The Prophecy by Leann Rio

CHAPTER 2

2009-05-20T20:08:00.002+02:00

A few days later, I had already forgotten about that dream. It was spring, the air was just getting clearer, and the temperature warmer, school was out, and I simply had no time to think about strange men who talked to me in weird dreams.

I opened my arms wide that morning, and stretched myself on the silk sheets on my bed. The window was slightly open, and I could smell the mixed fragrance of the different flowers in the garden. I smiled happily as I prepared myself for another lazy day.

As I opened the bedroom door, and made my way to the bathroom, another smell drifted up my nostrils. This time it was the warm and delicious aroma of coffee and croissants that my mother was preparing for breakfast. I could also hear her singing cheerfully, as she got things ready for another day at work.

'isn't it exciting?' she asked as I went down for breakfast. I looked at my mother, Lauren Sheldon, who was the only other member of our small family. She had moved to that island when she was pregnant with me. She had arrived one starry spring night, carrying light baggage, and me inside her. I was born only a few weeks after she had moved to the island. When I was younger I had often asked my mother about my father. She never spoke badly of him – in fact there were many times when her eyes filled with tears she never shed when she spoke of him. She always said that he had loved her a lot, and that even though he had never met me, she was sure that he loved me with all his heart, and she would not say one word more about him. In time I learnt to accept this fact. And yet, sometimes, alone in my bed at night, I couldn’t help but think about who he was, and if he ever thought of me at all.

“What is?” I asked. She laughed her ringing laugh, and answered,

“Oh, everything is. In just a few days you are going to be an adult. Now you can take control of your life. It’s going to be so much different, I know. And then, there’s that big birthday party. You must be looking forward to that, aren’t you? It’s going be like prom all over again.”

“Mum, you really didn’t have to. I mean, you’re busy enough; you didn’t need all this hassle. And besides, it’s not going to be anything like prom. Ricky won’t be here this time. He’s in Sweden, remember?”

“So what? You can always ask somebody else to be your date on that day,” she said cheerfully.

I sighed, as I reached for the milk carton. My mother sat down beside me, a concerned look in her eyes.

“Oh come on, princess. This should be the most exciting age of all. You should be dating lots and lots of boys, and not pining over that one loser that got away.”

“I wasn’t thinking about Ricky,” I said. “I was thinking about dad.”

“What about your dad?” she asked.

“I want to know who he is, and where he lives. And now that I’m going to be eighteen, I’m going to do everything I can to find him, no matter what.” My mother looked down.

“But you can’t. You must never try to find your dad.” I was angry.

“But why? All these years, you always told me that he loves me, and yet you never let me meet him. What is so wrong with him?”

“Nothing is wrong with your dad. But you cannot meet him – at least not yet.” I stood up, and went over to my mum.

“Mum, you’ve been keeping this secret from me for so long. And now I do believe that I have every right to know the truth. He’s my father after all, and I need to know who my father is, if I am to feel like a complete person. So I am demanding from you right now, to tell me where he is, or at least why I can’t go to him.” My mother looked up at me. She was silent for a few moments, and then said,

“Your father lives very far away, in a much different place from this. It’s where I used to live before I came here. We were so much in love, and we were overjoyed when we found out I was pregnant. But in that place, things are very different from here. Terrible things were going on, and for your safety, and mine, and your father’s, I had to leave that place, and lose all contact with him.” I was bewildered.

“What terrible things? You mean like a war, and we were refugees?” She nodded,

“Well, something like that. Let’s just say that, well, the situation in that place hasn’t changed, and you cannot go back there. For one thing, you cannot enter the land so easily, and secondly even if you manage to enter, you would be in grave danger, and putting me and your dad in great peril too – that is, if he is still alive.”

“What do you mean, if he is still alive? Do you think he could be dead?” She shook her head sadly.

“I don’t know, princess. But there were many people who would have loved to see your father dead. And although he was a very strong man, anything could have happened.”

“So my dad was like a politician or something?”

“Yes, I daresay one could call him that. So even if he is still alive, you still cannot go to meet him, not until peace is restored to that land.”

“What about the other countries, can’t they do something for them?”

“It’s not that simple, baby. Someday, maybe you will understand. Everyone is waiting anxiously for freedom – a new… new… leader or something to change everything, but although everyone predicts that it will happen very soon, no one knows for sure.”

“So it’s Independence that they are fighting for?” I asked. She nodded her head in affirmation.

“If that happens, I am sure that you can go to that land and meet your father, if he still lives. You could even go and live there with him, if you like that land. But until then, well, you will just have to bear it with me.”

“And what country is this?” I asked. She shook her head, and said rather quickly,

“I can’t. Not now. I’m going to be late for work.”

“Come on,” I said in exasperation. “Just a name, anything.”

“No, that will take too long to explain, and I don’t have the time right now. But I will tell you about it soon, I promise.” And with those words she walked out. I stared at the door she had closed behind her for a full minute, then I followed suit, and walked out too.

I walked aimlessly for about two hours. I didn’t even know where I was; I just kept walking, trying to let it all sink in. My mother had finally answered some of my questions, but instead of getting an answer, she had simply left me with more questions. I was wondering why the other countries were doing nothing to help these people in their situation. I sat down on the grass, and looked up at the sky above me. As I was there, I said to the emptiness around me,

“Someone must do something to help my people.”

At that moment, I heard a voice behind me, which said,

“Your people are in trouble?” I looked around, and saw a girl who looked like she was around twenty-four, with long brown hair, and brown eyes. I smiled at her.

“Yes, it appears so.”

“Your family?” she asked.

“No, not just my family. The people who live in my country. I have just found this morning that my mother is a refugee from another country, and she had to run because of the oppressive political situation, while my father stayed there to fight for Independence.” She looked surprised, but smiled at me,

“You and I have something in common it seems. Come on, why don’t you come to my house? I’ll make you a cup of coffee, and we can talk.” I shrugged, and followed her down the street. I had nothing better to do that morning, and after what I had just discovered, I knew that nothing could surprise me anymore.

CHAPTER 1

2009-04-15T14:03:00.000+02:00

The faint ticking of the alarm clock was the first sound I heard.

It was just a few weeks before my eighteenth birthday, and up until then things had been pretty normal for me. I had just graduated from High School that spring, and I was thinking about starting University next fall. My plans for the future were as ordinary as my past had been. Even on that particular day, nothing special had happened. I had just gone shopping with my friends, then I had listened to some music with my best friend Derek, and finally gone to bed.

Suddenly, I was woken up by someone shaking me gently. I opened my eyes slowly, and looked towards the window. The curtains were not drawn, but I could see that it was still dark outside, and one glance at my bedside clock told me that it would still be a few hours before dawn. I scrambled in the darkness, until I found the switch for the bedside lamp, and turned it on. I sat up slowly in my bed, expecting to see my mother. But I had the surprise of my life.

Standing right before me was a complete stranger!

Taking a guess at his age, I placed him in his mid or late thirties. And yet there was an ageless sensation around him. Maybe it was in his eyes. He had strikingly beautiful eyes, but when I looked in them, I had the feeling that his eyes had seen a lot of things, and knew many others. His face was young, but his eyes were centuries old. He had longish fair hair, and a most handsome face. I was startled to see him standing there in my bedroom, and yet somehow I wasn’t afraid. I stared at him, and he looked back at me, a serious look on his face. When I finally found my voice, I asked,

“Who are you? And how did you get in here?” He smiled softly, and took a step forward towards my bed.

“You are dreaming, Alyza. This is a dream. What matters is that I am here, and not how.”

“So why are you here in my dream?” And why does it feel so real?” Still smiling, he said in his calm voice,

“I had to see you again, Alyza, because the time is drawing near.” I didn’t know what to answer, because my mind was blank, and at that moment, I didn’t even remember who I was, or what had happened. All I could think about was only that very moment, and the sound of his voice. He got serious again, and said,

“Alyza, I have come here tonight to tell you to be strong. It is going to be very strange, and maybe you will not understand. But you have to have faith. And you have to be strong. The good in you will have to overcome the darker side. You have very ancient blood running through your veins, and that is where your strength must come from. I wish with all my heart that things were different for you, and that you never had to make this choice, or that I could fight this battle for you. But this is your own battle, and no one can fight it except yourself. It is your own destructive self that you must overcome, and no one else can do that but you.” I was bewildered at his words.

“What are you talking about? What battle? Why must I be strong?” He shook his head.

“It is not my place to tell you about it. Someone else will tell you very soon; a person that you love and trust. I should not even be here. Alyza, even if you do not remember this dream, at the moment of truth, you will remember my words, and I hope that you will be make the right decision. Crush the darkness inside you, and let the light of righteousness shine through.” And with those words, he leaned forward, and touched my forehead with his right hand. “I love you, Alyza,” he said. “And I always will.” He removed his hand. My forehead still felt warm from his touch, and at that moment I felt so much love for this stranger, that I could not explain it. I looked at him, and whispered,

“Who are you?” He smiled at me, and said in the gentlest voice I had ever heard,

“Maybe someday. Not now.” And then an even stranger thing happened. One moment he was there, and the next he had vanished. I looked around and screamed,

“No! Come back. Tell me who you are.”

I felt someone shaking me, and I tried to look around me. But I found myself tucked under the covers, just waking up. I looked at the window, and it was dark outside. I switched on the lamp, and turned around, and found my mother standing beside me.

“What’s the matter, princess?” she asked. “I heard you screaming.” I shrugged.

“I was dreaming I guess.” She looked concerned.

“Bad dream?” I shook my head.

“No, it wasn’t bad. Just weird, but not bad. Sorry for waking you up.” My mother smiled.

“You didn’t. I was just going to bed. Try to go back to sleep. Goodnight.” And with those words, she walked out of the room, and left me alone in my room. I switched off the light, and tried to go back to sleep again. But I could not. Something from that dream was still with me.

I tried to think back to what I had dreamt, but I couldn’t really remember. I only remembered the stranger in my bedroom, and that he had told me something important, but I couldn’t remember what it was. And yet, I could remember the love I had felt for him. I didn’t know who he was, but he had seemed so familiar. It somehow felt like a déjà vu, and it stayed there lurking just beneath the surface. I stayed awake till it was almost dawn outside. And then suddenly, as the first light started appearing, and the sky was taking a grayish shade, I suddenly remembered where I knew this man.

I used to dream of him often when I was a little girl. I used to dream that he came in my room at night, and played with my toys with me. He always told me not to tell anyone about my dreams, and that they will be our secret. I remembered that I really used to enjoy this recurring dream, and used to look forward every night to go to bed, so that maybe I could dream of this man. But then as I had started growing up, the dreams grew less frequent, and by the time I was thirteen they had stopped.

So why did I dream of this man again tonight? And who was he? Did he really exist, or was he purely a figment of my imagination?