The Wonderful Wood

The Well of Wisdom

"But, I'm just Ethan. I don't believe I'm special," said Ethan looking at the woman and then feeling the locket in his pocket.

"But you are, my child. The prophecy tells that you are. According to the potency of the magic in a person, the tree of prophecy gives out prophecies in different tongues. It only gives out prophecies in the language of the celestials only if the person is one of the most magical."

"Is there something you are not telling us, Ethan? The celestial candle spoke of you knowing more than we presume."

"Yes. I have something to tell you," said Ethan, finally making up his mind to tell about his encounter with the maiden in the mirror.

"May I see it?" asked Drizzlemister, and Ethan gave the locket to him. Drizzlemister took it into his hands and looked at his carefully.

"It is a lunar locket," said Drizzlemietr. You can speak to souls whenever it is a full moon using the locket. It is a scarce specimen. Only a very few are in existence that I know of, maybe three or four. Less than half a dozen in all the dimensions."

"Can I see it? I haven't seen one in all my life," asked Diana, looking at Ethan.

"Yes. Go ahead," said Ethan as Diana took it from Drizzlemister.

"It's beautiful. So dainty. One could hardly say it was such a powerful magical device," said Diana turning the locket from one side to another,

"I wonder how the woman came across it! She must be a descendent from the lunar ladies," said Lenora looking at the locket in Diana's hand. "May I have a look at it after Diana, Ethan?"

"Yes," said Ethan and Diana handed it over to Lenora. She, in turn, admired the locket and gave it back to Ethan.

Then the silver-haired woman asked to see it, and Ethan handed it over to her. "May I examine it closely?" she asked, looking at Ethan with the locket in hand. 

She took it to her desk and examined the locket under the light of the lamp with her glass. "It is a lunar locket, and here it says, look into me on midsummer midnight, and you will see your hearts greatest delight!"

"So it will let you see the image of a person you want to see the most, be they dead or alive, the glass soul glass, isn't it?" said Diana. I've read about it but never thought I'd see one in my lifetime. It is incredible."

"Well, we will have to wait until midnight of midsummer midnight, which is just a few days away!" said Drizzlemister as the woman handed the locket back to Ethan.

The woman got a piece of paper and said, "let me copy the prophecy on this leaf on to a paper before we leave for the well of wisdom."

"We better go to the well of wisdom and get this prophecy sorted. Let me get all the things ready. I will get my divining rod," said the woman hobbling off out of the room.

There was a well in the middle of the backyard surrounded by yew trees. The woman went to the well and took out a piece of paper that she had copied the prophecy down from the leaf, hooked it onto a string attached to the rod, and lowered it into the water.

Then she started chanting something in a strange language, and the water in the well began to bubble. Then there was a glow from inside the well, which made its water glitter as if it was on fire. The water kept on bubbling. Steam poured out of the well.

Ethan stared. Then the woman stopped chanting. The well stopped bubbling. The woman reeled in the piece of paper, which was surprisingly dry and not wet as Ethan expected it to be.

The woman took the paper in hand and looked at it. "Shall I read it out loud?" she said, looking at Ethan.

Ethan nodded his head.

"You shall unite the terrestrial and the celestial. That is your destiny," the woman said, looking at the paper. "here you go," she said, handing the paper to Ethan. Sure enough, that is what it said.

"But who are the celestials and the terrestrials?" asked Ethan, feeling puzzled. "And how am I going to unite them?"

"Well, I could answer the first question. Terrestrials are the world of non-magical people. The world where you came from and this world is the world of the celestials."

"So that means I'm non-magical because I'm from the world of terrestrial," said Ethan, scratching his head and trying to make sense of everything he was hearing.

"No. That is not always the case," said Drizzlemister smiling. "There are exceptions as in most life cases."

"How can you be so sure that I'm an exception?' asked Ethan, but then he began to remember all the queer things that had happened to him and the things he'd seen and heard and thought that perhaps he was one of these 'exceptions'.

"You are one of these exceptions, and the prophecy proves it. Only a celestial will have the ability to unite the two worlds. Only magic can do it. And since the prophecy declares that it is you, you have celestial blood in you. that we can say without a doubt," said Drizzlemister as they walked away from the well of wisdom.

"We better set off, " said Diana once they had had their lunch. 

"Wish you a safe journey and farewell chosen one," said the wise woman of the well of wisdom as they left her place.

"Wish you a safe journey. May the spirits of the sun, moon and stars be with you and watch over you," said the meadow maiden as they parted.

Ethan, Drizzlenister and Diana were soon on the road on their horses. The sun shone bright, the trees on either side of the road rustled their leaves as if to say, "farewell".