"Wow," was the best response I could come up with, after listening to Erin's latest story. "That's incredible."

My boss had another one of those knowing smiles on her face as she calmly sipped her green tea. She nodded, "I suppose it is, yes. As I've said before Vikki, you'll get used to those sorts of things in time."

That left me with a thoughtful frown on my face as I quietly ate the last of my pork-fried rice. Then after munching on that for a bit I finally looked up at her again and asked quietly, "So do you think they're aliens? Is our town some sort of secret alien hotspot?"

Erin actually had to suppress a laugh. She shook her head, "Not at all! If that's what was going on we'd have a lot more UFO reports, don't you think? Honestly I can't remember hearing of a single such report in all my years here."

"Huh," I frowned again.

She had a point, I couldn't remember ever hearing about UFO sightings around here. You heard about that stuff now and then, but it was always something that happened someplace else.

Then my boss asked, "What made you think of aliens? If you don't mind my asking."

I grimaced, "Oh! It's when you said you figured Miss Strand came from somewhere that wasn't on any map, and that you couldn't book a plane ticket there."

"So if you weren't thinking outer space, what did you mean by that?" I added. "What do you think she really is?"

She watched me for a few moments as she had another sip of her tea. Then she finally responded, "At the time I had no idea. In retrospect, I believe Jordan Strand is fae. Perhaps she's a fae heiress? Or maybe those gold coins were stolen. Either way I think she came here to start over. Fae are also funny about names, which might be why she wanted to keep hers off the deed?"

Erin continued, "She claimed to arrive early in the morning on the nineteenth of June that year? I looked it up, that was a full moon. The moon literally reached its peak at three in the morning that day. I think whatever magic brought her here was probably tied to the full moon in some way."

"She also had that whole supernatural beauty thing going on," my boss added. "Fae are also known as fair folk because of their good looks. I don't think she enspelled me, but it was hard not to be entranced by her looks alone."

We were both quiet for the next few moments as that slowly sank in. It was literally the stuff of stories and fairy tales, fae or fair folk or fairies were legends and myths from Europe and the UK. Nobody really believed in that sort of thing now. And yet here was my boss telling me with a straight face that she sold a house to one of those mythological beings. It made me want to start doing web searches for fae sightings, to see if anything would actually come up around here or not.

"Fae don't age," she added suddenly, but in a very low voice. "Or they don't age like we do. I saw Miss Strand again two years ago. I don't think she noticed me, or if she did then she didn't recognize me. I was showing a house across the street from her bungalow, and I happened to be out front with a prospective buyer when she pulled up into her driveway. She hadn't aged a single day in the three decades since I sold her that house."

Hearing that sent a little chill down my spine, but at the same time I couldn't help trying to find an explanation. "Maybe you saw her daughter? You said Jordan was in her mid-twenties when you first met her, right? So thirty years would be the right timing for her to have a child of her own around that age..."

My voice trailed off as Erin slowly shook her head.

"It wasn't just a family likeness Vikki, it was her. Trust me," my boss stated quietly.

"All right," I sighed.

A half minute later she suggested, "It looks like we've both finished eating, so we should probably wrap this up? I have an appointment to get to, and I believe you have some work to do back in the office."

I nodded, "Of course. Thanks again for lunch Erin, I really appreciate it."

She smiled, "You're very welcome Vikki."

We were in a little Chinese buffet restaurant that was in the same strip plaza as the office. It was actually right next door, on the north side. After my boss took care of the bill the two of us returned to the office together. Except while I settled in behind my desk she continued on through towards the back door.

Before going out to her SUV she let me know, "I might not be back this afternoon, it depends on how things go. I don't know what Jason's up to today, so it might be on you to lock the place up this evening."

"All right Erin," I responded. "Take care, see you tomorrow!"

She smiled and waved as she headed out, then I focused on that work she mentioned earlier. I'd picked up a new listing this morning and needed to finish getting it all set up on our website. And once that was done I had to get all the information entered into the MLS.

It was just about half past three when I got all that wrapped up, when my phone started ringing. I answered it, but barely had a chance to say hello before my coworker Jason McTavish started talking over me.

"Vic!" he exclaimed in a quiet but excited tone. "I'm so glad you're there!"

He knew I absolutely hated being called 'Vic', and between the nickname and his tone I could immediately guess what was going on. He'd gone to meet with a prospective client but he was completely unprepared, now the client was ready to proceed and he needed me to bail him out by preparing the paperwork.

Sure enough he continued in a hushed tone that told me his prospect was within earshot, "I'm over at that old former rental property on Elm and I've got a hot one on the hook here. They're not even looking to haggle, they just want to pay the asking price and take possession ASAP! I need you to print up all the paperwork then bring it over here pronto, ok? Stay on the line, I'll give you all the relevant information so you can type it up."

Quite a few choice words crossed my mind, but I kept quiet. I wasn't his secretary or his assistant, no matter how often he treated me like one. On the other hand hearing that this prospect wanted to move in as soon as possible and they didn't care about haggling over the price immediately reminded me of those special customers. Like the one Erin had just been telling me about at lunch, or the one I'd made my first sale to just over a month earlier.

"Ok Jason," I sighed. "Give me a moment to get the file from your office."

I spent the next fifteen or twenty minutes with the phone practically glued to my ear and my hands on the computer keyboard. I could hear a woman's voice in the background, she sounded very confident and in charge as she answered Jason's questions. Then he'd repeat what she said so I could type out what was necessary.

In the end I sent everything to the laser printer while Jason told me, "Thanks Vic you're a lifesaver! Now I need you to rush all that over here so we can get it all signed. And bring the rest of the file, and whatever else looks like it might be important just incase, alright?"

"How?" I asked. "You know I don't have a car."

He sounded frustrated as he replied, "Take a cab or something Vic! It's not rocket science, you're a clever girl you can figure it out!"

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll make sure to get a receipt to add to the expense report along with my time."

Whatever he said next was muffled so I couldn't quite make it out, but I could guess. Luckily I was able to make arrangements for a ride-share fairly quickly, and it was only ten or twelve minutes later when I arrived at the property. I recognized Jason's pick-up truck out front, and there was another car there that probably belonged to the buyer.

I made my way inside and found a middle-aged couple and their purple-haired teenage daughter standing together in the living-room. All three of them looked a little lost and overwhelmed. Meanwhile I could hear Jason's voice coming from the kitchen, along with that of the mysterious confident-sounding young woman I'd heard on the phone.

"Hello there," I greeted the first three with a polite smile.

Then Jason called out, "That you Vic? We're in the kitchen!"

I excused myself as I went to deliver all the contracts and agreements to my coworker. In there with him was a competent-looking young woman who just radiated an air of authority.

She was a bit taller than average, and her figure seemed slim and athletic, with some lithe muscle showing through her soft feminine curves. Her short sandy-brown hair was styled in a professional business-woman sort of cut, and her bright hazel eyes shone with intensity. I couldn't quite place her age, somewhere between between twenty-five and thirty-five maybe. The woman was dressed in a tan-coloured skirt suit, and she had a brown leather folio case with her.

I assumed she was another real estate agent acting on the buyers' behalf. Although she could have been a lawyer, she definitely had that sort of vibe to her. One unusual thing that caught my eye was a gold brooch in the form of a bow and quiver of arrows that she wore on the lapel of her jacket.

The woman fixed her gaze on me as I entered the kitchen, and for just a moment it almost felt like she was looking right through me into my soul. Then she greeted me with a professional smile, "I'm Phoebe Archer, Violet Andersen's representative. You must be Jason's assistant?"

"His colleague actually," I responded in a rather cool tone. "Vikki Lawrence, pleased to meet you Ms. Archer."

Jason rolled his eyes and asked, "You brought all the paperwork?"

I nodded as I held up my own folio, "Of course."

To my surprise and amusement it was Ms. Archer who took charge, rather than Jason. The young woman continued to radiate confidence and authority as she reviewed all the documents I'd brought. And when she had comments or questions she addressed them to me.

Initially I assumed that's because I was the one who prepared everything and brought it all over, but I quickly came to realize she just didn't like Jason McTavish all that much. Not that I could blame her. Every so often he'd try and reassert himself as the sales agent, he'd even try and take charge of the conversation. And every time he did Ms. Archer would shoot him down with a single word, or sometimes all it took was a sharp look and an arched eyebrow.

When it came time to discuss the funds I almost expected her to have a bank draft or certified cheque appear out of nowhere, but instead she just told us the cash would be transferred electronically first thing in the morning.

It didn't take long to finish going through everything, and at that point all that was left was to get the buyer's signature. Ms. Archer looked towards the living-room and called, "Violet, would you please join us in here?"

I was expecting the middle-aged woman, but instead it was the teen girl who responded. She came and stood next to her representative while her parents hung back by the kitchen door.

"If you're certain you want this to be your new home," she told the purple-haired girl, "Then we just need your signature in a few places."

"What about..." the girl's dad started to ask, but his voice trailed off as Ms. Archer fixed her gaze on him with another raised eyebrow.

It was at that moment when a wild crazy impossible idea suddenly struck me. I hadn't really thought about ancient Greek mythology since high school, but I remembered enough of it that I couldn't shake the idea, no matter how outlandish it seemed. The gold bow and arrow brooch, calling herself 'Ms. Archer', the strong confident attitude, and the way she didn't seem particularly fond of men all had me convinced that this woman was somehow related to the Goddess Artemis.

I found myself staring at her, while she was looking at the teen's dad. Then as if she knew I was watching her, Ms. Archer turned slightly towards me. Our eyes met, and a chill ran down my spine. She didn't say anything, she didn't look or act threatening in any way. But at the same time I somehow knew I was right. She wasn't just connected to the Goddess. This was Her, here in the flesh. And She was buying a house for a teenage girl named Violet.

For a moment it felt like time stopped. I knew who and what She was, and She knew that I knew.

That was one of those things Erin warned me against, never letting on that we knew about these sorts of things. My heart was pounding as I sort of braced myself for whatever might happen next.

Then the moment was broken by the purple-haired teen. She sounded overwhelmed as she quietly apologized, "I'm sorry Phoebe. I don't know what all this stuff means. What do I do?"

Just like that the Goddess's mood shifted. Her tone and voice and body language were all soft and gentle as She patiently explained everything to the teenager. The girl had some more questions, but the Goddess answered them all in the same kind and gentle voice. She really seemed to care for the kid, which left me wondering what was so special about her. Not that I'd ask, and odds were I'd never find out anyways.

It took another minute or two for 'Ms. Archer' to answer all of Violet's questions, then they got on with the process of signing documents. The Goddess signed a few things as the teen's agent, and Jason had to sign several of the documents as well. I was all but forgotten, which honestly seemed like the best possible outcome.

In the end Jason shook the teenager's hand and congratulated her on buying her first house. He looked like he was about to reach for Artemis' hand as well, before he smartened up. I was positive he had no idea who She really was, but obviously something told him not to try and touch Her. Then the girl and her parents headed out, while Jason gathered up all the signed forms.

After looking through it once more he handed it all to me and asked me to return it to the office, and for once I was happy to do so. I quietly bid him and 'Ms. Archer' a good afternoon, then quickly made my way out the door.

It was a nice enough day I decided to walk back to the office. I figured the fresh air and exercise would give me a chance to unwind and clear my head. And as I made my way along the sidewalk I couldn't help thinking that this time I'd be the one sharing a remarkable story with Erin, instead of the other way around.

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