Blessing Moon

Twenty-Six: The Bright Light

The sweet melody of twittering birds and the subtle sound of snapping twigs echoed in the background as Beanni took in the earthy colours of the non-magical realm's forest. Ethan had decided to take her to the place where he first landed in that strange dimension. She saw his feet walk along the naturally laid out path between the variety of trees. There were ones with thick trunks that stretched high into the sky and others that arched over his head as if they were trying to keep him secret from the blue sky above. Soft looking ferns waved from the ground as he walked past them and he studied the different kinds of fungi that grew within the surroundings, as if for Beanni's benefit. There were spongy half circles that grew in miniature staircases upon the bark of trees, and there were red and purple toad stools that stood proudly between short blades of grass. Although the plants in this forest looked so different to what Beanni was used to, their colours were not as bright and nothing at all glowed or glittered, she could see and appreciate the humble beauty of the surroundings within her smoke vision.

Ethan made them stop in front of a tree that looked familiar. It towered high amongst the other tall trees standing around, and its roots stretched across the forest's moss covered floor. These roots covered more ground than any of the other trees, and its star shaped leaves were shaped like no others' present.

"I know this tree," Beanni declared as Ethan stopped and stared at it.

"This is where Ethan's grandfather took Jeeves the cat's body after I entered his mind. He was a kind man, lonely but kind. He took Jeeves in without question one day. He fed me, gave me a comfortable bed," Ethan said, then took a step towards the tree that his very own magic grew years before that day. "He gave me a home."

"Ethan's grandfather?" Beanni pondered.

"Yes, his name was Richard, and when he past away I entered his son David. Him having descendants made moving into new bodies much easier," the ancient magic explained.

"What happens to these people? What about Ethan? Is he still there now? Or..." A gasp left Beanni, interrupting her speech as she contemplated the alternative that came to her mind.

"Or?" Beanni detected a defensive tone within Ethan's voice, which made her clamp her mouth shut. She tried her hardest to ignore the clammy, cold prickling that began to play at the back of her neck. She heard Ethan take a deep breath in, before speaking in a much calmer sounding way. "I know what you're asking, of course I do, and you have every right to be curious about that. I am sorry. It's just complicated that's all. I mean, he's here and he's not here. He is always watching, commenting, complaining, but he has no control. I am in charge of everything."

Beanni said nothing. She had no idea what she could say. It didn't seem right, taking that poor man's life away from him, forcing him to watch somebody else take the reins of his own body. Such a concept would've sounded impossible once upon a time, just a creepy story that her father or brothers would've told her when she was young. Solely hearing this as a made up story, she knew she wouldn't think twice about the man whose body the ancient magic possessed. However, the reality of it had really disturbed her heart. That poor man unwittingly sacrificed himself for the sake of a realm he had never even heard of. It just wasn't right. How could it be?

"Say something, Beanni," the ancient magic made Ethan's voice demand.

"What can I say?" Beanni couldn't speak above a whisper. "What do you want me to say?"

"Look, it is necessary that I do this - that I keep moving from body to body. The sake of our world depends on it!"

"Why?" Beanni found courage within the sudden outrage she felt on behalf of the characters within Ethan Robson's stories, people she understood to be real individuals who hoped, who loved and who had their very own dreams. "You could've stayed in the forest, lived a long life as this tree. You said as much the other day. I remember you saying that. You chose to take over different bodies, different lives, to - and I quote - speed along the process!"