Part Seven (End)

            Never moving, she felt a small tickle on the edge of her palm. But it was so elusive, she paid it no mind. Her opposite palm mimicked the same sensation, compelling her to finally peek at her hands.

            The microscopic shards that had morphed into the atmosphere, were returning to her hands. What initially began forming as a wide but small cup, evolved into a fragmented bowl. Even though Avail was literally watching the object form in front of her, her disbelief blinded her. The orb was re-forming.

“If you would accept the orb, it will manifest faster.”

            She whipped her head upwards. A night sky greeted her, as it was infinitely freckled with white specks. It was a sky she never thought she would see again. But that was not what stunned her.

            Before the sky, was a colossal and almost transparent silhouette of a person. The figure was only visible because of the translucent white mist that danced within it. The mist revealed all of its limbs, fingers, and its face. But the eyes remained camouflaged among the stars. It was utterly magnificent. The power that radiated from it nearly brought Avail to tears.

“You do not know me, but you will eventually remember.” Its voice was that of thousands; perfectly synchronized, and booming enough to rattle the earth.

Avail noticed that the orbs formation had slowed down.

“This world is not doomed to die. It is destined to live on. That is why we were created. That is why you were brought here.”

“What are we? And who are you?” She felt hesitant in asking such a straight-forward question. It seemed as if she was in the presence of legendary power.

“I am your Guardian. Not just yours, but to all who have made their lives on this land. For 100 centuries, I have overseen this world, and so have the Guardians before me.”

She finally realized what she was in the presence of. “You’re a God?”

The figure, suspenseful, reached its vast hand over Avail. She noted how the hand was surely large enough to build a house on. The orb in her hands had instantly built itself, becoming whole again. Almost as if it were commanded to do so. But the orb’s inside remained empty. “The centennial has arrived, and it is time for a new Guardian. It is finally time for you to take your fated place. Just in time, too.”

            The night sky reluctantly retreated, having been consumed by the light of the sun. A new sky was born, as it had returned to its natural state. But the sky’s hue had been birthed with a richer blue. Its clouds were pure white. And while being enticingly soft, they nearly suffocated the sky.

            Pain in Avail’s knees had vanished, and her legs were now being nursed by the thick grass, as it tickled her toes like a shy salutation. The sun’s warmth didn’t borrow into her skin, instead it wrapped her bruised body in comfort, reassuring her that this moment was indeed real.

“The orb has accepted you, Avail. Now you must fully take on your role.” The Guardian was beginning to fade, like Cameron had. The weight of fear had nearly forced her to vomit.

“But I tried to destroy it. Why would it…” Her eyes dropped in defeat, unable to comprehend her situation.

“You were willing to destroy this land, to preserve what remained of the untainted. Your judgment was not a selfish one. It was harsh and brutal, but you accepted that. You accepted your fate. Not many are willing to do what has to be done. You did.”

Avail was beginning to wish that she had returned to the world she was born in. She would have rather repented for abolishing the orb, than face her inevitable fate. But then again, maybe this was her atonement.

 “My term as Guardian ends now. You will take my place, for the next hundred years, as Guardian of this world. As the overseer of the Watchers and Manifestors. As the protector of the minds, and as the dictator of fate. You are a Guardian, Avail.”

            She sprinted towards the figure, but the godly figure was so enormous, it was impossible to close the distance between them.

“No! I don’t want this! I never wanted to be a Guardian.” She raised the orb towards what remained of the gargantuan figure, who now looked like stars among the bright blue sky. “Here! Take it back! Please! I don’t want to be this for a hundred years…”

The former Guardian’s form had drifted with the wind, leaving no trace or particle of their presence.

The rustle of the quarrelling blades of grass against the wind, was the only sound she was accompanied with. Her finger tips were invisible as gradient hues met with her skin. The translucency had reigned over her hands and arms, as it erased her skin. She was disappearing from her world, destined to return to the one she was born in. Soon, Avail couldn’t even see her own two legs standing in the grass; just her haunting foot imprints that pressed into the blades.

 

“AVAIL! AVAIL!”

She could hear her livid daughter shouting outside her shop.

“Child, when are you going to start regarding me as your mother? I think I’ve earned that much.” She was stocking her shelves with iridescent snow globes, listening to the clacking of her daughter’s heals as they grew nearer.

“Where is she?! Where is my daughter?!”

Avail stopped moving her arms, and turned her head towards a twisted face that belonged to her daughter. “Yvette, did you just ask me where your child is? As in, you lost her?” She asked cocking her judgmental eyebrow.

“Don’t you dare!” Yvette screamed so loud, it was a wonder how the glass windows stayed intact. “You’re not showing a shred of concern. You love that girl, and you’re not showing a shred of concern…you know where she is?”

“What do you want me to do? Pull off some of that ‘magic’ you hate so damn much, and make her appear?”

“You think now is the time for jokes? Where is she?”

“She ain’t here, child.” Avail turned her body to her daughter, matching her in irritation. The silence wailed as they glowered at each other.

“Then where would she be?”

“Well, let’s think. If you were an 11-year-old child, subjected to intense academic achievement, involved in more than two sports, and forced to take honors courses, all while coming home to an empty house, with no cooked food, no friends, no parents…where would you hide?”

Yvette’s eyes nearly took over her entire face, as she bolted behind the register counter of the shop. Avail rolled her eyes as she witnessed her daughter hunched over, desperately searching for something. She had gotten her hands on a glass orb, four times the size of a snow globe.

“I-I don’t see her…why can’t I see her.”

“Because, child…the orb doesn’t like you.” Avail laughed while she continued stocking her shelf. “And no, I cannot bring her back. She must want to return. Until then, she will remain in that world.”

“What’ll happen to her…” Yvette’s eyes began to glow, as her heavy tears reflected the light.

“She’ll be happy. She’ll make friends. And she’ll grow in the way she was meant to.”

There was a thump on the counter, as the sound of, tiny droplets followed. Yvette had slammed the orb down, no longer caging her tears. “So, what are you saying? That she hated it being with me?” Her voice broke, as that thought surfaced. “How could you take her from me?”

“She hated it here. But she didn’t hate you.” Yvette only shook her head, denying that notion. But Avail continued. “And I didn’t take her. She found her own way there. That is the true sign that she was meant to be there. So, stop your crying, and don’t break my orb.”

Avail had moved onto stocking books, but guilt had begun tempting her away from her task, finally seeing how saddened her daughter was. “Give it here, child. The least I can do is tell you what she’s up to.”

Yvette’s gaze snapped upward, as her hands eagerly man-handled the orb and rushed it to her mother. Avail grasped it, shifting her annoyed eyes from her daughter to the orb. Only she could witness the life that ordinary people would not.

“Well, she’s a Manifestor. And…she has found her way to a parade.” Avail gazed a bit longer in silence, testing Yvette’s patience. “She’s so happy.”

“Is she? Really?”

“Yes. Ooo, look at that smile…I haven’t seen that since she was in diapers.” Avail giggled, shifting the position of the sphere within her tender hands. “Oh! This girl is actually in the parade. Look at you…”

“W-what is she doing? Marching? Dancing?” Yvette pried for answers.

Avail just chuckled. “She created a music box, with the most graceful ballerina I’ve ever seen. I can’t even imagine how gorgeous the song must be. And that ballerina…she’s tall, with charlotte dress, and a big ol’ black bow!” Her chuckle had transitioned to a laughter that took over the room, like an applause. “Do you know who that reminds me of?” Avail teased, “I didn’t think you’d ever tell her you were a ballerina.”

She took her sight away from the parade, back to reality. But Avail could barely believe it was reality, for her stone-hearted daughter was shedding real emotion and bawling.

“I never told her.”

“Yvette, I promise you, if you let her truly live, she will never grow to hate you. And so long as she’s there, not only will she be happy, she will be safe.” Avail didn’t look at her daughter when she said that. It was as if she were promising to herself.

“How can I believe you’ll keep her safe?” Yvette challenged, also not looking at her mother.

“I am the Guardian of this world. But I will always be a grandmother first. If anything happens, saving her life comes first.” Yvette sniffed away her tears, accepting her mother’s word. “Besides, I have one of my most trusted guardian angels watching over her.”

“Oh really? And what should I call this ‘guardian angel’?” Her daughter mocked.

“Eh, just call him Fido.” Avail returned to stocking her shelves, ignoring her daughter’s blatant disbelief. 

Author's Note

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this short, not-so-short story! I submitted this for a competition, so I hope it wins! Now, I am currently working on another story that I CANNOT WAIT to share with you guys. However, it's a pretty hefty story, so it won't be posted anytime soon. I will keep you all updated! Thank you all so much for reading! Please leave comments, reviews, critiques, anything! I appreciate constructive criticism, advice, or anything related.