The Monastery is the story of a prince raised by a cobbler. Set in a world where an Empire has been enslaving country after country for centuries, it follows the tale of young Susant, a boy born into the last free country in the world, his journey w...
So it was that Susant found himself standing before a little wooden cabin. A single ribbon of smoke was rising from the chimney. He stood quietly before proceeding to walk up the stairs and knock on the door.
After a few moments with no response, Susant went to knock again. The door opened, and his hand froze. Standing before him was an elderly lady with a pipe in her mouth, looking back at him. It could be said that nearly everything about this woman was as old as could be, her clothes, her hair, her skin, but not her eyes. Susant felt temporarily stunned as he looked into them, sensing a strange power.
"It's about time," said the old woman, exhaling a plume of smoke. "You sure do like to keep an old woman waiting, don't you?"
Susant paused for a half second. "Y-You knew I was coming?"
The old woman held open the door all the way. "I'm a Seer. There's always someone coming."
Susant removed his shoes and stepped inside. The inside of the cabin was dim, and even with the windows cracked, it smelt strongly of flowers and smoke. Several dozen candles were lit all about the room, and many books of different shapes and sizes were scattered all about.
Susant carefully watched his step as he made his way across the room. The old woman lifted up an old woolen tapestry hanging down, revealing a back room. She motioned for him to follow her inside. The back room was darker than the front, and if it weren't for a single burning candle, he wouldn't have been able to see at all.
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The old woman sat down on a little red cushion, took a deep inhale from her pipe, and asked Susant to take a seat before her. Susant did as he was told, though he was beginning to feel a little nervous.
"Relax, my boy. I'm not a witchdoctor," she said, breathing out another plume of smoke. Susant forced a smile, wondering how he would even begin explaining to a total stranger the secrets of his heart.
As if reading his mind, the old woman stood and lit a stick of incense. Susant felt his body soften as he took in a breath of it. Jasmine. He looked at her strangely, more so sensing than seeing a flicker of a grin on the corner of her lips.
"Now, what has brought you to me today?"
"I'm not really sure where to start," began Susant, still feeling a little shy. "But I guess I just haven't felt myself lately. I'm not sure what to make of it honestly, or how I feel, and there have been other things that happened lately that I—" Susant shook his head. "It's really hard to explain, but deep down, I feel as if something is just not right with me anymore, almost as if I'm wearing the shoes of another person."
The old woman let the previously sensed grin curl into a smile. "You are finally old enough to realize that, perhaps, the road you are walking is not the one you want to walk. It is a good thing you came to see me. Many people push away these feelings for far too long. They continue to walk the path that is not theirs, and eventually, their true path becomes too far behind to ever return to."
