Charlie was getting Cassie's lunch ready for school and as it was her birthday today there was a wheat free chocolate cake surprise for her. Matt had perfected dairy and gluten free cooking over the years and you really could not tell the difference with the choccie cake (well Cassie couldn't!). Cassie came running down stairs her hair mad-like around her small elfin face - Charlie didn't think she would ever get over how much she loved her - Cassie looked at her "mum you're not gonna tell me how much you love me again are you?" Charlie hugged her "god no! You're a teenager now, I can't stand you!" They laughed, Cassie began to eat her cereal and started thinking about the dream again, the same one she had had for the last 5 years, always on the night before her birthday. The same room very tall, very beautiful, dark - and the coats, the long black coats hanging on the wall - why so many of them? the same smells, intoxicating amber and bergamot and the silver drops - what was the machine? what did it do? - then the voice, always the same voice, saying the same thing..... who was he?
But last night was different, she remembered everything, the name - Catrix and she remembered the verse, SHE REMEMBERED THE VERSE! - that had never happened before - why now? - She was 13 today, maybe that was significant, maybe not. She pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket she had wrote the verse on. "Mum, I had the maddest dream last night, and I realised I've had this dream before, usually the night before my birthday I think" Charlie smiled at her "go on then let's have it" Cassie looked at the paper "it starts with a poem" she began to recite the poem......."the shell is pail and thin, the urge to break it is overwhelming by all who encounter it - but within there is silence, stillness"........"a cunning suitor with eyes greedy for the contents tries to break the shell - tap, tap, tap - but the shell stays strong, still"......
Charlie spoke "bloody hell Cass it's a bit grimm, have you gone all Emo on me!" Cassie frowned at her "shut up mum, there's more yet" she carried on "Before long the stillness needs to be seen, be heard and allows a crack to appear - the suitor gasps, waits eagerly to devour the contents, to destroy the thing inside"....
"Crack, crack, crack - the shell opens - there is a stillness in the air - for what emerges is not the weak, feeble prey anticipated, but a Phoenix gold and proud, the phoenix emerges, looks down at the trembling suitor, arises and unites the world."
Cassie looked at her mum, mouth and eyes wide open in a "Ta Dar" type motion "what do you think about that then". Charlie laughed out loud "I think its amazing, amazing that you remembered it all - well done I think you've just become a poet! - we'll be millionaires yet!" Cassie shrugged her shoulders "yeah maybe, oh hang on theres was the last bit, not a poem but the mans voice, it grew a bit louder and he said a name, he said. " Catrix, this is the key to your existence" Cassie held her arms out in triumph "and that's it!"
Charlie felt the cup slip from her hands to the floor almost in slow motion, that name again Catrix, she had heard that name before on the night Cassie was born twice, in the ambulance, the beautiful beings, what does it mean? what does it mean? She heard in the distance the sound of Cassie's voice as she fainted "mum, mum........."
Chwaiii and Mahiii were holding Charlie's hands Mahiii spoke softly "we are sorry Charlie, but we have to take you out of your dimension to communicate, it is time to be strong Catrix needs to fulfil her destiny" Charlie felt bewildered, but extraordinarily calm "who is Catrix?" Chwaiii looked at her "Cassie, your daughter, she is Catrix".
