Deep pinks and stark whites, and rivers like the summer
sky – you could fly through them if only you had wings. The sun is always setting
in Magicant.
My people have everything they could ever want, and what they
dream of becomes a magnificent reality. Everyone is happy. Except me.
As the world sleeps, the palace floor shines like jade in
the moonlight. My heels click and clack down the hallway. Images clutter my
mind. A teddy bear… what was her name? A father’s watchful eye. Snails and candy in the woods. I try to whisk
them away, beyond everyone’s reach. I can almost hear them skulking into the
depths of Magicant.
Then I can smile again for my people. But those old feelings
always come back.
It’s daybreak now, and the guards tell me the boy has
returned to the castle.
“Hello, Ninten,” I say cheerfully. I know that he can see
through my desperate smile.
Solemnly, he replies, “I know the song now, Queen Mary.”
“Then, please sing me the melodies you have learned.”
“My father says he misses you, misses this place.”
A cloudy memory of a boy like Ninten. Then, nothing.
“Have… I met your father?
“My father… He’s your grandson.”
Tears well, and slide down my cheeks.
“You know what’s going to happen, don’t you? If I sing?”
I nod. “Please, Ninten.”
His voice is the only thing I can hear. It floats through
the palace, through the doors, and envelops all of Magicant. It’s warm.
“Yes, that’s right, that’s the song!”
We sing together, my great-grandson and I:
Take a melody,
Simple as can be
Give it some words
and
Sweet harmony
Raise your voices,
All day long now,
Love grows strong
now
Sing a melody of
love
Oh, love
The memories flood back.
Oh, Giegue! I loved him… I loved him as if he was my own
child. He was always wagging his tail, just like a pup. Except for when I tried
to sing him lullabies. He just wasn’t equipped to grasp earthbound love.
Maybe that’s why I forgot the lullaby. Maybe that’s why I
forgot Giegue and my dear George, and created this world to shield myself from
the pain of being separated from the only son I’ve ever known.
A child’s love is all I ever wanted. I’m not sorry that
we raised him, my love, but I wish I hadn’t picked him over you.
With every restored memory, a part of Magicant fades
away. And slowly, so do I. And I feel happy again.
####
After singing with our great-grandson, in a rush of wind,
Queen Mary vanished. Magicant was a mirage – a mirage born of Maria’s
consciousness.
Just as I had designed it to do, the Onyx Hook returned Ninten
and his friends to the peak of Mt. Itoi. With Magicant gone, the rocks blocking
the final cave shattered.
Ana knelt near some brushes.
She prayed to the Almighty Father, for her mother, for
Maria, and for the safety of her friends.
Ninten and Loid did too, in their own ways.
Loid gazed over the edge of the mountain at Lake Itoi, and
noticed for the first time just how far he had traveled. I could tell he was
proud of himself: The weakling, not strong boy, had made it to the end with his
friends.
Ninten thought of home, and about how proud his father
was of him.
It was up to Ninten now, and he was not going to let his family
down.
Wordlessly, the children headed towards the cave. The
gargoyles that had plagued them on the way up the mountain simply moved aside.
With a deep breath, Ninten and his friends disappeared
into the darkness.
As they vanished, Maria’s spirit joined mine on top of Mt.
Itoi. Finally, we're together again!
Weightlessness, into the clouds. The lights got brighter
and brighter. We felt at peace.
Perhaps somehow little Giegue will return to us here, and
our family will be complete once more.
Good luck, great-grandson.
All photography by Matt, except “Queen Mary 2” from family archives.
No comments:
Post a Comment