All I see is water, only water. But it is not flowing as it should be. It seems somewhat controlled, manipulated. A voice echoes through the water. The voice is far away but the sound is becoming clearer. Finally, it dawns on me. I know this voice.
"Wake up Carry! Wake up!" My younger sister, Rachel, screams in my ear.
I wake up, grab my pillow, and smack it across Rachel's face.
"Ow!" she groans.
"Why did you wake me up at six am, on a Saturday, during summer vacation? " I ask her, emphasizing each word.
"Cause we're going to France," Phoebe, my elder sister, enters the room.
I recall the conversation we had with mom about a week ago. She had told us about the invite she got from my father's sister, Aunt Claire. It was for us to come to France for some big surprise.
The last I had seen my aunt was during dad's funeral. I had lost my dad about seven years ago in a fire accident when I was eight. He was an architect and loved exploring old places that had some sort of legend attached to it.
One day, he went to a rundown building where a fire broke out and he barely escaped it. When someone admitted him to the hospital, we were called and told that he had severe burns on his body and wasn't going to survive very long.
Aunt Claire now lives in Paris and is a pretty famous chef there. Now I don't have any personal grudge against my aunt, who is a pretty awesome person. Nor France, which according to me is an amazing country. But I am a very lazy person. Some might even say I am a sloth in a human's skin. However, we must not care about what some might say (especially if that someone is Phoebe).
My point is I don't like to be out of my house generally, especially on summer vacations. Call me an introvert, but I need a very good reason to get out of my bed. I know what most of you are thinking 'Going to France is a pretty good reason.' But in my mind, it is not enough to get me out of my home.
Yes, I get a chance to see amazing feats of architecture and sceneries in the magnificent city of Paris. But what is that compared to my bed?
Okay, I am starting to realize that I sound like a crazy person.
Well, when Phoebe reminds me about our flight today, I ask her, "Isn't our flight at 5 pm?"
Phoebe looks at me as if I am questioning whether the earth is flat or round.
Rachel responds with a scream. "No, we have to catch our flight at 9:00 am. Now wake up because we are going to France!"
I am tempted to smack her with my pillow again, but my mother enters the scene and asks me to wake up and get ready.
Finally, I go in to take a shower and change into a black top and blue skirt.
Mom is serving breakfast when I grab a chair. She serves a PBJ and says sweetly, "Enjoy."
Mom looks quite happy and cheery today. She is whistling and humming for no reason. I want to ask her why she is so happy, but I don't want to seem like a jerk. I am quite glad when Phoebe does my work for me.
"What happened today, mom?" she asks our mother.
Mom smiles at Phoebe. "What do you mean?"
"I mean why are you happier than usual?"
"And that's a problem? Phoebe Skye, are you unhappy that your mother is feeling good about herself?"
Phoebe tries to come up with a response but she ends up with "Whatever," and goes back to eating her sandwich.
YOU ARE READING
THE MYSTICAL MIRROR (THE MISTRESS OF MAGIC)
Fantasy"The sea is not impulsive. It slowly raises itself and then attacks. The sea is smart. That is why I like it." Water has always been an element that Caroline Skye has had a close affinity with, and so did her Dad. So, she is baffled when she starts...
