Cassandra

I snuggle on my handcrafted earmuffs that I commissioned Luis, who has a hand for textiles, to make for me. They’re made of soft thin fabric so that I can still hear people talking to me, but it has a special magical filter. The sea breeze tends to irritate my ears and cause me discomfort. I grab my purse and library tote that’s hanging in the mudroom of my home. The hooks are full of other items - scarfs, hats, and a large umbrella.

Outside is a light sea breeze that tugs gently at my long maroon skirt. I pull out my large shades from my purse and place them on my face, it shades me from the brightness of the sun. I tip-toe over the mosaic tiles on the ground where grass is protruding out between them, I make a mental note to have a landscaper come by. I realize it is about time to have someone do so, since spring is fading into summer in a few days.

I close the short wooden gate behind me and I make my way downhill. My home sits on a hill away from town. The neighbors are at the bottom of the hill, with cottages lining on both side of the road. Walking on the right side, I see a couple tending their front lawns, they wave and I wave back. On the other side, it’s quiet, no one is outside. My heart sinks as I pass by knowing that the house used to belong to Mariam, who passed away not too long ago.

The road turns into the Main Street of Spellbound Cove and I pass the Coral Square where different shops rest, some of them have the doors open to let in the air. I see Luis’s art studio and wonder if I could get him to make some working gloves for me; there are certain textures that I can’t stand.

I pass the police station and cross Main Street and then head up Seaside Lane. The lane dead ends with the library, the sea sits besides it a few feet away. It has been a while since I’ve visited the beach, the sounds of the waves can be overwhelming and not even the earmuffs help. Sometimes I think the sound is unnaturally loud because of the magic.

Pushing the wooden door open, there is a low tinkling of a bell above my head. Agnes strolls by and rubs her furry body over my ankles, the library cat is always the first one to greet me. I glance at the events calendar on the bulletin board. I notice a flyer for the next book club meet up, a town hall meeting on a discussion on possibly adding bike racks on certain street intersections and a craft night meet up.

I take off my earmuffs and shove them into my library tote and pull back three cozy mystery books that I have checked out. Hal is smiling at me from the other side of the circulation desk, his hand extended to take my books.

“Hi Cassandra, how are you?” He asks.

“I’m well and yourself?” I say.

“You just missed Old Yeller. He gave Agnes such a fright,” Hal recounts and he chuckles.

“I haven’t read that book since I was a child.”

“Me too. Makes me want to go back and read it. He is such a sweet dog, he didn’t even try to attack Agnes.”

At that moment, Agnes jumps on the desk and gives an indignant side look. Hal and I burst out laughing. I scratch behind Agnes’s ears and she softens up. I leave Hal to check the books in and I see Tristen pushing a cart with returned books

“Hi, Tristen,” I say.

“Hey Cassie. What’s new with you?” They say, as they stop at the head of aisle labeled for cookbooks.

“Nothing much. I got Employee of The Month.”

“What is that you fourth month in a row?”

“No, five.”

Tristen raises their pierced eyebrows.

“Oh and I have a new succulent from the nursery.”

“What kind is it?”

“It’s a beauty. It’s a star cactus.”

“A Haworthia Retusa! Nice!” Tristen says as he places a cookbook on quick meals on the shelf. “I can find a book that covers the care know-how.”

“Sure, I’m going to take a look at the self help section and come back to you.”

“No worries.”

I make my way to the self-help section and find where I left off. I had placed a small sticker of a fish underneath the last book I was reading the last time I was there. It’s titled Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. It seems insightful from what I gathered from the few pages I read, yet it’s not what I’m looking for.

Recently, I found out that I’m considered a highly sensitive person and I’ve been looking up more information ever since. I felt such a relief on knowing why I was so sensitive to many things like light and sound. Magic can only do so much for me, plus using too much of it makes me tired. There has to be a way to be rid of it. I glance at the computer area in the middle of the library, where a couple of people are sitting in front of the computers, and wonder if there are resources in the outside world, perhaps a medical procedure.

My fingers slide across the row of books as I glance at the titles my head slightly cocked to the right. I stop at a book titled The Empath’s Survival Guide by Judith Orloff. Pulling it out I notice that she is a doctor. Something about the words survival guide makes me feel perturbed and I’m not sure why. Perhaps because it makes me feel like I’m struggling with this issue. I turn it over and it talks about another branch to being a sensitive person - an empath.

I place the book back feeling a bit overwhelmed by the add on of another issue that’s related to what I have. I notice Tristen walk by at the end of the aisle with their cart almost empty. Deciding to grab a book on meditation, I head down the aisle to catch up to them.

As Tristen hands me a second book on succulent care, I see Roland swiftly walking by over Tristen’s shoulder, his security guard uniform almost a blur. Tristen turns to see what I’m looking at. We hear Roland’s voice calling for Tristen. I see Haley go by in the same direction and then pop back into view at the end of the aisle.

“Tristen, we need you. Looks like a giant vine is creeping out of the Horror section,” Haley says, then she notices me. “Hi, Cassandra. Sorry to take Tristen away.”

“It’s alright,” I say, waving a hand, while three books occupy the other.

Tristen gives me a shrug and walks towards Haley, saying,” Sounds like it might be the killer vine from Scott Smith’s The Ruins.”

As they walk away, Haley gasps and says, “Doesn’t the vine eat people?!”

I take the cue, that it’s time to leave, not that I’m concerned with the library staff not handling the killer vine, but I’m looking forward to going home to rest for a bit before starting my shift at the Coastal Grocery Store in the afternoon.

Walking towards Main Street, I see Sam who is heading the opposite direction, perhaps to the library. He is trying to whistle, his small hands in his pockets of his jeans, a large cap rests on his head. I watch him as he almost passes me by without noticing me. He peers up at me and waves.

“Hi Miss Cassandra,” He says

“Hello there,” I say and wave back.

“What did you check out today?”

“I have some books on succulents,” I say, avoiding telling him about the book on meditation.

“Cool, maybe you can enter the Garden Contest this year with your plants,” Sam says as he fidgets in place.

“Maybe.”

“Well, I’m going to the library to see if they have any new adventure books.”

“Sounds like fun. Take care,” I say.

Sam takes off running towards the library. I watch feeling slightly jealous of his carefree attitude. He seems to be a boy who doesn’t worry about anything, just of having fun. The books in my tote bag feel heavy as I make a right on Main Street and make the trek back to my home.

As I reach the bottom of the hill, I see Sebastian kneeling in front of the small gate of Mariam’s old house. He seems to be repairing the hinge on it.

“Hi Sebastian,” I say.

Immediately getting up, he says, “Hi Cassandra.” He fiddles with a screw driver in his hands.

I stop myself from frowning so as to not draw concern from him. I wonder why he’s using a screw driver to fix the gate instead of magic. Sebastian sees me looking at the wrench.

“I like to fix things the old-fashioned way, without magic.”

He seems uncomfortable, which makes me feel uncomfortable that he feels that way. I give him a smile.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to fixing the fence then,” I say and I readjust the tote bag on my shoulder and pass him.

I turn back and add, “I know I’ve mentioned this before, but let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course. I’ve been meaning to return the casserole dish from Mariam’s wake.” Sebastian said, as he rubbed the back of his head, his dark hair tousling.

“It’s ok, take your time. I don’t need it any time soon.”

I turn back and realize that I was hoping to have it back, I’ve been wanting to make a penne bake with it.

Closing my gate, I peer down at Sebastian whose lean body is working at turning the screw driver. My cheeks grow hot and I decide to think about why he’s not using his magic instead of what he looks like under his shirt.

A beeping sound accompanies each item I scan, and my jaw is set as my head tilts away from the item scanner. Bill won’t let me use my earmuffs at the cash register because he claims it’s unprofessional. As I tap the last few buttons to finish the transaction with the person in front of me, I see someone I was hoping wouldn’t come in today.

Robert stands behind my customer with his cart half filled with TV dinners, chips, beer, and some staple items like milk and eggs. His permanent frown looks at me and I divert my gaze. I say thank you to the customer and hand her the receipt as slowly as possible, trying to prolong the inevitable.

The customer is barely leaving the lane as Robert comes bumbling along with his cart. I glance over his shoulders as he place his items on the conveyer belt, to see where Bill is. I start scanning the items and I can feel Robert’s eyes on the crown of my head. His breathing is more akin to a low snarl and he begins to tap his bony fingers on the edge of the conveyor.

I scan the last item and he tosses his tote bags onto the pile. As I bag his stuff, he peers at the register screen, he gradually pulls out his wallet and counts out the bills that are needed. By the time I bag the last item, Robert is throwing down change. I’m about to take the money and he slaps his hand down on it. I jump back.

“Wait, I forgot my coupons.” He says and he digs into his front and back pockets, pulling out crumpled pieces of paper.

I take each one and unfold them, by now I can see, there is a line forming behind him. I glance to where I see Bill and he makes eye contact with me. A message is made as if through a PA system for extra cashiers to open more lanes. I scan each coupon until one refuses to scan. Reading the coupon, I see that it’s expired.

I clear my throat and say, “This coupon expired a week ago.”

“What?” Robert says

“This coupon its not scanning because its expired.”

“It’s only been a couple of days.”

“A week, sir.”

“What?”

“It’s been a week since it expired.”

I peer at the line and see people leaving to go to the next one. For a brief moment I wish that they would stay so that I won’t be alone with this person.

“Look just do what you have to do to make it work,” Robert says as he points at the register.

“I-I-I can’t do that.” I say and I notice Bill coming over, his short frame bouncing as he tries to hurry over.

“Is there something wrong, Cassie?” Bill asks and gives Robert a quick smile.

“Yea, there’s something wrong, she won’t scan the coupon,” Robert says, I fix my gaze not at his face but at the dark stain on the collar of his flannel.

“Can I take a look at it?” Bill says and I hand over the coupon, bristling. I avoid telling Bill that it wasn’t because I didn’t want to scan it, but knew that it would instigate Robert more.

Bill tries to scan the coupon, making it the fourth time. He shakes his head as he stares at the small piece of paper.

“Sorry, it’s definitely not scanning.”

Robert stares at Bill. Bill glances at the line and back at Robert.

“How about I give you the discount manually?” Bill suggests.

“Well, that’s what I was telling her,” Robert says, looking at me with hard eyes.

“None of the cashiers here can do that, I’m doing it as a courtesy,” Bill says and he taps in a code and rings up a new total.

Thankfully, Bill finishes the sale and helps Robert put his bags into the cart. My hands shakes as I scan the next items, I give a quick hello to the new customer in front of me and I focus on scanning instead of crying.