Fern's legs grew weak as she sprinted alongside Merras, the seething minotaur in close pursuit. They weaved in and out of the thick maze of towering trees and overgrown brush, leaping over roots jutting from the moss covered soil beneath them. The forest seemed to attempt mutiny, once their friend, yet now threatening to hand them over to their enemy.
Merras caught his foot on a rock and tripped headfirst into the dirt below. In the moment it took Fern to notice, she had already passed several feet by. She skidded to a halt and stumbled her way back to Merras who was already pushing himself to his knees.
Eyes wide, he reached one arm out to Fern.
"Take my hand!"
"This is not the time, Merras!"
"I'm not asking you to marry me!"
Ferm looked down to see his other hand clutching a large stone protruding from the ground, a warm light glowing through his fingers.
The minotaur crashed into sight and Fern fell to her knees beside Merras, grasping his hand. Together they chanted the ancient words they had been taught since before they could speak. The light emanating from the rock grew stronger and encased their bodies until they could keep their eyes open no longer.
Within a moment, the light faded, along with the sounds of the forest.
When they opened their eyes, the forest had been replaced by grey rock leading to a giant, ragged cave entrance. All that could be seen deep inside were stairs droppping off into a cold darkness. Though ominous at first glance, it was a familiar sight to the two of them. Fern broke into a huge smile.
Merras collapsed onto the rock beneath, exhausted. Fern sat down beside him, pushing her long hair from her face. All was silent for a few peaceful moments.
"Would you have said yes?" Merras' voice boke the silence with a timid question.
Fern's cheeks, though flushed from all the running, managed to turn just a shade darker at the thought. She took a deep breath.
"Ask me again when we're under the willow next." Her eyes locked into Merras' for just a moment before she pushed herself to her feet.
Her hand outstretched to Merras, she gave him a shy smile. "You'll get your answer then."
As the gentle currents of wind took our hot air balloon slowly over the estuary, I could see the pocket of life teeming below while fishermen and traders argued over their goods. They were so distant that I could barely see them, mere grains of sand scattered along the shoreline.
Having spent my life in the chaos below, I was desperate for a reprieve, anything but the smell of fish and the never ending din. The sky was quiet, no one to oppose the peaceful tranquility of the vast heavens above.
My eyes followed the river north into the land beyond, the water cutting a decisive line between territories. The mountains in the distance seemed to sing of adventure, daring me to try and conquer them. Someday I would take on their challenge, but not today. Today, the hungry cries of my sister call me back to the ground below, begging me to bring home a little bread and meat for dinner.
As we descended back into reality, I'm reminded that this life isn't so bad when you have someone to come home for.
His eyes, the galexies deep within them, glimmered as he hovered just a few inches from my face. Surely he knew already, the way he gazed deep into my soul. Those eyes knew no end of the myseteries of life. He just had yet to realize it.
A fire sparked to life in my chest, threatening to reveal itself before I was ready. I took a deep breath to subdue the power building in my core, though it did little to ease my fear of the inevitable.
A soft rustle behind me took my attention away from him and I rolled onto my back to see our daughter stirring. It only took a moment before she settled back to sleep. She was captivating, much like her father.
I turned back to him to see a smile bursting through his previously intense expression.
"How's she doing?" His voice was soft.
"So good. She just stirred for a moment." It felt odd to hear my own voice for the first time that morning.
"She's going to be just like her mama."
His words twisted my stomach and my face fell just enough for him to notice.
"What's wrong?" His eyes narrowed in concern.
I couldn't put it off any longer. I couldn't hide for another moment when I knew he deserved the truth.
I took a breath, but before I could speak, my eyes filled with tears as I thought of our daughter and what this might do to her, to our life together. This wasn't just between me and my husband anymore. Secrets do nothing but hurt more the longer they're kept, and I had kept this one for far too many years.
"I know you trust me. But this time, I'm not going to ask you to put that in front of a rational descision. You might think I'm crazy, and... I'll accept it if you do."
His concern deepened and took on a measure of confusion. He was quiet, waiting for me to continue. Each word that followed felt liked I was dragging them out of my mouth, each one weighing a hundred pounds.
"The summer I turned five, I was out playing in the backyard by that big oak tree I told you about. I was watching a little yellow and white caterpillar crawl through the grass towards the tree. I wanted to make sure it got there safely, so I was on my stomach inching along with it."
His eyes never left mine as he listened.
"I wasn't paying any attention to the woods on my right, until I heard a grunting noise coming from the trees. I looked over and there was a giant black bear making its way towards me. I remembered what my parents had told me and stayed as still as I could, hoping he would just pass by without seeing me. And he did. He passed so close that I could smell his breath, yet he didn't even seem to notice me at all. When he was out of sight, I stood up and ran into the house. My legs were jelly. My mom ran to meet me at the door and gave me the biggest hug I'd ever had."
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"She and my dad sat me down that night and told me what had really happened. My mom was watching it all through the kitchen window. She was doing dishes and looked up the moment I saw the bear. And I just disappeared. Vanished. Only my imprint on the grass could be seen."
Now I was really confusing him. His brow furrowed even more as I continued my story.
"My dad told me that he had similar abilities, and they had always wondered if I would inherit them. That was their answer."
He sat up, the bed shifting a little beneath us.
"Do you really believe that?"
I could hear the underlying thought; This can't be happening. She's loosing her grip of reality...
I could see his world crumbling as his thoughts grabbed hold of the situation. He was now faced with a wife who's mind was losing grip of reality. A mind that may have been that way from the very beginning, just hiding it well. A wife who's far too unstable to be safe around his daughter.
I couldn't blame him for thinking that way.
"Please... at least let me show you what I mean so you can make a decision based on that and not a fear that I'm clinically insane."
He took what seemed like an eternity to respond. I could see his trust and love for me battling his rational mind, the dilemma at hand threatening to upend everything he's ever known.
"Okay." His voice was soft, maybe even hopeful that there would prove to be a missing puzzle piece that would help this all make sense.
The effort it took me to roll out of bed and walk to the middle of the room was enough to make me want to collapse as I stood there, trembling.
A rush of tingling energy swept through my body, starting with the crown of my head and dousing my very core down to the end of my toes.
His expression turned to sheer terror and shock as his eyes darted across the room, unable to comprehend my sudden disappearance.
For a moment I felt safe. I was alone, invisible, untouchable. Just as I always had been before I met him. I could melt into the shadows, unseen, and hide forever from the shame of the secrets kept, the trust now broken. Of all the enemies I'd faced, the fear of losing my husband was by far the worst. I would take on an army of thousands rather than stand here now, facing almost certain heartbreak. A heartbreak I'd never heal from.
But this was a hollow, false sense of security. I knew it could never sustain me like he could.
I took a deep breath and the tingling faded. His eyes locked back onto me and to my surprise, they were filled with tears.
This was not the reaction I was expecting. I was expecting anger or panic. Not tears.
"I'm sorry." My voice cracked and I realized tears of my own were cascading down my cheeks as well.
He let out a short laugh and shook his head. I was frozen in anticipation, unable to breathe until he spoke.
"I can't believe I'm saying this... but I'm so relieved."
I nearly choked on the lump in my throat. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged in disbelief. "I thought for a minute there you were absolutely crazy. And... I'm so glad I was wrong."
I could do nothing but stare at him, unsure of what this meant.
He continued. "I can't really comprehend what I just saw. But..."
He took what seemed like an eternity to put his thoughts together. I thought I might throw up with the amount of anxiety, relief and confusion I felt in that moment, but thankfully that particular fear never came to pass.
He continued. "For better or worse. I meant it when I said that. But this can't stay a mystery that pushes us further away from each other. Tell me everything."
So I did. From the struggles growing up to the missions I found myself undertaking, even the reason I missed dinner that one time last year when I was thirty six weeks pregnant and still battling against the forces that be, trying to keep our world just a little more from falling into complete chaos.
As I spoke, his smile grew. God had truly blessed me with such a forgiving and understanding husband.
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, for standard-issue or wildly one-of-a-kind... as long as we both shall live.
No more secrets.
