spent in the shelves of books didn’t lie.”
“Wow! I feel as if my life were scripted! Where is free-will in all of this?”
“Nothing was scripted, everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. But, what will happen from here on out won’t leave a lot of room for free will, as you put it. I love you very much, Lou, and your mother sacrificed herself for what is to come; but despite everything, I’ll ask you one question, just this once and your precise answer will determine everything. I can make you forget the events of today and you’ll never again be in touch with the world of magic.”
She turns and stares at me, straight into my eyes as if she could somehow pull the answer or consent out through them, then she continues in a less convinced tone of voice.
“Or, in a few minutes you will complete the ritual and your fate will be sealed for eternity. What do you choose? And don’t worry about your mother, she was the one who made me promise to ask you the question and allow you the choice without compromise.”
I looked out the window at the moon and I suddenly remembered the book.
“But it’s already too late…the inscription in the book…”
“Yes, I know, no going back, but for that, the ritual must be completed. So, right now we can go to Charles’ and he will concoct a forgetfulness potion like I did for Nathan and all will go back exactly the way it was.”
At those words I feel a slight sense of burning in my chest, one short sentence, with such an impact. What should I do? Deep inside I know the answer, there’s no going back to my day-to-day life, always wishing for adventure. I want to live and I don’t want to be a spectator of my own life! I’m already an outsider in my normal life and I don’t want to be half of who I was either. I think about my mother who sacrificed her life for me and I know that I must accept this new reality. I turn to Gertrude and smile. A real sincere smile without sarcasm, and I steel myself to pronounce the words that will seal my destiny forever. At that moment, a grinding sound rings out. I turn my eyes to the road just in time to see a man standing a couple of feet in front of the car, his hand raised towards us. The Chevelle brakes suddenly and at the same moment the rear end of the car jumps up, causing the car to rollover.
Instinctively I yell, “Stop!!”
Instantly time literally stops. The car comes to a complete stop in its infernal descent, it’s nose almost perpendicular to the ground. My heart is pounding and I turn to see if Gertrude is hurt. Her hair is hanging to the ground and her hands are gripping the wheel.
“Gertrude, what’s going on?”
Touching a piece of her white hair, I realize that she is completely frozen. Did I cause that when I screamed? What should I do?
“The man! Maybe he did this,” I say, talking to nobody in particular.
I untie my seatbelt and manage to lean on the dashboard so as not to go through the front window. I need to find a way to get us both out of here. Inching towards Gertrude, I get in front of her, my back to the steering wheel. I lean into the frail old woman and I slowly untie her seatbelt. She falls onto me under the effect of gravity. She is much lighter than I would have expected. Or, maybe it’s my new physical capacities that make everything seem easier. Whatever the reason, I don’t have time to think about it; I need to get us out of here as fast as possible. I then take Gertrude on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and I open the door. The step is high given the position of the car. Best is to do like when taking off a Band-Aid and do it all at once. I jump and land perfectly on my feet, as would a cat, Gertrude still on my shoulder. On the side of the road, I find a thick tree trunk to sit the woman up against. I then walk over to the man who is also frozen. The closer I get to him, the more surprised I am at his appearance. He has a curved back with a hump on his left
“Wow! I feel as if my life were scripted! Where is free-will in all of this?”
“Nothing was scripted, everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. But, what will happen from here on out won’t leave a lot of room for free will, as you put it. I love you very much, Lou, and your mother sacrificed herself for what is to come; but despite everything, I’ll ask you one question, just this once and your precise answer will determine everything. I can make you forget the events of today and you’ll never again be in touch with the world of magic.”
She turns and stares at me, straight into my eyes as if she could somehow pull the answer or consent out through them, then she continues in a less convinced tone of voice.
“Or, in a few minutes you will complete the ritual and your fate will be sealed for eternity. What do you choose? And don’t worry about your mother, she was the one who made me promise to ask you the question and allow you the choice without compromise.”
I looked out the window at the moon and I suddenly remembered the book.
“But it’s already too late…the inscription in the book…”
“Yes, I know, no going back, but for that, the ritual must be completed. So, right now we can go to Charles’ and he will concoct a forgetfulness potion like I did for Nathan and all will go back exactly the way it was.”
At those words I feel a slight sense of burning in my chest, one short sentence, with such an impact. What should I do? Deep inside I know the answer, there’s no going back to my day-to-day life, always wishing for adventure. I want to live and I don’t want to be a spectator of my own life! I’m already an outsider in my normal life and I don’t want to be half of who I was either. I think about my mother who sacrificed her life for me and I know that I must accept this new reality. I turn to Gertrude and smile. A real sincere smile without sarcasm, and I steel myself to pronounce the words that will seal my destiny forever. At that moment, a grinding sound rings out. I turn my eyes to the road just in time to see a man standing a couple of feet in front of the car, his hand raised towards us. The Chevelle brakes suddenly and at the same moment the rear end of the car jumps up, causing the car to rollover.
Instinctively I yell, “Stop!!”
Instantly time literally stops. The car comes to a complete stop in its infernal descent, it’s nose almost perpendicular to the ground. My heart is pounding and I turn to see if Gertrude is hurt. Her hair is hanging to the ground and her hands are gripping the wheel.
“Gertrude, what’s going on?”
Touching a piece of her white hair, I realize that she is completely frozen. Did I cause that when I screamed? What should I do?
“The man! Maybe he did this,” I say, talking to nobody in particular.
I untie my seatbelt and manage to lean on the dashboard so as not to go through the front window. I need to find a way to get us both out of here. Inching towards Gertrude, I get in front of her, my back to the steering wheel. I lean into the frail old woman and I slowly untie her seatbelt. She falls onto me under the effect of gravity. She is much lighter than I would have expected. Or, maybe it’s my new physical capacities that make everything seem easier. Whatever the reason, I don’t have time to think about it; I need to get us out of here as fast as possible. I then take Gertrude on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and I open the door. The step is high given the position of the car. Best is to do like when taking off a Band-Aid and do it all at once. I jump and land perfectly on my feet, as would a cat, Gertrude still on my shoulder. On the side of the road, I find a thick tree trunk to sit the woman up against. I then walk over to the man who is also frozen. The closer I get to him, the more surprised I am at his appearance. He has a curved back with a hump on his left
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