Alone: My Cursed Fate

Magic and Memories

*Matteo*

Night has finally fallen. We make our way to the tree house. The moon, now full again, guides us through the dark trees. I lead our little entourage along the path that I know like the back of my hand. A path that Vienna and I have travelled thousands of times. Lena and Patrick walk alongside me in silence. Moira and Margot are chatting just behind me. Bethany and Dean walk hand and hand together farther back, totally smitten with eachother.

We arrive at the tree house. The plan is to set up inside the tree house itself. It is much too small for all of us to go up there, so it will just be Bethany, Moira, Margot, and myself. Lena, Patrick, and Dean will wait for us at the bottom. Margot and Moira climb up the wooden ladder first. Dean kisses Bethany softly before she too ascends up with her bag of magical things. Before I start climbing up, Patrick grabs my shoulder, "whatever happens, Matteo, we know you are doing your best for our daughter. We couldn't ask for a better friend for her". I give him a hug as he pats my back. Him and Lena have always been like second parents to me.

It is a tight fit up in the tree house with the four of us, and hopefully soon to be five of us. Bethany starts handing various herbs and stones and things that I can't even identify to Moira and Margot as she gives them directions. Even though Moira and Margot are not spellcasters, as witches, their magic combined with Bethany's will help concentrate the spell.

It takes nearly 30 minutes for her to get fully set up. The final result is a circle of sorts around the tree house. In the middle of the circle is objects that belonged to Vienna, objects that she holds dear or has a connection to. We chose her journal because it is something that she had in her possession very recently and she spent hours pouring her thoughts and feelings into it. We also brought along a favorite stuffed wolf from her childhood and a bracelet that was a gift from her mother that she would wear everyday that we had found in her backpack.

I check my watch, 11:58. The four of us hold hands in the circle. Bethany gives one last set of directions to the three of us. Bethany will be chanting the spell, Margot and Moira will be siphoning their magic into Bethany, and I will be focusing on a memory of Vienna.

11:59. Bethany starts chanting a spell underneath her breath. Tendrils of silver magic leave Margot and Moira and drift towards Bethany, making a soft glow gather around her. I close my eyes and think of a memory of Vienna.

...

Vienna and I sit in this very same tree house. It is getting dark outside, so I turn on the battery operated lanterns that we have hanging from the ceiling. A soft, warm glow fills the small space. We just turned 9 years old and Vienna is using her brand-new paint set. She paints one of the wooden walls of the tree house, creating a mural. She paints our beach alongside the lake and the forest surrounding the packhouse. She paints a little tree house surrounded by wild flowers. At the base of the tree house she draws two little wolves- one a golden brown and one black.

"This is us as wolves when we are older. Their fur matches our hair", Vienna states as she finishes the last finishing touch on the black wolf.

"No way, my wolf will be way bigger and scarier than that."

"Your wofl isn't going to be scary, he is going to be like a big, soft teddy bear.", she laughs sweetly.

"No, he is going to be a strong warrior like me!", I say as I stand up and let out a wolf's howl, "Ahhh-ooooooooooooo!".

"No Matty! Mine will be way stronger than yours!", she responds with a howl of her own and then we collapse into a pile of laughter.

A clap of thunder resonates through the trees followed by the sound of rain pounding on the roof of the tree house.

"Oh no Matty! We were supposed to go back before the storm hit", she looks at me with wide, scared eyes, her little round face paling.

"It's okay. We will just stay here and wait out the storm."

"Okay...", she whimpers as tears start to brim her eyes.

"Don't cry, V. Come here.", I pull her onto the bean bag with me and cover us both with a blanket. I hold her close and stroke her hair, comforting her. "I will always protect you, Vienna. You don't ever need to be afraid."

We lay like that all night as the rain continued to beat down on the little tree house and the wind howled outside. Cracks of thunder and lightning lit up the sky. Surrounded by the sweet, earthy smell of rain and evergreen. Our parents calling our names waking us up in the morning after the storm had quit.

...

Bethany's soft chanting comes to an end. I slowly open my eyes. My watch reads 12:00. The other three stare back at me. Nothing happened...

Margot starts talking first, telling me she is sorry and such, but I stop her, "Let's give it some time. At least a few minutes. It still might work". The three nod in response and stay quite, pity in their eyes. As the minutes click by, my hope falls further and further. Why didn't it work? We did everything right.

Sighing, "You guys can go. I am sure you want some time to get ready for Jensen's party. I need a minute alone." The three exit the tree house, all giving me a hug or a squeeze on the hand.

I take a seat on the same bean bag that we have had in here for years. The same bean bag we slept on that night in the storm. I just sit there with my head in my hands for a few minutes. This was my last hope. What if I never get her back? I can't just move on with my life. This was all my fault.

After a few more minutes like this and a long sigh, I slowly get up. I look at the painting on the wall that Vienna made all those years ago; Now faded with time. I trace my finger along the two little wolves in the painting, then climb down the ladder. Lena and Patrick wait for me at the bottom, both of them embracing me in a hug. Lena has been crying, but she tries to hide it. We head back together in silence.