Kilynn, part 11

It is amazing how a day away from writing can clear my head. I sat down at the computer with the goal of writing for an hour and ended up for writing for well over two. Maybe it was the second cup of tea that got me going. I feel good about what I wrote and I have a lot more I want to write but it will have to wait until tomorrow. You just get a part of what I wrote today. Tomorrow I will put up more of today's writing. Now it's time to start gathering up hockey things for practice this afternoon.

To recap - Kilynn and her brothers were planning on meeting with the Grandmother to find out how they are going to rescue their mother from the island.

Kilynn, Part 11:

Shortly before midday, Kilynn and her brothers tied their horses in the clearing by the pond, making sure each horse had plenty of grass nearby. As Kilynn had expected, Grandmother was already there, spreading out food on a large blanket on the ground. Herry and Ryl, with the appetites of eighteen year olds, quickly greeted their grandmother with hugs and kisses then dug into the food. Kilynn managed to grab a few things to eat for herself and her grandmother, then settled down in the soft grass next to the pond. For a while, the only sounds around the pond were the sounds of nature and eating.

Finally Ryl flopped back, stretching out on the grass in the sun. “Grandmother, thank you for the food. It was delicious!” He smiled happily at his grandmother and she returned the smile. Herry murmured his thanks, still busy eating. Kilynn had finished a while before her brothers and was snuggled close to her grandmother, tucked under her arm as she had done long ago as a child.

“You’re welcome, child,” Helene responded. “Rest for a few minutes and then we shall talk.”  With that, Herry flopped back on the ground next to his brother, and the two promptly closed their eyes and fell asleep, Ryl snoring gently.

Kilynn shook her head at her brothers. “I've never understood how those two could fall asleep that fast. I have always been jealous of their ability to do that.”

“It is good they are sleeping, little cat, for they will face many challenges in the days to come and it will take a great deal of energy to face them,” her grandmother replied. “And their sleeping gives you and me the chance to talk without their interruptions.” Kilynn started to move away from her grandmother but Helene gave her a quick squeeze, keeping Kilynn in place. “Stay close to me, child. You haven’t snuggled with me like this since you were a wee child.” Kilynn scooted closer, wrapping her arm around her grandmother’s waist.

“Your brothers are not the only ones who will face challenges in the days ahead, Kilynn,” Helene began. “The path to the island is not an easy one, and once you are there, you will be in grave danger until you return to our land. I will do my best to prepare you for what is ahead. But tell me child, how are you doing?”

Kilynn hesitated before answering her grandmother. Part of her wanted to lie and say she was fine, that she felt brave and was ready to face a hundred monsters to rescue her mother. But the other part of her longed to confess her fears to her grandmother. Looking up into her grandmother’s soft, caring eyes, Kilynn decided she needed to tell the truth.

“I’m so scared, Grandmother.” She spoke softly so she wouldn't wake her brothers. “I am so afraid that I will fail, that I won’t be able to rescue Mother and that she will be stuck there forever. I feel I am being selfish, asking my brothers to put themselves in danger. I fear that I will disappoint Father and my other brothers if I fail. What if I’m not strong enough to do this? What is happening to Mother? How do I know I’m doing the right thing?” The words poured out of Kilynn. She suddenly stopped herself, afraid she would break down crying yet again.

“Do you hear your mother’s voice, little cat? Is she speaking to you?”

Kilynn nodded. “Yes, Grandmother. I do hear here. But then, I have always had her voice in my head, telling me when I was doing something right or something stupid or reminding me when I forgot something. I always thought it was just my brain trying to keep me out of trouble. But then this morning Herry and Ryl told me they could hear Mother too. How is that possible?”

“Ah Vanyssa, you have left your children so unprepared,” Kilynn barely heard her grandmother’s whisper. She sat silently, waiting for her grandmother to answer. When she began to speak she sounded weary. “Your mother should have told you about this but your father was against the idea. He wanted you children to grow up with as normal lives as possible and so he convinced your mother to keep quiet about so many things. I wasted many a breath arguing with your father about what you children needed to know, but he refused to listen. And your mother was, no is, so in love with that stubborn man that she agreed to his requests. I shall do my best to tell you what I can.

“This ability to hear your mother’s voice in your head is one of the few that stayed with my mother after she left the island. I could always hear her voice in my head. When I asked my brothers about it they thought I was joking with them. From a young age I could tell your mother heard me in her head – she would answer questions I hadn't asked aloud. And yet her brothers have never heard me in that way.

“Before my mother died, I asked her about it. She said on the island it was common for both male and female children to hear both parents’ voices in this manner. We discussed possible reasons for it only manifesting in the female children of our family. Our best guess is that it is because my father was not from the island and all the male children of our family greatly resemble him. The women of our family have always resembled the people of the island. As to why this ability didn’t fade with the others? Again, we can only guess but perhaps it was because it is not directly tied to any elemental abilities. We don’t know.”

“Can Mother hear me, Grandmother? Or is it only a one-way thing? And if it is only works for mother to daughter, why can Ryl and Herry hear her now? From the way they were talking, it sounds like it just began this morning.”

“It did just start this morning.” Kilynn jumped at the sound of Herry’s voice. She had assumed both her brothers were still asleep but to her surprise they were both sitting up and listening intently to their grandmother.

Helene smiled at her grandsons. “Awake now, are we? That was a short nap.”

Ryl smiled back. “It was enough. Besides, how can anyone sleep around here with you two chattering non-stop? Now, Grandmother, tell us more.”

“At your request, young master Teryl.” Kilynn giggled at her grandmother’s very formal tone. Helene hugged her granddaughter tight at the sound of her giggle. “Now let’s see, to answer your question, Kilynn, yes it is only one way. You can hear your mother but she cannot hear you. But she can hear me, and I have been trying my best to send her messages letting her to hold on, that help is coming.

“Now, as to why you two rapscallions can hear your mother’s voice, I honestly do not know. Perhaps it is because your mother is in danger and she is calling out to whoever will listen. Perhaps it is because of the bond that exists between triplets. Or perhaps she has been speaking to you all along and only now, when she is gone, that you can hear her. For whatever reason, you can hear her and that is good because it means she is still alive.”