Zoe's only wish is to be able to run barefoot through grass, but she knows it'll never happen. Ever since she was born, she's been unable to touch anything living without it instantly dying. It's a curse she would do anything to get rid of, but that...
I looked around and all I could see everywhere was green and nature. Flowers bloomed in all colors, from red to white to purple. There were trees bearing all different types of fruits; apples, plums, oranges. I went to one of the trees to pick a plum, and as I extended my hand, I noticed I didn't wear any gloves.
I just stared at my hand for a long moment and then looked down at the rest of my body. I wore a simple green dress that showed a lot more of my skin than I ever had before. But what shocked me the most was that my feet were bare, but the grass under them looked green and healthy. I spun around to see where I had walked. The patches of withered grass that should have been there were not.
"What is going on?" I asked myself while my heart pounded fast. "Where am I?"
"In my garden," a male voice answered, and I spun to my side in the direction of it.
A woman and a man stood next to each other.
The woman was beautiful beyond comparison. There was softness to her appearance, with her long black hair and flowy midnight blue dress that reached the ground. But there was also a darkness about her. Not one that made it seem like she had any ill intentions, rather one that covered her in mystery.
The man somehow seemed to be her opposite. He only wore loose white pants and a beige unbuttoned vest showing off a chest full of hair. It was brown red, just like the hair on his head and his beard, both of which were wild, the same as his whole persona.
She was collected and mysterious. He was unruly and playful. Each other's opposite, but both of them made me feel completely calm and at ease.
"And where is this garden?" I asked and looked around to see if I could find any signs to answer my question. But I couldn't. Some trees seemed to belong to the unruly north, while there were flowers that made me think of Japan, palm trees that were fit for beaches, and bushes of the African plains.
"Everywhere," he said and gave a crooked and teasing smile.
I slowly remembered what had happened previously. Jackson had had me in his basement. He had tortured me. Pain was the last thing I remembered.
"Am I dead?" I asked, and I was surprised over how little that possibility bothered me. If anything, it made everything feel easier.
"No," the woman said and her voice was as soft as she looked, but also carried a power that I almost could touch.
"So this isn't the afterlife?"
"Would you want it to be?" the man asked and his eyes glittered with curiosity.
I looked around. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place full of life. "I wouldn't mind."
"Well, unfortunately it isn't and besides, it's far from your time yet," the man sighed.
"Too bad. There's nothing left for me in life," I shrugged, and it was the truth. I didn't have any reason left to live. I had no solutions to any of my problems, and I had certainly lost Felix.
"I know you have suffered, my child," the woman said. "But don't give up just yet. You only have to fight for a moment longer."
"And then what?"
"You'll see," she smiled.
I shook my head and turned away from them. Tried to figure out what the place might be again, but no answer came to mind. The wide variety of plants was only confusing.
"If this garden is everywhere," I said thoughtfully, "does that also mean that it is nowhere?"
"You could put it that way if you'd like," the man said. "But you always carry this garden with you."
I tried to understand his cryptic words, find some sense. But it made my head start to hurt, so I gave up.
"Why am I here?" I asked them instead.
The woman smiled. "We thought you might need a moment of peace and a pinch of hope to be open to hear what your sisters will tell you."
"My sisters? Are the coven planning something else?" Some of the calmness disappeared. Could they have killed Father already? Or were they going after Felix?
"Not the witches, but your other sisters," the man said, and he still had that teasing smile.
"Other sisters? I don't have any other sisters."
"Don't you now?" he said but didn't explain anymore and something told me he wouldn't even if I asked. And besides, annoyance made another question feel more pressing.
"Goddess, could you two be more cryptic?" I said out of frustration and, to my surprise, the man let out a booming laugh while the woman giggled.
"I'm sorry, Zoe. But I'm afraid not," the woman answered when their laughter had died.
I frowned at them. "Who are you two?"
They both beamed at me, as if proud and happy that I had asked that question.
"I'm Pan," the man said, and the garden around me started to dissolve.
"And I'm Hecate and you, Zoe, are a child of us both."
It all had turned to mist, so I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly. But I also didn't have time to think about it as I became aware of other things. Mainly, I became aware of the pain that coursed through my body. It was only an echo of the pain from before, but it was still enough for me to wish I was anywhere but there. To wish that the garden really had been the afterlife and that my miserable life on earth was over.
But then I felt something else. Something stroked my cheek.
"I'm so sorry. I was so stupid. I hope you can forgive me one day."
That voice. It was the most beautiful voice I knew, the most beautiful sound. It sent comfort and strength like nothing else could. It made the pain seem insignificant, and I slowly opened my eyes.
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