ocean filled the room. Esmeralda rubbed the lotion onto Aling Sofie’s hands and dropped a few petals onto the opened palms. “Mm, I see …” Esmeralda nodded thoughtfully, then closed her eyes.
“What, what is it?” Aling Sofie searched her own hand as if these things would reveal themselves to her.
“I see you with your hair long and flowing. You wore your hair this way when you were younger?”
“Yes, yes.” Aling Sofie became excited.
Esmeralda frowned. “No, no. Perhaps I have called the wrong image. That girl could not be you.”
“Oh, but it is. Look, see?” Aling Sofie’s fingers fluttered quickly behind her head, and her dark hair fell about her like a cloud. The face relaxed.
“Ahh, of course. It was you, after all. Here.” Esmeralda plucked a lavender orchid from one of her bowls on the table. “Let us complete the picture, so that I have a better vision.” She placed the orchid behind Aling Sofie’s ear, then leaned back with a look of surprise. “Why, it is as if ten years have dropped from your shoulders. Why is it you no longer wear your hair this way?”
“Well, it is so …”
“Lovely,” Esmeralda finished. “See?” She placed a small wooden mirror in Aling Sofie’s hands. The frame was painted blue with clouds on the top and vines around the edges. I had seen that mirror many times. I called it the dream mirror.
Aling Sofie’s eyes grew wistful, and a small smile teased the corners of her lips. She brought one of her wrists to her nose. “Such a sweet fragrance.”
“These things your husband wishes you to do?” Esmeralda prompted.
Aling Sofie’s face puckered immediately, as if she had tasted a dried prune. “I feel silly. I cannot …” She paused. “He wishes me to dance, to undress myself, to wear feathers. To tickle him with
puca
shells.”
“Ah, things you’ve never done before. So he suddenly changed, wanted these extravagant things? Things only a beautiful wild temptress would think of. Where did he get such ideas?”
“Well …” Aling Sofie’s face grew red. Her eyes looked mischievously into the candle flickering on the table. “Still, it would not be proper. A woman of my standing in the community. It is not acceptable.”
“I see, you have a great dilemma. But one easily cured.”
“Yes?” Aling Sofie asked.
Esmeralda stood and took down a very dusty bottle. The bottle had a brass stopper with two snakes rising up intertwined. She eyed Aling Sofie, then blew off the dust. “I must have your word. You must not let it be known that I have this. It will ruin everything. Too many women would want it. Ahh, perhaps I am being reckless, let us try something else.” Esmeralda put the bottle back on the shelf.
“No. How much?” Aling Sofie stood, her chair falling back at the force of her desire.
“A small donation, but only after your first use of it. I am not allowed to keep the money if it does not work. And I have not used this since … well. Since the first woman died.”
Aling Sofie pulled back the money she held in her outstretched hand. “A woman died from this?”
Esmeralda threw back her luxurious hair and laughed. “Oh no, no. Quite the opposite. A woman
lived
because of this. Oh, how she lived. This potion belonged to Lualhatte and only to her. While she lived I could not allow another woman to use it. It is that way with these things; only one person can use it.”
“Lualhatte Cordoba? The descendant of the great Chief Kabo? They say she could seduce any man, even up to her death at the age of one hundred and two last year.”
Esmeralda’s lids lowered knowingly.
“No.” Aling Sofie’s eyes watched the bottle hungrily. “At that age she was still …” She paused. “Active?”
“Candle wax and rambutan were her bedroom tools,” Esmeralda whispered, winking at the name of the egg-shaped fruit with reddish hairy skin.
“Oh my.” Aling Sofie giggled.
“Your feathers and
puca
shells no longer sound so
“What, what is it?” Aling Sofie searched her own hand as if these things would reveal themselves to her.
“I see you with your hair long and flowing. You wore your hair this way when you were younger?”
“Yes, yes.” Aling Sofie became excited.
Esmeralda frowned. “No, no. Perhaps I have called the wrong image. That girl could not be you.”
“Oh, but it is. Look, see?” Aling Sofie’s fingers fluttered quickly behind her head, and her dark hair fell about her like a cloud. The face relaxed.
“Ahh, of course. It was you, after all. Here.” Esmeralda plucked a lavender orchid from one of her bowls on the table. “Let us complete the picture, so that I have a better vision.” She placed the orchid behind Aling Sofie’s ear, then leaned back with a look of surprise. “Why, it is as if ten years have dropped from your shoulders. Why is it you no longer wear your hair this way?”
“Well, it is so …”
“Lovely,” Esmeralda finished. “See?” She placed a small wooden mirror in Aling Sofie’s hands. The frame was painted blue with clouds on the top and vines around the edges. I had seen that mirror many times. I called it the dream mirror.
Aling Sofie’s eyes grew wistful, and a small smile teased the corners of her lips. She brought one of her wrists to her nose. “Such a sweet fragrance.”
“These things your husband wishes you to do?” Esmeralda prompted.
Aling Sofie’s face puckered immediately, as if she had tasted a dried prune. “I feel silly. I cannot …” She paused. “He wishes me to dance, to undress myself, to wear feathers. To tickle him with
puca
shells.”
“Ah, things you’ve never done before. So he suddenly changed, wanted these extravagant things? Things only a beautiful wild temptress would think of. Where did he get such ideas?”
“Well …” Aling Sofie’s face grew red. Her eyes looked mischievously into the candle flickering on the table. “Still, it would not be proper. A woman of my standing in the community. It is not acceptable.”
“I see, you have a great dilemma. But one easily cured.”
“Yes?” Aling Sofie asked.
Esmeralda stood and took down a very dusty bottle. The bottle had a brass stopper with two snakes rising up intertwined. She eyed Aling Sofie, then blew off the dust. “I must have your word. You must not let it be known that I have this. It will ruin everything. Too many women would want it. Ahh, perhaps I am being reckless, let us try something else.” Esmeralda put the bottle back on the shelf.
“No. How much?” Aling Sofie stood, her chair falling back at the force of her desire.
“A small donation, but only after your first use of it. I am not allowed to keep the money if it does not work. And I have not used this since … well. Since the first woman died.”
Aling Sofie pulled back the money she held in her outstretched hand. “A woman died from this?”
Esmeralda threw back her luxurious hair and laughed. “Oh no, no. Quite the opposite. A woman
lived
because of this. Oh, how she lived. This potion belonged to Lualhatte and only to her. While she lived I could not allow another woman to use it. It is that way with these things; only one person can use it.”
“Lualhatte Cordoba? The descendant of the great Chief Kabo? They say she could seduce any man, even up to her death at the age of one hundred and two last year.”
Esmeralda’s lids lowered knowingly.
“No.” Aling Sofie’s eyes watched the bottle hungrily. “At that age she was still …” She paused. “Active?”
“Candle wax and rambutan were her bedroom tools,” Esmeralda whispered, winking at the name of the egg-shaped fruit with reddish hairy skin.
“Oh my.” Aling Sofie giggled.
“Your feathers and
puca
shells no longer sound so
Similar Books
