Wonderment

Wonderment.

Won. Der. Ment.

/ˈwəndərmənt/

Noun.

A state of awed admiration or respect.

In French it is called émerveillement . 

       From the time we exit the womb to the moment we blow out all 16 candles on our birthday cake, our minds and souls are full of wonderment. At the shiny equipment the doctors hold above our tiny bodies. At the glistening eyes of our proud parents. At the trees, the birds, and the great, blue skies. We see everything in vivid colors, not the black and white of our elders.

A time comes, however, when the brain ceases it's wonder. When the soul loses it's innocense of a childhood that remains in the past. We stop feeling, seeing, and, instead, become our parents. We begin to want, to take.

It is the way we change that frightens the Gods, or whatever you want to call them. Higher Beings. Ancient ones. These people call themselves, "The Protectors".  They worry about the Earth, the animals and plants that dwell on her, and the humans that are slowly destroying her.

      One of them, called by many names, but known to them as their "Leader", made a choice that would end all this suffering. He would creat a woman, who would posess the key we were all searching for. She would hold the answer to the survival of humanity. 

It would not be as simple as that, though. The solution would be something a plain human would not be able to see. It would not be her beauty, although she would be beautiful. It would not be her knowledge, though she would carry around with her the necessary tools to survive. It wouldn't be her eyes, a torqouise that battled with prettiest of shells. Nor would it be her long, wavy hair or the tilt in her smile. It would not be her milky skin or the way she enchanted her onlookers.

No, it would not be that easy. What she held, all others lacked. Her power would be something only the young posessed.  'Til the day she took her last breath, this girl would be filled to the brim with wonderment.

...................

     The Leader held his precious gift to mankind tightly against his chest. He knew he would see her again, for as special as she was, she was still human. When he was creating her, he never foresaw the pain of saying goodbye. Perhaps it was for the best. He was a being of extraordinary measures, he could not love a child, even one such as her.

The man bent down in front of the wooden door that belonged to a small house nestled in a sleepy neighborhood located in a remote village outside Colorado. Not many people knew it even existed. It was too small to land a spot on the map. Which made it the perfect home for this perfect infant.

He smiled down at the wide awake baby. She was wriggling on the doormat, cooing at the only father-figure she had. The Leader knew the troubles she would face. A frown replaced his grin. Although they would strengthen her gift, they would not pass without leaving a deep scar on her big heart. 

These problems would not be simple just like her. They would be huge and, sometimes, even terrifying. She will have to face many ups and downs. But she will conquer them. She will save the people of this town. It was, afterall, in her blood. 

      He took a step back. It was not easy to leave this beautiful masterpiece but it was something that had to be done. This was her home. Now. He had to let this happen. The Leader felt a tear roll down his cheek. It was not often that he cried. Not since the loss of his beloved. Once again he reminded himself that this was for the best. 

He turned to go, letting himself let go of all the weight on his mighty shoulders. The rest would be up to her. She would have to deal with what went on her, on Earth, starting with this town. He knew it would be hard to do on her own. But wherever she was, there would always be someone there to guide her. He made sure of that.

She would have friends, as well as enemies. She would face demons and angels, battling with each other against her. She would defeat them all. After all, she was their secret weapon. Wonderment.