her own demons to deal with. No one else knows about her demons, no one sees them lurking in the shadows waiting to steal her energy and blacken her aura. No one sees them make her ill and give her pain. But they are there. Lurking and waiting.

Today Mercury is in retrograde and everyone at the fairgrounds is a little on edge, even the attendees. They don’t realize that this is why they may be having some agitation in their lives, but they seek her out today. Her schedule is filling up.

She opens up her booth, painted in soothing tones of light blue and tan. Dusts off the low round table that is brightly painted (by her, of course) it’s painted in colors of teal, purple, greens, and reds. It has swirls, flowers, inspirational sayings, and gold leaves on it. She’s also painted some secret symbols that only she knows the meaning of – to keep away the demons.

She brings out her well-worn tarot cards, her crystals, her crystal ball, black velvet cloth and her black obsidian obelisk. You never know what the customer is going to ask for, the obelisk is not only for them but for her. She needs it, to keep the negative energies of the customer and the demons from absorbing into her aura and chakras. She slips on her moonstone rings on both hands, and moonstone earrings. Slips off her slippers so her feet are grounded to the earth. Sits on a large velvet pillow behind the table takes a deep cleansing breath, closes her eyes, as she prepares herself with a meditation and aura cleansing.

Now she is ready, she opens her eyes and with outstretched hands in warm welcome, she says “Welcome, my lady, and what are you seeking this fine day?” as the first seeker approaches her.

Political Commentary, Short Stories, & Poetry