My French relatives from New Caledonia (the ones on my mother's side of the family) who drank to excess, fought with knives, and loved shopping at Tom Thumb when they visited the States, used to dive for black pearls off the island. You could only get them at night, and by all accounts, it was dangerous. I have no way of knowing how much of what they said was true -- they often showed up with a handful of the precious pearls and tombstones for relatives that were already buried which made groovy-cool decorations in my parents' already creepy-ass house.
On my search engine, I get a bizarre variety of search terms, some mundane (how do you spell extremely?) to disturbing (pre-teen rape scenes). But mostly I get spells -- spells to make someone love you, spells to bring lost love back, and interestingly enough, spells for longer hair. It seems, just like I always suspected, that a lot of people don't think their hair looks good. But I always get sad when I see the love spells, the desire, the hope. There wasn't a lot of love in my mother's family unless you count throwing bottles at each other as signs of affection. I still have one of the rare black pearls from their visits and the lore says it guides you through nights with no moon. White pearls signify fertility so I avoid them, pink ones look, well, too pink. But to wear something around your neck to guide you through your nights without any moonlight allows you to walk through the darkest moments with hope, maybe the most dangerous item in Pandora's box.
Michelle's Spell of the Day
"Rock'n'roll is so great that everyone in the world should think it's the greatest thing that's happening. If they don't, they're turds.” Lux Interior (Rest in Peace!)
Cocktail Hour
Video tomorrow - - I'm coming up with a whole new batch of potions to get us through all the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day.
Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Thursday! Still thinking about Mark's writing prompt -- a party scene, matching dresses, too much tequila . . . it's coming together!
8 comments:
They didn't throw bottles but I do remember one time my mother wanted new dinner ware. She tossed every dish, bowl and, saucer at the old man when he was fucked up one night. She got her dinner ware the next day and he got to sweep up the broken crockery.
Traveling through the moonless night with hope...sounds like the realm of the happily blind.
Now about those spells kiddo, I got the long hair part down, as in singular hair...find me one for more hair period...on my head, on my head.
stopped over from Walking Man's blog... I once found a black pearl in an oyster I was eating on New Years Day--some 20 years ago--I'd brought the oysters home with me from the coast and nearly broke a tooth--I saved it thinking if anything came of my date for the eveing, I'd have it made into jewelry. We went our seperate ways and I'm not sure whatever became of that pearl.
I found my way here from Walking Man's place. Nice post.
I have been a plate thrower only once in my life that I recall - it was a plate which had been a wedding gift to my parents, upon which I had made a cake for my boyfriend. In a rage (who knows what about) I through the entire cake plus plate at him. I missed him, and it shattered on a hitching post. I felt awful after that, having broken my parents' plate.
Black pearls have always intrigued me, and I love pearls in general, especially those pretty biwa fresh water (crunchy) pearls. I had to look up New Caledonia though.
I didn't know that story about Black Pearls. I've always thought they were very lovely.
Hi Girly, Remember the story, "It all began with the tequila debacle on Thanksgiving Day Eve?" Unfortunatly I have too damn many of those tales... xoxo
My husbands paternal grandmother kept a knife under her pillow just in case. Old Joe even threw scissors at his son, my husbands father and they stuck in his back. Everybody loved Joe at the country store or saloon, but he was a devil at home.
I like that idea of the black pearls--that they guide one also through dark nights...of the soul.
Michelle,
I didn't know that about black pearls. Black is my favorite color.
My hair is about the only aspect of myself I am satisfied with, LOL!
Take care, and may you always have a black pearl to guide you through moonless nigthts.
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