Lost Magic

Born to be free

It was already afternoon by the time I got home and the of aroma of fresh bread was in the air. Maybe my nan had been baking. As I walked through the small village to our cottage a plump melon rolled towards me and hit the side of my foot. I stopped and bent down to pick it up. It belonged to some of the kids my age who had been throwing it around and playing with it in the quiet street. I walked over to the nearest boy, a boy with scruffy blonde hair and murky brown eyes, and handed the melon to him. He took the melon gratefully, but glared at me as I turned around. I could feel his gaze boring into my back as I continued walking, but by now I was used to that feeling. I had never fit in with any of the other children in my village and as I had grown older the tension had only gotten worse. Not that there was anything bad going on between us, because there wasn't, it was just that I had different interests to them.
I walked into the cottage and closed the door behind me. After greeting my nan I went straight to my room. I needed to think. I desperately wished I could go with Kai to find the Isle of lost Magic, but I knew I couldn't. My eyes began to feel heavy, and I yawned. Maybe there was time for me to just doze for a little bit before dinner. I chuckled quietly. That was a tempting thought. I closed my eyes and let my mind slip into a dream-like state.
I woke up after what felt like three minutes, but judging by the smells coming from the kitchen that were no doubt signifying dinner, it had probably been more like three hours. Getting out of bed I walked into the kitchen to see if I could help with anything. When I got into the kitchen there was already food laid out on the small dining room table. My nan smiled at me as I sat down, and without a word we quietly began to eat.
Later that evening we both sat down on cushions in front of the stone fireplace we had. For a while we were quiet, not knowing what to say, until eventually my nan told me she was going to get something and stood up. She returned a few minutes later carrying a dish with a small cake on it. There was a single candle in the middle.
She smiled at me. "I know it's not much," she said, "but I baked you a small something as an early celebration. You know, seeing as it's your birthday tomorrow." Shivers. I had forgotten my own birthday.
I smiled back at her. "Thank you nan. You really didn't have to." I said.
"Oh but I did!" She replied "It's not everyday that someone as gorgeous as you turns sixteen. I simply had to do something."
I smiled and blew out the small candle. "May I?" I asked my nan. She nodded and I carefully split the small cake in half. I bit into my half of the cake. My nan watched me closely.
"Listen, Ashley..." She faltered for a second, "you're turning sixteen tomorrow and, well, you deserve a little bit more freedom. I know you have been thinking about travelling, and you have always been a very courageous and adventurous girl." I almost choked on my cake when I heard that. I gulped down the mouthful of cake. "You know?" I asked in disbelief, thinking that she can't possibly know everything that had happened with Kai. She grinned, "I always knew that this day would come, Ashley. Ever since you were a child, your parents and I always knew that you were never going to be an ordinary girl." She shook her head. "No. We've known since you were a baby that your destiny was far different, far more important, than any other child here in Broken Edge. There are many problems in this world Ashley. Problems that until now, have gone almost completely unknown to people in this area. War has broken out over Infinus. People fighting over myths, tales of magic. We live in a complicated world child." She paused, trying to gage my expression.
"There is a reason why you never got on with the other children in the village. It's because they are oblivious to the world around them, whereas you have always had a passion, a fire, within you that allows you to explore the world around you without fear. You, Ashley, were born to be free." Her gaze became stern, "Which is why I want you, I need you to follow your dreams. Go out into the world, make a difference. Be who YOU are Ashley. I don't know everything that goes on in your life, but I DO know that your soul yearns to be free. I used to be like that myself, believe it or not." She chuckled. I was lost for words. There was nothing I could say to describe how I was feeling right now. A mix of emotions swept over me. Excitement, happiness, fear and sadness all took over me at once. So I did the one thing I was capable of doing at that moment. I cried. I cried with joy, sobbed for sadness and laughed with excitement. I hugged my nan and she gripped me back.
"Thank you." I sobbed, "Thank you." My nan smiled again and hugged me tighter.
"You're welcome." She replied, her own eyes now shining with tears of joy. We stayed like that for a while, the two of us huddled by the fire, wrapped in an emotional embrace. After what might have been an eternity for all I knew, my nan gently broke free from the embrace.
"Now it's getting late Ashley. If you plan to leave early tomorrow morning you need your rest." She winked at me. I didn't think she knew about Kai, but I wasn't ruling anything out after tonight. "But," my nan continued, "before you go to bed I have one more thing for you." She disappeared into her room and came back with a tiny package wrapped in cloth. Sitting down again, she handed the package to me. "Open it." She encouraged.
Slowly, I untied the piece of yarn holding it together. Inside there was thin leather cord with a gold swallow dangling off of it. The swallow's wings were imbedded with a red stone that shone in the faint light of the fire. As I gazed at it more carefully, I realised that the stone was moving, swirling with vibrant oranges and reds. I gasped. "It's beautiful!"
"It used to be mine, when I was your age." I looked up. My nan was smiling at me, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. "The swallow represents freedom. I thought it would be quite fitting, seeing as you're going out into the big wide world now." A sob escaped from her mouth. Leaning over, I hugged my nan tightly, before attaching the necklace around my neck.
"I'll wear it forever and ever." I said grinning.
"Now get to bed child, otherwise you will be exhausted in the morning!" I nodded, still smiling, and got up. My nan came into my room a little while later while I was sitting on my bed, still admiring the swallow charm, and bid me goodnight and farewell. I easily slipped into a dreamless sleep, the excitement of tomorrow failing to keep my tired eyes open.