Photo by Alexx Cooper on Unsplash

This is part 1 in “The Blessed Gift” series.

Lottie walked quickly through the dense morning fog. The only sounds this early in the morning were usually the birds, but today all she could hear was the crunch of fallen leaves beneath her feet. The sound was all she heard in the silence of the forest… Yet somehow muffled by the pillowy fog. Lottie’s mind was full of tumultuous thoughts on this particular morning. It was the 16th birthday of her twin sister, Dottie- and today, everything had to be perfect. In De Levensworth, it was the honor of the second born to bestow the blessed gift upon the firstborn. The blessed gift could be anything decided upon by the second born, which would be brought before the high priest and council of De Levensworth to be blessed and imbued with a magic that would read the hearts of both the giver and the receiver. This could only be done on the exact day of the eldest child’s 16th birthday, and in most cases, the parents of multiples would bestow the gifts to each one. 

In this rather unusual case, Dottie and Lottie were not actually born on the same day. Dottie had been born at 11:58 pm following a day filled with riots and destruction. At exactly midnight, news had reached the people that the king of De Levensworth struck a deal with the council and there would be peace. Lottie was born at 12:05 am- the first child to be born into this new era of peace. Her newborn cry was the first sound to pierce the newfound silence. Of course, this was the story as their Grandmother Mary told it- and Grandmother Mary often told very colorful accounts of any story. Still, their parents maintained that they were indeed born on separate days.

Lottie began to breathe harder as she traversed the steeply inclined road. No one but Grandmother Mary seemed to be used to the steep way up to her home on the hill, not even the draft horses. Most people seemed to avoid the place altogether though- even with the easier route on the other side of the hill. It was “rather unusual” for forest folk to live so far out of the forest’s shade…. According to her father. He had never gotten on with his wife’s mother, for Grandmother Mary found him “Too stuffy” and told him as much. 

Lottie’s glasses began to fog up with each breath, making it even harder to see even just her feet through the already thick air. She dared not stop to adjust them- time was of the essence! Soon her head popped out into the sunshine. She stepped up onto the cottage steps and looked behind her. The source of the fog (a huge cloud!) had settled on the road- just as she had suspected. It was a breathtaking view. She couldn’t make out the clouds’ end. Large pines from the forest below poked through the top of the cloud, Lottie thought they looked like little gangly feathers on a newborn blue jay. It was the kind of ugly only Lottie would find the cuteness in. The sound of a door creaking open behind her caused Lottie to suddenly swing around; bumping straight into Grandmother Mary.

“Oopf!”

“Now, now, Lottie Dear, you must be careful,” Grandmother Mary pulled Lottie in for a warm squeeze, “We don’t want any accidents on such a blessed day!” She held Lottie at arm’s length and looked her over. 

“Yes Grandmother Mary, yes ma’am! I’m sorry, I got here as quickly as I could.” Lottie reached into her knapsack and began to pull something out.

“No, no, no child! Not here. Come on in and have some tea. We’ll take a look over on the table.”

Lottie nodded and quickly stepped in, closing the cottage door behind her. 

Grandmother Mary’s cottage, like always, smelled like spices and honey. The sweet warmth of the smell followed that woman anywhere she went. The cottage was old but sturdy. It creaked and groaned as any old cottage would. Lottie didn’t know the exact age of her grandmother, but she knew that the house had been built by her grandmother’s father as a blessed gift for her. Grandmother Mary had been the eldest of a set of triplets, but her siblings had died in childbirth along with her mother. She was all the family her father had. He gave every bit of his heart, talent, and hope into his blessed gift for his only daughter- and every fiber of the house still carried his love. Great grandfather had been a part of the High Council for a time. This was the first and only gift that the High Council had traveled to in order to bless it.

The cottage was vibrant with magic. No matter the time of year, it was never too hot or too cold. There were no lanterns or candles within the house, as the walls let off a dimly warm light during the day and a comforting light at night. If Lottie listened closely, she could hear a low humming from the smoothed wooden walls- as if the magic was constantly humming a contented tune.  The cluttered home was full of knick-knacks and trinkets, stacks of books, and seemingly randomly shelved collections of foraged goods from the forest below the hill. All of the chairs were full of Grandmother Mary’s treasures, but the kitchen table had been wiped clean. 

Lottie put down her knapsack and pulled out a large bundle of cloth. Her grandmother sat two cups of cinnamon tea on the table, then waited patiently while Lottie unwrapped several layers. Lottie hesitated before removing the last layer. Her gift was not large like Grandmother Mary’s house. Her gift was not wildly beautiful like many of their friends received for their blessed birthday… Her fathers voice rang over and over in her mind- “Please, just make it an acceptable or simple gift Lottie. Think to yourself, what will people say?”

Grandmother Mary knowingly studied Lottie. “Lottie, Dear… Is it from your heart?” 

Lottie looked at her grandmother with searching eyes, hoping for any indication of her thoughts, But Grandmother Mary’s round and wrinkly face was only calm and attentive. Lottie let out a deep sigh. Her gift was from the heart… but… she wasn’t sure that others would understand her gift. Grandmother Mary was probably the best person to see the gift first. If she thought it was awful, she would let her granddaughter down gently. She lifted the last layer, keeping her face down to avoid her grandmother’s gaze. 

Grandmother Mary took in a sharp breath- “Lottie… Where did you find this?” She moved towards the table and leaned in for a closer look.

“I know it is strange, Grandmother Mary I-“

“Lottie,” Grandmother Mary replied sternly. “That is not what I asked.”

Lottie twisted her fingers and stared at the floor. “I found it by the river when we were small. Before the fire… Well, Dottie and I would play pretend and practice for this day. I… I gave it to her then, when I found it in the mud. After the fire…. We thought it was a lost thing… But when I found it in my bag I decided to hold onto it… For today.”

Grandmother Mary picked up the gift. It was small and appeared similar to a butterknife, with a handle made of wood. The blade, if you could call it that, was particularly dull and made of thick iridescent material. It caught the light like the inside of an oyster shell. As Grandmother Mary turned the gift over in her hands, she ran her thumb over the handle. The wood was light, warm in tone, and very smooth…  Very smooth save for a singular detailed mushroom protruding from the right side of the handle. The mushroom stem extended from the handle at a curve, making it the perfect spot to rest one’s thumb. Grandmother Mary didn’t know what to think of the gift, as she hadn’t seen such an item before. She glanced at Lottie cowering beside her. “Do not worry about what your gift is or is not dear,” She patted Lottie’s head. “This gift is from the heart… And your heart loves nothing more than your sister!” She gently placed the gift into Lottie’s hands. As Lottie took the gift back, Grandmother Mary startled.

“What is it?”

“Oh… I…” Grandmother Mary stared at the gift. Had she felt magic already within this gift? She could have sworn she had felt a buzz of magic as she had placed it back in Lotties hands. She touched the handle once more, but she felt nothing. “It’s just my memory, dear. Your gift reminded me of something, but I cannot quite remember what it was. It will come back to me.” She kissed Lottie on the forehead and took a good look at her. “You will do great today. Don’t listen to your father. He means well… Still, not everything is meant to be understood by everyone. I’ll clean up here, you go on ahead to the council. I’ll fill your sack with some garlic… for wisdom… and good luck.” 

____________________________________________

A note from the author: “Thank you for tuning in to this brand new series! I’m excited for the direction it’s going- But I want to hear from you dear reader(s)- What did you think? What do you think will happen next? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Many more installments are on the way!”