Alliances

 “Can I learn to sword fight?” Anna asked.

“Sure!”

“No.”

“Why?” Yuuki asked.

He looked at Ajani. Last week, Yuuki would have thought the African fae’s agreement was an attempt to access Anna’s human energy. Now, he knew Ajani was enthralled by anything to do with sword play.

“I’m a sword blerd—OK, a blerd in general,” Ajani admitted to Yuuki while trying to convince him to watch another human movie.

Yuuki looked at Rina. Anna’s aunt still didn’t trust him. He could feel it the moment she threw an energetic shield around her niece. It was a powerful one, easily able to stop a lesser fae and slow down a powerful one, if it meant her harm.

Ajani reached out to touch Anna on her nose. “Boop,” he said.

Anna giggled.

Yuuki ruffled the child’s hair. “Your wards are as strong as ever Rina-san, but as you can see there is no intent to harm Anna. Anna-chan, I still want to know why. The truth now. It’s only fair since I’m sworn to tell you the truth. You promised to never ask me to do something I’m not comfortable with, and I’m not comfortable without the truth.”

“The sword fight you had in Philly sounded cool,” Anna said.

“It was,” Ajani agreed.

“And learning magic with Titi Rina was cool,” Anna added. “I guess, it’s just, you’re both cool.”

Something in the way she held her head sparked Yuuki’s memory. I want to be just like you, big brother, Giichi had said. The pain blindsided him for a moment. He looked at Rina’s anxious expression.

“Fine, on two conditions. Firstly, promise me you won’t go out seeking fights. Second, your aunt must approve.”

“Please, Titi Rina. Pleeeease.”

“We can discuss things privately if you’d like,” Yuuki said to Rina.

“I’d expect the same level of honesty you have with Anna. At minimum.”

Clever, he thought. But not unexpected. A proper witch had to be.

Yuuki bowed, his three fox tails swishing. “Of course.”

“I get to help too,” Ajani said.

“If we come to an agreement,” Yuuki and Rina said at the same time.

 Rina smiled.

Alliances have been built on less, Yuuki thought. This was a start.

Photo by Ricardo Cruz on Unsplash

Song Choice: Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own by U2

Liner Notes for this Groove: This bit of flash fiction is linked to the Friday Writings at Poets and Storytellers United.

Starting Over

Emilio’s hair was thinner than Rina remembered, but he still had Papi’s smile.

“Will you be in town long, hermanita?” he asked as they stood outside the funeral home.

“Just until the burial. You know how it is owning a business. Thanks again for the loan.”

“Please, I’m happy to help family. You seem happier owning a coffee shop than you did in an office. And much happier single than married to that cheating sinverguenza.”

Rina smiled. “Thanks for having my back. That’s more than some people did.”

“Speaking of which…”

“No, don’t bring up Angi, Emilio. Mami’s death was hard on all of us with Papi being gone less than a year. Her trying to spin my marriage problems as trivial next to one mediocre college grade was bullshit.”

“That was a long time ago. She’s married with a child now. Look.” He took out his phone and showed her a picture of Angi’s family. “Anna should know her aunt.”

Rina saw the concern in his eyes. “Is everything OK with them, Emilio?”

“Angi and Fernando are fine. It’s just—Anna reminds me a little of you when you were young.”

Ah, the Gutierrez gift for understatement. Rina couldn’t resist pushing. “In what way?”

Emilio reddened. He darted a look back at the funeral home. “Magdalena Fuentes helped when you were having a hard time.”

“According to Angi she’s why I got ‘spooky’.”

“You were always spooky,” Emilio whispered. “But you’re family. Anna needs someone like you.  Please think about it.”

Rina sighed, but promised.

When Rina returned to her hotel room, Magdalena’s ghost was waiting for her. “You're far from home, Rina.”

“That’s the reoccurring theme of my life.”

“So is finding ways across improbable divides. Call your sister.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too, but Angi’s alive and I’m dead. Call.”

Rina picked up her phone and dialed.

Chernobog and Belobog by Anarh1a

Song Choice: Family is Family by Katie Musgrave

Liner Notes for this Groove: This short story was created for Art Flash 55 over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads.  The image of Life and Death in balance made me think of Rina, a character that appears in my short story collection, The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not Quite Faerie Tales. Rina has always had to live with an internal balance between the two. Sometimes that pushed her family away, and sometimes, like in this case, it helps her find her way home. More about her and her gift can be found in the the short story, "Her Homesick Spirit", in my collection. I am also linking it to Pantry of Prose, Telling Tales with Magaly Guerrero at Poets United.  

Light in an Eclipse

There is blood on the end of the sickle moon,
though no one but me can see it.

It's the same moon that hung
over the place I was born
grown gaunt with homesickness.

Or maybe I've just seen myself
reflected in the moon
as darkness inches across it,
engulfing it so nothing of its past remains.

The most familiar things look wrong
under a moonless sky. I recognize nothing
that looks like home.

I embrace my darkness,
but I do not let it consume me
for I have the brightness of the stars in my soul.

I let them point the way,
if not towards home,
towards a future where I shine steady
as souls wax and wane around me.

Song Choice: Away by Priscilla Hernandez


This poem is linked to the Tuesday Platform over at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads and Poets United Poetry Pantry 421.

Perhaps you've noticed the tags this week too. I didn't plan on Rina having a large role in the Yuuki stories, but when I wrote a bit of flash fiction from the point of view of Ana's favorite aunt, people seemed to really like it and wanted to know more about her. This poem is written from the point of view of a much younger Rina, and I promise to expand on that tale very soon. 😉