Part One - The Reveal
Chapter 2
Elements build
And Elements destroy
Anna's wizened old body shuffled towards Mary, Maia's mother. Mary reached out a bony arm and clutched Anna's shriveled forearm.
"Anna," she rasped, "Bring the children to Darling. And explain what's going on. I cant...I don't have the strength." her blue eyes turned piercing, "they deserve to know. They are young. But they have bared more than a regular adult. Tell them."
Anna gently peeled away Mary's bony fingers.
"I will Mary. I will tell them. I will bring them to Darling. Now, hush. Relax."
"So you're just going to kill her? Kill a woman to perform a...ceremony?" Tim said. He straightened his back and his handsome features wore a look of disgust.
Anna looked horrified. Her fuzzy white hair looked to stand on end. "I would never kill a human! I would rather die myself. What put that idea into your," she muttered the next words, "clearly addled brain?"
Tim looked abashed. "You're talking about some odd process you're going to do to her, and telling my mother to relax and she's still alive!"
Anna gently lifted Mary's hand. It was a pale yellow. "Do you see how translucent and sickly this looks? Her Element is leaving her. But I will not begin the ceremony until her soul and body no longer work in unison."
+++
The next minutes were horrible. Maia absently re-braided her long dark hair as she tried not to fall apart. She imagined all of her problems being folded into each strand, and slowly, her breath became steady. Tim paced around the small room. He kept on running his hands through his blond hair. It stood on end, expressing his feelings appropriately.
Tim and Maia always knew this day was coming. They knew their mother was ill beyond repair, but they always thought it was because of their father's unknown absence. But now it seemed as though their mother was saving their father. Saving him by giving him her… Water. These words made no sense to them. Gibberish. How could they be sure this was real? Maybe Mary and Anna were two fellow crazies?
Anna did look quite crazy as she inspected every inch of her necklace. She had an eye closed, and the other one was squinted. Her long nimble fingers held the locket tight.
Suddenly, with a noise that sent Maia’s stomach shooting through the floor, Mary groaned. All was quiet. All was silent. Death had entered the gloomy home that had once been so full of laughter and joy.
Tim’s dry sobs broke the silence. Maia’s calloused fingertips pressed into her eyelids as she tried to stem the tears. Anna stepped forward and shut Mary’s eyes that seemed to be too big for her pasty face. She turned and said,
“Children, I am going to begin. Do not be frightened. I will explain everything when I am done.” she paused and then, “Step back.”
Maia felt detached from the world. This was the moment of truth. Was all this nonsense really true?
For the first years of her life she was a happy child. The apple of her parents eyes. The constant pride of all that knew her. But then Sorrow had seen fit to lay his long, pale, dangerous hands upon her life. Her homeland was tossed into war. Father against son. Brother against sister. Her strong, brave father gone. Gone to fight a fight he hadn’t begun. Good citizenship He said. Doing what’s right He called it. Now, there was not a moment when Maia’s eyes were fully open. When her lips were turned upward.
Just now, as she was making peace with her dreadful fate of poverty and misery another knife was thrown in. Her mother- dead! The day would come. She always knew that. But it was painful. Very painful. Even more painful was to remember Mary in her former glory. She was a beautiful woman- inside and out. Always a cheerful word. But she was by no means perfect. Mary had her moments just like everyone else. The difference was she knew where her faults lay, and how to correct them.
All of this flashed through Maia’s mind and a soft, silky voice like the conclusion of a song said, And on your birthday too.
+++
Anna’s raspy voice cut through Maia’s thoughts like a knife through butter. “Do not be scared if you see unusual colors and shapes. I have it all under control.”
She clenched her hands into fists. Anna took a slow, deep breath and then unfurled them. Maia gasped and stepped back, banging into Tim’s chest. Tim’s brown eyes were wide with fear and confusion, for dancing on Anna’s front-fingers, were flickering lights. The colors were green, red, blue, and grey. She took her left fingers and pressed them into Mary’s left cheek. Anna did the same with the right. When she removed her fingers, there lay 8 imprints, 4 on each cheek.
A tree, in green.
A wave, in blue.
A curl of wind, in grey.
And a ball of fire, in red.
Out of every mark, a jet of each respective light shot out. And then, they were gone and the moldy old cabin was once again cast into gloom.
Maia held her head. It couldn't be real! It couldn't! This meant Anna was going to bring them to...Darling. And Anna was going to tell them what these words, colors, and symbols meant. This meant that her father was still alive.
Maia’s brown eyes sparkled with tears. Her head felt like it was in too many different places. Her heart felt like it was split in seven. Confusion and sorrow threatened to tear her apart. But when Anna gestured for them to join her at the wooden table, she did her best to put aside all distracting thoughts and pay attention to the words Anna would speak. Words that would no doubt change her life forever.
Comments