The next morning, on her way to the restaurant, Bethany drove to the far end of Main street to Ambrosia’s crystal shop which was on the first floor of an old Victorian home. It was hard to miss because it was painted a pale purple and had scalloped gingerbread trim. A large bay window filled with crystals and jewelry twinkled as the sunlight fell upon it.

When Bethany opened the front door, soft chimes rang and Ambrosia looked up from the counter where she was sitting and thumbing through a book. A chipped tea cup sat by her side. The faint smell of lavender incense danced across the room. Ambrosia smiled and her face lit up. She stood and stepped out from behind the counter, ready to help. She was a pretty woman, maybe around thirty-five or so, Bethany guessed. She was wearing a gorgeous long, flowing ivory sweater over a purple and blue print skirt that swirled around her ankles.

“Welcome. Are you looking for anything in particular? Let me guess, you’ve lost a ring or something and you need some guidance to find it?”

Bethany guessed that she probably had a lost look about her as she knew very little about crystals. But, she had heard that they had healing properties and her mother could use all the help she could get.

She smiled. “No, I haven’t lost anything. My mother just finished a round of chemotherapy and radiation. Can you suggest a stone or crystal that might help with her healing?” It sounded a bit crazy as she said it out loud, but Ambrosia nodded.

“I’m very sorry that your mother has been sick. I do have a few crystals that I would suggest.” She led her over to an area filled with crystals of all sizes and colors. She carefully picked out three stones and handed them to Bethany one by one. The first was a pretty green color.

“Malachite. It helps with all forms of cancer and strengthens the immune system.”

Bethany ran her hand over the stone, it felt cool and smooth.

“And this is Smoky Quartz. The darker the color the better. It is especially helpful with the after effects of chemotherapy.” She dropped the coffee-colored crystal into Bethany’s palm.

“Lastly, Yellow Kunzite helps with healing after radiation. It helps to strengthen the cells.” This crystal almost seemed to glow from within. The color was like pale yellow light.

“Do you know how to use the crystals?” Ambrosia asked.

“No. I’m really not sure.” Bethany had no idea what to do next.

Ambrosia smiled. “There’s no one correct way, but you want to cleanse your crystals before using them and recharge them for at least four hours by setting them in either sunlight or moonlight. Whichever you prefer. Then you gather your stones close to you and you think about what you want them to do. It’s really that simple.”

“How do I cleanse them?”

“Wave them through a cleansing incense. This one is good.” Ambrosia plucked a box of incense off a shelf and handed it to Bethany. “And once the stone is cleansed, some believe that the fairy inside will speak to you if you are deemed worthy.” Ambrosia seemed to be waiting for some kind of a reaction from Bethany, but the comment left her speechless. Fairies?

“Let me get you a little pouch for your stones.” Ambrosia led the way to the register and pulled a pale silvery blue velvet pouch with a silk drawstring from a drawer and held it open so Bethany could drop the crystals into it.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked.

“No, I think that’s all I need.”

“Hmmmm. Hold please.” She wandered off to the far corner of the room and came back a moment later with a pretty pink stone. “This one is with my compliments. Rose Quartz. You need it.”

“I do? What is it for?”

Ambrosia smiled. “It’s for giving the heart the love it deserves. It will bring positive energy into your life. Trust me.”

It sounded silly to Bethany, but it was sweet of Ambrosia to give her the stone. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

“Make sure you do the same process with this stone that I told you to do with your mother’s. Once it’s recharged, hold it close and keep it near you. By your bedside is a good spot.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Ambrosia.”

When Bethany got home from work that evening, her mother and cat were in their usual spots. Her mother was reading a novel for her book club and Simon was kneading a blanket and purring so loudly that Bethany could hear him from across the room. They both looked up when she walked in.

“You’re home early.” Her mother closed the book and set it on the coffee table.

“It was slow tonight.”

Her mother frowned. “I’ve heard that Quinn’s isn’t as busy as it used to be. I hope for their sake and for yours that they are doing ok?”

Bethany had the same concern. The pub had been busy the night before for music bingo but it had been very slow the next day for lunch and dinner. So slow that as much as she hated to do it, she was planning to talk to Ryder about it when she went in. She knew about the issues they’d had with the old chef but thought it was just about him stealing. It seemed as though business itself was down and she wondered what Ryder’s plans were to turn things around.

“I’m going to talk to Ryder tomorrow and see what they have planned for marketing. People seem to love the new food.”

“It might just take a while until word gets out that there’s a new chef,” her mother said.

“I agree. So, are you up for a smoothie?”

“Yes, I’d love one. I had your shepherd’s pie for dinner, honey and it was excellent. You do comfort food well.”

Bethany smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you liked it. I’ll be right back.”

She returned a few minutes later with their green smoothies, handed one to her mother and settled onto the love seat.

“I stopped at Ambrosia’s shop today. Have you ever been there?”

“With the crystals? No, I haven’t. But I’ve always been curious about that place. Did you get anything?”

Bethany pulled the little pouch out of the bag Ambrosia had given her. She handed it to her mother.

“What’s this?” She looked intrigued as she took the little pouch and peeked inside.

“Three crystals, for you. They’re to help with your healing.”

Her mother looked touched and curious. “Really? Thank you. How does it work?” She poured the crystals into her hand and held them up to the light. “They’re so pretty.”

Bethany explained what Ambrosia had shared about how to start using the crystals.

“We can start the process tonight. I bought the incense too. And I have a stone of my own.”

“You do? What is yours for?”

Bethany hesitated for a moment. “For bringing positive energy into my life.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely.”

After they finished their smoothies. Bethany lit a stick of incense and waved it around the room and around their crystals. They took the crystals outside and set them on the front steps where the moonlight shone down upon them.

“They have to stay in the light for at least four hours. So we can just collect them in the morning.”

“Perfect. We can gather them close and think happy thoughts while we have our morning coffee.”

Bethany smiled. “That sounds like a good plan”