Not displeased. Well, that’s a start.“I was wondering if you knew about me before the party.”
“Knew about you?”
“That I’m a witch.”
Gaia stumbled backward. “You’re a witch? You mean you wear a black robe and hood and do all those crazy rituals at night under the full moon?”
Aaron sat on a rock and snickered. “No, I’m not that kind of witch. I seem to have been born with certain powers and beliefs that have been passed down for generations. We were a matriarchal society, with you, Gaia, as our supreme deity. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to meet you.”
Gaia sat on the lawn next to him. “Okay, that’s kind of cool. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you more yesterday. I had a crisis to handle.” She shook her head. “Always with the crises.”
“I’m sure, Goddess, you must have a lot going on. I’m sorry to give you any more to do. If you’re busy and you’d rather talk some other time…”
“No, no. I’m here, and I like your company. I would rather be talking to you than trying to undo some idiot’s mistakes.”
Aaron smiled.She likes my company?He couldn’t help but feel incredibly pleased. “Actually, I was thinking I might be moving here. Do you come here often?” He mentally rolled his eyes at his cheesy-sounding line.
“No more than any other place that needs my help. Where would you be moving from? And why?”
“Brookline, Massachusetts. I’m getting tired of the winters there. My daughter loves it here, and as you know, my home has been feeling rather empty. I might become what’s known as a snowbird. I have two daughters. Ruth is in Boston with her fiancé, and they’re expecting their first child. Kizzy is down here with her new family. They all seem like delightful people, and I enjoy the good-natured teasing and lively energy.”
“Yes. They are good people, I think.”
“You’re not sure?”
“I’ve thought others were wonderful and then they did something stupid, but everybody makes mistakes, even me.”
“Really?” Aaron exclaimed. “I didn’t think you made any mistakes at all.”
“Oh, that’s kind of you. But no. I misjudge people sometimes. I think giving humans and paranormals free will might have been one of my biggest errors. They seem to abuse it regularly.”
Aaron chuckled. “Indeed. As a cardiac surgeon, I gave patients important advice following their surgery, which some of them ignored completely. It can get discouraging.”
“What is a cardiac surgeon? I know you cut people open, but why?”
“Oh. It’s a doctor who specializes in heart problems. I wouldn’t cut anyone open if their lives didn’t depend on it.”
“Ah. Problems of the heart. Now, that wasn’t my mistake. It just came about on its own.”
“I imagine many things have evolved that you hadn’t anticipated.”
“Oh my, yes. So if you move here, are you going to be a cardiac surgeon in Puerto Rico?”
“Not exactly. I’m ready for a change, but I want to use my knowledge and experience. I was thinking I might like to study some of the plants in your beautiful tropical rain forest. There are many cures we have yet to discover. I would be extremely gratified to discover a new treatment or cure for diseases of the heart.”
“Dis-ease of the heart…” They were suddenly transported to a mountainside in the rain forest. “You mean this?” Gaia reached down and plucked a short stalk with two leaves growing together in the shape of a green heart.
Aaron’s mouth fell open.Did she just hand me a cure?“What is it? What does it do?”
“You said you wanted a plant to ease problems of the heart. Here it is.” She shrugged. “I don’t name my creations. You can name it if you think it needs a name.”
Aaron couldn’t believe his luck. Not only had he been handed some kind of cardiac remedy, but he would be allowed to name it! Perhaps it would be named after him.Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself.Perhaps this little plant was well known to the medical community already.
“No. I don’t think anyone knows about it,” Gaia said.
“Are you reading my mind?”
She smirked. “Li’l bit. Don’t worry. If you don’t want me to listen in, either ask me not to or don’t think so loud.” She held her hand out to him. “The herb only grows here, on this very steep slope.”
