The Message on the Scroll

Dear Asrira,

We have been looking for you for a thousand years. 

The key beamed the path that led us to you. And we found the fastest method of your time to get this to you. 

You have been summoned by the Circla. We expect your quick return with the key. 

Make haste as the red moon is hovering! The fate of our lands now lies in your hands. 

I reread the scroll again and again. 

The style of the text looked ancient. It had also been written on what seemed like old animal skin. I was trying to make sense of all of this. It had just been dropped by a drone in a package at my doorstep. I had taken the package in and I had opened it. In there was this scroll. 

I love to shop. It's not the wisest of things to love, but I do. Because of my habits, I expect to receive packages from time to time. 

Sometimes there is a mix-up and I receive something I hadn't ordered. Sometimes I don't receive my orders at all. Sometimes I receive two of the same item. Stuff happens when you shop online frequently. 

This one was the craziest of them all. I was startled. 

Yes, the address on the package was right. But my name is not Asrira. Who could have been waiting for me for a thousand years? I am only thirty-one. Who were the Circla? What key? What lands? My time?

I was puzzled. Many questions raced through my mind. 

Maybe it was a sick joke from a YouTuber I guessed. And they were probably recording my reaction from a drone I couldn't see. If they came to my door to ask for permission to use the clip, I had decided I wasn't going to give it to them. Yes, we are in the era of content, but I've always felt that some take it too far sometimes. 

I went out to my balcony and looked around to spot the person recording or a drone. Was the one that had dropped it still hovering around? I couldn't see any. I went back in, sat on my couch and reread the scroll again. 

Still nothing!

I put it back in the box and placed it on the stool. The strange package didn't have a return address either so I had no clue where to send it back. I needed to get back to work. I wasn't going to waste any more thought on it. I decided to hang on to it for a while. Maybe the person who sent it would realise their mistake and trace it. 

I am a sculptor. My grandfather taught me the skill. He told him he had been taught by his great-grandmother. According to him, several of our ancestors had this gift. 

Upon his retirement, Grandpa had given me this little wooden bird that hung on his keys next to his key holder. He told me his great-grandfather had given it to him as a gift. A blessing to his sculpture business. 

"Take this Penny. It has been my guide many times when I felt like giving up. Poppa gave it to me. His Poppa had given it to him. One day it will offer you guidance as it did me. It has been in the family for generations. Keep it close and safe," he had told me. 

I remember we were sitting next to the arch that led to the orchard in the park. Grandpa loved to take his walks there. He said it felt like home. I missed my grandfather. He was a very gentle and loving man. 

Business had been getting tough lately. 3D printing was eating up on the shares of our handicrafts. The likes and views on my Instagram were dwindling. This of course translated to fewer sales. Bills were piling, failure hoovered and hopelessness was creeping in. 

I hadn't felt like this in years. I was even contemplating closing down my home-based handicraft shop and look for a service job. Those were easy to get I imagined. 

I had found myself taking out the little bird Grandpa had given me. I had stored it in the drawer under my bed. It made me feel safe and strong when I felt like giving up. I had been examining it. Maybe even looking for inspiration. I needed to create something that would sell quickly. 

"What creativity would the bird trigger?" I wondered

I had taken my time to examine it. It was the first time in my life that I was intrigued by its technique. Could I borrow it? Replicate it? I rolled it. Twisted it. Tried to polish a section. I had even placed it under a light to study the technique of its craft. 

For a second there, I had thought the bird's eyes had shone but had also quickly dismissed it as the hallucinations of desperation. Deep down, did I want my ancestors to talk to me? To guide me at my point of most need? 

I had been repeating this ritual almost daily. 

A few hours after receiving the mysterious package, I had broken a wing of the little bird. Rather than repair it, I decided to tear it apart, study the technique and put it back together again. 

Upon tearing it apart, inside the bird, on what seemed to be its support was a tiny metallic rod. It had four tiny silver wings. On its underbelly were the letters "Asrira". 

"What is this?" I asked out loud. 

My mind went to the scroll that still sat on my stool. I had even forgotten about it. 

I pulled it out and re-read it again. I examined the metal rod that I had found inside the little bird. Why did it have four tiny wings on its sides? Was this thing a key? Why did my grandfather give it to me? 

I remembered when he gave it to me and where we were. Was that spot significant? 

I took the rod together with the letter and drove to the park. I walked towards the orchard. Many things had changed over the years but the arch still remained. 

I took out the rod and tried to examine it looking for a clue. In the brightness, it shone creating a beam that seemed to lead to the arch. I was startled. But I felt compelled to get to the bottom of all this. 

I followed the beam. 

When I reached below the arch, the beam disappeared. What was happening? I wanted to turn back afraid of what would happen if I took one more step. But what was I going back to? 

I stood there for a moment. Many thoughts came flooding in. Maybe this step would help spur up some creativity for my sculptures… Maybe it would help unravel this mystery. Was it a trap? Could I die?

My grandfather knew about this. That's why he had given me the bird at that spot. There was no need to be afraid. He would never lead me astray. But what if I was wrong? 

I took one loud breath and walked towards the orchard. It was as though I had been transported to another land. The air was red and misty. I couldn't see clearly. I wanted to turn back. But I pressed on. I had already come this far. 

Whatever this was, I was going to find it out. All by myself.

"Welcome, Asrira," a voice said. once I was fully in. 

I tried to rub my eyes to see clearly. 

"I have been waiting for you at this path. I am an Asrira too. I guard the paths out of here. And you that were sent to the human world guide the path in. I can feel the key. It will help us close the sky doors. Come! We have all been waiting for you," the voice continued. 

I then felt a hand hold mine from the front. And I followed it forward. I was determined to figure this out. All of it.

My day had started normally. Now, it seems I was in a different realm.