her lips, the rain stopped. The wind became a gentle breeze. The dark clouds moved away quickly and were replaced by their white, fluffy cousins backlit by filtered sunlight.
Keeping Shivaun firmly in place, wrapped around his body in a way that felt meant-to-be, Lyric floated them slowly down to the pavilion. By the time Shivaun’s feet touched polished stone, her hair was dry with shiny curls and she was wearing the linen tunic she’d conjured in her fantasy.
After a deep breath, she said, “Wow.”
He made no reply, but stood quietly watching and waiting to see what she’d do next. He hoped with every part of him that what he’d just experienced was not what humans call a goodbye fuck.
“So,” she said cheerfully. “What shall we do now? Should we…?”
Shivaun started to ask if they should check on Doo, but when she turned her head quickly all three dozen windchimes sang out for a few seconds.
“Did you do that?” she asked.
Lyric shook his head while looking at the chimes quizzically. “Can you do it again?”
“Do what? What did I do?”
He thought back. “What were you thinking when it happened?”
“I was askin’ if you wanted to go see Doo.”
“Alright. So, think about that.” She did. Nothing happened. “You were looking over at the swans,” who were returning from whatever mysterious shelter they’d taken during the storm, “and you looked over at me.”
“I’m lookin’ at you now.”
“Yes, but… Try looking at the swans and then looking at me.”
She looked at the swans then swiveled her head toward Lyric. When that got a small response from the chimes, she locked eyes with the demon and engaged in a dialogue that was both silent and brief.
She continued the experiment by repeating her actions but turning toward Lyric faster. The result was more chime music.
The third time, she jerked her head toward Lyric and the windchimes showed off like they were all hoping to be adopted.
Lyric, looking at the windchimes, cocked his head and said, “Huh.”
“What does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” And he didn’t but he had a wild, crazy idea. “Come and sit over here.” He motioned to the divan.
She frowned a little, thinking that was preparation for some kind of bad news, but complied.
“Here.” He handed her the guitar. She took it without any idea where the demon was going with that. “See if you can play.”
First, she looked at him like he was right and truly insane. Then she looked at the guitar and laughed. “Can demons get concussions? Maybe your brain was sloshed about in the storm.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Just.” He motioned toward the guitar. “Just try.”
Feeling sillier than silly, she took the smooth polished neck in her left hand and was beyond surprised that it felt familiar. Like muscle memory. After lifting the body into her lap, she decided to relax and do as Lyric said. After all, at that point, calling anything crazy would be, well, crazy.
She let the fingers of her left hand glide up and down the fret board and found that it didn’t feel as unfamiliar as she would have expected. They came to rest on the shape of a chord as the fingers of her right hand tried the feel of a single strum.
No one could’ve been as surprised as Shivaun.
“Well,” Lyric said, “you’ve been holding out on me. You’re a musician.”
Shaking her head, she said, “No. I do no’ know how to play this thing, demon. What magic is afoot now?”
“That was an F chord. A significant challenge for beginners. And it gave you no trouble at all. I assure you that you do know how to play. Give me a song.”
She laughed again, but stopped short with the realization that, in her new reality, impossible things were commonplace.
“I’m no singer.”
“Do you know a song?”
“Aye.”
“I’ll not make fun of you, Shivaun. Play for me. Sing for me.”
With a deep breath, she shocked herself with a small test and found that, yes. Indeed she could play. When she began, she found that, at least to her own ears, her singing ability was greatly improved.
Oh. A wan cloud was drawn o’er the dim weeping dawn.
And to Shannon’s side I returned at last.
And the heart in the breast of the man I loved best
Was beating, ah, beating, how loud and fast!
While the doubts and fears of the long, aching years
Seemed mingling their voices with the moaning flood.
Till full in my path, like a wild water wraith,
My true love’s shadow lamenting stood.
But the sudden sun