Mythic

Chapter 2 - The Problem

Talia breathed in deeply as she settled back into the awareness of her body. No matter the number of years she had lived this way, returning to the confines of her immobilized flesh was a shock. She withdrew into herself as always and slept.

Noise outside her window pulled her from her dreams - the clanging of the bells around the goats' necks and the rattle of the gate as her stepfather let the livestock out to graze. Though she didn't know what he looked like, thinking about him conjured up the scents of whisky and ale mixed with sweat and the feel of his rough hands when he helped her mother reposition her on her bed. Her mother....

Mother hasn't come yet this morning.

She was usually in Talia's room as the sun rose, humming her little song and brushing her hair. But she hadn't come yet and Talia could feel the sun on her skin. Her mother had seemed slower these last few weeks, and she had been constantly reassuring her daughter she would be alright, though Talia don't know why.

The morning wore on and still, her mother hadn't come. Talia began to worry. The light behind her eyelids brightened and there were noises from the kitchen that shouldn't be there. Low voices of men filled the background. Talia strained to listen for the delicate timbre of her mother's voice but there was nothing. Her heart was quickening its pace. Then, footsteps moved near her door and she heard the voice of her stepfather.

"We'll bury her this evening."

"I'm sorry, Donal. I know this must be difficult for you," the other voice consoled.

Talia's heart burst with panic and grief. Mother was dead? Her sweet, precious mother who had spent the last eleven years by her side was gone? Talia cried out inside her head. That's why her mother had been promising to be alright, to be with her no matter what. With only herself for comfort, Talia wept silent, imaginary tears. How could she not have realized her mother was sick? She knew her mother had been seeking Donal's help more frequently, but Talia thought it was only because she had been growing and no longer resided in the body of a child.

Then, a second wave of panic washed over her. With her mother gone, what would happen to her? Donal had been trying to convince her mother to "let her go" since he came into their lives. He had said any number of times how carrying her to the river and setting her free would let nature take back its own handiwork. If the gods willed that she should live, the gods would save her. If not, her mother's hands and conscience would be clear because setting her afloat in the river was not murder.

"Thank ye, Ewan. She was a good woman."

Talia raged. A good woman? Is that why you beat her every other day? she silently screamed. Her mother had endured his heartless behavior in order to make sure she and her daughter kept a roof over their heads and food on the table.

"What about the girl?" the other voice asked.

Her stepfather grunted.

"I'll do what should have been done years ago. Tomorrow morning, I'll give her to the river and let the gods decide."

The footsteps retreated and she heard chair legs push back. More footsteps joined the other two, making their way outside.

She knew it. This would be her last day. A deep despair settled into her heart as she realized she only had tonight to be free. She could only hope it was a new moon and she could walk the woods as her true self. Maybe she could find a way to stay as a spirit? Though she really had no life to speak of, she didn't want to die. She couldn't imagine the thought of drowning - to not be able to even move and fight for her life.

Another thought snuck in behind the panic and despair. The boy. She'd never see him again. He had become as much a part of her life as her mother and she'd never know if he decided to finally take the risk and journey down the road to Alta. She'd never see his tender care for the little fish in the pool, or his sure-footed gait as he wandered the woods. She'd never know why he seemed to hate going home more and more.

Then a tiny spark of hope glimmered in her mind. What if she could reach him - tell him of her plight and convince him to save her? She had never been able to communicate with anyone in her spirit state, but no there was no other option but to try. She didn't know what he would do with her if she could reach him, and he was successful, but first she had to survive the next twenty four hours. That was a problem for later.

For the next few hours, Talia went through as many different scenarios of how to communicate with the boy as she could think of. Finally, as the light behind her eyelids began to fade, she heard the men return and rustle through the tools, most likely for the spade and shovel. She heard Donal go to tiny room he shared with her mother and then she heard him leave, his footsteps heavier that before. He was taking her mother for burial.

Talia said the prayers she knew he would not. If he wouldn't give her to the gods properly, at least she could. She asked the god of the sun to lift her from the constraints of the earth and the goddess of the moon to wrap her mother in peace. She asked the gods of the sky to grant her swift passage into the ever after and then she thanked them for the gift of her mother's life. Talia wondered who would say the prayers for her if she wasn't successful tonight so she said them preemptively for herself, unsure if they counted but hopeful her unusual situation would grant her an exception.

The light had faded completely and the air on her skin was cool. She waited for the transition to begin, as it had every night for the last eleven years. She felt the tingling chill begin to spread from her heart out to her fingertips and toes. With a rush of breath, she closed her eyes and left her human form.

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