Beginning

I sit at my table in my bright sunflower yellow kitchen sipping hot coffee. My cup is one of three decorated with owls given to me by my closest friends. This particular cup is a piece of pottery shaped exactly like an owl. I feel like I'm drinking in his thoughts as I slowly sip the steaming bitter brew.

The house is quiet, the window is open and a slight breeze is blowing in a bird's song. A happy sound, yet I feel inexplicably melancholy as I listen. In the distance I can hear the roar of the highway; not too bad, but it does let me know I am not really "out in the country." I think of all the possibilities for today and wonder which one I will choose, or which will choose me.

During these quiet times I feel connected to something other than myself, my family and those friends closest to me. I just can't learn or figure out how to still my thoughts long enough to make actual contact. My mother would tell me its because I am a double Gemini with Libra rising and my ruling planet is Mercury. I like the way that sounds, but honestly, I'm not sure what it means. I believe in simplest terms, I find it hard to focus. Sometimes I feel like something is keeping me from my eventual epiphany, but that's just nonsense.

I let the thoughts chase each other as I watch Willard, my older tomcat, limp past meowing for attention. As I lean to scratch behind his ears, I notice a wound. He has a chunk of skin missing off his back right leg. He seems fine, but for the small area of exposed muscle. I wonder what happened. No visible bite marks or tears are present; he does not seem to be in any pain. As he crouches down to eat, determined to have every bite of food in the bowl, I decide to let the wound heal naturally. This isn't the first time he's hurt himself, although it is the third time within two months. Protecting his territory from strays I suppose.

Ebony, my solid black cat has also chosen this minute to say hello. His meow is bold and full and he makes no qualms about letting you know he wants attention. He sits at the foot of my chair and looks up at me expectantly.

"I suppose you want a lift up?" I ask him. "Meow" he answers. Its silly, but he really seems to be asking me to pet him.

I bend down to grab him. I sit up too fast, my vision dimming. Faintly, a voice whispers my name, Rhianna. Ebony startles and leaps out of my grasp. The connection I felt to something magical just moments ago is gone.  My spine tingles and I instinctively know that the voice is off, not quite right. My two dogs bark and three teenage girls awake (two are mine). I jerk and the sensation of wrongness leaves me.The spell is broken for now.