The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 8

Finally, they arrived at the spot that seemed different from the other places in the forest.

In that part, there were regular looking trees but also huge tree-sized mushrooms. The mushrooms were like nothing Ajana had ever seen.

Even the magical mushrooms she had seen just moments before, which left her speechless paled in comparison. They were the most unusual things she had ever seen.

The tops of their caps were dark purple as far as she could see, but she thought they were probably light purple in the daylight. However, it was under the mushroom caps that the real miracle resided. There was a blue fluorescent light coming off of them, and lighting their stems in a way that could only be described as magical.

The smell coming off them didn't surprise Ajana since she still remembered Wallace's explanation. It was the fresh smell of the ocean in the middle of the summer heat, probably because it was one of Ajana's favorite things.

Reading her mind, Wallace said: "Good memories and pleasant emotions are subjective things, so everyone senses something different. Unlike the previous mushrooms, these combine both memories and emotions. They are known to use all senses to convey the feeling. So, don't be surprised if you start seeing, or feeling with your sense of touch, the sensations connected with the memories."

The moment he said that; everything changed as if his words shifted her entire perception of what was happening.

Suddenly, Ajana could feel the wind in her hair, gently brushing it away from her face. It was that perfect wind that she loved so much, which was not strong enough to mess up her hair but had just enough strength to brush it aside and gently caress her face.

Ajana could smell the unique scent of salty water mixed with the refreshing smell of her favorite sunscreen. Her cheeks started feeling warm, and she was sure she could feel the soft sun rays bathing her face and making her feel all those good summer emotions that we sometimes forget in other seasons.

At one point, she even stopped seeing the magical forest lighted by the moonlight. Her eyes saw what they most wanted to see, the vast, endless ocean spreading in front of her, and far in the distance a pod of dolphins playing in the water.

They kept jumping up from the water caught up in some game that she couldn't understand but was still able to fully enjoy. Their gracious jumps and playful nature made her love them, and those were some of the reasons dolphins were her favorite animals.

"Ajana! Ajana!" Wallace kept calling her name.

"I know it is enchanting, but you need to snap out of it, remember where you are," Wallace said.

Only when Ajana felt the gentle brush of his feathery wing touching her shoulder, did her senses return.

Once she had the sense of reality back, it was relatively easy for her to refocus her attention on what was real. When she did that, everything went back to how it was the moment they arrived.

"Wow, if this is the regular version of magic, I am happy I didn't choose the premium version," Ajana said, laughing nervously.

After taking a few deep breaths, she started looking around, and that was the first time she noticed a small house on the left of the fascinating mushrooms.

The house was more of a cabin, in her opinion. It was made entirely of wood, and there were beautiful carvings all over it. The whole house had some unusual curves and lines but generally looked like a cozy little cabin in the woods. There was a warm light radiating from it and a small lantern hanging down from the tree nearest to the house.

The whole feeling surrounding the place was the one of warmth and comfort, which made Ajana feel better about all the magical things that she had seen until that moment. It was like a beacon of rationality for her spiraling mind.

She knew magic was real, but her mind had much more trouble accepting it than she expected. It was one thing to believe, but it was much more overwhelming to see the truth.

"I know that this seems like a lot to you," Wallace said, "but trust me, we are just scratching the surface. It can't be less magical than this. Now, the inside of my home is not as fantastic as you might imagine but there are still some unusual things about it.

"What I want you to have in mind while you are here is that you shouldn't try to understand everything you see. The best you can do is accept it and then move on. There will be a lot of time for you to learn everything there is to learn. However, for now, try to relax and enjoy the show." Wallace said, winking at her.

Ajana understood what he was trying to tell her. However, it was in her nature to try to understand and dissect everything. Nevertheless, she would try. Ajana decided to follow his advice, as much as she could, because she had a feeling that if she didn't, her brain might just explode from too much thinking.

"Come on Ajana, all your dreams are coming true. Enjoy it. Stop overthinking everything," she thought.

"Come on, let's go inside, and if you feel ready, I might tell you a few tales about this place to prepare you for tomorrow," Wallace said.

After that, they stepped inside Wallace's house together in companionable silence.