#4 The Safety Pin Cafe: Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation.-Wikipedia

"Did you know humans are the only animals who deny their own metamorphosis?" I was ill-prepared for the question though Raven had not left my side since the old Gypsy woman finished with her reading, and that comforted me. Was it just a reading? "It was just that," The Lady answered and motioned to Raven as she pat the empty seat next to her. I felt his gloved hand on my right elbow but remained where I was. "I want to think about what you asked, Raven." It was the first time I'd addressed him directly and meaning no disrespect for The Lady, this was another of those inordinate questions; not common I believed. I thought of my hens who were molting, dropping feathers rather than eggs. They were not so much changing as the caterpillar became winged, but my hens knew their place and their timing.

The faceless woman now wears a wooden heart dangling from a long silver chain. In place of a self? "Was that enough (protection) for her," I asked out loud surprising myself. "It may not be enough protection,but it's what she has." Raven neither released his gentle touch nor altered the pressure. "Can she stay here you suppose, here at The Safety Pin Cafe?" I noticed a small hallway behind an eyelet curtain the color of maple leaves at their final crescendo of Fall. Mottled oranges, gold and crimson, the eyelets let in a view of stairs leading somewhere. "So many rooms. Or just one?" His eyes were impossible to read, and I am good at reading eyes. Raven evaded my question and my eyes. How odd this day has turned. "More warm milk?" This time his gloved hand raised at my elbow. I thanked Raven but declined; my stomach not yet settled from the episode just finished. 

The kitties and ducks had become fast friends and lay huddled in a mass beneath the table. The Lady had a fresh plate of warm cinnamon toast. Fur and feathers mounded into a delectable moving rug. Irresistible, I ran my feet over them. Quack, quack, meow. The ground of me softened. Cut into wings, and glistening with chunky crystals of sugar the toast surrounded a large cup of steaming tea -- mint. "Peppermint will refresh you," this time The Lady spoke. Her voice was an odd combination of echoes. Each word reverberated. "It's ...It's...It's... an...an...an... annoyance...annoyance...annoyance," she laughed and pointed at her throat to finish. I felt her say, "The voice can be such a bother. I turn it off mostly, hoping the old spell has run its course. But no. Not yet."


Is there more? Oh yes, here it is. 

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Yvonne Mokihana Calizar