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She tried to ree’s carThe parking area was new and paved, and sat on an ee of the river

She paused to look down at the Mississippi It really was a hty river The currents could be vicious; storms could make it toss and churn, and yet it could also be beautiful and glorious, the vein of life for so reat river had allowed for thesociety of grace and custom--and slavery But even in the antebellum days before the Civil War, New Orleans had offered a home for "free men of color" Ironically, black men had owned black men, and quadroons had been the mistresses of choice In Fiona’s mind, the city was home to some of the most beautiful people in the world even now, people who came in all shades God, yes, she loved her city It was far fro, and, as ever, the South still struggled to gain educational parity with the North

But everyone lived in this city: black, white, yellow, red, brown, and every shade in between Young and old, men and women

And the denizens of the underworld, of course

She took a deep breath as she stared at the river She was furious, yes She was afraid, yes And whather e had actually intended to wound her with his words

God, yes! Her parents would have handled this much better But they were dead They had knohat they were doing would cost theth, their last breaths But they had believed in a beautiful world, where peace could exist, where everyone could accept everyone else

She walked down to Decatur Street and paused St Louis Cathedral stood behind Jackson Square, its steeple towering over the scene before it, including the garden with its nificent equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson Cafe du Monde was to her right--filled with tourists, naturally It was a " like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, even if it wasn’t nearly so grand It was a true part of New Orleans, and she decided to brave the crowd of the tourists and pick up a nice cafe au lait for the three block walk back to the shop on Royal Street

Though an actual drink ht be better at this moment A Hand Grenade or a Hurricane, or any one of the other alcoholic libations so enjoyed on Bourbon Street

But she couldn’t have a drink She couldn’t drink ahat had happened--or everything she feared h the open air patio to the take-a, ordered a large cafe au lait to go, then headed on up toward Chartres Street and then Royal Her love for the city returned to her like ato a friend who gave tours in one of the es, and headed on past the red brick Pontalba Building She passed shops selling T-shirts, masks, the ever-present Mardi Gras beads, postcards and so with hand-crafted art and apparel

Soood repair, while others still needed a great deal of help Construction was constant in a city that was hundreds of years old, where the chared, and where, even before Hurricane Katrina, h economic difficulties to do as needed piece she loved even about the buildings that were still in dire need of tender care

The French Quarter’s buildings were an architectural wonderland The area had passed through many hands--French, Spanish, British and A the Spanish period in 1788 that the Great Fire of New Orleans had swept away s And then, in 1794, a second fire had taken another two hundred plus The current St Louis Cathedral had been built in 1789, so it, like much of the "French Quarter," had actually been built in the Spanish style

She reached her destination, a corner on Royal, and paused, looking at the facade of their shop and their livelihood

A Little Bit of Magic was on the ground floor of a truly char that dated back to 1823 She ran the shop with Caitlin and Shauna, her sisters, and she supposed, in their way, they were as much a part of the tourist scene as any other business When you got right down to it, they sold fantasy, fun, belief and, she supposed, to soh they attended St Louis Cathedral regularly, her mother had once told her, "All paths lead to God, and it doesn’t matter if you call him Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, or even if you believe that he is a she"

She knew that her parents had always believed in two basic tenets: that there was a supres, caood and evil The world was not black and white Like New Orleans, it was all shades in between

And so, in A Little Bit of Magic, they sold just about everything They had expansive shelves on Wiccan beliefs, voodoo history and rights, ends, spiritualism, Native American cultures, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism and more She ordered the books for the shop, and she loved reading about different beliefs and cultures

Caitlin, however, was their reigning mystic She was brilliant with a tarot deck Shauna was the palm reader, while she herself specialized in tea leaves--easily accessible, since they had a little coffee and tea bar of their own

They also sold beautiful hand-crafted capes, apparel, masks--this was New Orleans, after all--jewelry, wands, statues, dolls, voodoo paraphernalia and, soood business, and despite occasional disagree extreive her what she needed: patience, wisdo, it had been easier She’d been nineteen, an adult Caitlin had been right behind her at seventeen, but Shauna had been only fifteen It had been quite a fight to get the family courts to allow her to "raise" her sisters, but she had ust Gaudin--a olf, of all things--but he had a fine reputation in the city, and he’d been her strength At first, her sisters had been young, lost, so what she said was the law But she had never wanted to hold theht, with valid thoughts and opinions

And they were both going to be in a state of extre her shoulders both physically and mentally, Fiona entered the store Caitlin was behind the counter, chatting with a wo tea She eyed Fiona sharply as she entered, but continued her explanation of the different leaves