The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 6

Beauty of Magic and Nature

As they started following the yellow brick road, Ajana couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"The Wizard of Oz?" Wallace asked knowingly.

"The Wizard of Oz," Ajana answered, barely containing her giddy laughter.

As they went on, her laughter died down as it was replaced by awe. She was enthralled by how beautiful everything was.

It wasn't only about what they saw but also about the feeling that engulfed her in its embrace. It was a sensation of power and excitement, of endless possibilities and freedom.

It was the kind of feeling she had never felt before, and she adored it. She basked in its gentle touch and never wanted to stop feeling that wonderful mixture of emotions.

As they walked by flower fields, Ajana couldn't help but bend over the flowers and smell their enchanting fragrance. The smell was heavenly, and she couldn't help but run a finger gently down their delicate petals.

Ajana was very careful not to disturb the flowers' beauty and somehow knew that picking any of the flowers would be a sin. The right way to admire flowers was by not picking them. It was by looking at them and smelling them in their natural habitat. By plucking them, they would destroy them.

They might look beautiful for a day or two, but they would eventually wither and die. Somehow, Ajana knew that it was especially true for the flowers in a magical land.

Even in her world, she couldn't understand why people didn't enjoy the flowers while letting them live. It was so beautiful to see fields and fields of flowers being allowed to grow independently and freely, it was a sight for sore eyes.

Upon finally lifting her gaze from the flowers, Ajana could see a hot air balloon flying right above their heads. She knew of hot air balloons, of course, but she had never been that close to one, and she wished she could have been inside it.

The view from above must have been astonishing, all those flower fields and the magnificent castle must be an incredible sight. The wind in one's hair and the beautiful view, what more could one wish for?

Ajana thought that it was probably liberating to be able to fly above everything and see it from a different perspective. It probably gave one a different view of life and problems.

Some difficulties had to look insignificant when seen as part of the much bigger picture, just a speck on the horizon. For a few moments, Ajana got so lost in her musings that she forgot to keep walking, but finally, she resumed her slow pace.

Wallace was much more patient than anyone would have been in his place and didn't comment on her snail-like pace. It's always said that owls have infinite wisdom. Thus, Ajana started wondering if they also had infinite patience since he said nothing about her pace and long pauses.

"Have you brought a lot of magical beings here, so far?" Ajana couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, I have. And to answer your unspoken question, yes, that is why I am so patient with you. I have been through this many times before, and honestly, I used to get very irritated with the newcomers. However, as I grew older, I started being more understanding. It could be said that I began understanding how new and strange all of it was for them.

"The reason for that was the fact that I had to go to many places which were sometimes wonderful, sometimes terrifying, and I needed time to adjust. Thus, I realized that instead of hurrying them along, I should let the newcomers adjust to the setting before they can adjust to life here." Wallace said.

"That sounds better than making us just dive into the new environment and checking if we could swim. So, thank you for being so patient with me, I know it is not easy. It's just so difficult for me to accept all this as real since it has been my dream for such a long time that I can't help but wonder if I am still dreaming." Ajana said.

That was when Wallace decided to help her out, so he lightly pecked her on her hand with his sharp beak.

"Hey! Ouch! What did you do that for!?" Ajana exclaimed in pain.

"Well, I remember humans usually pinch each other to prove they are not dreaming when something like this happens. Since I can't very well pinch you, I settled for the second-best thing." Wallace said, laughter noticeable in his voice.

"Thanks, I guess I did need that. It's difficult to accept so much in such a short time. I feel like my head might just explode," she said, rubbing her temples.

"Don't worry about it, we can take it as slowly as you want. If you need, we can camp out here without you having to face any more unbelievable and magical things." Wallace said soothingly.

"Really? Would that be okay? I mean, don't you have bosses that are expecting you to bring me to them?" Ajana asked hesitantly.

Though, she wanted them to just camp out there and for her to try to wrap her head around what she saw before she had a chance to see more wonders.

"Of course, that is okay, I am an Owl, here, my kind is in charge. So, don't worry about it, it's all about you and what you need. This place is supposed to be about comfort and freedom, so that is what everyone gets." Wallace said.

Not knowing what else to say, Ajana just thanked her friend and sat down, wondering how they would spend the night on the bare ground.

Ajana lowered her head, thinking about how uncomfortable it would be sleeping on the ground when she suddenly heard some whooshing sounds around her. When she lifted her head, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Wallace was flying above the nearby green pasture with his wings spread wide and the magic bursting out of him in a rainbow of colors.

One moment there was an empty green pasture, the next, there was a beautiful tent pitched on it.

"Wow, that was something," Ajana said quietly.

"Sorry if it was a bit too much, I didn't want to overwhelm you, but I didn't think you would want to sleep on the ground, so I made this. I could have made something more luxurious, of course, but I didn't think you were ready for that just yet, so I assumed this would make a nice middle ground. Was I wrong?" Wallace asked, hesitation coloring his voice.

"No, no, it is just perfect," Ajana said, as she entered the tent.

It was much more spacious than she expected and a lot more beautiful than any tent she had ever seen. To her relief, instead of a sleeping bag, there was a comfortable looking bed.

Although it was still daytime, and Ajana was excited about all the discoveries she had made, she felt the bed was much more appealing than expected.

"I think I'll rest a bit," Ajana told Wallace as she lowered herself on the soft bed, which smelled like grass and flowers.

She drifted off to sleep the minute her head touched the pillow.