Moist had started to form beneath my nose. The temperature was higher at noon during the dry season. I wiped the sweat off with the back of my hand. I didn't mind the heat as long as I caught a glimpse of her.
Soon, I found myself walking in circles in my grandfather's labyrinth. The plants had created tall barriers that made it impossible to see the next path. ‘Damn it! I was lost’.
“Why do you keep following me around?” A voice startled me and made the hair on my skin stand. I turned to face Amayka looking at me sternly. Even then, the glow from her face didn't cease.
It was the reason I was always amazed by her. She was this sweet mystery I wanted to unravel. I wanted to learn her ways and be more like her. A mini goddess I had made of her.
She wasn't particularly the most beautiful girl but she stood out for many reasons. Her calm yet very strong aura. She had the vibrance of an eagle. Her confidence could move mountains. I wanted some of her traits. She was eye candy in the community.
There were others like her too but she was closest to me. Her father worked my grandfather's massive garden. Hence they lived on the property. I followed her all the time watching religiously like prey. It was almost an obsession.
“Who says I'm following you? I'm merely walking around”. I crooked my nose up to make an impression.
“I sense you everyday in the corners. I see your shadow behind me. Heck I even smell the vanilla in your shampoo. What do you want?” she took off her glasses and placed it on the page of the book she was reading.
“Honestly, I have great admiration for you. I find myself musing over you. where do you get it from and how are you super cool?” I surrendered.
“Since we are being honest today, I'll let you in on a little secret. I wasn't always all the things you think I am. I have been nurtured by a group of women. Beautiful souls they are literally. They taught me that beauty lies within and inside and has little to do with the body. The body is just a vessel. However, if you are beautiful on the inside, you'll glow on the outside. It's magic”. She whispered and smiled mildly.
“Is that the secret?” I asked a little disappointed. I mean, I knew everything she said. My mother always told me that but it didn't make any difference to me.
“No! These group of women? They belong to a coven. In the past, they were considered witches and evil by a group of hideous men called the molocks in the community. They hunt them down and hurt them. Those men felt threatened by merely peaceful women who wanted nothing but to spread goodness all around.
“So who are these women?” I indulged playing along.
“I know them only by their souls. Good souls recognize each other. Soon, you'll find out”. She held my gaze with so much depth in her eyes. It even felt weird when she tapped my neck right above my collar bone. She turned and walked away. Her glasses fell from the book just before she took the next turn in the labyrinth.
“Hey you dropped your glasses.” I yelled but she was faster than my voice. I ran and picked up the glasses. I held it like an artefact.
That evening after dinner, I sat in my bedroom thinking about Amayka and all she had said. I picked up her glasses and wore them instantly. Something to make me feel like her.
The view from the lens was the same for a minute until I started to see smoke particles. They seemed to create a pattern that led to the outdoors. I followed the pattern down beyond the labyrinth to a structure I never noticed before.
It was built like every other home in the vicinity, only that it was made out of glass. I could see lots of women and girls walking in. I went closer moving behind a line of three girls. As I watched them walk in, I proceeded.
“Stop! You cannot enter without taking off your suit”. A voice commanded. It was a woman in a pale blue dress.
“What suit? I don't have any on” I said looking down at my white night dress.
“Your biosuit honey. This coven is only for souls. Wait, I'll help you”. And like that, the woman unlocked something that felt like a zip on my neck just above my collar bone. The same spot Amayka had touched earlier. And immediately, I stepped out of my body. My body, skin looking deflated right before me. I looked down at my almost invisible and translucent self or perhaps soul. I was beyond recognition.
“What is happening”
“What is this place”
It felt like I was going to run mad.
“Go on in hon. There is nothing to be afraid of” she said calmly.
I decide to be brave and take the first step. I felt myself float. Right at the entrance, I could see a myriad of forms just like mine. They all floated in the air forming a Pyramid. In front of them was a podium with two floating souls behind it.
The scene was disturbing yet breathtaking. I wasn't sure of my sanity anymore. Everything Amayka had told me wasn't a metaphor.
“The molock men are out to get us. You must be more careful now. These are dangerous times. They are spying on us and waiting for the right moment to attack. They walk around carrying silver locks to tame our souls magically. Stay alert while you keep spreading goodness to the world”. It was coming from the podium.
The event was too much for me to take in one night. I turned and begged to leave.
“I won't stop you. I know you will be back. Don't forget your body. You don't want to walk around like that”. The woman in blue said pointing at a rack of bodies hanging down. I picked one up without looking and rushed out.
I wasn't even sure how I put my body back on but I ran as fast as I could back home. My head was in a daze. I paused to catch my breath by the door but something felt off and different. My body felt heavy and smelt different. I looked at my clothes. Surprisingly, I was wearing my grandfather's clothes. My eyes widened.
I went to the window to look at my image. Behold, I was staring back at my grandfather. In my hand was a silver lock.
“Shoot! Grandpa a molock?” I wasn't sure what on earth or beyond was going on but I had to go back there. I needed to get back into my own body and perhaps warn the coven. The molocks were closer than they thought.