Mist

HAPPILY

The sky was a mess of the molten sun.

It was a blanket of changing hues, mischievously blending from one colour to another. The chaos of the wrathful reds and melancholic oranges, slowly transitioned into a soft, soothing violet above the horizon. It reminded Ced of someone.

" It's beautiful, isn't it ?" Hazel smiled.

Ced looked at her, her hair frequently tossed mid air by the wind, her lips bent into a gentle curve and a serenity written all over her face, as it shone in the light of the golden sun.

" Indeed, it is." he said.

*******

It all seemed like a dream ; a nightmare and a fantasy at the same time .

Hazel was back in the study at home, the place where it all began.

Gran Luella snored lightly on the green armchair.

Hazel coughed lightly. Gran woke up with a start.

" Hazel ! Why, I've been waiting for you !" she said, " How are you , my child ?"

" I don't know. I feel different, really different. I still look the same, though."

" Sit down, dear."

Hazel sat down, comforted by the familiarity of her surroundings. 

" I know you have a lot to tell and I'm eager to hear too, but I believe that I owe you some answers, first."

Hazel nodded.

"The strange woman you saw all those years ago, was Cap of Rushes. You are connected to the other dimension, you can see what ordinary humans cannot. You are gifted. I am sorry, I didn't tell you sooner, love."

" Gran, you said that this special gift runs in our blood. Did dad also ...."

Gran Luella's eyes turned moist and grim.

" Yes." she sighed, "If you believe in ever afters, in magic, in dreams come true, your life will be full of miracles. All you need is to have faith and open your eyes wider. I'm afraid your father wasn't much of believer."

" Did you ever try to send him to the Fantasy Realm ?" Hazel asked.

" Of course. He went to the Realm, but he was not as strong  as you are. He could not accept what he was. He grappled with reality. He lost belief in his childhood adventures and the scenes he had witnessed, claiming that I had bewitched him. His sight weakened over time.

" Alas !" said gran," Humans have become so comfortable in their own small world that if something, however true it may seem, tries to destroy it, they refuse to accept it. And so, my dear, truth  becomes a lie.

" I foolishly tried to share my wisdom with the world, to make them aware. I wrote tales and theories on fairy tales. Instantly , fame was bestowed upon me. People were amazed by my perspective on the old myths. I tried to emphasize on the truth of what I said; they were not myths , but facts. It was not meant to be."

Little tears rolled down Luella's cheeks, as harsh memories of the past were refreshed. Hazel's eyes welled up too.

" They called me crazy. They laughed at me. Some were scared too. They wouldn't let their children come near me, because they were worried that I might manipulate them into thinking like me, like a lunatic." said gran. 

Hazel took Luella's hands, holding them firmly.

" You are not a lunatic , gran. You are the most amazing grandmother in the history of the two worlds. I aspire to be like you; brave and dauntless, but calm and wise."