going to last forever.
“Forgive me for not telling you, until now, but I had to make sure you were
safe. I have kept many things from you that I have always felt guilty about. Still,
all my decisions have been to, first, keep both of you girls safe and, second, to
honor my promise. Now, they have warned me that I will not be able to do this
alone. I will need you, child. You will be the one to save the magic and keep it
pure,” Gram said with hope in her voice. “Look inside the chest again when you're ready to give your answer.”
A crash sounded from the living room.
My grandmother scowled. "I should find out what is going on with those two." She patted my hand gently, one last time, and kissed me on the cheek. “I
will leave you to decide for yourself. We've more to talk about, but it can wait.”
Walking through the white door, she left me alone in her room with the silver
chest and a mind full of thoughts.
“I can't do this,” I thought painfully. “Eliza is my mother. Why would my own mother leave me…leave Meg…for him? She must be under a spell. She must
be…”
I stopped myself from making excuses for her. I knew what my grandmother
said was true. I knew my mother was too strong-minded to be forced to do anything she did not want to do.
My mind drifted back to when I was that little girl with the dark braids I had
just watched in the chest.
One morning, I awoke to Meg crying. The sun was shining into our room. I
sleepily called down to my mother, but there was no answer. Climbing out of bed, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and looked down the loft ladder. I could
not see anyone, but I heard the faint sounds of whispers and laughter.
I carefully crept down the hallway that led to the back patio to investigate. A
man's indiscernible words could be heard. I thought the deep voice belonged to
my father, and I moved faster. I stopped, suddenly, as I saw my mother. She was
kissing a man, but this man was not my daddy.
Frightened, I didn't know what to do. Cautiously, I turned around and silently
ran back to my room. I returned to Meg. Picking up my baby sister, I held her
close as she cried and carried her down the ladder, careful not to drop her.
Her cries became softer and softer as I sang to her, “Goddess, I ask you to calm this child. Remove her sadness and calm her fears. Protect my baby
throughout the years.”
When I reached the bottom, I realized my mother was behind me, watching.
“Thank you, darling. I was just coming back with her bottle.” She took my
baby sister from me and began to feed her.
I hadn't told anyone about what I had seen that night and, until now, I had not
remembered it.
Shaking off the memory, I gazed at the blue ring in my hand and slid it onto
my finger. Knowing what I needed to do, I opened the box and, as my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother had all done before me, I made the
promise.
“I promise to protect the magic from those who would misuse it for self-
benefit,” I confidently declared. “I will stand with you when the time comes, even if it means standing against her.”
