charlettabarksdale-fantasybooks.com & Short Stories An EnchantinG tale of a lost soul that found its way

SHORT STORY TIME

We Call Her Mother Nature by Charletta Barksdale

The air was crystal clear and from a distance she could see a small little yellow lilium flower pushing through to the surface of the ground. She blew a little air towards it to help it along, smiling as she watched the first stem of the flower bloom. Slowly twirling her finger in a perfect circle, she watched the earth move. It was something she did every day after midnight to keep it in a continued spin. It had the color of blue, a shade that resemble the ocean and a shape of a perfect circle. Gaia smiled, her spirit shined as she thought about her work. She knew she had helped him create a masterpiece and was proud of it. She often thought about wanting to be earth bound since the day heaven and earth was formed but knew the importance of being a creator, earth goddess, mother of all life. From the beginning of creation, things have changed and earth is different now. What worried her most was the thought of losing him. She’d found love while creating the ancient ones they call Titans. Knowing that many descendants would soon be of age, she worried about the future. She wanted to see him once more, but it would be a challenge. Gaia knew he didn’t know what he was or who he was before his soul returned to earth. She’d have to travel to earth. Somehow.

Gaia was in a daze thinking about a plan until she felt his movement. His presence startled her, not because she was scared but because he never appeared during her creative hour. “Father, what are you doing here? I had plan to come speak with you a bit later, but I sense your urgency. What’s wrong?” Gaia asked.

“I want you to understand the reason I’m not allowing you to visit earth. It’s not a good time, my child. You have to keep preparing for the change that is to come. You are Mother Nature, the one I named Gaia, born from rainwater. I can’t have you defying me by going to earth.”

Gaia felt surprised that her father knew her plans, and then immediately felt foolish. He knew everything in the universe, so of course, he’d know her thoughts and desires.

“Father, how can I defy you if you promised you would allow me to make my own decision? I only wanted to experience the moment before it’s all gone.” Gaia knew she had upset him, as she heard the sound of rumbles and felt the start of an earth quake.

“I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. Which to come and what I have planned is more important at this time. I will let you make your own decision in due course. There is nothing that is more glorious to experience, than what I have in store. Now, silence, I will hear no more of it.”

Gaia stop swirling her finger and put her hands together. She stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall with green emerald eyes and midnight black hair of wool. She then spoke with her head down in a chastise manner, moving forward to approach him. “Father, you know all and you already know that I will defy you. You know my plan before I do and you know his descendant is coming of age. I’m afraid he will not find his way in time.”

Before she was able to speak again, he put his arms around her and spoke. “I know this, my child, and I also know that you will return, it’s just knowing this is what saddens me. I know what I must do and it doesn’t make me happy but it must be done.” Before she was able to respond, in a flick of a second her spirit was gone. Thunder erupted loudly in the sky, providing rain for thirty days straight. What Gaia didn’t know is that she wouldn’t be in human form.

***

Julian was super excited to be on vacation, spending the rest of the summer in Switzerland with his parents. He thought about it for a minute and felt a little sad as he realized it was the last big trip he would to take with his family before going off to college. He was happy his parents let him pick this place. He’d seen the most beautiful caves and waterfalls and he couldn’t wait to take some final pictures to complete his portfolio. When he was accepted into Rhode Island School of Design, he figured creating something new would be a plus if he ever displayed his pictures.

Julian stood up from the rock like stump he sat on while thinking about starting school. He shifted his cap down to shade his eyes from the sun. He notices a rainbow perfectly settled over the waterfall that covered the cave he wanted to take an adventure in. He was dressed in his favorite hiking gear: dark blue jeans and blue pull over hoodie that has his favorite football team logo on the front. He stood over six feet tall with black curly shoulder length hair tucked neatly under his cap. Julian worked out often. With his well-shaped biceps and fit legs, you could tell he was ready for the long hike ahead. On his shoulder he carried his money-making camera, as he calls it. He made a decision at an early age that he wanted to be a photographer and couldn’t wait to start taking shots on this sunny day.

As he peered through his lens, ready to snap a picture of the waterfall, he noticed a perfect rainbow settle over it and decided it would be the title he used for the picture in his portfolio. The beauty took his breath away. He didn’t want to miss this shot and started urgently adjusting his lens to focus closer. Lifting his camera to his face, he zoomed in on the shot and something between the waterfall moved.

“Wait a minute,” Julian said, moving his camera away. He focused in again and in the same location and something moved. This time, he took off running towards the waterfall so that he could get a closer look, curious about the shadow. He didn’t believe what he had just saw something resembling the look of a unicorn. “This can’t be true. I thought it was a myth.”

When he got to the cave it was to dark to see inside so he turned on the light attached to his camera to lighten the cave so that he could see. When the light flicked on, he saw the shadow step back away from the light further into the cave. He decided to go inside and about halfway past the entry way, that’s when he saw the unicorn. It was the most beautiful mythical feathery winged, divine creature he had ever seen. It was white the color of pearl and it had a glowing light that shined around it. He couldn’t believe it. How could this be? It started moving forward and it startle Julian and he jumped back, tripping over a rock beneath his foot. He fell backward and his camera flew from his hands, hitting the rocky ground with a thump and turned off.

“No no no, not now,” Julian said, shaking his camera hard hoping the light turned back on. Had the fall damaged it? “Come on, don’t do this to me now!” With one final shake, the camera came on. The unicorn was still standing a few inches away from him looking straight at him. Julian had visited caves before to take pictures and most of the time he only encountered old carvings, that made great photo snaps he could label and use with his collection. He stared at it and sense a little feeling it was startled or scared. Pushing himself off the ground, he moved slowly towards it to see if he could take a picture before it got away. As he stood up straighter, he moved his camera up to his face and was about to take a picture. Before he could click the button, the unicorn launched toward him, sticking the tip of its horn through the strap of his camera. The unicorn yanked the camera strap pulling the camera out of his hands and down to the ground.

“Release the camera now!” The tiny high pitch sound came from the unicorn. Julian was beginning to think he truly was hallucinating. First a unicorn? Then, it can talk? Maybe he’d just imagined it. He was too focused on the camera, now being held up by the unicorn by its single strap. Julian lunged for it. “Hey! Give me that back,” Julian tried to reach for the camera but was pushed away by the unicorn’s hoof.

“You can have your camera back, but you cannot take a picture.”

The beast really was speaking to him.

“Wait, did you just talk?” Julian asked, backing up and trying to find his footing again.

“Yes! I did,” the unicorn said, turning to walk away as it tossed the camera to the floor. He heard a sickening crack but hoped against hope the camera was fine.

Julian grabbed his camera, but saw that although the light still worked, there was a crack in the lens and he couldn’t get the lens to extend as it did when taking photos. This would cost a lot to repair, more than he had. Yet, he’d have to deal with his frustration later. Right now, he was determined to follow the mythical beast. He headed deeper into the cave. Soon, he found it again.

He was mesmerized by the beautiful white creature, so much that he wanted to touch it but wasn’t sure it would have let him. Julian walked slowly towards it to speak again, extending his arm out to reach for it.

“Who are you?”

“I am Gaia.” The unicorn’s eyes looked sad, and he wondered why. “I am from the Gods. You should not have seen me glow or speak. That was my mistake. I’m…. angry at my father. He did not allow me to be in my human form.”

Now, Julian was beyond confused.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m here to look after you.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, stepping a little closer and for some reason he wasn’t scared any more. It was like a calm came over him when she began to speak, a calm that made him feel safe, connected and he didn’t know why. Gaia walked away again and this time he touched her, rubbing his hand down the side of the unicorn face speaking once more. “You are so beautiful.”

“You shouldn’t touch me,” the creature warned him, yet, he could feel her hesitation. She liked his touch. That much he knew. “I am not of this world and will be gone soon, so it is not wise that you touch me.”

Julian continued to stroke the unicorn and soon found himself wanting to lay his head against it. He felt a connection with the beast, one he couldn’t explain. It was as if somehow the two of them shared the same blood. Then, he felt a warmth encircle him, a bright aura of light, and his eyes grew heavy with sleep, and in that sleep, Gaia showed him everything. His past came to life.

When Julian eyes opened, he stood up and grabbed both sides of the unicorn face, pulling it in closer so that he could rub his against it.

“Gaia, is it really you? Why did you do this when you know it’s not allowed? You should not interrupt human’s thoughts, it could shift things and you know this. It is for them to find their way, understand their covenant and connection with him.”

“I know, but you will not remember any of this when I am gone and I had to see you once more. Your destiny is written and your faith will be tested and when I seen the outcome, although I am not suppose to, I needed to see you once more. I was hoping to be in human form but as you can see, our father didn’t like my decision and sent me here in unicorn form.”

“Oh, Gaia, earth goddess, I will always find my way back to you. I’m glad you came, even if it’s just for a few minutes. I am still happy for this moment with you.”

Gaia knew her time was up and that it was the final goodbye. The unicorn raised her head up, removing it from Julian’s hands and spoke once more. “I will always love you, my dear, from now to eternity, you will always be my first and only love.” She then stepped back and the bright light that shined around her lifted Julian up as the aura of bright light surrounded him again. This time, however, the light took his memories of Gaia, of his true nature. Then, the light retreated, and in a flick of a second the unicorn was gone.

Julian stirred awake, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. He stood, wondering how he made it into the cave with no memory of getting there. He noticed his camera was on the ground with the lenses cracked. He remembered that he wanted to take a picture of the rainbow before he entered the cave, but didn’t remember anything else after that. Had he tripped and fallen? Did he knock himself out? Julian rubbed his head once more and felt a small bump behind the lower part of his head and figured it could be why his head was sore. He decided he would not tell his parents, but wanted to continue with taking his photos to complete his portfolio. He’d need to come up with some way to fix his camera.

That’s when he looked up at the cave wall and saw a little unicorn with his head between a man’s hands engraved into it. It was the most beautiful carving he had ever seen and wished more than anything his camera worked. That shot was worth far more than a picture of the rainbow.