Lucid Cove: Darkside Up Vol.1

“I can’t babe, told my mom I’d have dinner with her tonight.” Lysa slipped on her shoes, and stood up to see Miso’s pouting face. “Oh my goodness, girl come here. ”Chuckling at her lover she placed a light kiss on Miso’s lips, “I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

Miso gave Lysa one more squeeze before letting her walk to her car. Once she was alone she stood in her foyer, taking in the beauty of her home.

Miso designed her house herself, everything about it came straight from her deepest domestic desires. From the outside looking in, her home was an enlarged cottage; however once you step in the aesthetic is “modern hippy”. Miso always enjoyed open plot homes so she embodied that with her home design. As you enter the double Mahogany doors the center of the parlor is marked by four large ivory pillars with skinny lines of gold shooting through them. On the right there is a charming seating area with a large rug that gives off an Asian persuasion. On one of Miso’s expeditions she purchased a very detailed rug that told a story about a forbidden romance between the sun and the moon. The furniture of the room consisted of large plush floor pillows, a chaise, and an abstract loveseat. On the left side of the parlor is the floating staircase, on each side of the staircase stand two large mahogany bookcases, each one identical with a pull out drawer at the bottom to house the more “controversial” books within her library.

Past the ivory pillars laid her creamed themed, sunken, living room. Along opposite ends of the rooms border lay two well crafted bamboo bridges. Along the edge of the border was a long curved sofa, in front of the sofa lies a shag carpet a few inches behind Miso’s glass round table ; leading up to her kitchen she had a mini bamboo bridge. To the left of the high side of the bridge was a full bathroom with a large see through shower, a walk in Jacuzzi tub and a bidet. The next door, approximately 11 steps down, was the master guest bedroom.

Upstairs was Miso’s favorite place, her loft style office and bedroom. As you reach the top of the floating staircase, you find yourself stepping onto plush peppered carpeting, facing an immense bookcase. This is where Miso kept any books that provided inspiration or information. Her bookshelves touched the ceiling down to the floor, and wrapped around to her bedroom doors; leaning against the bookshelves was a built in ladder. Her desk was facing the oblong window wall, which gave her a perfect view of the forest outside. Directly next to the floating staircase was a special bookshelf; this contained all of Miso's past and current works. She called it the bookcase of Legends.

Since she was alone Miso decided to take in the view from her desk. When she sat down into her high backed chair, she took in the colors of the sunset against the green of the trees outside. I love it here. She decided to meditate, so she went to her room and grabbed her Jet meditation egg from her altar. As she settled back into the chair she held the egg between her hands, perched both elbows on the arms of the chair, and took several deep breaths. She slipped into a meditative state easily; she focused on clearing her mind, letting the thoughts flow with ease. 20 minutes later she fell asleep, behind the lids of her eyes played a dream that felt all too real. When she woke a few hours later, she processed the details of the dream as she floated into her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and climbed into her bed, still thinking about the dream she had before falling into a more peaceful sleep.

♠♠♠

Miso wasn’t the biggest fan of crowded cities, but New York was the home of her largest fan base; in other words, book signings would go best in the city of dreams. Still, Miso stood on the corner of Fifth ave & 59th street, learning how to be surrounded by a fast paced crowd despite her aim to float around; taking the time to breathe, she admired the famed skyscrapers while waiting for the light to change. She chuckled lightly at a morbid thought that came to her mind.

With the buzz of the unrestful city in her ears and the warm embrace on her skin, she felt herself slipping into a hyper focused mode. Something stirred in her spirit, tearing Miso away from the odd fantasy of being crushed by a toppling building. Exiting the realm of dreams, Miso straightened her head, and her breath caught in her throat.

The golden undertone of his chocolate complexion was enough to stop her in her tracks alone. Tall, dark, and handsome; he was everything Miso desired. His shoulders were wide, his body was muscular (but not too muscular), his build was strong; but softly toned. His hair was neatly twisted, brushing his shoulders; the front twists highlighted his large eyes and high cheekbones. His nose seemed to be the centerpiece of his face, but that just made him even more beautiful. Even his hands are perfect , Miso thought, for his long fingers held a phone up to his ear. Whatever he heard must've pleased him, his perfect smile on display for everyone to see. He was walking towards Miso, yet looking past her; the usual for New Yorkers, living the fast life doesn't warrant leisure or eye contact.

Why do I so desperately want him to meet my gaze? Perhaps send a special smile my way, just for me...

Despite Miso's thoughts, the guy walked right past her without so much as a glance to the side. Oh well. Miso looked back to see his powerful frame walking away. She exhaled deeply before she turned back. Continuing down her path, Miso maintained her leisurely pace until someone almost trampled over her, pushing her to the side.

"Move it lady! We're walking here!" the angry passerby yelled.

Yeah yeah yeah. What's new. Miso sighed; the point of this walk was to investigate the typical traffic at the location of her signing tomorrow, but her mind was now distracted. Why did I get that feeling just then? Who was that man? Her spirit stirred again.

Something was happening here...but what? A clouded memory appeared, briefly, in her mind's eye; Miso had seen him before. A wave of clarity washed over her, Miso needed silence. She was done with the city for today. Her book signing would make 59th a pretty booming street come tomorrow anyway; Lysa made sure to promote the hell out of this last book. Miso flagged down a cab, and returned to her hotel suite.

Once settled in her room, she arranged her portable alter accordingly. Miso wanted to focus on dream recall so she required the crystals: Lapis Lazuli and Tumbled Garnet. She took the time to sage down the room, washing away all unwanted energy. Next, she smudged herself down with Palo Santos, cleansing herself of any negative energy she may have picked up along her walk, and deepening her connection to the Divine. Once completed she sat down in a high backed chair. Resting her palms on her knees, she rotated her wrists toward the ceiling; thus opening her energy receptors to the unseen world. She steadied her breathing until she felt her mind slip into beta; she had arrived. Miso focused on the brief scene she recalled from days before in hopes of expanding on it. Images gradually appeared before her mind's eye accompanied by a wave of emotion.

♤♤♤

Miso starred at Miso. Everything was the same. Her fro boldly framed her face; the 4b curls hung tight yet loose around her shoulders, which gave her an exotic look. There was a knock on the bathroom door. Without breaking eye contact with herself she turned her face towards the door; her face was framed with intricate golden tattoos reflecting in the bright lights. Against her butterscotch skin the tattoos seemed faint but sacred, this was new. Damn, she thought, I look amazing. Another knock, this time more forceful.

"Miso my love, we have to go. Are you alright in there?"

"Yes, I am coming" Miso responded automatically.

Opening the door she revealed a man of God like stature. Him. It was Him; the man Miso saw on the street. Wrapping her arms around his neck Miso expunged the space between them. She playfully flicked his bottom lip with her tongue before pressing her lips to his. The strength of his full lips against hers was deliciously intoxicating. Inhaling slowly as she deepened the kiss, he returned her passion with that of his own. Sliding one hand gently along the roots of Miso's afro he massaged the back of her scalp, as the other wrapped around her waist; every nerve within her body tingled. Exhaling slowly, Miso gently pushed back against him. She took the time to acknowledge how natural everything seemed to be between the two of them.

"Now I am ready." Miso grinned, enjoying the sparkle in Him's eye as he admired her face.

Together they exited Miso's home only to find themselves standing on the bright beaches of Jamaica. Without hesitation he tossed Miso over his shoulder and jogged into the warm waters. Demanding her return to the earth , Miso pinched his perfectly toned butt. He chuckled as he obeyed her wish. Once she was calf deep in the water she bent down to splash her lover. As soon as the water touched his velvety brown skin, he disappeared. Miso turned around to search for her lover, but found herself fully clothed sitting at a table staring down at her latest book.

"Alright Princess, only 20 people left. You made it through the thick of it. Wrap it up here, and the rest of the day is ours." Lysa offered encouragement.

"Mmm, yes. The rest of the day is mine." Miso mumbled absentmindedly "20 more, you say?" Miso looked around the room confused, she saw no one.

"Mhmm, I suppose the ladies are held up gawking at that hunk of a man you have yet to appraise." Lysa smirked at her sly comment. She truly thought herself to be clever. Miso stood up and started to walk around the table, when a deep voice caused her vibrations to increase.

"Uh oh, have I come too late? Are you preparing to leave?" The man asked hurriedly as he rushed towards her, holding one of Miso's latest books.

"No, I was just..." Miso lost her train of thought. It was Him, again! "I was just going to see what the hold up was."

"My sincerest apologies, I suppose my appearance has made quite a disturbance. There's still a group of ladies in the other room," He started to smile, but it was obvious that it was more to himself than them, "but I'm sure you know that. "

"Indeed.." Miso gracefully returned to her seat "..so to whom am I making this out to, enh?" Miso asked as she reached for the book.

"To my niece, Asuni," He said as he took steady strides towards the table. "She adores your books; every time I visit her, her face is practically buried in your work."

"Ahh, what a beautiful name. Where might she be, if I may ask?" Lysa interjected as she grabbed the book from his hands and flipped to the dedication page, sliding it to Miso to sign.

"She's in London right now. I believe she's studying at Oxford for the summer. I just so happened to learn that you were doing book signings yesterday on an ad." He shook his head and chuckled to himself, "I get her this, and I'm pretty sure I'll be the best Uncle ever."

His smile was so triumphant Miso almost forgot to sign the book. Realizing her blunder, Miso quickly signed off on the novel. As she looked up to hand it to the man, her spirit grew restless, and her heart began to race. When he grabbed the other end of the book, Miso felt a spark of energy transfer between them.

"And what is your name?" Miso asked as they held each other's gaze.

♤♤♤

A shift occurred in her breathing thus breaking the beta mode trance. Miso's heart was truly pounding away in her chest. As Miso opened her eyes, tears spilled down her face. Yep, never fails, this was the one part about meditation she could never understand. Geez, I cry every time. Miso got up to retrieve a bottle of water and some dried mangoes; all the while engaging in mental chatter. So that's why he was so familiar? Hmm, this is the first time I've dreamed of a stranger and actually saw them in real life. What is his name? Miso learned in her youth that she was very prone to Deja Vu, however her dreams were just that, dreams.

Miso's phone lit up with a text from Lysa who was out picking up food. ‘The goal is to relax tonight! Tomorrow is going to be a big day! I should be out of here in another 30 minutes,, just let me know if you want anything else while I’m out, okay?’

Neither Miso or Lysa had any idea how accurate Lysa was, for "tomorrow" was the day Miso's dream would come to life.