4. Hidden in Plain Sight
FOUR
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
One of the most closely kept secrets of natural magic is the art of camouflage. Many animals, plants, and insects exhibit this ability to blend almost seamlessly with their surroundings.
From an Ordinary perspective, natural camouflage seems like a gift. A beautiful invisibility cloak woven by nature herself. But fashion is notoriously fickle.
Magical naturalists know well that invisibility, like beauty, lies in the beholder’s eye. The disguise is not the only thing that matters. Just as frequently, what keeps the unseen hidden is the viewer’s inability to see.
–EXCERPT FROM THE MUDPUDDLE MANUAL OF NATURAL MAGIC
The angry customer slammed the candle down on the cafe counter so hard that Maida worried the glass container would shatter. Despite being seated at a small metal bistro table a few feet away, Maida bent forward to clutch her open notebook and shield the locket she was sketching.
“I demand a full refund.” The woman’s voice had the traumatized tones of a tea kettle whistle. “This candle didn’t work.”
Maida resumed her detailed sketch of the locket she’d found during her morning walk on the beach. She went out most mornings, but as a naturalist, rainy days like today were her favorite. The coast seemed most alive just after a storm.
“First my beach yoga class gets canceled for bad weather, and now you’re going to give me a hard time?” the customer complained loudly. Her left eyelid twitched.
Maida couldn’t focus. She considered moving to a table outside on the deck, but it was still quite windy and the space heaters weren’t on in the rain.
She’d been lucky to get one of the few spots inside.
With the windows cracked, she could still smell the ocean air, but she didn’t have to freeze.
She was grateful for the cozy warmth of the coffee shop after spending the whole morning outdoors.
“I should have known better than to buy a candle from a cafe,” the woman confided loudly to the disinterested jogger who was waiting for his post-run drink.
She was wearing expensive workout clothing and a watch that Maida recognized as costing more than some people’s cars.
Maida’s father had a similar watch. And he wasn’t so happy either.
“What’s wrong with the candle?” Addy, the pretty young barista, asked.
Addy lived in the same apartment complex as Maida, but the two women were barely acquaintances.
Maida was thirty-five and a recluse and Addy was a twenty-three-year-old socialite.
They had nothing in common besides their address.
But in that moment, it was enough. Addy was desperately seeking some solidarity.
She shot Maida an unmistakably exasperated look that said, “Can you believe this wench?”
Naturally, the angry customer clocked the silent exchange. The older woman’s gaze swept over Maida like a rough, bristled broom.
Maida knew how the woman saw her. She sensed the stock-taking. The woman could forgive the messy bun at this hour. But no makeup? No manicure? No jewelry? No obvious brand names on her shapeless greige clothing? She sneered at Maida’s tide-pool-friendly foam clogs before dismissing her.
Objectively, Maida knew there wasn’t anything wrong with the way she looked.
She wasn’t ugly. Some might even call her striking.
Her unusual violet-gray eyes and the bright fluffy mass of wavy platinum hair lent her an almost ethereal effect.
Her hair and eyes caught people’s attention.
But not for long. She was like the shiny colorful rocks at the shoreline, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be nothing special after all.
That was just fine with her. She was happy to blend in. Not everyone needed to be a rock star.
Maida squirmed in her seat. Gritty sand was still lingering between her toes.
She gave her right foot a little shake, pretending she’d noticed nothing.
That woman and her problems were none of Maida’s business.
She went back to her drawing, adding in subtle shading to the bit of kelp she’d sketched on the beach.
A shocking amount of trash, plastic, plant matter, and other debris had washed ashore after last night’s squall. Fall storms did a lot of damage. Maida had tried to help clean up the mess, taking photos of interesting bits of driftwood and natural debris along the way.
As a reward, the ocean had surprised her with an unexpected gift.
She might have missed the vintage locket hidden inside a clump of kelp if a sneaker wave hadn’t intervened. The unlikely wave had swept the bundle up the beach, dragging and tumbling it until it tangled itself around her ankles.
If it hadn’t been for that random wave, Maida would never have found it.
That made it feel a little less random, actually.
Like fate. She liked to tell herself these sorts of stories when strange things like this happened.
Which was often. She was constantly finding lost items and reading people’s minds.
Sometimes she thought she saw things in the shadows that really shouldn’t be there.
Her father had always said she had an overactive imagination when she was growing up.
This had always felt more like an accusation than a compliment.
At first, as she unwrapped the kelp, Maida thought she was looking at a silvery shard of abalone.
People talk about people finding lost jewelry at the beach all the time.
But it had never happened to her. She almost couldn’t believe it when she turned the freed locket over in her hand.
It had the same greenish-black color as the seaweed that had concealed it.
The chain had tarnished. Sea scale and crusty buildup coated the exterior. But it was still beautiful.
“Am I getting my money back or not?”
Maida was trying to concentrate on her sketch, but the scuffle at the counter wasn’t over, and it was too big of a distraction.
“What exactly is the problem with it?” Addy examined the candle skeptically. “You’ve obviously used it, so…it works?” Addy’s voice trailed off in a question that was not really a question.
“But not as advertised.” The older woman glared at the pretty, blond, young barista. “I lit that thing every night for a week. Zero dates. Nada love!”
“I don’t know what to say. It’s an intention candle.” Addy shrugged. “It doesn’t work like ordering a pizza.”
“Obviously.” The woman rolled her eyes. “When I order a pizza, nine times out of ten, I get a man ringing my doorbell.”
Maida bit her lip, trying not to laugh.
“There were directions on the box for performing a ritual,” Addy spoke in a bored monotone. She turned to stir some steamed milk into another customer’s drink. “Did you remember to set your intention before you lit the candle?”
“Are you kidding me?” The woman blinked more rapidly as her ire increased. “Do you think I need help with lighting a candle?”
Addy refused to be intimidated. She spoke slowly, as if she were addressing a small child.
“I don’t know? Do you remember to plug your toaster in before you try to make toast?
How can you expect an intention candle to work if you don’t set an intention?
” Addy leaned back, brows raised, arms folded across her chest.
Maida was pretty sure this was only going to make matters worse.
“I’m pretty sure you set the intention for me when you ran my credit card.
What I intended was for that candle to work.
I certainly didn’t intend for it to make my whole cottage stink like a whorehouse.
” She pursed her artificially plumped lips at Addy, who was barely paying attention now.
She’d gone back to putting the finishing touches on a drink.
“White Chocolate Latte for Todd?” Addy called out.
The angry woman’s sour expression vanished when a middle-aged man stepped forward to fetch his drink. She smiled alluringly and cheerfully handed his drink to him. But as soon as he departed, she resumed her campaign.
“So, do I need to speak to your manager?” She glanced around hopefully, waiting to see who might rush to her aid. “I’m not going anywhere till you give me my money back.”
“Whatever. It’s cool. I’ll get you a refund.
” Addy sighed, capitulating as quickly and completely as she’d resisted.
“I believe you. Between you and me, next time you should invest in Nocturnatural candles. I don’t know what they put in their products, but I swear they are the only ones that work for me.
” She leaned in conspiratorially. “They aren’t sold in stores, but I can hook you up.
I’m a rep and I just got a big shipment in. ”
This was bold of Addy. Reckless too, given the recent rash of break-ins attributed to the theft of coveted products. It was all over the news. Locals were blaming immigrant gangs for the robberies. Supposedly, many Nocturnaturals products fetched more money on the black market than street drugs.
“No thanks.” The woman sniffed. “I think I’ll stick with pizza.” She waited while Addy reversed the charge and then ordered an iced tea to go.
Finally, Maida could complete her sketch of the locket in peace.
After she was done, she took out a small camera to take a photo of the drawing.
She would send one copy of the image to her agent, in order to add it to her portfolio.
Most of the art she was commissioned to do was bespoke, but the items in the portfolio inspired clients.
She’d send a second copy of the picture, along with a photo of the locket itself, to her friend Zani.
Zani traveled the world sourcing curious objects for whimsical museums and private collectors.
If anyone had ideas where this locket might have come from, it would be her.
She was a whiz at unearthing the provenance of almost anything.