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Matchmaker(continued) A teenager stomped in, resplendent in Mongolian warrior armor. He raised a short sword at the barmaid, received a chocolate milk shake, and slurped it down with noisy enthusiasm. People around her began to change. A slender, spiral horn sprouted from the forehead of a dreamy-looking man seated behind a laptop. The young woman next to her developed opalescent wings that rustled with the sound of a thousand tiny bells, and an elderly man became a Biblical prophet with a flowing white beard and fiery gaze. Understanding dawned on Marissa. I can see their inner selves, she thought. People's mythological natures. Is this some weird side effect of insomnia? The lack of sleep had either turned on or shut down some synapses in her brain. She walked out of the café, observing the fantastic creatures emerging from the passersby — business people, shoppers, students. Two men argued on a corner, unaware that they were an ogre and an elf. A group of teenage fairies floated by, leaving behind a sparkling, vanilla-scented cloud. Across the street, a foreman in the form of the Minotaur roared at his construction crew. As Marissa opened the office building's front door, her nerves jangled. What if everyone at the company was transforming? But Tammy the receptionist still wore her pink dress and blue eyeshadow. Marissa walked by her boss's office and saw through the open door that he still wore his black Armani suit. Back at her workstation, she scrutinized Dana and Lindsey to make sure they weren't growing any wings, claws, or tails. "Now what?" asked Dana. "You see a ghost?" Marissa shook her head and passed out the coffees. "No, my contacts are acting up." "After work, let's do ladies' night at Wild Bananas," said Lindsey. "We need a little fun." When the three women arrived at the restaurant at 6:15, they managed to get the last booth. Marissa sipped a Seabreeze, relishing the mix of juice and vodka. But then she gasped. The transformations were starting again. A werewolf lounged over the bar, grinning at a fairy woman whose delicate wings glowed a soft yellow. A troll complained about his job to a nervous pixie who eyed the door. A chubby man with small wings and a halo leaned toward a woman whose nose shifted into a beak and manicured hands became claws. The harpy's expression hardened with impatience as the cherub talked. "Those people are all wrong for each other!" Marissa blurted. "How can you tell?" asked Dana. Marissa watched her coworker's short blond hair lengthen and turn the color of ripe corn. Stalks of wheat and barley laced the front of her long white gown. "Their inner selves clash," she replied. "Opposites can attract but the inner selves have to match or compliment each other." "You sound like a matchmaker," said Lindsey. Her long, wavy hair became a brilliant green. Under their table, her legs fused together to form a shining blue-green fishtail. "At this point in my life, I'd hire one." She gazed at the water splashing in a nearby fountain. As Marissa watched the mythical beings mingle and drink cocktails, another revelation dawned on her: she could help people. She would take this new ability and start a matchmaking business. Excited by the idea of independence, she excused herself to the restroom to think. She washed her trembling hands and splashed cool water on her flushed face. A sense of unease crept through her jubilation. Am I qualified? Can I help the right people connect? And what if my true nature turned out to be a mouse? Or worse — a monster? When she raised her eyes to the speckled mirror, all she saw was round-faced Marissa with her father's eyes and mother's nose, sensible, friendly, and unremarkable. Relief melted her. She wasn't ready to see her mythical self yet. Back in the restaurant, she decided to test her skill and approached
the couples at the bar.
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