Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz - John Stump

The Promised Land: (Part 15) Crash and Burn

“Ah, that’s much better,” Eden said as she ran a comb through the last wet tangle. After pulling her golden hair into a meticulous French braid, she looked at the finished product in a full-length mirror. Dirty blue jeans replaced with clean black ones and bloody brown sweater replaced with a burgundy turtleneck. With a satisfied nod at her reflection, Eden pulled on a pair of gray boots, gathered her belongings, and headed out into the maze of corridors once more.

Turning around a corner, Eden happened to see someone exit a room, close the door, and start walking away. She thought it was the same lady from the night before. What was her name again? Emily? Edna?

“Hey!” Eden called out. The woman stopped and turned around, a lock of dark curls falling into her face.

“Um, hi,” Eden said with a wave. “This is kind of awkward,” she thought as the woman looked back at her with a blank stare. “I’m Eden Teknia. Caden and I rode in your van on the way back from Jericho last night.” As she spoke, the lady walked closer to Eden with an expression of interest. The woman had on a long skirt that was brown, layered, and patched. She wore an off-white shirt with puffy sleeves under a dark blue shawl. She looked like someone dressing for another time period. The orange scarf was the only familiar article of clothing Eden recognized. For a long minute, Eden wondered if it was really the same woman. “You… you ARE the lady we rode back with… right?”

The older woman nodded. “Yes. My name is Ezra,” she said with a foreign accent. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Eden reached out to shake the woman’s extended hand. As soon as their hands connected, Eden’s vision clouded and a flurry of images invaded her sight. The images were flashing far too fast for Eden to make any sense of them. With a terrified gasp, Eden yanked her hand back and stared at the foreigner in alarm.

“Forgive me,” Ezra apologized with a roll in her R. “I was… curious.”

“What was that?!”

“Your future.”

“Excuse me?” Eden wasn’t sure if she was agitated at the visions for coming without warning or at Ezra for barging into her mind and future without permission in the first place. “Definite stranger danger here,” she thought, but curiosity got the better of her and temporarily pacified her anger.

“What did you see? Do I ever get out of this place?”

Ezra calmly folded her hands together. “Only if you choose to leave.”

“What do you mean if I choose to?” Eden balked. “Of course I choose to! Tell me how to get back right now!”

“Forgive me for upsetting you,” Ezra said as she backed up and turned to leave. “Perhaps this conversation should be saved for later. Thank you for assisting with the children. Have a nice day.”

She was halfway down the hall by the time Eden recovered from her stunned state. “Wait!”

Ezra stopped and turned again.

“If you can see the future…” Eden’s mind tried to fit the pieces together. “Then you knew what would happen to Jericho.”

The woman nodded.

“But then… why didn’t you stop it from happening?”

Ezra exhaled slowly, almost as if strained, and thought for a moment before answering. “Jericho is not the reason I am here. I came to help the living make a difference.”

“Explain,” Eden demanded.

“You will see. Another time perhaps.” After a pause, Ezra asked, “May I leave?”

“One more.” Eden crossed her arms and stared hard at the lady. Thinking about all the comments Caden made about needing to find this mysterious woman, Eden asked, “Why does Caden have so much faith in you?”

Ezra pondered the question longer than Eden expected. Maybe she asked a question that actually stumped the woman. That thought made her feel a little better, though it didn’t quite make up for the feeling that people were hiding information from her. Finally, Ezra answered. “Perhaps because I have faith in him.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Try it some time. Farewell.” Without giving Eden a chance to reply, she disappeared around the corner.

“…Weird.” Eden turned around and walked the other way. She didn’t remember where she was going or what she was looking for before the strange meeting occured. Eden was too busy trying to figure out the storm of images she saw before pulling away. She saw a multitude of faces, most of them unfamiliar. Two faces stood out from the rest and kept showing up throughout the barrage. If Eden learned anything from meeting Ezra, it was that her future was closely linked to the twins. But why? Lost in thought, Eden easily missed the tiny bundle on the floor. Until she tripped over it, that is. 

“Owwww…” Eden picked herself up from the floor and brushed dirt off her “new” clothes. The faintest of sounds caught her attention. “Hm?” It was then she realized that a small child was curled up on the ground. “Oh, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall on you. Are you ok?” Eden crouched next to the sad looking lump. The hooded child sniffled and buried its head. “Hey. You ok, sweetie? You’re not hurt, are you?” The kid sat up and shook its head. “I want to go home,” it whispered.

Eden cautiously reached out. The child didn’t move as she pushed back the hood. It was a young boy with auburn hair and grey eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Jordan.”

“How old are you?”

“Ten,” the kid said as he wiped his nose with an oversized sleeve.

Eden pursed her lips before asking, “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know,” the boy said with a fresh wave of tears. “I was hiding in my room and they took them away.”

“Who?”

“Soldiers. They came yesterday and Mom told me to hide.”

A ball of emotion formed in the pit of Eden’s stomach. “How did you get here?”

“A lady found me and told me she would take me some place safe.”

Eden’s sorrow and compassion received a jolt of pity when the little boy asked, “Can I go home now?”

“Have you eaten yet?” Eden hoped the kid didn’t realize she was trying to avoid his question. Jordan shook his head. “I was hiding when the other kids went to eat.”

“Well, we can’t have you going home hungry.” Eden put as much hope and happiness into her voice as she could muster. “Why don’t we go find some food together?” She stood up and held out her open palm. Jordan placed his little tear-drenched hand in hers and they walked together. Though Eden was indeed hungry before, she found she had just lost her appetite.