The fire spirit and I found ourselves at crossroads. The two paths appeared identical, both earthy and leading to wild, grassy fields.
"I would like to choose the right path, but which one would you take?" I asked the fire spirit.
The fire spirit floated towards the left path.
"Is there a reason you want the left path?" I asked.
The fire spirit tried to communicate using its movements. It's already been ten days since we started traveling together and I could identify the meanings of various movements.
It moved in a spiral, and I immediately recognized the movement.
"There is no special reason. You simply feel like going that way?" I asked to confirm my thoughts.
The spirit mimicked a nod.
"Well, I think we should go right," I stayed firm in my decision.
The fire spirit insisted on going left and floated a few times from my position to the left and back. I also didn't feel like changing my opinion, but if someone doesn't give in, we'll never agree.
"We should go right. I've been traveling for a while and my travel instinct tells me right," I explained.
The fire spirit shifted from left to right to show its refusal.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" I asked.
The spirit seemed to point at me by floating near me a few times.
"You're saying that I'm the one who's stubborn?" I said.
Despite the spirits' objections, I remained resolute. My initial travel plans were to go anywhere I pleased, but upon meeting Akios, my itinerary became dictated by his preferences. This time around, I wanted to be the one who decided on my destination, but since I had a traveling buddy, compromises were necessary.
"How about we toss a coin?" I shared my sudden idea.
The fire spirit nodded, and we came to an agreement. Falerii, from a myth I read, resorted to coin flips to settle his indecision. Though it may seem odd, that's how he had several pivotal meetings. Different choices would have led him down a completely different path.
"I'll take the head and you can take the tail?" I said.
The fire spirit gave an affirmative nod. I took a single silver coin out of the bag and prepared myself to throw it. The sun shined a strong reflection on the coin, which blinded me for a moment until I changed the angle from which I was holding it. I blinked a few times to get my eyesight back to normal. I felt pressured to perform a dazzling coin toss because the spirit was intently observing my actions.
It was expecting a good show, and I didn't want to disappoint it. I always made kids smile with my spells so I should also be able to entertain the fire spirit or anyone else I need to, but the truth is that I tossed a coin only a few times before and most of the times it were bad tires if I didn't use magic. Although people often portray coin tosses as special, my attempts usually end in embarrassing fumbles.
I needed a few moments to prepare myself mentally to throw the coin, and when I finally threw it in the air, something bumped into me, causing me to take a few steps back. The coin ended up on the ground, lost in the grass.
"Oh," I said disappointedly.
It'll take a while just to find it and a poor throw doesn't count like anybody's victory.
I saw a small child with long brown hair running away quickly out of the corner of my eye. The child's behavior puzzled me, but I felt no danger.
"I guess this toss doesn't count. Want to give me another chance to toss it?" I asked.
YOU ARE READING
Calytrix's Journey
FantasyCalytrix is a young witch who just turned 20. As is customary for all witches of her age, she must leave her home village and explore the world. She journeys to find her own place within it and a purpose, but magic is declining and only a few witche...
