Alex was on his usual hiking trail in the woods of the private island he recently purchased and marveled at the beauty. His island was a fortress of untamed nature and he knew a hundred years wouldn't be enough time to unravel the secrets hidden within its folds.
He smiled thinking it was a good thing he was on a hiatus and could dig into its mystery. He was so consumed by his thoughts he lost focus of his footing and fell, sliding on the uneven rough ground until he tumbled feet first into a big rabbit hole; the biggest he had seen.
He screamed as he sailed through chilly air cloaked in the darkness of a hole that tingled and defied logic. His screams came to an abrupt halt when he landed on a suspended bed of feathers that floated in the air.
He was still grappling with the strangeness and wonder of his surroundings when he was propelled forward and tossed into the heart of a flowery field that seemed to be shielding a massive mirror. A sparkling mirror that breaths with light. A treasure of its kind.
His breath caught at the magnificent beauty before him. He had never seen such a mirror wrapped in antique wood that carried intricate exquisite designs. There was magic here, and the mirror seemed enchanted. He could feel it and wondered aloud what he had stumbled upon. Where was he?
"You're in the realm of the enchanted." he jolted in alarm at the voice, looking around for the source. As far as he could see he was alone.
"Who said that?" he asked with fright.
"Me, your friend in the mirror."
Alex glanced swiftly at the mirror and noticed it glow with a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors. He gasped in awe as the beautiful face of a lady appeared. He had never seen such a lovely creature in his life.
"Who are you?"
"Your new friend? Ally? Savior? Seer? I can be anything you want, just name it."
"I don't know what to say...this is all so surreal. Maybe I'm dreaming and will wake up soon."
"I assure you, this is no dream. You're here for a reason."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know who you are? I can tell you. Your deepest desires and fears are at my fingertips. I know who you are, do you?"
Alex's brows furrowed at the question. What a weird question to ask. He must be losing it or he had an overactive imagination, and all this was a figment of his mind. It couldn't be real. This place that looked like something out of the universe, must be fake.
"Answer the question!" the voice boomed down at him, the image of the lady now a full figure in a flowy white gown. And what a sexy figure for a supernatural creature.
"I'm Alex."
"Not your name! But who you are. Your origin."
"My origin? I hail from Oregon but was raised in California."
"Lies! You're not from this world."
He stumbled back at her words, his face burning as if slapped. He didn't want to ask but had to know. Even if the answer would destroy the life he knew. He had to know.
"what do you mean?"
"Your father is not your biological father. He didn't sire you."
"That can't be true!" he denied with a shake of his head.
"It is. I tell no lies. I'm the goddess of truth. The seer of the unseen. The helper of the weak. And the granter of wishes."
"B...but...but how? If he is not my real father who is?"
"The god of light! Your mother had a dalliance with him and you're the fruit of that affair."
"Sounds so unbelievable!"
"It's not. Ever wondered why you're so drawn to light? Why do you desire the rays of the sun and are drawn to it? Ever wondered why you desire light-skinned women? Why your dream is to live in the sunniest places in the world? It's the royal blood in you?"
His whole being was enthralled by the revelations of the mystical being in the enchanted mirror. This was a mystical realm where reality blurs to reveal the truth. The creature must be telling the truth, but he had to be sure. Maybe he should test her.
"Tell me something about me, my biggest desire and fear." he challenged gently. "That's the only way I would believe all you voiced."
"As you wish. Your greatest desire is to be able to help the needy with your resources; a noble desire if there ever existed one. And your greatest fear is to die young without having accomplished your dreams. Sounds about right?"
"Wow, this is insane! This is maddening. I can't believe what's happening." he jumped tapping his feet in excitement.
"There's a reason. You didn't show up here for no reason. Everything you did has led to this day. And you buying the Island that camouflaged my mystical realm was no coincidence but destiny," her voice sounded ominous, almost like it was on the verge of delivering bad news.
Alex blinked twice in bewilderment. She had derailed his thoughts and confused the hell out of him with her last statements. He was here for a reason?
"Yes, you're here for a reason."
"Damn! Please don't do that. Don't invade my thoughts."
"Sorry, old habits die hard," she smiled at him and it eased his worries a bit.
"Why am I here again?"
"To save your world."
"My world is doing fine—"
"You have no idea of what's going on. You have been gone so long, living a blissful life to realize what's coming. What is already here."
"Are you always this cryptic? Or you're trying to murder me with tension?"
"None of that. You have a strange way of talking. Are you always that weird?" she quirked her brow at him, and he could read the arrogance in her stance. She was magnificent, the mirror that confined her, beautiful. It glowed. She glowed, and he had to ask...
"Why are you in a mirror? You should be out there ruling a kingdom."
"This is my kingdom and I rule it. I'm not trapped, there's a whole new world within what you think a confinement. Now back to the issue at hand. You need to open your eyes and see the disaster hovering over the stability and security of your world. You're the key to stopping it. The only key."
He could sense the urgency in her voice. The warnings in them placed him on edge. "How can I stop what I don't even understand? What disaster do you speak of? And how do I stop it?"
"Your blood is the key!"
"What?! I don't understand. Please explain further."
"Your world is been attacked by greedy forces who want to weaken and capitalize on the dire situation. These forces have created and weaponized a deadly virus from the pit of hell. They have unleashed it and it's your duty as the son of light to stop them."
"But how? I don't have the means to."
"You have everything! You have the money and the power of your blood to stop the chaos. Your blood is the key. It's the cure for the disease caused by the virus."
"How's that possible?" he asked skeptically.
"you doubt me, the goddess of truth?" he whispered 'no' with a head shake.
"Good. Your blood is potent and carries a light that eradicates anything forged in darkness. And since the virus was forged in hell by demons in human flesh walking on Earth, your blood would incinerate it out of the body. With your blood, a cure can be made to save lives."
He nodded at her, finally understanding why he fell into the rabbit hole that brought him to the mystical realm. Fate brought him face-to-face with the enchanted mirror so he could unveil his truth, and his origin and save lives. The security of his world lay on his shoulders and he would step up or die trying.
"Thank you so much for the revelations. I won't let you or my world down."
She smiled widely at him. "Good. I'm for peace and hate chaos. Have this," she handed him a golden whistle. "Blow on it if you need help or reinforcement. Now go! Time is running out!" a burst of chilly wind swirled around him, and when he blinked open his eyes he was back on his hiking trail. His mission began then, and he won't fail.
As Alex headed home, he pondered on his next move and decided to arm himself with information, knowing what he was up against was the first step. He attacked the news and got up to speed with the happenings of the world, pinpointing the disaster the enchanted mirror spoke of and where it was starting from. He guessed he would have to return to his homeland Oregon which seemed to be the focal point of the problem.
Oluremi Zainab
