A sense of panic infiltrated the gypsy camp. The music stopped and within seconds, all had disappeared inside the closest wagon.
“How peculiar. It had to be an owl,” stammered Meghan. She saw a shadow in Colin’s mind and flicked her head upward, glancing up through the elevated pines. Nothing.
Colin let out a nervous rush of air. “Loudest owl I’ve ever heard.” A deep chill settled in Colin’s bones. Meghan sensed it and shivered involuntarily. Colin edged closer to his sister, perplexed by what had just happened.
The gypsy camp was completely deserted.
“Man. What the heck was that? I couldn’t move. I literally could not move.”
Meghan, already shaking off the strange occurrence, seized the opportunity to frighten her brother. “I’m sure it was a gypsy cuurrse, to puutt you under their controlll.”
“Ha ha, Sis. Very funny,” he retorted, not falling for her attempt at frightening him. “Plus, did you notice they all disappeared into one wagon?”
“Couldn’t have,” answered Meghan. “There had to be at least thirty people over there.”
“I saw it, and they did.”
“Maybe when you weren’t looking they all climbed out the back.”
Colin did not have time to reply.
A gruff voice whispered angrily behind them. “What are you doing in there?”
They both gasped and spun around. It was Uncle Arnon, who knew exactly what they were doing. They wondered if perhaps he could also read minds as he was often a little too good at knowing when they were up to trouble.
Arnon stood with arms folded, waiting for an answer.
Colin let Meghan handle the hard part of answering since he could do little more than tell the truth; which is not the point when caught in the act of something you know will make Uncle Arnon angry.
“We were listening to the music.”
“What music? The gypsies are not outside.”
“They stopped playing and disappeared inside their wagons,” answered Meghan. “Or,” she continued, putting on her annoyed face, “if you want to believe the geek patrol, my little brother insists they somehow all fit themselves into one wagon, after an owl or something screeched overhead. Spooked ’em pretty bad I guess.”
“Yeah, imagine being spooked by an owl when you’re camping in the middle of the Maine woods,” jested Colin, the entire time thinking the exact opposite. He was also sure to send Meghan a silent scowl for the little brother wisecrack.
Uncle Arnon gawked oddly into the sky as if expecting to see something. He led the spying duo by their shoulders, back to the trailer. The twins crossed their eyes at each other, questioning their uncle’s unusual behavior.
“I passed the Jendaya site on my way home,” he informed them. “They are not quite set up yet, so why don’t we have some lunch before you visit Sebastien.”
Meghan pouted in obvious disappointment, but begrudgingly made lunch. An hour later, long after they had finished lunch, the twins began to get the distinct impression that Uncle Arnon was stalling their departure, as he kept them busy doing piddly things around the trailer.
Finally, over another hour later, they noticed a few of the gypsies were back outside, and once Uncle Arnon had seen this, he told them they could go.
“Behave, please!” he yelled after them. “Come six o’clock, you be at Kanda’s fire pit.”
They raced across the road and headed into the woods to their secret path (which they had created over the previous six summers), leading to Sebastien’s campsite. Halfway through, they crashed directly into him.
“’Bout time! I was coming to find you two.”
“Sorry, our uncle wouldn’t let us go. Besides, he told us you weren’t set up yet,” Colin said, catching his breath.
“I told your uncle to tell you I was finishing when he passed by.”
How strange, thought both twins in confused unison.
“We’re together now,” said Sebastien, uncaring of their uncle’s odd behavior. “Whatdyawannado?”
“I’m thirsty, how about a tonic?” suggested Meghan. “We’re almost at The Little Shop anyway, and then we can hang at the lake.” They continued on the path, which veered off in two directions; one path led to the Jendaya camp, and the second, to The Little Shop, which was in the middle of the Cobbscott Campground.
As the trio followed the pathway, an unusual and awkward silence fell over them. Colin sensed Meghan’s nerves stopping her from talking, something he rarely had the pleasure to witness. Can she really have it this bad, over Sebastien? Colin hid the thought from his sister and decided to be nice, by breaking the silence.
“So… it must be nice that schools out?”
“Definitely,” agreed Sebastien, glad of the break in tension.
“What about your teams though?” Colin asked. “Don’t you miss them in the summer?”
“I suppose a little,” admitted Sebastien.
In an artless manner, Meghan finally spoke. “You started telling me in an email about getting to state finals.” Even as she blurted it out, she sent a silent glare to Colin that implied, don’t you dare tell him or I will… she continued seamlessly, adding, “How did that turn out?”
“Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you.” He excitedly went into a story of winning the final big game of the season. After discussing school and sports, Meghan was still abnormally quiet.
“Did you get a look at any of the gypsies yet, Sebastien?” asked Colin, broaching a new subject.
“No, not yet.”
“Apparently, they’re afraid of owls,” jested Colin. “They all ran into a wagon after one screeched.”
“A wagon?” questioned Sebastien, not missing a beat.
“I’m sure my brother was seeing things, Sebastien. There were too many to fit into one wagon.” Meghan was annoyed that Colin was still insisting on this fact.
“That is what I saw, Sis.”
“Why don’t we go check’em out later?” suggested Sebastien, recalling how the twins’ arguments could escalate.
“You two will have to go without me. I’m not spying anymore,” announced Colin decidedly.
Sebastien, puzzled, asked, “Why not?”
“Something strange happened, that’s why.”
For once, Meghan agreed. “I guess it was strange, but still, it’s not worth quitting over.”
Sebastien waited for an explanation.
Meghan continued. “Colin and I snuck into the woods to take a peek at the gypsies, and I think someone caught us.”
Colin shuddered at the memory. “It was like someone was forcing me to stay where I was. I was frozen in place. Then they all got scared by an owl screeching and ran away.” He added, reiterating, “Into one wagon.”
“How would any of those things be possible?” asked Sebastien.
“No idea. But even minus that point, our uncle also caught us. So next time, we would be grounded for sure.” Colin tossed Meghan a scowl.
“Nah,” she said, blowing him off.
“You don’t think so, Sis?”
“Next time we won’t get caught, Little Bro.”
Also remembering how Meghan’s use of the phrase ‘little bro’ could start a downward spiral in the conversation, Sebastien, thankful they had arrived at The Little Shop, sidetracked the twins.
“We’re here. So, tonics all around?”
The twins nodded yes.
The path ended and they came into a clearing behind the tiny camp shop; three people inside would be a crowd and there were already two.
“You wait here, I’ll grab the tonics,” Colin said, rushing inside, letting the screen door slam behind him.
This left Meghan standing alone with Sebastien, searching her thoughts for something useful to say. What is wrong with me? I need to get this under control already.
“Yes, you do,” a voice echoed in her head.
“Shut up, Col. You are not helping,” she shot back into his mind.
“Can
you at least try not to be weird all summer? We wouldn’t want to scare away our only friend,” he sent back sarcastically. To his surprise, he heard her giggle nervously.
“What’s so funny?” asked Sebastien. “Did Colin say something funny? Were you doing that talking to each other thing again?” he whispered.
“Sorry, he tripped in the store,” she lied.
Colin’s frown was so deep, Meghan didn’t need to see it, she could sense it.
Sebastien was the only person they had told about their mind-speaking ability, seeing as how one day he figured out something was up and asked them straight out if they could hear each other.
Colin exited with three blueberry tonics, handing one each to Meghan and Sebastien.
Without hesitation, they headed to the edge of Camp Cobbscott, to their favorite spot near the edge of the lake. They sat on an odd shaped tree, which grew sideways rather than up-ways, and spent the afternoon lounging in the shade and wading through the cold water as if the past eight months apart had not even happened. Before they knew it, six o’clock had arrived and they headed to Kanda’s fire pit.
CHAPTER THREE
“I can’t wait to hear Kanda’s new story tonight. I really love her stories,” said Colin in a dreamy haze.
Meghan snorted. “You would ya geek!”
Sebastien could not help but laugh, too.
“You don’t like them?” Colin asked, perplexed.
“Ah, my nerdy little brother.”
Colin cringed at his two least favorite words.
“It’s not that I don’t like them, per se,” she continued. “It’s just that they always have some point, some moral at the end. They’re not just stories.”
“So?” Colin replied, still not understanding.
“I think what she’s trying to say,” said Sebastien, “is that it’s too much like learning something.”
“It’s still a story though,” defended Colin.
“Yes, it is,” she agreed. “I have to admit, there’s something about Kanda’s voice when she tells them, it makes the story seem…” Meghan paused, thinking of the right word.
“Believable,” suggested Sebastien.
“Yeah, believable,” she agreed. “But it is still too much like learning something, and it’s summer. I don’t want to learn anything unless I have to!”
That’s my sister, thought Colin. Wouldn’t want to learn anything, even by accident.
“I heard that,” she snarled aloud, hurrying along to the party.
“What did you hear?” asked Sebastien, but she did not answer. “What did I miss? Were you two using telepathy again?”
“Sorry, Sebastien. It was nothing.” Colin ran to catch up with her, leaving Sebastien behind, looking confused.
He shook his head and followed the twins, muttering, “I’m beginning to hate it when they do that.”
A feast ensued with lobster and clam chowder, or as the locals put it, lobstah and chowdah, with ployes for dipping into the chowder, made by Mrs. Jendaya (she makes the best), and loads of fresh corn, potatoes roasted with butter and spices, and biscuits with molasses. For dessert, they had another summer evening favorite; blackberry dumplings, served hot with homemade vanilla ice cream. Blackberries were not in season yet, but Kanda always kept some frozen to have throughout the year.
As the incoming night chill set in, the group huddled close to the fire, all eyes lost in the flames, sucked into the designs of the fire.
At precisely nine o’clock, Kanda’s voice filtered through the mesmerizing flames and all eyes and ears switched to her. Her voice seemed to mingle with the flames.
“Tonight, I tell a story about truth.” She took a calm breath and serenely began.
“Some time ago, there existed a woman whose heart was filled with the desire for power, but the more power she attained, the more insatiable her lust became.
Then, by chance, she discovered love; true love, without condition. It changed her, tamed her lust for power, and soon, she accepted her new love’s proposal of marriage.
Now it was the custom of the day to marry at the rising of the sun, symbolizing the birth of a new beginning, and in the early hours of the long awaited day, a wedding party gathered.
Each member carried a lantern, lit brightly, illuminating their walk to a nearby cliff’s edge, where the wedding would take place. Upon arrival, the group dispersed, placing each lantern on the ground, forming a lighted path leading to the bride. The groom would arrive as the last lantern flame dimmed, which was timed to the rising of the sun.
Finally, the moment arrived. The flame of the final lantern dissolved just as glorious beams of orange and yellow brightened the sky. However, dismay swiftly consumed the wedding party, as the sun rise finished, and the groom did not arrive.
The bride was overwrought with worry. What misfortune had befallen her beloved? Why did he not come?
Immediately a search party dispatched. The others too, believed he had befallen some terrible fate, for they knew he loved this woman, wholeheartedly. Hours passed with no news, when suddenly a young man shouted, ‘We found him.’
The bride followed them to a nearby field where a crowd huddled around a body lying on the ground. She froze, fearing the worst.
Then, the body moved and she rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. A few tried to stop the bride, but failed. As soon as she had pushed her way through, she wished they had succeeded in stopping her.
She collapsed, clutching her heart.
“This cannot be,” she repeated over and over.
The people bowed their heads in shame over the betrayal they each witnessed: the man sleeping in the arms of another woman.
So many things had passed through the woman’s head during her beloved’s disappearance. Betrayal however, had not even once crossed her mind.
The man stirred. He saw the woman he should have married earlier that morning and lit up like the sunrise he had missed. Then, as his head became clear, he noticed the woman next to him.
“What is this?” he questioned, pushing her away. He shook her violently, trying to wake her. “Who are you?” he questioned.
He crawled on his knees, begging his true love’s forgiveness. Pleading for a chance to let him discover the true meaning behind this betrayal; for in his heart, still filled with love for only her, he knew that it was no power of his own that brought him into the arms of this other woman, a complete stranger.
The woman refused any forgiveness or possibility that there was any other truth other than what her eyes could see.
He was her beloved no more.
Pain and bitterness surged through her veins, replacing the love she felt for this man.
In the weeks that followed, she obsessed over the agony, falling in love had brought her. She lost all faith in love and vanquished…” as Kanda said the word, a torrent of ferocious flame erupted high into the air and then dissipated. Kanda, looking straight into the eyes of her hypnotized listeners, continued.
“truth and love from her life.”
Kanda closed her eyes, pained by the story.
“Her old desires for power returned to her nine fold, and she began a journey from which she could scarcely return. Her life purpose became to seek revenge on all those whom she believed had conspired to make her believe in love.
The man, her once true love, after months of trying to prove his innocence, finally discovered that he had been poisoned and tricked into the arms of the other woman.
By whom? He did not know. For what purpose? His heart knew the answer. Someone in want of his true love’s willingness for greed and power. Someone that knew she would never forgive him.
Unable to bear the burden of this truth, and knowing he would never have the evidence to prove his innocence, the man sent his true love a letter that simply and truthfully stated, ‘I will always love you, even beyond my end.’ He then went voluntarily into death, jumping from the very cliff on which the couple should have been wed.
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The woman, after hearing of his death and reading the letter, felt a flicker of remorse. This remorse was defeated however, as bitterness filled her shattered heart. Her truth became the final truth. The action of taking his life proved unequivocally that no other truth could exist.
Her life continued, with hatred and greed in place of love and life.”
Kanda paused again, this time, casting her gaze directly into the eyes of the twins, sitting side by side.
“Truth is the only real power,” she spoke profoundly. “Truth is freedom. Not pursuing it is a life of captivity!”
The story ended and everyone remained silent, disappearing once again into the flames of the roaring fire. After a while, Kanda arose and softly offered refills on drinks, and the small party began again to come alive.
“That was an interesting one,” said Meghan, a short while later.
“Real happy ending,” agreed Sebastien sarcastically.
Colin ignored them, disappearing into his own thoughts, analyzing every word of Kanda’s story. There were many holes and unanswered questions. Who had caused the real betrayal and why would they want to cause someone so much pain? Why could the man not prove himself innocent? Though filled with holes, the moral was perfectly clear: seek the truth, always.
“Hey. Hey. You listening to me, Little Bro?” Meghan interrupted his train of thought.
“Yes, I can hear you,” he retorted.
“I was trying to tell you that Uncle Arnon said we can stay up past curfew tonight.”
Colin checked his watch. It was almost ten already, their normal curfew time.
“It still feels early anyway,” he said, pleased at the news.
Excited that the night was not yet ending, he forgot about Kanda’s story.
“Don’t wander too far, you two,” ordered Uncle Arnon.
“Same applies to you, Sebastien,” added his father, Milo. They sat close as they could to the fire without being too close to the adults and talked the night away.
Much later that night, as they left the fire pit, Uncle Arnon took the camp road with the Jendayas, leaving the twins and Sebastien at the entrance of the secret path behind The Little Shop. The Jendaya camp was a little closer than the Jacobys’, so they left Sebastien at his camp and continued home. The mesmerizing music from the gypsy camp wafted through the air as they drew closer.
Awaken (The Witches, The Spell Book, and The Magic Tree) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 1) Page 3
