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Future Memories

She had been five nearly six when it had happened; nothing out of the ordinary, a fairly usual age for a quirk to present itself. Chieko would always remember that night though; burned into the back of her brain for the rest of her life...not because it was something terrible, but because it had been so spectacular.

She had been settling down into bed, her mother at her side tucking her in and trying to calm down the rambunctious five going on six year old she was. She had of course asked for her mother to read her a story; though she was fairly certain that every book that lined her bedroom walls had been read at least three times. Her father had always told her that she consumed reading material like how some children consumed sweets. Though luckily her tastes didn't end in belly aches or cavities.

Her mother had of course caved and asked what book they should start, and as usual she over zealously pointed across her room. She remembered that to book had been Tales From Earthsea; it's paperback cover crinkled and cracked, it's pages well worn and dog-earred. It had that musty smell that all books seemed to get in their age.

Though this time when she pointed across the room, her mother didn't have time to get up and retrieve her desired book, instead the book was thrown from the shelf, landing splayed across the floor halfway to her bed; the bindings straining under the weight of their pages.

Her mother had stood partially, knees bent, hands out loosely in front of her, eyes wide as she gazed down at the book. Cheiko had been silent, finger still raised towards the bookshelf, now trembling slightly. Her mother finally turned to her, still somewhere between sitting and standing, eyes shining.

"Chieko...Did you do that?" the words were barely above a whisper, excitement wavering in her tone just below the surface.

She looked down at the book and then to her hand, as if she might find invisible strings connecting her finger tips to the worn pages of Earthsea.

"I...I don't know. Maybe?" her voice had trembled, a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Why don't you try again?" her mother had settled by her side again.

She nodded and slowly extended her hand, fingers splaying. She remember focusing on the shape of the book; face down, looking like a bird in flight. The book hadn't come. She thought of the book flying into her hands, the texture of it on her fingertips, it didn't come.

"I can't..." she whispered softly, her heart had felt like it had been made of iron; the heaviness of it when she couldn't get the book to move again.

Her mother had been quiet, and then stood and retrieved the book. At first she had been worried that her mother was disappointed in her. But when she had turned to face her again she was smiling.

"Don't worry Chieko, these things take time." She settled by the bed again and open the book to the first page. The smell of it's musty pages a wave of comfort. "We'll figure it out."

And her mother began to read from Tales From Earthsea.

______________________________________

Chieko had spent a lot of her time the next morning trying to get objects to come to her; at breakfast the next morning she had tried to will her bento box to her from the kitchen counter. When her father brought her younger brother to join them at the table she tried to will his spoon into his bowl of baby food.

It hadn't been until her mother had asked her to go get her book-bag for school did something happen again. She had stared at the green and sunflower yellow bag with the words Plus Ultra scrawled in pink across the back as it sat by the door next to her shoes. She stared it down, toes curling in her socks as she puffed out her chest.