Thirty-One
“Wake up, Mara, I'm here,” I heard as I felt my body being
shaken.
I opened my eyes, but everything was fuzzy. As the
blurred shape took form before me, I saw the deep blue eyes
of Cole, watching me with concern.
“You didn't leave me,” I said with a cracked voice.
I reached out to him and stroked his face. It was rough with a light stubble
that hadn’t been there the last time I’d seen him. How long have I been gone?
“She's awake!” Cole cried out as he embraced me. He began to cover my
face with kisses. “Of course, I wouldn’t leave you. I've been here the whole time.
I'm not going anywhere.”
“Stop smothering her, Cole.” Gram swatted him away.
Cole reluctantly stood up. "Ok, I'll get her water, but I'll be right back.
Gram sat beside me on the couch bed I was resting in. She hugged me and
whispered, “Wasn't it wonderful?”
Surprised, I could not respond with more than a nod.
Gram patted my hand. “Rest, love. We'll talk after you are cleaned up.”
“Caterpillar, I was worried.” Elliott stood over me. “I thought we had lost you because of my secrets.”
Sitting up, I felt a bit dizzy, but I wanted to show him that I was ok. “I understand why you did it. You thought you were keeping us safe. Let’s stop
thinking about our mistakes and move forward.” Are you telling yourself this to
ease your own guilt, Mara, I wondered smugly.
“Yes, clean slate. You have missed so much while you were asleep. Mae and
I have been trying to figure out what gift I was blessed with. We’ve determined
that Earth is my element.”
Gram joined us and handed Elliott a pot with a wilted flower.
“Watch this.” He closed his eyes and held the container tight.
The blue petals began to quiver, and the green stem straightened. Before my
eyes, I watched the small, dying flower bloom eight large petals with soft blue
and yellow centers. The plant filled the area with the scent of vanilla.
“You should see the garden, Mar,” Gram praised. “Elliott has been busy
connecting with the Earth.”
“It sounds like I’ve missed a lot.” I twisted myself to allow my feet to touch
the floor. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Six days.” Cole returned with my water and sat down beside me. “Six long
days. You can never be gone like that again.”
“Cole, you know she didn't have a choice on how long she was gone,” Gram
chided. “The Goddess had much for her to learn, or she would not have kept her
there as long.”
