"No, no - it's not Time to Say Good-bye in the Italian version - the song is called: I Shall Go with You - it's all about passage."

"I found my Dali Tarot deck this morning, and before I packed it away, I drew a card - the Six of Swords - transition, passage, travel. I have to study that deck more closely, I think," Olivia mused, not sure if she should tell Duke about the unsettling email she had received from the White Popess Blanche.

"Precisely - here, I'll sing the words in English," Duke offered and soon the inhabitants of Witch Hill heard wafting on a gentle summertime breeze:


When I’m alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room where the sun is absent,
If you are not with me, with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.

I’ll go with you,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them.
I’ll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And, yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon, are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me,
With me, with me, with me.


"So, seems you can't get rid of me - ever," Duke grinned. "There - wipe your pretty blue eyes and let's get packing - we've got us a Six of Swords boat to sail."

"Hmm...do we have mooring rights at the new house? And what are we going to call the place - it can't be Château Gâteau - it just doesn't sound right, somehow."

"How about Château Taureaux? For my Bully girls Olivia and Lady Lockjaw?"

"What about Lucky Sekhmet Charms, my kitty? You can't leave her out."

"Well, no one can bully Locky better than Lucky," Domenico observed. "She must be a Taurus..."

"You're gonna get it," Olivia teased. "Okay, Château Taureaux it is then. And our motto will be: Fortitudo et Honor, or Strength and Honor."

"If it was good enough for the Romans, hey, I'm Italian, so it's good enough for me!" Duke laughed. "I also forgot to tell you - I heard from Mistress Machete recently and she's moving to Manhattan - to start a real estate company - and she wants you to work with her, my dear."

"She said that - she wants me? And what will my name be - Mistress Mortgage?"

"I like that - very clever. Think about it - you could do worse for a business partner."

"Perhaps you're right - what about the writing? I have another book to finish. Could she wait until we get back from France?"

"When you're ready, she's ready - so get out your best PVC skirt, my little croissant."

"Oh Gods, speaking of OTC, I found something yesterday that I have to email to LOL right away - only she will understand this strange text's meaning - it's about the Two Tablets, Duke, and it has a map encoded in it's story and everything - it's called the Southern Jasper - and..."

"Whoa...thank Olympus we didn't crate the computer, eh? Best get typing a super duper secret message, don't you think?"

And O was off to the study without further prompting, any sadness dispelled by the prospects of land trusts and tablets swirling about in her head.



The White Popess awoke on the morning prior to her departure with a gut instinct to go immediately to her laptop. Not one to ignore her reliable gut, the Lady of the Lake did as Intuition bid and was soon reading a strange yet wonderful story, sent to her by Miss O hours earlier.






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