Grandma's Garden

the fire wakes

Grandma’s Garden (700 words)

 

 

     Billy was none too happy about being dragged away from fun, friends, and girls. His father insisted that it was time for their annual visit to grandma’s house. With a heavy heart, and a dread which he found unsettling, he feebly waved back to his friends as the car that he rode in sped out of his neighborhood towards its final destination.

 

As they approached the farmlands, Billy started to panic. In a slightly agitated voice, he bellowed:

 

“Why couldn’t I have stayed home? I’m almost thirteen and have my own life and dreams. Why do I have to spend my birthday there?  It’s not too late to turn back. I’d rather sleep in my own bed; besides, grandma scares me.”

 

“What are you talking about,” his father said. “Grandma loves you and misses you. You always have fun when you’re with her. Stop your whining; we’re almost there. Don’t let your grandmother see that attitude.”

 

     As the car bounced into grandma’s driveway, Billy felt faint and woozy. Something inside him was whispering to him. He remembered now, he tried to warn his father but it was too late. He felt himself drifting off in a dream. “Time to go to sleep dear billy boy, it’s now my time to shine. It’s Bobby who now rules the roost”

 

     It felt good again to be back in charge even though it was in this puny human-like body. His time was at hand. He gleefully slammed the car door and headed off to grandma’s house. His ears perked up as he heard the goddess Kali, his little old grandmother in human form, tell his all too human father, Steve, that the fairies are back.

 

He jokingly asked, “Grandma, do you mean like Tinkerbell?”

 

     With an unreadable expression and a slight twinkle in her eyes she answered, “No Bobby, she was a good fairy. These are evil, deceitful little creatures. It’s best to pay them no mind,” she said in a somewhat chilling tone.

 

     He ran off to the chicken coop to get ready for the Midnight Hour. In a few hours he would come of age. Billy, the human part of him, would be forever gone and his true persona would flower along with his powers. He will wreak havoc upon the world and not even his grandmother would be able to stop him.

 

     Bobby heard voices and he knew they were the fairies. He was tempted to ignore them but his grandma’s warning for him to avoid them, grated on him. Why would she do that? In just a few hours he would rule the fairy world and unleash them upon this world. He decided to play along with them and find out the fairies as well as his grandmother’s motives.

 

     He walked to an area where there was a circle of toadstools. He knew it was an area of power, a portal into another dimension. He knew he was not ready to jump in, without his full powers he would be at their mercy. He needed to know why they were making themselves known this early in the game. He decided to play along as little bobby in order to gather up any pertinent information.  It produced nothing but useless blathering.

 

“Come on in, it’s so lovely here, step in the circle, you’ll be glad you did,” said those familiar voices of millennia’s past.

 

“Do you think me a fool to wander into your realm unprepared? You have earned my wrath with your foolishness, and in a few hours you will feel my fire.”

 

     Bobby was about to leave the area when he felt someone push him from behind. He screamed out in alarm as he felt himself being sucked into the fairyland. He saw his father emerge from the back door and pleaded for his help. Steve tried to grab his hand but Kali lifted her son out of the way. The fairies wrapped their arms around bobby and laughed with glee.

 

Steve stared at his mother in disbelief and said, “Why did you stop me from saving my son.”

 

“Foolish boy, I saved the world from darkness, the fairies will keep Loki at bay for another thousand years.”