Into the Enchanted forest -nanmac-

| Part 16 | You are the light

"Only the real one will not harm you."

That is what Nan said after giving all the talk about tomorrow. Mac cannot believe that he will soon meet his mother. Yet he had reached the point where there was no turning back. As they promised, at 10 pm, Mac arrived at his mother's grave. According to the plan, there must be three people to complete the ritual.

"Mac, this is my... my aunt. Tonight, she will help us." Nan introduced him to a lady. Mac politely greeted her. He couldn't see her face that well since she mostly covered her entire skin but her eyes. She looked like a nun to him, who dressed in full black.

The ritual began when Mac laid all the things on the ground. To call out for his family, blood and tears must be included, which is only for the people in the same bloodline. And since it was his mother, Mac had to give his own just so they could know who they called for. The two of them were standing in their position with Mac in the middle, crouching down as he sliced his wrist. Thick blood drooped inside the bowl, staining its beautiful quartz stones. Once he finished, he stepped backward as they must be in a triangle form, holding hands as the three were tied together by a red string.

The night is pitching in the dark but the moonlight shines on the place. Even though Mac could not see everything in clear he could see his shadow being dragged towards the grave. How weird it looks to his eyes when the moon is on top of his head. His gaze fell into a fallen black rose petal where it landed right inside the bowl. Mac could feel the goosebumps through his skin. Especially with them being surrounded by such an eerie atmosphere. To perform its own ritual was not the easiest one.

A sudden fog covered the entire surroundings when the lady started reciting words in an unknown language. Not only that it was strange but Mac could sense the smell of lavender. It was as if he was in the middle of a lavender field. Soon enough the scent is getting thicker. There is a hint of musky sandalwood as the warm breeze touches his cheek. He knew he would soon meet a person who he dear the most when the whole bouquet of roses petals burst out of the bowl.

"Mac." The voice said his name. It was the people that he missed. A soft and gentle voice calling out for him.

"Mother... Is that really you?"

"Oh, sweetie."

"Mother." He breathed. His voice trembled with excitement. He could not hold himself as tears rolled down his cheeks.

The fog slowly faded away and now he could see with his own eyes that his mother was standing right in front of him. Her soft face is calm enough to make him feel sorts of emotions. The whole years he had been longing for her, all those painful things that happened in the past, the loneliness that left him trapped in the dark, with an empty soul he carried around, it was all worth the wait.

He missed her so much that words were not even enough to speak how bad it was. He wanted to hold her and feel the warmth for the very last time. But he knows he cannot do it. Even now she was standing only a few steps away, his mother belonged to a different world. Another type of dimension for a dead soul to come home, where he could never cross those lines. There is a boundary to everything.

"Mother, I... I have a lot to say."

"I know."

Mac was sobbing. Yet his lips curved into a smile. "I have grown taller. And now I was working at our farm. Doing all the chores, working from sunrise until it set behind the mountain. Father is doing great. He is now in a city. And now I got a cat. I gave him a name, Coco. I knew that you would love cats. Maybe I'll show him to you next time... Mother, I- I wish that you could stay longer. I really hope you will not take the blame on yourself. I am happy and proud of you, for being my mother. You have taken good care of me. And it was great! My father and I are still living in our tiny house, surrounded by all those stinky animals. And yeah, I also learnt how to cook. To do my laundry. You don't have to worry. I can manage myself well. And our house will always be clean and not even a drop of dust can be seen. Since I knew that you're a clean freak. We both do celebrate different festivals every year. And since it is only the two of us, maybe we do not do that much. Well... Oh, I almost forgot! Dew and his family often visit me. By the way, his parents are much nicer than him. They will make me my favourite food. And send me a sweet treat too. I also had my birthday. I'm an adult now. The bracelet that you gave me, I don't wear it now because I'm afraid that I will drop it. Besides, it was dark in here. But don't you worry, I keep it safe inside the box!"

"Happy belated birthday, Mac."

"Thank you, mother."

"No. I should be the one who is supposed to say that. Your existence gave me life that I could ever ask for. A light that shows me what true love means. Thank you for giving me a chance to be a mother. But now it's time for me to say goodbye."

"I see... Then, we can say goodbye to each other. I promise to visit you on every weekend."

"I love you, Mac."

And with that, Mac lowers his head as he is not brave enough to see his mother leave. He is so happy that he can finally meet her. Yet there is a bittersweet taste when it comes to this.

The tiny layer of fog slowly filled the whole place again. He could see nothing, only for himself crying. Now it was only filled with silence accompanied by the cold breeze.

"Do you want to follow me?"

He gasped when he heard the voice asking him to take the offer. "Can I really?"

"Sure it is."

And it was as if there was something inside him, urging him to take it. Mac was only now paying attention to the voice. It keeps calling for his name.

"Mother."

He almost broke the tie when he walked towards the voices. Luckily, Nan holds him even tighter and the lady proceeds to finish the last step of this ritual.

"Mother! No.. No! Mother, please... Don't go. Don't leave me here."

They both tried to finish what they could since Mac was not under control. The evil has taken through his mind and lured him to walk into the dark. If it goes too far then they could never save him any longer.

"Mother..."

"It's done." The lady spoke.

And they now can break the triangle. Nan quickly releases his hand to catch Mac from falling to the ground. His gaze fell on the milky skin that was covered with full of tears. It was hard for him to see his loved one being in this condition. So, he got on his feet and carried him in a bridal way.

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