Wild Flowers

Chapter 2

Ma mere finishes my hair with a knot in the piece of yarn. Stick-straight milky-blond strands reach down to my hips and I slip my simple white dress over my head, the long skirt sitting just above my ankles and the simple thin straps resting on my shoulders. I pull on my sandals. As I leave my hut I glimpse my best friend Papa leaving hers to say goodbye to her family. I cross the small gathering of huts to my brother's home and think about today. Its my seventeenth birthday, just like Papa's, and in the 1,867th year since the Lorgo's prince was born, I am entering womanhood. The Lorgos are the people who believe in someone called "The Lord our God" hence the term Lorgos, and it has been 1,867 years since their prince Jesus was born. My tribe does not know much about them, we just use their measurement of time to avoid any inconvenience. My tribe co-exists along with two others on our small, secluded island. Our ancestors have lived here since the beginning of time and we have since picked up small phrases from other lands such as the land of "France" and "Italy" and we use some of their traditional languages. Today I turn 17 and i will go through 'Oblationem' which means offering. I will trek to the caves in the mountain behind my village and offer wild flowers I collect on the way to our gods. When I come back i will be given to Fortis and become his mate.

I reach my brothers hut to find him opening the veil for his pregnant wife, Pulchellus, and their son Primum. He pulls me into a tight hug and kisses my forehead. "Though you are not but two years younger than me, I still feel the urge to protect you soror. I wish you and Papa luck on your Oblationem and more luck still in your union with Fortis. Go now and say your goodbyes to Ma mere et Mon pere for by nightfall you will be a woman" I wipe a tear away from my cheek and hug him once again.

"Wise words suo, I thank you for your wishes." I reply and step back to say my goodbyes to mes parents. I see mon petit frere struggling to hold my younger twin sisters together. I laugh and hug my parents. We said our many words earlier this evening and so we share one last look as a family before I enter the circle of my friends and family in the village centre. I join hands with Papa and she whispers to me. "I'm glad we're doing this together Lili." I smile and nod.She is wearing an identcal dress to me, and her dark brown hair lies in long waves, the same length as mine, and it frames her bright green eyes perfectly. The priest looks down at us from the rocks he stands on and commences Oblationem.

"Lilium and Papaveris (Lily and Poppy) you have now both come of age for our sacred Oblationem in which you shall show our almighty gods that you are ready to become young women." He looks up at the grey noon sky as rain threatens to be unleashed and spreads his arms wide. "Do us proud in your offering and return as women so we may bless your unions to your men and please the gods!"

Me and Papa turn around and hand in hand walk into the dense trees together. We walk in silence through the luscious greenery,admiring the beautiful plants for around half an hour before we reach the base of the cliff. We start walking steadily upwards on the dry grass and hard stone, picking the beautiful, wild flowers as we go. We both know how important this is and so we only talk minutely. Within another half an hour I can see the mouth of the god's cave. As I spot it, the sky open up to reveal a light drizzle which slowly turns heavier within minutes. With the cave only a short distance away, I place my now large bouquet of flowers on the ground and face Papa. I bring her into a hug and hold her tight. When we pull back we both have tears in our eyes. "The gods have blessed us by having us born on the same day, so that we may go through this together. I could not have picked a better Oblationem companion, yet alone a better friend. I wish you the best in life Papa."

"I wish you same Lili, and I could not have put my emotions into words if I tried but you have done it for me. Know that I mimic your emotion almost exactly." We embrace once again and head towards the cave. The cold harsh wind wraps around my body and embraces it tightly. The icy rain slaps my face, and drenches me to the bone. Thunder claps loudly like the roar of a dragon, and lightning crashes down around us, sending shocks of light across our faces every so often. I now realize that the mouth of the cave I once saw is to our right, but the only path to it is 6 meters of thin ledge that neither of us could walk on. "We must go round!" I shout over the wind to Papa. She nods. We fight the storm for another ten minutes before finding the correct entrance.

We stumble in, soaked like we're fresh out of the holy lake, clutching our flowers. We follow the tunnel down a few corners until reaching the god's resting place. The large space is filled with an underground spring, full of the holy water that only one other place on the island has. We kneel on the cold gray stone and begin the Oblationem.

Taking each flower one by one, we bless it first in Latin then French, and place it in the water until it floats away. First is a flower, bathed in a deep purple, like the sunset on a summer's eve. Then a pale blue one with large petals. And so this continues.Two thirds of the way through, my life changes forever.

A large crack resonates through the empty space and I turn to look at Papa. We share a look of fear before another boom sounds. We scramble to our feet, our soggy shoes slipping on the rough stone. Small rocks begin to fall from the ceiling and we rush out of the god's temple. Larger boulders begin to follow and we begin to run. When we reach a fork in the tunnel we stop for a minute before Papa shouts "Right!" I turn to look as she takes the first few steps forward, before a huge rumble to the cave knocks us off our feet. We look at each other before a huge slab of stone cuts off and lands in between us. I jump up as she does the same, but soon more rocks fall. I can no longer reach her. "Papa!" I scream. "Just go!" and then I can no longer see her as yet another boulder falls. I peer into the darkness of the tunnels before setting off. I veer right then left. Right. Right. Left. And then. There! I see a small gap of light at the end of the passage. I use all my energy to get there as fast as possible, by now the cave has almost collapsed. I turn back to look and see that less than 3 meters behind me there is no more cave. And then I'm falling.

The light that I saw was the first entrance from earlier, and I have just ran off the edge. My hair whips around me as I fall, a scream caught in my throat. My white dress tangles around my legs and the wind chokes me, pressing against me as I fall. I fall and never seem to stop. Thunder booms around me and lightning electrocutes the air. Years seem to pass as I hurtle through the air. Suddenly I explode.

Well, that is what it feels like. My skin burns as I crash into an icy pool of water. The pain ripples through my body, fire shooting through my veins. My dress entangles itself with me, wrapping around my legs in an iron like grip. My arms are restrained by tough, rough vines. I try to open my eyes and when i finally do they are greeted by crystal ice water and white. The fabric of my dress swims in the lake with me, taunting me with its movement. I can no longer move like it can. My lungs scream for air and I struggle against the vines. I try to peer back and realize that I am trapped in the holiest of tree's roots. I am in the sacred lake. No man or woman has ever set foot in here, it is so blessed, it is the home of the gods. My lungs beg for air and my vision blurs. A scream of frustration and panic rises inside of me. I am going to die here. I will not get out. I do not remember what breathing feels like and wish for a quick ending. I feel my energy slowly drizzle out of me along with all heat. I pray. I pray for everything and anything. In the darkness of my vision I see a piecing light.

I have always wondered what it would be like to die. But I have always known it is not in my power to control. I will never know what it is like to die now, for the fates have decided that I will never die. Do you want to know what happened on that day, when i was only seconds away from death? Lightning. It struck the tree of my ancestors and the gods and the fates. With all that power I was always going to be blessed. The electricity (I prefer magic) traveled through the veins of the tree and into me. With the roots wrapped around my arms life was given to me. And let me tell you something , life bloody hurts.

One billion volts of electricity raced through the tree, bringing its powers with it. As it was forced into my almost lifeless body, I was set on fire. My core temperature rose dramatically, my blood boiled and the pressure in my head exceeded any pain known in this world. My body convulsed rapidly and struggled in the water. Slowly, ever so slowly, like falling in love in a fairytale, my vision left me and so did any form of consciousness.