I was lying on Marge's bed, with head resting on the most softest pillow my head had ever rested on. I was staring at the ceiling, it was what I always did when I was finding it difficult to catch a nap. Marge's room was the most beautiful and neatest room in the house, it felt motherly in a weird way that was why we enjoyed converging in her room than any other room in the house.
Marge and Margaret were playing ludo on the floor. "And...... off I go!" Margaret yelled and gave noises of cheers.
"That's enough, okay! You don't have to bring the whole house down because you won a stupid game." Marge said interrupting her when she was still celebrating her victory.
"Awwn! Morgan please don't tell me you are still thinking about what happened today? You shouldn't beat yourself up for something you didn't do intentionally" she said .
I closed my eyes and turned over, I felt better when no one was talking about it. People trying to comfort me or make me feel like it wasn't my fault was only going to make me cry and I wasn't in the mood for that.
After trying endlessly to fall alsleep, minutes passed and was followed by hours and I realized that it was going to be an impossible task. Marge and Margaret had left me alone in the room in a bid to make supper.
I stood up from the bed and went out of the room. Just as I was about to open the front door
"where are you going?" Margaret asked.
"For a walk" I answered nonchalantly.
"But you can't go alone, what if you get into trouble or loose control..." Marge was saying before being interrupted by Merlin who we hadn't taken notice of standing in front of his room.
"Leave her be, you both. One has so much to learn from solitary. " and for the first time he smiled at me with a smile that did reach his eyes.
"Thank you" I smiled back at him before leaving.
***************************************************************************************************
What I had in mind was far more than just taking a walk. My plans were to be carried out in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep but Merlin wouldn't have let me out of the house at that time for any reason. It was a very dangerous time even for witches which was why we travelled in groups or pairs at night.
I've been walking in the forest for more than an hour and I was beginning to feel like I had taken the wrong route in the forest. Although they weren't many wild animals in the forest, it was a very dangerous place to be at times, especially the middle of the forest that was referred to as 'the core'. It was home to a lot of creatures one wouldn't one to encounter, so they said.
It was a magical forest and far more larger than the inside than looked on the outside. It was safer to enter the part of the forest that the sun at day and the moon at night were able to penetrate. Rumour had it that the center of the forest which was pitch black was home to a lot of things and was perhaps another world that the gods wanted hidden from us.
Ignorant humans who had gone missing in time passed were last seen treading on these parts of the forest and were never seen returning . I sometimes wondered if any of these things were true or if they were tricks by the gods to hide something more valuable from us.
I snapped out of my thoughts and realized that I was in front of the core, the middle of the forest that was pitch black and no light no matter how powerful illuminate, it would be like the sun in space.
I felt a light tingle on my skin, my magic was responding to something in the core. "No, no Morgan. This is a bad idea" I said to myself and turned to leave.
"Mor ....gan" it came as a whisper but I knew where it came from.
"Mor...gan" I turned to face the centre of the forest where the voice had come from.
"Mor...gan!" this time it sounded like a plea from a child.
I mustered enough courage " okay Morgan you can do this". I closed my eyes and took several steps forward until I was sure I had entered.
The atmosphere felt a lot fresher and more lighter than the one I had grown used to. I opened my eyes and behold it was a different world except that I didn't see any hideous or evil looking creature like I had expected.
Beauty was all I could see. It wasn't much different from the outskirt of northern America where I came from. I looked to the sky and saw that there was no sun in it but it was as blue as blue goes, making the horizon dim that I couldn't tell if it was evening or if it was always like this. Children were running and adults walking all towards a particular direction. Some stole a quick glance at me and whispered to the person beside them who also stole a glance at me, ' yep, they were talking about me'. The others paid me no mind . They were all dressed beautiful like they were going to a feast.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder and I turned to see who it was.
"Are you lost, mademoiselle?" It was a dwarf old man with grey beard and a thick biconcave glasses that reminded me of , one of the seven dwarves in snow white.
"Uhmm.... No. Not at all."
" But you don't seem to be from around here. We are used to receiving strange ones during the carnival but you are stranger than the strangest I've seen so far" he chuckled lightly at his own joke, only he knew what he was saying.
"Carnival?" I asked
He didn't reply and with a startling movement, he held my chin lightly and turned to both sides of my face like he was trying to check for symptom of an illness. He let go of my chin and muttered something under his breathe. He licked his lip in a sinister way that made me suddenly feel like a prey cornered.
He rubbed his hands together and his eyes twinkled like an idea just struck him. "I'll tell you what. I'll give you a treasure of mine and you have to give me something in return" I walked back slowly out of fear unable to comprehend what he had in mind.
"Ah, no need to fear. It's just a simple deal, I'll give you something that will be of great value to you and you must do the same to me." He dipped his hand into a bag he hung by his side and from it he brought out a book and gave it to me. I examined the book, it was as red as Crimson and not much bigger than palm. On it was written Soul of the gods.
"But I have nothing to give in return of your precious book" . He chuckled lightly and raised a blonde brow at me. "Of course you do."
"I do?, what on earth could that be?"
"Your blood"
" My What ?" I asked in shock. "Don't be silly, it won't kill you. I only need few drops of your blood. "
"But.... but....." I stuttered unable to form a phrase.
He rolled his emerald green eyes at me "Shall I stand here listening to your rants or do we have yourself a deal?"
After so little time to think about it, I rolled up the sleeve of my Cardigan that wasn't do much about shielding me from the cold. "Okay, there you go. " I squinted my eyes shut expecting him to bring a needle close to my fragile skin. I opened my eyes and beheld as two sharp canines protruded from his gums.
I slowly walked backwards a little in horror and was about to reconsider my decision when a small bag was tossed in front of me. "There you go, Morris. " I turned to see Asgard behind me. "A bag of Hades pomegrate in exchange of your beloved book" he said.
I watched as the man who had just requested for my blood pick up the bag and took a peep inside. "Thank you, master" he said to Asgard with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, obviously disappointed before he walked away.
"Asgard! " I exclaimed in delight.
"Forever in your service" he bowed in a way that made me giggled at the awkwardness. "Now you must leave" he said with a stern look.
" Leave?, but I just got here"
"It wasn't a request but a command. Leave this moment Morgan. " I knew he wasn't giving way for an argument and with hesitation I decided to comply. I walked slowly back the path I came in with him following behind. When I had gotten back to the forest, I still felt his presence but when I got to the outskirt of the forest, I turned around and saw that he wasn't there.
I took another look at the book on my hands, it was barely bigger than my palm. I placed the book under my left arm and decided to forget what I had just seen. 'Ignorance is sometimes a safer option' was what Lopez would have said to me.
I looked to the sky and saw that it was exactly mid night. I still don't know why but witches had a way of telling the time without a watch. Just like breathing, you don't put effort into it you just for it. I guess time on the other side was quite slower than the real world or which one of them was the real world?. I guess it's indeed better to just stay ignorant and mind my own business.
Now was the perfect time to carry out my plans. I took a stroll to the Mockingjay's home. Everywhere was dark and quiet but the garden was just as I left it, deserted. It was a complete mess and it made me more ashamed of myself. I saw more reasons to make amends.
I knew I could do it even if I had never done anything like this before. I had to clean up the dead flowers and plants before making new ones grow. I thought of using wind but the swirling sound of the wind was only going to draw attention and so I decided it was best to just work with earth.
Once again I levitated but not as high as the previous. Slowly and quietly, I motioned upwards with my hands and new earth from underground swallowed the ones on top slowly until all the dead plants were underground. It was like a gigantic form of tilling the soil.
"Now that's better" I said to myself before slowly going down back to the ground. I walked up to the fence that partitioned the garden from the river. Under the influence of my telekinesis ability, it stood upright and I made the earth to hold it firmly back in place.
Squatting on the floor, I placed my hands on the bare soil before closing my eyes. I saw beneath the soil, it was all dark and had little strands of green and white roots of dead plants. I willed for the soil to grow beautiful flowers and plants but I felt nothing happen. I repeated the process several times but it was all in vain.
I stood up and was about to leave in defeat when it struck me. This land had no trace of magic in it even though it was inhabited by the Mockingjays , 'silly me'. If I was going to make anything extraordinary happen here then it had to be with energy or magic, my magic. I squatted again with hands on the floor , I did not only will for the plants to grow but I also channeled a lot of my magic into the soil leaving me weak and drained.
I watched as beautiful flowers, trees and rare shrubs sprung out of the ground. I was feeling rather sleepy and nonchalant instead of impressed. I turned to leave when I heard a little voice inside my head
" Good night Morgan" I smiled before replying. "Good night Meggy."
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
"For a moment I thought you had gone back to your home. You know, the one with Lopez! " Margaret said as she opened the door for me but I was too tired to reply. I kept the book in my closet .
I turned to my bed and at that moment it was all I needed. I threw myself in and with a smile on my face I fell into oblivion.