Winged

WINGED
By Sarah Lanes

Chapter 1.  AYLA

            ‘Oh, oh look, mummy, that lady has wings!’ exclaimed David, a boy of eight, pointing at a woman, who was standing down at a fountain. ‘There!’
            David loved wings; he wasn’t quite sure why some people carried such a beautiful fluttering addition on their backs. Nonetheless, he loved to observe them.
            This time the wings surprised him. They didn’t curve down like angel wings would do. They didn’t shoot up in pointed ends resembling ones of fairies. They didn’t even look similar to those of round butterflies.
          Ending up in sharp spiky tops, they rose up like a dark blue new moon on that woman’s back. It looked as if a strange crown sprouted up between her shoulder blades.
          Interesting, who she would be? David mused to himself scratching his dark brown head.
            Every time he’d seen someone owing wings, he sizzled to run and talk to that person. Sometimes he even succeeded to chat a little, but never had he blurted out what he’d seen on their backs, no. That would’ve been indiscreet as if talking about any other part of their body.
            David wasn’t sure if these people knew about their wings at all, some of them knew, of course, but a little chitchat was always enough. Most of the time he found winged people – special. Their eyes radiated some extraordinary glow; and they talked to him merrily feeling likewise attraction.
              Alas, today he hade a mistake, a big mistake, he spat everything out to his mom. David sighed and looked at her; his big deep blue eyes brimmed with sadness.
                Mrs Brown, a woman in her late thirties with blond curly short hair that curved her round rosy face like a golden mane, was an ordinary practical woman thinking about ordinary practical things. She didn’t see and didn’t care about wings. Even worse, she didn’t believe them, taking David’s visions for childhood dreams that should be washed off his head as soon as possible.
              ‘Don’t talk nonsense, sweetie, people don’t have wings,’ she replied to his observation and looked around at the sea of jostling people.
#
Busy and spacious Trafalgar square buzzed like a beehive. Streams of tourists flashed and rolled their cameras at every possible opportunity. They mingled around beautiful fountains that showered their waters to wide pools and photographed statues, which dotted the square every now and then, bestowing undeniable grandeur to the place.
              Torrents of cars skirted the square swishing in and out an arc that led towards the Buckingham palace. And farer, Big Ben loomed flashing his round clock and luring masses towards the river Themes and its main attractions. 
              ‘Where’s Lara, David?’ Mrs Brown asked sounding concerned.
              Good question. David thought wheeling around. He loved this part of London with so many people from all around the world; an excellent opportunity to spot wings. Particularly here as this square was spacious and he needed a distance to see them. 
              Suddenly he noticed a girl with light brown hair, swept back in a tiny ponytail, who skipped on the stone stair flight leading to the National Gallery. 
            ‘Over there,’ he replied, jabbing his finger towards the long grayish building with many columns and windows.               
                ‘Lara!’ yelled their mother, beckoning her to come. ‘I told you to stay with me, didn’t I? It’s central London!’
                Lara jiggled towards them swaying a teddy bear in her hand, her pink jacket flapping in the wind.
                He and Lara looked like twins people said. Their brown hair were straight and faces of an oval shape, two narrow slots that they had for lips and perfectly straight noses made them exact replicas of their father. Lara’s eyes were round and green the only feature she had from her mother, his eyes were blue big and deep like dad’s.
            However, despite their similar appearance, they were incredibly unlike.
          Lara, his ten-year-old sister, was bold and fearless, adventurous fantasist, never afraid to explore mysteries, never hesitating to fight everyone (even own parents and teachers) if she felt they had tried to strangle her freedom. David knew that Lara had some power inside, some breaking force, being soft and meek, he did not posses.
            Yet the best thing about Lara was that she was the only person in the world David could talk about wings with. She couldn’t see them, nevertheless, never hesitated about his visions or questioned his sanity.
                ‘You stained yourself with mud,’ sighed her mother, waving at two big dark spots on her light blue jeans and dirty trainers, which once used to be of a white color. Lara glanced down and shrugged, she never got easily upset about insignificant things like that, only pressed her teddy bear to her heart, and smiled.
            David had a toy as well, had bought just today, those were gifts from their mother. They went in Hamleys – the most beautiful toyshop in the world. Oh, David loved to be there, so did Lara of course. They went to the Bear Factory, some special place where you could choose a teddy bear, and they would stuff it to you with fluff making it cuddly. You could choose a heart for it or record a voice of your own choice, or even make them a passport, then dress up it in tiny colorful clothes if you’d wished.
            Lara had chosen a snow-white teddy, picked a red heart for it, that had produced heart beating if pressed to chest strongly, and embellished her toy with rosy fairy-wings, and pointed pink ballet shoes.
              Pink was Lara’s favorite color, David liked it as well, but as it was considered to be girlish, he preferred other happy colors for his own clothing as blue jacket and light beige trousers, he had picked for today. His all time favorite however, was white, sparkly white, unfortunately, he didn’t get too many clothes of that color as it was highly impractical as his mother would say.
              Yet, he could pick white toys, and it was what he had chosen earlier today - a unicorn, a gorgeous sparkly white horse with a shimmering horn sticking out of its forehead. He hadn’t picked any clothing to it, as it had looked gorgeous as it had been. Only a read beating heart had been sewn inside of his toy. David clutched his unicorn in his hands lovingly to feel the heart beat.
                There was another toy, a pinkish teddy with white feathery angel wings had bought; this was a choice of their baby sister Grace, one and half years old, who snoozed in her pink baby buggy comforted with a yellow blanket.
            David glanced at her golden head, she looked like their mother with her blond curly hair, round chubby cheeks, puffy lips, snub nose, lightly curved eyebrows and large almond shape grass green eyes.
              Grace was special as well. Even though being a baby, it seemed to him that she knew more than he did; she could see wings, definitely. More than that, she saw angels, every time boldly declaring about that to the world. David sighed, being so young she wasn’t told off about it yet. She didn’t speak much in general, only one word actually. David didn’t speak much himself at that age. Why to speak if you can do brain-talk? ‘Brain-talk’ is how they called a telepathic communication. Grace was fond of it, too. She understood almost everything they’d told her, and replied sending back her own thoughts to their heads sometimes.
#
Deep, deep down or high above, somewhere in our universe or beyond, the Darkness held a meeting. An endless void was full of undistinguishable black creatures, only sea of their fiery eyes blinked in perfect blackness. Fear resided around, fear and humbleness, as the Darkness - the ultimate force of destruction, was mad, very mad.
                ‘Everything goes not the way it planned!’ a husky voice sliced the void. ‘The gatekeepers have been sent to Earth, and you still weren’t able to detect it. Shame!’
                Every creature, big and small, winced, shutting their eyes tight. It had two deep meanings: respect to the Darkness as nothing, not even single spark stained its perfect black color; another, less romantic, held a purpose of defense, as every creature, being perfectly black, weren’t distinguishable in the dark. In case the Darkness raged, they had a chance to avoid being blown up by balls of light.
                This time the Darkness flamed with anger, as the Light (a fierce rival of theirs) worked particularly hard making Earth their territory.
                ‘Where’s the Dark Angel?’ the voice bellowed
                A weak croaky voice replied sheepishly in a distant corner of the void. 
                ‘M-master…’
                ‘Open your eyes, you fool!’
                Two fire-balls twinkled. The Dark Angel shivered. His gas-like body started itching. Real plague. He fumed. I must got it the last time I was on Earth. Damn humans! He twisted his toothless mouth trying not to scratch as he had seen people do, though, he wasn’t sure that would work for him, as he didn’t have skin. 
                ‘Do you know what happens if the ultimate Stargate is open?’ the voice shattered his every cell.
                ‘M-m-yes…’
                ‘M-m…’ the voice mimicked scathingly, ‘We’ll loose the planet!’
                The pause of silence was threatening. The itching was unbearable.
              ‘Everyone, look here!’ the Darkness blasted and rings of fire coiled in the dark.
              ‘The Well of Hatred,’ whispered the Dark Angel, his fiery eyes ablaze, even the itching stopped. The most coveted possession of all big and small in the void of Darkness. He gasped to himself feeling its power rush through him.
                ‘It’s a reward for the one, who will find the Gatekeepers and destroy the ultimate Stargate,’ the Darkness spoke reducing its voice to a whisper.
              The Dark Angel leapt up, his gas-like body tightened in determination.
                ‘I’ll do it!’ he droned and recoiled at the sound of his own voice. Never had he, yet, dared to release his full voice in the presence of the Darkness.
                ‘Very well,’ he heard the answer, ‘go and bring the secret of the Stargate to me and the prize is yours.’
              With a pop, the voice vanished and blissful emptiness engulfed the void again. Every creature, big and small scattered around to mind own business. Realized what he had done, the Dark Angel hesitated for a moment, his decision was bold, but the award was worth it. After a while he let out a determined wisp and dashed to the light. He was going to do it.
#
                As Lara came closer, David gestured backwards and whispered to her. ‘I saw the lady with wings near the fountains.’
              ‘No kiddy?’ she exclaimed, widening her round green eyes, (exact reaction as he expected, too loud, though) and nearly dropped her teddy down, ‘Let’s go!’
              ‘No one is going anywhere,’ said her mother, scowling, and folded her raincoat, which bore a color of wet sand, then tucked Grace in her yellow blanket, ‘we’re heading for Leicester square. Your dad’s coming for lunch.’
              David sighed. If Lara didn’t scream that loud! He thought grimly, now the chance to talk to that lady was terminated flat.
                ‘Where are we goin’ to eat?’ he asked slowly, looking at his mother. According to her and his sister’s faces, he felt a storm accumulating in the air.
                ‘Don’t know,’ replied Mrs Brown and glanced at Lara furtively, who already had stood, frowning, with her arms folded, ‘some fast food place I guess.’
              ‘Again?’ cried out Lara, rolling her eyes, and stomped her foot, ‘I’m not goin’ to eat there! Gee, do you know how cruel these fast food jerks treat animals?’ 
              Here we go, another fight. David sighed; he hated fights.
              ‘Lara, I’m tired, I’m tired of explaining you everything over and over again,’ their mother ranted. ‘When you grow up…’
              ‘When I grow up, I’m not goin’ to eat meat at all!’ Lara exploded and turned away, rooting to the spot.
              ‘Very well, when you grow up, you’ll understand that animals have no souls, their purpose is to be eaten,’ snarled Mrs Brown, tugging Lara on the jacket sleeve to go.
            Oh boy, oh boy! Why did she say such nonsense? David shook his head.
              ‘Animals have souls!’ blasted Lara, flushing up to the color of a ripen cherry and elbowed herself free from her mother’s grip. ‘And their purpose is not to be eaten!’
            ‘Shush,’ their mother hissed, pressing her finger to her mouth, ‘people are looking at us.’
              ‘Let them look! When I grow up, I’ll work as an animal right activist and make all these fast food parasites close their dirty business!’ Lara fumed, whipped away, and stomped forward.
            Bravo, Lara, oh boy, she’s bold. David looked at his sister striding forth and lurched after.
          He admired in her at these moments, clearly understood that he, if given the same situation, would have submitted to mother’s wishes silently. Not that he would’ve agreed with her, however, it would’ve required a lot more steam than he had to struggle like this.
#
            Lara wended her way through unending flow of people so typical for the central London Friday afternoon. She felt angry and disappointed. How could her own mother speak such rubbish? ‘Animals have no souls!’ Lara heaved a sigh.
            The first time she had heard this nonsense was in a church, they had gone in for a while on Sunday a couple of years ago with her mom and dad. Which country it was she didn’t remember, because they’ve been traveling a lot since she was born, probably England, however, could be Italy or Greece, any country that has a church with English service. It was that old priest, there, very proud of himself apparently, blurting that only humans were blessed to enter heavenly god’s dominion as them and only them had souls. Animals, according to him, were nothing but walking pieces of meat. Lara shook her head. How someone, who pretended to be a godly man, could blab such despicable things, and how God could love such a person? They hadn’t stayed in the church for long that time, because she had raised a racket yelling at the priest in the middle of the service; a mischievous smile waved through her lips. It’s what he’d deserved, and they never went in the church since that day, in fact. Her parents had not insisted, they never been particularly religious, although even if they had done, she would’ve never gone to listen to such junk again.
            Lara didn’t know much about other religious, just a few things they’d learned at school about Buddha and meditation, her dad had a lot interesting books as well, he worked in university. Lara didn’t feel against God, no; she just wanted to learn more, to meet wise interesting clever people, who could teach and inspire her, and who would know better, than do animal bashing during sermons. 
          Unfortunately, there were no such people where she lived. Mom and dad…well they were not that kind so to say. Teachers… and school, oh man… no comments, how such a system can exist at all? Her classmates… she didn’t fit in really; she had quite a few friends, as she clearly was fun to be with, however most of the time Lara felt an outsider, somewhat different, and lonely, even though, she surrounded by those she had considered buddies. She didn’t know why exactly.
        One thing was clear, her teachers, parents, as almost all adults in fact, considered her, Lara Brown a problematic and difficult child. Ok, no problems, who cares?
          There was one person, yet, who understood her perfectly, thank goodness, and that person paced right beside her now. 
            Lara glanced at David, who bounced trying to catch up with her. Clearly, her legs were much longer than his. Lara slowed the speed. She loved him; she really loved that cute, trusting, soft-butt she had for a brother. Lara frowned; she didn’t remember when the last time she had said it to him or had she said that at all? Ah, well… he knows.
          Her brother looked a little concerned now, every so often glancing at their mother. David hated rows and dramas, he was not a fighting type; it made him feel sorry for everyone, Lara knew it, he had told her himself. However, she couldn’t shut her mouth up and pretend that something was right when something was really wrong.
            Chill ran over her body, Lara looked up. The sky lost last traces of the sun, which had pleased them since the morning, covering everything with grey mist. Wind blows intensified with every minute.
          Oh man, it’ll rain again. Lara thought looking around and stopped in front of a statue of Charlie Chaplin. They were in the Leicester square already, in the middle of a little park, with a few trees and benches dotted around some white monument, what for had built, Lara didn’t know. Colorful signs of movie theatres and cafes flashed through the trees alluring people in.
          Unfortunately, those places were not where their mom and dad wanted to go this time. They fancied restaurants where many slaughtered animals were chopped, put on bread, covered with cheese, a green salad leaf, or maybe a slice of tomato, and called hamburgers, cheeseburgers or any other nice sounding names to mask  their bloody ingredient that ruined everything.
              Lara sighed, she wasn’t big and strong enough yet to choose what to eat, one thing she was sure of, when she gets older, she would become vegetarian, meat eating started to make her feel nauseous. Then she wouldn’t need to listen to her mother’s blabbing that lack of slaughtered flesh would make her sick.
            Her mom… difficult situation… strange she didn’t remember her dad preach about it… Anyway, her mother was approaching with Grace in the buggy, talking on the phone.
            ‘Where?’ Lara snapped at her gesturing to both sides, her lips curled into a sardonic smile. Fast food restaurants were any direction you’d go.
          ‘Nowhere,’ her mother replied, dropping her mobile into her pockets. ‘Your father just called, he’s not gonna make it to the Leicester square today. We’ll snack a little and go to Hendon University to meet him there, then go for dinner. You two, zip up, it’s getting cold.’ She nudged David, who obediently fingered his jacket, Lara, however, looked away; she is not going to zip it. 
            ‘Where are we going for a snack?’ said David.
            Don’t waste your breath asking? Thought Lara and folded her arms full of resentment.
            With an indulgent smile their mom motioned towards Odeon movie theatre where on the corner of it pizzas were sold, ‘I thought you might like a slice of pizza,’ she replied, ‘will ‘Pizza Hut’ window do?’
            A broad smile enlightened Lara’s face. Gee, she couldn’t believe her efforts paid off!
          ‘Oh yeah!’ she exclaimed, punching the air. Now she could choose a ‘perfectly’ vegetarian pizza Margarita or something else. Her mom wasn’t that stuck after all.
          They jiggled to the little Pizza Hut counter and picked a few slices of their choice. In a few minutes, munching slowly they’ve already strolled up to the Leicester square tube station to take Northern line towards Hendon. Forty minutes in the hustle and bustle of hot, dirty, and busy underground world did not seem remotely amusing; unfortunately, it was the fastest way to reach the Northern London where their father worked in Hendon University. 
#
Warm drizzle sprinkled down busy Hendon crossroads flooded by cars, two-decked red buses, and taxis that darted around to four sides like arrows. Countless shops and hairdressing saloons, which included wide selection of Afro, Caribbean, Asian, and European hairdressers, punctuated streets all the way.
          ‘Well, we’re still early,’ said Mrs Brown, glancing at her watch, as they rolled out of the underground, gasping for fresh rainy Hendon air, ‘your dad’s going to be free at five. We have forty five minutes.’ Children sure could stay in Leicester square better. She thought, glaring at traffic, unfortunately, there was no time to come back, ‘let’s wander around, shall we?’
            Mrs Brown steered her children away from the busy crossroads, down one of the streets, she knew very well crossing it a few times a week to shop for specialties in those small African shops. Mrs Brown loved cooking, and cooking what was she had to do having three children and a husband. Not for long, she thought, after a few month she’d come back to work. Grace was getting big enough to stay with a nanny.
            They walked slowly snooping around off-license shops until Mrs Brown’s eyes traveled at a window, she’d never seen before. It bore large red letters: ‘DIVINATION’.
            ‘Oh, oh look, mummy, a fortune teller!’ David exclaimed, apparently noticing the label the same time as she did. She tousled her son’s hair. If they just walked away, he’d forget. Unfortunately, Lara noticed it, too.
          ‘Let’s go in, let’s go in!’ she sizzled, tugging her at her sleeve, ‘we have time! Don’t we?’
            Mrs Brown sighed. Now it will be much more difficult to shake them of; if Lara set her mind on something… Raising her eyebrows, she rubbed her temple and examined the window.
            ‘Strange, I’ve never seen it here before, and I’ve crossed this street many times, though, didn’t I?’ she pondered loudly, could it be she hadn’t noticed? No, she noticed everything… but what she was talking about? ‘Children, fortune tellers are nothing but old frauds in weird clothes.’
                ‘Mum, please!’ Lara and David squealed in unison peering up at her with their wet puppy eyes.
              Oh, my goodness, not this. Mrs Brown’s insides melt looking at them. These eyes were something she couldn’t resist, an they knew that. I must be tougher, must be tougher. She turned away, pulling up her strength to resist another minute.
            Mrs Brown tried to be a loving, but strict mother teaching her children right according to rules old as this world. However, with years, she found out that her successful parenting formula had failed; her children had their own opinions, sometimes drastic, sometimes childish, bold, and even incomprehensible, nonetheless own. And there was one thing, a startling one, that started creeping into her mind slowly that her children sometimes could teach her more than she could possibly educate them.
            All of the sudden, light sprinkle that drizzled over their heads refreshingly turned into a powerful downpour. Torrents of rain blasted down out of nowhere carried by gusts of wind, bending trees to the ground. Lara with David huddled together trying to remain on their feet, hiding their heads under their jackets, which drenched in a moment providing a very poor shelter. Grace winced in the buggy that jolted in the squall and started whimpering.
          The weather change helped Mrs Brown to make up her mind. She stepped forth to a heavy tawny wooden door, a shiny brass handle heaved down, and the doors cracked opened welcoming them inside.
#
The hall they entered was narrow and dimly lit by a couple of murky lamp bulbs screwed into the ceilings. A few shabby doors, one of which wore a golden star, loomed further in the scarce light that cast shadowy tinge making them look murky grey. Dark wooden floorboards squeaked under their feet giving an impression of an old creepy house.
            Lara walked a few steps forth dripping water from her sopping jacket and glanced around tentatively. At least it was warm and dry in there; gale literally wailed outdoors making her recoil at the thought of going out again.
            At this moment, Lara remembered how, a few months ago, at school one of David’s friends – a boy from his class, had locked himself in the school cellar by accident. To this day Lara hadn’t understood what he had done there, however, it wasn’t important. She never asked too many questions when someone was in trouble.
          So that day after the last lesson, when she happily had bounced towards school gates to look for her mom’s car, David had pounded to her with a bunch of his friends (and he always had been surrounded with loads of them) all pale and scared to death.
        ‘Lara, please come, I need you!’ he panted, grasping her hand.
          She frowned, ‘what happened?’
          ‘I need you to come to the school cellar with us, please, quick.’
          Lara had hurtled along with the younger kids to a door, which she had never entered in her school career yet. Strangely, younger kids always liked her more than her own classmates regarding her as brave, tough and fearless who never said ‘no’ to their problems or maybe David’s good words mattered. Being so popular among even older school kids, he had authority and unlike at home, people listened to what he had said, and he never had spoken ill of his sister or anyone.
        The cellar they had got in looked very similar to this twilight hall. Lara smiled to herself remembering how the rest of kids had stayed outside, only a couple bravest included David had followed her shivering.
            ‘What happened?’ she whispered, advancing along dusty damp corridor. Being somewhere underground for the first time, Lara hadn’t felt fearless; however, to show her fright in the presence of younger kids never have been an option to her.
            ‘It’s Jimmy, he can’t get out,’ David squeaked, pointing at the door at the end of the corridor.
            Lara had stormed to the door and banged it with her fist, ‘anybody there?’
            A whimpering behind the door had betrayed a scared soul. Lara had tugged the door handle, it hadn’t moved. She could’ve run and called a teacher for help, however, knowing how adults have been treating her had left this option as a last resort. 
              Lara had tried everything she had seen in movies to open it. Her shoulders, legs, even head had worked hard to convince the door into submitting, unfortunately, such performance had brought her nothing but pains over her body. Finally, when despair was about to engulf them completely, she had seen a hooked iron bar laying on the floor. Grasping it tight, she had thrust the hooked end of it under the door as it had been a sufficient gap to the floor and, with David’s help, simply had heaved the door open.
            The reason of the accident was a misuse of door’s mechanism. Panicking, the boy had jolted the door to the wrong direction and it had stuck trapping him inside.
          After this incident, Lara had counted numerous bruises and a big bum on her head had remained for a good week, on the other hand, afterwards, all the kids in David’s grade and under had regarded her as a hero, flashing smiles at her anywhere she had gone for a whole week. 
          The outside door thudded with a sharp noise, jogging Lara back to reality; she looked around and saw a woman’s head appear from a room marked by the yellow star.
            ‘Hello,’ she said in a silky tender voice and smiled pleasantly, revealing a perfectly white set of teeth. She had big chestnut eyes, hooked nose, and long curly black hair falling loose on her shoulders, which added girlish playfulness to a sturdy figure of a woman in her late forties.
            To Lara’s surprise, this fortune teller did not wear any exotic long robes, neither loads of bracelets, nor jingly earrings; a single embellishment she had on her beige ensemble that comprised sweater, trousers, and plain dark brown flat lace-ups, which would’ve served for an office clerk, was a spiral golden seashell medallion that glinted in the light lovely.
          That’s funny. Lara thought scratching her chin. Mom said she would wear a weird outfit. However, she looks cool. Lara narrowed her eyes scanning the woman up and down. Some riveting mysterious glow radiated from her making every eye lock onto her, some calming and assuring vibe surrounded her presence.
                ‘Come in,’ she beckoned.
                Lara didn’t advance. She glanced at her family sideways. Rather confused looks on their faces betrayed the same squirm of hesitation she felt inside of her.
                The woman stepped out into the corridor and inspected their sodden garments sympathetically. ‘Oh dear, you’re all drenched,’ she said with an impeccable London accent. ‘Who wants hot chocolate?’
              ‘Me, me!’ Lara cried out suddenly feeling her stomach cold and quite uncomfortable; that pizza lump, she had stuffed in, required a soothing addition of a worm drink.
              The woman beamed at her, clusters of small wrinkles framed her smile. Then, Lara noticed she wasn’t young, nevertheless, the age didn’t make her look ugly, only added some motherly charm to her face.
                Lara glanced at David. Doesn’t he want to drink? He didn’t speak anything only clapped his big eyes riveted to the woman looking rosy about the cheeks.
              Her mom jolted her head slightly as if to wake up off the spellbinding impression and stammered.
              ‘Ah... Ms…?’
              ‘Ayla, simply Ayla,’ replied the woman, smiling, and stretched her hand.
                ‘Claudia Brown,’ replied Mrs Brown, shaking her hand cautiously.
                ‘My name’s Lara,’ Lara jumped in, grinning, and Ayla squeezed her hand heartily.
              ‘Nice to meet you, Lara.’
            ‘This is David and Grace,’ she pointed at her brother and sister consecutively.               

#
         
David nodded his head shyly and cast his eyes down not feeling brave enough for a handshake. This woman looked so extraordinary to him, so positively intimidating. He wasn’t a very shy one, however in her presence he felt star struck.
                I wonder if she has wings. David thought, however to see them in narrow corridor, where they all had crammed together shoulder to shoulder, was nearly impossible. He needed space and day light to see that magical surge of energy that unfolded from some peoples’ backs making them look so divine.
                ‘Hi, David,’ said Ayla and squat to face him, oh boy, his knees buckled under his weight, he didn’t understand why he felt that way. There was riveting power about that woman, he never yet had encountered in his life, some strength in front of which he quailed, ‘how old are you?’
                  ‘Eight,’ he squealed timidly. His voice had sounded higher than he wished.
                  ‘Give me five,’ said Ayla and stretched her palm, furrowed with thousand lines. David hesitated for a minute then smacked onto it quickly feeling his shyness sweep away with the wind and broke into a broad grin.
                  Grace twittered something in her pink buggy and staggered up. Ayla turned around, her face enlightened at the sight of little golden-head. ‘Hello, angel,’ she crooned and stroke Grace’s tiny chubby hand.
                Angel? David scratched his head, could it be she saw wings too? He glanced at Lara. According to the mimic on her face, David could say that his sister pondered over the same thoughts as he did. He had seen Grace’s wings since she was a tiny baby, and started seeing Lara’s a couple years ago.
                ‘Be my guests,’ Ayla said suddenly, standing up and motioned to the opened door.
              ‘I’m afraid we don’t have an appointment,’ said their mother tentatively, and gave her a little smile.
                Appointment? David frowned. Does she want to go out?
                ‘It’s ok, I am free now,’ Ayla replied.
                ‘We haven’t talked how much you charge?’ said Mrs Brown, grasping him and Lara by their shoulders to stop from sprinting inside. How annoying. David looked at Grace jealously, who, feeling free, stomped her sturdy legs into the room already.
              ‘Consider it a ‘lucky hour,’ replied Ayla and winked going after Grace; Lara, elbowed herself from her mother’s grip and darted inside grasping along his hand.
                ‘Wow!’ they gasped in one voice, skidding to a halt inside. Their mother pushed the empty baby buggy in after them. The abrupt lapse of movement behind them betrayed that she, too, stopped dead perplexed.
#
The interior they saw inside was unexpectedly lavish in comparison with the measly hall outside. However, what would shock everyone at entering this room first was a shimmering gauzy haze that filled it enwrapping every single thing in un unearthly glow.
              It wasn’t foggy or heavy to breathe in, as famous English mists that haunted London streets time to time. It was some vapor of light glistening in the air, which bestowed the inside a mysterious and mesmerizing fairy tale aura.
            The room itself appeared rather spacious to contain a family of five comfortably. Walls were decorated in the color of the maple leaves at the end of the summer with golden rose patterns on it. Curtains that flanked a big window, leading to an inner garden, bore a shade of sand, which matched a tinge of a hearth made of yellowish marble, standing in the middle of the right-hand wall, with a small crackling fire in it. A large wooden lacquered mantelpiece above it was full of semi precious stones clustered by the type, shape, and color.
            The left-hand wall of the room hosted the place for a tall bookshelf loaded with books most of them of esoteric field. In the middle of the room stood a large brown table covered with a yellow linen tablecloth, and two brown wooden chairs standing opposite each other.
              A set of Taro cards, crystal ball and two yellow wax candles edging them indicated a place where divination procedures might have occurred. A few additional chairs stood next to the fireplace boarded with a cupboard, which had an electric kettle and a white sugar-basin with flower patterns on.
              ‘Sit down,’ said Ayla, motioning to the empty seats. 
              Lara, however, couldn’t contain herself in her own skin. It was the most exciting room she had ever seen. The fireplace with those glittering stones on the mantelpiece was a torture to look at from afar. Lara glanced at Ayla, she rummaged something in her square black bag. What if she just asked…  Ayla didn’t seem to be scrupulous about her belongings. She looked… cool.
              ‘Ayla,’ Lara said hesitantly.
                ‘Yes, darling,’ Ayla looked up at her, a pleasant smile enlightened her face.
                ‘Could I… look around?’
                ‘Of course, honey, help yourself,’ she replied, waving her hand in the air.
                Lara didn’t need to be said twice; exploration was her thing. She dashed to the hearth. A small reddish fire crackled inside of it, gushing soft warmth. Lara looked up at the mantelpiece above, if she could only reach those dazzling stones, but they were way too high. She glanced at David, who still stood next to the chairs nibbling his finger, obviously interested to storm after her.
              ‘Come,’ she mouthed at him, beckoning. He shook his head. What a… Lara waved him off and pointed at the group of beautiful pink stones.
                    ‘What are they?’
                    ‘This is a rose quartz,’ Ayla replied, following her finger up.
                    ‘What does it do?’ asked Lara. It’s so beautiful!
                      ‘It heals the heart, also teaches compassion and unconditional love,’ Ayla replied softly, ‘do you want to look closer?’
                      Lara bobbed her head, sure, sure she wanted what a question. Ayla stood up, took a small palm-size stone, and piloted it up to Lara’s cupped hands. Mom gave her a warning don’t-break-it look.
                      She gasped, goggling at it; even David felt bold enough to come closer. The fire flames danced on its rosy surface glinting in the shimmering glow. Lara smiled, it felt so good to have it in her hands, so good and calming, something soothing gushed through her body, she just couldn’t figure out what.
                    ‘Thank you,’ she whispered and placed it on the table as if holding such treasure in her hands for long would be too frightening.
                      ‘You’re welcome, love,’ Ayla replied, ‘would you like to explore something else?’
                    Of course! Lara’s eyes flared up with those impatient curious twinkles always ablaze when she had met something mysterious and exiting. She winded around the room and…stopped on the probably most thrilling thing she’d seen in her entire life. In the middle of the table, right in front Ayla stood a gazing crystal ball, empty and transparent, however, clearly keeping a veil of mystery around itself. How would it feel to touch it?
                  ‘Ah… could I see the this,’ Lara jerked her head towards the table, her eyes transfixed on the crystal, feeling it wouldn’t be right to jabbed at it with her finger.
              Ayla nodded and pushed the gazing ball towards her, it sat comfortably in a holder, which comprised a brass plate and tree slanted legs for support. Lara looked at it with almost reverent silence and peered in… nothing… just a reflection of her eyes distorted by a round surface. David elongated nose flew into view as well. What did she expected to see? A premonition?
            Lara touched the ball, it felt smooth. She scooped the crystal in her hands and lifted it a little.
          ‘Put it down, right away,’ hissed her mother, scowling, ‘go, sit down both.’ Lara put the ball back immediately feeling guilty and glanced Ayla. Was a reproached coming? Ayla grinned.
              ‘It’s alright,’ she said, patting her shoulder, ‘curiosity is not a sin. Come on, let’s make hot chocolate,’ she motioned at the electric kettle on the cupboard. ‘Fill it with water; the kitchen’s right next door.’
              Yey, hot chocolate! Lara felt her insides leap. She dashed to the kettle, grabbed it up, and stormed out of the room with David at her heels.               
#
As children darted out Ayla closed the door, went back to the table, stooped over Mrs Brown face, and exclaimed startling her into a fright.   
              ‘Do you have any idea what kind of children you have?’
              ‘W-what?’ Mrs Brown stammered, quailing. What the heck that suppose to mean? She goggled back at Ayla blankly.
              Mrs Brown felt strange in this room no doubt. There was some inexplicable vibe inside she never had felt before, some weird feeling, not negative, or scary, rather weirdly enchanting. She liked Ayla, in fact, as much as the first impression can be truthful; her children liked her for sure, and she seemed liked them, too. To her relief, Ayla didn’t dress up like those crazy fortune tellers from movies; she looked normal, she acted normal, until now at least…
              Suddenly, clearly spotting a trace of fright on Mrs Brown’s face, Ayla retreated and sat in her chair.
            ‘Sorry, I overreacted,’ she smiled gently, ‘just… I’ve never thought such a powerful union could come in one family. It makes everything a lot easier; on the other hand, it may be more dangerous.’
              What? Mrs Brown gasped frowning at Ayla. What does she mean dangerous? Is she nuts? Sure she is! She looked around. Where’s Grace? Oh, at the window, I’ll manage to grab her if something.
              Furthermore, Ayla did not put any efforts in building up a ‘normal’ image and continued rattling on with her eyes out of focus. ‘It’s been the dream of mine to meet them in this life time and help and… and guide them if I’m allowed to?’
              Oh, god, she’s really crazy! And I brought my children here by myself. Thoughts reeled in Mrs Brown’s head. My husband will crane my neck for sure. All of the sudden, she decided to throw away a veil of politeness. The heck with British niceties.
                ‘What powerful union? What help, what guidance?’ Mrs Brown screamed, her eyes bulging. ‘What are you talking about?’ then leapt up from the chair, throwing up her hands.
            ‘Oh I see,’ Ayla gasped, a small though pleasant smile rippled through her lips. ‘You don’t know yet.’
            ‘I don’t know what?’ said Mrs Brown, rolling her eyes. Jesus, she really started getting on my nerves. 
            ‘I’ll explain to you, sit,’ she whispered softly. Mrs Brown glared at her for a second than plumped at the chair.
            ‘Claudia, you children, reincarnated here from different planets agreed to be a part of the special Union of Three, which suppose to stand in the middle of the ultimate Stargate opening, which by the way is the most important Stargate in Earth history.’
              Mrs Brown, frowned, feeling as if something she just had heard, stuck somewhere in the middle of her head on the way up to her brains. ‘Sorry what?’ she said.
            ‘The fact I know about your children can be owed to the changes our planet undergo in the present times,’ replied Ayla, wafting undeniable sincerity. ‘Since the Harmonic Concordance, which occurred November 8, 2003 on your youngest daughter’s birthday, isn’t it?’
                Mrs Brown startled raising her eyebrows. God, how she could possibly know that?
                Ayla smiled, put her fingertips together, and placed her hands in front of her chin.
              ‘This astronomical event helped to shift our planetary consciousness, in other words, we started ascending from three dimensional reality to five dimensions, the world of peace, unconditional love and abundance.’
                Mrs Brown let out a sneering puff. That would be too good.
              Disregarding her scorn, Ayla bent over and peered into her eyes. Mrs Brown felt as though her insides melted, and she became an empty, vacant void, no thoughts, no prejudice, no experience, a blank list of paper, a wiped slate.
              ‘You, Claudia,’ Ayla said, ‘are the mother of Gatekeepers, Claudia.’
              Befuddled and perplexed Mrs Brown gazed in front of her with her eyes narrowed into two puzzled slots and then… jolted up. A strange feeling swept through her, as though someone deep inside of her head rang a bell of a distant and long lost memory.
#
Rapid pattering of four legs grew loader, until it erupted into the burst through the door.
              ‘We’re back!’ Lara yelled and handed Ayla the electric kettle full of water. David jiggled after her, it took ages to fill it.
              ‘Thank you, darling,’ she replied, raising from the table to plug it in, and opened a cupboard revealing a set of blue cups with astrological signs. ‘Is there any Gemini in this family?’ Ayla asked, taking one of them.
            ‘Me!’ cried out Lara, shoving her hand up, and grasped the cup stretched out to her. ‘Thank you.’
            ‘Is there Pisces?’ 
              David beamed, (oh boy, she knew his astrological sign, too) then waved his hand coyly.
              ‘It’s me,’ he said and thanked heartily as a beautiful blue cup traveled to his hands. He explored the cup, two golden fish flickered in the hearth light nicely, emphasized by the dark background. He liked this picture and he liked fish, alive that is, in aquarium, one they had at home here in London, and in the sea. He snorkeled only once so far in his life when they had gone to Egypt last autumn.   
              ‘Sagittarius?’ asked Ayla and glanced back at Mrs Brown, still sitting at the table with her eyes out of focus looking befuddled.
              ‘How do you know?’ she gasped, her eyes rounded flabbergasted.
              ‘She a fortune teller, mum, she knows everything,’ said Lara, shrugging as if what she had said was the most obvious thing in the world, then glanced at David with a isn’t-it-obvious look.
                David nodded. Of course, she knows everything. He looked around; it was so peaceful and quite and not boring at all - magical. He wished to explore everything around, and was ready to drink as many cups of hot chocolate as it takes to stay here as long as possible.
              Ayla grinned, and squat next to Grace, who sat on the floor near the hearth toying with her teddy bear, her tiny mouth opened in concentration.
            ‘Our little Scorpio,’ she whispered and brushed her fingers over the little head tenderly as if touching something fragile and sacred, then stood up and exclaimed. ‘Water boiled, hot chocolate time!’
              Yey! Finally! David grinned, feeling the taste of sweet brown drink diving down his throat.
            Unfortunately, whether because of Ayla’s rather loud gasp or rapid bubbling kettle water, his mom suddenly jolted out of the spellbinding state. She glanced at her watch and burst out flailing her hands.
            ‘Oh my, it’s ten past five! Put your cups down, children. Sorry Ayla,’ Mrs Brown grinned apologetically, and strode towards the fireplace to grasp Grace’s hand, ‘we don’t have time, really, I didn’t realize how late it’s already, and my husband’s waiting.’
              No! David thought, screwing his face into a wrinkled pumpkin. Why now? Did the time pass so fast? If only the reason to leave wasn’t that undeniably important, he would’ve cut a tantrum. Usually it was Lara’s job, however… David and glanced his sister. She, too, pulled on her jackets with her lower lip dropped to her chin, eyeing the cups longingly. There was nothing to do just shuffle to the door with his head bow low, he sighed.
              Lara sighed behind him.
              ‘Bye, Ayla, thank you,’ she said miserably, waving back.
              David stopped and turned at her as well. ‘Thank you, I wish we could stay to drink hot chocolate,’ he mumbled looking miserable. 
            ‘I’ll buy you drinks outside,’ barked their mother, steering the pram to the hall. ‘Come on!’
            It’s not the same! He wanted to scream but didn’t.
            ‘It’s alright,’ said Ayla and put her hand on his and Lara’s shoulders, she smelled flowers, ‘we’ll drink hot chocolate when you come back, you will come back, right? She winked and stretched Lara her visit card.
              Sure, we come back, maybe even today! This thought made David feel a better.
              ‘Of course, we will!’ Lara exclaimed, hiding the card in her pocket.
            ‘Oh, sorry,’ Mrs Brown gasped suddenly and stopped to a halt, ‘silly me,’ she smirked and hunted her pockets. ‘How much I owe you?’
            ‘Nothing,’ replied Ayla, shaking her head, and glanced at David, ‘we’ll talk about this the next time, right David?’
            ‘Right,’ he replied, beaming. Now there’s a serious reason to come back, even mom won’t deny it.
              ‘OK, then,’ said Mrs Brown and dropped the wallet back into her pocket, then beckoned. ‘Faster, we’re late!’
              And they swished out to the street waving and yelling and Ayla waved and yelled back at them for a long time. Even little Grace ducked out her golden head out the baby buggy and flailed her little hands in the air letting out squeaks and squeals as long as they turned around the corner leaving Ayla behind.