MAGISTAN

Chapter 3: The Golden Key

Far away from Ekipa, shrouded amidst a triad of moons was the magnificent world of Magistan. In an isolated corner of Magistan, was a mysterious forest of Blue Bark trees. Many of the creatures that lived in this forest loved it. And if you were to ask them, they'd say, "It was a glorious place to live." There were plenty of warm summer days and cool foggy nights, not too cold though, just perfect for sleeping. Occasionally, there'd be a bit of weather to mix things up - a little wind, a splash of rain, a dash of snow, or maybe even a thunderstorm or two. Usually things didn't get too awful as long as the Spirit of the Wind was in a pleasant mood when she swept through. However, there were times when the weather shifted sharply. The wind and rain would be so fierce that even the great Blue Bark tree could not stand against it. It would crack and snap and then come crashing down making the forest floor tremble so hard that it felt as if the ground would break apart.  

This evening the weather was rather peaceful. The three moons rose above the horizon. A light breeze came from the west. It carried a cluster of white hibiscus flowers that softly glided through the sky like a silk blanket of snowflakes. The flowers drifted over the mountains and headed toward the giant forest of Blue Bark trees. Some settled on their silver pine needles while others landed on the ground, where of all places, Sofia was sleeping. At least it appeared that way, but she was so still she could have just as well been a doll, instead of a human being. There was no telling how long she had been there either, maybe hours, or days. It was hard to say. 

Most everyone in the Blue Bark forest paid little attention to time. This was one of the greatest things about living there. The other was that there were hardly any rules, which made life entirely unpredictable, chaotic and at times... extrodonary fun. However, it was virtually impossible to leave the mysterious Blue Bark forest once you arrived.  

How did anyone manage to carry on in any fashion with hardly any rules? Did they all just get along? Hardly! There were all sorts of quarrels among those who lived there. But, somehow, they managed to solve their differences without causing too much harm to one another. It wasn't because they were civilized either. Some of them were. While others... well let's just say, they were troublesome to even themselves. This is something Sofia would someday come to realize, but not today. She'd just arrived in the Blue Bark forest of Magistan, which was something she didn't even know. It wasn't until a few hibiscus flowers landed on her chest that her fingers twitched. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened. The first thing she saw was a blurred image of someone, or something standing over her.  

"Papa?" Sofia whispered.  

"It is not he who wakes you from your timeless sleep," a soft voice replied.  

Sofia blinked a few times and the image cleared. It was a woman with a white hibiscus flowers woven into her dark hair. Her skin was tan and fuzzy, like a peach. Her eyes beamed like blue diamonds. She had a smile so beautiful that just looking at it made Sofia feel warm inside. But even more extraordinary than her smile were the two red and black wings that sprouted from her back and the coiled antennas on her forehead. This is something Sofia had never seen on a woman before, only butterflies. Shocked, Sofia scrambled backwards. Wide-eyed, she gawked at the winged woman thinking she looked strikingly similar, only 20 years older. Sofia wondered who the woman was and where she had come from.  

"Your eyes and mine have already met sometime," the woman said, as if she could read Sofia's mind.  

Sofia couldn't believe the woman was real. She shut her eyes and counted to three. Then she opened them again. The woman was still standing there. Only now she was holding out her hand as if she wanted to help Sofia up. Sofia hesitated.  

The woman leaned forward. "Here... let me help you," she said. 

Sofia took the woman's hand. As she stood up a few white hibiscus flowers tumbled off Sofia's dress. They gently touched the ground.