Still Got the Blues for You

In the Midnight Hour

“To sleep—perchance to dream. But I’m doing no sleeping, so there will be no dreaming,” Sabella Laaksonen sighed.

Sabella’s insomnia was the reason that she had usually worked night shifts. Now that she was no longer a slave to a time clock, she was trying to go to bed at a more sensible hour. Midnight would do, but as the clock struck one, she realized that it would be another sleepless night.

Sabella sat before the computer that she had set up in front of her couch. She had been living in the old house beside Dark Lake for a week now and had only managed to spend two nights in her bed, never hitting the sheets before three a.m.

“I was hoping to get serious about working on my novel now that I don’t have to go to a job anymore,” Sabella opined. “Uriel, you said you wanted me to write it. I don’t mean to complain, but a little inspiration would be appreciated.”

“It will come when the time is right, Isabella.”

Sabella sighed as she sensed the Archangel’s advice. Uriel was the reason that she had remained alive on the many occasions when she felt that the world wouldn’t miss her and might even be better off without her, but at this moment, his platitudes were frustrating.

“Fine. I guess I could work on setting up my Isabella’s Intuition page instead. It’s a silly name, but I can’t think of a better one. Maybe if I can’t make myself write, I can at least make a little money reading cards.”

Sabella plugged her MP-3 player into her computer and Wilson Pickett’s powerful voice filled the room.

“I’m gonna wait till the midnight hour, that’s when my love comes tumblin’ down. I’m gonna wait till the midnight hour when there’s no-one else around.”

“Nighttime is when I’ve always done my best work,” Sabella mused. “It’s a shame that we night owls get no love from the world, but I suppose that’s the way it’s always been.”

Sabella decided to show her page’s potential viewers a sample of her reading style and shuffled her Tarot deck. She smiled as she recalled what Tio Monday said during lunch.

“I ain’t worth two shits afore the crack of noon, no ma’am. But dis ole world wag on regardless if we proper awake, so sometimes we gotta take our lumps an’ make an appearance anyways.”

The Turn of a Friendly Card

“I hope moving here was the right choice,” Sabella pondered. “Like everything else in my shambles of a life, it was a decision born of desperation. If I’d stayed at my job one more day, I’d have killed myself. I missed Fionn desperately, and when this house came on the market, I liquidated my 401K and bought it outright. That’s what you told me to do, Uriel, and so far, it seems to have been a good plan. It seems like I may have a real friend in Tio Monday, although Alex, thinks that I have romantic designs for him, which is crazy. Tio is old enough to be my father. I see him as a dear uncle, not a lover. But you know that.”

Aerosmith’s “Same Old Song and Dance” played, and Sabella turned over her first card: Strength reversed. She rolled her eyes.

get yourself cooler, lay yourself low

coincidental murder, with nothing to show

with the judge, constipation will go to his head

and his wife's aggravation, you're soon enough dead

it's the same old story, same old song and dance, my friend

it's the same old story, same old song and dance, my friend

“My present position is one of weakness, pettiness, impotence, sickness, tyranny, and lack of faith. Typical,” Sabella noted wryly.

The next song was a track by Rey, Sol, and Tio Monday’s band, Blue Mondays. It was called “The Magician,” and that was the card that Sabella turned up as Shack Angel’s deep, brooding vocals told the tale, enhanced by the unearthly wails of Rey and Tio’s guitars, the mournful throbbing of Sol’s bass, and the hypnotic rhythm of Quille Cordero’s drums.

In dreams of magic in worlds beyond

While you run free through colorful lands

Have a care not to fall for the deception

Of the Dark Pharaoh’s sleight of hand

For all your willpower and self-reliance

May be but a contrivance

When the Dark Pharaoh pretends to be your friend

And he fills your ears with what you want to hear

Your imagination will be your undoing if you succumb to his wooing

And you are dragged down in the darkness

Magician, beware the deception

Of the Dark Pharaoh’s shriveled black heart

Magician, beware the deception

Of the weavings of the Dark Pharaoh’s art.

Blue Mondays’ Eight by Eight played as Sabella interpreted the next three cards: the Eight of Wands, the Eight of Pentacles reversed, and the Lovers reversed. The Eight of Wands represented sudden, swift activity and hastily made decisions. The Eight of Pentacles reversed indicated disillusionment. The Lovers reversed indicated separation, unwise plans, and frustration in love.

You done lost your lover

You done lost yourself

You’re in this alone

Ain’t no-one can help

“Well, unlike what Alex thinks, I care nothing for romantic entanglements,” Sabella declared. “I can’t help worrying that retiring early and moving here may have been a rash decision, but I really didn’t have a choice.”

There are unsmiling faces and bright plastic chains

And a wheel in perpetual motion

And they follow the races and pay out the gains

With no show of an outward emotion

And they think it will make their lives easier

For God knows up till now it's been hard

But the game never ends when your whole world depends

On the turn of a friendly card.

Alan Parsons Project’s “The Turn of a Friendly Card” played as Sabella turned over the Six of Pentacles.

“Finally, a good one,” she praised. “In the near future, I can expect generosity, charity, kindness, gifts, and material gain. Tio certainly seems to be a real friend, and the other people that I’ve met in town are nice too. It’s about time the tide turned for the good.”

As John Fogerty’s “Searchlight” kicked in, Sabella turned over the Two of Wands reversed.

“Seems I’m so used to seeing trouble that I can’t see anything else,” she typed. “The card indicates sadness, trouble, a loss of faith, and restraint caused by others. That’s been the story of my life for altogether too long.”

Oh, the midnight, need a searchlight.

Oh, the midnight, need a searchlight.

I walk along the rocky shore, the place I lost myself.

I search the water, look in the sky, I hear the cries for help.

I trace my footsteps down to the sea, but then the path disappears.

Here in the darkness, I'm runnin' blind,

Been stumblin' for all of these years.

For the card representing the current environment, Sabella turned over The Moon and a cold chill ran up her spine.

“Deception. Twilight. Obscurity. Trickery. Disillusionment. Danger. Error. Caution. Warning. Ulterior motives. Insincerity. False friends. Selfishness. Double-dealing. Craftiness. False pretenses. Disgrace. Slander. Liability. Superficiality. Unknown enemies. The meaning of many divergent influences. Falling into a trap. Being misled.”

Oh, the midnight, need a searchlight.

Oh, the midnight, need a searchlight.

What was the demon that made me run, can I ever hope to understand?

I hear my voice, echoes on the wind; I try to reach out with my hand.

Without a light, I might be here forever, lost for all eternity.

There in the darkness, slippin' through my fingers,

The face that smiles back is me.

Sabella decided that she needed a break. She hadn’t wanted to think about the suspicious circumstances of Rey Monday’s death, or about the fact that he was murdered on the night she was born. She didn’t want to consider finding the doll made in Rey’s image anything but coincidence, and she desperately wanted to ignore the voice in her mind informing her that there was another murder on that same night and the two were connected. The next thought was so ridiculous that Sabella wondered if she shouldn’t be locked up.

“It isn’t Tio Monday that I’m falling in love with, it’s Rey.”

Gary Moore’s haunting voice wailed out “Still Got the Blues for You”. Sabella dug her nails into her palm.

Used to be so easy to give my heart away

But I found out the hard way

There's a price you have to pay

I found out that love was no friend of mine

I should have known time after time

So long, it was so long ago

But I've still got the blues for you

A tear flowed down Sabella’s cheek and she wiped it away angrily.

“Stop it, Isabella Laaksonen!” she admonished herself. “Rey Monday’s unsolved death is heartbreaking. I’m sure he wants the truth to be known, mostly because it would bring peace to Tio. He was amazingly talented. He was sensitive and troubled, and he was handsome in his own odd way. You can feel compassion for him, but what you cannot feel is desire. It makes no goddamn sense!”

Blackstairs

Cold blue eyes, they look through me

Stare those eyes at me

You must be one of those girls

Who live on the black stairs

Yes, you must be one of those girls

Who live on the black stairs

There's no disguise upon your face

You're not like anyone I know

They give so freely, and they come when I command

But you're the one, one I want to understand

Sabella listened to Clannad’s beautiful song Blackstairs as she stalked towards Dark Lake. She was enraged at Alex for accusing her of falling in love with Tio. The argument with her brother replayed in her mind, blending with images of another argument between two people whom she’d never met but who seemed eerily familiar. A tall, natty black man with a handsome, angular face and a touch of gray at his temples was arguing with a young white woman in her mid-twenties. The woman had striking jade eyes and strawberry blonde hair in a bouffant updo.

“You can’t tell me how to feel, Uncle Leddy,’ the young woman protested. “I love him!”

“Den you needs to let me weave you a spell to stop you lovin’ him, and you needs to go back to New Orleans, Girl,” the man admonished. “He a married man, Dionne. You gots to leave him be.”

“He ain’t happy with Beatha, you know it! Why you want him to stay stuck with a woman he don’t love? I thought you was his friend!”

“I am his friend, Darlin’, and I am your godfather. I promised your parents I would take good care of you. You ain’t wanna be messin’ with Beatha Uberto, so you ain’t wanna be messin’ with…”

“Rey Monday!” Sabella gasped.

The Spirit of Dark Lake

Rey was dressed in an orchid suit with an orchid fedora to match. His long dark hair flowed down around his shoulders. His sad sapphire eyes regarded Sabella for a moment, and he smiled and held out his hands.

“You’re dead,” Sabella quavered. “You died on the day I was born. You are the most solid-looking ghost I’ve ever seen! I…I’m sorry, I’m babbling. I supposed I’d meet you at some point, but I didn’t know it would be so soon.”

“Please don’t be afraid, Sabella,” Rey said gently. “I ain’t wanna hurt you. I’m glad you make friends with Tio. I hope you am liking de house.”

“I love the house very much. I don’t know why you wanted me to have it, but I’m glad you did.”

“I always want you to have dis house. I know you am afraid you make de wrong decision to come here, but you was dyin’ where you at before.”

Sabella nodded and tears flowed down her cheeks. She allowed Rey to take her hands in his. Ashamed of her brazenness but unable to control her emotions, she pulled him to her and sobbed loudly. Rey gently stroked her hair, and when she looked at him again, there were tears on his cheeks. Sabella brushed them away.

“I’m glad you come here, Isabella, but I fear dat now de doors am open, dey ain’t gonna close easy, and sometimes you ain’t gonna like what you see.”

“Rey, whatever I find here, it has to be better than what I would have had if I’d stayed in Texas,” Sabella countered. “I’ve made a good friend in your brother, and I want to help find the truth about what happened to you for his sake as well as yours.”

“Dis am good, yes Ma’am. But dere someting you ain’t sayin’, Darlin’. We gots to have things clear if we gonna make dis work.”

“It’s foolishness,” Sabella muttered, looking at the ground. “It’s foolishness, and the sooner you put a stop to it the better, but I have a pathological aversion to rejection, so I don’t want to tell you. Oh well, there’s no time like the present, I suppose. I feel like I’ve fallen in love with you, Rey. Now, in the kindest way you can, please tell me that you don’t return my feelings so we can move forward with things.”

“I cannot tell you what you wants to hear, Isabella, because dis would be a lie.”

“Yes, I know you can’t tell me that you love me because of course you don’t, but you need to be a little clearer about it. Just say ‘I don’t love you that way, Sabella, but I’m your friend.’ If you want to be my friend, that is.”

“Miss Sabella, I can’t tell you dat I don’t love you, ‘cause I do.”

Damn Your Eyes

“That isn’t a very funny joke, Rey,” Sabella snapped, but by the expression on his face, she knew he wasn’t joking.

“Oh dear,” Sabella sighed. “Being an empath is the worst. Maybe what’s happened here is I felt you falling in love with me, so I thought I was falling in love with you. I suppose you thought you were in love with me because you could feel my sympathy for you, but what you’re feeling is gratitude, not love, Honey. I like you very much, and I wish I could be in love with you, but I can’t. I can’t and I don’t want to, but oh, damn your eyes, damn your eyes, I do want you so very much!”

Sabella woke on the couch to the sound of Etta James singing “Damn Your Eyes.”

I can do what I want

I'm in complete control

At least that's what I tell myself

I gotta mind of my own

I'll be alright alone

Don't need anybody else

I gave myself a good talking to

No more bein' a fool for you

But I see you and all I remember

Is how you make me wanna surrender

Damn your eyes

For taking my breath away

For makin' me want to stay

Damn your eyes

For gettin' my hopes up high

For makin' me fall in love again

Damn your eyes

As “Get It Right This Time” by Blue Mondays began to play, Sabella decided to finish her reading.

You’ve had so much trouble

You’ve been in it double

But now you’re escaping the undertow

You’re swimming upstream

You’re chasing a dream

You’re gonna follow wherever it goes.

The Nine of Cups represented Sabella’s hope that she had finally found a place where she could thrive rather than just survive, and the Seven of Wands pointed to years of struggle finally culminating in victory.

Nonetheless, Sabella couldn’t allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief just yet. As she reflected on her trepidation regarding the revelation made by the Moon card, the song Sisters of the Moon began to play.

Some call her sister of the moon

Some say illusions are her game

They like to wrap her in velvet

Does anyone, ah, know her name

So, we make our choices

When there is no choice

And we listen to their voices

Ignoring our own voice

“Don’t ignore your voice any longer, Isabella,” Uriel advised. “Your voice is the one you must listen to first. Before your brother, your son, Rey or Tio Monday, any of the people in town, or even me, you must listen to yourself.”

“Yes, but sometimes I seem to talk out of both sides of my mouth,” Sabella countered. “I just wasn’t meant to have a simple life, was I?”

“The most interesting people never do, my dear. The most interesting people never do.”

References and Acknowledgments

In the Midnight Hour is copyright 1965 by Wilson Pickett.

Same Old Song and Dance is copyright 1974 by Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

The Turn of a Friendly Card is copyright 1980 by The Alan Parsons Project, written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Searchlight is copyright 1985 by John Fogerty.

Still Got the Blues for You is copyright 1990 by Gary Moore.

Blackstairs is copyright 1985 by Clannad, written by Pól Brennan.

Damn Your Eyes is copyright 1989 by Etta James, written by Steve Bogard and Barbara Wyrick.

Sisters of the Moon is copyright 1979 by Fleetwood Mac, written by Stevie Nicks.

The Black Pharaoh is one of the names for Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep is the creation of H.P. Lovecraft and first appeared in his 1920 story of the same name.

Blue Mondays is a fictional band created by Team Netherworld and the songs attributed to them are copyright 2020 by Naughty Netherworld Press.