Wiccan Ch. 4

A young girl practicing wicca gets into some nasty situations.

         Lisa stood there watching the young man take a long last glance at the house before powering away in his mustang. She then headed up to Aisling’s room. Knocking gently, she called out, “Aisling, honey, are you okay?”
         “I’m fine,” came the sniffled reply.
         “Are you sure, honey?” she asked, her heart wrenching as she waited for a response. Instead the door opened to reveal a red eyed Aisling.
          “Yeah. Listen, I’m going to go get some advice from the Goddess. I’ll be back before dark, I promise.” Aisling informed Lisa what had happened, while she packed up her supplies in black knapsack. “I just need to figure out if telling him would be a good idea or if it would backfire. Cause right now, nothing makes any sense to me.”
          “Alright, honey. Just be careful and remember that letting people in doesn’t always mean you’ll get hurt,” Lisa advised.
         Aisling looked up at her and smiled. How could she be so brave? After losing her sister to that… How could she be so sure? “I wish I was as confident as you. I guess this is something that I need the Goddess to help me with.”
          “Good luck, honey,” came the reply from behind Aisling as she descended the staircase and went out the back door. She didn’t catch the pained expression on Lisa’s face as she watched Aisling leave.

         There was a slight breeze in the air as Aisling trekked along the cobblestone walkway that winded through the bed and breakfast’s beautiful gardens. The flowers were still in bloom, considering the late summer that they’d had. On her left were red and yellow rose patches, which on the right there were irises, lilacs, and a mixture of daisies. These all surrounded a beautiful weeping willow that stood at the edge of the gardens. This marked the beginning of the oak and willow tree forest that stretched out for 5 acres. Walking slowly, Aisling entered the hundreds of year old forest.

         The air changed the minute she was inside. It was mystical, old and if she was quiet enough she could almost hear the trees talking. She smiled suddenly at her folly, of course she couldn’t hear the trees, but she continued to be carefully quiet as traipsed through the forest, heading for the oldest willow tree there. This is where Aisling would do her mediation. She’d found this spot when exploring a few days after she’d first arrived from NYC. It was as though the tree had been calling to her.

         Aisling continued walking for another five minutes and as she rounded one of the bigger dead oaks that hadn’t quite rotted away yet, she saw the thick drooping branches of her weeping willow. There was moss covering most of the top so it looked kind of out of place, like it belonged in a swamp, not in the middle of a forest. At its base were huge roots sticking in and out of the ground, allowing just enough area for Aisling to sit and work in. Aisling had loved this tree for another particular reason. It reminded her of the old hag face of the Triple Goddess. Plus the Willow tree was sacred to the Goddess.

         Making herself comfortable at the base of the tree, she looked around at her surroundings. There were oak trees everywhere, with half their leaves already changing color and the other half still green. It created a plethora of beauty and Aisling sat there for a few moments just taking it in. NYC had never had anything like this; not even Central Park could compare. Finally she got down to work. Aisling pulled out of her bag a symbol for each element: a polished seashell for water, a gorgeous moonstone given to her by her mother, a handcrafted goblet of water, a white daisy, and a white votive candle. Then she pulled out the other supplies she’s need which included a Gerber knife and her Book of Shadows. Carefully she arranged the seashell and moonstone around the votive candle while putting the daisy off to one side. Then she put the goblet onto the opposite side from the daisy.

         Gently she leaned down and blew slowly on the votive candle, which now had the Goddess’s symbol carved into its side, and the candle lit up. Smiling, she leaned again the trunk of the willow and closed her eyes.

          “Blessed be, Mother Goddess of all things. I call on you now for guidance for I am one of your children, with the help of the power of fire, water, air, and earth. Please come speak to me.”

         Aisling let her mind wander, not allowing herself to think of anything in particular. Soon she saw herself walking through a dense forest, following the sounds of trickling water. Realizing how thirsty she was, she quickened her pace and soon reached her destination, a beautiful crystal clear stream running through the middle of the forest. Aisling bent down to take a sip; it was refreshingly cold, and then sat up on her heels.

         There sat the Mother Goddess, blonde-white hair and sparkling green eyes making her look beautiful. The pure white gown she had on rippled and flowed as though there were no seams and when she saw Aisling look up at her, she said, “I’ve been expecting you.”

         Her voice rang in Aisling’s ears, like a flute chorus. “I know why you are here. You wish to know what to do about a certain boy. He’s been asking some tough questions of you.”

         Aisling had settled down on the embankment and she nodded in affirmation. “He wants to know about my ancestors. I don’t know if I can tell him about my parents.”

          “But tell him you must, for you know as well as I that he is in danger,” the Mother Goddess replied, looking at Aisling intently.

         Aisling sighed. “I know, but I don’t know what I’m up against. Whoever tried to drown him…?”

          “…is very powerful indeed. His magic is fueled by his hatred and need for revenge, I fear. You must tell Taylor, Aisling and soon. If possible, try to get him to allow you to cast a protection spell on him,” the Goddess told her.

          “This is all tied up with my parents and the past, isn’t it?” Aisling asked in a small voice.

          “Yes my daughter. I know this is a hard topic for you to discuss, but put your faith in this young man. I do not know who this person’s target is. It could even be you. However, meeting this young man was no accident. There’s a reason your paths have crossed,” the Goddess divulged.

         Suddenly, the wind started to blow and chimes filled the air. Aisling looked up at the Goddess as she finished, “You must be careful my daughter. Learn to trust.”

         With that, the Goddess disappeared. Aisling looked down at the river and took another sip. In the next instant, she was opening her eyes underneath the willow tree. Her votive candle had all but burnt itself out and the sun was almost set. Soon there would be complete darkness (except for the moon) and that would be no fun to walk home in. So Aisling hurriedly cleaned up her supplies and stuffed thing into her duffle bag; she’d have to record what happened later in the Book. Then she picked up the daisy that she’d laid to one side and put it at the bottom of the willow tree.

          “Blessed be, Mother Goddess. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and love with me on this night. By the powers of fire, water, air, and earth, this spell is closed. Please accept this token as a thank you.”

         Then Aisling turned and started the 7 minute trudge back to the B&B. Along the way, Aisling became lost in thought. She wonder how she was ever going to explain what had happened to her parents, and even more importantly, how was she ever going to get Taylor to agree to let her cast a protection spell on him. Even if it was for his own good, she knew he wasn’t going to be thrilled with it. He was just getting used to the idea that magic even existed and now she had to ask him to allow her to perform magic on him. It was these thoughts and others that haunted her as she approached the house just as the sun dipped behind the earth, not to be seen again till the next morning.