Dar considered. “Tell me about this place.” She indicated the city with a brief hand gesture. “Why is it so different? What's with all the ghost stories?”
He blinked.
“I've got some time, and cash.” Dar added, with a twinkle of her own. “My wife's over there wrangling prices. I figure I can at least get some local information from something other than a tour pamphlet that'll be worth the price.” She glanced at a passing cart. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“Ms Dar, I do not know what our conversation will be leading to, but I will surely use my professional skills to predict I will be having a very good time.” Charles laughed. “And I would love a drink. It's been a thirsty morning already.”
Dar pinned the cart pusher with a direct blue gaze, and pointed, then raise two fingers. “Do you use those cards to tell people what's going to happen to them?” She asked, as the vendor hurried over. “Or, what they want you to tell them about what's going to happen to them?”
Charles studied her while she paid for the drinks, and when she turned back around he was smiling. “Ms Dar, you are an old soul.” He said, briefly. “I don't see too many of those round here these days.”
“What does that mean?” Dar settled in to listen, curling her hands around the cup.
“What does that mean.” The man mused. “Sometime you all meet people, talk to people, and they're all on the surface. They ain't been around, see what I'm saying?”
Dar let her chin rest on her fist. “Not really... well.. “ She thought about the question, and Charles gave her space to do that. “Hard to say.” She finally concluded. “My life mostly puts me in a space with high achievers.”
“Not about smarts.” Charles said. “Can be the most no count, no school, depressed and raised in a trailer person but they got a story in them. They got practice at this life thing.”
“ You talking about reincarnation?” Dar asked, curiously.
“Am I?” The man said. “Could be. Don't cotton much to that, I more look to the old ways, where earth's part of you, you're part of earth. But when I say I see an old soul, I mean there's a piece of the earth's history there in you.”
That didn't really make sense to Dar, but she kept quiet, waiting to see what else would be forthcoming. She certainly didn't feel like she had any old knowledge in her.
“So anyway, to your question.” Charles said. “Na'wlins is an old place. Old place, and been a place full of hurting, and bloodletting from all way back.” He looked up at her. “Know what that's about?”
“My daddy's people are from east Alabama.” Dar said, then paused.
Charles nodded. “See that?” He said. “You got history in you. Go through places like that and the trees weep from it.”
“They've been there a long time.” Dar allowed.
He took a sip from the drink and put it down. “N'awlins is like that too. Been a lot of heartache in these parts. Wars. Slaves. Pirates. Drowning. Magic.” He waited for her to react, but the angular, intent face across from him remained still. “Black magic. Things them people being put on used to make their lives a little less hell.”
“Hmph.” Dar grunted. “A way for them to take a piece of themselves back?”
Charles smiled. “Yes, Ms. Dar. When you ain't got no power, you make your own.”
“That I get.” Dar said.
“So you have all this emotion.” He said. “All this misery, and so they say, it sticks. Them people who didn't have joy in their lives, they stay around after, to find it.” He gestured around him. “It's a pretty place, no?”
“It is.” Dar smiled.
“Some people say, all them who die here, stay here, cause Heaven ain't no better.” Charles smiled back. “But it's true that you walk here, you look round a corner, behind a tree, up in a window... you see things.” He laced his fingers, his single eye watching her. “Foggy mornings walking here, I see things.”
Dar caught sight from the corner of her eye of Kerry's distinctive little swagger heading her way. “You ever been to an old battlefield?” She asked him. “Valley Forge, or Antietam, or one of those?”
“This here square was named for Andrew Jackson. He and a bunch of men done beat the British not far off. War been here, but not so it's like what you mean.” Charles answered, slowly. “You been?”
“I have.” Dar said. “And a lot of people say they feel an atmosphere there. But I always wondered how much of that was because they did, and how much of that was because they expected to, because they knew what happened there. My college did a psychological study of that.”
He cocked his head. “And?”
Dar shrugged, lifting her hands. “I wasn't included. I knew. I'm from a military family.” She replied honestly. “But I never felt anything there.”
“So Ms. Dar, you're a skeptic.” Charles said, after a brief silence. “That what you're saying?”
Was she? “I live in a very rational world.” Dar said, sounding even to herself slightly apologetic. “I”m an engineer in the technology space. Logic comes with the territory.”
“Whose territory?” Kerry arrived at her side, and gave Charles a grin. “Hello.” She draped a hand on Dar's shoulder. “They're sending that picture home for us.”
“Well, hello there.” Charles half rose, and bowed. “Please join us, ma'am.” He glanced at Dar. “Is this your lady?”
“This is Kerry.” Dar looked up at her. “Charles and I were just talking about why there are so many supposed spooks here.” She informed her partner as she took a seat.
“Did you tell him about your ghost last night?” Kerry asked, pressing her knee up next to Dar's. “Maybe he knows about it.”
Charles sat back down, looking from one of them to the other, his brows contracting. “Does Ms Kerry live in your rational world, Ms. Dar? This is coming along to be very interesting.”
Dar sighed. “There's always exceptions.”
“Maybe we should ask him about our thing.” Kerry's eyes twinkled. “I think that's an exception too.”
Part 11
Charles, it turned out, knew a guy. Or more to the point, knew a woman who he said would give them their money's worth in terms of getting their fortunes told.
They were headed across Jackson Square, down one of the side streets that led to it and past a big, and bustling market to a small store that had a sign plastered simply with a star bisected hand and a window fully covered with dusty red drapes.
“Right this way ladies.” Charles pushed the door open and went inside, holding it for them to follow him. “Hallo, Marie!”
Kerry paused inside the door and looked around, her eyes widening. “Wow.” She uttered. The inside of the very small storefront was cluttered in the extreme, and the ceiling was hung with what looked like bird and bat wings and bones. “Watch your head, hon.”
“No kidding.” Dar was ducking, her own eyes somewhat wider and rounder than normal.
“Hallo, Charles.” A tiny woman in a purple crinoline dress came out from a back room, wiping her lips. “Who you got here, eh?”
Dar was immediately distracted by a skull mounted on a tall umbrella as a handle.
“These here nice ladies stopped and passed the time of day with me over by the square, and they're interested in having their fortunes told.” Charles said. “You busy?”
“Oh, yes. Can't you see all the people in here lined up waiting?” Marie chuckled. “Too many people at too many parties last night for sure.” She turned her eyes to Kerry. “Hello there.”
“Hi.” Kerry edged closer. Marie had a relatively high table with a stool padded with worn denim behind it, and two more on the other side. She glanced up at the ceiling. “Are those bird bones?”