The Clairvoyant's Curse

A pink twilight was looking down upon Midgeville. The warriors were returning home after a long day of training and the women had prepared cakes for their husbands. Nothing special, they were just simple rice cakes. Let me you tell you why. Midgeville is a town that cultivates only rice. The soil here is blessed by the Gods, to accommodate the purest rice crop. No, we do not share our crop with other parts of the world, especially because most people are so skeptic about the existence of Gods. Bless my heart, the atheists are a real handful; there really is no telling what will set them off. I think I have beaten around the bush too much. I will tell you my story, but for Coatlicue's sake, I want you to spread my story to only the select few you trust; for I live and breathe in fear. No, I am not a coward. I am sacrificing my life for everyone else. I cannot divulge much information at the moment, but I will give you my basic identity. I am Aldusa Celestria, First of her name and the last Celestria. I worship Coatlicue and sometimes I meditate for hours at end. My life is not ordinary. I see things others can't. No, it is not all sunshine and rainbows. How I came to possess this ability, is a fascinating story. But before I launch into an immense trance of storytelling, I would like to warn you about something. I might appear harmless, but go against me, and I shall make sure you don't see the light of day. I won't be afraid to plunge my charmed dagger into the depths of your chest and leave you to a fate worse than death itself. But, worry not, I punish, only the betrayers. They are no less than leech like vermin, and deserve no less. I have a strong soul that yearns justice. But enough threats. I'll get started. 148 years ago, the Celestrias were the wealthiest family of Midgeville. The Celestrias were blessed farmers, they had gifted talents for cultivating, not only rice but a wide variety of crops like coffee and cocoa. These men had a sculpted hand for agriculture, but they had always struggled with fertility among themselves. It would be 10 years or more before they could birth a descendent. The women, were seen as unimportant liabilities in the family. My parents Arthur and Fiona Celestria were farmers too. I was born when my mother was 42 and my father was 77. My mother, died in childbirth, the agony was unbearable, they say, she bled too much. My father died of natural causes when I was only two years old. But, I have memories of things that I heard from within my mother's womb. It was always fascinating, for the Celestrias were known not for their intelligence, but for their farming skills. I grew up to be a lovely little girl of twelve, someone who fancied flowers and men. I had a keen interest in warfare. I used to stray into the ironsmith's workshop and steal little knives. I'd spend hours fighting off foxes in the forest, after which I'd sleep in a niche and return in the morning. My uncles didn't pay much attention to me, for I was often aloof. One fine day, I was sleeping in such a niche and I woke up to a startling feeling that I was being watched. I opened my eyes at once and in front of me stood a woman with a face of two fanged serpents, a skirt made of interwoven snakes, flabby breasts, a necklace made of hands, hearts, and a skull, and claws for fingers and toes. Any normal human being would be terrified at such a sight and would prioritise running to safety. But I was calm, for I had done my studying and I knew she was Coatlicue, the Aztec Goddess of Earth, symbol of the earth as both creator and destroyer, mother of the gods and mortals. I knew I had to bow down to her, for her presence in front of me meant that I was either in a great deal of trouble or that she'd come to bless me. She spoke with a deep echo, "My Child, I am immensely pleased to see you. We have been waiting for several eons." Not a word escaped my mouth, for I was in utter shock. "You're special, child. Your future holds so much.", she continued. I took a handful of soil, offered it to the Moon glowing with its full glory and then offered the soil bathed in moonlight at Coatlicue's feet. She plucked out a snake from her skirt and handed her to me, "Sierra is special, take good care of her. She'll take you on the trip you're required to take. Farewell, for now." The glistening black mamba hissed at me, but I did not feel threatened. I welcomed her and invitingly wrapped her around my arm. Coatlicue had disappeared into the woods. I drifted into a deep dreamy slumber consequently. I dreamt that a maelstrom was incoming from the deep trenches of the ocean. The fishes were being whipped in the violent winds and trees were getting uprooted and flown away in the strong currents of wind. The maelstrom developed into a deadly tsunami and consumed the whole of Midgeville, leaving not even a single survivor. The beautiful fields, ripped apart and Midgeville was sunken forever, away from the glares of prying discoverers. The dream was much too disturbing and much too real. Was it a premonition? No, it just must have been a silly dream, I thought to myself. Thirteen days later, the fishermen were complaining about violent sea winds and their temporary houses being blown away. I was suspicious about this entire situation and with Sierra wrapped around my arm, I ran to the ocean. The seas were very unsteady and a dead fish flew up the shore from within the waters. It was then that I knew. I ran to the centre of the town and grabbed a megaphone. I shrieked into the device hoping my voice reached the furthest corners of this small settlement. Much to my dismay, there was not a single person who heeded my announcement. Desperate and on the verge of tears, I took a deep breath and stomped down my right foot, as hard as I could. "Lads and Lasses, listen to me for your lives are at stake." Time stood still. Everyone had become living statues. They were all looking at me with unfocused eyes. Somehow, I knew what I had to do. I commanded them to cross the town bridge and take shelter in the neighbouring town. Time unfroze and the people, like obedient pupils, started walking. I walked to the ocean and looked at my reflection in the water. My eyes were gleaming purple. I looked over at the horizon and shut my eyes. The ocean retaliated. I stood in the middle of shore as the tsunami struck and caused havoc all over. I was standing right there with a strong foothold and Sierra with me all along the way, I knew she was keeping me rooted to the Earth. A hundred and eighty days the storm lasted. I was standing in the midst of nothingness, there was nothing, nothing, but emptiness. My hair was three feet long and my face grey with the constant exposure to storm waters. The waters receded on the evening of the 181st day. The fertile delta soil was inviting the Celestria inside of me, but I had to get the others. I had retained the life of the town, the fertile soil. I knew I had a connection with the Earth. I walked to the neighbouring town, Gracath, and found no trace of the inhabitants of Midgeville. I looked everywhere but nothing. Walking past the famous Tsango River, I saw hundreds of corpses floating on the surface. The corpses were not whole, but chopped into pieces. I saw a solitary hand float to the shore and recognized my uncle's emerald ring. Rage. All I saw was pure dark rage. The skies turned grey. I looked up at the sky and with one piercing gaze at the moon above, I shut my eyes and absorbed some of that sacred moonlight inside. The Moon, Selene, or the Orb of Night, with her many names has had a very significant impact on my life. My uncles used to tell me the second I was born, the moon had flickered and glowed considerably brighter for an entire minute. Although, not many people paid heed to this, I had often been called Moon Child as some people were under the impression that the moon glowing brighter exactly during my birth meant her giving me some kind of a blessing. Since I had never met my mother, I had decided to consider the Moon as a maternal figure. Before taking any big step, I had a habit of looking up at the Moon, or if it wasn't nightfall, I'd visualise her soothing light deep inside my imagination. It would always sharpen my senses and make me feel rejuvenated. It would make me see things more clearly. Someone had murdered my entire town. But Gracath had always been an ally. Even if we didn't share crops with them, it was always understood that agricultural secrets were meant to remain hidden in Midgeville. Gracath soldiers had always seen Midgeville as their own land, after all, the towns were hardly separate. Tsango river passed through the centres of the two towns, flowing with full vigour and beautiful persimmons growing on its banks. The Gracath bank was famous because of the large clover patch that had developed there, after all each town was special in its own way. The most fascinating thing was that all the clovers were four leafed. Maybe, this was the good luck charm that had kept Gracath away from the face of disaster for millennia at end. Never had Gracath been the victim of natural cataclysms; it's curious indeed. But, Gracath and Midgeville weren't enemies. I pondered within, What must have happened here really. Without a hint of gloom I walked into the woods and took shelter under a sandalwood tree, hoping Coatlicue's blessing included not only future, but also past glimpses of reality. I willed myself to slip into a trance, while Sierra, along with the other tree snakes, coiled softly around my neck aiding me towards what I desired. I see the sea again. This time I see high tides and tall waves rising. In the midst of it all, I see a young girl clad in steel sole boots standing with a snake coiled around her arm. Then I go on to Gracath. I search for my people impatiently hoping to catch sight of at least someone from my town. But I see no one. I feel bile rise in my throat when I decided to explore things on another level. I wondered if I could control the sequence of events in this vision much like when one does lucid dreaming. I yell from the clouds, for that was my point of view. WHERE ARE MY PEOPLE, I screamed. Instantly many soldiers looked up with a stunned look on their faces, for they didn’t believe in Gods and events beyond scientific explanations, which is why they just ignored my shrill loudness and went about their day nonchalantly. At that precise moment, I felt something slither down my belly, following which I felt a sharp piercing pain in my ankle. My trance broke. In front of my eyes, I saw Coatlicue standing. I did not budge from where I sat but instead was lost in my own world, thinking about this ordeal. When I look down to inspect the site of pain, I find Sierra with bloody fangs, a piece of my flesh bitten out and blood pouring out of the wound. My face devoid of grimace, I stirred and saw myself peeking at Coatlicue’s serpent skirt from the corner of my eye. Her eyes sparkled with annoyance as I had been foolish enough to not bow down to her and not acknowledge her holy presence. Despite the pain in my foot, I stood up and paced up to her with a puzzled and angry expression on my face. I needed answers. “O Great Mother, am I cursed, for it feels like it.” “I cannot tell you anything now for things must happen only the way they’re supposed to, it’s destiny. It’s all set into stone”, she said with a pitiful smile. “Where are my people? What are your plans?” “Your people are not in afterlife yet.” “What about Sierra, O Mother? She was bestowed upon me as a gift to guide me through this journey, why is she harming me”, I cry out in a tone punctuated with sobs and gasps. Coatlicue looked at my salty eyes and said, “What Sierra did, she must have had a reason for the same.” With that, she vanished without a trace. It was like she was never there. I looked down and at the spot where the blood from my ankle had seeped into the soil, arose some peculiar flora. It was a lilac lotus which had petals with a blue tinge on them. A lotus on bare dry land? I bent down to pluck it and...