THE 33 KEYS: Key 2 - ANSWER THE CALL "Listen for that Perfect Beat"

CHAPTER 59: THE WITCH'S HAT

The walls fall into a lonely country road drenched in brilliant sunshine. So now the path comes alive with a variety of flowers. It is almost as though someone shook multiple seeds in a bag and scattered them indiscriminately. And their collective scent reminds me of long walks from my childhood, or at least the ones I had always dreamed about. Thus, I lower myself in the sea of flowers, eyes closed, brushing my face against buttercups, marigolds, periwinkles, lilies, tulips, petunias; all dancing happily in the wind as birds that have never been caged, freely giving of their beauty to the birthday girl.

In this moment, no one and nothing exists. Not even my slow and deliberate crawl to death. That is until I am distracted by angry voices nearby. Reluctantly, I rise up to make sure it isn't simply bad memories haunting me in this newfound paradise. Then I see them. Yet not really them. Just the large red placards dancing above their heads.

I sigh and leave the bed of joy behind to investigate the source of their discontent. And it isn't long before I too become enraged. Just beyond the protestors, there are baskets filled with flowers and raped soil everywhere, the whole scene sucking every last ounce of pleasure I'd earlier received. So I remain silent in an effort to trap some of its essence and avoid returning to the mundane. Then it is from the safety of that silence that I see the white letters waving from left to right.

Greedy Bastards. Dream Killers. Family Massacres. Soil Rapers. Mind Thieves.

Now I really look at them. Rough skin like my own, Faces painted angry. They are ready for war with the flower pickers while I sit here balled up in my corner of fear, running from yet another thief. In fact, I am this close to sinking to my knees and screaming when a loud screech rings out above us. Then suddenly, their rough skins shatter like glasses under pressure and they vanish, leaving me alone to defend the remaining flowers. So I shut my eyes tight and wish for a better place.

Suddenly, we all reappear in the white room at a round table. A Copper woman wearing a broad yellow hat and matching tailored suit sits facing the entrance. I can barely see her black onyx eyes through their slits but they dig into our souls regardless.

"Sit," she orders with a shrill tone. "We have lots to discuss."

The five of us shuffle into the large black leather chairs quite noisily, and take accusing glances at each other to see who will come out the loser. Once we're all settled, I study them closer and notice they all look the same. Dark grey skin. Light grey freckles that change form in step with their breathing. Light grey eyes. Micro twists like mine and thin glossy lips.

"I am Fejj!" she offers. "The five of you have been chosen."

"Chosen for what?" I interject, as always.

"For what's coming next!"

"Well, I've definitely heard that before," I finally snap, "because everyone around here seems to be speaking in riddles. But nobody's really saying what the hell is going on."

"Let's get a few things straight right now!" Fejj begins. "If our words seem like riddles, that's because everything you were taught is a lie. And it'll be my job to fix. That said, I won't stand for any disrespect. You got that? I'm not the yellow wand for nothing, you know."

"Look! I didn't ask to be here. Just talk like normal people, and answer my damn questions so I won't have to explode. Is that too much to ask?"

"You want explosion?" Fejj stands enraged. "I'll give you explosion."

Fejj takes her hat off and throws it upon my head. Now thoughts stretching back from what seems like the beginning clamour for my attention all at once. I drive my head into the table and try to drag them out but they keep screaming their opinions at me. Nothing works. Not my fists pounding into the table. Not even my own screams. The angry library just keeps blabbering on and on.

"Had enough yet?"

I can barely look up at her. Only my eyes find the strength necessary to plead my case. Finally, she waves her hand and the hat returns to its owner.

"It's Mary, isn't it?"

"Yes," I mutter.

"If you'd just follow instructions, everything would be fine. Understood?"

"Okay," I say, still trying to scrape my own thoughts back in place.

"Now to the rest of you! You're about to embark on a cleansing, of your mind, and soul. It's time you learn a new language, the original language, so you can be ready for our war." And she looks at me. "Now you can speak. Answer me this. Do you believe you can lead them into winning the war?"

I am almost scared to respond but somehow the Mary in me kept some of her stubbornness.

"I can barely lead myself."

"So you're a follower?"

"I wouldn't say that. I've just never been able to get anyone to follow me."

Fejj points at the other four, who now appear to be morphing into three girls and a boy.

"They'll follow you. In fact, they always have. But only when you're worth following."

I gasp in response as their freckles take the shape of a letter S then its mirror image.

"I'm no fighter, though," I tear my eyes away to confess. "I'm not who you want me to be."

"You say that now; however, it's in your blood. You'll stand firm when the time comes."

"Is it okay if I ask what this war's about?"

"Where was your mind when you were passing through the last four doors?"

"On passing your tests like the old man said I should."

"Oh," she replies, and then. "Well, eventually every test leads to an outcome. Then we must choose someone to lead. Do you think yourself capable of that?"

"What will I be leading them to? A war? To fight and die?

"No! To fight and regain everything that was stolen."

Her words remind me of why I am on this trek in the first place. The old man promised that if I passed all the tests I would regain the life that was stolen, the life I could've had. So I put my mouth on her hook and allow myself to be drawn in.

"What's this new language?"

Fejj stares at me incredulously.

"Now I know your mind was really in the clouds."

I am about to respond rudely when I remember something the first witch said, that this is just a game. It is no different than a puzzle. All I have to do is keep all the pieces intact and think my way through the maze.

But what are the pieces though? The copper coins. A map split apart and suspended in mid-air. And a few other things that make no sense to me at the moment.

"I'm just new to this," I say carefully. "Everything will come back to me, I swear. I'll learn."

"Just know. If you don't take this seriously, he'll kill us all," Fejj warns.

"Who's he?"

"Never mind that," she scolds. "It's time to choose a coin."

I dip into my pocket, pull out the remaining coins and look back at her to see the others gone.

"After you," she says, and points ahead. "It's time you got accustomed to this."

"Listen, lady; Fejj, whatever! You're putting way too much faith in a loser like me."

"You say that now. Tomorrow you'll say something different."

"Again, too much faith."

"Just choose the damn coin already and get on with it."

"Okay. I'm doing it. What's the rush, anyway? This whole thing isn't even real."

"Would you like a taste of the alternative?" she threatens, and I crawl back into my shell.

"No. I'm good."

"Smart decision. Now choose!"

And before I can think of some other smart ass thing to say, I find it in me to do as I'm told.