T E S A N D E

Lost in my own delights, my eyes returned to Africa’s only to sea her face melt into a sea of sadness which she tried to conceal from me. I frowned in confusion to Africa’s response but something upsetting had obviously crossed the silver mare’s mind. Of course this entire time she’d seemed like a butter fly as we skipped across fields of flowers farting rainbows and shedding happiness… Nah that’s too strong, I’ll tell myself, we flew through clouds of colorful bubbles. Had the stone triggered some distant memory or was it something out of the blue?

“Well I don’t really know what it is yet. I suppose it is an olivine like you say.”

Her tone upset me, I furrowed my brows trying to pick out the details of her sudden melancholy behavior. I looked back to the rock again. I greatly desired to touch it, pick it up and feel and study it, but at this point it almost seemed to be a curse. I felt a slight clenching of guilt in my gut, I hadn’t meant to bring out the sadness of my cheerful partner. ”Well it’s only a guess, I’d really hafta geet a good look fer me ta be sure.” I spat something out, hoping to see if I could bring something from an almost pointless combination of words.

“Voodoo and I found it beneath a cliff north of here.”

And then just like that, it was if the happiness had all and completely returned, I stood there baffled by the situation. But her pause after that sentence and I started to pick out the issue. This was the first time she’d come to mention some Voodoo fellow, but if there was something I know most about it would be the importance of friendship.

“Maybe one day I could take you up there?”

I watched Africa caress the stone, almost as if hoping it would come to life and talk to her. With that last sentence out and Africa now withdrawing for security I made my move as she knelt down to recover the treasure she’d found. ”Ya know… lass…” I spoke softly and calmly, trying to reassure her with the tone of my voice, ”If there’s anythin’ ye want err… need talk about? Ol’ Tessy here’s good at listenin’” I gave her a smile, even reached out to brush her shoulder with my nose. I made the offer of course but I didn’t push her, no one likes to be pushed into shit they don’t wanna deal with. ”Who be this Voodoo fella?” I then asked curiously, stepping back out of the cave as I was blocking Africa’s path.