Myne

nineteen

“What did you see?” Sky asked. 

At dinner, Rain had introduced Sky to the rest of her family. Not that he needed much of an introduction. This is Mr Sky, was enough. And Rain gave more. She told her family how she had encountered Mr Sky in the central market. She recognised him immediately. Invited him home, an invitation he graciously accepted. And here they were. All of the family was delighted to meet the renowned star reader. In their eyes, he was anything but an old man. Over dinner, Sky answered as many questions as he could. Thankfully, they weren’t many. They were in the presence of the family head, Lester Eavens. And they had to protect the prestige of the family. 

Later, Lester invited Sky to his study. He also had Rain follow. After all, he could see clearly that Rain was aware of the promise he had obtained from the renowned star reader. And he could also see that there was more. Both the old man and the young girl were smiling, were excited. When the door was closed, and the three made themselves comfortable in the study, Lester began. 

“So, care to fill me in?” 

Sky nodded. And looked at Rain. “First,” he said to Rain, “can you tell us what you saw?” 

“What she saw?” Lester said, confused. 

“Yes,” Sky said. And recounted the events from the afternoon. “I think Rain saw something. I want to hear from her. I want to confirm my suspicions before I voice them.” 

“Of course,” Lester said, agreeing completely. 

Two pairs of eyes were on Rain. And even though she was prepared, she was nervous. She nodded. Closed her eyes, while she organised her thoughts. And then opened her eyes, looking back at her father and at Mr Sky. And began. 

*

At first, there was simply the vast darkness. Endless, yet close. Simple, yet astounding. Enticing, yet humbling. She was in awe of all there was, of existence itself. Then, the stars appeared. Twinkling. In all colours. Growing rapidly in number, as she looked on. Before she knew it, there were too many to count. And right there, in between them innumerable stars, floating over the darkness and at the same time indistinguishable, were lines, filled with characters written in an ancient hand. She saw them. But she couldn’t recognise any. She hadn’t learned the alphabet. And truth be told, they didn’t even look like an alphabet. More like runes. Shapes and structures filled with magic and information hidden within the magic. It was as if the characters weren’t meant to be read, but rather seen. And experienced. 

And then, she heard a call. Coming from somewhere within the characters. A familiar call, in a familiar voice. Pulling her in. And she gave in, without putting up any struggle. The voice was calling her. And she had to answer. 

*

“Then,” she said, and paused. Not because she needed it. 

The other two looked like they could use it. Her father was frozen, his face contorted in an expression of disbelief and shock, and maybe horror. Sky, was easier to decipher. It was plain and simple and pure, astonishment. And delight. Like he had found something extraordinary. And from the way he was staring at her, she felt like that something extraordinary was her. It was a scary thought. And she couldn’t find a single way of refuting it. 

No, she said to herself in her head. Stop it. Don’t go down that path. 

And she continued. “Then, I saw something. I think, I saw myself. My fate. What you, Mr Sky, said was my fate.” And she paused again. This time because she just knew, didn’t know how, that her father shouldn’t be privy to what followed. 

Sky seemed to understand. He nodded. Smiled at her. And then turned toward Lester. “Mr Eavens, this is where it ends for you. You must not hear what she has to say next. It is important. Afterward, I promise, I will fill you in. I will explain. And I guarantee you, it is good news.” 

Lester nodded. He understood. He didn’t like it. But he knew there wasn’t another way. He smiled at his daughter. And left the study. 

When it was just the two of them, Rain continued. 

“There’s a party of hunters. They visit father. And father asks of them to have me accompany them into the forest, as a way of repaying the favour they would owe him. They agree. Take me along. And all’s good. Until the last day. We are due to return. Something happens. I get hurt. Badly. Can’t remember exact details. I must leave. To some academy, where I can find help. There I meet friends, who would be with me the rest of my life. We go through a lot. We suffer a lot. I suffer a lot. Years of it. And then, at the end of the darkest night, we see hope. A way to make me better, and heal the rest as well. We go on another adventure. A journey filled with perils. We are all, every single one of us, gravely injured. But we make it. We are cured. Healed. Saved. And then, we finally reach our destinies. We all finally meet with our happy endings.” 

Sky was patient, even after she finished. Because he knew, she wasn’t really finished. That was all she had seen. But there was more she had to say. Thoughts she had after waking. That were born from what she remembered. 

And he was right. 

“Mr Sky. I don’t want to go through all of that. I’ve lived it once. I’ve lived through it all. Experienced it all. It’s too much. Yes, the sweet ending at the end is definitely worth it. But, if there is a way, I would like to take it.” 

Sky didn’t answer immediately. He was looking at her intently when she said she had experienced it all, lived through it all. He saw the honesty in her eyes. He saw the pain on her face. She wasn’t lying. She wasn’t even imagining it. She had truly lived through it all. She had truly experienced it all. And that was why, she was absolutely serious when she said, if there was a way, she would take it. 

“There is,” he answered. “But, there is so much you must understand. Before you can make the choice. And it’s not going to be an easy choice. It’s not going to be a pretty choice. It’s going to be ugly, in the dirtiest sense of the word. You would be defiling yourself. Defiling your fate. Defiling your very existence. Is that something you are okay with?” 

“I will be turning into something else entirely, something not me,” she said, understanding perfectly what he meant. “Yes. I think I understand. Yes, I am okay with it. Please, do tell.” 

“It would take a sacrifice. From you. And from another.”