"A beautiful fall day," I said quietly, and drew the Spirit Sword. Somewhere I could hear the sound of insane laughter... The blade was wider than my ...and, but far too short to be used in battle. It was plain polished metal without design or blood-grooves, yet as I stared at it, there seemed to be a pattern just below the surface. I held the blade up into the light of the late afternoon sun.Starting at the tip of the blade, a small wisp of white began to trail, soon joined by others. My arm. “The treatment involves the vulvar manipulation of the womb area, a part of the uterus,” omitting the bit regarding “massage the genitalia with one finger inside using oil of lilies or musk root”“Here’s what it says,” finding the page. “The patient may feel contractions, secrete necessary fluids and experience a fit before relieving her tension, sometimes to the point of somnolence.”“As I lack medical education,” his patient pointed out, “it might be better just to show me,” dispensing with. Some of the various managers throughout the years had introduced their pet products to the neighborhood, and most of these sold quickly while the item was new or a novelty, and all of them still had some of their "specials" left behind, not being standard stocking items. There was a smattering of house paint, a selection of dated toys, a large assortment of cake decorating items and rack after rack of t shirts that were emblazoned with reference to about fifteen shows of yesteryear television.. How has your vacation been?"Helen opened the menu before replying, "Without Gerry being here it has seemed pretty pointless. How's Seattle?" Still raining," he answered with a smile, opening his own menu before asking her if she knew of any specialties of the house. She had not been out to eat since arriving and was unaware of any.After ordering the conversation was slow but warm. Helen hadn't really done anything more with her photography since arriving. She had taken a few shots she had hopes.