by Steven Wolff
CHAPTER 8
THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
The next day comes and Anica awakens refreshed from a great night’s sleep. She can smell the fresh aroma of coffee in the air and bacon cooking on the stove. All this sensory bombardment makes her mouth water and the rest of her anxious to get out of bed.
She throws on the fuzzy cotton robe that R'dell loaned to her, and ties the knot around her waist while looking out the window. The view is spectacular as the morning sun reveals a lush green countryside with beams of light poking through the trees. Beneath them, in the thick shade where the morning sun hasn't touched yet, a cool mist dances above the long grass blades as tiny birds chirp and sing.
Anica takes in a big breath of air and lets it out with content. She could spend a whole day just staring out the window at the tranquil scenery but one thing keeps her from doing that. Coffee! So with a quick turn, she slips her feet into the slippers placed by the bed, making her way down the stairs to the now familiar breakfast table.
“Well, good morning, Sunshine,” Lonnie says, glancing away from his newspaper as he greets her.
Anica walks over and gives Lonnie a kiss on the cheek, like she had known him all her life.
“Good Morning!” She replies.
“How'd you sleep?”
“Really good, actually! Once I hit the bed, I was out! I thought I would be up all night thinking about everything we talked about. Nope... Slept like a log!” Anica smiles.
“Good, I'm glad to hear it.”
R'dell comes out of the kitchen and gives Anica a friendly hug.
“Good Morning Sweetie,” she says in a loving voice. Anica sits down at the table and R'dell pours her some fresh coffee.
“Thank you” Anica says, putting sugar and creamer into her coffee. She paused when she remembered the little lady that was made of milk.
“Sorry little milk lady.” She giggles as she picks up her cup and takes a sip of her coffee. “Mmmm, this coffee is so good!”
“I'm glad you like it, it's our favorite too.” R'dell says with a smile.
“Are you excited about traveling to Airrah?” Lonnie asked.
“Yes, I can't wait to see it! I have so many questions in my mind about how things look, who this Marcel guy is, how this ring works. Many questions!
“Well, take your time and enjoy your breakfast, you'll need all of your energy for the big day ahead of you.” Lonnie tells Anica.
While Anica is chowing down on her pancakes, bacon, and eggs, R'dell goes back to the kitchen to pack her a little “to-go” lunch, complete with a couple of homemade snacks. After breakfast, Anica heads back upstairs and turns on the shower to let it warm up. Her only clothes are the ones she had from the other night. They still lay on the floor, dirty. The mud is dry and her shirt had some rips in it from when she was thrown from the car. She peeks her head out the door and calls down the stairs.
“R'dell, do you have a wash machine and dryer?”
“No I do not. Sorry!” she replies back.
“Shoot.” Anica says a little bummed. She doesn't want to give a bad impression to Marcel, so as she showers, she tries to come up with a clever answer to give him as to why she's a little grungy. As she turns off the shower, Anica grabs a towel and is shocked at what she sees.
On the counter are her clothes from the other night, clean and good as new! This puzzles her, as she was only in the shower for maybe 15 minutes tops. She inspects the neatly folded clothes to make sure she isn’t seeing things. These are the same clothes that were lying on the floor, dirty.
The colors are bright and there are no traces of them ever being torn! Anica is bewildered by this. She even smells them, and they were as fresh as if they came out of the dryer! There are even several identical copies of the same clothes but the colors are different!
'How can this be?' Anica asked herself as she looked around the room to confirm she’s the only one there. Finally, she finishes drying herself off and puts on her newly cleaned and mended clothes again, happy that they are clean. Even her socks and shoes are new again, which brings a smile to her face.
After a while of getting ready, Anica comes down stairs and says, “Taa Dah!” raising her arms in the air as she presents herself to Lonnie and R'dell.
“Very nice. I take it the shower did you good?” Lonnie asks.
“Yes, it was very refreshing.” Anica replies with a smile and a spring in her step.
“I see R'dell fixed up your clothes too.”
“Yes, I was about to ask you about that… How'd you do that?” Anica asks.
R'dell replies, “Fairies are very domestic creatures. Our homes are just as important as our families and when you have little ones flying around, one quickly learns to fix broken windows and patch up rips and tears!” She says in a warm voice with a soft smile on her face. “Cleaning your clothes was easy, trust me.”
Anica looks at the hallway wall with lots of family photos on display. There are photos of Lonnie and R'dell with children at many stages of their lives. There are newborn photos; some are of birthdays, holidays, and just various happy moments.
“Did all your children move out of the house?” Anica inquires.
“Yes, they did. Once the nest was empty, we decided to retire and live in your world where it's a lot quieter.”
“What do you mean quieter? Is your world loud or really busy?”
“No, not literally. By quieter, I mean you don't have to worry about the were-dragons, were-wolves, vampires, rogue wizards, and so on and so on. Here, they don't cross over as much so they're not really a problem as they are in our world.”
“You're not instilling confidence in me wanting to cross over.”
Lonnie laughs again.
“Don't worry, our world is a very big place and these creatures are scattered about in their own little sections. Every once in a while you'll hear or see one or two but it's not like in your movies… They are just like you and me, trying to survive and get by. Over time, after countless lives were lost and blood shed, everyone in Airrah learned that it's in their better interest to do business with each other, than to constantly be at war with everyone.”
“So you're saying these creatures that exist in Airrah are intelligent?”
“Oh yeah, some can speak multiple languages, blend into societies, shape-shift, all kinds of things. Some of them cross over into this world all the time, back and forth, for whatever reasons, and usually without incident. Ever heard of Steve Jobs of Apple? He's from Airrah.” Lonnie smiles.
“That explains a lot.” Anica comments.
“Yeah, they learned several hundred years ago that it's easier to blend in than to be themselves because people here in your world are quick to judge. Some learned the hard way back in the medieval times. Every once in a while, you'll have one or two who cause trouble, but that's why we have treaties, to remind everyone of what happened in our past and that we have laws that are enforced by the Protectors. In Airrah, they're called Universal Laws because they apply to everyone.
Most everyone agreed on them and for the most part, societies formed and grouped up respectively, to each his own and in their own place. Some towns have a mixture of creatures and races co-existing like family. It all depends on where you go. Marcel will always be around to keep a safe eye on you while you're in Airrah. He's the one who will escort you to meet the High Council.”
“How do I know what he looks like when I meet him?” Anica asks.
“Take a look,” R’dell says, pulling a wand out of her pocket and waving it a few times in a vertical circle. The wand starts to glow a greenish light as an image starts to form in the center of the circle. After a few moments, a 3-D picture of Marcel appears inside the circle, showing him moving around and going about his business.
“See... You can't miss him; he's got a long white beard and wears a wizard hat that has a large brim to keep the sun or rain out of his eyes. He's expecting you so he'll be there when you put the ring on and cross ov
er.”
As soon as R’dell stops moving her wand in circles, the image dematerializes and fades away.
R'dell asks “Well Anica, Are you ready dear? I even packed you a little lunch to take with you so you won't be hungry.” She smiles as she hands it to the young woman.
“You're too sweet. Thank you!” Anica says, smiling back and holding the lunch bag close to her heart.
“I guess I'm as good to go as I'll ever be. Wish me luck!” She says with a slight hint of nervousness in her voice.
R'dell leans over and hugs Anica warmly.
“Okay Kiddo. Best of luck to you!” Lonnie says with his arms wide open. Anica hugs Lonnie warmly.
“Thank you for saving my life and for all your hospitality, including everything you've done.”
“You’re most welcome! Say Hello to Marcel for me and tell him I want the clippers he borrowed back.”
“Will do!” Anica says with a smile.
“Again, thanks for everything!”
She takes a deep breath, looks at the ring and slips it on her finger.
*****