Now, let’s ask a question. Can you think of one that can be answered with either a yes or a no?”
“Am I pregnant?”
“Perfect. Is Molly pregnant?” Sarah asked. The stone began to swing in a clear clockwise motion. “That’s my positive. When the pendulum swings in a counterclockwise motion, that’s my negative.”
Molly stared in fascination. “You said my positive and my negative. What does that mean?”
“A pendulum doesn’t respond the same way to everybody. Your positive might be when it swings back and forth in a north/south direction, with the negative at east/west. My teacher’s positive was when her pendulum always angled toward her heart. It’s also possible your positive might be my negative.”
“So counterclockwise isn’t necessarily bad?” She rubbed her dry, tired eyes.
“Not at all. Historically, several cultures considered widdershins to be going against the sun, which was unlucky or unfortunate, but other cultures see widdershins as a very mystical and positive thing. In Judaism, circles are often walked counterclockwise in affirming rituals. It all depends on social context and flow of energy.” Sarah withdrew her lower hand, and the pendulum stilled. “I wasn’t going to suggest this until later, but I think you should walk the labyrinth today.”
Surprised, Molly said, “The one in the yard?” When Sarah nodded, she shrugged. “Okay. What am I supposed to be looking for?”
“Just walk through it sometime today.” Sarah handed the amethyst back to Molly and stood. “Then come tell me what you discover. For now I think you could use a break, and I’m going to do some gardening before it gets too hot.”
“But I don’t need a break…” Her voice died away. She was tired.
“You’ve set quite an agenda for yourself, but you need to learn how to walk before you can run.” Sarah tapped her gently on the shoulder as she walked past. “And you need to look after that miraculous body of yours, not just for your sake, but for your baby’s as well.”
After Sarah had left, Molly sat thinking in the empty kitchen. Sarah was right. Her pregnancy was so new she didn’t even feel it yet, but that was no excuse to put her body under unnecessary strain.
She fixed herself a proper breakfast and did some quick prep work on what she would make for supper. When she was through, she showered and took a nap, then woke sometime later to a fresh ocean breeze moving in from an open window.
She lay for some time, soaking in the peace. Thinking of Josiah. Alexei. His eyes, his hands. The way his cold demeanor covered an intense, passionate nature. In that moment, she didn’t miss him in the slightest.
God, she was such a liar.
After dressing in clean capris and a T-shirt, she went outside. Some distance away, Sarah knelt, weeding rows of baby vegetables. She wore a wide-brimmed hat that protected her vulnerable head and shoulders.
In the opposite direction, the labyrinth waited. Not wishing to disturb Sarah, Molly strode toward it.
Up close, it was larger than she had first thought, at least fifty feet in diameter and as well-tended as the rest of the property. The paths were white gravel, while larger rectangular stones, perhaps five or six inches in height, set the “walls.” The entrance was marked by two gargoyles carved out of white marble. They stood about four feet high.
It was a charming landscape fancy, but she couldn’t sense any magic, or why Sarah would be interested in what she thought after she walked it. Shrugging, Molly stepped between the gargoyles and onto the path.
After the first few steps, she paused. Hadn’t that first turn curved right instead of left? Confused, she looked over the patterned stones and paths. They wound in spirals around the center, twisting and turning back on themselves like snakes.
Her left hand tingled while hot gold sunlight poured down on her head. Then she started forward again. She had to watch where she stepped to keep from tripping over the larger border stones. The pattern of the labyrinth was hypnotic.
Going left, always going left. Against the sunward path. Widdershins.
Going left felt good, felt correct. Whenever the path twisted to the right, she resisted for a moment, and somehow it changed to take her left. As the circles narrowed and she approached the center, the world around her aligned into a patterned whole. The sun and the moon danced together while the ocean played a rhythmic song.
Sunward was clockwise. The moon was her mistress, and she followed it. The ocean joined in, its