Texas Moon

“Whew,” Bram said. “You don’t have the ability to predict the future. We checked that out years ago when we were planning to bet five bucks on a Super Bowl.”

“Yeah, well, I saw the future. A woman...an incredibly beautiful woman...named Nancy Shatner, who owns a store called Buttons and Beads, is in some kind of danger. I sensed the danger, but I don’t know how serious it is, or what the danger is from. I saw her in the visions pleading for help, crying, and she was wearing a bright blue shawl.”

“Define incredibly beautiful,” Bram said, but his brothers ignored him.

“Did you track her down?” Blue asked. “Does she own a blue shawl?”

Tux stopped and shoved both hands through his thick hair.

“Are you ready for this?” he said. “While I’m standing in her store, trying to convince her that my friend, who had the visions, isn’t totally nuts, a lady from down the block, who has a used clothes place, bounces in all excited because she’s bringing Nancy a bright blue shawl she knows Nancy will want to have.”

“Holy smokes,” Bram uttered, his eyes widening.

“No joke,” Blue said. “Is this for real? You don’t have any clue as to what kind of danger Incredibly Beautiful Nancy is in?”

“Obviously not,” Jana-John said, coming into the room.

“Therefore, you’d better watch over Nancy Shatner until this mystery is solved, Tux.”

Blue and Bram had gotten to their feet the instant their mother appeared.

Jana-John Bishop was just barely over five feet tall and had an ethereal aura. She seemed to float when she walked, just glided gracefully when she moved from one place to the next.

Her blue eyes were clear and sparkling, her features those of her sons, but softened to feminine perfection. Her blond hair was swept to the top of her head and secured by two combs. The hairdo had taken her moments to arrange, and looked like she’d spent hours in a beauty salon to achieve the fetching, tousled affect

Tonight she was wearing a flowing “something” that had been crafted from a multitude of filmy handkerchiefs.

When the boys were small, one of their friends had asked them, “How come you got a fairy princess for a mom, and I only got a regular kinda mom?”

“Hello, my darlings,” Jana-John said, kissing each on the cheek as they bent down so she could reach them. “Oh, you’re all so handsome, so fine.” She looked at Tux. “You’re disturbed by what has happened with your psychic powers, aren’t you, dear? I heard you talking while I was putting dinner on the table.

“Bram, go retrieve your father from his study, and we’ll discuss Tux’s problem while we eat.”

Tall, thin, Abraham Lincoln Bishop soon took his place at the head of the table. He’d fastened his shirt one button off, leaving it lopsided, and his dark hair stood straight up from long fingers being pulled through it during the day.

He had a generally disheveled appearance and a bemused expression on his face. But when he met each of his sons’ gaze, Abe’s light blue eyes radiated warmth and love.

“Good evening, darling wife,” Abe said, looking at Jana-John. “You look exquisite this evening.”

“Thank you, love,” she said, smiling.

She settled onto her chair at the opposite end of the table from her husband, and clasped her hands beneath her chin.

“Isn’t this a delightful meal for a hot summer night?” she said. “There’s lemonade, sliced smoked chicken from the deli, two loaves of crunchy French bread, and a delicious fruit salad.”

“Marvelous, my dear,” Abe said, beaming.

Tux, Blue and Bram looked at the six bowls on the table. There was one filled with oranges, another held apples, then on they went—bananas, grapes, peaches and plums.

“Fruit salad?” Blue said.

“Well, yes,” his mother said. “Arrange the fruit on your plate, take a bite of each in whatever order you prefer, and by the time it all reaches your tummy, you’ll have a salad.”

Bram shrugged. “Makes sense to me.” He tossed an orange to Tux. Tux’s hand shot out and snatched the orange out of the air. “Start your salad, big brother.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Jana-John explained to Abe what had taken place with Tux’s psychic powers.

“You don’t say,” Abe said. “Tux, you see that you take proper care of that young woman until this mystery is solved.”

“Yes, sir,” Tux said.

“He knows that, Abe,” Jana-John said. “In all your reading have you run across anything like this?”

“Can’t remember that I have,” Abe said. “Back in history if a man had psychic powers they locked him away in an institution.”

“Good plan,” Blue said. “Bye, Tux. Can I have your stereo system?”

Tux glared at Blue, then directed his attention to his father. “I spoke to a Dr. Jeremiah Nixon this afternoon about this mess.”