Bright rays of the morning sun shone through the open window, landing on the sleeping face of a girl. The girl woke up, clearly annoyed with the sudden jab of light in her eyes. She got up and walked to window, closing it with a loud bang. With a satisfied grin, she walked back to her bed.
"Lumina? Are you awake?" A muffled voice called out from outside her door. And for a moment she did not know whether to answer or to ignore it, for she really wanted to continue sleeping. In the end, she decided that it was rude to ignore that someone, seeing that he or she was already right outside her door.
"I'm awake!" She called out, hoping that whoever that was could hear her.
The wooden door swung open and a girl waltzed in, her dress swirling with her every move.
"Margaret? What are you doing here!?" Lumina exclaimed, shocked to see her friend at such an early hour.
"To help you get ready, of course!" She said as she threw open the doors of her wardrobe. "Now hurry and wash up! And don't you dare tell me you've forgotten what day it is today."
A few seconds later, Margaret stopped browsing through her wardrobe and stared at her. She sighed. "Judging by the blank look you have on you face, you really have! You're leaving today, remember?"
Lumina gasped loudly and hit her head.
"Oh stars, I really have forgotten!" She exclaimed as she quickly jumped out of bed.
She was about to rush out the door when Margaret stopped her. "So you're telling me you're going to leave the orphanage in your nightclothes? And without shoes?" With sudden realisation, Lumina let out a frustrated sigh.
"I've figured this will happen. Here." Margaret pulled a deep blue dress from the wardrobe. "I've already chosen the perfect dress!" She quipped as she shoved the dress into Lumina's hands. "Go get dressed while I pack your things."
Lumina thanked her profusely as she went off to change. The blue dress Margaret had chosen was coincidentally her favourite dress, since it had matched the azure hue of her eyes. The dress was well-made and it hugged her thin figure perfectly, the ruffles of the skirt just above her knees. The sleeves were not too long as they only reached her elbows. After checking herself in the mirror, she sloppily tied a ribbon to her hair and pulled on a pair of brown leggings. When she was done, she rushed to help her friend pack.
"Here's all your clothes." Margaret said as she handed her a large duffel bag. She took the bag and lay on on the floor beside the door.
"All that's left is my knapsack..." She murmured as she started to pack. Combs, ribbons and all sorts of trinkets she had gathered during her 12 year stay at the orphanage went into her knapsack, including the portrait of her mother. Golden hair, blue eyes... Everyone in the village had said she looked exactly like her mother. And she had to admit, the villagers were right.
"Here." Margaret handed her a cloak.
"Thank you, Margie." Lumina said as she put it on.
"I'll be waiting outside!" With that said, Margaret left the room.
The cloak was sewn by her own mother, before she passed away. It was made with soft, cream-coloured fabric and the hems were embroidered with intricate patterns of golden stars and deep blue swirls. The cloak never failed to remind her of her mother; how she put it on before heading out of the house, how she wrapped it around her whenever she was feeling cold, how it smelled of the familiar sweet fragrance of jasmine flowers.
She put on a pair of brown boots and grabbed all her bags before leaving the room. The room in which she has spent 12 years living in. A wave of sadness came over her, but she shook it away. Giving the room one last glance, she ran off to meet Margaret.
Margaret was waiting patiently outside the hallway. The tapping of her feet so loud you could probably hear her all the way from the main hall.
"You never go anywhere without it." Margaret mentioned with a smile when she saw her, referring to the cloak.
"I like to wear it." She replied as she adjusted the latch on the cloak.
"It really suits you, Lumi. But then again, it suited your mother, so it should look good on you." She stated, hinting towards the fact that she looked like her mother.
"Enough with that. I hear it from the villagers everyday." Lumina replied with a sigh. Margaret grinned.
Lumina had always hated attention, and was pleasantly surprised when she made herself a friend. Margaret and Lumina had known each other since they were still children. Margaret's parents had passed away since she was small, and maybe it was because of the similar suffering they shared that made them so close.
"Don't you want to say goodbye to the children?" Margaret inquired.
"They will only feel sad when they see me leave." She replied, coolly. Better they don't see me at all.
She could not bear to see the sadness in the eyes of the children, for they reminded her of her own when her mother left.
YOU ARE READING
Storyteller
Fantasi"People don't realise, but it takes a lot of imagination to tell a story. And it also takes a lot of magic." All her life, Lumina had been told that the rare storytelling magic she wields is nothing but useless and unimportant - a mere tool for ente...
