27. Rain

When I woke up, the sky was still dark. I did not want to leave my bed, I was just tossing and turning. Next to me was Kerberos. He rolled up like a big fur ball on the bed. I did not see Mickey anywhere in the room..

Outside the window I could see Mika's inn. It was quiet after the noise yesterday. I could see some merchants were ready to continue the trip to the market. Mickey said that today was our last day staying there. We had to go back to our dimension.

I told Kerberos and Mickey that I met the Manjis and I had given that flower to them. The white guide of the spirit realm looked so disappointed listen to my reason, while the tubby cat was so angry.

Mickey wanted the flower was given to Zarina, and not Manjis. He said that that woman would grant whatever we wanted by sacrificing a soul and a fore lily. He had planned to get a man to sacrifice.

In other words , the Manjis and Zarina wanted a human sacrifice for what they would give. Mila warned me there would be far price for what we wanted. Nothing was for free.

Then I realized that even Mickey and Kerberos accompanied me so far because they also had their own reasons. It was just a matter of time when they would leave me.

I pushed myself to get up from bed, ate anything available for breakfast. I planned to go to the church alone.

It was still dark, the carriage took me slowly. I only heard the knocks of horse shoes and the rocks. The dark clouds bearing millions of rain vapor drifted slowly from the north sky, taking the temperature to the lowest point.

After two hours, I finally arrived to the church. It was looking magnificent at night. The white wall was swallowed by the darkness, the door was towering arrogantly with flower carvings on the door. I pushed the door to crack it open a bit.

So quiet, I was totally alone standing still among thousands wild lilies. Far in front of me, a deep ravine ready to swallow me if gave up with all if this.

I sat down among the plants and looking up to the moon, drifting down slowly. In that tranquility all the images of Mika came up one by one, when she dropped that mummy and all her advice lingering in my head.

Orange lines slowly appeared as the moon light faded. I turned to the empty rocking chairs, where Manjis would come up. The two old ladies bent down to me after the the sand shaping their bodies completed

.

I walked to where the fire lilies were, picked up two and gave them to the Manjis, each one.

"Today I will go back to my own dimension, take this as my farewell gifts," I tried to smile in front of them, "I don't want ask anything from you," I paused a second, I found it hard to finds words to say it, "Death comes only once. I want to appreciate my short life and I will do good deeds while I am still alive. I will find ways to solve my problems," Rain dropped one by one, then it turned intensively. The heavy rain washed away my fear to face them alone. "If I cannot come here again due to my death, you can take my eye balls, one for each of you, so that you can still see how beautiful the flowers here are when the twilight comes. If only I could stay here longer and I could get you lily every day, but I cannot. I have to leave this all. To tell the truth, I cannot live like this anymore,"

One of the Manji came closer and hugged me. Suddenly I remembered one thing, they were like Nana who would hug me anytime I felt sad. I could stop my tears anymore. I cried and cried. I held her cold body until it finally turned into sand as the sun rose.

…

Mickey picked me up alone. He sat in frint of the door's church, nd iwalked to him with my swollen eyes.

We sat together, back on the church wall. No topic to be discussed because we chose to be silent.

Raindrops were getting heavier, Mickey moved closer to me, "I don't know when he left. When I woke up, he was not there," 'He' was Kerberos Mickey talked about.

"It is my fault, I should have given the flowers to Zarina as you told me," I paused, "I just could not take another soul for our purpose. I could even sacrifice myself, too afraid to do that," I was being honest to myself.

"It looks like we have to wait until the spell is gone by itself," Mickey comforted me, "Hey, its nothing wrong to be a bit patient?"

I nodded and smiled weakly to Mickey. Remembering what we had been through until we were stranded here, made me uncomfortable to see Kerberos.

…

We reached the market at around 1 am the following morning. For a while I threw my eyes to all I had see there, to say good bye.

When we walked out from the portal, the warm morning sun welcomed us. We were in that dimension for five days, but in this dimension was only 5 hours-from we left.

Walking along the paths where we came from, we really enjoyed this morning walk together, Mickey walked at the front, no Kerberos, only two of us. He left us. Perhaps he was in the spirit realm, where he belonged.

.

It was like a dream, with the sudden separation.

At the bridge where I fought my father, I recalled all the memories again. It felt as if it happened only recently when I saw blood splotches in there.

Honestly, I was really sorry with the bloodshed happened between me and my father. But now I was a bit relieved with the decision I had taken toward him. And I was safe so far.

…