A Gift of Magic

The first pink rays of sunlight peek through the canopy of the rain-forest and she opens her eyes. The vine hammock she’s laying in gently rocks as she starts to move and stretch her limbs. Tomorrow is her 21st birthday and she knows it will soon be time to turn around and make her journey back home. Traditionally the women of her family return home at 25 to take over the cottages at 5 Points Sanctuary in Mill Creek, Florida. She is the oldest daughter in her generation and was gifted by the goddess Danu her powers over plants and the Earth through an ancient lineage. Before taking her place at the sanctuary she left on her 18th birthday to travel the Earth and learn her powers. Most people would find this journey difficult because it left her alone for the better part of three years but growing up as the oldest of seven daughters it has been nice to have some quiet for a change. Lying here looking up to the dawn light peeking through the canopy of the South American rain-forest she smiles thinking of everyone she left behind. Her sisters, parents, numerous aunts and uncles, her best friend’s father who became a second father to her, and her best friend Anna she then realizes that she has missed them and was looking forward to seeing them again.             Slowly she sits up and gently lever her hammock back so she can land on the soggy ground beneath her. The dark green tank top and matching cargo pants she is wearing are faded and her small traveling pack in slung across her back. You would think that living off the land and traveling mostly by foot for the past three years would make her lean and muscled, especially since she is a vegetarian, but sadly no. She has been steadily gaining more curves as she ages. She has always compared her body to those of her classmates growing up which is honestly unfair since most of them were shapeshifters and are famous for perfect muscular bodies. Her curves were constantly the subject of mockery. Her breasts were large, her stomach was flat but not muscular, her hips flared out, and her things she lovingly referred to as thunder thighs. She knew her curvy body was a product of her magic but that doesn’t help a teen get a better body image.             She cautiously made her way through the rain-forest to a small stream to get a drink. Today her plan is to find a place to celebrate the holy day of Lammas tomorrow and to start making her way back home afterwards. As she reaches the stream she bends down and drinks through cupped hands. To her left is a large cluster of banana trees. They do not currently have any fruit on them. She walks over and sits cross-legged next to the large root bundle. She places her hands on the root bundle and closes her eyes concentrating on the life-force of the plant and channeling a small amount of her power into the plants. The green strands highlighted through her hair glow a bright green the color of fresh growth and then the light dies. A moment later she opens her eyes to find ripe fruit on every tree. She softly says, “the goddess provides,” then takes down several bananas and leaves the rest for the animals of the forest. It is time to move on, she knows soon this area will be overrun with monkeys and other animals wanting breakfast.             Eating her breakfast, she makes her way through the dense greenery that is the rain-forest to find a place for her celebration tomorrow. Ahead of her she sees a beautiful stranger. The stranger is tall and curvy with an ample bosom that is almost falling out of her light green flowing robes. Her sandy brown hair falls in lush waves down her back to her waist. There seems to be a glow to the woman as she sways through the vegetation. There is a definite draw to the stranger and slowly she makes a purposeful noise, so as to not surprise the stranger. When she is   about six feet from her, she stops, and the stranger turns to face her. The stranger’s eyes are the same startling light green as her own and she knows this must be the goddess Danu. She falls to her knees and bow my head. “My goddess Danu I am honored by your presence.”             “My dear Leigh please rise, I must talk to you.” As Leigh rises she continues, “Dark times are on the horizon, a storm is coming. As is tradition with the Druids of old I am sending you on a quest to prepare for the part you must play.”             Leigh gapes at the goddess in disbelief. She has never been anything special beyond her powers. “No offense goddess, but surely there are others more powerful and worthy of your quest.”             Danu’s eyes narrowed, “Let me ask you a few questions then Leigh. How many small family or village farms have you fed your power into without asking for permission or praise? How many fruit trees or berry bushes have you fed your power into to push them into full fruit? Why expend this extra energy for no return?”             Leigh looked at my feet embarrassed and then back up to the goddess. Softly she replied, “goddess the farms I helped just needed a small push to ensure that the people would be fed. The trees and bushes were in a small part to feed myself, but in a greater part to ensure the animals of the forests would eat well. You have given me a great gift goddess and it is my honor and duty to help others with it.”             Danu nodded, “precisely why I chose you. You are the first to give of yourself so freely on your pilgrimage into the world. You give without expecting anything in return. You give thinking little of the consequence to yourself. You are grateful for the gifts I have given you. You have been lied to your whole life. You are kind, gentle, beautiful, and powerful. Anyone who cannot see that is blind to who you are.” Danu seemed to shake herself and continued, “the quest I am bestowing on you is going to be a difficult one. How much do you know about the history of the Druids?”             She pursed her lips while she thought about this question, “I was always told that your mother, the creator goddess, made Druids in the likeness of you and your brothers and sisters. There gifts are passed down from one generation to another. The seventh sister of seven sisters will give birth to the next seven sisters who will each have powers bestowed upon them by the goddesses and gods.” Leigh shrugged, “if there is more to the story, I do not know it.”             Danu sighed and a shadow crossed her eyes, she looked incredibly sad for a second and then returned to her previous state of relaxation, “There is a great deal you do not know child. I will fill in a couple places so you can better understand your quest. My mother Eire created seven families to carry the gifts of the Druid. As time passed having magical gifts became dangerous and four families were killed during various witch hunts through the ages. Their spell books have been hidden by the original Druids and you must retrieve them to prepare for the challenge ahead.”             “Forgive me goddess,” Leigh started, “but I do not know where to even begin looking for the books.”             Danu said, “I will be gifting you with two spells to help you on your travels as well as give you a starting place for each book.” She shifted, “First let us talk about the first book you will retrieve. In Salem, Massachusetts there was a bloodline of Druids that was murdered during the witch trials in 1692. Their names were never recorded because of the shame the villagers felt over destroying an entire family. Once you arrive in Salem you should feel the book calling to you. When you retrieve the volume, the spells are yours to keep.”             Leigh nodded, “I will do my best to not let you down goddess,” she said in all earnestness.             Danu continued like she didn’t even speak, “the first spell you will be given is the ability to travel the world through tree trunks. Simply place your hand on a tree big enough for you to walk through and name the city you want to go. If you have been there before or have seen a picture you can be more specific with your travels. I will place where you need to travel this time into your mind to make that part of the journey easier. The second spell is a bit darker than you are used to but is necessary for your safety. You will be given the ability to drain the life from living plants and absorb their essence into yourself to keep you alive if you are injured. I know you will not abuse the power I am giving you. I have faith in you Leigh.”             Leigh’s mouth dropped open as she was explaining the new spells, when she finished, Leigh had to force her mouth closed and replied much softer than she meant to, “Thank you goddess I will use them wisely. May I ask a question?”             Danu inclined her head and waited patiently. Leigh braced herself. “Goddess Danu, I was raised to believe that a Druid is to do no harm because any harm you do will come back three-fold. I am concerned about a power that drains the land of life and what the repercussions of that action might be.”             Danu’s eyes became gentle. “Leigh when you lash out in anger or with petty motives then absolutely your actions will come back three-fold. This gives a balance to the world since you have so much power. But when you use tools at your disposal to do good and to save your life there are no repercussions. My quest for you has the potential to become very dangerous. If you are concerned about repercussions of an action, you feel is the best course then go into a meditative state and call to me and I will answer. The druids were once warriors in a time that required action and the spilling of blood, the druids then became  peacekeepers and the keepers of the elements. It may be time for the druids to become warriors again.”             Danu placed a gentle hand on her arm and then disappeared.             She let out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. This definitely changed her plans dramatically. She desperately wanted to stay in the rain-forest and complete her Lammas ceremony in the privacy of the jungle, but her goddess had given her a quest. She had no intention of disobeying a goddess. She checked her bag and decided to ripen a mango and a papaya tree to give herself some reserves of food before she headed out. She filled up her water canteen as well using this also gave her time to say goodbye to the forest and her solitude.