Of Lorenz Theory & Love

JHMD: Of Ginger & Spice

43: JHMD: Of Ginger & Spice

9 am, 1 month and 3 weeks before the wedding, Vera Manor, Kitchen

It was seven weeks after Harry proposed, and exactly one month and three weeks before the impending wedding. Macy had finally found and ordered her dress online, an A-line vintage empire waist beaded lace and chiffon wedding gown with a lace keyhole back bodice and a falling chiffon skirt that gave off strong Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice" vibes that she was sure Harry would himself appreciate.

At the same time, there was so much left to do. Unable to fathom a cup of coffee due to stress, Macy couldn't wait until the whole affair was over, and she could finally settle in with her genetics business as she had originally intended. Stupid gastritis, she told herself.

9:30 am, Grocery store, Seattle, Washington

It had been ages since Harry Greenwood last walked into a grocery store. Things certainly looked different. He could see bath salts, shoes, and scarves in a shelf several meters away next to pet food, and the whole layout seemed as confusing as ever.

He reexamined his list. Sanitary napkins (Maggie) and ginger chews (Macy). Typically, Maggie would have ordered sanitary napkins online, but apparently there was a unionized protest and the only pads available were in this particular store, on this particular street, at this particular time of the day. He strode through a few aisles to the organic feminine products section and plucked what he believed matched Maggie's listing.

Harry's next order of business was to look for ginger chews in the candied fruits section, for Macy's stress-induced stomach pain ("gastritis," she called it). If he remembered correctly, ginger symbolized prosperity and passion; it also served as a cure-all for mild gastrointestinal ailments. He spent several minutes perusing the variety of dried fruits and nuts. Apparently, one could find chopped crystallized ginger, chopped plain uncrystallized ginger, chocolate-covered ginger, ginger lozenges, or finely minced crystallized ginger. He scratched his head, wondering what Macy would choose. He decided to grab one of each.

Another man bumped into his shopping basket, toppling his items onto the floor. The man apologized, his basket containing the same ginger products that Harry had in his very own. "You too?" the guy asked, looking down at Harry's wares.

"W-What do you mean?" asked Harry quizzically.

"Ginger chews. I buy 'em by the boxful. Pregnant wife. Poor thing," the man responded.

"Oh—it's for my fiancée—and her stress stomachache."

"Sure," the guy winked. "And congrats on the future nuptials."

A most peculiar thought entered Harry's mind at that particular moment, and he decided to make one final purchase.

10 am, Vera Manor, Seattle, Washington

Harry discreetly left Maggie's sanitary napkins outside of her bedroom door and deposited the remaining items in Macy's bedroom. He thought it be best to have a quick chat with Macy before she came in and saw the mix of ginger-containing products from the grocery store, plus another box that would definitely elicit questions, and went downstairs, out the patio doors, and up toward Macy's she-shed.

10:15 am, Vera Manor, She-Shed Entrance

A note was affixed to the she-shed door. "Busy fighting the Sirenum Scopuli" it read.

Damn it, Harry silently cursed to himself. Macy was in no position to fight a vicious water-loving siren given her seemingly weakened condition earlier this morning. He had to find her before it was too late. Mel and Maggie were nowhere to be found, and in all likelihood, were battling alongside Macy, wherever they were.

He orbed up to the attic, pulling out a nearby map and scrying crystal for his closer examination. After a few tense seconds, the crystal honed in on a nearby location—Pike Place Market, Seattle Washington. Once he gathered himself together, he smoothed his shirt, straightened his collar, and orbed there directly. If anything happened to Macy it was all his fault.

10:30 am, Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Harry recalled reading a placard near Pike Place years ago, next to the first-ever location of a certain well-known coffee shop: "The sirens were dangerous creatures, luring sailors with their musical voices and causing them to shipwreck on the rocky coast." It commonly took the appearance of a large scaly bird with a woman's head.

Walking quickly around the indoor fish market, he noticed that the male fishmongers were fast asleep over their bulldozers, slumped alongside ice chests, sprawled sideways on benches. The siren had to have been here. He ran faster, trying to picture in his mind any number of possible paths the siren could have taken. Harry turned a corner, passed the produce section, and made his way approximately one block west, following the distant voices up ahead.

10:35 am, Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Harry came face-to-face with the terrifying scene of the Charmed Ones as they desperately fought off the fearsome, towering siren; its wings were prevented from causing gales of wind that would have decimated buildings, only by Macy's impenetrable charms emanating in waves of electric blue from her trembling hands.

Maggie and Mel, meanwhile, held a piece of paper to their face, to show the siren that its calls were being actively ignored, much to its indignant fury. Together, they chanted their vanquishing spell:

Siren, with your feminine face,

Go, depart forever, from this marketplace.

Attention we stubbornly ignore,

You shall breathe—nevermore!

A shower of sparks ensued, and the siren was no more. The electric waves of energy stopped emanating from Macy's hands, and she collapsed, unconscious, into Harry's outstretched arms.