The Summons

-(The Voice in My Head – Part Two)-

Several weeks went by and nothing happened. There was no reply or confirmation, nothing was delivered, and I was exactly the same. Coco was pissed. 

“I’m not saying I don’t love you just as you are Sugar,” she said, “but this ain’t right.”

I’m not sure if it was the fact that my alter ego hadn’t arrived, or the fact that Coco was out fifty dollars, but she wouldn’t have it. 

She scoured the internet for hours until she found a phone number for customer support. I felt sorry for the person on the other end. Coco gave them a piece of her mind – and it wasn’t pretty.

I had to lock myself in the bathroom and put my earphones on. If there was one thing I dreaded, it was confrontation. 

Coco pounded on the door. “You can come out now!” 

I could tell she was calm. When she’s mad, there’s a vein in her forehead that pops out and starts to look purple – and it wasn’t there.

“Your alter ego doesn’t just show up, baby girl,” she said, acting as if she had known this all along. “You have to summon her!”

“How do I do that?”

“Call her by her name silly. Ask her to come forth.”

I had to sit on that information for a while. The voice in my head kept telling me no. “Don’t do it… don’t do it.” That’s all I ever heard. And I always listened. Until I ran into Armando. 

Armando worked in the deli department at Food-4-Less, so the only time I saw him was when I did the weekly shopping. This particular time he was at Joe’s Pizza Shack when Coco and I stopped in for a beer and a slice. 

I was used to seeing him in his apron, behind the deli counter, so I barely recognized him. He looked familiar, I just didn’t know why. Then Coco nudged me and he started to laugh – and it hit me. I’d know that beautiful smile anywhere. 

I had a crush on him for years, but he was out of my league. That’s what I told myself. Coco said I was crazy for thinking like that.

“Girl,” she’d say, “the only thing standing between you and Armando is that bullshit story you keep telling yourself.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew she was right. A part of me thought I was good enough, but the other part – that little voice in my head – told me otherwise.

Coco went to find us a table, and I just stood there, feeling like a fool. I kept trying to think of something to say, but the voice in my head kept butting in, “No, no, NO! Stay quiet or you’ll screw it all up.”

I was furious. I was sick and tired of that damned voice in my head – telling me to play it safe all the time, telling me that I wasn’t ready, or that I wasn’t good enough. Armando turned to order and I saw my chance.

It was now or never. I closed my eyes and thought real hard to myself… “Sequoia Storm, come forth. I really need you right now.”

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READ ON

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NOTE: I’ve figured out why I give up most the time. In my head, I’ve got the makings of a five minute story. How it starts, and how it ends. Boom. Easy-peasy. It’s that stuff in between that drives me crazy.

It’s not that I get writer’s block, it’s that I can’t seem to stop with the little day to day details. Anyway, that’s kind of my note to self, but it’s out there now… for everyone to see. Haha!

I’m keeping it simple with the image. Since ‘the girl with the tousled hair’ is attached to the story now, I’ll just make adjustments as the story progresses. In this version… she’s hidden within the orange and red fog. Manifesting.

I think that’s all for now. Now that Sequoia has been conjured, things should get interesting.

Thank you for reading! I hope you are enjoying the story!!