by Marnie Cate
“Well, if you weren't such a crab, I would tell you that breakfast is ready,” she said, sticking her tongue out at me as she began her climb back down the ladder.
“We be better head down and tell Gram the good news,” he said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
Kissing him quickly, I said, “I will just be a minute. Why don't you head down to breakfast? I won't be long.”
Knowing what we were facing was not going to easy but I had to believe that we were stronger together than apart, I called after him, “I love you, Cole.”
Watching him go down the ladder, I reached into my pocket to pull out the picture. “What else are you hiding from me, Eliza?” I said, as I glared at the image of my mother. Afraid I would find out soon enough, I put the picture in my jewelry box and went downstairs for breakfast.
Chapter 12
By the time I finished making sure everything was put back together in my room, the kitchen had become a controlled chaos. Crates were lined up on the counter full of glass jars of jam, bags of dried herbs and tonics. Loaves of fresh breads and fresh scones were baking in the oven. It had completely slipped my mind that the market was having their Summer Moon Festival tomorrow.
People from all over would come to buy and trade goods while joining in on the entertainment. This was the first year that Meg would be old enough to join the other young girls in the traditional lunar dance. She had been practicing for months to make sure she knew all the steps.
“Sit and eat your omelet before it becomes cold,” Gram insisted, as she handed me an omelet overflowing with fresh vegetables including mushrooms, onions and peppers. Taking a large bite and savoring each cheesy morsel, I listened as Gram handed out instructions for the day.
“We will be busier than normal tomorrow, Meg. I will need you to stay with me at our stand until it is time for your performance. I don't want you running off where I can't see you,” she instructed, as she twisted my sister's hair into two long braids. As Gram weaved flowers into her hair, Meg reminded me of the image I had seen last night of my grandmother as a young girl.
When Gram finished her hair, she patted her on the head and said, “Now run along and practice your dance. Later we will have you try on your dress to see if we need to make any more adjustments.”
Turning to look at Cole who had been silent as he inhaled his breakfast, Gram said, “When you are finished eating, can you help me gather some tonics from the pantry?”
With one last bite, he replied, “All done. I am now at your service, fine lady.”
Cole was always so happy. He seemed to just enjoy life. I was confused many times how he could stay so full of sunshine. His life had not been perfect but you would never know it. A few months after his sixteenth birthday, Cole's mother, Sarah, had died and his father, Thomas, remarried less than a year later. His stepmother, Rosalind, was a selfish, cruel woman. Gram said she had never seen a person wear so many masks of deceit. You never really knew what you would get with Rosalind she would say.
When they married, Rosalind and her sons moved into the house and Cole was forced to move to the cottage behind the house. He ended up spending more time at my home than at his own. Six months ago when he turned nineteen, his father announced that they were leaving Starten to be closer to Rosalind's family that was thousands of miles away. He left the family house in Cole's care and had only sent one letter since.
Watching Gram instruct Cole on which tonics to gather and other odd jobs, I could see the love that she had for him. Her eyes brightened as he joked and completed the tasks. Cole brought so much happiness to my family.
As the last bottle of rosemary hair tonic and lemongrass oil were stacked, Gram spoke. “Let's sit down for a while and talk about everything.”
“I knew the time would come when we would be talking about this. First, regarding your marriage,” she began, “this is not something either of you should take lightly. Saying that, I love you both and I wholeheartedly support this decision. The two of you are meant to be together. As far as when, do you have any plans for when this will happen or will it be a long engagement?”
“We haven't discussed details yet,” Cole started.
Interrupting him, I said, “The day after my birthday.”
“Well, you have your answer then. In three months, we will marry,” Cole declared with a delighted look of surprise on his face.
Smiling, Gram looked at me, “Once you decide something you are quick to act. Are you sure you don't want to just get married tomorrow?”
“Now, Mae,” Cole started, with a deep southern drawl and tipping an imaginary hat at Gram, “No bride of mine shall be expected to plan a wedding extravaganza as fine as the one we shall have on less than a day's notice. Why the person that suggests such a thing should be tarred and feathered.”
Taking both Gram's hand and Cole's hand in mine, I interrupted the remaking of Gone with the Wind that I was sure would ensue. “Enough of the wedding talk, we will have plenty of time to discuss the small, simple event that will take place at a later time.”
Looking into my grandmother's eyes, I said, "We need to talk about the red elephant in the room that we have been avoiding. What are we going to do about my…
Unable to call her my mother, I started over, “What are we going to do about Eliza?”
No one spoke for what seemed like ages, the ticking of the clock sounded like a bomb waiting to go off.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
Minutes went by before the silence was filled with a long sigh and Gram's soft voice began, “Mara, since you were a little girl, I have been preparing you for the path you accepted last night. Think back to the stories I told you.”
Frustrated, I asked, “I just found out that our family is the protectors of magic. How can you think a story about pigs and other such nonsense can even begin to prepare me for this?”
“Stop and think back. Tell me what you remember of the story of the pigs,” she said calmly. She slowly patted my hand. I could feel the warmth and love she felt towards me. She began,
There were three little pigs that lived with their grandmother.
The comforting touch of her hand brought me back to her telling me the stories as she held me on her lap when I was a little girl. Continuing where she left off, I closed my eyes and began to tell the story.
When the little pigs became old enough to live on their own, their grandmother told them five things they would need to make a strong home to keep out the wolves.
“Gather up these supplies, my little piglets. Airy lavender from the east, fiery cinnamon from the south, a water lily from the west, salt of the northern earth and a blessing to the Goddess by your door.”
As they set out to build their new homes, each had a plan.
Hesitating I looked at Gram and she nodded for me to go on. Taking a deep breath and focusing, I continued.
The oldest pig laughed at his grandmother's words and built a strong home of brick. The middle pig went searching for the items and gave up after only gathering lavender and salt for the strong wood home he built. The youngest pig spent many days gathering all of the supplies that the grandmother had told him were necessary but he only built his home from straw. As the last piece of straw was added, the small pig danced around his new home in a circle sweeping a small broom.
"Goddess, I ask for your guidance on this night and ask you to aid in invoking the elements that guide.
"I place this lavender from the east and I call upon you, Air, to blow away my fear and those who wish me harm.
"I place this cinnamon from the south and I call upon you, Fire, to burn away all fear I have and burn away those feelings that harm.
"I place this lily from the west and I call upon you, Water, and ask you to wash away my fears and cleanse those who wish to harm.
"I place this salt from the north and I call upon you, Earth, and ask you to ground me in goodness and strengthen me.
“Goddess, my request is
complete. Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon my home.”
As I finished the little pig's song, I felt all of the elements dancing around me. All of the smells and sounds around me invaded my senses and overwhelmed me. Closing my eyes, I took one last breath, I began to continue.
The other pigs came to see their brother's home and snorted. “Your home will never keep out the wolves. You will become their breakfast before the sun rises.” Laughing, they danced away to their homes.
When night fell and all three little pigs were tucked in their beds in their new homes, the oldest pig heard the wolves howling and banging at the front door of his brick house. The banging on his door became so strong that the wood door began to splinter. He quickly ran out the back door of his home and ran straight to his middle brother's home.
Inside the wooden home, the two brothers sat at a table watching the door. Again, the howling of wolves and the banging at the front door began. Just as the door fell down, the brother pigs ran out the back door of the wooden home and ran down the road to their little brother's straw house.
Inside the straw home, the three pigs sat around the kitchen table. The howling began outside the door and the oldest brother cried out, “This house will not keep them out, we must leave now.”
Realizing that the straw house did not have another exit, the middle brother began to cry."
A soft voice beside me began to speak.
The little pig said, “Do not fear brothers, I have made this home in honor of the air in the east, the fire of the south, the water in the west, the earth in the north and with a request of the blessing of the Goddess. We will be safe.”
As he spoke these words the howling of wolves began to softly fade away."
In unison, the little voice beside me and I finished the story,
And all was right because the little pig listened to his grandmother.
Laughing, I pulled my sister into a hug. “How long have you been eavesdropping, Meg?” I said, giving her a mock stern look.
Pulling away from my hug, she gave me a stern look of her own, “You can't blame me. You keep calling all of my friends down here. You interrupted our tea party. If you are through telling stories, we can go play again,” she said, as she stomped away in a huff.
Watching her walk off towards our room, I began to stop her to ask her to explain what she meant. Gram stopped me, “Let her go back to her tea party. I can answer all of the questions you are going to ask her.”
Chapter 13
Gram stood up from the table and said, “Come with me.”
Leading me down the hall past the bedrooms, we went out to the patio. In a white cupboard, Gram began moving bottles and bags until she found a small white box. She opened the box and pulled out a small crystal vial attached to a silver chain. It was filled with a purple liquid that shimmered with green, blue, yellow and red sparks. As I watched her, something felt so familiar about this moment.
Turning to Cole, she said, “Cole, I need you to go inside with Meg and make sure she stays there.”
Holding the vial out to me by the chain, she said, “When you were young, Mara, you knew things about the magic that I had not known until I was much older. By the time you were six years old, you were so comfortable with your gift that I became worried. I had begun to suspect that your mother was using her magic for Cedric Drygen and your father seemed to be very aware of her comings and goings.”
Taking my hand in hers, she handed me the crystal and put it into my hand, “Please forgive me for taking away your memories and the magic you held at that age. I only did what I thought was best. I needed to protect you. Drink this and you will soon have the answers you seek.”
I took the top off the vial. Hesitating, I smelled it. It had a cinnamon, vanilla and lavender smell to it. As I drank, I felt the cold liquid turn warm as it slid down my throat. Instantly feeling dizzy, I held my hand out to my Gram afraid of what was happening.
Taking my hand, she led me to one of the wicker patio chairs. “You will be fine, love. Sit down and rest.”
As I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep. I awoke in my parent's bedroom. I could see a younger version of myself in front of me. She was looking at herself in the mirror and straightening her hair. Smiling, she smoothed the long black curls and adjusted the white ribbon making sure that the bow of the headband was in the perfect position off to the left. Twirling around, the lavender dress she was wearing lifted and showed white ruffles. Her white socks with lacy edges were folded perfectly and her black shoes were shiny. Watching this, strong feelings of twirling until the room blurred into colors and light took ahold of me.
Hearing the creak of the bedroom door opening, I turned towards the noise and I was faced with my grandmother. She looked so young and her hair was no longer silver. Instead, she had long, light brown hair that she wore loose. She looked so beautiful in a long sage green dress. I had forgotten how vibrant she could be.
Calling out to my younger self, Gram laughed, “Come along my little dancer. Let's get your shoes on. We don't want you to be late for your guests.”
Running to my grandmother, Young Mara said, “I have already put them on. I even buckled them myself.” Wrapping her arms around Gram's neck, she hugged her so tightly that I felt envious, “Do you think I look pretty today, Gram?”
“You are always pretty, my love. You are beautiful inside and out,” she said as she set her down. Then, she held out her hand and my young self-clasped her hand tightly. I followed them as they left the bedroom and went down the hall towards the patio.
As they walked outside, I could smell the fresh cut grass of the backyard. Gramp's workshop was filled with sawing and buzzing sounds. The chickens and cows were grazing on grass and feed. The tall trees were bright green with colored fruits and the garden was bursting with vegetables of all kinds.
Walking hand in hand with Gram, Young Mara skipped and giggled. When they reached the largest tree, they stopped. The green leaves of the tree blew gently in the wind. Under the tree, there was a blue and white flowered picnic cloth laid out with a teapot and a plate of biscuits in the center of five small teacups on small saucers. The cups were a ceramic rainbow of colors.
Young Mara sat in front of the white cup and immediately exclaimed, “Raspberry tea biscuits! My favorite. Thank you so much!”
Kissing her on the head, Gram said, “Have a nice tea party. I will check on you later.”
As she filled her cup with the hot tea, I could smell the Lady Gray tea that Gram had always made for special occasions. She once told me that the citrus flavored black tea was the only kind of tea her mother, Genevieve, would drink so she thought it was too special to drink every day.
After taking a small sip of her tea, she murmured, “Delicious.” Humming as she began arranging the cups neatly on the cloth, she filled each cup and carefully added several of the tea biscuits to the saucer's rim.
As Young Mara sat patiently waiting for her guests, a large ball of light appeared above her. The large ball of white danced with colors. Reds, blues, greens and yellows swirled in the center and then exploded into four separate balls. Bouncing directly above Young Mara the four balls were a breathtaking sight. There was a blue ball that was filled with glittery white and aqua waves, a red ball containing flickering flames of orange tinged with pink, a yellow ball with feathery streaks of blue blowing inside and a green ball that was sprouting little brown leaves and yellow flowers.
Dancing around each other the balls of light hummed such magical sounds. It was a melody I felt I had heard before. It felt like a song that was on the tip of my tongue but I just could not remember the words. Watching Young Mara dance, I wanted to join her. What a delight it was to see the joy in my young self as she clapped and dance. She seemed so carefree and happy. When the music stopped and the balls stilled, I wanted to cry out, “More! More!”
The red ball was the first to catch my eye as it began to grow. As it grew, it changed from a red
ball to an orange flame that twisted and turned until it formed into a beautiful young woman that was no more than a foot tall. Her long slender frame was covered in a red dress layered with orange shimmery scales. She had large cat-like eyes of a shimmery gold color. Her long hair was a salmon orange color with deep red streaks waving down her back.
“Blaze,” I said to myself, as I looked at her. I felt like I knew her.
The blue ball of light bounced up and down pulling my attention away from my stares at Blaze. The shimmery ball went up high into the sky moving faster and faster. When it suddenly stopped, it began to fall and came crashing down in one swift moment. As it hit the ground, it splashed into hundreds of droplets of water. As quickly it had come apart, the water came back together and formed into yet another beautiful girl, this time with piercing silver eyes.
Both girls had round angelic faces with cat shaped eyes and were not much taller than most of my old dolls. The silver-eyed girl had straight blue hair with aqua streaks running through it. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail held by a seashell band that matched her glittery aqua dress. As she twirled the short and frilly dress, the edges turned up showing white and sea foam green. Her feet were covered with sparkly sandals of silver with straps that wrapped up around her calves. She twirled around and laughed while spraying droplets of water around.
“Bay,” Young Mara called, “Would you like some tea?”
Stopping her twirl, Bay plopped down in front of a blue cup and said, “Of course and another biscuit.”
Sighing Blaze rolled her eyes and shook her head at Bay's entrance and then stared at the activity above. The green and yellow balls began circling around each other. Weaving up and down, it seemed as though they were competing to decide who was next to join the party. Around and around they went until they collided and both dropped to the ground.