Witch of the Gate (Part I): Empyrean Crystal Soul

It was raining heavily. Lightings were lighting up the sky and loud thunders were echoing in the atmosphere. The noise of the thunder was hiding the yells in the small wooden house outside the village of Roseville, in the deepest forests of Ohio.

-“Eleanor Monroe, where are you going?”

It was the loud voice of Matilda Monroe. A thirty eight years old black haired woman with green eyes and long curly hair was shouting at her eighteen years old daughter, when she caught her packing her things in a suitcase.

-“I am leaving this cursed place. I don’t want to live in this back water village. I want more from my life.”

-“Your place is here with me. You have responsibilities…”

-“Don’t start with those fairytales. I am not a child. I am not a fool and I am not a crazy person.” She yelled back at her mother with anger in her eyes.

-“You think that I am crazy? I told you the truth.”

-“That is your truth, mother. Everyone at the village thinks that you are crazy and I am starting to believe it too.”

The next moment a strong slap landed on Eleanor’s cheek. She looked at her mother surprised while her eyes were wetting. On the other hand, Matilda held her hand that hurt her daughter with remorse in her eyes.

-“I am leaving and that is a fact. I am going to find my father and ask for his help.”

-“Are you kidding me? Your father left us.”

-“No, he left you. He left because he couldn’t stand your craziness.” Eleanor yelled again looking at her mother with more anger.

-“Why are you doing this? What happened so suddenly?”

-“This is not sudden. I am sick of hearing all those gossips about you at the village. I am sick of staying in this boring place without any prospects for the future. I don’t want my child to grow up in this damn place!!!”

-“What did you say? What child?”

-“I’m pregnant.”

-“What? With whom? When? Eleanor, you know that you can’t do that without…”

-“Without what? Your permission or your crazy rituals? Mother, we live in the 21th century, for Christ Sake!!!”

Eleanor took her suitcase and got out of the house. Matilda tried to run after her but her breath was restless. She held the railing on the veranda to keep standing. She was looking at her daughter leaving. She tried to shout again but a very worrisome cough started.

I got out of the shadows and came near her.

-“Mrs. Matilda, you are injured!!!” I said surprised. She looked at me with some gentle eyes and a bitter smile.

I helped her get inside the house again after she took a last glance at her leaving daughter.

I made some tea for her with some medicinal herbs but she coughed blood.

-“You were poisoned!” I yelled surprised. She didn’t speak.

The herbal tea helped her to get rid of most of the poison but not entirely. She laid down. She had a fever and her face got pale. I started to worry.

Matilda Monroe was a very important person for me, for my world and her world.

She had a fever for five days. She was pale and weak. I tried to take care of her, but I couldn’t do anything more. Not here in this realistic and non-miracle world. I couldn’t go back either because the Gate was closed.

-“I can feel it. My soul is broken.” She suddenly said and I opened widely my eyes.

-“Are you sure?” I asked her. She nodded.

-“What now?”

-“Well, I don’t have any more power and of course, I can’t open the Gate anymore.”

-“This is disastrous, Mrs. Matilda. There are going to be consequences.” I said with a look full of agony.

She didn’t speak. She clearly knew that everything will be disastrous. The Gate would be left without a Guardian and my world would be left without a pacificator. Her world would be left without miracles.

Two weeks later, I got up from the bed. I was better physically but I was weak spiritually. As I had predicted, I couldn’t use my powers and I couldn’t open the Gate.

My lovely faithful and bright little companion, Adrian was at my side taking care of me. He is my first and most faithful friend. He is the one who fights at my side and the one I must protect with my life.

Our fates were intersected from the moment I was appointed for this important role. We were born under the same star and we became partners with the most important role of protected our worlds.

He is an Angel. He is a tall and thin man with curly honey hair and honey eyes. He has a couple of big white and beautiful wings. Of course, the human eyes can’t see them. I can’t see them anymore and that saddens me.

I get down to the basement of the house. There, there is a big library with a lot of books in human language and others in another unknown language. There are books on potions and spells. There are books about wonders and miracles. There are books of an entirely different world.

I start reading every useful book so I can find a solution about our predicament. There are a lot of warnings in each and every of these books. There must be a Guardian. There must be a Witch of the Gate, otherwise there is going to come a big disaster.

I sigh. There are so many warnings but no solutions. If Eleanor believed me, she could be the next witch. If she could see the miracles, if she was born with an Ethereal Soul, she could be my successor.

However, I made a mistake. I fell in love and I ignored the rules. Then, my child was born without the Grace of the Mystique. She didn’t believe and she couldn’t see.

I was hoping of a Forced Baptism but she was tainted with the realism of our world. She was ambitious and a realist. She didn’t want to see. Then, she made the same mistake. She got pregnant without the rules and she left, too.

Adrian helps me with the reading of the books. These heavy tomes will take some time to read them alone.

-“Mrs. Matilda, look at this!” He shouts suddenly, after some days of studying.

He brings in front of me a big and heavy book. It is about the origin of my roots. I know everything about my history and the existence of me and my ancestors. Well, at least I thought so.

“The witch of the winter solstice is a very special existence. If a witch is conceived at the winter solstice, when there is an alignment of the stars, then she is going to be the most powerful existence.”

Adrian shows me this paragraph. To be honest, I had ignored something like this, because the alignment of the stars at the winter solstice is a rare occurrence. I don’t understand the reason that Adrian shows me something like that.

His bright honey eyes look at me with a meaning. I furrow my eyebrows. I take a calendar and start making some calculations. I get flabbergasted when I realize that this rare occurrence took place a few weeks ago.

-“Think, my dear partner!!! Your daughter must be one and a half months pregnant.” Adrian says and I freeze.

-“Oh my goodness!!!” I shout surprised.

Adrian seems hopeful but I am not so optimistic. Eleanor seemed angry and determined to leave everything behind her. I don’t think that she would let me come close to her and her new family.

She doesn’t want a "crazy" mother near her.