End of Chapter 11
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that we had stopped. I looked around to find that Concho had stopped, his ears flicking back and forth as he listened to something. I took a deep breath and held it as I listened to what could have bothered him.
I wondered what was bothering Concho until I saw a large cougar walk out of the woods, it's tail swishing back and forth as it looked at Concho and I. I watched it as it took a few steps and stopped, smelling the air around us. I took advantage of this and turned Concho, pushing him as hard as I could as we ran back the way we came. I knew that the cat was probably following us, but I didn't want to look back over my shoulder to be sure.
We were just at the outer edge of the clearing when I saw someone running at me, yelling something but I couldn't make out the words over the sound of my heart which was beating harder then it ever had. I pulled back on the reins, slowing Concho to a walk as I tried to calm myself so I could hear what the person was yelling.
I was able to make out the words 'Maija, behind you,' before I felt something hit Concho in the hind leg, throwing me off the saddle. I felt my head hit the ground, then nothing..no more sounds, no pain, no thoughts.
Chapter 12
I knew that something had happened, that what I was seeing was not reality. I was standing in the clearing alone, my dress blowing in the wind as I turned and looked around wondering what was going on.
I heard someone calling my name, the voice one that I would recognize anywhere. I turned, straining my eyes as I stared into the woods. A minute later my mother walked out of the woods, glowing in the sunlight. She stopped a few feet away from me, her arms stretched out in front of her as she waited for me to go to her. I knew this wasn't real, that my mother had passed on..that the cancer had won the battle even though she fought as hard as she could.
"Maija, please." She said as she took a careful step towards me. "We don't have long."
"Mom?" I said, my voice thick. "Mom, is it really you?"
"Yes my angel, now please."
I smiled, tears flowing down my face as my mom called me by the nickname I had from birth. I knew this was really her, that something had happened...oh...maybe I died.
"Mom, am I.......dead?" I asked, tripping over the word.
"No..no." She said as she moved up and hugged me tightly.
I was surprised to find that my mother smelt exactly like she had, like rose petals and and fresh rain. I knew that there were so many things that I wanted to ask her, but when I went to talk nothing would come out.
"Maija, you can not stay here long." She said as she led us over to two chairs that just appeared. "They are already working on taking you back, taking you where I can not follow."
"I want to stay with you, I've missed you so much." I said as I reached out and hugged her again.
"I know love, but I must tell you certain things before you go." She said as she took my head in her hands and forced me to look at her.
"Your aunts are doing the best they can, please be patient with them. They are doing what I told them, they wanted to tell you earlier but swore to me they wouldn't. Please give them time."
"Mom, I can not be patient anymore, everyone knows what is going on and no one will tell me. Please just tell me what all of this is." I pleaded.
"It is not my story to tell. I would love to tell you sweet angel, but I can not. I'm sure you have met Dale and Elise?"
"Yes, they're something else." I said as I laughed, something I hadn't done in quite some time.
"They are the ones that must tell this story, listen to them..be patient." She laughed as I made a face at being told again to be patient.
"I will try." I said grumpily.
"You know what we are?" She asked softly.
"Yes, Carol and Jan showed me their..um true selves."
"Good, so you know of nymphs. You must listen Maija, there is so much to learn and not much time. They are coming and you must know all before they arrive. You have to be strong, you must believe in yourself." She sounded a bit panicked by the entire thing.
"Mom, what is coming? Who is coming?"
"Maija, I can't...it's forbidden for us to speak their name." She said as she stood up suddenly and turned to face the woods. "Your time is almost up, please angel..please I beg of you to be patient and hear them all out. Trust in yourself and trust in your friends, they will be important."
"My friends." I huffed. "I don't have any friends who know about this, and it's been said that I can't tell anyone."
"Michael, and Celest." She said as she grinned at me. "I have heard of the way he took to you, you must forgive him Maija. He has his own story, one that he will share with you when he can."
I felt myself blush, I wondered how my mother had heard about all of this? How she knew about Michael and everyone else.
"You must leave now sweet angel, please remember that I love you and I did not want to leave you. That I am always watching out for you, trust in yourself..you are stronger then you know. I love you Maija, and thank you for wearing the necklace. Never take it off, it's my special gift to you."
I hugged her tightly and was about to ask another question when everything started fading, I cried for her to stay, for her to explain things. I heard her call my name one more time before everything went black again.
"Maijalissa you WILL listen to me." A voice called. "You have been gone long enough, now return to our world."
I blinked my eyes open and saw my aunts, Celest, Dale and Elise standing around my bed. Celest was leaning over me, her silver hair hanging inches from my face.
"Oh, you have returned." Dale said, sounding surprised.
"What...what happened?" I asked as I tried to sit up, a old wrinkled pair of hands shooting out and pressing me back to the bed.
"Oh no you don't," Elise said as she shoved everyone else out of the way so that she could check on me. "You will not move for a while, do not test my patience young one."
I laughed, knowing better then to argue with her. She ran her hands over my arms and then up my neck into my hair. I winced slightly, crying out in pain as she reached a knot that was growing on the back of my head.
"That's going to smart for a while, but you are alive." She said as she stepped back, my aunts taking her place.
"I saw mom." I said, the tears returning to my eyes.
"I'm sure you did." Jan said as she smiled at me.
"What did she say?" Carol asked.
"She said I have to be patient, that I have to trust myself and hear everyone out. Oh..and that we didn't have much time." I said softly.
"She would know." Celest said, everyone turning and glaring at her.
"Maija, do you feel up to hearing us out or would you like to rest for a while?" Carol asked.
"I think I need to rest for a while if that's ok?" I asked.
"That's fine dear, feel better soon." Jan said as she leaned down and hugged me awkwardly.
Everyone said their goodbyes and walked out of the room, I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a soft knock on the door. I wasn't sure I wanted any more visitors, but grumbled my approval to enter.
"You up to one more visitor?" Michael asked softly as he walked in and stood next to the bed, gently reaching out to move my hair out of my face as he smiled.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that we had stopped. I looked around to find that Concho had stopped, his ears flicking back and forth as he listened to something. I took a deep breath and held it as I listened to what could have bothered him.
I wondered what was bothering Concho until I saw a large cougar walk out of the woods, it's tail swishing back and forth as it looked at Concho and I. I watched it as it took a few steps and stopped, smelling the air around us. I took advantage of this and turned Concho, pushing him as hard as I could as we ran back the way we came. I knew that the cat was probably following us, but I didn't want to look back over my shoulder to be sure.
We were just at the outer edge of the clearing when I saw someone running at me, yelling something but I couldn't make out the words over the sound of my heart which was beating harder then it ever had. I pulled back on the reins, slowing Concho to a walk as I tried to calm myself so I could hear what the person was yelling.
I was able to make out the words 'Maija, behind you,' before I felt something hit Concho in the hind leg, throwing me off the saddle. I felt my head hit the ground, then nothing..no more sounds, no pain, no thoughts.
Chapter 12
I knew that something had happened, that what I was seeing was not reality. I was standing in the clearing alone, my dress blowing in the wind as I turned and looked around wondering what was going on.
I heard someone calling my name, the voice one that I would recognize anywhere. I turned, straining my eyes as I stared into the woods. A minute later my mother walked out of the woods, glowing in the sunlight. She stopped a few feet away from me, her arms stretched out in front of her as she waited for me to go to her. I knew this wasn't real, that my mother had passed on..that the cancer had won the battle even though she fought as hard as she could.
"Maija, please." She said as she took a careful step towards me. "We don't have long."
"Mom?" I said, my voice thick. "Mom, is it really you?"
"Yes my angel, now please."
I smiled, tears flowing down my face as my mom called me by the nickname I had from birth. I knew this was really her, that something had happened...oh...maybe I died.
"Mom, am I.......dead?" I asked, tripping over the word.
"No..no." She said as she moved up and hugged me tightly.
I was surprised to find that my mother smelt exactly like she had, like rose petals and and fresh rain. I knew that there were so many things that I wanted to ask her, but when I went to talk nothing would come out.
"Maija, you can not stay here long." She said as she led us over to two chairs that just appeared. "They are already working on taking you back, taking you where I can not follow."
"I want to stay with you, I've missed you so much." I said as I reached out and hugged her again.
"I know love, but I must tell you certain things before you go." She said as she took my head in her hands and forced me to look at her.
"Your aunts are doing the best they can, please be patient with them. They are doing what I told them, they wanted to tell you earlier but swore to me they wouldn't. Please give them time."
"Mom, I can not be patient anymore, everyone knows what is going on and no one will tell me. Please just tell me what all of this is." I pleaded.
"It is not my story to tell. I would love to tell you sweet angel, but I can not. I'm sure you have met Dale and Elise?"
"Yes, they're something else." I said as I laughed, something I hadn't done in quite some time.
"They are the ones that must tell this story, listen to them..be patient." She laughed as I made a face at being told again to be patient.
"I will try." I said grumpily.
"You know what we are?" She asked softly.
"Yes, Carol and Jan showed me their..um true selves."
"Good, so you know of nymphs. You must listen Maija, there is so much to learn and not much time. They are coming and you must know all before they arrive. You have to be strong, you must believe in yourself." She sounded a bit panicked by the entire thing.
"Mom, what is coming? Who is coming?"
"Maija, I can't...it's forbidden for us to speak their name." She said as she stood up suddenly and turned to face the woods. "Your time is almost up, please angel..please I beg of you to be patient and hear them all out. Trust in yourself and trust in your friends, they will be important."
"My friends." I huffed. "I don't have any friends who know about this, and it's been said that I can't tell anyone."
"Michael, and Celest." She said as she grinned at me. "I have heard of the way he took to you, you must forgive him Maija. He has his own story, one that he will share with you when he can."
I felt myself blush, I wondered how my mother had heard about all of this? How she knew about Michael and everyone else.
"You must leave now sweet angel, please remember that I love you and I did not want to leave you. That I am always watching out for you, trust in yourself..you are stronger then you know. I love you Maija, and thank you for wearing the necklace. Never take it off, it's my special gift to you."
I hugged her tightly and was about to ask another question when everything started fading, I cried for her to stay, for her to explain things. I heard her call my name one more time before everything went black again.
"Maijalissa you WILL listen to me." A voice called. "You have been gone long enough, now return to our world."
I blinked my eyes open and saw my aunts, Celest, Dale and Elise standing around my bed. Celest was leaning over me, her silver hair hanging inches from my face.
"Oh, you have returned." Dale said, sounding surprised.
"What...what happened?" I asked as I tried to sit up, a old wrinkled pair of hands shooting out and pressing me back to the bed.
"Oh no you don't," Elise said as she shoved everyone else out of the way so that she could check on me. "You will not move for a while, do not test my patience young one."
I laughed, knowing better then to argue with her. She ran her hands over my arms and then up my neck into my hair. I winced slightly, crying out in pain as she reached a knot that was growing on the back of my head.
"That's going to smart for a while, but you are alive." She said as she stepped back, my aunts taking her place.
"I saw mom." I said, the tears returning to my eyes.
"I'm sure you did." Jan said as she smiled at me.
"What did she say?" Carol asked.
"She said I have to be patient, that I have to trust myself and hear everyone out. Oh..and that we didn't have much time." I said softly.
"She would know." Celest said, everyone turning and glaring at her.
"Maija, do you feel up to hearing us out or would you like to rest for a while?" Carol asked.
"I think I need to rest for a while if that's ok?" I asked.
"That's fine dear, feel better soon." Jan said as she leaned down and hugged me awkwardly.
Everyone said their goodbyes and walked out of the room, I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a soft knock on the door. I wasn't sure I wanted any more visitors, but grumbled my approval to enter.
"You up to one more visitor?" Michael asked softly as he walked in and stood next to the bed, gently reaching out to move my hair out of my face as he smiled.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.