Alchemy
1010 Words
"You say you met Eilif?"
"Yes I did. She told me of things. She showed me.."
"Showed you?"
"My memory of the event was a bit bleak, but from what I clearly remember.. I held her hand then all of the other things happened"
"What things?"
"I think I saw through her eyes. I felt through her body. I was her for a moment?"
Mr. Albert seem to be so interested on speaking of. He held his chin while he thought of things.
"Why can't we just talk about this in the garden nearby the mansion?"
"There are ears everywhere dear. Everywhere but here. I made this place to be a safe place to be. You see that sigil by the door? That's what's preventing them from hearing us"
"By 'them' who exactly are you pertaining to?"
"Who else would it be?"
"WHO?!"
"The Fletchers!"
I was caught off guard of what he just said I don’t know what to say. "I don't mean to hurt you, but the truth always hurt the most", he added. "The family you got into.. they are no ordinary people. Their blood is from an old lineage of witches that no one here would want to ever mess with" I swallowed hard. “That’s not true!” I shouted. I can’t believe all these things. First the ghost, now my witch parents? I’m so confused but I’m not that desperate for answers that I’ll accept this.
“I’m afraid these are all true, Lara”
“Then prove it”
“If this will prove everything to you, then I’ll do it”
He slowly reached for a knife that’s on the table. I distanced myself away from him I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
“Don’t worry this won’t hurt”
“WHAT?!”
He quickly slit his thumb and blood immediately burst out of the fresh deep wound.
“What are you doing?!”
“This..”
He took a candle to lit the floor.
“Watch carefully”
I followed and witnessed how he drew cyphers on the ground with his own blood. When he finished, he took another candle and looked for something.
“There it is!”, he said aloud with an excited tone in his words. He brought back a dead rat and placed it on the circle. This rat carcass is rotting, it smells so bad.
“A dead rat?”
“Be patient”
He took off his left-hand glove and put it near the candle he’s holding to reveal an old scar etched in his palm on his thenar, it’s close to a size of a quarter and it looks like the symbols he just drew.
“Now watch”
He kneeled close to the dead rat and closed his eyes. He meditates for a while drew another symbol. To my surprise, his eyes opened, and he abruptly hit the symbol with his hand. A bright glow of light surrounded the place. I saw Mr. Alfred holding a live white rat in his hands. He handed me the live mouse for me to examine. “How is this possible?” I said feeling quite amused but still not convinced. “Alchemy” he said in a serious tone while he let the mouse explore his fingers.
“Could you explain?” I’m still quite not in the same page
“Only a few dormants possess this gift because back in the older times, only a few of my kind is capable to perform this practice. Until a dormant, fed up with the discrimination, started a revolt. He assembled a group of alchemists and convinced them to kill whoever witch discriminates them. The Order of the Pure witches, who keep all the other branches controlled, caught news about this, and they acted. They found a way to refrain them from performing alchemy”
“How?”
“The chopped those crafty hands. To this day, only few alchemists remain. We live in hiding our abilities in fear of getting our hands chopped off. Being a dormant is difficult enough, might as well live with complete pair of hands. No one alive knows that I can perform this lost art. Only you ”
“Do you believe me now?”
“This is a party trick!”
“What?”
“There’s another mouse hiding underneath those sleeves! I have to go..”
“No wait!”
I ran towards the exit only to remember that he brought me in the middle of a maze. I didn’t even care which way to turn, I simply just want to get away from here.
I ran around trying to run away from that place, until I came across a tree way intersection.
“Lara wait!” he’s chasing after me I have to choose a path now. I ran and chose the left path. While running, the thorns of the flowers scratch my feet. I keep seeing flowers. Flowers that are colorful. So beautiful it drifts me away from what I’m doing. I’m still running right? I feel dizzy but I’m fighting it. I have to get away from here. “Lara where are you!?”. “Who the hell is Lara?” Why am I here? Earlier I'm dizzy but now I can tell I'm VERY DIZZY. I feel my body get heavier and heavier each step that I make. Those beautiful flowers, I want to be a flower. Carefree and beautiful. I feel my world started to dim. The fresh grass in my cheeks. Flowers grew in my mouth. My arms turn into branches and started growing leaves. I’m one with nature. I am Earth. I am the sea, the clouds, the moon, and the stars combines. All I can see is a tree running close to me, I want to embrace it but how? I'm a planet.
I woke up with the sight of Mr. Albert making fire in the fireplace with his bear hands. I felt dizzy again and passed out.
- Writer
