Of Different Clay

        Aden sat in his living room, wearing only his bathrobe.
  The small beach house was full of police and paramedicts
  rolled a gurney out the bathroom.

      "Aden, if you can give me anything to explain this,
      I'll try to help." Raven the paranormal detective asked with
      a gentle whisper into Aden's left ear. He stared directly into
      his brandy glass and said nothing.

  The medical examiner walked over and tapped Raven on the shoulder.
  She walked with him out onto the sundeck; "His wife choked to death on
  clay. It looks like she swallowed it. I don't see any signs of a struggle."
  "Thank you, that gives me a scenario." Raven answered and pulled out
  her Tarot deck.

        "Gen told me you visited her. She didn't say anything about the clay."
        Raven looked at the grains in Aden's brandy glass. She took the glass
        and asked the medical examiner to analyze the brandy.
        "Magic is not for amatuers." she whispered to Aden, "Say nothing."

  Raven had already made the sign of the cross with her Tarot and had begun
  the path of life. She gave a deep sigh; "You did not know the incantation."
  Raven called the director of the C.I.A. and spoke in a strange Celtic language.
  Aden's eyes were focused on Raven as she spoke into the cell phone.
  He said nothing.

          Raven finished her conversation with the director and waved over
          a homicide detective: "This was an assassination attempt on inspector
          Aden. You can contact the director of the C.I.A. for more details.
          Please clear the room and leave a patrol car to guard the house."
          Her orders were not to be questioned and they were carried out.

    The room was emptied. "Tell me what you did." Raven queried and poured
    some brandy into her glass. Aden muttered about his visit to Gen's office
    and how she had given him clay to drink in his brandy and how it changed
    him. Gen had told him he could not love his wife if she did not drink the clay.
    She had given him some clay for his wife.

            Raven nodded and made a phone call to the coroner to not
            perform an autopsy. "Gen wanted you to say an incantation
            before your wife drank."
            Aden had it written down on the palm of his right hand.
            Raven examined it; "You misspelled 'cadif.'"
            Aden began to sob.

    Raven slapped her hands together and they stood in the morgue
    where his wife lay naked on a steel table.
    "Say the incantation." Raven whispered into Aden's left ear.
    Aden spoke the words, choking back tears.
    His wife began to shutter and then stat up and they embraced.
    Raven gave a wide toothy smile and called the hospital emergency room.
    "They will find nothing unusual about you.. miss?" Raven smiled at
    Aden's wife. "Eslyt. I'm Dutch." Aden's wife answered and slipped off
    the table onto her feet. The E.M.T.s quickly placed her on a gurney and
    rolled her out of the morgue.

              "We could not have children. Gen said that we can now."
              Aden spoke in a faraway voice as he followed after his wife.
              Raven shook her head in dismay; "Gen didn't tell you must
              form your children from the clay mixed with your blood."
              Aden held his wife's hand in the elevator.

    "I feel heavier." Eslyt remarked with a smirk.


    to be continued... .