The Clairvoyant

Chapter Ten: Thomas Administers CPR... But Not On Mary

     Mary's dark eyelashes fluttered open, as if a voice had gently woken her from her sleep. It was almost her time to drive, but her mental alarm clock was not what had woken her sleeping mind.

    Thomas was stuck in traffic, nonchalantly humming a psalm, sweetly oblivious to the gray woman on the side of the road staring intently at Mary.

    He does not realize Mary is awake, and jumps when she taps on his arm. "I'll be right back."

     Thomas stares at her in shock as she opens the car door and springs out. She runs across the highway, to the noise of blaring car horns and stops in front of the woman. All Thomas can see is Mary standing sideways, having a conversation with thin air.

   "Um... maybe I should call the police or the hospital?" He ask aloud, before remembering the reason she was even in his car to begin with. She's probably talking to a dead person. Even if there are dead people all over and she stayed silent when they passed three cemeteries hours before. He waited. Thank the Lord for standstill traffic.

  

    About ten minutes later, Mary re-entered the car and stated calmly, "Pull of at the next exit, a man is about to have a heart attack and he needs CPR. Are you certified?"

  "Yes... are you?"

   "Mine expired two years ago. It wouldn't be legal, especially if he died and there was a certified person with us. You'd get in trouble too."

  "Okay, great," he said, feeling unsure about how he should feel about this entire conversation. "And... who told you about this man in need of CPR?"

   "His dead wife. She drowned."

   "Ah."

   "Also, we have less than five minutes, Father, so let's step on it please?"

   "I'll do my best."

   On second thought, maybe Thomas should go see a shrink after this road trip.

                             👻

   Half an hour later they were back on the road and Thomas needed mouthwash. Mary claimed the man had no contractable diseases. But then this was a girl who spoke to invisible shadows.

   Thomas did not doubt her abilities, he never had. He just didn't understand her as a person. Why could she see these things, how did she know enough of the future to make predictions? What was the Lord's plan for this intriguing young woman? The supernatural was indeed... super, but to what extent did her gifts... extend to?

    He tossed and turned in his sleep, completely at ease with her driving. With her built in crash-o-meter, he didn't need to worry. Hopefully. So many thoughts wove intense, complicated webs in his brain that he was getting a headache. He found hinself rolling over on the seat that smelled of her, and opening his eyes to study her.

   The soft curves of her face glistened in the moonlight, the shadows cast gently upon her skin served to make her paleness not just a deathly palor, but an extension of a moonbeam. Her eyes were colorful and sharp as ever, long lashes caressingly detailing them. Her nose was straight, almost pert, and her lips were pale pink and thin but beautiful.

  You're a Priest, you could be cast from you place if you think about her lips, Thomas reminded himself. He didn't like what Mary did to him. She reminded him of things he didn't think he could remember seeing as he never felt them before. And she made him feel human. There was so much to handle... but he would never reject any thought he gave him. He cared too much and liked challenges more than anything. Especially when those challenges had unique quirks and unbelievable visions. When they were a vision... stop.

   Mary was perfectly aware he was staring at her. She was used to being stared at. She could make a smart comment and tease him, but she wasn't one to say witty things that were only just bordering flirty. Besides. He's a priest.

   She smirked, wondering if he'd ever seen Sweeney Todd. She began humming the song, "A Little Priest." Yes, it was in extemely bad taste, and no it did not fail in making Thomas roll his eyes. The thought that he shoyld be concerned that he was on her mind as much as she was on his only briefly crossed his conscience.

   "I find that quite annoying, you know," he said.

   Mary grinned openly now. Her voice was filled with laughter. "No you don't, you just feel like you are required to say that."

    "Well... still."

    "By the way, what made you decide on that profession?"

   You. And of course other strange encounters. Sort of. Not really.

   Thomas could not answer exactly.

  "Why did you become a Clairvoyant? The same reason," he said.

  Mary snorted. "Ha. You were born a priest?"

   "The other reason, Mary."

     Her hands tightened noticably in the steering wheel. Mary remained silent.

Sorry these are so short.