Change
Sara sat by the river, listening to the pine needles rustle in the breeze, the water trickle through the dead reeds, and the emaciated cow try desperately to get the last bit of nutrients out of its cud. Sara brought the poor girl down to the river hoping to find her a few more greens to eat. She really needed to put on some weight soon or she wouldn’t survive the coming winter. Spying a few peeking greens in the area, Sara decided to lay back and nap while the cow poked her way about to find them.
As she drifted off to sleep, Sara found herself standing in a temple. Hazy columns surrounded her but she could not see anything beyond them. Fog and mist danced through the columns and all around Sara, tickling her toes and whispering through her hair. She took a step towards the nearest column and heard a noise like slipping silk behind her. She whirled about, “Hello? Is someone there?”
Still as a statue, Sara did not hear anything else aside from her own heartbeat. She took another step towards the columns. And this time a giggle accompanied the swishing silks behind her. “Where are you? Don’t try to frighten people like this. Show yourself!”
A smooth feminine voice eased its way out of the fog, caressing her ears as the words were purred through the air. “My, you are a feisty one, aren’t you?”
“Who are you? Where are you? Where am I? Show yourself!
“Sweet, sweet child, you are by the river asleep.”
“So this is a dream? How do I wake?”
“You will wake soon enough my child.”
As the words meandered through the mists, the mists began to coalesce into a feminine figure. The woman looked like she was there, but Sara could still see the columns behind her. As she came closer to Sara with a gentle smile, she simply glided on mist as though she had no feet at all. “I am the spirit of Aen, Sara. I have a gift for you.”
Sara recoiled back until her back was to a column, and slid herself down to the floor. “No. Please no. I don’t want to die. Let me wake up. Please don’t touch me.”
“I am not Death, child. That is my brother’s domain. I am life, birth, rebirth. I bring growth to the world.”
“All who you visit receive the gift of magic, Goddess. Magic brings death. Death visits all who bear magic and welcomes them into the afterworld. I am not ready to die, Goddess! Please do not visit this curse upon me!” Sara tried not to cry as she buried her face in her hands.
Aen knelt down before the girl and rested her hands of mist on the girl’s shoulders, trying to comfort her. “I have learned this sweet child. I will not give you the gift of magic and leave you to wake unprepared. First, I will show you how to hide from my brother so that Death cannot visit you. Then I will show you his weaknesses. Then I will give you the knowledge of magic. Once you have learned all of these things, then I will give you the gift of magic. Wake now, child. I will see you again when you next sleep.”