Eternity and a day. Maria Spotlight

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СКАЧАТЬ instinctively I recognized them.

      "Earth, Fire, Water and Air", I touched the symbols and named them correctly one after the other.

      "Amazing!", he said with a fine smile on his lips, "do you now see why you are her child and why you are so well versed in her? Only a child of nature is capable of this, as you have proved on the market. My little test to unfurl you."

      "Then why do you call me a witch and not a child of nature?", I asked him in surprise.

      "A clever objection. There is a father for every mother. I would certainly not be the Devil, if I had not had my fingers in the pie. The world knows when to change, Emily, to influence the course of history at the right moment. Your mother put these destructive forces in your cradle, I just needed to find you at the right time and make sure that the power within you came to life."

      "And how did you know where to find me, and especially when? I mean, if you believe the lore, you're very old."

      "Which is exactly why I'm so overjoyed to have finally found you. The question was never why, but when. In an ancient prophecy, I found hidden in a book in the deepest bowels of hell, your arrival was foretold. It said a dark Phoenix would rise from the ashes of its wrath and the dark Lord would come to guide and mould it. Here I am, and here you are."

      I was therefore already in this structure before the world even knew my name. Escape would not have made sense, because gradually I understood what I was destined for. Besides, he cast a mysterious spell over me. A great contribution to this was certainly his flawless appearance.

      Even though I was aware that he was the Devil, the person who according to the stories was responsible for the evil in the world, I could not escape my fate. I had left scorched earth, a desolate world lay behind me.

      "I realize this must come as a real shock to you, Emily. But you will see I am different from your family. Unlike them, I have no wish to harm you. So if you can trust me, you will have a far better future than you have ever dreamed of."

      He stretched out his hand and handed it to me, I read trustworthiness in the black iris of his eyes. One last time I looked back in the direction of my former parents' house. Without hesitation, I put my hand in his and immediately felt safe.

      A long walk followed my farewell from the old world in the direction of the west. It led us through thickly wooded terrain, past a stream that shot wildly and thunderously down the mountains. The Devil did not talk, he went ahead and I followed him. I did not feel the need to talk either, although I could have asked him so many questions, but it seemed inappropriate to pester him with annoying questions. On a mountain dome we finally took a rest. From there I had a fantastic view of the world below. For miles and miles a forest stretched before our eyes, I saw the course of the river meandering through the valley like a scar. The daylight was already dying and so everything was bathed in a reddish glow. The warm light touched my face.

      "And now, my dear, I would like you to close your eyes and concentrate completely on the surroundings", he interrupted my thoughts.

      Before the sun finally set, I did as he asked. The eyelids of my eyes folded down and I focused my mind on the world below. What I then heard and felt astonished me. I didn't just feel the wind, I felt like I was a part of it. Every movement it made, every branch, every leaf it touched I felt on my skin. I heard a slight murmur that crystallized more and more into clear voices the more I paid attention to it.

      "What do you hear?", he whispered to my ear.

      "The trees, they talk to each other. They sing songs about times long ago. Their voices are sublime and proud."

      I opened my eyes, a vast shadow had fallen on the land, not long now and night would fall.

      "Good child", I heard him say, "you are on a good path, but there is still a long way to go to perfection. Now come, let's go to our sleeping place."

      Down in the valley we collected dry firewood, this night we would probably have to sleep under the open sky, but I did not care; it was warm and I was with him. He piled up the dry pieces of wood into a small peak, then looked at me.

      "It's your turn to light it."

      "Flintstones, we need flintstones", it popped into my head. Hectically I looked around, if I could discover some somewhere, after all I did not want to disappoint him.

      "Emily, dear, you don't need such banalities anymore", he said, "you have it in yourself. Just as you played with the wind on the mountaintop, I now demand that you do the same with the element of Fire."

      "But how can I make something my own that isn't there?"

      "Are you sure it's not there? Listen to what's inside of you."

      I closed my eyes, an incredible lightness suddenly enveloped me. My spirit wandered back to that moment when my tyrannical father had tried to burn my face. The flames had struck back at him, burning the whole half of his face. Only when I had shouted no, the red flower had vanished from him. In this flashback, it seemed to me, I found the key and instinctively raised my hand, snapping my fingers. It was still very small, but between the stacked wood I could see something sparkle. A tiny spark that soon greedily devoured the branches and rose to larger flames.

      "You see, it had always been there", an enraptured smile flashed across his lips, but something about this smile also worried me, as I had just created fire out of nothing. Suddenly he stood up.

      "You should get some rest, Emily, you've done enough for one day."

      Then he set himself in motion. "Wait, where are you going?"

      "I will explore the area, but be sure that when the sun rises, I will be with you again. You must not fear the darkness, I will stay close to you."

      With these words, his appearance finally merged with the gloomy surroundings and he disappeared. Strangely, despite the fact that I could not see him anymore, I felt his presence. My tiredness finally overwhelmed me, my eyelids became heavier and heavier. As I sank over into the dream world, a last shiver came over me. In the darkness, I was sure, not only good things were lurking.

      Practice makes perfect

      The morning dawned, sunbeams that made their way through the treetops tickled my face and woke me up in a gentle way. An appetizing smell crept into my nose, and when I looked towards the fireplace, I recognized where it came from. A rabbit was stuck on a skewer rammed into the ground. It had become crispy from the fire and spread this delicious smell.

      "Eat!", a voice commanded, and he immediately stepped out from behind the tree. His alabaster-coloured skin was surrounded by a fantastic glow in the sunshine. Although I did not like eating meat, I couldn't help it, my hunger was too great. The rabbit's flesh was tender as butter and literally melted on the tongue. The animal must have been quite young, I had already eaten older rabbits, which had left a far more bitter taste in my mouth.

      "I hope you slept well, at least you look well-rested. You will need your strength, we still have a long way to go", he said seriously.

      I swallowed the meat quickly. "What are you going to do with me?"

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