The Moon Singer Collection

Chapter 4

Billie"s first sailing experience on Isaac"s sleek sailboat thrills her. She hasn"t been on the water since she was a child, and never on such an exquisite vessel. The wind on her face, the invigorating mist of salt water are luxurious sensations breathing new life into her soul. Something mysterious and grand is happening to her and all her rigid ideas about life and politics and class identity drift away with the breeze.

Second to the thrill of sailing with Isaac is the feeling of veneration when she visits the Nickerson home. The structure itself - a towering Victorian, all white with a bright red roof and shutters - is a home Billie could only dream of as a child. Climbing the steps to the front door fills her with anticipation and not a little dread. She, too, comes from a family of seafarers, but none so esteemed as the Nickerson clan.

Scanning the parlor, Billie can truly see the home"s history. It is filled with functional antiques, sturdy furnishings handed down from generation to generation and still used proudly. Artistic memorabilia and artifacts, collected by the Nickerson family during centuries in the business of designing sailing ships, line the shelves of the oak wood breakfront and mahogany table tops.

An impressive Nickerson Coat of Arms hangs proudly over the fireplace. The crest is blue, with two ermine bars; and on a silver chief there are three gold suns.

“The family motto, Per Castra ad astra, means Through the Camp to the Stars,” Isaac tells her.

Castra ad astra“I am in awe,” Billie says. “Humbled, actually, by you and your family.”

Sounding now like a museum curator, Isaac continues with, “The name Nickerson is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the personal name Nicholas. The Latin form of this name was Nicolaus, and it was derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is derived from the words nikan, meaning”to conquer," and laos, which means "people." However, the name is best remembered by an American corruption of this name: Santa Claus.”

NikolaosnikanlaosBillie can"t help but laugh at his uncommon humor. “Oh, Isaac. Thank you for trying to make me feel comfortable. I love Santa Claus. I mean, you know, the symbolism -”

Yes, she is falling in love with him, she admits to herself - his solid strength, his pragmatic demeanor, a tall, dark and handsome knight on a white horse, the total opposite of her will-o"-the-wisp personality.

They walk through the house and Billie feels both warmth and cool breezes. Eerie. Isaac says it"s just the changing sea air but the spooky feeling follows her like a shadow.

From a second floor veranda at the back of the house, Billie can see the family cemetery. A century of generations is buried there just steps away from a cliff jutting out proudly into the ocean. Nearby, a large expanse of ground lies yet untouched, waiting patiently for the remaining Nickersons to come. Over the white picket fence that neatly edges the cemetery, the ocean surf below swirls and splashes against the sea wall, a whirlpool of conflicting emotions.

Billie is enchanted with the house and its proximity to the ocean. Her grandfather and father had labored on the fishing wharfs and boatyards by an upstate river, while she existed in a neighborhood of wall to wall cement and blacktop freeways, with barely a tree-filled park let alone the open sea. Being able to come to Port Avalon to study music in earnest at the conservatory was a breath of fresh air, sea air, and it enlivened her. And now, this house, this man, this fantasy life is within her grasp.

“Continuing my family heritage is one of the reasons I want to be a ship designer,” Isaac explains, bringing Billie back to reality, “to bring all of their historic innovations into the modern era.”

“I can understand that now that I"ve seen this wonderful house, so alive with memories and the riches of the past.”

“This can be your house, too,” Isaac suggests. “It needs a modern woman"s touch, as well as her breathtaking music.”

“What are you saying, Isaac?”

“I"m asking you to marry me, Blanche Donovan. To be Blanche Nickerson.”

Blanche Donovan. She cringed whenever anyone called her that.

“When I was a little girl, I was constantly teased about my name. Blanche. It"s something you do to a pot of vegetables until their skins fall off.”

“But Blanche also means white and shining – like a pure light of inspiration,” Isaac sermonizes.

“I"m not an angel yet.” Her broad smile reveals slightly imperfect teeth and childlike dimples. “Billie is more like me. Good old down to earth Billie Donovan.”

“Then marry me Billie Donovan.”

“But you"re still in the Navy. What if you are assigned to some other city or another country? Then what?”

“Actually, my term of service is up in a few months. I"ll be back in Port Avalon permanently, and this house will always be my home. I want you to share it with me. What do you say?”

Flustered and taken off guard all Billie can say is, “I - I don"t know…”

“We"ve been dating almost a year now, Billie. What"s wrong? Do you have reservations about me? Is there something you want to know? Or is there something you"re not telling me?”

Yes, I had a fling with a bartender while you were gone, and thought I was pregnant, wanted to have an abortion, but thank God I didn"t have to. That little bit of information will forever remain unsaid.

Yes, I had a fling with a bartender while you were gone, and thought I was pregnant, wanted to have an abortion, but thank God I didn"t have to. That little bit of information will forever remain unsaid.And what about those frightening dreams and visions about a child who follows her like a shadow that have come out of nowhere and are with her constantly? Are they just the product of her guilt? And why should she feel guilty about something she only thought about? How can she possibly share this bizarre behavior with Isaac and still have him think she is sane?

“Reservations about you, no, but about me. I"m not sure what I could offer this marriage, if I am mature enough or worthy enough to have all of this and you, too. I think - oh, gosh. I have to consult my psychic.” Billie breaks the seriousness with a nervous laugh.

“Consult your - psychic? Uh - you"re joking. That wit of yours always throws me.”

“Would you take back your proposal if I told you I believe in psychics and Tarot cards and such?”

“You mean fortune tellers?”

“Well, kind of. I mean no one can really predict the future, but maybe they can tell us what kind of luck or providence we will experience. It kind of gives us some insight and a little hope.”

“The only hope we have is hard work and accepting our lot in life. There are no amulets to protect us from harm, and no talismans to bring us good luck. But if, and I mean if there are such things then you are my good luck charm. And I need you.”

ifShe nestles deeply into his arms, feeling safe and secure. Yet something unsettling still quivers within her. Dorinda"s warnings, the ghostly feeling that follows her through every room, the fear that some ominous power will tear them apart, makes her hesitate.

Holding Isaac off with, “I need a little more time,” Billie decides she must have another card reading.

* * *

In haste as on a mission, Billie finds her way back to the tent where Dorinda first read her cards. She is frantic to find, however, that Dorinda is not there. A different card reader sits quietly at the table with decks of cards and the crystal ball at her reach.

“Where"s Dorinda? I really need to see her. She knows me.”

“It"s all right, my dear. We are all interconnected here. Whatever you gleaned from Dorinda"s readings will be evident in my reading today.”

Hesitant, but also desperate for clarity, Billie agrees. “I"m having strange dreams, visions, too. And they frighten me.”

“Well, then, let us use some healing crystals first to calm you so we have a clear channel.” The nameless woman with a kind face and sunny demeanor presents some large crystals and surrounds the Tarot cards with them. There are deep blue, rose, white and green stones of unique shapes and sizes, all meant to bring a meditative quietness to Billie"s mood.

Nameless chooses a deck of cards and shuffles them, lays out a few before Billie, then turns them over one by one.

“The Archangel Gabriel. He is the Angel of Communication and the Arts, inspiring you into creative pursuits. I understand you are a gifted pianist.”

“I - yes, I am,” Billie replies with humility. Her eyes open wide involuntarily. “How did you know that?”

“It"s all in the cards, my dear. Your cards.”

“Oh. Right.”

“This talent will serve you well in the future.”

“I hope so. I want to play professionally, in a symphony one day.”

“Perhaps. But it seems to turn in a different direction than you aspire to.”

“I"m not sure I like that,” Billie pouts.

“The Archangel Gabriel also guides hopeful parents in fertility and child conception.”

“Billie gasps. “Yes! The visions are about a child…but they are unclear. I don"t know what the dreams mean. They just frighten me.”

“Your musical talent will serve you well here. And your child, when it comes, will also be so inclined, for you will teach it to this new soul. It is vital that you do so. Even from outside the womb music vibrations nurture. Gabriel will be there to guide you as to what to do.”

“God, I hope so. I"ll need all the help I can get.”

“Ah, Caution,” the woman reveals the next card. “You are sometimes impulsive and quick to act or react.”

Yeah, like that fling I"m trying to forget. Billie shivers at the thought.

Yeah, like that fling I"m trying to forget.“But now, you feel hesitant to move forward with a decision, a very serious one, it seems.”

“Yes. The man I am seeing wants to marry me. And I so want to marry him. But these dreams make me apprehensive, as though something will ruin it.”

“Just breathe into it and when you make your decision everyone concerned will flourish.”

“Ha. Just like that.” Billie snaps her fingers. “Sorry,” she apologizes for being cheeky. “But it can"t be that simple.”

“Take time to fully consider the situation, take small steps and you will soon find things falling into place.”

“Yes, I did tell him I needed more time.”

“Then use the time wisely.”

Billie is stumped. “How will I do that?”

“This card, the Knowing card, tells you to listen to what you hear and act upon the messages you receive. They will guide you on the journey you are destined for.”

Billie huffs in exasperation. “This is all so cryptic. I"m just not that evolved on metaphysical things. If I"m to have all this help, all these guides, why do I feel so afraid, so panic-stricken?”

“Let us pull a card from a different deck.”

Billie cries out when the Death card is turned over. “Oh, my God. What does that mean? Am I going to die? Is my child going to die?”

“Soon you will have a dream, or perhaps a visitation, in which someone or something threatens to harm you, even kill you. You will try to escape or fight back.”

“Kill me! Why? What have I done?”

The reader is quiet now, weighing her words carefully. “Both you and your child are in danger. It is not imminent but it hovers like a black cloud.”

“Danger? What kind of danger?” Billie is hyperventilating now, despite being surrounded by healing music and crystals. “Pick another card. Please!”

“Your final card, The Chariot. Your child will face great peril but his life will also be heroic. He -”

“What are you talking about? It"s not even real. I can"t tell in my visions if it"s a girl or boy - it"s a he?”

he“Yes.”

Billie is elated to know she could one day have a son, Isaac"s son. He will be strong and wise just like his father. But then she remembers the danger part and her emotions burst forth begging for clarification.

“Your boy will possess something that others covet and are willing to die for, and kill for.”

Through her tears Billie pleads, “What could he possibly possess - what will he possess that is so ominous? A - a golden rattle for heaven sake?!”

will“I"m not yet clear on the prophecy. This is some time in the distant future, but I feel it will be something of great importance to him, your family, and perhaps the world.”

Overwhelmed, Billie tries to disavow the premonition and rises to leave in haste. But as a parting warning, Nameless implores Billie to heed her words, to take the Tarot seriously.

After the curtain closes behind Billie, Nameless turns to the crystal ball wherein Dorinda"s hologram resides and talks to her.

“Are we certain this girl is up to the challenges she will face, Dorinda?”

“She will struggle and resist,” Dorinda concedes, “and the dark spirits will push her to her limit. But if she focuses on the end result - the destiny of her child - she will prevail. She has one personal trait that she can pass on to her son, one that they will share through many lifetimes: her divine musical gift and its unbounded capacity to raise and change the consciousness of mankind.”

“But not just any music, I assume.”

“No. Not just any.” Dorinda is emphatic on this point. “The music of the soul. Few can hear it, but her son will. He must.”

“This is crazy,” Billie tells herself as she tries to come to terms with the nameless Tarot card reader"s forewarning about a son yet to be conceived and about the ominous fate that lies ahead for him.

“I just have to shift my thinking to something rational. Maybe in loving Isaac I"ll adopt his sane way of looking at life. Maybe that"s what I need. Someone rational. Someone who can talk me out of all this premonition nonsense.”