Summer break for Joe and Elise’s kids still had a couple of weeks remaining. He still had a little
free time before the start of the Harvest. Joe junior was visiting a friend. Elise had taken Cathy,
their daughter, to riding lessons. All girls loved horses. Joe would take the photographs of the secret
chamber books and documents to Simone to see if she could help him translate them. He thought of a good cover
story to go along with the photos so that he could keep his great grandfather’s chamber a secret.
As Joe turned into his driveway, he noticed that the black sedan with the tinted windows was still behind
him on the county road, but continued on past his gate. He could make out two suited males behind the
tinted glass. This car made him feel a little uneasy.
Later that afternoon, Joe walked into the Wine Witch shop carrying a folder with digital images of the book
titles and the notes of his great grandfather. The Wine Witch had an entire wall lined with bins holding
select wines from the local area and a few very special wines from other areas of California. Small tables
with chairs occupied space in front of these bins. A wine tasting bar stood prominently in the back.
Rows of shelves extended at right angles to the wine bin/table area and contained all manner of wine paraphernalia
and new age cultural iconoclastic trinkets. On the far wall, Joe could see various types of lava lamps,
unicorn wind chimes, bead necklaces, a rack of peace symbols, and a prominent bookshelf with titles visible by
Carlos Castenada, Zengal, Doherty, Gray, Peniel, Graves, and more. A glass case held tarot card decks,
crystals, amber jewelry, and more. New age music played softly. Simone stood by the wine bar;
no customers were in the store on this Monday afternoon.
“Hello Joe, what brings you in this afternoon?”
At that point Joe noticed a rack of dangling crystal pendants next to him, all catching the afternoon sun
shining in through the window. Suddenly, he felt very dizzy as he watched them all start to move, focusing
their light beams on him! Although a buzzing started ringing through his ears, he could hear Simone let out
a loud sigh and then the words “Oh my god!” Somehow, this all seemed to fit. Everything
over the last few days had become steadily, progressively, more surreal. Why not this? As soon as
the wave of dizziness passed, he stepped forward, breaking the spell.
“Simone, you once told me that you had a master’s degree in humanities. Do you know how to
read Latin and Greek?”
Simone just stared at him in shocked silence.
“Elise’s second cousins in Milan, Italy, found some books and manuscripts. They sent me some
digital photographs to see if I could translate them.” Joe lied to hide the existence of his great
grandfather’s secret chamber.
Simone poured herself a glass of wine and leaned heavily on the bar with a dazed expression. “I have
never seen the crystals move like that.” “Have you ever spent much time in Shasta? Maybe with the
Hopis in New Mexico? Have you ever been to India?”
Joe ignored her questions. “I have these photos I would like you to look at.” He opened the folder
on the bar and spread out a couple for her to see.
“I studied Latin and Greek, but I am pretty rusty. You don’t get much opportunity to use
such skills when running a wine shop. Would you like a glass of this Ezekiel Vineyards Barbera? It took
gold at the State Fair. It will be on the house.”
Joe, never one to turn down a glass of good wine and highly respectful of Simone’s tastes in wines,
nodded his head, and then pointing at the photograph of Carlo Gambaro’s notes. “I also have these
manuscript notes in some script that I cannot make out. Are these Greek?”